Writers old and new shine at the Palanca Awards

In a country where writers seldom achieve the same recognition as TV personalities and athletes, the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature is one of the rare venues where Filipino literary talent is allowed to shine. Speaking before an audience that included the who’s who of Philippine literature, five-time Palanca Award winner and National Artist F. Sionil Jose asked, “Why do they look down on Filipino writers when there are so many of us who can write so well?"

Despite the challenges local writers face, the 2011 Palanca Awards still managed to showcase the vibrancy of the local literary scene. The Palanca is the country’s most prestigious prize for literary arts and is one of the few privately-run award-giving bodies still in existence, according to Jose. The “Old Man of Philippine Letters" was the guest of honor and the recipient of the 2011 Dangal ng Lahi Award during the 61st Palanca Awards at The Peninsula Manila in Makati City on Thursday. A total of 58 works were honored from different categories in both English and Filipino, from a pool of 1,160 entries. UP alumni dominate Grand Prize Now part of the foundation’s list of esteemed writers are University of the Philippines (UP) alumnus and Ateneo de Manila University Filipino faculty member Allan Derain, who won the Grand Prize for the novel Ang Banal na Aklat ng mga Kumag in the Filipino category. Another UP graduate and former faculty member, Maria Victoria “Marivi" Soliven Blanco, won in the English category for her novel In the Service of Secrets. The Novel category is opened by the Palanca Foundation only once every three years. “Marami na kasi ngayon gumagawa ng meta fiction na nobela dahil doon sa post-modern trend sa pagsulat. So ito yung take ko kung ano para sa akin ang meta fiction," Derain told GMA News Online. The four-time Palanca winner explained that his novel is set in a fantasy world with a touch of history. “Pero ito yung historical novel na wala ka talagang matututunan tungkol sa Filipino history," he added in jest. Derain said he wrote the novel for his MA in Malikhaing Pagsulat from UP Diliman. Derain first won a Palanca in 2006 for the short children’s story “Ang Regalo ng Taong Ibon." He won in the same category again in 2007 for “Paputian Ng Laba" and in 2008 for “May Tatlong Kurimaw." The novel is currently in the hands of a publisher, awaiting go-signal for publication. “Ayaw daw niyang ma-impluwensiyahan ng Palanca," added Derain. Blanco's novel, on the other hand, tackles Filipino migrants. The author, who is based in San Diego, California where her husband is a university professor, explained that her experience as a phone interpreter inspired her to write and eventually finish the novel in December last year. A departure from her previous Palanca-winning children's stories, the novel illuminates the world of mail-order brides, families, and their servants set in 1960s Manila to 1990s Oakland. “Depending on where you’re coming from and what kind of class you’re from, you look at the United States in a different way—some people go to the States as an escape, some people go to the States because it’s a better way, and some people go to the States because they have nothing left to lose," she said. Blanco’s two previous Palancas were for her children’s short stories “Chun" in 1992 and “The Pillow Cat" in 1993. People craving to read In the Service of Secrets won’t be disappointed—the novel will be published by Penguin Books in May 2013 and later, by Anvil Publishing. According to the awards foundation, this year’s Palanca Awards set records in two categories—the Novel and the Kabataan Essay. Sixty-five entries for the 18 and under Kabataan Essay category were submitted—a 109 percent surge from last year. For the Novel category, there were 57 English and Filipino entries, an 84 percent increase from 2008. Fifteen-year-old Abegail Lee, who won the Second Place in the Kabataan Sanaysay for her essay “Nang Maging Mendiola ko ang Internet Dahil Kay Mama," was all smiles during the awards night. A sophomore at Saint Jude Catholic School, Lee didn’t expect to win a Palanca this year. Her answer to the theme “Ano ang pinakamahalagang aral ang aking natutunan mula sa Internet?" centered on Mendiola Street as a metaphor for the Internet. “Kasi yung Mendiola, di ba yun ang malayang kalsada kung saan pwede nating ipahayag ang gating sarili? “Yun ang pananaw ko tungkol sa Internet—dahil dun, natuto akong magbigay ng opinyon ko sa ibang tao at sa gayun ay makakabuo din sila ng opinyon nila," she said. Palanca today Now a three-time Palanca awardee, Blanco told GMA News Online that the awards give Filipino writers a kind of recognition that goes beyond cash advances for published books and anthologies. “It’s not even about the money. To have something that says ‘yes, we’re validating what you want to do’—it’s crucial. Writers will still continue to write, but the Palanca offers them something [to strive for]," she said. For Derain, the Palanca Awards also helps Filipino writers reach out to a wider audience. Palanca nods, he explained, spark interest in the year’s winners and even those from years past. “Kailangan bigyan ng pagkakataon ang mga katulad namin na magproduce ng mga malalaking bagay at tingin ko kinakailangan na madiskubre nila kami," he said. - YA/HS, GMA News All photos courtesy of the Carlos Palanca Foundation