I wouldn't dream of trading Christmas in the Philippines for a white Christmas. And that's why I made sure I'd be home this Christmas. I was hoping to get some work done before the new year, but I was being optimistic. As I wrote before, "schedules, eating habits and exercise routines are thrown out the window" in December.
The video below provides a glimpse of what I mean. Note that "Pasko = Christmas" and "Pinas" is short for "Pilipinas," the Filipino word for "Philippines." I've also reproduced the lyrics, and added my own English translation. Merry Christmas!
Pasko sa Pinas Artist: Yeng Constantino
Nadarama ko na ang lamig ng hangin Naririnig ko pa ang maliliit na tinig May dalang tansang pinagsama-sama’t Ginawang tambourine
Ang mga parol ng bawat tahana’y Nagniningning Ibang mukha ng saya Himig ng Pasko’y nadarama ko na
May tatalo pa ba sa Pasko ng Pinas Ang kaligayahan nati’y walang kupas Di alintana kung walang pera Basta’t tayo’y magkakasama
Ibang-iba talaga Ang Pasko sa Pinas Ang Pasko sa Pinas
Christmas in Pinas Artist: Yeng Constantino
I can already feel the coolness of the wind I can still hear the children's voices Carrying bottle caps strung together Made into a tambourine
The lanterns in each home Shimmer and shine The look of happiness is different I can already feel the spirit of Christmas
Can anything beat Christmas in Pinas The joy we feel is incomparable We don't really care if we don't have money As long as we're all together
It's really different Christmas in Pinas Christmas in Pinas
Why was the Katipunan established? What exactly did Katipuneros talk about during their meetings? What were the names of the Katipuneros? All these questions and more are addressed by Katipunan Documents and Studies (KDS), which presents transcriptions of primary documents—in Tagalog and/or the Katipunan's secret code—along with translations, introductions and sources in English (though not consistently for all documents).
It is noted on the site that KDS intends to complement—not compete with—Bonifacio Papers (which I first featured in "FO: Bonifacio Day"), but any comparisons made are not really applicable because KDS presents primary sources, not just what scholars have written about them. KDS is an excellent resource, but photos of the actual documents—not just transcriptions—would have been even better. Then again, the absence of photos could just be an indication of the dearth of evidence about Bonifacio and the Katipunan.
First, the facts. The 2008 Librarians' Licensure Exam (LLE) had the most number of examinees (1,003) and the lowest passing rate (24 percent) since the exams began in 1992. The number of schools represented by the examinees has increased in the past three years from 105 (2006) to 130 (2007) to 142 (2008). The three schools with the most number of first-time examinees in the last two years—namely Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Main-Sta. Mesa (PUP), University of the Philippines-Diliman (UP) and Philippine Normal University-Manila (PNU)—experienced astonishing declines in passing rates. And then, of course, there's the fact that this exam was the last chance for those with degrees other than bachelor's or master's degrees in library and information science (BLIS/MLIS) to take the exam. Starting next year, only those with BLIS/MLIS degrees will be allowed to take the exam.
Second, the possible reasons for the drastic drop in the passing rate. One is that while more graduates may have taken the exams, a greater percentage of them were just not good enough to pass. But this is based on the assumption that the 2008 exam was just as difficult as the 2007 one. Was it? Only those who drew up the questions and perhaps the ones who took both exams can tell for sure, but the results for the three largest contingents suggest that this year's exams were more difficult than the previous year's. For instance, the passing rates for first-timers from PUP and PNU dropped from 61 percent and 75 percent last year, respectively, to 18 percent and 59 percent this year. But the most compelling evidence that the exams were harder in 2008 was the decline in the passing rate for UP, which has always had at least 93 percent of its graduates getting their licenses. In 2007, 100 percent of UP's first-timers passed the exam; this year, only 85 percent did. This, however, assumes that the 2007 and 2008 graduates of PUP, PNU and UP received the same kind of training and were of comparable competence. It seems unlikely that the current batch was significantly less capable than their predecessors, but the reality that this is the last year that non-BLIS/MLIS degree holders can take the exams could have pushed some to go for it even though they weren't ready or put undue pressure on those who knew this was their one and only chance. This particular theory, though, goes out the window if the 6 UP examinees who didn't pass were all BLIS/MLIS graduates.
Finally, my conclusion. There are probably other possibilities, including disruptions at the testing site (it happened in 2004), misleading instructions and checking or computational errors, but my guess is that the drastic drop in the passing rate was a combination of the reasons offered above. If I had to choose just one, I'd say the exams this year look like they were harder than in 2007, and it just so happened that there were many more examinees who took it.
The passing rate for the Librarians' Licensure Examination went down drastically from 32 percent last year to 24 percent (237 out of 1003). Is the exam getting harder or are there just more unsuccessful repeaters this year? Wait for my update to "Librarians' Licensure Exams: 1992-2007," which should be out within this week.
Below is the Top 10 list from the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), and the list of successful examinees as published in the Philippine Star. Surprisingly, the PRC website has already been updated—but the 2006 and 2007 results have still not been added. If you're one of the new librarians looking for a job, you may want to check out Job Openings and Career Development.
