"MICHAEL OBENIETA"
( Region VII )

          

               Michael Obenieta was born in Cebu ,Philippines and a truly Cebuano indeed.  He writes poetry and prose in both Cebuano and English. In addition to having a fellow for English poetry in the dumaguete ,UP and Iligan workshops ,Myke was published international ,national and local anthropologies and magazines ,including the Free Press ,Graphics ,Panorama ,Inquirer ,Home life and Bisaya. He has many compositions or poems should I say. The most famous work of him are “New writers speak up and mantala” , “Likhaan” , “Fiction(1996 to 1997)” , “Caracoa” ,”Insearch of heroes” , “The poem of the world” and “The best of Youngblood(Anvil Publishing)”. Michael Obenieta has many honors and the Bathalad Hall of Fame for writing grant for the NCCA-sponsored UBOD New Author’s Series ,for a book of Cebuano poems titled “Iring-iring sa Tingbitay sa Iro”. He has been recognized as the most creative editor in the 2005 In house awards of sun star cebu ,and for his work in the same publication catholic mass media awards of the same year. He is now the current president of “Bathalanong Halad sa dagang” (Bathalad) ,a group of Cebuano writers in the Visayas and ,Mindanao ,and is publisher of BISBIS (Balak ,Inigmat ,Sugilanon ,ug inigat sa bisdak) ,a quarterly Cebuano literary folio. More of his works maybe viewed of “A habit of harbors and “Beso Bisdak”.

                     Michael Obenieta has many famous and good works but the most attracted one to me is his work entitled with “Kay ang kahilom usa usab ka siloy” that explains the love of a mother to his son. This work of him makes me think that how important our mother or should we say ,our Philippine literature in our lives. It really makes us grow better but what do we do to our own Philippine literature? we already forgotten and don’t give attention to our own literature. And the second most attractive one to me is his work entitled with “Iring-iring sa Tingbitay sa iro” because it really reflects reality. Like this one this article explains the up’s and downs of the whole people and it can really reflect to us in our own literature. Because Philippine literature are now obscured and many people didn’t give more importance or attention to our own literature nowadays and it’s because they are only focusing on one language here in our country. This article of him can wake up all the Filipino’s to give attention to other regions here in the Philippines and their languages in order for our Philippine literature will not be down anymore and it will go up. This gives us a very good lesson because how can our own literature go up if we make it down? That’s why we will make it fair to all other regions ,we will not focus only in manila but all of the regions in order for our Philippine literature will go up and will have attention to the Filipino’s the way it was before. Trough this kind of article we can really learn or we can really turn sad reality into happy.