37th philippine travel mart

A lot has happened back home, blurring through my periphery, that I completely forgot to mention that my poetry chapbooks Weights & Cushions and How to Make an Accident were among the titles featured by Libraria Books at the Dumaguete City booth for the 37th Philippine Travel Mart at SMX Convention Center, Pasay City, September 4–6, 2026.

This was just one way of showcasing why Dumaguete is the country’s first and only UNESCO Creative City of Literature. Many thanks go to the wonderful people of Libraria Books and the Dumaguete City Tourism Office for the support.

It was over so quickly. Sincerest apologies to friends in Metro Manila who were looking for those copies. Thankfully, you can always message Libraria, and they would be glad to connect you with these and other Filipiniana titles, especially by authors from the Visayas.

[ more photos here ]

conversations

So the former interviewer got interviewed. Yesterday and today, writers from The Weekly Sillimanian and The Silliman Magazine visited the National Museum of the Philippines to speak with me for a feature they’re preparing. Two long sessions. Party because we covered a lot, partly because I definitely went off-tangent more than once. 

We talked about personal projects, literary work in my home province of Bohol, nuances across Binisaya languages. We even tried to define what “literary culture and heritage” means in Negros Island and how institutions like the museum can help sustain it. Plus many small, unexpected detours in between.

It was fun. I remembered being in their place, writing features for The Weekly Sillimanian in 2006-2007, and then serving as features editor in my last two years of college.

When asked what my recognitions mean—whether the Poet of the Year titles from the Nick Joaquin Literary Awards or the recent Pres. Carlos P. Garcia Award—I said they feel like bonuses. They push me to keep writing, yes, but they were never the point. I’ve been writing since I was five or six, stumbling and growing through the work, and these milestones arrived without my chasing them.

Maybe that’s why they’re gratifying. They all came as surprises. I’m already happy sending drafts of poems through text messages to friends and loved ones, the way I’ve done since 2006. I still believe this: when you love the things that work for you, and when you work for the things you love, everything else falls into place.

We then talked about Dumaguete’s UNESCO Creative City of Literature designation. In my heart and mind, Dumaguete has always been a City of Literature. Long before the title, the art thrived through brave, thoughtful souls who kept the words alive. My hope now is that this recognition widens the circle—welcoming more voices, making literature accessible, and helping people see how prose and poetry matter in everyday life, from the tiangge to government offices, from the streets to the academe. 

Thank you, Danielle Mari Bonior, Zarelle Villanzana, Carla Adeline Via. I hope I got the message across.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

[ more photos here ]

dumaguete: unesco creative city of literature

We did it, fam! What a glorious way to end the month of October! Dumaguete City is now officially a UNESCO Creative City of Literature! It joins a distinguished network of just over 50 cities around the world recognized for their outstanding literary culture and commitment to creativity.

I had the honor of representing the National Museum of the Philippines - Dumaguete as one of the major stakeholders during the city’s bid to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) over the past months, presenting how the museum continues to promote and sustain the community’s literary heritage through its public programs and visitor engagement activities, such as our Knowledge Nook mini-library, Muse and Metaphor at the Museum lecture, Paglampos: Stories of Triumph by the Women of SAFIRE, Paglampos: The Art of Zine-making, the Silliman University National Writers Workshop: The Fellows Forum, among others. And there’s more to come! 

Established in 2004, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network fosters international cooperation among cities that place culture and creativity at the heart of sustainable urban development. The network recognizes cities in seven creative fields, namely, Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts, and Music. All this encourages the cities to exchange best practices, form partnerships, and integrate cultural development into local planning.

Before this milestone, through the UNESCO-Philippine National Commission, the Philippines only had three UNESCO Creative Cities: Baguio (Crafts and Folk Art, 2017), Cebu (Design, 2019), and Iloilo (Gastronomy, 2023). With Dumaguete’s inclusion, the country now proudly adds a City of Literature to the list.

Dumaguete City, along with Quezon City (for City of Film), made history as the first designations in their respective fields in the country. Dumaguete, in particular, is among the first Creative Cities of Literature in Southeast Asia alongside Jakarta. 

This push was spearheaded by the Dumaguete City Tourism Office, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Negros Oriental Provincial Office, and a core group of creatives led by award-winning writer Ian Rosales Casocot. Grateful to everyone who worked so tirelessly to make this happen, and excited to see what lies ahead for my second home under this groundbreaking recognition. 

[ Read more about the declaration here ]