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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Visayas devider Int'l confab of women playwrights held in Iloilo City

Int'l confab of women playwrights held in Iloilo City

Published May 23, 2026 02:06 pm
THE 13th Women Playwrights International Conference in Iloilo City. (Photo via Tara Yap)
THE 13th Women Playwrights International Conference in Iloilo City. (Photo via Tara Yap)
ILOILO CITY – Women playwrights, scholars, and artists from all over the country and abroad gathered in Iloilo City for the 13th Women Playwrights International Conference (WPIC) 2026.
The triennial gathering that ended on Friday, May 22, was held in Iloilo City for the first time.
With Iloilo City being named as United Nations, Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Creative City of Gastronomy in 2023, WPIC became a backdrop for the untold stories of women’s role in Iloilo’s culinary heritage.
“There is a very rich story behind the fabulous cuisine of the Ilonggo, especially the women who prepare the fabulous food. Often the stories are reflected not only in our food, but in the many aspects of our lives,” said August Melody Andong, president of the WPI Interim Management Committee.
A native of Iloilo, Andong said the culinary heritage connects Iloilo’s food and how the people live to a global community.
WPIC participants were from the Philippines, Australia, Canada, China, Japan, India, Netherlands, and the United States.
Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) founder Cecile Guidote-Alvarez delivered the keynote speech.
The conference with the theme “Celebrating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity” discussed how to amplify unrepresented voices in mainstream theater by highlighting the storytelling of varied life experiences.
The country hosted the WPIC for the second time in partnership with the Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation Inc. (IDFI) with Board of Trustee Maria Luisa Segovia as one of the co-convenors.
Theater groups from Iloilo and Negros Occidental provinces performed excepts of plays by participants – Living Room Theatre and Junior Theater Arts Club of UP Visayas; College of Communication of West Visayas State University; the Masskara Theater Ensemble; and the Performance Laboratory.

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