UPSP A Decade After: Revitalizing Pangasinan And The ...



UPSP A Decade After: Revitalizing Pangasinan

And The Blueprint For The Next Ten Years

Dr. Catalina L. Felicitas and Erwin S. Fernandez

Ulupan na Pansiansia’y Salitan Pangasinan (UPSP)

Abstract

This article traces the history and development of the Ulupan na Pansiansia’y Salitan Pangasinan (UPSP) [Association for the Preservation of the Pangasinan Language], the only literary organization in Pangasinan promoting Pangasinan in literary and audio-visual productions. Established in 2000 by concerned teachers and writers, UPSP to this year celebrates a decade of its existence facing challenges in organization, membership, and funding of projects. This article also presents a viable plan for UPSP in continuing its vision and mission of revitalizing Pangasinan for the coming decade.

Introduction

Not well-known to many Pangasinenses and more so to outsiders, the Ulupan na Pansiansia’y Salitan Pangasinan [Association for the Preservation of the Pangasinan Language] has been, since the year 2000 up to now, doing its share in making Pangasinan alive, not a dying language as many would claim and those of us who love the language would fear.

But the claim that Pangasinan as a dying language had been issued as a warning since the 1930s when Ilokanos had dominantly settled in the province (Icagasi 1982). In the late 1980s, a group called “Save the Pangasinan Dialect Movement” (SPAM) was led by Luis F. Samson, a lawyer and then the president of the Association of Private Schools, Colleges, and Universities (APSCU) in Region 1, Dr. Guido Tiong of Virgen Milagrosa University Foundation and the late board member Roberto N. Ferrer who introduced a resolution in the Pangasinan Provincial Board making the teaching of the language compulsory in the elementary and high school curricula. Even retired UP professor Ernesto Serote (1993) and late Pangasinan writer and editor Armando Ravanzo (1993?) had joined the chorus in calling for immediate action for the revitalization of Pangasinan.

The decline of Pangasinan as a language had been attested to by studies. It was clear that Pangasinan showed signs of endangerment (Anderson and Anderson 2007). An intergenerational survey further revealed that the present generation prefers to speak and write in Filipino and English rather than in their own language (Lomboy 2007).

But this scenario had to be dealt with by the growing and rising consciousness of Pangasinenses in their own identity, culture and language. And one of the prime-movers in this counter-consciousness is the UPSP. In this article, the history of UPSP since 2000 is given and the blueprint for a stronger UPSP in the coming ten years is presented.

Early beginnings: The founders’ group

To save the Pangasinan language from dying is the ultimate reason that the UPSP was organized. We often hear Pangasinenses say, whether alarmist or not, that the Pangasinan language is dying. Yet they do nothing about it. In fact, many don’t even speak Pangasinan anymore. This sad predicament is known to all and the apathy of the many could no longer be tolerated by a few academicians, concerned civic leaders and citizens who formally organized themselves to help in the promotion, preservation and use of the Pangasinan language.

Thus, the UPSP, known for short as Ulupan, was organized on 23 July 2000 in one of the rooms of the Pangasinan State University, Lingayen Campus, under the leadership of the former DTI Provincial Director Jaime Pasagoy Lucas, who is a well-known Ilocano poet and writer and whose Pangasinense mother hails from Alaminos City, Pangasinan. The co-founders are Dr. Perla Samson-Nelmida, an educator and proponent of Pangasinan theater, her daughter and UP professor, Dr. Maria Rosario Nelmida-Flores, both from San Carlos City, Atty. Bong Cruz of Dagupan City, Pastor Isidro Loresco of Mangaldan, and four educators from the Pangasinan State University in Lingayen: Dr. Linda R. Andaya, a retiree now based in the United States, Dr. Catalina L. Felicitas, co-author of this paper, also a retiree from PSU as associate dean of CAST, and former college dean of the Pangasinan Memorial College, Dr. Juanita C. Anoc, also retired PSU professor and now dean of the College of Education in Mangatarem, and Dr. Fe Soriano, associate dean of the Pangasinan State University in Lingayen. Jaime Lucas was elected as the first and founding president and served for the term 2000-2003.

Organization

Immediately after his election as president, the dynamic Jaime Lucas who is an able organization man himself being then the provincial head of the Department of Trade and Industry, moved fast: the by-laws was drafted, the organization incorporated and soon was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in Baguio City.

