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5 moments that made the Palanca Awards Diamond Jubilee celebration unforgettable
The Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature (Palanca Awards), the longest-running and most prestigious literary competition in the Philippines, recently celebrated its Diamond Jubilee or 75 years since the first awards were conferred in 1951.
In case you missed it, here’s a roundup of five moments from that unforgettable night.
1. Diamond Jubilee: A trip down memory lane
The night’s program started by taking the audience on a trip down memory lane tracing the history of the Palanca Awards through a collection of photos and videos from past ceremonies.
“It all began on September 1, 1951 with the vision of one man—Don Carlos Palanca, Jr. One man who believed the need to recognize and honor our country’s literary writers; who understood that you cannot build a nation without supporting the people who are able to build national identity and pride, the artists and writers who ultimately touch hearts and minds,” Mrs. Criselda “Dang” Cecilio-Palanca shared.
As a repository of literary treasures, the Palanca Awards maintains an archive of over 2,000 winning works from 1951 to the present, and it’s open to the public for viewing.
2. Winners take center stage
On this Diamond Jubilee year, the total number of entries reached a historic high of 2,359, proving that Philippine literature is very much alive in this generation’s authors, poets, and playwrights.
The night’s 54 winners span across 20 writing categories in four divisions, namely, Kabataan, English, Filipino, and Regional Languages. Three winners bagged multiple prizes: Mr. Genaro R. Gojo Cruz - 2nd Prize Maikling Kuwentong Pambata, 2nd Prize Tula Para sa mga Bata; Ms. Salvacion D. Tandoc - 3rd Prize Poetry Written for Children, 3rd Prize Full-Length Play; Mr. Dustin Edward D. Celestino - 2nd Prize Dulang May Isang Yugto, 3rdPrize Dulang Ganap ang Haba, 1st Prize Full-Length Play.
3. A cultural welcome for foreign guests
Also gracing the night are distinguished guests from the diplomatic corps, giving Philippine literature a wider, global audience through the ambassadors in attendance. Present during the event were Her Excellency Constance See, Ambassador of the Republic of Singapore to the Philippines; Her Excellency Anna Pernilla Ferry, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to the Philippines, her spouse, Mr. Alexandre Ferry, and Ms. Athena Cartagena, Communication and Political Officer of the Embassy of Sweden in Manila; Her Excellency Emma Hickey, Ambassador of Ireland to the Philippines; Atty. Vicente Carlos, Consul General of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire to the Philippines, and his wife, Madame Cristina Carlos; Mr. M. Issam Eldebs, Consul General of Syrian Arab Republic to the Philippines; Mrs. Maria Thummasorn Jensen, Second Secretary of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Manila, and her spouse, Mr. Jørund Hansen; Mr. Juan Antonio Carlos, Vice Honorary Consul of Côte d’Ivoire to the Philippines, and his wife, Madame Sheila Carlos.
(L-R) Madame Cristina Carlos, Mrs. Anne Nicole Palanca, and Her Excellency Constance See, Ambassador of the Republic of Singapore to the Philippines
Mrs. Anne Nicole Palanca, Mr. Alexandre Ferry, Her Excellency Anna Pernilla Ferry, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to the Philippines, Mr. Carlos Palanca IV, and Ms. Athena Cartagena, Communication and Political Officer of the Embassy of Sweden in Manila.
Mrs. Anne Nicole Palanca, Mrs. Maria Thummasorn Jensen, Second Secretary of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Manila, Mr. Jørund Hansen, and Mr. Carlos Palanca IV
Mr. M. Issam Eldebs, Consul General of Syrian Arab Republic to the Philippines (center) together with Mr. Carl Anthony Palanca (left) and Mr. Carlos Palanca IV (right)
Her Excellency Emma Hickey, Ambassador of Ireland to the Philippines (center) together with Mrs. Anne Nicole Palanca and Mr. Carlos Palanca IV
4. First Woman in the Palanca Hall of Fame, Gawad Dangal ng Lahi awardee
(left photo) Guest of Honor and Speaker Dr. Ruth Elynia Mabanglo [center] receives the Gawad Dangal ng Lahi Award and Medal from Mrs. Criselda “Dang” Cecilio-Palanca and Mr. Carlos Palanca IV; assisting Dr. Mabanglo are Ms. Karina Bolasco and Ms. Alma Miclat
(right photo) Dr. Ruth Elynia Mabanglo gives a personal account of her life and career in her keynote speech during the Palanca Awards Diamond Jubilee celebration
The Guest of Honor and Speaker that night was Dr. Ruth Elynia Mabanglo, who recounted how the Palanca Awards shaped her life and career. It helped embolden Dr. Mabanglo—the first woman inducted into the Palanca Awards Hall of Fame for having five first-prize winning works—to pursue the opportunities that opened for her, eventually leading to a long and influential academic career at the University of Hawaii. She taught there for 30 years and retired as a professor emeritus.
