Dr. Benjamin Mendillo Jr., new commissioner representing the Ilokano language in the Kawanihan ng Wikang Filipino (KWF), will speak before Ilocano writers on August 22.
Mendillo, full time representative of Ilokano in the government-run Commission on Filipino Language, will speak via teleconferencing at the start of the week-long Dap-ayan 2021, the national convention and seminar for Ilokano literature of GUMIL Filipinas.
GUMIL Filipinas, founded in 1968, is the association of Ilokano writers in the Philippines and some chapters in Canada, Hawaii, Greece, and Hong Kong, which at present is headed by Apayao Vice Gov. Remy Albano.
Topics, to be tackled by various resource persons, include flash fiction, komiks writing (graphic fiction), and discussions on Ilokano novels, according to a statement by GUMIL Filipinas.
Academics will also have a chance to display their research work during the convention, where every veteran and aspiring Ilokano writer as well as academics and other scholars are invited to participate.
The participants will be encouraged to contribute their thoughts on the topic (The Ilokano Writer and His Community),” the statement said.