After the incorporation of UPSP, the quarterly magazine Balon Silew was organized and the first issue was printed on October 28, 2000 with Linda R. Andaya as the first editor-in-chief succeeded by the following editors: Mr. Sergio A. Bumadilla, Nap F. Resultay and Erwin S. Fernandez. As provided in the by-laws, a general assembly is conducted every two years to elect a new set of officers. The second general assembly was held on April 25, 2003 at the Libsong Elementary School in Lingayen and Dr. Linda R. Andaya was elected as the second president for the term 2003-2005.

Dr. Felicitas was elected third president at its third general assembly on May 21, 2005 at the Libsong Elementary School in Lingayen, Pangasinan for the term 2005-2007. At its fourth general assembly held last September 2, 2007 at the Amphitheater of the Central School I in San Carlos City through the courtesy of Dr. Marcelo M. Casillan Jr., Dr. Rodrigo B. Javier succeeded Dr. Felicitas for 2007-2009. At its fifth general assembly in September 2009, Mr. Emiliano V. Jovellanos was elected fifth president for the term 2009-2011.

Membership growth

UPSP had a surge in membership growth as there were many Pangasinenses who were similarly alarmed at the diminishing numbers of Pangasinan-speaking Pangasinenses. The publication and circulation of the Balon Silew also captured the attention of concerned Pangasinenses who love their language and joined the first generation of UPSP members.

Following the founders’ group is the second generation of UPSP members: Sergio A. Bumadilla, Dr. Rodrigo B. Javier, Pastor Moises Guarin, Emiliano (Mel) V. Jovellanos, Leonarda Carrera Baltazar, Dr. Basilisa Camacho, Dr. Fe Fernandez, Dr. Florita Lopez, Bryce Fabro, Clarita Doria, Marino R. Repalda, Elnora Dudang and Nap F. Resultay.

The third group of members included Dr. Benigno Castro, Marvin Quilates, Sonny Villafania, Dr. Ramon Bernardo, Salvador Mallanes, Dr. Leticia Lopez, Merla Aquino, Honorio Felomino, Dr. Lydia Buduhan, Chary Valencerina, Salome Montemayor, Mila Pedralvez, Mrs. Cecilia Daranciang, and Larry Milanes. While the latest members we have are the following: Melchor Orpilla, Myra Catungal, Mary Ann Macaranas, Dr. Purificacion Mendoza and Erwin S. Fernandez.

To add are the ten life members namely Jaime P. Lucas, Linda R. Andaya, Leonarda Carrera-Baltazar, Catalina L. Felicitas, Rodrigo B. Javier, Sonny B. Villafania, Marvin G. Quilates, Salvador V. Mallanes, Emiliano (Mel) V. Jovellanos, Sergio A. Bumadilla, Russell Lomboy, Elvira B. Estravo and Letecia Macaraeg.

Office facilities

There is no fixed office and facilities where UPSP holds its meetings and gatherings. During the first few months, we usually meet at the Pangasinan State University. Thereafter, and during the term of Director Lucas, we meet at his DTI office and sometimes at the residence of one of the officers. So we carry our files and records from place to place. We are looking forward that office facilities like computer, laptop and other office material be acquired by the UPSP to be able to facilitate each operation for better delivery of services.

Despite these hardships, we continued our rocky journey and still carry on our seemingly “mission impossible” of helping save our language from decay. We draw our expenses from our own pockets and work in the spirit of volunteerism. We are inspired working however not for ourselves as officers and members, not for our families and friends but for the whole province of Pangasinan. We accept this as a challenge on our shoulders making steps on how to make it known and last as the leading literary group in the province.

Balon Silew: Promoting Pangasinan as a literary language

After UPSP’s incorporation, the publication of the Balon Silew followed. The quarterly magazine was duly registered with the National Library and the Department of Trade Industry Dagupan City. The Balon Silew publishes the best contemporary Pangasinan literature featuring poems, essays, news, bio-sketches, and short stories by Pangasinan writers. Since Pangasinan as a province is a composite of other languages, few articles in Ilocano and English are published; thus, 70 percent is in the Pangasinan language and 30 percent for writings in other languages.

Its first quarterly issue was published in October 2000 with 500 copies subscribed by the members and for general circulation. Now it is maintained to 300 copies per quarterly issue. One vexing problem that UPSP had to surmount is the circulation and printing of Balon Silew due to lack of funds. Despite these difficulties, UPSP had continuously pushed through the Balon Silew publication up the latest issue we have on circulation today.

