Philippines Arts Month. February is one of the most interesting months in the cultural life of the Republic of the Philippines. First of all, in the midst of a comfortable warm season, there are such bright fiestas as "Pamulinauen", dedicated to the Day of St. John the Baptist. St. William the Hermit (Laoag, Luzon), Day of the Virgin with a Candle (Iloilo, Panay), Scarecrow Rice Festival "Tauo-Tauo" (Bayauan, Negros), Flower Festival "Panagbenga" (Baguio, Luzon), Chinese New Year celebration. Every year on February 25, the anniversary of the EDSA Revolution ¹ is celebrated as a public holiday. Second, since 1941, February has been declared the "National Month of the Arts" ("Pambansang Buwan ng Sining") in the Philippines by presidential decree.

Every year, as part of the Month of the arts, conferences on philology, as well as various branches of art, exhibitions are held, performances are premiered in theaters, documentaries are shown in university cinemas, concerts are held in the country's largest metropolitan Cultural center of the Philippines, as well as at other venues with the participation of well-known and emerging artists, folklore and modern ensembles. Since 2009, one of the largest conferences of writers of the Philippines is held in February - " Taboan "(Taboan), which in Cebuano means literally "bazaar, a place of exchange of goods", and figuratively - "a place of exchange of opinions, ideas".

."Taboan Festival "The National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the Philippines (NCCA) traditionally organizes "Taboan" as a large-format event. The festival includes a three-day conference, a book fair, and an award ceremony for winning authors of the NCCA Writers literary competition' Prize, interspersed with bright performances of local folklore groups. The conference days are usually full of presentations by writers, poets and literary critics of different generations, representing the main parts of the Philippine archipelago: Luzon Island (northern Philippines), Bisai Archipelago (central part) and Mindanao Island and Sulu Archipelago (south of the country). Writers exchange ideas, talk about creative achievements, and discuss the problems of the modern literary process in the Philippines, which is developing in more than a dozen major regional languages of the archipelago. ² The organizers usually change the venues of Taboan every year to emphasize equal attention to the culture of different regions of the Philippines. Thus, the first festival was held in Manila, Luzon, in 2009; in Cebu, Cebu, in 2010; in Davao, Mindanao, in 2011; and again in Luzon, in 2012. Pampanga), in 2013-in Dumaguete on Negros Island. "Taboan-2014" was held on February 24-26 in Subic (prov. Sambales, Luzon)³. The theme of "Taboan-2014" sounded poetic -

¹ So-called. Popular Force (tag: Lakas ng Bayan) - four-day mass protests of Filipino citizens in February 1986, which led to the overthrow of the regime of dictator F. Marcos. As a result, Corazon Aquino came to power - the widow of opposition leader Benigno Aquino, who became the first female president in Asia. For more information, see, for example: [Sumsky, 2003, pp. 391-434].

² For the current language situation in the Philippines, see, for example: [Frolova, 2014].

³ According to the organizers, Samboanga City (Mindanao Island) was chosen for the 2014 conference. However, the capture of the city by Muslim separatists from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in September 2013 forced the NCCA to look for another region to host Taboan 2014.

"Winds and Waves, Wars and Words" ("Winds and Waves, Wars and Words") - and was dictated by the dramatic events that have rocked the Philippines in recent years. In the southern Philippines (Mindanao Island, arch. Sulu) continues to smolder with the flames of Muslim separatism; the Philippines suffers huge damage from natural disasters (floods, earthquakes, typhoons). Super Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013 killed more than 10,000 people4 and even now, more than a year after the tragedy, the central region of the Philippines - the Bisai Archipelago-continues to struggle with its devastating consequences. That is why this year, in addition to the traditional theme of the development of the literary process in the Philippines, "Taboan" featured poems by poets from the affected areas - both in Bisayan languages (Cebuano, Varai-Varai, hiligaynon) and in Tagalog, which is called "filipino "as the state language.⁵ The writers discussed specific measures to restore and support the work of literary organizations in the affected areas, shared their personal experience of physical and psychological assistance to people from disaster zones and "hot spots" in the Philippines. It is gratifying that, despite the differences in the choice of the language of their work (regional languages of the Philippines, Filipino or English), most writers chose the official Filipino (Tagalog) as the working language of the conference.

