The Consulate General of the Philippines in Chicago, in partnership with the Newberry Library, warmly invites the Filipino American community and the general public to attend a lecture by Hon. Virgilio S. Almario titled Valuing the Priceless: The Importance of Research in Philippine Arts and Cultural Preservation. The lecture will examine the ways in which archival research, including that which can be done in the Newberry's own collections, is essential to the preservation and promulgation of Filipino Culture.
Also known by his pen name Rio Alma, Hon. Virgilio S. Almario is a poet, literary historian and critic who was proclaimed National Artist of the Philippines for Literature in June 2003. He was elected Chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in January 2017. He also continues to champion language and literature as Chair of the Commission of the Filipino Language (Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino).