The literary and youth volunteer group Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo (LIRA), in partnership with the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), will hold the 29th edition of its nationwide seminar-workshop series, “Sining ng Tugma, Sukat, at Talinghaga” (STST; Art of Rhyme, Meter, and Metaphor) at the EMR Training Center, Koronadal City, South Cotabato on October 19-20, 2013.
STST Koronadal will be held in partnership with the local hosts, namely the Pangrehiyong Sentro ng Wikang Filipino (PSWF) Region XII and DepEd Region XII, with support from the JP Anthony D. Cuñada Law Office.
Started in 2008, the STST is a nationwide education outreach program that has toured 28 towns and has served 2,261 people, mostly public school teachers and students. It aims to help advance literature, language, patriotism, and the beneficiaries’ communication skills through the teaching of native literary works and forms.
For 2013, the STST program is part of the larger project titled “Sulong: Dangal ng Filipino,” which includes day-long seminar-workshops on the “Sagisag Kultura” (cultural icons of the Philippines) and the National Orthography. Legazpi City (Albay), Roxas City (Capiz), Tarlac City, Naga City (Camarines Sur), Dapitan City (Zamboanga del Norte), and Butuan City (Agusan del Norte) were the first beneficiaries for 2013. Koronadal will be followed by two more towns in the southern Philippines.
Founded in 1985, LIRA is a nationally recognized, volunteer-run, education NGO; the oldest organization of poets in Filipino; and one of the country’s premier literary groups. In pursuance of its mission of advancing literature, language, and patriotism, the organization holds a yearly five-month-long poetry clinic held for the most part in UP Diliman. The STST is an effort to bring part of this clinic outside of Metro Manila.
In 2011, LIRA was declared as one of the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) in Malacañang Palace by President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III, making LIRA the first literary group in the TAYO Awards’ nine-year history. In 2012, LIRA was named by the National Outstanding Volunteer Awards as the National Capital Region’s outstanding volunteer organization.
Heading the STST Koronadal team as its lecturer is the award-winning writer Dr. Edgar C. Samar of the Ateneo de Manila University, and program director Phillip Kimpo Jr., LIRA president. Joining them as facilitators are Mariane A.R.T. Abuan and Christa I. De La Cruz. Beverly W. Siy, immediate former president, is the creator of the STS.
Parties interested in helping or participating in the program can contact the STST team at pykimpo@gmail.com.
Visit LIRA on Facebook & Twitter @makatangLIRA.
Kalatas: Philippine Literature, Culture, and Ideas 