until next time

There are good news and there are bad news.

*

I am fiercely loyal to friends, the very few people I trust.

*

Last Thursday, November 14, while moving photos from my phone to a flash drive, I found a video from July 20, 2013. Edwin and Sancho had just moved to a new apartment, and they were trying to cheer me up with a small wooden artist figure. I remember that day. A Saturday in Manila, when I felt the world tightening around me. The usual culprits from college were silent. Edwin and Sancho, knowing what I was going through, pulled me out of my head and asked me to help them pack. These two, in their own way, saved me.

They were always more level-headed than I was. Always saying things will pass. And life happened, I returned to Bohol. On August 18, 2022, Edwin told me Sancho had passed away. 

Watching that old video again, I thought of messaging him, to catch up. Based on his social media, he’s into badminton, and he’s good at it. Before I could send my message, I rushed out of the house for a conference.

*

On November 16, as I was readying for my return to Dumaguete, a friend messaged: “Not sure if you heard about Edwin...” I immediately knew what it meant. One of my fears had arrived. He passed away the night before. The message I meant to send stayed as a draft, unsent. 

*

On November 19, we should be celebrating Sancho’s 40th birthday. 

*

Two of the few people I trusted most are gone. Two who steadied me whenever I faltered. Edwin pushed me to explore. Sancho, an artist through and through, urged me to write more so we could one day create a book together. For years he sent drawings and ideas, but I kept saying no, afraid to try new things. It took time to unlearn that fear, after numerous times of being rejected, lied to, maybe even gaslighted, by someone who I thought cared. 

*

This morning, November 17, after the flag ceremony, the museum announced my achievement for literary arts. I know, without Edwin and Sancho, none of this would have happened. I would still be that man filled with uncertainty.

There are bad news, always. But there are good news you can hold on to.

Aside from my family, friends, and my partner, I am especially sharing this win with you two. 

Thank you, Sancho.

Thank you, Edwin.

Rest in peace. And I’m sorry. I really am sorry.

47th ugat international conference (day 1)

On November 11, traveled back to Bohol for the 47th UGAT International Conference, hosted by Holy Name University in partnership with the National Museum of the Philippines–Bohol. UGAT Ugnayang Pang-Aghamtao is an organization of anthropologists in the Philippines. The annual gathering brings together not only anthropologists but also scholars, practitioners, and researcher students to discuss concerns and engage with issues shaping Philippine society, culture, and even the rest of the world. Each year features panels, roundtables, and lectures built around a central theme. For 2025, it is “Engaging Anthropology, Anthropology in Action.”

Fairly new to this world, and while I’m excited by many interests and the pursuit of knowledge, I’m also aware of how much I still have to learn. Sometimes I feel that, without realizing it, I’ve been brushing against anthropology all my life.

With that in mind, I looked for panels and talks that would help me understand not only my own ways of making sense of each other and this world but also my ongoing project at the museum. On Day 1, attended “Lives and Labors at Sea: Gender, Work, and Coastal Communities,” “Kaalamang Bühay at Ugnayang Bumubühay: Mga Kaalamang Katutubo ng Agta-Tabangnon ng Tiwi, Albay,” and “Animating Ruins and Landscapes: Heritage as Lived Experience.” I ended the afternoon with a keynote lecture, “Working-Class Support for Illiberalism: A View from the South,” delivered by Rosana Pinheiro-Machado of University College Dublin.

The day of shared ideas closed beautifully with a quick sunset stop at Becca, followed by Gabii sa Pag-abiabi ug Panag-ambit, a welcome dinner for conference delegates at NMP-Bohol. The Dimiao Children’s Rondalla was easily the highlight of the evening.

[ More photos here ]

pinanlinan 2024

So many things are happening in 2025, and as much as we would love to launch it later this year, we might have to postpone it. But the work is all done.

The third edition of Pinanlinan—an anthology of winning and selected works from the participants and judges of the Tagik Poetry Writing Competition and the Kinalitkalit Flash Fiction Writing Competition held in 2024—will be coming out early next year, in 2026. This volume is co-edited by the poet Rene Eune Ponte and yours truly.⁣

Pinanlinan 2024 features poems and stories by F. Jordan Carnice, Angelli C. Closas, Ian-Jhel T. Galan, Jovanie Garay, Luigi Miguel P. Jacaban, James Sayao Japos, Ariel B. Logroño, Jason G. Madijanon, Jake Malon, Ma. Faith O. Malon, Reynaldo T. Masana, Peter Junriel M. Milana, Ardeshir Abid Morales, Shawn Michael Mutia, Argosy S. Nazareno, Mark Ken Oray, Rene Eune P. Ponte, Mary Grace C. Ramada, Yudi Santillan III, and Janice S. Tuazon.⁣

This new volume also features a stunning cover artwork by Yo Yo Cabahug, who is a member of Bohol Pop Contemporary Visual Artists Group.

