Albert Faurot Lecture Series Features Former University Legal Counsel

Former Silliman University Legal Counsel and accomplished private lawyer Jose Riodil Montebon spoke during the Albert Faurot Lecture Series on February 12 at the Cyber Lecture Hall, Instructional Media and Technology Center.

He shared his personal views and impressions on his father’s stories, such as the award-winning short story, “Bottle Full of Smoke,” in his lecture dubbed: “Meandering Through the Stories of Jose V. Montebon, Jr.”

It was also during the same event when the Montebon family, along with the Silliman University Cultural and Arts Council (CAC), launched the book, “Cupful of Anger, Bottle Full of Smoke: The Stories of Jose V. Montebon Jr.”. The book is a collection of his father’s stories, edited by Palanca award-winning novelist Ian Casocot.

His father, the late Atty. Jose V. Montebon, Jr., studied high school through law school at Silliman University. As a student, he maintained a column in the Sillimanian Magazine called “Point of View” where he wrote literary criticisms along cowriter Kenneth Woods. A number of his short stories were also published in the Sillimanian Magazine, such as the “Serenade” in 1949 and “One Valentine Afternoon” in 1951.

The elder Montebon was later elected as councilor of Dumaguete City and served as officer-in-charge and then vice mayor of the city from 1986 to 1987.

Organized by the CAC, the Albert Faurot Lecture and Workshop Series for Culture and the Arts provides a forum for local and visiting artists and culture experts to talk about the various aspects of arts and culture to both Silliman and the larger community of Dumaguete.