Writing in ... the Philippines

       In the Philippine Daily Inquirer Amadís Ma. Guerrero reports on the recent 2012 Taboan writers fest: Is literature alive and well ?
       Among the participants: F. Sionil José -- who stirred things up nicely by observing:

"We are shallow, mababaw ang kaligayahan," he declared. "We are a weak and corrupted nation. This is a challenge all writers must face."

       On the other hand, apparently there was also a consensus that:

Writing is more fun in the Philippines.