Pinanlinan is led by Kaliwat ni Karyapa, with the support of the Provincial Government of Bohol, through the Center for Culture and Arts Development - Bohol and the Bohol Arts and Cultural Heritage Council - Literary Arts Committee.

 

129th birth anniversary of pres. carlos p. garcia + 2025 cpg awards

Today marks the 129th birth anniversary of Carlos P. Garcia—a Boholano, poet, lawyer, chess enthusiast, and the country’s 8th president. Receiving an award that bears his name makes the heart a-flutter.

Thank you once again to the Provincial Government of Bohol, Center for Culture and Arts Development - Bohol, and the Bohol Arts and Cultural Heritage Council. My gratitude also goes to my friends and hardworking chuwariwaps at Kaliwat ni Karyapa for trusting me to handle literary projects for the province. Hangtod sa makaya!

Below is lifted from the Kaliwat ni Karyapa Facebook page.

F. Jordan Carnice

for Literary Arts

Kaliwat ni Karyapa warmly congratulates F. Jordan Carnice, one of the honorees of the 2025 President Carlos P. Garcia Awards, recognized for Excellence in Literary Arts.

F. Jordan Carnice is a poet, fictionist, and visual artist from Tagbilaran City, Bohol. He is the son of civil engineer Wilfredo Ladeza Carnice and public high school English teacher Natividad Torralba Carnice. He is currently based in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, where he works as a researcher for the National Museum of the Philippines. His literary works have appeared in publications across the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States, including Arizona, California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Washington. His poems are forthcoming in a special issue of Cutthroat: A Journal of the Arts focusing on writers from Asia, and his food heritage essay will appear in the book 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘩𝘰𝘭 𝘞𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳, a companion to the landmark anthology The Bohol We Love, which was nominated for the National Book Award in 2018 and also featured Carnice’s essay, “A (Re)collection of Stones.” In 2020, Carnice won the poetry grand prize in the Cebu Climate Emergency Literature and Arts Competition for his poem “There is Too Much Light in this World.” Carnice is also the founder of the Kinalitkalit Flash Fiction Writing Competition in 2020 and initiated in 2024 the inclusion of English-language submissions in the Tagik Poetry Writing Competition—two province-wide contests that promote literary production in Binisaya and English. He also founded and co-edits 𝘗𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯, a series of print anthology compiling selected works from the two competitions, distributed for free to schools and public libraries to foster literacy and build a lasting archive of Bol-anon literature. He is also a regular panelist in the Agi Creative Writing Workshop, which is a workshop for aspiring and established writers in Bohol to develop their craft. He has contributed cultural, artistic, and environmental features to national and local publications. A recipient of fellowships from three national writing workshops, Carnice has twice served as a panelist at both the Taboan Philippine Writers Festival and the Dumaguete Literary Festival. He is a member of the technical working group that led to Dumaguete’s designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Literature, officially declared on October 31, 2025, by the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. He is the author of two poetry chapbooks—Weights & Cushions (2018) and How to Make an Accident (2019)—and was named Poet of the Year at the Nick Joaquin Literary Awards both in 2023 and 2024, the first in the award’s history to receive the distinction consecutively. Carnice is also a member and regular volunteer for activities of Plastic Free Bohol, Bohol Climate Walkers, and Clean Energy Advocates of Bohol.

The President Carlos P. Garcia (CPG) Awards, conferred by the Provincial Government of Bohol through the Center for Culture and Arts Development (CCAD) and the Bohol Arts and Cultural Heritage (BACH) Council, honor outstanding Boholanos who have demonstrated exemplary achievements in their respective fields and have made meaningful contributions to the Boholano community and the Filipino nation. Through their accomplishments, the awardees carry forward the ideals of President Carlos P. Garcia—the lawyer, poet, chess enthusiast, and public servant whose life remains a model of integrity and intellect.

This year’s event, held in celebration of the 129th birth anniversary of President Carlos P. Garcia on November 4, 2025, was set to take place at the Bohol Cultural Center. However, due to Typhoon Tino and the province’s priority to ensure everyone’s safety, the awarding ceremony has been postponed until further notice.

Still, Kaliwat ni Karyapa joins the Province of Bohol in celebrating excellence in Cultural Heritage, Arts and Literature, Public Service, Sports, and Statesmanship, and in recognizing the awardees’ role as inspirations not only for Boholanos but for all Filipinos.

* * *

Below are the other 2025 CPG Awardees.

