The former rector magnificus of the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas and former chair of the Commission on Higher Education, Fr. Rolando de la Rosa, OP, will deliver the keynote address during the 47th National Congress of Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (Umpil) on April 30, 6-8 p.m. via live online streaming on the official Umpil Facebook page.

April is National Literature Month and the celebration is spearheaded by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. The theme is, “Limandaang Taon ng Pagsulat sa Kalibutang Filipino/Five Hundred Years of Writing the Filipino World.” This is part of the yearlong celebration of the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines.

The highlight of Umpil National Congress is the awarding ceremonies of the 2021 Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas, the lifetime achievement award for Filipino writers who made a significant contribution to Philippine letters.

The awardees are Fr. Albert Alejo, SJ (poetry and translation in Filipino), Joel David (film criticism in English), Patrick Flores (art criticism in English), Luisa A. Igloria (poetry in English), Michael U. Obinieta (poetry in Cebuano), Bibeth Orteza (screenplay) and Jessica Zafra (essay and fiction in English).

Two other awards will also be given. The 2020 Gawad Paz Marquez Benitez, a lifetime achievement award for outstanding literature teachers, is awarded to Lily Rose Tope of the University of the Philippines Diliman. The 2020 Gawad Pedro Bukaneg, for organizations or groups who have been supporting Filipino writers, is awarded to Communication Foundation of Asia.

Also an ongoing activity is the Umpilan, Umpil’s writers online fora, where leading writers and scholars discuss current issues: April 24 is “Mga Wika ng Kalayaan/Languages of Freedom” featuring Nerissa Balce and Jovito Cariño. The Gawad Balagtas trophies are designed and donated by Manuel D. Baldemor.