Top 10
ELIJAH JOHN FERNANDO DAR JUAN, 87.75 BERNADETTE DAVA SUENO, 86.5 RUEL ROMARATE YU, 86.45 KRISTINE YAP MARTINEZ, 85.7 NOMER ALBARANDO ALCAZAR, 85.6 MARION JUDE MARISTELA GOROSPE, 84.55 JACQUELYN JOY LATINA LLAVE, 84.3 LORRAINE DAWN GAMEL HONRADE, 84.15 CZARINA PAOLA PAREJA DELA LLARTE, 84 EDWARD HILADO PUZON, 83.8
Successful Examinees
ABASOLO, LAARNIE SADILE ABDALA, MARIA PRETTY LAY TUPAY ABELARDO, ANGELINE DELA CRUZ ABUNAN, INOCENCIO JEVY CALIP ABUTON, GRACIA CAGUIAT ACOMULAR, FILIPINAS ASUNCION ADVENTO ADRIANO, MARI ANGELI FALCON AGBANLOG, JESUSA SALITA AGRAAN, LUZMINDA AMBROCE AGUILAR, ANALYN FRANCISCO ALAYON, STEPHEN BIACO ALCAZAR, NOMER ALBARANDO ALCID, JOSEPHINE GARCIA ALEJANDRIA, MARIA VANISSA PAQUIAO ALFILER, ANA GRACE PARROCO ALONZO, EVANGELINE AMARADO AMISTAD, GEORGINA NAOE ANDAL, ROWENA ENAJE ANTONIO, JENNETH BATCAGAN AQUINO, DANIEL FAUSTO SORNITO ARIQUE, FEVIE MAYOL AUSTRIA, EARL LUDWIGVAN REBELLON AVILA, BELLA YARES BAGUILNG, JONNALYN PULAC BAGWIS, JONATHAN NISPEROS BAJADO, JANE GLOBIO BALLOVAR, NIKKO CASTILLO BALOLAO, JULIE SUERTE BANAWA, SUZETTE CABUNGAN BANAYAT, JENNIFER PAEZ BARCELONA, EMILY ALCAZAR BARNACHEA, AMANTE CABILANGAN BARO, GERALDINE TUMULAK BARRIENTOS, ARSENIA JOSOL BASTIAN, RONDA PELCHONA BASTIDA, GARRY LEOPOLDO BELEN, JENNIFER DELOS SANTOS BENALIO, MARLON TANDAS BENLOT, EMALYN TEPACIA BERSALES, NOUVA DAINA SORIÑO BIANG, ABELYN SAINGAN BIANG, LIENDEN BONUAN BIDASWA, MARIAN TOLEDO BOLANTE, JENELYN BORDA BORRAS, MARITES RUFFY BUTCON, AIZA JOAN SANCHEZ CABALLES, ANABEL HADAP CABANTOG, JOANNE TORIDA CALI, JOHAINA BASAR CARREON, LEA NUÑEZ CASANDRA, JANERIA JOY CORCOLLA CASTRO, JANICE CABUHAT CATALINO, DEBORAH BALLAGAN CATAYLO, NEVILLE CABARABAN CAYABYAB, JANICE ALPAJORA CENIZA, HONELYNN CANONO CENIZA, RAYMOND LAGUARDIA CENTENO, RICHIE LUZ SUSIE COMINTAN, SHERYL ATENTAR CORTEZ, CHESTER CRISTOBAL CRESCINI, PAULINA SANTIAGUEL CUIZON, JUANITA BULAONG DACWAYAN, GERALDINE PACIO DAIZ, PHILIP MARK DE PANO DAR JUAN, ELIJAH JOHN FERNANDO DE GUZMAN, ANALEA DE GUZMAN, GLENDA MANALO DE GUZMAN, HERMINIA MENDOZA DE LEON, MARIA TERESA DE VERA DE VENECIA, LAARNI ANGCAP DEGALA, MEG HOLASCA DEL CASTILLO, ELIZABETH TABUENA DEL ROSARIO, GRAZIELLA MAHICON DELA CRUZ, MARY ANN FRANCISCO DELA LLARTE, CZARINA PAOLA PAREJA DELA PEÑA, RIZZA MARQUEZ DELA ROSA, JENNA JOY BUGARIN DELA ROSA, RODORA ABANILLA DELOS SANTOS O P, SR MYRA DEBARBO DILIDILI, ANALIZA PELLOS DOGILLO, JULIE DOMALAON DUCAS, ANDREW GABINO DUERME, REZIA LOZADA DUROLFO, JEANA ROSE TALATALA EBALLE, REBECCA ESTRADA ELIVER, ROQUE JR ABUAN ENRIQUEZ, LOREBELLE QUILIZA ESCOTE, NORIETTE CUBITA EVALLE, JOSSA ESMORES EVANGELISTA, DIA MARIE PAÑA FAJARDO, MARITES AUYONG FAJARDO, MICHELLE OLIQUINO FAURA, BARBARA PEPITO FERMIN, CHRISTIAN LINDBERGH MACASLAM FERNANDO, MA SHEILA CEDRO FERRANDO, GRESIEL ESQUADRA FLORENDO, ROEL BALONZO FLORES, MERLIE PAZ FLORES, RHODORA ERMAC FLORORITA, BABYLYN GARCIA FONTANOS, CLEOFE MADRIAGA FORTEZA, CRISTINE CORREA FRANCO, MERLIZA TENORIO FUERTES, YVETTE TORANEO GACETA, CATHERINE URSULA LARON GADOR, ROXENNE VILLAR GARIBAY, ALLYN CASTILLO GECONCILLO, GENEVIEVE CALUNSAG GELLOANI, ROMA CAWAD GENERAO, CHRISTIAN ARNE BAUTISTA GODELOSON, CYRYL MENDOZA GOMEZ, PIO SANDINO CALALANG GOROSPE, MARION JUDE MARISTELA GRAGASIN, ELJEAN DESAMITO GRIGANA, MAYLENE FLORES GUIMBA, ALESSANDRA AGAN H SOLAIMAN, SOHAILAH DARAP HIRANG, ANA DOMINGUEZ HISTORILLO, JESALYN MAYO HONRADE, LORRAINE DAWN GAMEL HUFALAR, OLIVER BERGONIA IMPLICA, MAGGIE MAY SALVADOR INSAS, JESSICA CAMPANA JIMENEZ, MA RUCHIELLA TOBIAS LABAJO, ZHERYLL MAE RAZONABLE LABAN, ALVIN DIVINA LACASANDILE, JUBY LACASANDILE LAGAR, CLIFFORD SECO LAGDA, RHYMERRYZXIAMIKKO FLORES LALIC, ROSITA SANTIAGO LANGCAY, DIGNA TURINGAN LAROZA, GERRY ONA LASCANO, ELIZABETH ALLAN LEYCO, LUCIA GUMPAL LIM, JOANE OREL LIZADA, ROSARIO ALBERTO LLAVE, JACQUELYN JOY LATINA LLAVE, MICHAEL CERVANTES LUNAR, ALEXANDER TIAGA MABANTO, IVY BASALAN MABULOC, JOANNE JOCSON MACABEO, NIKKI TOM-OKEN MACAINAN, ROSALY GRAMATICA MADALANG, NOVIE GRAILE BALIANG MAGSAYO, RHODORA MAE TUMLAD MALANA, JENNY DOLADO MALLO, GERALDINE GARAY MANABAT, APRIL RAMOS MANGUBAT, FELICIDAD QUIMPO MARANAN, CHARLIE BARBADO MARIANO, JIMSON NAPOLEON DELA PEÑA MARTINEZ, KRISTINE YAP MATEO, ROSA MARIKIT MONTERO MEMORIA, GRETA TRIBULETE MENDOZA, ADEO CYRUS RAMOS MERCADO, NORADY DINGLAS MOLINA, AIMEE MICUBO MONTECILLO, NILDA PILAR SANTOS MORALES, TERESITA CONDE MORES, NESTOR JR DAIZ MOTILLA, ALICIA ERFE MUNAR, BENEDICTA BAYAS MUPAS, CHRISTINE FEBIE MIFA MUÑEZ, JANIZE APRIL SO NATIVIDAD, ARLENE DIAMANSIL NICOL, RUBY ANN VIBAR ODOÑO, MA MELISSA NAVAL ONG-ONGAWAN, ELSA MARTIN OSORIO, WENDYRICA OCAMPO PADLAN, JODY JAMES SIMPAO PADOGINOG, LIEZLE ELVERIO PALATTAO, TEODINA TARCENA PALAY, GRACE MONDRAGON PALO, MARICRIS GALVEZ PAMITTAN, VENANCIO JR SALADINO PANGILINAN, JUDITH MAG-ISA PAZ, MARIA CRISTINA TAGUIBAO POSTRE, MARIFE GUIRIVA PRADO, LOWELLA GONATO PUZON, EDWARD HILADO QUEVADA, JENNIFER ULTADO RAIRATA, ISABEL NOREEN RODRIGUEZ RAMO, MARIA BUNTAG RAMOS, ALBI RABE RAMOS, FARINMAE FERNAN RAPA, MARIA VICTORIA BONCALES REBADULLA, SIRK AUGUST