THREE UST Graduate School alumni were cited as outstanding writers by the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL) in the 19th Gawad Balagtas Rites last Aug. 27 at the Intellectual Property Office, Quezon City.
Prof. Florentino Hornedo, who teaches Philosophy and Literature at the Graduate School and the Faculty of Arts and Letters, was awarded the Gawad Balagtas under the essay category.
“The award was not that important for me, although it is very much appreciated. Because for me, what is important is that people read your work and appreciate it, award winning or not,” Hornedo told the Varsitarian.
Hornedo graduated bachelor of Secondary Education at UST in 1961, recieved his doctorate in Literature from the Graduate School in 1977, and a post-doctorate in History and Political Science from the Graduate School in 1985 and 1988. Hornedo has received several awards such as the 1989 Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature in Essay, The Outstanding Thomasian Alumnus (TOTAL) Award for the Arts and Humanities, the National Catholic Authors Award, and the Pilak Award for Philippines.
Merlinda Bobis, who took her Master’s degree in Literature in 1987, was awarded the Gawad Balagatas for Poetry and Fiction.
Bobis has recieved awarded internationally like the Australian Writers’ Guild Award, Ian Reed Radio Drama Prize, International Prix Italia, Steele Rudd Award for the Best Published Collection of Australian Short Stories, Judges’ Choice Award at the Bumbershoot Bookfair in the Seattle Arts Festival.
Bobis is currently based in Australia where she teaches Creative Writing at the University of Wollongong.
Stage actress and playwright Rustica Carpio who obtained her doctorate in Literature, meritissmus, in the Graduate School in 1980 was also awarded Gawad Paz Marquez Benitez as Bukod Tanging Guro ng Panitikan.
Carpio founded Mass Communication in Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila and holds professorial chair in Humanities at the UST Graduate School.
The Gawad Balagtas Awards is given out by the 32-year-old UMPIL to unite Filipino writers and to promote Philippine literature. Marc Laurenze C. Celis