“Thanks to Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature which opened many doors for me, the most consequential of which was to Hawaii. Thank you to Dr. Teresita Ramos who took note of my expertise in Filipino and Philippine literature. Dr. Ramos was also my ‘kasangga,’ my partner in forming and developing the Bachelor of Arts degree in Filipino language and Philippine literature outside the Philippines,” Dr. Mabanglo said in her speech. “In my life, I lovingly look back at this with affection and profound gratitude.”
Dr. Mabanglo was conferred the Gawad Dangal ng Lahi, an accolade given by the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature to honor those who have excelled prominently in their field of expertise and have aptly become role models for the Filipino citizenry.
5. Hall of Fame awardees and National Artists for Literature also in attendance
(seated L-R) National Artist for Literature Dr. Virgilio Almario, Mrs. Emelina Almario, Dr. Ruth Elynia Mabanglo; (standing L-R) Palanca Awards Hall of Fame awardee Dr. Luis Gatmaitan, Mr. Carlos Palanca IV, Ms. Alma Miclat, Mr. Edward Cabagnot, Dr. Ani Rosa Almario, and Ms. Frances Ong
(seated L-R) Palanca Awards Hall of Fame awardee Dr. Jose “Butch” Dalisay, Jr., National Artist for Literature Dr. Gémino Abad; (standing L-R) Mrs. June Dalisay, Dr. Sheila Yap, Ms. Tes Teng, and Mrs. Criselda “Dang” Cecilio-Palanca
It was a star-studded night as the Philippines’ most prominent literary figures gathered for the evening’s revelry. Joining the celebration are the National Artists for Literature Dr. Virgilio Almario and Dr. Gémino Abad, and the other Palanca Hall of Famers including Mr. Eros Atalia, Mr. Miguel Antonio Alfredo Luarca, Mr. Mikael de Lara Co, Mr. Rodolfo Vera, Dr. Reuel Molina Aguila, Atty. Nicolas Pichay, Dr. Luis Gatmaitan, Mr. Alfred “Krip” Yuson, and Dr. Jose “Butch” Dalisay, Jr.
2014 Palanca Hall of Fame awardee Mr. Rodolfo Vera joined the Palanca Awards Diamond Jubilee celebration as a winner anew, bagging 2ndPrize in the Dulang Pampelikula category for “Watsonville”; with him on stage are (L-R) Mrs. Nemesia Bermejo, Mr. Charles Cristopher Palanca, Mrs. Anne Nicole Palanca, and Mr. F.M. Reyes, a member of the panel of judges
2024 Palanca Hall of Fame awardees Mr. Eros Atalia (left) and Mr. Mikael de Lara Co (center) joined the Palanca Awards Diamond Jubilee celebration as judges
2007 Palanca Hall of Fame awardee Atty. Nicolas Pichay graces the Palanca Awards Diamond Jubilee celebration (center) together with Mr. Edwin Saguibo (left), and Mr. Dominique Sepagan (right).
- END -
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The biggest winners at the 71st Palanca Awards
BY SUSAN CLAIRE AGBAYANI PUBLISHED NOV 28, 2023 2:34 AM
Nicole Angala Shy
“We all say awards don’t mean anything until you win them. And [winning a] Palanca award is a great honor. It’s a great institution,” said Miguel Antonio Alfredo Luarca, whose full-length plays in both English and Filipino won in the 71st Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature. The ceremony was held on Monday, Nov. 27 at the Philippine International Convention Center.
“The winning entry for the Dulang Ganap ng Haba titled Nekropolis is a dystopic play which I wrote in the U.S., and was staged by Tanghalang Pilipino in April this year,” said the playwright also known in theater circles as “Guelan.”
Luarca’s other winning entry, Dogsblood, won first place in the Full-Length Play category. “It’s an adaptation of Ajax—an imagined future, post-Duterte. Very bleak. [It’s about] a policeman whose eyes are slowly opened to the realities of the drug war; and how it’s a war against the poor, and it’s a political tool to neutralize the enemies of the administration,” he told PhilSTAR L!fe in an online interview.
“These two plays were crafted here in the U.S. My classmates have read these works, and have commented on them and critiqued them. My teachers are all excellent. I am learning so much,” continued Luarca, who is completing his MFA in Playwriting at Hunter College City University of New York.