COLANGAN REGALADO, MARITES GRAZA REVECHO, MARENEIL MERINO REYES, LEONILA CUEVAS RUBIATO, JOANNALYN DE LEON RUIZ, TERESITA CASTILLO SAINZ, MARY JEAN SIAMEN SALAS, CATHERINE CALLEDO SALAS, JESSA FRANCE CAMINADE SAMONTE, JENIE RAFOLS SANDOY, MARIA FE ABAIRO SANGIL, KATHERINE CRUZ SANTIAGO, BERNARDO LABAO SANTIAGO, GINALYN MATIAS SANTOS, JOHN REGINALD LAURENTE SARABELLO, MISELISA BASILISCO SEBIL, RIALENE RED SERRANO, FARRAH LYN PALCE SIACOR, MONA LISA PARDILLA SIBOA, MARY CLAIRE LIBATON SILAGPO, MA VERONICA ANTOINETTE HERRERA SILVERIO, REAGAN BIEN SIOCO, AIMEE JOLORO SOBREVIÑAS, MARY GRACE CARCELLAR SOMOSA, CECILIA RADA SORIANO, MICHELLE TRIFONIA VALENTE SOTELO, WERRIBEE VICTORIA CRISOSTOMO SUANQUE, ROVIE ELISAN SUENO, BERNADETTE DAVA SUMAMPONG, NARMIE COMANDANTE SURMIEDA, JANNY SOMBLINGO SUÑEGA, ROWENA VIRTUDEZ TABAMO, MINA TUBAN TAGACAY, SANTIAGO III ANTOLIN TAGTAG, JEFFERSON MATSU TAMAYAO, MANUEL SIAPNO TOMAS, ROSELYN DE CASTRO TUBIG, JOAFRICA GOZUN TUMBALI, CORAZON PASICOLAN TUYOR, LEAH MAR VALDEZ, JENY CATONG VALENCIA, JOHN PROS BALANTAC VELLEJO, RICHARD TIANSON VERULA, AILYN DIZON VERUTIAO, JERICA JOCSON VILLANUEVA, HENRY NEMESIO ASPRA VILORIA, ELENA MOJECA VITOS, KRISTA KAMILLE GACRAMA YNCLINO, MA FE LEAL YU, RUEL ROMARATE ZAFE, MARK VENICE MAGARRO
The conference on the "Filipino Community and Beyond," sponsored by the National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada ended last Sunday. Aside from being enlightening, the conference was also very refreshing because it was focused on community—not academic—research. Perhaps the most concrete sign that it was not like the other conferences I've been to were the proliferation of baby strollers at the venue.
It was an eye-opening experience for me because while I personally know some Filipinos in Canada who are having difficulty integrating into their new community, I did not realize just how deeply-rooted the problems are or that the multicultural Toronto that I like so much also conceals systemic racism. The only thing I found puzzling, which I think some misunderstood when I expressed it at the end, was that I heard so much about the cases of Jomar Lanot, Charle Dalde and Jeffrey Reodica—all men—but the victims in the cases involving the gender around which much of the conference revolved remained nameless. I know it was not intentional, but I couldn't help but think that this sends a signal that Filipinas like Jocelyn Dulnuan and Juana Tejada are not as important as the men.
The groups at the conference—Kalayaan Centre (Vancouver), Magkaisa Centre (Toronto), and Kabataang Montreal—are identified with the Left, however their members did not seem to be as militant as activists in the Philippines. But I suppose their links with the Left have had an effect on their relationships with other groups in the Filipino community. I have, in fact, avoided going to certain events in the past because I perceived them to be supporting armed revolution in the Philippines. But I think I'll be getting more involved with the Magkaisa Centre.
If you are thinking of migrating to Canada or would just like to know more about the state of Filipinos in Canada today, take a look at the following websites, reports and blog posts:
Click on the poster to read the schedule of activities.
"Read Pinoy!" is the theme of this year's celebration of Philippine Book Development Month (PBDM), which has been moved from June to November to coincide with National Book Week (NBW). Check out the new, much improved website of the National Book Development Board (NBDB) for more information about BDM. See the PLAI-CVRLC blog for more about the NBW contests on the theme "Ang Batang Palabasa Dalubhasa sa Kultura," which sounds good but doesn't quite make sense in English (The child who reads a lot is an expert on culture). November is also Library and Information Services Month (LISM). For a list of all activities related to LISM, please visit the PLAI-STRLC blog.
It is rather unfortunate, however, that there does not seem to be much evidence of synergy or cooperation between the different groups behind PBDM and NBW/LISM. It is also quite revealing that while the themes of the different activities occasionally use Tagalog words, all the promotional materials are primarily in English, which suggests that the activities are focused on English books and directed to Filipinos who can read English. Not that there's anything wrong with that (this blog, after all, is written in English), but when the adjectives "Philippine" and "National" are used with the word "Book," it implies that books in all Philippine languages—not just English—are part of the activities. Then again, government documents are primarily in English and the medium of instruction in public schools is English. Maybe it's a chicken-or-egg problem. But that's another post altogether.
It is not enough that you have big dreams and plans. I should be able to communicate with my co-staff and co-volunteers the essence of why are we doing such activities and the importance of their contribution to our end goals.
