Dateline Ibalon, 143 Balintawak Street , Lerma, Naga City (2026)

21/08/2026

ANG PAGSURAT PAG-ULI: Multi-Awarded Author Merlinda Bobis Returns Home to Her Roots!

The long-awaited performance of internationally acclaimed Bikolana author, poet, and dramatist Dr. Merlinda Bobis took center stage yesterday at the Bicol University Amphitheater.

In a powerful performance that captured the true spirit of Bikolano storytelling, Dr. Bobis read and sang from her widely celebrated works. The event highlighted her journey across 13 books and 10 performance pieces spanning her impressive career. She breathed life into her epic poem Kantada ng Babaing Mandirigma Daragang Magayon and hit novels like Banana Heart Summer.

A homecoming of sorts, she show explored her transition from Bikol to Australia and how her stories physically connect back to the body. The event was co-presented by the Albay Arts Foundation and Bicol University to champion Bikol oral traditions.

Dr. Bobis spent 21 years teaching Creative Writing at the University of Wollongong and currently serves as an Honorary Senior Lecturer at The Australian National University. Despite living and writing in Canberra, she remains a true Bikolana at heart.

Click the link in Comments to read the full, curated feature. The post montage features book covers Merlinda Bobis’ popular novels, (left to right) The Kindness of Birds, In the Name of the Trees, and Banana Heart Summer.

21/08/2026

How did local writers and the intelligentsia of Naga City experience the tragic turning points of our history?

In this moving commemorative feature, retired UP professor Dr. Telly Hidalgo How serves as the custodian of her mother’s legacy. By leafing through the yellowed archive clippings of her mother, the noted Bicolana columnist Soledad "Choleng" Dato Hidalgo, she peers into the past to capture the local spirit of defiance before and after the 1983 assassination of Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino (b. November 27, 1932 - d. August 21, 1983).

From the silent resilience of regional journalists during Martial Law to the profound national awakening that followed, this lookback offers an intimate, multi-generational reflection on courage, historical memory, and the political echoes that still confront the nation today.

Click the link in Comments to read more (featured image by PhilStar).

20/08/2026

Bikol literature and language take center stage on the global academic platform at the upcoming Philippine Studies Conference held at the SOAS University of London.

A dedicated panel of academics from the University of the Philippines Diliman will present research under the panel title "Istória, Díla': Archipelagic Recovery and Re-orientation through Bikol". The panel explores how Bikol traditions, language varieties, and storytelling serve as vital tools for cultural memory, q***r imagination, and resistance against monolithic linguistic structures.

Featured speakers include Grace M. Saqueton, who will investigate the historical Pasayaw sa Leon folktale and its traditional dicho; Julie B. Jolo and Irish Joy Deocampo, showcasing a unique q***r Bikol-Hiligaynon adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet; and Maria Lorena M. Santos, analyzing the rich integration of Bikol knowledge traditions in the latest novel by Merlinda Bobis.

Click the link in Comments to read the full press release. The featured photo is a bamboo with Baybayin inscription from Mindoro, Philippines, circa 1900-1939, by Kabal, a Mangyan author (credit: Library of Congress)

18/08/2026

IBALONG Z —not just as a musical, but a bridge between generations.

We explore how the new staging of the Ibalon epic reawakens cultural memory at a time when younger Bicolanos are drifting farther from the stories that shaped our region. Ibalong Z: A New Bikol Musical doesn’t simply retell the 60 stanza epic; it invites Gen Z and Gen Alpha to feel its pulse, its landscapes, its heroes, and its questions about who we are as a people.

Written by Jobert Grey Landeza, scored by Karl Ramirez, and directed by Sari Saysay, the production blends contemporary music, choreography, and youthful energy to make the epic accessible and emotionally resonant for today’s audiences. It reframes Ibalong not as a story owned by one city, but as a regional imagination stretching across Masaraga, Lignon, Asog, ancient Isarog, Ponong, and Panicuason—reminding us that heritage is shared, not isolated.

At its core is Rodel, a young musician entrusted by his Kadunong grandfather to carry the epic forward—a metaphor for every young Bicolano navigating a world of digital noise and fleeting trends. His journey asks a timely question: What happens to a story when the generation meant to remember it begins to forget?

We invite our readers to reflect on that question—and to celebrate a musical that dares to make our old stories matter again. Click the link in Comments to learn more.

17/08/2026

Sharing the early success of Bicol's very own Mia Tijam! Her brilliant new short story collection, The and That Was, is captivating literary critics and readers worldwide.

Born in Iriga City and raised in Naga, Tijam weaves a rich tapestry of Philippine speculative fiction. Her stories seamlessly bridge the rustic and the urban, the religious and the heretical, and the visible and invisible worlds.