Under the second president’s administration, Dr. Linda Andaya, the publication of the Balon Silew was made possible through the sponsorship of our WAPSA friends (Washington-Pangasinan Sisterhood Association) through our representative Mrs. Cecilia B. Daranciang as the authorized liaison officer abroad until 2004. We thank them for their patronage and support. To name a few of the WAPSA donors, included in the list are Rick Beltran, Francisco Palisoc, Alma Veloria, and Lydia Romero.

During the third term, in spite of financial and manpower constraints, the quarterly publication of Balon Silew issue was continuously sustained. This was made possible through the kindness of our benevolent benefactors whom we had patiently approached. The UPSP had produced 27 different quarterly issues since 2000 up to 2007 equivalent to a total of 6200 copies of Balon Silew. Printing of the Balon Silew declined during the term 2007-2009 due to stubborn financial constraints. Only two issues were printed to include the issue under the new administration.

UPSP patrons and benefactors

Foremost among UPSP patrons and benefactors is Dr. Marcelo M Casillan Jr., educator, NGO practitioner and philanthropist from San Carlos City who served as UPSP consultant and adviser. He donated an amount that sustained the printing of the Balon Silew for seven consecutive issues at P 8000 per quarter issue, and other projects, making the Balon Silew quarterly issues near complete during the third term.

Another loyal benefactor is Engr. Orlando R. Bartolome, present vice-mayor of Lingayen who also supported the printing of the Balon Silew. He also serves as UPSP consultant and adviser whose residence hosted several UPSP meetings. He was also diligent in going with us to several events in representation of UPSP for networking with writers and similar associations and allowed the free use of his van for a number of times.

Also to be thanked for is the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF or the Commission on the Filipino Language) under Dr. Ricardo Ma. D. Nolasco. It was during Dr. Nolasco’s term that Pangasinan and other non-Tagalog languages were included in the writing contest for poetry and short story sponsored by the commission.

Along with the commission, the Don Jose de Guzman Tamayo Foundation under Dr. Antonio L. Tamayo who is also the incumbent commissioner for Pangasinan language sponsored the First Conference on Revitalizing Pangasinan Language and Cultural Heritage held at Urdaneta City in November 2007. The Foundation is also credited for a grant of P15,000 – enough to bail us out of our printing obligation for December 2007 issue of the Balon Silew at the printing press.

We also extend our sincere acknowledgement to Gov. Amado T. Espino Jr., for donating P 20,000 when he was still Congressman so that half of this amount was paid for the December 2008 printing of the Balon Silew and other projects. During his term as governor, Gov. Espino has recognized Pangasinan as sort of official language of the province and ordered the speaking of Pangasinan in transactions at the Provincial Capitol. This is an opening that UPSP had to take advantage of in the next decade since a cultural renaissance in Pangasinan is in the offing.

UPSP activities

The terms of the first and founding president, Jaime P. Lucas, and the second, Linda R. Andaya, spanned five years (2000-2005) of numerous activities during which seminars on book writing, essay writing, poetry writing, and news writing were held. World Poetry Day was celebrated with poetry reading held at the then Computronix College, now Colegio de Dagupan.

During the third term, in May 2006, we established network with the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, headed by Dr. Nolasco, and managed to have Pangasinan included as one of the featured language in the poetry writing contest. Six budding Pangasinan poets garnered three major awards and three consolation prices. About 26 different entries were recorded to the said contest sponsored by the commission.

In 2007 Pangasinan was included in two contest categories: poetry and short story sponsored jointly by the KWF and the Dr. Jose de Guzman Tamayo Foundation. Only the Pangasinan poetry yielded another set of promising poets in the Pangasinan language.

In February 2007 we have completed the draft of Tagano ed Kelang, the first anthology of published and unpublished poems and essays by Pangasinan writers now ready for printing but still needs additional funding.

The blueprint for Pangasinan cultural renaissance

It can be correctly said that early organizations had called for the revitalization of Pangasinan but it was the UPSP which succeeded and survived what it started in 2000 up to the present. But there is no need to be complacent since the organization faces a lot of challenges in terms of funding, organization and membership and project implementation.

Unlike other cultural organizations that are well-funded, the UPSP since its founding days had to scrape for funds to exist. We have to beg from civic-spirited citizens, political leaders, and businessmen just to survive. All our officers and members serve on a voluntary basis with no compensation or honorarium whatsoever. We offer our time and energy just for the sake of our beloved Pangasinan language.