The quote above appears on "Leadership Lessons," one of the projects of ALA's Emerging Leaders. But no, the speaker is not an American. Instead, he is the only non-American among the 72 American librarians featured on the site. His name is Troy Lacsamana, a Filipino librarian.
Lacsamana has been featured on this blog before, primarily in connection with his role as founder of Aklatang Pambata. But as the "Leadership Lessons" interview reveals, he is now a multimedia librarian at the Quezon City Public Library, which I suspect owes its impressive website and online catalog to Lacsamana's efforts. In spite of his numerous professional responsibilities—and that he is newly married—he continues with his personal advocacy of building community libraries and reading centers.
I don't quite know how PRC's Outstanding Librarians of the Year are chosen (does anyone?), but I certainly think Lacsamana at least deserves to be nominated. Or, if he's too young, maybe there should be another award for librarians forty years of age or younger. This is something that the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation instituted in 2001 with its awards for "Emergent Leadership." Perhaps an award like this will show that you don't have to be the director of a library or close to retirement to be an outstanding librarian.
The Philippine Librarians Association, Inc. (PLAI) now has a website. There's also a blog with one post at this time. They're not quite on the same level as the other websites that got me excited in the past, but it's a start. At the very least, I hope they add an email address to their contact information to make it easier for members who are not in Metro Manila to get in touch with them. Overall, I still think the state of the PLAI website says a lot about "Philippine librarianship in the 21st century."
"What is an 'open access journal'? Short answer: it's available online and it's free. Longer answer: 'A Very Brief Introduction to Open Access' by Peter Suber."
There is, of course, more to it than the short answer (such as peer review), but that's what I wrote more than three years ago in a post about the "Directory of Open Access Journals." It's really encouraging to note that the open access movement has taken off in the Philippines, so that from merely blogging about Filipino journals available-for-free-online-but-not-necessarily-open-access in 2005, I am now able to blog about honest-to-goodness Filipino "Open Access Journals," especially "Philippine Studies," whose archives of full-text, peer-reviewed articles now go back to 1970.
I first learned about open access when John Willinsky came to the Philippines and delivered a lecture about it when I was still an MLIS student. I was also then assistant editor for Landas, and realized just how much it would help Philippine journals if they adopted the open access model. In "Open Access in the Third World," I summarized why open access mattered to me and, more importantly, why it should matter to Filipino publishers of scholarly journals:
I have worked on print and online publications, and while the time required to edit articles is the same for both, those published online do not have to contend with printing press schedules or deal with printing and mailing costs. And the publication is immediately available and will eventually be searchable through search engines.
As the years passed, I learned more about open access at conferences and blogged about "DSpace and EPrints," "Open Access and Online Communities" and the "Scholarly Information Infrastructure." This led me to the realization that government-funded research, especially those related to science and medicine, should be published not in for-profit journals, but those that are freely available. After all, if it's our taxes that paid for the research, why should we have to pay to read the results? Privately-funded research, incidentally, should be freely available, too—even with certain restrictions—because scholars and scientists don't conduct research so that only those who can pay for the journals will read their articles, but so that the whole of humanity can benefit from their findings.
My belief in open access as the necessary next step for scholarly journals and Third World libraries convinced me to join the board of Library Student Journal, an open access journal, and make sure that I mentioned open access whenever I was invited to speak to Filipino librarians (see "Research in Librarianship" and "Filipiniana Online").
If you're still with me at this point, you should probably know that I've provided links to just about all the posts I've written about open access as a way of showing how I've been supporting open access—and how you can do it, too, by blogging about the movement!—for more than three years now... and that there's a "Synchroblogging competition" for Open Access Day. Wish me luck!
Here's a video of a librarian talking about the benefits of open access:
It's good to know that more and more Filipino librarians are pursuing PhDs. The latest one I just learned about is Sahlee Bualat (Capitol University, Cagayan de Oro City), who recently joined Nora Agustero (Saint Columban College, Pagadian City) at University of Sheffield, United Kingdom. Both are beneficiaries of the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program. Bualat just started, while Agustero is almost finished with her dissertation.
It looks like there is so little information available on "Buwan ng Wika" that students, teachers, and parents go online and look for answers on blogs like mine. My post on "Buwan ng Wika 2008" wasn't even the type that I expected to attract 75 comments, which has never happened to any of my posts in such a short time. I don't think any post of mine has actually gotten that many comments. Even "Buwan ng Wika 2006" merited 17 comments, all of them written two years after the post went up. (For some reason, it's not possible to leave comments on "Buwan ng Wika 2007.") True, some comments are repeated and some are spam, but that still leaves a lot of comments.
So what do they say? It's really just a lot of students asking—or rather, demanding—that I email more information or a talumpati about Buwan ng Wika "ngayon????????." I've never really thought it worth my time to reply to any of them, but if any of them are still waiting for an answer, here it is: I will not do your homework for you. But you may want to take up the offer of one of the commenters:
AKO AY ISANG INSTRUKTOR SA KOLEHIYO NG KOLEHIYO NG EMILIO ZAGUINALDO SA DASMARINAS, CAVITE. MASASABI KONG BILANG GURO SA FILIPINO SA LOOB NG 5 TAON AY MALAKI ANG PAGPAPAHALAGA KO SA ATING WIKA KUNG KAYA'T AKO'Y NATUTUWA KAPAG AKO AY NAKABABASA NG MGA MENSAHE UKOL SA PAG-ALAM SA ATING WIKA. KUNG MAYROON AKONG MAITUTULONG MAAARI NYO PO AKONG TXT SA 09216684454. SAMA-SAMA NATING PAUNLARIN AT IPAGMALAKI SA ATING SIMPLENG PAMAMARAAN ANG ATING WIKA - ANG WIKANG FILIPINO!
And then there's the parent who's doing her kid's homework and asking if I can do it for her:
This is not a comment about what you have written, rather I would like to ask you if you could translate the theme "Wika mo, Wika ng mundo, mahalaga" in six different dialects of the Philippines? It's my kid's homework and we need it today... Thanks a lot
Is it the lack of face-to-face contact that makes most of my commenters think that their requests are reasonable? Would they actually ask such things of a librarian standing in front of them? I hope not.
"Love makes things real." Erin McKean, a lexicographer, wasn't referring to toys, but to words that people love that aren't found in dictionaries. We have many such words in the Philippines =)
The video above is of an enlightening and entertaining presentation that I just saw today (via Stephen's Lighthouse). The speaker, who is editor in chief of the Oxford American Dictionary, likens what she does to the work of a fisherman who uses his net to "catch" all kinds of words, not a traffic cop who separates the good words from the bad words. And while she knows a lot of big words (like erinaceous), she's also very good at simplifying them: "Serendipity is when you find things you weren't looking for because finding what you are looking for is so damned difficult."
Anyway, I thought reopening this blog with the words "Love makes things real" was a good way to welcome everyone back. For more about what the quote refers to, check out The Velveteen Rabbit or watch the video narrated by Meryl Streep.
Just in case you've been wondering what happened to this blog, here's the official announcement: This blog has not been updated in the past two weeks and will not be updated for at least another two weeks because its owner is too busy to blog... again.
In the meantime, you may want to check out the following:
Issues of Philippine Studies from 1975 onward are now freely available online, according to a comment left by its editor on "FO: Philippine Studies." The editor also writes that more issues are forthcoming. Let's hope their example galvanizes other publications into action.
It used to be that every last Sunday of August was National Heroes Day. But because of the "holiday economics" law, the holiday has been moved to every last Monday of August. So this post is technically late as a tribute to our heroes, but it's still in time for the end of Buwan ng Wika.
The translation—with a few modifications—is reproduced here with the translator's permission, so that it may be used by students looking for a speech to recite in class. It may not be reproduced, whether in print or online, without the translator's consent. See "An Open Letter to C. S. Canonigo" for possible consequences of unauthorized reproduction.
Lupa ng Alipin, Lupa ng Malaya Raul Manglapus
Mga ginoo, ang tao ay naparito ngayon... hindi upang hukuman, kundi upang humukom. Pakinggan ninyo ang kanyang pag-uusig at ang kanyang hatol:
Inuusig ko ang Kastilang enkomenderong tumuklas ng mga buwis na di makakayang balikatin!
Inuusig ko ang usurerong nagpataw sa akin ng mga pautang na di makakayang mabayaran!
Inuusig ko ang walang pananagutang mga pinuno at ang kanilang mapanilong pananalumpati na sumisira sa aming pananalig sa ating pamahalaan!
Inuusig ko ang hacenderong mapanlinlang na umagaw ng aking lupa't bumusabos sa akin!
Inuusig ko ang kanyang pagkitil sa marangal na pagsisikap ng marangal na pamahalaan sa dambana ng kanyang walang hangganang kasakiman.
Pinararatangan ninyo ako sa di pagtaguyod ng aking asawa't mga anak. Lagutin ninyo ang tanikala ng aking pagkaalipin, at pabubulaanan ko ang inyong bintang!
Pinararatangan ninyo ako ng kamangmangan. Ngunit ako'y mangmang sapagkat ikinayayaman ng aking panginoong ako'y panatilihing mangmang. Lagutin ninyo ang tanikala ng aking pagkaalipin, at pabubulaanan ko ang inyong bintang!
Pinararatangan ninyo ako ng katamaran. Ngunit ang aking katamara'y bunga hindi ng kawalan ng pagnanasa, kundi ng kawalan ng pag-asa. Bakit ako magsisikap, kung ang lahat ng magiging bunga ng aking pagsisikap ay uuwi lamang sa pagbawas ng utang na di naman mababawasan! Lagutin ninyo ang tanikala ng aking pagkaalipin, at pabubulaanan ko ang inyong bintang!
Bigyan ninyo ako ng lupang masasaka. Lupang magiging akin. Lupang walang kinikilalang hari-harian. Lupang magiging malaya. Ibigay ninyo sa akin sapagkat ako'y nagdarahop. Ibigay ninyo sa akin nang ang aking mga supling ay di mangamatay. Ipagbili ninyo sa akin, ipagbili ninyo sa halagang makatarungan, tulad ng pagbibilihan ng mga taong malaya at di tulad ng pagbibili ng usurero sa alipin. Ako'y maralita. Ngunit ako'y magbabayad. Ako'y magsisikap, magsisikap hanggang sa ako'y manlupaypay, makamtan ko lamang ang aking karangala't karapatang maging malaya!
Ngunit kung hindi ninyo pauunlakan itong aking huling pagsamo, itong aking huling kahilingan, magtayo na kayo ng moog sa paligid ng inyong mga tahanan... pagkataasan ninyo!... pagkatibayan ninyo!... maglagay kayo ng tanod sa bawat sulok!... sapagkat akong nanatiling tahimik ng tatlong daang taon ay darating sa gabi sa gitna ng inyong handaan, kasabay ng aking sigaw at tabak sa inyong pintuan. At kahabagan nawa ng Diyos ang inyong kaluluwa!
Today, August 21, is the 25th death anniversary of Ninoy Aquino. The video above shows Bam Aquino, his nephew, inviting librarians to encourage students to take part in the iamninoy campaign. It seeks to remind all Filipinos not only of Ninoy's heroism but also of each Filipino's capacity to be a hero in his/her own way, wherever they are, whatever age they may be. Visit iamninoy.com for more information.
August 19—the birth anniversary of Manuel L. Quezon, former president of the Philippines and acknowledged "Father of the National Language"—is a non-working holiday in Quezon City and the provinces of Quezon and Aurora.
"Ang Makahiya" (literally, the shy plant) by Onofre Pagsanghan was first published in Makabagong Pilipino (1967), where the same author's "Sa Kabataan" also first appeared (contrary to what I wrote in that earlier post).
The speech is reproduced here with the author's permission, so that it may be used by students looking for a speech to recite in class. The speech may not be reproduced, whether in print or online, without the author's consent. See "An Open Letter to C. S. Canonigo" for possible consequences of unauthorized reproduction.
May damong ligaw sa ating bayan na kung tawagin nati'y "Makahiya." Huwag mong makanti ang damong ito't dagling iikom. At kapag ito'y nakaikom na'y mahirap mo na uling mapabukadkad. Ang Makahiya ay maraming tinik. Kapag nagkamali ka nang tangan ay dagli kang magagalusan. Ang Makahiya ay walang bunga, walang katuturan -- hindi gamot, hindi rin gulay. Ang "Makahiya" ay balakid sa paglaki ng ibang tanim na napapakinabangan. Kung kaya't ang "Makahiya" ay binubunot, tinatapon, at sinisigan; sapagka't kapag napabayaan kay bilis nitong kakalat at maghahari-harian sa buong halamanan.
Taglay ng marami sa ating mga kababayan ang isang kaugaliang tulad ng "Makahiya." Ito'y ang labis na pagkamahiyain. Ang karupukang ito'y isang balakid sa pag-unlad. Ayaw mamuno. Nahihiya. Kiming sumalungat sa kasamaan. Nahihiya. Kiming ipagtanggol ang katarungan. Nahihiya. Kiming makipagpaligsahan. Nahihiya. Ayaw maiba sa karamihan. Nahihiya. Takot mag-isa kahit na sa gawang kabutihan. Nahihiya.
