CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, PHILIPPINES – I recently attended a one day forum urging Kagay-anon writers to have more of their stories published with Kagay-anon publishers to increase awareness about the literary scene in Cagayan de Oro, and couldn’t help but reminiscence about the last four decades I’ve spent spreading the good news about this city I fell in love with.
A City on the Fireline.
“We want to revisit the publishing legacy of Cagayan de Oro—through platforms like the Kinaadman Journal, XU Press, the Carayan Journal, and its publishing future like Papel-Papel,” said Abigail “Abby” C James, Director for Creative Development of Nagkahiusang Magsusulat sa Cagayan de Oro (NAGMAC),
“We want to talk about what’s possible now for writers and researchers who want to get their work out there. We want to listen to those who’ve done it and learn from their experiences. And we want to get our hands messy in the creative process—especially through zine-making, which is such a fun, accessible way to tell stories and share them with others,” she added.
NAGMAC facilitated a one-day seminar-workshop “Writing and Publishing from the City of Gold” on April 26 with the support of the City Government of Cagayan de Oro and special participation from XU Press and Papel-Papel Publishing, in celebration of National Literature Month with 12 participants from a varied cross-section of the city’s residents.
Let me raise a toast to this noble undertaking, which resonates with what I’ve been doing these last four decades, spreading the gospel about our dear City of Golden Friendship.
I started on this journey in 1985, forty years to the date when I was the Project Officer of the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce & Industry Foundation, Inc. (Oro Chamber) for its Philippine-German Chamber Cooperation Project (PGCCP). With official development assistance from Handwerkskammer, Kassel (Kassel Chamber of Small Crafts & Trades) and the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ, now the GIZ) we sought to uplift the capabilities of our micro and small enterprises with shared service facilities, a credit guarantee program, expert consultants, among others.
A decade later I was the planning officer for the Cagayan de Oro-Iligan Corridor (CIC) Special Development Project and the business of raising awareness of CDO and Iligan became deadly serious as we sought to push flagship projects like the Laguindingan Airport, Panguil Bay Bridge, and Mindanao Container Terminal (MCT) expansion.
During this time, I was already deep into the advocacy of promoting the two cities as a regional correspondent of national papers, most notably with BusinessWorld. I am happy to recall I also spearheaded a 16-page insert into the then AsiaMoney Magazine where decision makers around Asia and the world got their first peek at the Cagayan-Iligan Corridor.
Not the least, I became a part of the Philippines largest broadcast network as regional desk for the Sarimanok News Network (SNN, now known as ANC) where I was assigned to produce a 15-minute daily news segment on Northern Mindanao that was broadcast to overseas Filipinos in countries around the world through The Filipino Channel (TFC).
Even in semi-retirement, I unceasingly seek to bring the good news from Cagayan de Oro and Northern Mindanao to as many people as possible through local newspapers like Mindanao Daily News, BusinessWeek, and Metro Cagayan de Oro Times, and online through Rappler and my news blog Metro Cagayan de Misamis.
Thus, I am most appreciative and relate NAGMAC’s seminar-workshop to raise awareness within and outside Cagayan de Oro and will do my utmost to help them in their crusade, because as a true blue Atenean, I believe in importance of the Arts and the Humanities as a central pillar of education to develop well rounded individuals with a strong moral and intellectual foundation.
The Jesuit tradition embraced a humanistic approach, emphasizing the education of the whole person, seeking to enrich and empower individuals through a liberal education which extends beyond grammar and rhetoric, encompassing the study of literature, history, philosophy, and ethics, fostering critical thinking and intellectual curiosity.
But we digress, back to our locally published authors and their efforts to shine more light on the Kagay-anon literary scene. Ms. James shares a recent experience she had in Roxas City in Capiz, Western Visayas, for the KRITIKA workshop on Art and Cultural Criticism where she met many different writers and critics, mostly from Luzon.
She was perturbed that most of the participants had little to zilch knowledge about the creative scene in Cagayan de Oro or heard about NAGMAC. A friend shared how CDO was also overlooked in articles about literary groups in Mindanao during their Literary History class.
“These recent things gave me a lot of perspective about our roles as cultural workers in this city. It disturbed me more if fellow Kagay-anons don’t have an idea. Do Kagay-anons know our history? Our writers, our publishers? Do Kagay-anons feel empowered to tell our own stories? I think it’s time to focus on these things because the more ideas and works that are made and curated here, the more they will proliferate. And who better to give platforms than homegrown institutions and organizations? So yes, the title matters: it’s Writing and Publishing in the City of Gold. Because it’s happening here. It’s alive here. It’s growing here!”
“We are writing and publishing in Cagayan de Oro. Because when we know who we are, where we come from, and why we’re doing this, the recognition from outsiders is only secondary. And that’s what this day is all about. At its heart, this forum is about Kagay-anons—especially students and educators—to know that writing and publishing isn’t some far-off dream. It’s already happening. It’s already here. And it’s something you can be part of.”
“We hope that today reminds you of something important: that literature doesn’t just come from far-away publishing houses or the center. It comes from here—from our communities, our schools, our conversations, and our own lived experiences.”
“We also urge you to write. Tell your own stories. Whether it’s through poetry, fiction, essays, or zines—your voice matters, and there is space for it in our growing literary community.”
Ms. James invited everyone interested to join NAGMAC on May 3 for the launch of NH Legaspi’s collection of short stories. “It’s a celebration of all things CDO, and we would love to see you there. Also upcoming is the CDO Young Writers Studio, NAGMAC’s workshop for beginner writers. For those who would like to get their works critiqued and improve your craft, we hope you apply.”
