NATIONAL Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera and two other Thomasian writers were honored at the 59th Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, the country’s most prestigious literary contest.
Lumbera, a UST Journalism graduate and a former Varsitarian literary editor, was conferred the Dangal ng Lahi Award during the awarding ceremonies held at the Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City on September 1. The award recognizes individuals who have significantly excelled in their field of expertise.
“A writer can be truly confident that his winning works are creations that brought honor to his name. The only expectation from you is you continue creating works that are artistic and meaningful in the days to come,” Lumbera said in his speech.
Lumbera was the recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts in 1993, and the Gawad Cultural Center of the Philippines para sa Sining in 1998. In 2002, the Varsitarian awarded him the Parangal Hagbong.
Another Varsitarian alumnus, Michael Coroza, bagged second prize in the Maikling Kuwentong Pambata category for his “Ang mga Kahon ni Kalon,” and third prize in the Tulang Isinulat para sa mga Bata for “Munting Daigdig ng Dalit at Awit.” Rogelio Braga, a political science graduate, also placed second in the Maikling Kuwento category for his story “MGA.”
Coroza teaches Filipino at the Ateneo de Manila University, while Braga is currently taking up his master’s degree in History at the University of San Carlos in Cebu.
