Once again, an affirmation of the primacy of the Filipino “trident tongue” (Francisco Arcellana’s term) in full engagement with literary production is at the core of this Ubod issue. Every mother tongue finds its creative expression and its dynamic reciprocity with Filipino, and English is re-creative—these two languages sharing the same climate of experience and feelings of the local language users.
The plurality and lushness of the written tongues generate a collection of pieces full of consequential prose and verse by a new generation of writers. Regional representation is more comprehensive this time—the creative mode becomes manifest in the varied forms and contents of the works. The writers’ fresh insights and unsullied energies of sense and sensibility are worth serious reading.
Undoubtedly, Ubod has gained a veritable status: Ubod is not just “shoot” but the superlative “very,” alluding to the new writers’ level of competence.
Ubod 2020 has come into being through the efforts of the two sets of members of the National Committee on Literary Arts ( NCLA 2017-2019; NCLA 2020-2022). Salamat sa inyong lahat.
Juliet C. Mallari
Head, NCLA 2020-2022
