The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), in partnership with Likhaan: The U.P. Institute of Creative Writing and Ateneo de Manila University, is spearheading TABOAN: The First Philippine Writers Festival.

Taboan, a Cebuano word meaning �meeting place,� is a coming together of the country�s writers who have received grants from the NCCA and have made and are making their mark on Philippine literature.

Happening from February 11 to 14, 2009 at the UP Diliman, Ateneo de Manila University, and Cubao Expo,�the festival�gathers together NCR- and region-based writers, young and old, for a four-day interaction and discussion of issues pertinent to their craft, including trends in writing, criticism, and workshops. There will be a conference by and for writers below forty years of age, lectures, a book launch, and literary readings and performances, among others.

Leading the festival are the country�s National Artists for Literature. Invited foreign guests include Mr. Prbda Yoon of Thailand and Ms. Nguyen Bao Chan of Vietnam.

Conceptualized by Mr. Ricardo de Ungria, head of the NCCA Artistic Committee and Committee on Literary Arts, the�Taboan festival is part of the celebration of the National Arts Month and is envisioned to be a yearly event starting this year. (Sherma E. Benosa)

—————————-
For more details, please contact RENE NAPE�AS, Head of the NCCA-Public Affairs and Information Office (PAIO) at cellphone number 0928-5081057) or VANESSA MARQUEZ, NAM Deputy Festival Director at cellphone number 0918-6380412, or call (02) 527-5529 / 527-2192 loc. 508, 612 to 615, email at ncca.paio@gmail. com or public_affairs@ncca.gov.ph or log on www.philippineartsfest.com or www.ncca.gov.ph.