Sentro Rizal New York presents Philippine indigenous tales at book reading
Sentro Rizal New York presents Philippine indigenous tales at book reading Ms. Jo Tiongson-Perez and Ms. Denise Orosa read from "Once Upon the Sun & Sea," captivating the audience with tales from the Philippines. (Photo by: Nikka Arenal) To celebrate Philippine National Heritage Month, the Philippine Consulate General in New York and Sentro Rizal New York featured “Once Upon the Sun & Sea: Indigenous Stories and Folk Tales from the Philippines” by authors Jo Tiongson-Perez and Denise Orosa at a book reading that drew a diverse crowd of approximately 50 attendees, including 25 children. Before reading three stories from their book, Tiongson-Perez and Orosa shared how they visited various indigenous communities in the Philippines to curate the eleven stories that they then translated into English. “We wanted to widen the space for children’s stories beyond the Western classics by authors such as Hans Christian Andersen and Brothers Grimm by presenting folk tales from our indigenous communities which children from all backgrounds can also relate with,” said Tiongson-Perez. In his welcoming remarks, Consul General Senen T. Mangalile praised the authors’ efforts to ensure authenticity by directly working with the source communities. “Their collaboration with indigenous storytellers ensures that the stories from…