Issue 12 Contributors

Juan Rafael Belgica Jr, one of Bikol's leading poets, is a man of many interests, from history to economics to political science to art, as I remember from our major-less period in college. But he couldn’t deny his genes. The son of the poet-educator Juan Sr (Johnny to his many friends), Jun found himself in poetry, in the Bicol language. With two books of poetry to his name, the first, Duru’ngan, a collaboration with Rafael Banzuela, Jun is hard at work writing, researching and refreshing the Bikol language in poetry. While his first poem “Sa Lukunlukunan kan Pantalan,” written in the 70s, would seem to me the first modern Bikol poem, Jun’s preoccupation now with Western as well as native poetic forms, and his revival of old or rare Bikol words make for a well-rounded and grounded work that can only enrich the Bikol language.

Dan Pinto is a writer, editor, teacher, and artist whose work has brought him to much of the world from Samar to Saudi. He presently heads the Senate publication committee, designs books for his writer friends, and joins online forums and groups on his other interest, computer graphic art. He appears here both as translator and photographer of our cover image.

Frank V. Peñones is one of Bikol’s respected literary icons. He has received writing and study grants from the University of the Philippines, Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Ford International. Author of two bilingual poetry collections Ragang Rinaranga (2005) and Cancion nin Tawong Lipod (upcoming) both published by Agnus Press in Naga City, he has won several times in the Saint Peter Baptist Catholic Mass Media Awards, 2005 Premio Tomas Arejola Para Sa Literaturang Bikol and the Sumagang Awards For Literature and Journalism. Currently, he is finishing his MFA at San Jose State University in California.

Vic Nierva works for the U.P. Institute of Creative Writing, is a publication designer, and being one of the most active Bikol writers, has recently put our his first book of poetry titled Antisipasyon. The Austrialia-based Filipina poet, Merlinda Bobis, also a Bikolana, has this to say about Vic’s first book: “At its best, Vic Nierva’s poetry is fraught with waiting. Metaphor is quietly built up to the final insight. Almost, almost there, but seemingly never handed over… Nierva has been breathing in us through the night.”

Raffi Banzuela, another pioneer in the Bikol revival, had been honed in the college publication and art organizations circuit, as well as in campus leadership and politics, before graduating into an accomplished and award-winning broadcaster, former radio station manager, head of the Mass Communications Program at Aquinas University, and lately University Secretary. The natural Bikolano cadence and accent of his prosody give it a clear and evident public voice, due perhaps to his practice as broadcaster and commentator. Apart from Duru’ngan, Raffi’s books are the essay collection Albay Viejo and the upcoming Selebra, where the powers of the Bikol language and Raffi’s poetry are evident.

Abdon Balde Jr, a premier fictionist in Filipino and winner of several National Book Awards and the Juan C. Laya award for the novel, was an engineer and construction company executive for 30 years before he returned to his real calling, literature. Within the seven years after he retired from his profession he has produced about as many number of books and won about the same number of awards. He writes in Filipino about both the frontier world of construction and the modern and ancient world of the Bikols, and the Filipino. Like our friend Dan Pinto, he appears on our pages as a photographer.

Kristian Cordero, one of our regular contributors, a literature professor at Ateneo de Naga, is one of the busiest poets in Bikol today. The author of three collections of award-winning poetry, Kristian has won several local and national literary awards including the 2004 Premio Tomas Arejola Para sa Literaturang Bikolnon, Homelife Poetry Contest (Second Prize for the years 1999, 2005, 2007 and Grand Prize Winner for 2004), Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature (for short fiction) and the Madrigal-Gonzales Best First Book Award in 2006. He also received the Outstanding Alumni Award by the University of Saint Anthony, a special citation from the local government of Iriga City and the Melchor Villanueva Centennial Awards for Bikol Literature in 2007.