Padre Faura | Collectors Connection

Paunang Salita : Pieces of A Teacher’s Mind Book Launching by Bienvenido Lumbera

Posted on September 26, 2015 by rence chan

531, 3rd Floor La Solidaridad Bookstore, Padre Faura, Ermita , Manila -Philippines

L-R Mr. Charlson Ong , Mr. Lito Casaje ,Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera , Ms. Shirley Lua , Mr. Ronnie Diaz and Ms. Menchu Sarmiento

I got invited to a public discussion and book launching by an award- winning Carlos Palanca writer Ms. Menchu Aquino- Sarmiento at the Poets, Playwrights, Essayists, Novelists Association of the Philippines a few hours ago , The group collectively is called PEN. The group was organized in 1958 by Mr. F. Sionil Jose (now National Artist for Literature ). The group organized conference and workshop had its first of its kind after the war, held for two days in Baguio City in December 1958 and attended by distinguished literary people and intellectuals from all over the country including Senator Claro M. Recto and President Carlos P. Garcia.

jam-packed crowd

The group board members had their monthly meeting and after past 5:00pm , They allowed some invited guests , writers and young creative writers from different schools and academe . I was also surprised to see a fellow stamp club and collector friend Mr. Jimmy Ang ( President of APO Philatelic Club ) attending the book launching.

Aside from stamps, he would collect postcards, memorabilias , newspaper clippings , photos and into books. He collects books that were written by Philippine national artists like Nick Joaquin, F Sionil Jose, Bienvenido Lumbera among others.

HE Jaroslav Olsa , Jr.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic

One of the prominent guests of honor that was invited to the event was his excellency Jaroslav Olsa , Jr. of Czech Republic. There are several books by well-known Czech poets and writers that was translated into Filipino language . These books were sold at the recent MIBF and are available at the Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino .

the group were treated to an early evening meal which consists of pancit palabok, cassava cake, empanadas

Paunang Salita

For those interested in Paunang Salita- Pieces of A Teacher’s Mind by Bienvenido Lumbera , They can inquire at the National Commission for the Culture and the Arts . It is a good book with 378 pages printed by the University of the Philippines Press in 2014.