UH Ilokano Program Awards Scholarship

By Fil-Am Observer Staff
May 2009 Issue, Front Page


DURING a testimonial banquet to be held May 8 at the Hale Koa Hotel in Waikiki by the Ilokano Language and Literature Program of the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, in collaboration with Timpuyog, two students taking up a Bachelor's degree in Arts majoring in Philippine Language and Literature will receive tha B.A. Ilokano Scholarship.

The recipients of the scholarship are Valerie Ruiz and Janelle Funtanilla.

Aside from doing a concentration in Ilokano, Ruiz also doing a major coursework in Political Science and hopes to work her way up to either graduate studies or law school.

Funtanilla, on the other hand, is wrapping her coursework in Ilokano as her concentration. In the meantime, she is on a study abroad program and is doing some coursework in London for the Spring semester.

The banquet will be attended by the students particularly the members of the Timpuyog, members of the faculty of the Ilokano Program, other academics of the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, other students taking up various language and culture courses offered by the Ilokano Program, and members of the community.

Both Ruiz and Funtanilla have been active members, and eventually officers of Timpuyog, the organization of students taking up Ilokano and other culture-related courses offered under the Ilokano Language and Literature Program. Some of these courses taken up by other students from other colleges and curricular programs are Modern Philippine Film, Modern Philippine Drama, Interpretation and Translation Theory Practicum [in Ilokano], Philippine Popular Culture, Ilokano Literature in Translation, and Ilokano Literature [in Ilokano].

The Ilokano Language and Literature Program of UH Manoa started in 1972 and has since served the language requirements of UHM students.

In 2002, the Ilokano Program opened its door to an expanded program under a bachelor's degree, with concentration in Ilokano.

With help of individuals and other organizations, the B.A. Ilokano Scholarship Fund was set up with the University of Hawai'i Foundation administering the fund.

Some of the organizations have helped put upp the scholarship fund are the United Filipino Council of Hawaii [UFCH] that pledged, through a resolution, to put an initial fund of $2,000 and the GUMIL Hawaii, that put up in 2008 a $1,000 initial scholarship fund.

Aside from other inidividuals. Mr. Gerald Santos of California has since put up a scholarship fund and a separate fund for Ilokano Program Development.

The 2009 B.A. Ilokano Scholarship is under the auspices of GUMIL Hawaii and the fund contributed by Gerald Santos.

GUMIL Hawaii is one of the earliest Ilokano writers organizations of the State of Hawai'i, annd since its founding in 1971, has since been tha forefront of promoting and sustaining Ilokano Language and Culture through their regular anthologies of Ilokano writing.

The president of GH, Brigido Daproza, together with Stanley Baclig, vice president, will award the scholarship.

The UH Ilokano Program currently offers a BA concentration, a minor, and a certificate in Ilokano.

THe faculty of the program includes Julius Soria who is also an Ilokano Instructor of Farrington High School under the UH GEAR-Up Program; Clemen Montero who is an education specialist of the UH Manoa Center for Philippine Studies and lecturer of the Kapiolani Community College; Dr. Lilia Quindoza Santiago; and Dr. Aurelio S. Agcaoili.***
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