Santiago Villafania (January 31, 1971 – February 26, 2024) was a Filipino poet who wrote in
Pangasinan
Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan ( pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Pangasinan, ; ilo, Probinsia ti Pangasinan; tl, Lalawigan ng Pangasinan), is a coastal province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its capit ...
and
English.
Biography
Born in Tuliao,
Santa Barbara, Pangasinan
Santa Barbara, officially the Municipality of Santa Barbara ( pag, Baley na Santa Barbara; ilo, Ili ti Santa Barbara; tgl, Bayan ng Santa Barbara), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. According to the 2020 cen ...
, Villafania graduated with a degree of Bachelor of Arts in English from the
University of Pangasinan in 1991. He was a vice president of the Philippine branch of
PEN International and the head of its Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee.
He was also a commissioner for the
Pangasinan
Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan ( pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Pangasinan, ; ilo, Probinsia ti Pangasinan; tl, Lalawigan ng Pangasinan), is a coastal province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its capit ...
Historical and Cultural Commission.
Villafania advocated for the resurgence of Pangasinan as a literary language. His works in the vernacular were described as some of the most representative of contemporary Pangasinan literature. His book of poems, ''Malagilion: Sonnets tan Villanelles'', was described as an attempt to open the propylaea of literary renaissance in Pangasinan. During his lifetime, Villafania created 300 sonnets and 50 villanelles in Pangasinan. It was also recognized by the National Book Development Board and the Manila Critics Circle as a Finalist for Best Book of Poetry in the 27th National Book Award in 2008.
Villafania was one of the 11 Outstanding Pangasinenses conferred with the 2010 Asna Award for the Arts and Culture (Literature) during the first ''Agew na Pangasinan'' and also the 430th Foundation Anniversary of the province on 5 April 2010.
Villafania resided in
Mangaldan
Mangaldan, officially the Municipality of Mangaldan ( pag, Baley na Mangaldan; ilo, Ili ti Mangaldan; tgl, Bayan ng Mangaldan), is a 1st class municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Pangasinan, Phi ...
, and died at the Nazareth Hospital in
Dagupan, on February 26, 2023, at the age of 53.
Books
*Balikas na Caboloan (Voices from Caboloan, 2005)
*Malagilion: Sonnets tan Villanelles (2007)
*Pinabli & Other Poems (2012)
*Bonsaic Verses (2012)
*Ghazalia: Maralus ya Ayat (2013)
*As I Tango (2016)
Awards
* Asna Awardee for Literature (2010)
References
External links
The Sunday Punch:Santiago Villafania*
nterview with Filipino poet Santiago Villafania conducted by Sattam Haqabani and published in http://www.alriyadh.com/996794 Riyadh Newspaper*["Aguinaldo, Dennis Andrew S. (2008). THE BELOVED IDIOM: A Reading of Villafania's Pinabli & Other Poems. Mabini Review, 135–136. Retrieved from http://mabinireview.weebly.com/uploads/9/0/9/1/9091667/the_mabini_review_-_final_inside_pages.pdf."]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Villafania, Santiago B.
1971 births
2024 deaths
Writers from Pangasinan
Pangasinense writers
English-language haiku poets