STUDENT WRITERS AS TRUTH-SEEKERS

In an email letter-complaint addressed to Mr. Franklin P. Macugay, student writers of the Candon City-based Northern Luzon Polytechnic State College asked for the explanation of the results of the on- the -spot poetry writing contest and the on-the-spot feature writing contest in the 4th TMI-Global Iluko Literary Conference at the Philippine Ports Authority in San Fernando City, May 18-20, 2012. They claimed that the guidelines in judging the winning poems were not followed as given by University of the Philippines Baguio instructor Mr. Junley Lorenzana Lazaga, lecturer in daniw. In an e-mail message, Mr. Severino V. Pablo, the lone judge in the category, said he was not aware of the guidelines and that Mr.Lazaga did not mention the guidelines when he (Mr. Lazaga) gave the poems for final judging. With respect to the on- the- spot feature writing contest, Mr. Macugay and I regret that it was aborted for one reason or another. We admire and highly commend the student

writers and their adviser, the poetess Yolanda Ablang, for their effort in sending the letter of inquiry to the president of the Timpuyog Dagiti Mannurat iti Iluko iti Filipinas. The student writers did not put the issue to rest but pursued it to find out what really happened. They did not make assumptions or conclusions without basis in fact. Indeed, there was fly in the ointment in the on -the- spot writing contests. It appears there was lack of coordination on the part of Timpuyog. What has been done can no longer be undone. All we can offer is an apology. But for their courage in looking for the truth, I would like to suggest that the student writers and their adviser be given free subscriptions to Timpuyog Journal. It is their kind that we in TMIF are trying to develop, writers who have a code of ethics that requires them to seek and write and speak the truth.

PETER LA. JULIAN, TMIF Adviser