Jerrey David Aguilar

for Theater Arts

Nila Itac

for Dance

Ulysses Aparece

for Cultural Heritage Advocacy

Samuel Penaso

for Visual Arts

Luciano "Shanon" Pamaong

for Fashion Design

[ Photos borrowed from this site ]

2025 cpg awards for excellence and special citations

Dear cosmos, this is all for you. Congratulations to fellow honorees, Jerrey David Aguilar, Ulysses Aparece, Sam Penaso, Deya Tsyna Cabagnot, and Nicole Asares. 

Thank you, Provincial Government of Bohol, through the Center for Culture and Arts Development - Bohol and the Bohol Arts and Cultural Heritage Council. Special thanks goes to the Municipality of Loon for the nomination. 

And above all, my deepest gratitude to my family, friends, and loved ones who have wholeheartedly supported me from the very beginning. Here’s proof that a strong community makes the success of one possible. Truly, no man is an island.

The winds and rains are starting to pick up here in Bohol, growing stronger by the hour. Please stay safe and dry, everyone. And don’t forget your pets.

[ Photos borrowed from this site ]

2025 tagik and kinalitkalit writing competition winners and runners-up

Typhoon Tino may be on its way, but here’s a little bit of good news to brighten the day. The winners of the 4th Tagik Poetry Writing Competition and Kinalitkalit Flash Fiction Writing Competition are featured in today’s issue of Lifestyle Bohol, the features section of The Bohol Chronicle.

Grab a copy at the newsstand beside Pizza Hut in BQ Mall or directly from The Bohol Chronicle / DYRD Office along B. Inting Street, Tagbilaran City.

pinanlinan 2024

 

A new season is about to unfold. Launching soon.

we will remember

Like many kalag-kalag seasons, we did things a bit early to avoid the huge crowd of cemetery-goers on All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days. On October 30, we visited the graves of family members and loved ones in Dampas, Loon, Maribojoc, and Dauis. It was a long day of traveling back and forth, and we weren’t able to make it to Serenity Park before it closed at 6PM.

I’ve always had an affinity for trips like this, especially with my mother who is a storyteller. She recalls stories with remarkable detail, particularly those from the Flores Valles and Torralba sides of the family.

One of her accounts is about a parish priest, apparently the great-grandfather of my grandmother, Mama Pila. Sometime in the early 1820s, Mount Hibok-Hibok (then called Catarman Volcano) in Camiguin erupted so massively that residents were forced to flee. Some Mambajao locals resettled in Bohol, including my soon-to-be ancestor, a woman with the family name Roldan. She settled in Dauis, where she became a cantora, or church singer. Like in many unfortunate tales, she was impregnated by a Spanish kura paroko or parish priest and bore an illegitimate son named Jose “Eping” Flores.

The priest was later reassigned to Maribojoc, bringing with him Jose, now grown up. Jose eventually became mayor of the town and was fondly known as Kapitan Eping. Their ancestral house once stood behind the Maribojoc Church, built on what was originally a small islet separated from the mainland by a narrow river flowing toward the Cebu Strait. When the priest became the town’s parish priest, locals—especially churchgoers—were tasked to haul kuta or coral stones to fill the gap, gradually linking the islet to the main coastline. My mother recalls visiting that house during town fiestas and Holy Week as a child, its cavernous living room floored with wide wooden planks and filled with religious relics.

Another story my mother told me was about a war veteran in the family, Panfilo Torralba, the youngest among my grandfather Papa Iyan’s siblings. He enlisted during World War II and, like so many others, never made it home. He died young, one of the countless Filipinos who perished during the Japanese invasion in Luzon in 1942.

His remains contained in a casket were sent back to Bohol in a separate stately aluminum box, which was kept in my grandfather Papa Iyan’s silong, the open space beneath the floor of their house in Tamblot. The box was kept for several more years in that silong even after the casket was buried. When my mother was a child, she would often see that box while playing in the area. One day, out of curiosity, she and her playmates pried it open, only to find a serpent coiled inside. That sight alone was enough to keep them away from the silong for good.

There were so many tales and fragments to take in. Some haunting, some simply human. Like many family stories, ours seems to begin with something that lingers between memory and myth. My mother said my uncles have written records and more to tell. Maybe it’s time to look into them. 

[ More photos here ]

the dead follows me to the bedroom

For All Saints’ Day, let me share a poem, “The Dead Follows Me to the Bedroom.”⁣

⁣An earlier version of this piece was part of a 14-poem suite titled “The Shape of Days” which was first published in Agwat-Hilom, an anthology produced by the National Committee on Literary Arts of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), which gathered literary works on the COVID-19 pandemic from writers across the Philippines back in 2020.⁣

⁣Five years later, pandemic or not, the losses we continue to endure, especially those fueled by mismanaged state funds, still haunt us just the same.