As noted earlier, the recognition of Pangasinan by Gov. Espino had to be taken advantage of. The growing consciousness of Pangasinenses as regards their identity and culture as embodied in the language had to be exploited as well. A select group of young Pangasinenses in the fields of history, literature and film leads the way for the revitalization of Pangasinan culture – a cultural renaissance in the making. Studies on the history of Pangasinan and the advocacy for Pangasinan studies had been published (2008). In 2007 a collection of poetry in Pangasinan had been released. Recently, a full-length feature film in the Pangasinan language, the Anacbanua, won honors in the 2009 Cinemanila International Film Festival.

The annual culture fund. To sustain this momentum and with the objective of creating a pool of creative writers and artists in the Pangasinan language, the UPSP had passed a resolution on December 27, 2009 to be submitted to the Provincial Government of Pangasinan requesting for the creation of an annual culture fund “for the promotion of Pangasinan language, literature and culture, and shall be put under a Trust Fund solely for the promotion and development of Pangasinan language, literature and culture.” The establishment of an annual culture fund agrees with the Executive Order No. 0073-2009 signed by Gov. Espino mandating the creation of Pangasinan Culture and Arts Group. This fund is stipulated to provide financial support for the publication of literary and audiovisual (not limited to film, music and painting) productions featuring the Pangasinan language, the staging of festivals, modern theater and zarzuela in Pangasinan, extending to television and radio shows and the sponsorship of creative writing workshops and literary contests in Pangasinan. In part, this annual culture fund answers UPSP’s perennial lack of fund and opens other organizations and independent individuals with similar goals of preserving and revitalizing Pangasinan to spearhead their own projects with the funding subject to the approval of the committee appointed to manage the fund.

In the resolution, the UPSP also requests the provincial board to pass “a resolution requiring all Pangasinan weeklies and publications to designate a section in the Pangasinan language where Pangasinan writers can publish their poetry, short story and essay with corresponding payment to the writers to encourage and sustain them in their writing.” Again, it also requests the provincial board to pass “a resolution requiring all Pangasinan AM and FM radio stations to allot at least a Thirty Minute Primetime Airtime everyday devoted to music, programs and infomercials in the Pangasinan language to instill pride and cultural awareness among Pangasinenses.”

UPSP chapters and the seeking of generous patrons

To create a wider base for UPSP membership, there is a need to establish UPSP chapters in all towns and cities of Pangasinan, and in Pangasinan communities outside the province such as in Paniqui and Camiling in Tarlac, some towns in Zambales and La Union, some areas in Metro Manila and Mindanao as well as Pangasinan enclaves in the United States particularly California, in Saudi Arabia and other countries where a significant number of Pangasinenses live. Members are classified into two: those who write in Pangasinan and those who read the magazine or support the UPSP. Types of membership are divided into two according to the amount of dues a member pays: annual (P300) and lifetime (P3000).

To augment the minimum amount collected from membership dues and the minimal sales from the Balon Silew, seeking the support of would-be patrons who would cash in some financial support in the following categories: Bronze Patron: P 10, 000; Silver Patron: P 20, 000; Golden Patron: P 30, 000; and Diamond Patron: P 50, 000 would put UPSP in some financial autonomy enabling it to shoulder its own operating expenses, rent its own space and buy necessary office equipment.

Advocating MLE

To sustain the preservation of the Pangasinan language, UPSP had to cooperate as much as possible with Department of Education (DepEd) particularly Pangasinan division superintendents in the implementation of MLE (multilingual education). UPSP’s mission of revitalizing the language will come to naught without creating a pool of readers in this language. To develop readers in the Pangasinan language, Pangasinan should be taught in the preschool, elementary, secondary and college levels. Among these readers, one would come out as a writer who will sustain the development of Pangasinan literature. UPSP had published the Balon Silew since 2000 featuring poems, short stories, and novels in the Pangasinan language so that there are available materials in the local language. Also, UPSP had tried to come out recently with uniform orthography but there are issues that need to be resolved. UPSP, however, had to develop a group of writers in its fold specializing in children’s and juvenile literatures to cater to the need for materials for preschoolers and first and second graders.