The elite of contemporary Philippine literature. If for Filipino writers an invitation to Taboan is an opportunity to exchange opinions and ideas, as well as a sign of recognition of their literary achievements, then for observer ⁶ this conference is a clear "cross-section" of trends in the development of the literary process in the country, areas where significant success has been achieved, as well as the tasks that Filipino writers set themselves today. The most prominent writers and poets of the Philippines are invited as key speakers at Taboan: recognized masters in the country who have received the title of people's artists in the field of literature, as well as winners of prestigious Philippine awards, and first of all the Carlos Palanqua Award, ⁷ often referred to as the "Pulitzer Prize of the Philippines" due to its significance. Over the 60 years of the award's existence, it has included such categories as short stories, poems, novels, plays, essays, children's literature, and television performances, initially only in Tagalog (Filipino) and English, and since 1997 in three of the 12 major regional languages Ilocano, Cebuano, and Hiligaynon (only in the category "story").

People's artists of the Philippines in the field of literature are invited annually as honorary speakers at Taboan. This title has been awarded since 1973,8 to Filipino writers and poets who have made the greatest contribution to the development of ^literature in the country. Currently, the title of people's artists is held by writers Francisco Zionil Jose, Bienvenido Lumbera, Virgi-lio Almario. F. Sionil Jose (born 1924 ) is a famous English-language novelist, whose novels have been translated into 22 languages, including Russian ⁹, B. Lumbera (born 1932) and Filipino - and English-language literary critic, as well as poet, writer, playwright, recognized as one of the pillars of modern Philippine literature and literary studies, V. Almario (born 1944, pseudonym Rio Alma, i.e. "River-soul") is an outstanding poet, writing mainly in Filipino. collections of poems, as well as numerous works on Philippine poetics and literature. He created a circle of young Tagalog-speaking poets, called the " School of Image, Rhetoric and Form "(tag. acronym - LIRA), among which

⁴ Haiyan, called "Yolanda" in the Philippines, has affected more than 16 million people in varying degrees. filipintsev RIA, 30.12.2013].

⁵ For the relationship between the terms "Tagalog" and "Filipino", see, for example: [Nolasco, 2008]. Hereafter, both terms refer to the official language of the Philippines.

⁶ I thank the organizers of Taboan, represented by J. Magliari, as well as the poet Vim Nader, for inviting me to participate in the conference as a speaker.

⁷ Don Carlos Palanca Sr. is a Chinese migrant entrepreneur (part of the La Tondena Distillers company he founded in 1902, now the Ginebra San Miguel Brewery). Carlos Palanca sponsored educational projects, and in 1950, his heirs founded the Carlos Palanca Foundation to support Philippine literature. For more information about the Foundation, see: [Palanca Awards.

⁸ The title of People's Artist of the Arts (tag. Pambansang Alagad ng Sining) was introduced in 1972 by decree of the President of the Philippines F. Marcos. In the field of literature, the brilliant poet and novelist Amado V. Hernandez was awarded this title posthumously in 1973.

⁹ The novels of Zionil Jose "The Pretenders", "The Tree", "My Brother, my Executioner", as well as a number of short stories have been translated into Russian by the leading filipinist I. V. Podberezsky. According to some sources, F. Zionil Jose does not participate in Taboan because of disagreements with the organizers in assessing the success of literatures in regional languages.

its senior members and mentors are such prominent poets as Wim Nadera, Michael Corosa, Romulo Baquiran, Roberto and Rebecca Agnonuevo, and others. In a joint speech at the Taboan conference, V. Almario and B. Lumber spoke about the role of literature in times of disasters, how it can help the individual, and what choice Filipino writers face during the crisis.

