MANILA, Philippines — Although we are a country known for the richness of its cultural heritage, there really has not been enough political will to tap this precious resource for governance.

Whatever  lip service has been given on  the role of artists and writers has yet to be translated into  policy and resources support. As Malou Jacob, executive director of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) noted, we “need the imagination of artists to move forward... and an economy of culture that can help transform the country’s image.

” In terms of leadership in the various cultural institutions, this administration has done its part with the appointment of credible heads – Emily Abrera as chair of the Cultural Center of the Philippines with Raul Sunico as president. Recently, Felipe de Leon Jr.was appointed chair of the NCCA. Likewise, there has been organization restructuring in the National Historical

Commission, the National Museum and other related institutions. But still much more can be done to put culture and arts in the people’s consciousness and as an integrating force in governance.

One noteworthy initiative is the annual publication “Ani” put out by the Literary Arts Division of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The theme this year, “Disaster and Survival,” should resonate to all as it captures in prose and poetry our people’s courage in confronting past disasters – the Pinatubo earthquake, supertyphoon Rosing, the Guinsaugon landslide, and Ondoy.

Melba Padilla Maggay shares this perceptive insight after having gone through an ordeal similar to that experienced by thousands who were affected by Ondoy. She writes: “The biggest disaster of all is when we once again miss our historical cue, failing to hear the call of what this means to us as a people.

One call is that we must change our timeline as a culture; transcend our present-orientedness, and anticipate the floodtide of the future. For all who do care that this country should have a future and a hope, we must see to it that all our do-gooding is such that it finally puts an end to the unconscionable helplessness and uprootedness of our people.”

“Ani” is edited by Herminio S. Beltran Jr. with Betty Uy Regala as managing editor. Beltran who is head of CCP’s Literary Arts Division, writes in Iloko, Filipino, and English, and has won prizes for poetry, the essay, and play. The 36 writers, many of whom have earned recognition for past achievements, read and performed their works at a  program held last April. Many of the writings are in Filipino, a few in Iloko (Herminio Beltran and Ariel Tabag), Pangasinan (Santiago B.Villafania), and Aklanon (Shur C. Mangilaya).

The CCP’s Outreach program is represented in an essay on a disaster that hit the Bicol Region. Another folio of children’s literature consists of four essays, while another on Art Reviews on Walong Filipina 2010” Sa Ngalan ng Kalikasan  as well as three essays are included.

As a supporter of the bill on the use of the Mother Tongue as the primary language of instruction, I am pleased to learn about the growing number of literary works in languages other than Filipino as well as initiatives at the local level.

An example is the Pangasinan Historical and Cultural Commission which aims to preserve and disseminate the province’s cultural heritage. Santiago Villafania, who is perhaps the most talented and prolific among our living Pangasinense writers, informs me that the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Pampanga has just passed a resolution assigning a day in August as Language Day.

He hopes that the province of Pangasinan would make a similar move.

I just finished reading his manuscript, “Pinabli tan arum ni ran Anlong” which should be read by “all those who love the Pangasinan language,” the dedication he had written for this remarkable collection of poems on love, family and country, the culture and environment, and reflections about life in general.

Pangasinan is my mother tongue but since I left Dagupan when I was 15, I have had limited opportunities in  using the language in daily conversation. Until Villafania started writing, the province has not had any serious literary writer. Reading his poetry brought about an unexpected and almost indescribable self-discovery

Not only am I able to understand the manifest and hidden nuances in the verses. The poems also brought back feelings of nostalgia – images of family life, and a reawakening and recognition of my sense of self which, as linguists would say is primarily shaped by the mother tongue. My e-mail is florbraid@yahoo.com