Ang labis na hiya'y nagsusupling pa rin ng ibang karupukan. Ang labis na mahiyain kapag napagsabihan ay nagtatampo; kapag napagsalitaan ay nagmamaktol; kapag napulaan ay nasisiraan ng loob; kapag sumama ang loob ay di na makikiisa kahit na sa kanyang sariling ikauunlad. Ito'y mga karupukang supling ng labis na hiya.
Ako ang huling magpapayong itapon natin sa hangin ang hiya. Ang taong walang hiya ay masahol kaysa taong labis ang hiya. Ang aking iminumungkahi ay ang wastong pagpapahalaga sa hiya. Ikahiya ang dapat ikahiya -- ang paggawa ng masama, ang paglabag sa utos ng Diyos, ang paglapastangan sa kapuwa. Nguni't huwag nating payagang ang ating hiya ay pumigil sa ating pag-unlad sa kasaganaan. Huwag nating payagang magapos tayo ng labis na hiya sa pagsalungat sa kasamaan. Huwag nating payagang ang ating hiya ay maging isang damong ligaw na sasakal sa ating pagpupunyagi sa kabutihan. Lagutin natin ang gapos ng labis na hiya. Bunutin natin ang damong "Makahiya" sa ating katauhan -- bunutin at sigan. Lakas loob na umusad sa ikasasagana ng bayan. Lakas loob na bumukod at sumalungat sa kasamaan. Lakas-loob na ipagsanggalang, kahit na mag-isa, ang katarungan. Lakas-loob na magpunyagi sa ipagtatagumpay ng kabutihan.
The video above was taken at the Ortigas Foundation Library, where I listened to Carlos Celdran talk about how he came to do what he does. In case you didn't know, Celdran is probably the best known "tour guide" in the Philippines. The phrase is in quotes because Celdran does not think of himself as a tour guide, but as a performance artist.
Celdran has been featured in international and local publications (see "Small Change," where you will see how this blog's "mission" came to be). He appeared in a Nescafe commercial last year, but this, I believe, is the first time part of his performance has been captured on video.
In "70 Library Hubs and still counting," Neni Sta. Romana Cruz (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 9 August 2008) summarizes the latest developments regarding Library Hub. Perhaps the most interesting news—especially for unemployed librarians—is that, "after two years of discussions, the licensed librarian post was finally approved by the Department of Education." This could mean that as many as 70 licensed librarians may be needed across the country as soon as the approval becomes reality.
Right now, most of the 70 hubs are still not operational, and Cruz expresses hope that, "between the preparation of the required physical space and the delivery of books, the public support will remain constant and unwavering." I, too, hope that the dream turns into reality, but I wonder about the "public support" to which she refers. As far as I can tell, there is no tangible support from the public for the establishment and operation of libraries. What we have are a few good men and women—including Cruz, who keeps on writing about Library Hub—working within their spheres of influence to promote the idea that libraries are necessary.
From left: Alfred Ursua, me, Rocky Gocuyo, Rey Ileto, Tin Mandigma, Richard Grimaldo.
The title of this post and the photo above were taken from the Vibal Foundation Blog. What is not mentioned in the post is that I had been invited to look at the Vibal Foundation's collection of rare books only, and that I accepted because it was also my chance to spend more time with Reynaldo Ileto, author of Pasyon and Revolution, which will be an important part of the dissertation I'm working on.
And so, the invitation to talk to the staff about blogging—the day before the scheduled visit!—caused me some anxiety. It's a good thing that I remembered a previous paper on "What I Learned Through Blogging" that I could adapt easily. But what was more significant, in my opinion, was the desire to learn more about blogging that the invitation implied, and the revitalization of Filipiniana.net that I sensed from my interaction with the people afterward.
I still have reservations about being referred to as the Filipino Librarian—I prefer "owner of the blog Filipino Librarian"—but I guess I just have to live with it. While it's flattering to think that the post title implies that I am worth mentioning in the same breath as Rey Ileto, it also places a heavy responsibility on me to think that I represent all Filipino librarians. Then again, I did make the decision to use "Filipino Librarian" as the title of my blog, and so have only myself to blame =)
When I posted the announcement regarding the "1st LibraryLink Conference," I thought that it would be an interesting event to attend. But since I knew by then that I was going to be at four conferences (presenting at three of them) in four different countries on three continents, and flying across two oceans in less than two months—whew!—I also knew that I wouldn't have any money to pay for the registration fee for a fifth conference.
Then I met one of the organizers... and got invited to be a speaker! For only the second time in my very short "career" as an invited speaker—this time right before the Board for Librarians (last time, I preceded the Director of the National Library)—I'll be talking about leadership. So check out the program (pdf), and see if it's something that will be helpful to you. The image above, incidentally, shows the only men making presentations at the 3-day, 12-speaker event. Here's hoping we won't be the only men there =)
August is Buwan ng Wika (Language Month). This year, the theme is "Wika Mo, Wikang Filipino, Wika ng Mundo, Mahalaga!" I'm not quite sure I understand what it means, but here's my translation: "Your language, Filipino, language of the world, is important."
The Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) is holding two contests this year. One is the Gawad Komisyon sa Sanaysay-Gantimpalang Collantes (doc), an essay-writing contest in Filipino. Its deadline has been extended to August 15. The other is the Gawad Komisyon 2008 (pdf), which is for poems and short stories written in the following major languages: Ilokano, Sebwano, Tagalog, Bikol, Hiligaynon, Samar-Leyte, Pangasinan, Kapampangan, Meranaw. The deadline for this one is September 30. The prizes range from P2,000 to P20,000 for winners in both contests.
It is worth noting that the first requires the use of Filipino, while the other includes Tagalog. This, perhaps, was meant to highlight the difference between Filipino and Tagalog, that one is not equivalent to the other. But what if, for instance, someone submits an essay written in Tagalog for the Gantimpalang Collantes? Will it be accepted as having been written in "Filipino"? If the answer is yes, would the answer still be the same if the essay were written in any of the other major languages? If not, does this mean that the other languages are not, in fact, Filipino?
One last thing. I hope that they will also publish the works, not just a list of winners (doc), like they did last year. There doesn't seem to be a PinoyBlogoSphere contest this year, but unlike KWF they did provide links to the works of last year's winners. How do you promote the use of Filipino? Make sure that there are outstanding examples available—not just in papers hidden away in filing cabinets, but online, where students and those interested can find them.