Another honorary speaker of the conference was the Tagalog-speaking poet and literary critic of the older generation Epifanio (Sonny) E. San Juan, Jr. (born 1938), a long-time employee of the United States. This year, the sixth collection of his poems - "Kundiman in the Dark" (tag. "Kundiman sa gitna ng karimlan"), as well as a number of critical essays is published. E. San Juan Jr. He writes sharp socio-political lyrics that encourage Filipinos to fight for their civil rights. Performance at the "Taboan" San Juan Jr. He devoted himself to the problem of preserving and developing modern literature in connection with the growth of audiovisual media, which displaces books and the usual forms of literary creativity.

The poetic theme of "Taboan-2014" was proposed by the well-known publicist, anthropologist, cultural critic Michael Tan (now Vice-rector of the University of the Philippines). In particular, he is the author of the popular science book "Again about 'usog', 'pasma', 'kulam'", which examines such traditional Philippine concepts of traditional medicine and beliefs as usog (physical or mental illness, especially in children, caused by an unexpected visit from a stranger) from the point of view of medical anthropology and cultural studies. and attributed to the "evil eye"); pasma (a malaise allegedly caused by the contact of a hot body with water); kulam (black magic; a disease allegedly sent by a sorcerer) [Tan, 2008]. Widely known as a publicist M. Tan gained a reputation through his cultural essays in the author's column "Because he is a Filipino" (tag: "Pinoy Kasi"), published twice a week in the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper.

Two guests of the conference - poets Wim Nader and Fr.Albert Alejo-spoke in the sub-section "Wounded Writers: Turning Suffering into Insight". One of the most prominent Tagalog-language poets of the Philippines, Victor E. Carmelo Nadera Jr., or Wim Nadera , is an active literary figure, who was proclaimed "poet of the year" in 1985, and in the 1980s, together with V. Almario, was at the origin of the creation of the young poets ' circle LIRA, then headed the Institute of Literary Creativity of the University of the Philippines (LIKHAAN), and now-the Philippine School of Art (PHSA) at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (SSR). Author of several collections of poems (including" Only 15 " - "Labinlima Lamang", 1992), a novel and plays, winner of various awards, Nadera leads author's columns about culture in the media (now in the Russian Academy of Arts). Rappler.com). He is also called the "father of literary performance" in the Philippines [Manila Standard, 19.04.14]. In addition, as a psychologist with a first degree, he was able to conduct free sessions of "poetry therapy" for both cancer and AIDS patients and for the outcasts of society. At the conference, Wim Nader spoke about the principles of" releasing stress through poetry " (published in his book "Poetreat"), as well as how he himself, a" wounded poet " who suffered the death of his youngest son, was freed from pain with the help of poems. Father Albert Alejo, known as Father Bert, also spoke in verse about the emotional wounds of both his own and fellow countrymen. A priest, cultural anthropologist, poet, publicist and social activist, A. Alejo teaches and researches social development issues at the Ateneo de Samboanga University on the separatist island of Mindanao. Experiencing as a personal tragedy the conflict and the growth of terrorism in the Muslim South of the Archipelago, Father Bert is actively involved in the work of organizations to combat corruption, violation of the rights of the indigenous population, and kidnapping. He is the founder and editor of the Asia Mindanao: Dialogue on Peace and Development magazine. His poems about war, peace and unity of the Philippine people were included in the Tagalog-language collection " Once you tried to kill..." ("Sanayan lang ang Pagpatay", 1992), and some became songs - for example," Bau-bai, Mindanaw "("Meme na, Mindanaw")," A country with dignity "("Bayang May Dangal"), etc.

