Three Mindanawons named fellows to national writing workshop; Davao Writers Workshop opens applications

The IYAS La Salle National Writers Workshop Fellows: 1st row (L–R) Ma. Allene P. Allanigue, Las Piñas City; Aldrine F. Anzures, Tondo, Manila; Laurehl Onyx B. Cabiles, Cotabato Province; 2nd row (L–R) Kiko Caramat, Quezon City; Denoelle C. Cerezo, Majayjay, Laguna; John Razen A. Genovaña, Tanza, Iloilo City; Mark Kenley L. Oray, Bohol; 3rd row (L–R) John Dave B. Pacheco, General Santos City; John Danté, Iligan City; Brian Anthony G. Uy, Santa Maria, Bulacan

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 04 April) — Three of the 10 writers selected as fellows to the IYAS La Salle National Writers Workshop are Mindanawons.

The fellows — working in Hiligaynon Binalaybay, Filipino Tula, and Cebuano Sugilanon — were chosen from a pool of 105 applicants nationwide, IYAS announced Wednesday, April 1. Entries came in various Philippine languages including English, Filipino, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, and Kinaray-a.

Selected fellows from Mindanao are Laurehl Onyx B. Cabiles from the Cotabato Province (Hiligaynon Binalaybay), John Dave B. Pacheco from General Santos City (Filipino Tula), and John Danté of Iligan City (Cebuano Sugilanon).

Also among the fellows is Kiko Caramat of Quezon City, whose work has been shaped by years spent teaching Menuvu communities in Davao del Norte and Bukidnon.

Organized by the University of St. La Salle in partnership with the DLSU Bienvenido N. Santos Creative Writing Center (BNSCWC), the workshop will run from May 11 to May 16, at the University of St. La Salle, Bacolod City. It brings together emerging writers under the guidance of established literary figures, with this year’s workshop giving preference to works that explore human relationships with the environment.

Meanwhile, in a Facebook post on Thursday, April 2, the Davao Writers Guild (DWG) announced that the applications remain open for the 2026 Davao Writers Workshop until April 16.

The workshop invites Mindanao-based writers to submit original, unpublished manuscripts in fiction, poetry, nonfiction, or drama, in English, Filipino, Binisaya, or any Mindanawon language (with English translation required of submissions in regional languages).

DWG said that priority will be given to entries that reflect the complexity and diversity of Mindanao realities, especially those engaging with the theme of “reconciliation.”

The workshop is set to run from May 27 to May 31, with synchronous follow-up sessions over four weekends in June via Zoom. According to the DWG, the on-site workshop in May will be in the Island Garden City of Samal. Board and lodging and transportation within Samal are free.

The guild will select 10 aspiring Mindanawon writers from the pool of applicants who will undergo intensive critique and mentorship under award-winning Mindanawon writers, continuing a long tradition of nurturing literary voices in the region.

The workshop is organized in partnership with the Initiatives for International Dialogue, with support from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

As Mindanawon writers find space in both national and local workshops, these parallel efforts gesture towards a growing literary ecosystem that not only brings regional voices into national conversations, but also sustains them at home. (Bea Gatmaytan/MindaNews)