“We believe followers of literary heritage can better preserve local languages, traditions, and stories, even as authors either have died or now live elsewhere”
THERE are those, quiet in their seats like us, who follow the cultural heritage of the Ilocos Region, which has today nearly 5.5 million, of whom 1.3 million are from Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur, where many poets hold nostalgia for their own landscape.
Like many of them we also ask where the regional poets – those still living – are currently located which we find holds profound relevance, meaning, significance, and symbolism.
We don’t think such inquiries are merely biographical, but are essential to understanding the evolution of Ilokandia’s identity, the survival of its native tongue, and the impact of global encounters on its literature.
We have read volumes on Leon C. Pichay (1902-1970) of Vigan, Ilocos Sur, among the most active Ilokano writers in his time who wrote more than 300 poems and acclaimed “King of Ilokano Poets” during the 1950s;
Dr. Godofredo S. Reyes (1918-2009), a world war II veteran of Santa Maria, Ilocos Sir, crowned poet laureate of Ilocandia by Dona Josefa Marcos; Reynaldo A. Duque (1945-2013) of Candon, Ilocos Sur, a Palanca Hall of Fame awardee, who garnered 63 literary awards and published around 300 short stories and his work focused on Ilokano culture;
Leona Florentino (1849-1884) of Vigan Ilocos Sur. a Filipina foundational poet, dramatist, satirist, and playwright who wrote and poetically spoke in Ilokano, her mother tongue, and Spanish, the lingua franca of her era.
We have also met Enriqueta de Peralta (1882-1940) an Ilocana poet, civic leader, social worker, and advocate for women’s rights from Dingras, Ilocos Norte, with the first ever celebration in her honor organized by the Gunglo Dagiti Mannurat nga Ilokano iti Filipinas, Inc. and the International Professional Association of Dingras, in partnership with the Municipality of Dingras, in 2025.
There is also Claro M. Caluya (1868-1914) of Piddig Ilocos Norte; renowned for his Ilokano poetry, often honored as “Prince of Ilokano Poets;” a celebrated Ilokano vernacular poet, dramatist, and novelist, translated Jose Rizal’s “Mi Ultimo Adios” into Ilokano and composed the song “Bannatiran.”
They and other hardly talked about poets in literary circles this digital age have painted a lasting fabric for younger generations of the region to be proud of.
While we are in Ilocos Norte, we are nudged by three from Pinili, Ilocos Norte, two active in the national association of Ilokano writers: Cles B. Rambaud and Honor Blanco Cabie, both January-born and Pedro Bucaneg awardees, and Dr. Paul Blanco Zafaralla, also a Bucaneg awardee.
Rambaud, a decorated Ilokano writer from Region 1, is recognized for his significant contributions to poetry, fiction, and graphic literature, earning accolades like the 2011 Gameng Lifetime Achievement Award and 2000 Gawad Emmanuel Lacaba for showcasing Ilokano culture while he was with the Ilokano magazine Bannawag where he started out in 1978.
He was the magazine’s editor from 2005 up to his retirement in 2025.
Rambaud, was co-recipient of a Cultural Center of the Philippines Literary Grant in 1995 in Iloko Poetry with Cabie, the latter named Ilokandia’s Saribitniw King in 2008 during a championship in San Fernando City, La Union in the merged fiction-poetry-public speech genre.
Cabie, an awarded orator and debater who has taught journalism and literature in undergraduate and graduate schools in Metro Manila, is seen by literary observers as having enriched the Ilocos region’s cultural landscape by promoting regional literature, public discourse, and arts.
As an acclaimed litterateur – he won first prize in the poetry writing competition in the 16th World Congress of Poets in 2000 participated in by poets from California and some Asian countries with his two sonnets on street children in a Third World city – literary observers say he has elevated Ilokano literary arts and public speech traditions.
He has been writing sonnets, in English, Ilokano and some in Filipino, since 1964, and national artist Virgilio Almario once described him as “possessed by the Muses.”
Zafaralla, a seasoned Filipino writer, art critic, and educator known for his extensive work in documenting and analyzing Ilokano and Philippine culture and the arts, is a multilingual writer proficient in Iluko, English, and Filipino.
He has over 50 years of experience writing on art and culture and has written, edited, and contributed to various art publications, including Ephraim Samson: Portraits of Filipino Artists (2016).
Zafaralla often focuses on the “hall of fame” of Filipino artists, pairing portraits with in-depth profiles, such as his work with artist Ephraim Samson to profile masters like Fernando Amorsolo, Carlos “Botong” Francisco, and H.R. Ocampo.
He has authored articles on art, including conceptual art in the Philippines and reviews for the Asia Art Archive.
By mapping where poets have gone, we believe followers of literary heritage can better preserve local languages, traditions, and stories, even as authors either have died or now live elsewhere.
Knowing the whereabouts of poets allows for a connection between the “homeland” and the diaspora, enabling the continuation of literary traditions across generations.
We share the thoughts of scholars that following these poets symbolizes a constant, often bittersweet, process of return and departure, highlighting the ongoing negotiation of “home” in a globalized world.
(The author is a freelance writer who writes orations for necrological services as well as theses and dissertations for graduate students.)
