POETRY WRITING IN ILUKO MEMO OF AGREEMENT SIGNED

     Poro, San Fernando City, La Union-The Severino and Eufemia Commemorative Award in Iluko Poetry was launched here with the signing of a memorandum of agreement between Francisco Lacar, representative of the Lacar Family, originally from Bacarra, Ilocos Norte, and sponsor of the contest and Peter La. Julian, representing the Timpuyog dagiti Mannurat iti Iluko iti Filipinas, which would administer the project. 
     The award aims to: foster capacity in Ilokano poetry writing, recognize and reward deserving Ilocano poets, and perpetuate the legacy of the late Severino and Eufemia Lacar for their dedication to Ilocano culture, language and service to the community. The sponsorship comprises a total of P22,000 per year for three yeas, with awards provided to the most deserving entries as follows: First Prize, P10,000; Second Prize, P7,000.00 and Third Prize, P5,000.

     NOTA BENE: The first edition of this contest was desecrated by Severino V. Pablo when he, without consulting the senior staffers of the magazine, choose as one of the members of the board of judges a person who is not a poet and another who is not in good graces of senior members of the organization. Pablo brazenly violated the rules of the contest. Now, the organization has plans to choose winners from entries of bona-fide or card-carrying members of TMIF in violation of the spirit of the contest. 
     Also, in the first edition of the contest, there was supposed to be a sort of literary criticism on the entries, especially the major winning poems, but nothing was made and published in Timpuyog Journal. Pablo and those who believe they can handle the contest should be blamed for this fiasco, Apo Francisco Lacar.