Award-winning authors like Junot Díaz and Jeffrey Ford are already calling it a "luminous debut" and a "unique vision". Each story is beautifully paired with illustrations by Filipino artist Rustom Pujado. Click the link in the Comments to read the article in full.

16/08/2026

We remember Fr. Roque Ferriols, SJ (b. August 16, 1924 – d. August 15, 2021), fondly known as “Padre Roque,” who was a legendary Filipino Jesuit priest and philosopher known for pioneering the teaching and doing of philosophy in the Filipino language. He spearheaded a crucial shift away from traditional Western-centric frameworks, introducing existentialist phenomenology to the Philippines to help ordinary folk think critically within their own lived realities.

Starting in 1969 at the Ateneo de Manila University, he broke the convention of teaching exclusively in English. He argued that the search for truth is best achieved when using one’s native tongue. He instilled the absolute necessity of deep reflection (pagmumuni-muni). He was famous for demanding that students reject lazy thinking (tamad na pag-iisip). He translated ancient Greek classics and advanced metaphysical texts into Filipino. His award-winning books include Mga Sinaunang Griyego, Magpakatao, Pambungad sa Metapisika, and Pilosopiya ng Relihiyon.

The author Robin Tong shares his unforgettable experiences with Fr. Ferriols as one of his students. Click the link in Comments to read more.

14/08/2026

Choosing life over simply "being safe."

What do you do when your family thinks your life is essentially over, but you feel like you're just getting started?

In our latest feature, we share the compelling story of Richard, a 71-year-old Michigan widower who walked away from the possibility of life in an assisted living home to buy a one-way ticket to the Philippines. What started as an act of defiance turned into a journey of rediscovering community, finding purpose, and choosing to truly live rather than just comfortably fade away.

While "Richard" is a fictional narrator, his story is a beautifully crafted composite of the real, raw experiences many Western retirees face today. From navigating family friction and financial worries to experiencing the overwhelming warmth of Filipino hospitality and world-class local healthcare, this article captures the genuine highs and lows of building a second life in Philippines.

Whether you are dreaming of an overseas retirement, navigating family aging, or just looking for an inspiring reminder that it is never too late to reinvent yourself, this piece is a must-read. Click the link in the Comments to read the full story. The featured photo shows a picturesque seaside coconut grove in Cebu (credit: John Alvin Merin, Cebu City Guide)

12/08/2026

Today, August 12, marks International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Day. As the cornerstone Geneva Conventions turn 76, their role in protecting human lives remains as vital as ever.

In this insightful piece, retired RTC Judge and peace advocate Soliman M. Santos, Jr. analyzes the current impasse in the peace negotiations between the Philippine government (GRP) and the NDFP. With formal talks stalling over a singular, deeply rooted disagreement regarding the disposition of revolutionary forces, Santos suggests a sobering reality: if a political resolution remains out of reach, strict adherence to human rights and IHL protocols may be "the only game in town" to safeguard civilians caught in the crossfire.

Click the link in the Comments to read the full commentary. The inset image symbolizes International Humanitarian Law (credit: Din Mashkovic, Linkedin)

12/08/2026

On August 7, 2026, the mural "Inang Mapag Ampon" by Albay artist Deejai Tanji was officially blessed and unveiled by Parish Priest Father Joseph Salando at Joroan Church in Tiwi Albay. The art celebrates the devotion to Nuestra Señora de Salvacion (Our Lady of Salvation). Her diocesan feast is commemorated annually on the third Saturday of August.

To Deejai, her work of art is more than just a painting on a wall. It is her "Alay kay Ina," a labor of love, faith and gratitude, given her serious health battles. From a drawing on her sketchpad, she led and guided several talented Tiwiñon artists to paint the mural, pouring their hearts out and working countless hours to bring the image of Our Lady to life. This has been their creativity and devotion.

We repost this article about the history of the devotion to Nuestra Señora de Salvacion. Click the link to the Comments to read more. The featured photo is courtesy of the Joroan Parisn.

06/08/2026

CELEBRATING THE INDIGENOUS VOICES OF BICOL

Ahead of National Indigenous Peoples Day on August 9th, we take a deep dive into the rich, diverse, and enduring heritage of the Bicol region’s original stewards.

From the nomadic Kabihug (Manide) of Camarines Norte to the resilient Agta Isarog and Agta Asog mountain communities, and the displaced Ati peoples of Albay, Bicol is home to a beautiful tapestry of indigenous cultures.

In this special feature, Dateline Ibalon explores their traditional way of life—from the building of temporary butukan shelters and sacred body scarring (asde), to their deep ecological connections with our forests and lakes. But beyond celebrating their vibrant traditions, we also shed light on the heavy challenges they continue to face today: displacement, marginalization, and the struggle for land security.

Let us listen to their stories, amplify their visibility, and stand with them in protecting their ancestral rights and cultural heritage. Click the link in Comments to read the full story.

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