Just in case you're a regular reader of this blog and didn't know it, this blogger is, in fact, in the Philippines at this time. (Alternatively, if the opposite is true and you thought I've always been in the Philippines, you should know that I've been based in Toronto for most of the past two years.)
Anyway, consider this post an invitation to attend the lectures to be delivered by three PhD students who just happened to be in town at the same time. And just in case you're wondering about the photos above, those are our current profile pictures on Facebook, where a page has been set up so that people who have Facebook accounts can RSVP. You may also read the official announcement below.
VISUALIZING LEPROSY ARCHIVES, LEPROSY AND COLLECTIVE MEMORY by Ricardo Punzalan Ph.D. Student, University of Michigan School of Information Assistant Professor, University of the Philippines
WHAT DOES IT MEME? SPAM, ONLINE QUIZZES AND THE LAST SONG SYNDROME COGNITIVE POETICS AND USELESS INFORMATION by Paolo Manalo Ph.D. Student, University of St Andrews School of English Assistant Professor, University of the Philippines
WHAT WAS THE FIRST BOOK PRINTED IN THE PHILIPPINES? by Vernon Totanes Ph.D. Student, University of Toronto Faculty of Information Studies
on
14 August 2008 (Thursday) 9:00 a.m. at the SLIS Rooms 3 & 4 3rd Floor, Gonzalez Hall (UP Main Library)
The latest issue of SI@umich (pdf), the University of Michigan's newsletter for alumni of its School of Information, features Ricardo L. Punzalan, a Filipino archivist currently studying for his PhD.
At this point, Kasarinlan, whose archives go back to its first issue in 1985, is probably the Filipino open access journal with the most issues online. PS, however, should take the "lead" (not that there's any competition going on) once all its issues from 1953, which have already been digitized according to Filomeno Aguilar, Jr., its editor, are uploaded.
Note that there is a two-year embargo, which means that the latest PS issue available in full-text right now is from 2006. (No such embargo seems to exist for Kasarinlan, though its first issue for 2008 is still not online.) I suppose a mechanism will be provided in the future so that subscribers will eventually be able to access the most current issues. Also, like most of the journals mentioned in "FO: Open Access Journals," searching is limited to authors, titles, and abstracts—not the full text of articles—perhaps because the digitized files have not (yet?) been converted into searchable text.
"Documentary Sources on the History of Manila at the Archdiocesan Archives of Manila" by Rev. Fr. Roy M. Rosales (pp. 1-8) "The Culion Leprosy Museum and Archives" by Ricardo L. Punzalan (pp. 9-18) "Filipiniana Online" by Vernon R. Totanes (pp. 19-23)
I wrote the last article even before my presentation at the Rizal Library International Conference. Unfortunately, due to the unpredictability of the publication process, the article only came out now—a few months after Microsoft’s Live Search Books, one of the sites I recommended, was shut down.
The first paragraph of my article is reproduced below, so you can see whether you'd like to read the rest of it =)
"Online research" is supposed to be what lazy students do. Scholars, meanwhile, are expected to travel to different libraries, archives and museums to consult documents, photographs and books. This, however, is not necessarily true anymore because more and more resources are becoming available online. In some cases, surfing the web is not only less expensive, but also more productive because researchers can examine texts more closely and are not limited by policies regarding physical access to the materials.
What is the state of librarianship in the Philippines? I think the fact that PLAI and PATLS do not have websites says a lot about "Philippine librarianship in the 21st century."
This passage appeared toward the end of a post I wrote about the "Manila International Bookfair 2007." Well, the Philippine Librarians Association, Inc. (PLAI) still does not have a website (thankfully, some of its regional councils have active blogs), but the Philippine Association of Teachers of Library Science (PATLS) now has one that provides reason to hope that future Filipino librarians will be able to take full advantage of the possibilities offered by the Internet.
This development led me to think that it's time I featured some of the new—ok, in some cases, not all that new—websites that I've been hoping to blog about separately. So here goes...
It's not quite fully functional yet, but take a look at the new president's speech on "Republic Act 9246 and LIS Education in the Philippines" to see where they're headed. The "Scholarship Program" will be helpful for students, but there don't seem to be any instructions on how to apply at this time.
This free library software was one of the few I featured in "Free Library Software" that did not have a website where the software could be downloaded. Now it does. There's no forum for users yet, but there is a "Paypal Donate button," which association websites should consider emulating.
This association used to have a website that hadn't been updated in years, so this new website looks very promising. Its latest newsletter (pdf) may be downloaded, but either they're still working on making previous newsletters available or I just can't find the links to click.
This companion site to the official website of the Philippine Association of Academic and Research Librarians (PAARL) is probably the most complete and updated source for links to articles on, libraries in, standards for, organizations in and outstanding librarians from the Philippines. It has a very limited number of contributors (including this blogger), but most of the work has been done by Fe Angela M. Verzosa.
In "Open Access in the Third World," I predicted that "the traditional journal will eventually have to be abandoned" and that "in a Third World country like the Philippines, it is, in my opinion, the only way to go." Two years later, it seems that the open access movement is finally gaining supporters in the Philippines. True, many of the journals listed below still do not make articles available in full text (so don't disregard my old list of "Journals" just yet), but enough of them have entire articles—not just abstracts or excerpts—available as PDFs that there is reason to believe that the others will follow suit eventually.
It is, I think, rather unfortunate that there seem to be two competing sites, instead of just one, but hey, whatever works! There are also other journals that could at least be listed with one or the other (e.g., Kritike, Philippine Journal of Science), but aren't. Here's hoping their editorial boards will see the wisdom of appearing on the same page as other Filipino journals.
The titles with one asterisk (*) are those that provide the full texts of some articles for free, while those with two asterisks (**) are those that make all articles available for download. If you discover that I missed putting an asterisk(s) after a title, please leave a comment below.
University of the Philippines Diliman Journals Online
Update: It just occurred to me that I should have used their first names below, instead of impersonal surnames, because it would have been fun to end the post with "Yes, I was blessed with Grace and Mercy" =)
In "Proudly Filipino in Vancouver," I promised to write about Filipino librarians in Vancouver. Well, three weeks later, I'm finally getting around to it. And that's pretty good, considering that I still have a lot of outstanding promises =)
Grace Valente and Mercy Almodovar were both librarians at the Ateneo de Manila when I was still in grade school. Valente moved to Canada a few years ago and was working at the BC Cancer Agency when I met her last month. But her biggest news was that she had gotten married only recently. Almodovar, meanwhile, migrated almost two decades ago and is now with a medical library affiliated with the University of British Columbia.
