TWO THOMASIANS dominated the Tula category of the 54th Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature last Sept. 1 at the Peninsula Manila Hotel in Makati City.
Legal Management alumnus Joseph Rosmon Tuazon placed first with his collection, “Sa Pamamagitan ng Emerhensiya,” which, he said, is about the limitations of poetry.
Tuazon, whose first collection of poetry, “Mula,” was recently published, placed second in the same category last year.
“It’s hard to say (that this year’s entry is better),” Tuazon said. “Kahit ano’ng ranking, as long as my entry is recognized, I’m happy.”
Former Varsitarian staff member Rebecca Añonuevo, a literary critic, professor, and former junior associate of the UST Center for Creative Writing and Studies (CCWS), took second place with her collection, “Buong-buo.” The collection muses on the role of memory in the cycle of ordinary life, she said.
Añonuevo’s “Talinghaga ng Gana: Ang Banal sa mga Piling Talang Tagalog ng Ika-20 Siglo,” a book on literary criticism published by the UST Publishing House, won the National Book Awards in 2004. She has also recently released a new edition of her collection of poems, “Bago ang Babae,” under the University of the Philippines Press.
The Palanca Awards, established by businessman Carlos Palanca Sr. in 1950 to help develop Philippine Literature by honoring exemplary works by Filipino writers, is included in the UNESCO List of Living Human Treasures for Artists, Writers, and Artisans. Sharline J. Bareng with reports from Bernadette G. Irinco
