THE LATEST additions to UST’s roster of award-winning writers have one advice for their fellow Thomasians who want to make it to the literary scene—persevere.
On the 65th year of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Literary Awards last September, the works of Thomasians John Carlo Pacala, Lance Lauren Santiago and Brylle Tabora were added to the competition’s 2,278 winning pieces, which include the works of renowned Thomasian writers Nick Joaquin and Bienvenido Lumbera.
Pacala, who won first prize in the Maikling Kuwento category for his story “Ang Reynang Espada at mga Pusa,” used a homosexual prisoner as his subject. The story is about love, life and freedom.
“The Palanca Awards is one of the many ways to gauge your talent and validate yourself as a writer, especially if you are starting. It is a great way to check how you are at par with the others,” Pacala said in an e-mail to the Varsitarian.
Pacala first gained confidence as a writer after receiving praises for his short story “Liham” in the Varsitarian’s 2011 Fiction Workshop, where his works were critiqued by panelists Jun Cruz Reyes and Abdon Balde.
The same short story won for him the Tomasinong Kuwentista ng Taon Award and the Rector’s Literary Award in the Gawad Ustetika, the annual literary derby organized by the Varsitarian.
Sophomore literature student Santiago received the Palanca second prize for the Kabataan Sanaysay Category, with his essay “Ang Nakakakiliting Kalabit ng Bukang-Liwayway” which answered the question “How can Philippine literature cultivate national unity?”
Former Varsitarian managing editor and biology alumnus Brylle Tabora claimed second prize in Dulang Pampelikula for his crime-drama piece, “Sekyu,” about a security guard. Tabora said his unconventional hero represents the voiceless and helpless who go against the big guns in society.
“My professor said that she wanted to see more Filipino films seen through the lens of ordinary Filipino people. Right away I knew I wanted to do a story about a security guard who is interestingly the “keeper of secrets” of a particular place,” he said.
Tabora’s screenplay gestated from a workshop organized by Thomasian playwright and the youngest Palanca Hall of Fame awardee, Jun Robles Lana.
Starting from scratch
Winning a Palanca is the highlight of the career of a Filipino writer. But the desire for recognition should be backed up by perseverance and willingness to go back to scratch.
Pacala needed two tries before getting his name on board. He did not expect his story to win this year, describing it as a “back-to-basics” piece.
“It was after I lost the first time that I decided not to stop joining. [Winning] is like the first drop of rain that you waited for so long in an arid desert, or finally having your Hogwarts letter,” he said.
Tabora, a fellow in the 2013 Siliman University National Writers Workshop, devoured books on poetry and fiction recommended by Varsitarian adviser Lito Zulueta.
“For most people, the Palanca award means that a writer has, as what others would say, found a place in the firmament of stars. I would like to think of it as a motivation that I should keep doing better. As they say, you are only as good as your last work,” Tabora said.
Meanwhile, Santiago credited the award to the series of revisions he had to do on his piece.
“I was afraid of revisions, afraid for my work to be criticized. But I knew I needed to revise to increase my chances of winning,” he said. “At first I didn’t know the prestige that came with the Palanca Awards. I only realized it during the awards night when I saw how proud my professors and friends were.”
Pushing literary frontiers
With the right attitude and a passion for literature, anyone can become a good writer.
“Anyone who is deeply driven to write and really takes the time and effort to study the craft will undoubtedly become a great writer,” Tabora said.
Commitment in perfecting the art and willingness to learn and grow make up a good poet. “You need to love what you do. You need patience to be able to revise your work and you need willingness to read. You’ll become a good writer in the process,” Santiago said.
Santiago and Tabora called on Filipino readers to exert more effort in reading local literature. Writers should also keep reading as it is essential for improvement.
“The problem is not with the writers but with the readers. I hope more people find the time to read local books and really take some effort trying to dig up some valuables in the treasure trove of book stores,” Tabora said.