In total, more than 60 famous writers from various regions of the Philippines came to the conference. It is quite natural that more than half of the writers are representatives of the "capital" and the largest island of Luzon. The election of the Tagalog-speaking Manila region as the center of Spanish colonial administration in the sixteenth century gave a decisive advantage to the development of Tagalog literature in comparison with the literary traditions of other major Philippine languages: in Luzon - Ilocan, Pampangan, Pangasinan, Bicol; in Bisayan

Mindanao-Cebuano, Maranao, etc. ¹⁰ I would like to mention the most outstanding contemporary Tagalog-and English-speaking writers of the metropolitan region who took part in Taboan-2014.

Jose (Butch) Dalisay Jr. author of 27 collections of prose and nonfiction in English, as well as plays and screenplays in Tagalog (Filipino). Dalisay is inducted into the Palanca Hall of Fame as the recipient of more than 5 first C. Palanca Awards (16 times in total), as well as numerous awards from the National Book Award and the Cultural Center of the Philippines, which in 1998 included X. Dalis was included in the list of the 100 most outstanding Filipino artists of the XX century (SSR Centennial Honors List). His second novel, Soledad's Sister (2007), was nominated for the prestigious Man Asian Literary Prize. Jose Dalisay is currently the Director of the Likhaan UP Institute of Creative Writing at the University of the Philippines (LIKHAAN UP ICW). At the conference, he was a key speaker in a sub-section devoted to the practical question of a writer's survival as a professional: how to earn a living without abandoning literary work and without sacrificing its quality? Dalisay and other speakers spoke about the specific opportunities available to writers in the Philippines and online. The sub-section was led by Francis Makansantos, winner of several Palanque Awards for English-language poetry, published in two collections. F. Makansantos also published a book of poems in the Chabacano Creole language, common in the poet's homeland - Mindanao ("Balsa: Poemas Chabacano", 2011). Among the Palanque Hall of Fame nominees who represented Luzon at the conference was Nicholas Pichai, who successfully combines a legal career with a writing career. A publicist and playwright, he received his fifth Palanque Award for his autobiographical play on Filipino "Three Heart Attacks" ("Tres Ataques De Corazon", 2007).

Cristina Pantoja is a Hidalgo novelist, author of two novels and about 30 collections of short stories, nonfiction and critical articles on Filipino literature in English. She is best known for her original autobiographical essays and travel essays (including Sojournes, 1984; The Path of the Heart, 1994). Like most successful Filipino writers, she teaches a course in literary excellence and other disciplines. A former director of university publishing houses, Pantoja-Hidalgo is currently the head of the Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies at St. Thomas University, the oldest university in Asia.¹¹ At Taboan 2014, she presented an overview of literary associations and institutions in the Philippines that promote creativity, provide opportunities for writers to work and share their experience. One of these "platforms" - the electronic scientific journal "Kritika Kultura" ¹², published by Ateneo de Manila University-was represented by its founder and editor-in-chief Maria Luisa Torres-Reyes. A literary critic and critic, she won the National Book Award for her monograph based on the novel "Dawn and the Rays of the Sun"by the famous writer of the early 20th century Lope C. Santos. Kritika Kultura is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes research on the literature, languages, and culture of the Philippines, as well as small forms of prose. The journal regularly hosts seminars and conferences on Philippine literature and linguistics.

Eugene Evasco, Mesandel Argeles and Allan Popa were among the most renowned poets of the younger generation who write in Tagalog (Filipino) and English. Eugene Evasco - author of poetry and prose in Filipino for children and youth, multiple winner of the prestigious Philippine Awards (c. Palanki, National Commission for Culture and Arts, National Book Award, etc.), in 2000 declared "poet of the year". Mesandel Argeles is a Tagalog-language poet who has been awarded various literary prizes, a member of the LIRA Poetry Society, and a literary editor. Allan Popa is a poet and essayist, writes in Tagalog and English, has won several Philippine and American awards, and is currently the head of the Ateneo de Manila University Institute of Literary Arts and Practices (AILAP).

