Taboan Pampanga's festivities are open to the public.*
Conference
Inspired by both the exciting geographical, sociological and cultural landscape of Central Luzon, and Dr. Jose Rizal's sesquicentennial this past year, the Festival boasts of a two-day conference in which writers will exchange ideas about history and literature, Rizal as writer, the relevance of history to young writers, as well as related topics that include Philippine aesthetics, alternative publishing, writing as a profession, teaching literature and writing, and writing the environment. The discussions are intended to be educational yet conversational; as such, there will be no full-length papers or presentations. Do link on the Conference Sessions tab above to find out more!
Book Fair
Local and national publishing houses and university presses will be featured alongside the conference on February 9 and 10. Writers, readers, researchers, teachers, students, and all lovers of Philippine literature should take advantage of these dates. Watch out for the titles authored by the Festival's participants and get your copies signed!
Book Launch
With this year's spotlight on Central Luzon, Pampanga Agricultural College, in cooperation with UP Pampanga and Dinsulan Writers, will launch the second volume of Tuglung: A Kapampangan Journal on February 10 on Taboan Awards & Cultural Night. The main campus of Systems Plus College Foundation (SPCF) in Balibago, Angeles City will host the night's program.
Taboan Awards
Created in 2010 in Taboan Cebu, the Taboan Award is granted to writers or artists with lifetime achievements in the fields of regional literature and the literary arts. Recipients are nominated and screened by members of the Taboan steering committee, all of whom are, in turn, regional coordinators who form the National Commission on Literary Arts (NCLA).
Performances
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| Ysagani Ybarra performs at the opening ceremony |
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| From the zarzuela Nicolasa Dayrit: Ing Bayaning Fernandina |
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| SPCF Hums and Strums |
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| SPCF Dance Troupe |
These performances in the SPCF theater will make the dates below nights to remember!
- Sarswela to be performed by the SPFC Theater Group, under the direction of Ditas Yap (February 9, 7:00 – 9:00 PM)
- Poetry reading and performances by Taboan 2012 delegates (February 10, as part of Taboan Awards & Cultural Night)
- Crissotan—a literary joust named for the famous Kapampangan poet, dramatist, revolutionary and journalist Juan Crisostomo Soto—to be performed by Jaspe Dula, Paul Batac and Romeo Rodriguez (February 10, as part of Taboan Awards & Cultural Night )
Food & Culture Tour
Taboan 2012 takes the delegates on a joy ride through the province of Pampanga, dubbed the “culinary center of the Philippines.” The route through municipalities like Mexico, Magalang, Porac, Sta. Rita, Bacolor and San Fernando will introduce the delegates to the provinces’s art, cuisine, and other cultural and historical artifacts. For non-delegates who wish to join the tour, a special package rate for very limited slots will be announced on February 9 at the conference. The deadline for signing up for the tour falls on February 9 as well.
*While there are no entrance fees, food and drinks at the events will be provided for free only to the Festival’s official delegates. Members of the audience will have to make arrangements for food on their own. The restaurants in Fontana Leisure Parks should provide options, along with other affordable establishments within Clark and Angeles City.
