UP Tacloban’s Leyte Samar Heritage Center (LSHC) organized a three-part “Pagpakusog han Aton Pinulungan” roundtable discussion (RTD) series from September to November 2025 where local experts, educators, scholars, and students from various institutions across Eastern Visayas shared experiences and insights on teaching, learning, and writing in Binisaya and other Eastern Visayan languages.
The first RTD, which was held on 19 September 2025, focused on “Best Practices in the Teaching of Eastern Visayas Mother Tongue. Resource speakers Dr. Voltaire Q. Oyzon of Leyte Normal University, Dr. Gretel Laura M. Cadiong of the Department of Education (DepEd) Tacloban City Division, and Dr. Rosemarie M. Guino of the DepEd Regional Office VIII discussed the general state of the implementation of Mother Tongue-Based – Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) in Region 8. In the same forum Dr. Alma Sonia Q. Sanchez-Danday of Leyte Normal University shared her experiences of teaching Binisaya or Waray; Prof. Georgina M. Orbeta of Eastern Visayas State University – Ormoc City Campus talked about teaching Kana/Cebuano in western Leyte; and Ms. Mailen C. Asteria and Dr. Mat C. Managbanag presented their research and teaching experiences in Inabaknon in Capul, Northern Samar.
The second RTD, which took place on 24 October, focused on “Learning Materials Production Using Eastern Visayas Local Languages.” Dr. Analyn Espano of Eastern Visayas State University, Ms. Firie Jill T. Ramos of the KATIG Writers Network Inc., Prof. Phil Harold L. Mercurio of Northwest Samar State University, Mr. Reyan L. Arinto of the Philippine Information Agency, Mr. Herminigildo A. Sanchez of Catbalogan City-based radio station MSFM 105.3, and Dr. Dominador L. Pagliawan of Burauen Community College joined Dr. Oyzon and Mr. Managbanag in discussing their work in developing learning materials for young learners in Waray and other local languages and integrating Eastern Visayas local languages in media, arts, and literature.
The RTD series concluded on 21 November with an expert-led discussion of “Translation Using Eastern Visayas Local Languages.” Dr. Oyzon discussed the technical dimensions of translation and Prof. Gina A. Dean of Northwest Samar State University emphasized its value in academic and media contexts. Dr. Maria Vanessa E. Gabunada of Visayas State University talked about her Cebuano translation projects, and UP Professor Emeritus Merlie Alunan, Michael Carlo Villas of Visayas State University, and Firie Jil Ramos shared experiences in translating literary texts in Cebuano and English to Waray.
The “Pagpakusog han Aton Pinulungan” project is funded by the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies under its Local-Regional Network Studies Program.
