NAGA CITY -- National Artist and Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts Francisco Sionil Jose is in this city for a lecture on Philippine literature and culture as part of the “Ani ng Sining Philippine Arts Festival 2008” otherwise dubbed as “Pagpupugay sa mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining” as the nation celebrates its National Arts Month this February.

        F. Sionil Jose will present his lecture at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 28, at the Ateneo de Naga University.

        His lecture will be capped by a musical theater presentation by the 18-member Tanghalang Pilipino based on Jose’s work, “Progreso”, a short narrative of the Marcos era in the 70s. The theatre artists are all scholar-students of the Philippine High School for the Arts.

        The national artist’s lecture is being brought here by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the UP Institute of Creative Writing.

        He and his entourage ware received here Wednesday morning by Vice Mayor Gabby Bordado in behalf of the city mayor who is on official travel in Manila, City Councilor John Bongat of the SP Committee on Culture and Arts, City Planning Officer and writer Willy Prilles, Jose B. Perez of the Naga City Visitors Center and Bicol poet and Bicol Mail columnist Kristian Cordero.

        Carlo Arejola of the NCCA and Kabulig Bikol took good care of the national artist’s sortie here.

        Other national artists, Alejandro Roces, Edith Tiempo, Virgilio Almario, and Bienvenido Lumbera made similar engagements in Makati City, Cebu, Iloilo City, and Ilocos Norte, respectively, during the month of February.

The artist
        F. Sionil Jose was bestowed the CCP Centennial Honors for the Arts in 1999. He also was honored with the Outstanding Fullbrighters Award for Literature in 1988, and the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1980.

        Jose is also a publisher, lecturer on cultural issues, and the founder of the Philippine chapter of the international organization PEN.

        His writings since the late 60s, when taken collectively can best be described as epic.

        Its sheer volume puts him on the forefront of Philippine Writings in English. But ultimately, it is the consistent espousal of the aspirations of the Filipino – for national sovereignty and social justice – that guarantees the value of his oeuvre.

        In the five-novel masterpiece, the Rosales saga, consisting of The Pretenders, Tree, My Brother, My Executioner, Mass, and Po-on, he captures the sweep of Philippine history while simultaneously narrating the lives of generations of the Samsons whose personal lives intertwine with the social struggles of the nation.

        Because of their international appeal, his works, including his many short stories, have been published and translated into various languages.