¹⁰ Among regional literatures, the Ilocan, Cebu, Pampangan, and Bicol literatures began to develop earlier than others in the sixteenth century. For more information, see, for example: [De Ungria, 2009].

¹¹ In 1611, on the initiative of Archbishop Miguel de Bonavides of Manila, a Catholic educational institution for the training of priests was founded, later renamed the College of St. Thomas, and since 1645 it has received the status of a university. Learn more at http://universityofsantotomas.ph.

¹² The log is available at: www.kritikakultura.ateneo.net.

About literatures in regional languages. The conference participants clearly demonstrated the place of literatures in regional languages in the general Philippine literary process: if there were more than 20 Tagalog-speaking writers, the number of representatives of literatures in the main regional languages varied from 5 to 7 writers (in Ilocan, Bicol, Cebuano and Varai-Varai). up to 1-2 (in Hiligaynon, Pampangan, Chabacano Creole, etc.). Of the 14 delegates representing the Mindanao region, most were English - speaking writers and poets. I would like to note that all the participants of Taboan-2014 worked in English to one degree or another.

Among the authors writing in the Ilocan language (Northern Luzon), such major literary figures as Erminio Beltran Jr. and Elizabeth Raquel participated in the conference. Erminio Beltran, Jr. As a teenager, he began translating Ilokan short stories into English. His essays on Filipino were awarded the National Commission for Culture and the Arts "Flame of Imagination" (tag. "Alab ng Haraya"). He has published two trilingual collections of poetry - in Ilocano, Filipino and English (Bayambang, 1991 and Lemlunay, 2003). He is currently Director of the Literature Department of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Editor - in-Chief of the center's literary magazine, Ani, which publishes works in various Philippine languages. Elizabeth Raquel - Ilocano writer, playwright and poet, teacher and author of manuals on Ilocano language and literature, E. Raquel became the first female president of the Association of Ilocano Writers of the Philippines (GUMIL Filipinas), founded in 1968 to support and develop Ilocano literature in various regions of the Archipelago and abroad. E. Raquel's poems and prose have won a number of Ilocan literary awards, the most important of which is the prize named after him. Leona Florentino ¹³. Another representative of the Ilocana GUMIL Filipinas association at the conference wasEstela Bisquera-Guerrero is the "queen of the Ilokano humorous story", the author of three short stories and 20 humorous and satirical stories published in the Ilokano weekly Bannawag (ilok. "Dawn")¹⁴. The "Taboan-2014" conference was also attended by young Ilocani writers-Johnny Buhai, Io Hularbal, Rosali Calpito.

Only a few represented literature in other languages of Luzon. Among them is a prominent Bicol poet and literary figure, who in 2009 was declared "outstanding Bicol writer" - Francisco Penones Jr. A publicist and author of articles on the culture and languages of Bicol, Peñones published a collection of poems in Bicol Rinconada with an English translation (Ragang Rinaranga, 2006). Carlos Arejola, a talented Bicol writer, playwright and poet, also participated in Taboan. K. Arejola is the winner of a number of literary awards for his work in Bicol and Filipino, including the Palanque Award for best screenplay in Filipino " The World is one and many faces "("Ang Mundo ay Iisa at Marami", 2006His Filipino-Bikol collection of plays and screenplays "I'll Tell You Straight" (Sayod Kong Tataramon, 2009) is also noted. Popularizer of native literature, K. Arekhola in 2004 established the Prize named after him. Premyo Tomas Arejola - first award for works in Bikol languages ¹⁵. Rafael Bansuela, Jr. - a native of Bikolskaya prov. Albay, journalist and popularizer of local culture, author of collections of poems in the Albay dialect of the Bicol language (including "Dios Makina", 2013). From other regional literatures of Luzon, only the Pampangan poet, ritual song writer Crispin Kadiang and poet Tak Sanchez-Tolosa, as well as the Pangasinan poet Melvin Magsanok, who writes in the Ibaloy language and English, performed on "Taboan".

