Jose Garcia Villa

• is considered as one of the finest contemporary poets

regardless of race or language.
• The first of his poems “Have Come, Am Here” received
critical recognition when it appeared in New York in
1942 that, soon enough, honors and fellowships were
heaped on him: Guggenheim, Bollingen, the American
Academy of Arts and Letters Awards.
• He used Doveglion (Dove, Eagle, Lion) as penname, the
very characters he attributed to himself, and the same
ones explored by e.e. cummings in the poem he wrote
for Villa (Doveglion, Adventures in Value).
• is also known for the tartness of his tongue.
LUZON
Kundiman
• This is a genre of Tagalog folk love songs that
express an intense longing for a beloved, a
cause, or the motherland. They are usually
played in minor chord, giving them a sad,
melancholic sound.
Ric Manrique Jr
• is a Filipino Kundiman singer. He is known as one
of the two Hari Ng Kundiman (Kings of Kundiman)
in the Philippines, alongside Ruben Tagalog.
• Manrique is best known for his songs that
became theme songs of popular Filipino movies.
The song entitled as Ang Daigdig Ko'y Ikaw is the
theme song from the 1965 movie of the same
title starring Fernando Poe Jr. and Susan Roces. It
was sung in collaboration with Pilita Corrales.
Mikael de Lara Co
• is a contemporary writer and musician.
• He was born in Makati City and graduated with a
degree in Environmental Science from Ateneo de
Manila University.
• His English and Filipino poetry collections have
received awards including Palanca Awards and the
Meritage Press Holiday Poetry Prize.
• He was also a member of the Los Chupacabras
band.
• At present, he works for the Presidential
Communications Development and Strategic
Planning Office at the Malacañang.
Visayas
 Merlie M. Alunan
• She was born in Dingle, Iloilo and graduated with a
Creative Writing degree from Siliman University.
• She is Professor Emeritus at the University of the
Philippines and promotes writing in the mother
tongue.
• Her poems are in English, Cebuano, and Waray. At
present, she resides in Tacloban City.
Mindanao
Joselito Aspirin
The Land Of Promise Anxiety pierced deep in our
Often called the land of hearts,
promise, Even at calm starry nights,
Mindanao my native land, Anytime in the city or the
Her soil wet with innocent woods,
blood, Barking guns shimmering
The promises many but few lights,
are done,
Is there hope for tomorrow?
Here stealth cunning warriors, Will our wailing cease?
Are professed men of God, Will our children and their
Their decency turns refute, offsprings,
For shedding innocent blood, Have the chance to live in
peace?
Maria Elena Paulma.
She finished her PhD in Creative Writing at the
University of the Philippines-Diliman where she
also earned her MA in Comparative Literature
and AB in Creative Writing. A Palanca winner,
she teaches creative writing and for national and
local publications. She is now currently
connected at Xavier University – Ateneo de
Cagayan