‘Sanrokan’ refers to the tradition of Romblon in sharing food and sharing ideas. This is the concept behind the 2026 International Sanrokan Festival on the Diversity of Cultural Expression through Inclusive Governance and Education held last March 13 to 15, 2026 at Romblon State University organized by 170+ Talaytayan MLE in partnership with Romblon State University of course headed by Dr. Ricardo Nolasco. The festival highlighted the value of languages and translation, especially in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA). It is key in helping vulnerable populations, who are often at-risk, understand key concepts to explain these phenomena.
Dr. Likha Minimo, Director of the Knowledge Sharing Division, explained DRR-CCA in the vernacular using terms such as ‘Panganib’ and ‘Kahinaan’ to refer to the disaster formula. She presented the ongoing project of the Katatagan Glossary and Database. From its original design of collating translations online or through secondary references, participants from the pre-conference workshop themselves translated Tagalog terms into words in Romblon, specifically Asi, Ini, and Onhan. The participatory process of translation emphasizes the rich culture of communities which bear significant meanings for different ethnolinguistic groups.
Dr. Likha Minimo served as plenary speaker at the Sanrokan conference
The Knowledge Sharing Division also presented ‘Mula Iraya hanggang Ilawod: Pagharap sa hamon ng mga sakuna at nagbabagong klima,’ a themed panel on environmental protection. Dr. Minimo introduced the work of the division in disseminating outputs and knowledge products through activities and projects. It was followed by the presentation of the Initiating Resilience through Art and Youth Action (IRAYA) with Supervising Researcher Chris Sanchez. He shared the importance of art and play to engage young learners on DRR-CCA. Supervising Design Specialist Kel Almazan then presented Luntiang Tinta: Sining para sa Nagbabagong Klima. She explained the idea behind the community-based writing workshop which aims to both document lived realities and advocate for resilience through literature. The training of trainers workshop, Tulay: Pagsasanay ng mga gabay tungo sa likas-kayang kinabukasan, was also explained by Dr. Minimo.
The Knowledge Sharing Division received recognition for presenting at the Sanrokan conference
The conference lived up to its name with a wide range of speakers – from recording and digitizing folklore to preserving traditional games and developing climate signs for the deaf community. In a country as diverse as the Philippines, language matters to meet the people where they are. Translation might seem insignificant but in reality it is an ambitious and important contribution to enrich the discourse of disaster preparedness and climate change adaptation in a very diverse archipelagic nation like the Philippines.