WAFACon: The Writers, Artists, Filmmakers & Artisans Convention

IN MANY ways, I am a simple guy:

I can live on cup noodles for days.

(Especially if I’m saving for an impulse trip.)

I take my coffee black.

(And I joke that sugar and milk are only for poor people who can’t afford cake.)

But I am far from simple.

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I mean, my dreams are simple.

But they are pretty big.

Gigantic.

Earthshaking.

I simply want to leave a great legacy.

I don’t think it’s too complicated.

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For my 50^thbirthday, I went to Puerto Rico to be alone and quiet.

I didn’t end up alone and quiet because I met wonderful people on the trip.

And they didn’t allow me to be less than fabulous.

We celebrated New Year’s in San Juan.

And I was in the Caribbean island of Vieques on the day of my birthday.

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I didn’t go home to the Philippines for my birthday because Filipinos have yet to learn the “Kami Naman” attitude when dealing with OFWs and balikbayans.

Kami Naman as in, Allow us to give you a treat while you are in the country, Peter Solis Nery.

Just while you are with us, why don’t we foot the bill?

After all, you spent so much already with airfares to fly into the country just to be with us on your birthday.

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If I had gone home in January, how can I not throw a big party and celebrate my big self among the people who know me?

And since I know a lot of people, how can I not feed the whole town?

My annual trip to the Philippines usually falls in August and September.

But I wanted to come home to the completed Casa Dom Pedro.

That’s the golden building in Dumangas, which is my birthday gift to my 50-year-old self.

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The building was built by Architects Lauro Deypalubos and Boniface Umadhay.

I’m excited to finally inspect and receive what they have done.

I’m really not sure what to do with the building yet.

I’m thinking of renting it out apartment-style.

But friends are saying I really should consider a mini-hotel.

Or at least, an apartelle.

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I wanted to see Casa Dom Pedro completed first before making a final decision about these things.

I’m not in a rush to start business with the casa.

If it can be built without bank loans, it can afford a few more months without earning an income.

But this, I am sure: I want my friends to feel at home in the Casa.

And I want them to celebrate life and events with me in the Casa.

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Even if I rent out all the six studios (three on the ground floor; three on the second floor), there will always be the penthouse for me and my friends.

The penthouse also has a living garden.

So yeah, I want people to spend nights there.

In luxurious beds.

Or on the grass under the moon and the stars.

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I’m proud of my Casa.

And I love my friends.

Especially those in the literary and art circles, and those in the business and professional sectors.

Sometimes, I bring them together.

I mean, I gather a pretty wonderful mix every time I hold a concert in Iloilo.

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I’m not totally nixing the idea of another concert in the city.

But this year, I want to do something big in my hometown of Dumangas.

I want a Peter Solis Nery Arts Festival.

Like a Peter Solis Nery convention.

I’m thinking in the lines of WAFACon—Writers, Artists, Filmmakers, & Artisans Convention.

See, I dream big.

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October 26 to November 1 is the weeklong Haw-as Festival in Dumangas.

And I have already secured October 27, Sunday, from afternoon to late night for the events of The Peter Solis Nery Foundation.

Thank you, Dumangas Mayor Ronaldo “Onal” Golez, for the support.

I wasn’t in the country last May to vote Onal Golez for mayor.

But with his record of support for my literary, film, and art causes in the past, I don’t see why I should not vote to reelect him.

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My original plan for The Peter Solis Nery Foundation Day was pretty simple:

Filmmaking workshop in the morning.

Poetry workshop in the afternoon.

Literary program in the evening.

The 7^thawards of The Peter’s Prize after dinner.

To be capped by the inaugural Peter Solis Nery Foundation International Film Festival.

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And then, on the anniversary of Martial Law in the Philippines, the idea of What else can I do for my country?

Always looking for maximum impact, I said:

What about a writers, artists, and filmmakers meeting in Western Visayas?

And why not hold it in Dumangas, home to famous writers, artists, filmmakers, and artisans like me?

With an inspired vision like that, I have to stake my all.

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I bounced off my idea on social media.

With favorable response and palpable excitement from my fan base, I announce this.

Save the date: October 27, Sunday. A Peter Solis Nery Mega-Event from morning to the next morning. Dumangas, Iloilo.

See you there! (500tinaga@gmail.com/PN)