Campaigning for a center for Pangasinan studies and a creative writing center

Gov. Espino had directed the renovation of the Sison auditorium to house the Pangasinan heritage museum. Since early 2000s, UPSP had called for the establishment of a center for Pangasinan studies in which a museum about Pangasinan culture and history is a component. With Sison auditorium as the repository of Pangasinan culture, UPSP could cooperate and even offer its services to realize the showcasing of Pangasinan culture and history in one splendid place. UPSP can also suggest to the Pangasinan provincial government the incorporation of research as one of museum’s functions.

But the UPSP can still advocate for the establishment of a center for Pangasinan studies in one state-funded university in Pangasinan, specifically the Pangasinan State University. This center will develop courses on Pangasinan studies that are not limited to Pangasinan history, literature and linguistics, research on the same areas but not limited to them and even conceptualize an AB degree in Pangasinan studies (Fernandez 2008).

To promote Pangasinan literature and make Pangasinan a leading literary language in the country, a creative writing center should also be established first in one local university, possibly the Pangasinan State University.

UPSP must negotiate with university officials and present proposals toward these ends explaining their justifications in line with the vision of revitalizing Pangasinan language and culture and as part of a wider cultural renaissance in the Pangasinan language. In coordination with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), local universities and colleges in Pangasinan could customize their research and literary programs to suit an agenda for Pangasinan studies and creative writing program in Pangasinan. UPSP can also lobby for laws mandating the establishment of these centers.

Strengthen networking with national and international agencies

Aside from cooperating with the DepEd regarding MLE, UPSP should strengthen its networking with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the KWF and the Jose de Guzman Tamayo Foundation. NCCA funds cultural activities. UPSP can tie up with NCCA in major UPSP projects. UPSP should aim for its inclusion in the NCCA as representative for the Pangasinan language. UPSP should continue its partnership with KWF and the Jose de Guzman Tamayo Foundation. UPSP should also seek partnership with international organizations such as SIL International (Summer Institute of Linguistics), UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and the UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund).

Conclusion

Revitalizing Pangasinan rests on Pangasinenses themselves. UPSP took this enormous task to its shoulders of leading the way toward cultural renaissance. UPSP had proven that local initiatives do matter and achieve results. But to sustain UPSP’s advocacies, the blueprint for the next decade had to be complemented with concrete action. UPSP knows that it cannot do it alone. It needs the strong support from the provincial government of Pangasinan. It requires the cooperation and assistance of liberated Pangasinenses themselves who had joined the ranks of cultural warriors after they have freed themselves from the chains that put in yoke their ethnic identity for the sake of uniformity and national identity.

The challenges facing UPSP is monumental but they are not insurmountable as they would like to appear. In the tradition of Urduja, Malong and Palaris, the Pangasinenses rallied by the UPSP can brave them all for the sake of the next generation, heirs of a living Pangasinan heritage and language, which we owe to our beloved freedom-loving ancestors.

To fellow Pangasinenses, itandoro so salitan Pangasinan or in English, uphold the Pangasinan language. To non-Pangasinenses, itandoro tayo so dilin salita or in English, uphold our own respective languages. Mabilay tan matalunggaring so salitan Pangasinan!

Salamat.

References

Anderson, Victoria B. and James N. Anderson. 2007. Pangasinan - An Endangered Language?

Retrospect and Prospect. Philippine Studies 55 (1): 116-144.

Cornel, Manny V. 1988. DECS urged to revive Pangasinense dialect. Philippine Daily Inquirer, July 3.

Felicitas, Catalina L. 2007. The evolution and development of UPSP. Paper presented during the First Conference on Revitalizing Pangasinan Language and Cultural Heritage, Urdaneta City, November 8-9. Urdaneta City, Pangasinan: The Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino and Dr Jose de Guzman Tamayo Foundation, Inc.

Fernandez, Erwin S. 2008. Reclaiming identity through decolonisation: Pangasinan studies in theory and praxis. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples 4 (2): 102-122.

Icagasi, Rosa Maria M. 1982. Three Studies in Pangasinan culture, language, and literature. Pandiwa, 3.

Lomboy, Russell R. 2007. Is Pangasinan a threatened language? Paper presented during the First Conference on Revitalizing the Pangasinan Language and Cultural Heritage, November 8-9. Urdaneta City, Pangasinan: The Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino and Dr Jose de Guzman Tamayo Foundation, Inc.

Ravanzo, Armando R. [1993?] Pangasinan: A dying dialect? HYPERLINK "" [Accessed: 18 February 2010].

Serote, Ernesto M. 1993. Pangasinan: A dying dialect. Lingayen: Lingayen Gulf War souvenir program.

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