PASLI Meet Up with Dr. Diljit Singh

Last month, I was invited by PASLI President, Cris Laracas to a meet up with Dr. Diljit Singh. Our Malaysian friend was in town for lectures in the University of the Philippines. I said yes to the invitation, of course. I have not seen friends in PASLU in a while and I had the time for some catching up. Besides, I had work to do for NCBD and visiting the Diliman area is an idea I always welcome. Jude Gorospe and Mavic dela Cruz, officers of PASLI, came to the meeting as well. 

L-R Mavic dela Cruz, Cris Laracas, ZarahG, Dr. Diljit Singh and Jude Gorospe

The agenda on the table was the 2019 Regional Conference of School Librarians in Manila. Dr. Singh is creating linkages for South East Asian school librarians, researchers and practitioners to make this a possibility. The conference is a big leap for PASLI to spearhead, but with help from colleagues in the IASL Regional board, I am confident this professional event will push through.

This is a long time coming. I remember back in 2013, when Jude Gorospe and I were in Bali for our attendance to the IASL Conference there, talk of a Regional Conference in Manila floated around. Previous to this, there was the 2012 IASL Regional Conference in Bacolod organised by Hon. Lourdes T. David who was then the director of the Rizal Library. Fast forward to 2014 (or was it 2015?), Dr. Singh and I had dinner with PASLI Officers in Makati to reconnect. PASLI was then being led by Gemma Murillo-Cuna. 

After successful conferences in Bangkok (2015), Indonesia (2016) and Myanmar (2017) by Regional IASL Officers, Dr. Singh has his sights on Manila. With the newly elected IASL representative in Asia, Dr. Shy-mee Tan who I met in Bangkok during the School Librarians Workshop there, a collaborative approach to organising a Regional Conference here is not far fetched. PASLI is taking up the challenge and they are being brave. 

These days, we need to take courage and we need to be kind. What an opportune time to be organising a Regional Conference for school librarians!