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The 71st Palanca Awards took place on Monday, Nov. 27. Nicole Angala Shy
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71st Palanca Awards holds ceremony at historical PICC
by
dotdailydose
The Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature celebrated its 71st year, holding the awarding ceremony at the Philippine International Convention Center as part of its National Heritage Series.
This year, it added 30 new names—first-time awardees—in its prestigious list of the most prolific Filipino writers, poets, and playwrights. A total of 54 contestants received awards in 20 writing categories in four divisions: Kabataan, English, Filipino, and Regional Languages. Literary luminaries handpicked from their fields evaluated the 1,405 contest entries submitted.
Gracing the night as Guest of Honor and Speaker is award-winning children’s author, columnist, and radio host Luis P. Gatmaitan, M.D. Inducted into the Palanca Awards Hall of Fame in 2005, Dr. Gatmaitan expands his profession as a physician to write children’s storybooks addressing sensitive issues such as disabilities, childhood ailments, and children’s rights, among others. Currently, he is the Chairperson of the National Council for Children’s Television that oversees the implementation of a child-friendly landscape in Philippine Television.
Adding to his multiple local and international accolades was the night’s Gawad Dangal ng Lahi, a special citation granted by the Palanca Awards to those who have contributed immensely to the development of Philippine literature and have aptly become role models for Filipinos.
Named after businessman and philanthropist Don Carlos Palanca Sr. and sponsored by the Carlos Palanca Foundation Inc., the Palanca Awards is the longest-running and most prestigious literary competition in the country. It upholds the tradition of extending incentives for writers to continuously cultivate Philippine literature. A Palanca medal or recognition is highly coveted in the Filipino writing community here and abroad.
Since 1951, the Palanca Awards has conferred medals and certificates to a total of 2,526 Filipino authors, 26 of which became Hall of Fame awardees for having five first prize-winning works. In championing literature, the Palanca Awards also serves as a treasury of our literary gems, currently holding a total of 2,617 winning works in its archives, spanning the years 1951 to 2023.
Following is the list of winners of the 71st Palanca Awards:
Read more ...
71st Palanca Awards holds ceremony at historic PICC
BY CONTRIBUTOR ON NOVEMBER 28, 2023
THE CARLOS Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature celebrated its 71st year, holding the awarding ceremony at the Philippine International Convention Center as part of its National Heritage Series.
This year, it added 30 new names—first-time awardees—to its prestigious list of the most prolific Filipino writers, poets, and playwrights. A total of 54 contestants received awards in 20 writing categories in four divisions: Kabataan, English, Filipino, and Regional Languages. Literary luminaries handpicked from their fields evaluated the 1,405 contest entries submitted.
Gracing the night as Guest of Honor and Speaker is award-winning children’s author, columnist, and radio host Luis P. Gatmaitan, M.D. Inducted into the Palanca Awards Hall of Fame in 2005, Dr. Gatmaitan expanded his profession as a physician to write children’s storybooks addressing sensitive issues such as disabilities, childhood ailments, and children’s rights, among others. Currently, he is the Chairperson of the National Council for Children’s Television, which oversees the implementation of a child-friendly landscape in Philippine Television.
Adding to his multiple local and international accolades was the night’s Gawad Dangal ng Lahi, a special citation granted by the Palanca Awards to those who have contributed immensely to the development of Philippine literature and have aptly become role models for Filipinos.
Named after businessman and philanthropist Don Carlos Palanca Sr. and sponsored by the Carlos Palanca Foundation Inc., the Palanca Awards is the longest-running and most prestigious literary competition in the country. It upholds the tradition of extending incentives for writers to continuously cultivate Philippine literature. A Palanca medal or recognition is highly coveted in the Filipino writing community here and abroad.
Since 1951, the Palanca Awards has conferred medals and certificates to a total of 2,526 Filipino authors, 26 of whom became Hall of Fame awardees for having five first prize-winning works. In championing literature, the Palanca Awards also serves as a treasury of our literary gems, currently holding a total of 2,617 winning works in its archives, spanning the years 1951 to 2023.
Following is the list of winners of the 71st Palanca Awards:
Read more ...
54 writers win at the 71st Palanca Awards
By: Adrian Parungao - www.twitter.com/@inquirerdotnet @inquirerdotnet
INQUIRER.net / 03:45 PM November 28, 2023
MANILA, Philippines — The awarding ceremony for the 71st Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature was held on Monday at the Philippine International Convention Center.
Fifty-four winners across 20 categories in English, Filipino, and other Philippine regional languages were lauded. All in all, there are fifty-six winning works this year.
Below are the winners of the ceremony:
Read more ...
71st Palanca Awards holds ceremony at historical PICC
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