Valente was the one who allowed me to borrow books from the collection of bestsellers reserved for the faculty. She doesn't remember doing that for me, but I did. And the positive experience contributed to the generally positive image of librarians I had even before I became a librarian myself. The opposite is true, too, I suppose. When librarians—perhaps without realizing it—"terrorize" students, they not only perpetuate negative stereotypes about librarians, but also push students away from the library.
Almodovar was the moderator of the Rizal Book Club during one of the years when I was a member. She said that we students probably knew she was very nervous because she was still new then. But she seemed surprised when I told her that I didn't remember her that way at all. Tip to new librarians: Students won't consciously know you're nervous unless you give them reason to suspect that you are. So the image we project—of our profession and ourselves—is really up to us.
Book historians study the social, cultural, and economic history of authorship; the history of the book trade, copyright, censorship, and underground publishing; the publishing histories of particular literary works, authors, editors, imprints, and literary agents; the spread of literacy and book distribution; canon formation and the politics of literary criticism; libraries, reading habits, and reader response.
Megumi Ishida and Amadio Arboleda presented a paper on the "Catalytic Role of Major Bookstores in National Book Culture: Case Study of Maruzen Company, Ltd." We all considered Ishida an honorary Filipina because she did her thesis on "The Role of Bookstores in Book Distribution: The Case of the Philippines." Arboleda, her mentor, is Filipino, finished high school and college in the Philippines, and has lived in Japan for more than three decades. We were joking about how Filipinos all seem to be related, when Jurilla and Arboleda discovered that they do have a common link, and may in fact be related to one another!
If you're interested in learning more about book history, a panel entitled "On the History of the Book in the Philippines" will be held at the forthcoming 8th International Conference on Philippine Studies. Papers will be read by Ambeth Ocampo, Karina Bolasco, May Jurilla and myself.
Lourdes T. David Director, Rizal Library Ateneo de Manila University
The Professional Regulation Commission conferred the Outstanding Professional Librarian of the Year Award on Lourdes T. David on 20 June 2008. The citation reads:
For her sterling accomplishments as an internationally renowned professional, demonstrating exemplary dedication, competence and integrity, thus earning for her prestigious awards including the Library Technology Award of the University Microfilms International in New York and the Excellence in Library Automation Award of the Electronic Online Systems International; for her invaluable contributions in preparing the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization training modules on library management, information and communication technology, marketing information services, digital libraries and intellectual property rights; for her active involvement in various local and international professional activities which have put Filipino librarians at the forefront of international librarianship; for her able leadership of the Philippines Librarians' Association, Inc.; and for selflessly sharing her knowledge and expertise through published works and papers delivered at international and local conferences.
Thanks to Elvie Lapuz for providing the photo and citation.
The print version of Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH; five thick red volumes) is what many catalogers have used for a long time. Some catalogers have begun using "Library of Congress Authorities," which is freely searchable online.
But just today, a participant at a session I attended shared that the entire LCSH has recently been uploaded at lcsh.info, which is an experimental service that aims to "encourage experimentation and use of LCSH on the web."
It's far from being an ebook that non-techies like me can use easily, but if you understand what Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS) is all about, you might be able to make it work for you and develop new ways of using LCSH online in non-traditional ways, aside from not having to buy a new set every few years.
From left: Me, Jay dela Cruz, Christian Pascasio, Craig Cruz
I'm now in Seattle for SLA 2008, where I'm also blogging for the SLA Blog.
As usual, I've been getting together with Filipino librarians. Unlike previous occasions when most of those who showed up were male, this time we were all male. I met Craig at SLA 2007, Jay and I had agreed to meet via email, and I just walked up to Christian and asked him if he was Filipino (which I've done with others in the past).
Grace Villamora was supposed to join us, but she obviously didn't make it. It would have been nice if Jose Escarilla were around, but he's retired, so he's probably not even here.
This is a bit late for Independence Day, but it's finally here =)
The photos above include some of the evidence that I saw of the growing influence of the Filipino community in Vancouver. The photos of the restaurant and remittance centers were taken not in some suburb, but on one of the busiest streets in Vancouver.
Two non-Filipinos are included in the album for reasons that will be made clear below. And just in case you're wondering, I did meet Filipino librarians in Vancouver, but you won't see them here because I'll be devoting a separate post to them.
Ayeza is the pseudonym of a Filipina who migrated to Canada with her parents in the 1990s and got her nursing degree here. She is the owner of Balikbayan Box and was one of my very first friends in the Pinoy blogosphere. One of the most remarkable things I learned about her when we finally met in person was that she usually doesn't bring much with her when she goes to the Philippines, but she does bring a balikbayan box full of Filipino goods with her when she goes back to Vancouver. Yan ang Filipina!
Pamela Dent is Canadian, not Filipino, but she enjoyed working so much as an intern at a Davao school library a few years ago that she went back recently and visited other libraries, too (see her photos here). We began corresponding via email last year while she was doing her masters and thinking of going back to the Philippines. The most memorable thing she said to me was, "I love the Philippines," which is not really something Filipinos normally say. It helped, I think, that she met the man who's now her boyfriend when she was in the Philippines =)
Edgar Wickberg is best known today as the American who rescued the Chinese in the Philippines from the relative obscurity to which they had been relegated by historians before he came along in the 1960s. I thought he turned his back on the Philippines afterward and moved on to doing research on the Chinese in Canada, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn that he merely "took a holiday for twenty years," and still knows what's going on in the Philippines. He's now 81 years old, retired, and is dealing with prostate cancer, but still strong enough to drive his car to meet with a PhD student who wants to talk to him about his work on the Philippines.
Updated 7 July 2008 with correct names. Thanks to Becca! From left: Becca Dean, Jade Alburo, Lessa Pelayo, Eloisa Borah, Glenda Gamboa
It looks like someone else is bringing Filipino librarians together for meals. The photo above appears on blogs owned by Becca Dean and Jade Alburo, but the person who brought them all together is Eloisa Borah, who does not blog but has some useful resources on her website. Unfortunately, neither blogger identified the people in the photo, so here's my best guess: from left, Becca, Jade, [unknown], Eloisa, [unknown] =)
Here's hoping other Filipino librarians who get together outside the Philippines will post their photos, too, and maybe write about what it's like to work as librarians where they are. And no, I'm not discriminating against those in the Philippines—I know they have a lot of photos online.