At Taboan, 14 delegates presented literature from the Bisayan Archipelago, mainly in Cebuano and Varai-Varai, as well as English. Among the English-speaking writers, I would like to mention the famous poet and playwright Elsa Martinez Cosoluela, a native of the island of San Francisco. Negros. Winner

¹³ Leona Florentino is a 19th-century Ilocan poet who is considered the " mother of Philippine women's literature." The CoE Award for Excellence in Ilocano Literature was established by the GUMIL Filipinas Association.

¹⁴ Bannawag magazine was founded in 1934 by Liwayway Publications, which also included Liwayway (tag "Dawn") in Tagalog, Bisaya in Cebuano, and Hiligaynon in Hiligaynon. Bannawag, whose literary section publishes poetry and prose in Ilocano, became a mainstay for the development of Ilocano literature in the 20th century.

¹⁵ Tomas Arejola-Bicoland native, public figure, publicist and politician of the turn of the XIX-XX centuries, who advocated for Spanish political reforms in the Philippines, and during the Philippine Autonomy period - an active member of the Nationalist Party and a representative of the prov. Ambos Kamarins in Parliament.

awards of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the literary magazine "Philippine Free Press" for poetry ("Katipunera...", 1998) and plays, more than 20-time winner of the award named after him. Palanqui, E. Cosoluela became the only female playwright on the Palanqui Hall of Fame list. Her most successful play, In My Father's House (1988), was performed in the United States and Japan.

Hope Sabanpan-Yu, Director of the Center for Cebuano Studies at the University of San Carlos (Cebu Island), teacher, literary critic and popularizer of the Cebu language and culture, member of various literary organizations, including the American branch of the International PEN Association, was the most significant representative of Cebuano literature at the conference. Sabanpan-Yu is the author of several collections of poems in Cebuano (for example, Paglaum, 2000) and English (Beads, 2002), four of which were published in Canada, monographs on the work of Cebuanist writers Hilda Montaire and Austrehelina Espina-Moore (Women's Common Destiny..., 2009), critical reviews of the work of the author of the book. an essay. Hope Sabanpan-Yu has also translated novels by A. Espina-Moore (including "Mila's Mother", 2008), short story collections by Gremer Chan Reyes ("Men at Sea...", 2009) and Ernesto Lariosa ("Crack Shot...", 2010) into English from Cebuano. Cebu novelist Rene Ponte and essayist and publicist Hona Brunzuela Bering were also invited to Taboan 2014.

Literature in the Varai-Varai language was represented by two major Bisayan poets. Victorio Sugbo, born in Tacloban on the island of. At the conference, he led the "Creativity on the Edge of Personal Tragedy" sub - section, where writers from the affected Bisai region shared their experience of human and artist survival in times of disaster and how personal tragedy sharpens the pen and gives new facets to creativity. and varai-varai. A collection of his poems in Varai-varai (Inintokan, 2008) was awarded the Taboan 2013 Festival award. A literary critic and popularizer of native literature, V. Sugbo has published three anthologies on the literature of Eastern Hawaii (for example, Tinipigan: An Anthology on Waray Literature, 1997). Phil Harold Mercurio is a prominent Warai-Warai poet whose poetry collection Ayaw Pagpudla ang Tuog (2010) was awarded and published by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. X. Mercurio describes himself as a "product" of the Iligan National Writers 'Conference (INWW, Mindanao) and the University of the Philippines Bisaya Creative Writing Program (UP VisWrite), two leading programs to support and develop Philippine regional literatures. X. Mercurio co-founded three writers' organizations in Eastern Bisaya (CALAO, ALAG, KATIG), and He also represented the region on the National Committee on Literature (NCLA). Varai-Varai literature is mainly poetry and drama [Sugbo, 2003, p. 2]. So, in addition to several poets, the young playwright and poet Jeremy Alexander Evardone took part in Taboan, whose plays were recognized by critics, in particular in the Chito S. Rono Literary Awards in Kalbayog (Samar Island)¹⁶. At Taboan 2014, J. Evardone received an award from the National Commission for Culture and Arts for his Varai-Varai play "The Tale of Sumuroy"(Epico ni Sumuroy, 2013).

