A GRADE 10 student from the UST Education High School (EHS) is set to receive third prize in the 2025 Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature, the longest-running literary awards ceremony in the Philippines.
Euna Oraiz will receive the distinction for her essay “Suki Ako ng Pagod” under the Kabataan Sanaysay category.
In an interview with the Varsitarian, Oraiz shared that she had no expectations of winning as it was her second time joining the awards.
“I’m still in disbelief, to be honest,” Oraiz said. “What means more to me is knowing that these kinds of stories actually resonate with people, that they’re important enough to be told and heard.”
“This award pushes me to continue that work, to keep paying attention to the unnoticed and the everyday, and to write with purpose and heart,” Oraiz added.
Her essay, “Suki Ako ng Pagod,” sheds light on students who juggle multiple responsibilities and often sacrifice rest in pursuit of their goals.
“Through this piece, I wanted their strength to be seen and their humanity to be honored. More than anything, I wanted to remind them that it’s okay to rest. That rest isn’t simply a reward you give yourself after you’ve done enough,” she said.
Oraiz drew inspiration from a memory of a nursing student resting in her family’s store in Cavite.
“The piece explores that tension between ambition and exhaustion, something I think many students deeply understand. Lagi tayong nagpu-push sa sarili natin, chasing deadlines and requirements, while constantly asking, ‘Kaya ko pa ba ‘to? Kailangan ko na bang matapos ‘to?’” Oraiz said.
The Kabataan Sanaysay category is open to Filipino writers below 18 years old.
Awardees were notified of their prize through letters sent on Oct. 19.
The Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature, established in 1950, will hold its awards ceremony on Nov. 26 at the Manila Polo Club in Makati. With reports from Jamiebeth P. Ortega
