National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario formally launched a movement to make Quezon City as the Poetry Capital of the Philippines as he led in a Valentine’s Day book donation drive for the QC Public Library and its 28 branches.
Mr. Almario distributed copies of his book, “Lemlunay: Pagunita sa Gunita,” a collection of poems inspired by cultural objects and artifacts and Filipino artworks. The book drive was supported by the poets’ organization Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika at Anyo (LIRA) and book publisher San Anselmo Publications, Inc., who also bequeathed copies of their books to the QC Public Library. QC Mayor Joy Belmonte and QC Public Library Officer-In-Charge Mariza Chico and QC Public Library Assistant OIC Mary Ann Bernal accepted the donations.
In a statement posted on the Quezon City Government Facebook page, Mayor Belmote was said to be delighted. “Suportado ng pamahalaang lungsod na mapalawig ang mga libro sa mga silid-aklatan. Makatutulong din ang mga ito sa pagpapanumbalik ng sining sa pagtula lalo na sa mga kabataan. (The city government supports the infusion of new books to the public library. These will certainly revive literature and renew interest in poetry, especially among the youth.)”
Mr. Almario dubbed the February 14 event as Libro Para sa Aklatan ng Bayan or LAB which he plans to hold yearly. He said, “Sa halip na magbigayan ng rosas lang o magpalitan ng mga cards na may puso, magbigayan tayo ng libro tuwing Valentine’s Day. Quezon City ang mauuna rito. (Instead of just giving roses or exchanging cards with hearts, let us gift each other with books. Quezon City will pave the way).”
QC Public Library OIC Mariza Chico thanked Mr. Almario and the publishers for not just enhancing their library, but more so for preserving culture and history. “Kaliwa’t kanan man ang mga nailathala na electronic book at milyon na ang impormasyon sa Internet araw-araw, hindi nito matitinag ang kredibilidad na mayroon ang pisikal na librong pinagtutuunan ng talino at panahon. (Amid the proliferation of e-books and millions of information daily over the Internet, these cannot rival the credibility of physical books that are written with care and attention.)”
San Anselmo Publications, Inc. Executive Publisher Marvin Aceron and Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika at Anyo (LIRA) Vice-President Crystal Tanigue, a QC resident who revealed she spent many hours in the QC Library as a young student, were present to personally hand over their publications to the QC Public Library management and branch supervisors.
The QC Public Library, San Anselmo Publications, Inc., and LIRA are collaborating with other divisions within the Quezon City Government for the development and implementation of literature and poetry-related programs and projects. At the heart of these is the National Poetry Day celebration on November 22, the birthday of poet Jose Corazon de Jesus a.k.a. Huseng Batute. Part of the initiatives also include the renaming of the QC Public Library Conference Room into the Bulwagang Jose Corazon de Jesus, workshops for teachers, poetry readings, poetry competitions, book publications and many more endeavors.