Literature on hiligaynon was presented by the poet Nikos Primavera and the prominent playwright Fundador Gamboa Tipon-the second. F. Gamboa Tipon is an actor, director and screenwriter, a member of a number of literary organizations, as well as the NCCA Drama Committee, a participant in the large summer school Iyas Creative Writing Workshop, which has been held annually on Negros Island since 2001 for leading writers, poets and writers. playwrights working in English, Filipino, Cebuano and hiligaynon. Two plays by F. Gamboa Tipon II on hiligaynon were awarded with summer school awards ("Emo Trip", 2012; "Palad", 2013).

Among the delegates from Mindanao Island, I would like to mention two famous English-language writers. Kristin Godinez-Ortega is one of the founders and director of the Iligan National Writers ' Conference and a number of workshops in the Mindanao region. She headed the National Committee for Literature. He is the author of an English-language collection of poems (Lanterns in the Sun, 1987) and is widely known as a poet.-

¹⁶ Chito Ronho is a popular TV and film director, born in Calbayog. The Chito Ronyo Award is presented as part of the three-day Lamiraw Creative Writing Workshop in Calbayog.

¹⁷ Sumura in 1649-1650. He was one of the leaders of a major Filipino uprising in Eastern Hawaii, suppressed by Spanish colonialists after the treacherous surrender of Sumuroi to them. For more information, see, for example: Zaide, 2013, p. 186-187].

In addition to his extensive publications on Philippine literature, C. Godines-Ortega is currently researching the epics of various peoples of Central Mindanao. Joanna Lini Cruz-author of " women's "prose (collection" Women Loving. Stories and a Play", 2010) and poems in English, winner of the K. Palanki Prize (for the play "Halakata Ms. D", 1999). She represents Eastern and Southern Mindanao on the National Committee for Literature, and has also been elected as the new president of the Davao Writers Guild.' Guild is an organization founded in 1999 by the poet Ricardo de Ungria to support and develop the creative work of writers in Davao City (Mindanao Island).

Among the writers of Mindanao who write in regional languages, T. S. Sungkit, Edgar S. Godin, and Mohammad N. Makla participated in Taboan 2014. Telesforo Sungkit Jr. - a major Cebuano writer from Bukidnon province (his native language is Higaonon), who expresses in his works the views of the indigenous population of Mindanao, including the Higaonese, about the infringement of their rights in different periods of Philippine history. T. Sungkit's novel " Driftwood on Land "("Mga Gapnod sa Kamad-an", 2007), as well as its sequel "Lord of the Waves" ("Ang Agalon sa Mga Balod", 2011), won the author two awards of the National Committee for Culture and Arts, which allowed him to publish his first novel in English translation. English ("Driftwood on Dry Land", 2014). Telesforo Sungkit also writes in Filipino. His" History of Udan "("Batbat Hi Udan", 2009) is the first epic work that takes place in the area of present - day Bukidnon in the pre-colonial period and reflects the traditions of the nanangen oral legend of the autochthonous population of Mindanao [BukidnonNews]. Edgar S. Godin, or Egay Tapipsay , is a poet and novelist, also writing in Cebuano, and one of the editors of the popular weekly Bisaya. E. Godin was awarded a number of awards for his works, including the K. Palanki Prize (for the short story "Bingo", 2008). Mohammad N. Makla, a young poet who writes in his native Kalagan, the language of one of the small ethnic groups of Davao district, also spoke at Taboan . His poems were published in the magazine" Dagmay", published by the Davao Writers Guild.

