Barcelona, 05 July 2023 – In its continuing bid to promote Philippine culture in its jurisdiction, the Philippine Consulate General in Barcelona successfully organized a book launch featuring the works of writer and entrepreneur Quintin Jose V. Pastrana. The event, attended by an audience of 30 Spanish and Filipino book enthusiasts, took place at the Consulate premises and proved to be an engaging celebration of Philippine literature.
During the event, Mr. Pastrana, a multi-faceted personality who is not only a renewable energy entrepreneur and President of WEnergy Power Pilipinas but also a library builder, poet, and broadcaster, presented his two remarkable books, Infieles and Ambahan. Infieles is a collection of 12 short stories that offer unique insights into the experiences of diverse characters from Philippine society. Mr. Pastrana skillfully highlighted the different facets of the latter, and its connections to the present state of the country. On the other hand, Ambahan celebrates and honors the Hanunua Mangyan’s traditional form of poetry. To engage the audience, Mr. Pastrana read the English text and invited members of the audience to read the Spanish version.
The Philippine Consul General to Barcelona, Maria Theresa S.M. Lazaro, welcomed the audience and informed them of the Consulate’s current projects and future plans, including the expansion of its collection for its library, temporarily called the Silid Aklatan, pending the Sentro Rizal license. Once inaugurated, the library will be open to researchers on Philippine studies as well as children of the Filipino diaspora learning about their heritage.
After the presentation, Mr. Pastrana donated books by Filipino writers to the PCG Silid Aklatan to add to the latter’s growing collection. Mr. Pastrana partnered with the Ateneo de Manila University Press, and selected books on Philippine history and society. Children’s books from the Adarna House, intended for the children of the Filipino diaspora in Barcelona, were also part of the donation.
A guest at the event, Ms. Ann Limjoco, intimated, “Mr. Pastrana’s presentation of his book Infieles allows me to realize that being away from the Philippines does not make me less of a Filipino. My husband, born and raised in Barcelona, is continuously learning how diverse and powerful we are as a people and is looking forward to the next cultural event at the Consulate”.
Guests also had the opportunity to engage in lively discussions with the author following the reading. Consul General Lazaro ended by encouraging the Filipino community to go out of their comfort zones, challenging those with storytelling skills to become published writers. She also expressed her appreciation to Mr. Pastrana and his team for its partnership with the Consulate, and encouraged Filipinists in the audience to collaborate with the Consulate on their book presentations. END
Mr. Pastrana presenting his book Infieles
Mr. Quintin Jose Pastrana during the book signing
Cultural Officer Bernardo Bagalay, Administrative Officer Rosanna Sumala, Mr. Pastrana, Consul General Maria Theresa S.M. Lazaro (holding the books Infieles and Ambahan), Consul Raisa Mabayo and Vice Consul Lee Gano (from left to right)
Audience members with Consul Raisa Mabayo in the front row (extreme left)
Book donation ceremony
Mr. Quintin Pastrana with fellow author Mr. Josep Torrents (Photo credit - RJ Placino)