My Reaction To The Proposed Ordinance for the Creation of the Provincial Council for Culture and the Arts in Aklan

 

My Reaction To The Proposed Ordinance for the Creation of the

Provincial Council for Culture and the Arts in Aklan

by

Melchor F. Cichon
September 28, 2014

UMPIL Awardee

 

Aklan is rich in cultural heritage.

From the recent diggings found in Tigayon Cave, in Tigayon, Kalibo, we can bravely say that Aklan is indeed one of the oldest civilized places in the Philippines.

The presence of the Ati in Aklan and their songs as mentioned by Mr. Alexander De Juan in his write-up will certainly prove that indeed Aklan is one of the oldest civilized places in the Philippines.

The early alphabet that was noted by Fiorella I. Nabor in one of the poems, Hambae Inakeanon, will likewise prove that early civilization had taken place in Aklan. The copy of this poem in its original text is reprinted in my book, The 32 Best Aklanon Poets, 2009.

All these cultural heritage have to be taken care of. Not only taken care of, but have to be preserved and developed so that our future generations will have something to look into. And be a proud Aklanon.

Even before the founding of Akeanon Literary Circle in the early 1980s, our early writers like Roman dela Cruz, Manuel Laserna, Dominador Ilio, etc. have been writing poetry, short stories, essays, dramas.

A literary renaissance took place in the early 1980s when a group of young Aklanon writers like Alexander De Juan, Joeffrey Ricafuente, Pett Candido, Arwena Tamayo, John Barrios, Mila de la Rosa-Ibanez, Edna Romulo Faral, Melchor F. Cichon, and others started writing poetry, short stories, essays, and drama in Aklanon. Some of their works have been published in local, national, and international publications.

Some of them have also won both local and national poetry contests and awards. Mr. Melchor F. Cichon, for example, is the only Aklanon Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL) awardee. Dr. John Barrios and Mr. Cichon are both Cultural Center of the Philippines awardees in short story and poetry writing, respectively.

Among the published books that feature the works of Aklanon writers are Ani Aklanon,1993; 32 Best Aklanon Poets,2009; and Matimgas nga Paeanoblion, edited by Melchor F. Cichon and others.

Mr. Roman dela Cruz published the Five-Language Dictionary, so far the most comprehensive Aklanon dictionary and Mr. Belisarius dela Cruz, translated the first Aklanon translation of the New Testaments.

With the establishment of Akeanon Literary Circle, some poetry workshops have been conducted to help develop the creative writing skills of our young Aklanons. And hundreds of young Aklanons have availed of these workshops.

Many other things can still be done by Aklanons to preserve and develop our cultural heritage.

One of this is the creation of Aklanon Archives and Museum wherein Aklaniana print and non-print materials should be stored, preserved, managed and served to all interested students, researchers, and scholars.

One of the major problems being encountered by the Aklanon writers is the financial support from our government. If only our local government can financially support the holding of more creative writing workshops and poetry contests in Kalibo and in the different towns of Aklan, more and more Aklanons will be encouraged to write poetry and other literary pieces. Soon we will have Aklanon Palanca awardees. And more Aklanon literary works will be included in Philippine literary anthologies.

Another problem that are being encountered by Aklanon writers is the non-standardization of Aklanon spelling especially in the use of u and o, and in the proper use of Aklanon prefixes like nag, mag, etc. The Summer Institute of Linguistics-Philippine Language has proposed a spelling guideline, but this has not been adopted by Aklanon language experts. Part One of The Study of the Aklanon Dialect by Vicente Salas Reyes et al, 1969, also presents guidelines on Aklanon language. On this regards, it’s high time that Aklanon language experts should work together to standardize Aklanon spelling. This also needs government supports.

It is therefore commendable that Mr. Alexander de Juan has proposed the creation of an ordinance creating a Provincial Council for Culture and the Arts in Aklan. I am certain that with the establishment of this Council, our cultural heritage will be given more attention, and it will help boast our tourism industry.