NCAA Writer's Award

The final chord of "Taboan-2014" was the presentation of the award of the National Commission for Culture (the ceremony is held every two years). The award includes a commemorative award (in the form of a crystal with the winner's name) and a cash grant of 250 thousand pesos (more than 200 thousand rubles) for each of the laureates. This year's awards ceremony was held in five categories: 1) Novel in Ilocan: winner: Ariel Tabag (Kabessat Ti Bagis); 2) short story in Filipino: Joselito Delos Reyes (Kuma-Camanava: Mga Kuwento sa Gawi Namin); 3) Essay in Cebuano: Hope Sabanpan-Yu (Naglangoy sa Langit); 4) poem in Bicol: Raphael Bansuela, Jr. ("Dios Makina"); 5) play in Warai-warai: Jeremy A. Evardone ("Epiko ni Sumuroy"). The NCCA grant award is given for a period of one year, by the end of which authors must prepare their works for publication or theatrical production.

Summing up the results of my participation in Taboan-2014, I would like to note that this is a prestigious and well-organized writers ' conference funded from the state budget (NCCA). Quotas for the participation of delegates from different regions of the Philippines in Taboan, as well as the presence of major literary awards with nominations for the main regional languages, indicate that serious attention is paid to the development of literature within the framework of the cultural policy of the republic.

The composition of the participants of Taboan-2014, their literary achievements and the language of creativity reflect a significant advance in the development of literature in Filipino (Tagalog), which is the state language, compared to regional literatures. Among the latter, the greatest progress is observed in the development of literature in Ilocano (Luzon) and cebuano (Bisai Islands, Mindanao), then bicolano (Luzon) and warai-warai, hiligaynon (Bisayi, Mindanao). For these literatures, there are nominations in some of the largest writing competitions in the country (NCCA Writers' Prize, Palanca Awards), the number of literary critics in the regions is growing, and writers are more likely to achieve success by trying their pen in different genres.

In general, as the country's leading literary critic B. Lumbera noted at the conference, the development of literatures even in large regional languages is significantly complicated by the unformed literary criticism in these languages. There are few writers and specialists who speak regional languages and are able to read and evaluate their works. Readers ' demand for literature in local languages has not been formed either. Educated Filipinos tend to be bilingual or multilingual and prefer to read works in English and Filipino. The National Commission for Culture and Arts, which established the festival-conference "Taboan", deals with the solution of these problems.

list of literature

RIA, website: http://ria.ru/warming_extreme/20131230/987192475.html.

Sumsky V. V. Filipin's Fiesta: Reforms, Revolutions and Active Nonviolence in a developing society. Book II. M: Vostochnaya literatura, 2003.

Frolova E. G. Yazykovaya situatsiya na Filippinakh [Language situation in the Philippines]. 2014, N 1.

Bukidnon News, веб-сайт: http://bukidnonnews.net/news/2014/02/higaonon-novelist-to-launch-second-ip-book/.

De Ungria R. Enriching Knowledge by Publishing in the Regional Languages // Asiatic: HUM Journal of English Language and Literature. Vol. 3. No. I (June 2009). Kuala Lumpur: IIUM.

Manila Standard, веб-сайт: http://manilastandardtoday.com/2014/04/19/vim-nadera-steward-of-young-creative-minds/.

Nolasco, Ricardo Ma. Duran. Filipino, Pilipino and Tagalog // Philippine Daily Inquirer, веб-сайт http:// opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20081114 - 172308/Filipino-Pilipino-and-Tagalog.

Palanca Awards, website: http://www.palancaawards.com.ph.

Sugbo V.N. Language Policy and Local Literature in the Philippines. Paper presented at the conference "Language Development, Language Revitilization and Multilingual Education in Minority Communities in Asia". Bangkok, Nov. 6 - 8, 2003.

Tan Michael. Revisiting Usog, Pasma, Kulam. Quezon City: UP Press, 2008.

Zaide S. The Philippines: A Unique Nation. Quezon City: All Nations Publ., 2013. 2^nd ed.

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