Foreword

 Living in a multicultural country like Canada, with people speaking different languages, made me even prouder of my mother tongue, Hiligaynon. It is natural for people with different ethnic and cultural backgrounds to assume that I speak Tagalog because I am Filipino, but I take pride in explaining that my first language is actually Hiligaynon; yet I speak the official language of the Philippines which is Filipino.  I also have to explain further that Philippines has more than 100 different dialects, one of which is Tagalog. Widely spoken in the national region and the medium used on national TV and radio broadcasting, Tagalog, for a time, was identified as the national language.  It was the 1987 constitution of the Republic of the Philippines that designated and declared Filipino as the official national language of the country.

Hiligaynon is the vernacular language spoken in my province, Negros Occidental as well as in the provinces of Iloilo, Aklan, Antique, Capiz and Guimaras. During my university years at Silliman in Dumaguete City, I discovered that locals from the areas of Negros Oriental, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Koronadal, Romblon and Palawan, who speak a different dialect, are also fluent in Hiligaynon. In Dumaguete, where I spent four years finishing my Mass Communication degree,  I learnt to speak Bisaya and Cebuano because it was the dialect in the area and most students spoke it.  Oh,  I remember too well… amidst trying to fit into a new environment and feeling homesick, I found comfort in reading the Hiligaynon magazine that Tatay would send me.

I was about 10 years old when I chanced on Tatay’s collection of periodicals that took me back into the past decade through the pages of Hiligaynon, Malaya, Manila Bulletin and comics. Hiligaynon sparked my literary interest in my first language. Waiting for the Hiligaynon magazine to be delivered by a jeepney in front of our house,  or by a relative,  and making sure I was the one who got it first,  so I could read the serial story I was hooked on, is one of my fondest childhood memories. Reading short stories, novels, essays, news, poems and serial comics in Hiligaynon was how I would spend my free time in Guiljungan if I was not out with cousins and friends. I familiarized myself with some of the names of the magazine’s writers and contributors,  such as Atty. Conrado Norada, Atty. Ramon L. Muzones, Magdalina G. Jalandoni, Lucila Hosillos, Teodulfo A. Naranjo, Jose Salas, Esmaelita Floro-Lusa, Mary Beth Berdugo, Isabelo S. Sobrevega, Romeo M. Roullo, Juliet T. Benedicto, Atty. Gregorio V. Balsicas, Jr., Lino V. Moles, Raymundo G. Defante, Sr., Pol A. Camacho, Ramon G. Gonzales, Norberto R. Ruiz, Atty. Raymundo S. Defante, Jr. and my Tatay, Edwin T. Quizan,  who at the time of this writing knows where everyone is based in, and has something to share about their background.

Among the treasures I stumbled upon in my Tatay’s archive were his academic files from Central Luzon State University (CLSU) in Nueva Ecija, where he went for studies in Agricultural Education. Tatay has always been proud of his literary writings, not only in Hiligaynon, but in Sumakwelan, Bahandi, Yuhum and Liwayway as well. His collection of mementos include plaques, certificates and photos of his awards for best writer in 1971 given by Liwayway Publishing, Inc. in Makati, Metro Manila and a stint as business manager at Negros Sumakwelan. I remember he used to tell everyone that my exploration of his files had destroyed his valuable collection of publications. I did not feel angry with him for telling the world what I did. Why? Because behind those words, I sensed a deep feeling of pleasure and delight.

Tatay introduced me to the literary world of Hiligaynon and hence, I started exploring life through reading and writing. I had been involved in print, radio and TV broadcasting, because of my strong enthusiasm for community service through news writing, and had established connections with some of the pillars of the Negros Press Club. Negros Daily Bulletin’s founder and editor-in-chief, Pert Toga, was very kind and welcoming enough to offer Tatay a space on the paper’s Hiligaynon section in 2010 and he has been contributing to NDB since then. I also created a blog website for him at www.edwinquizan.blogsite.com where all his articles, fiction and non-fiction, are posted.  He still writes in Hiligaynon and insists that I continue writing, even from Canada, so, sometimes I do. I live in Winnipeg now, and I blog to disseminate relevant and useful settlement information and job opportunities for immigrants.

Tatay’s passion for Hiligaynon literature, and my love for the dialect have come full circle with the realization of this book. I am grateful to our family, who has been very supportive of this project. To the three most influential women and significant mother figures in my life – Mama Sol, Tita Belit and Tita Joy, I am forever grateful to have you as my aunts. A lot of friends also made this book possible to bring to print. Thanks to my good friend and colleague Mary Bana for inspiring me in so many ways, and editing my Foreword.  To former Negros Press Club President and Negros Daily Bulletin Editor Pert Toga, SM City Bacolod Marketing Manager Nep Grandea and Public Relations Manager May Castro – thank you! Your unwavering support has motivated me to carry on with the compilation.  To each and every one who, in their own little ways, has touched my life in a good way, and has been there for Tatay while I am away – I truly appreciate all you have done for us.

Dear Tatay,

It is with great pride, and an honour, to have brought your dream to reality. I love you. Jill and Jolo love you.

Dangdang