FILIPINO author Eros Sanchez Atalia won big at the 72nd Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, held at the Philippine International Convention Center on Friday night.

A survivor of COVID-19 and a longtime writer of novels, short stories, and poems, Mr. Atalia received the Grand Prize for the Nobela category for Thirty Virgins and was inducted into the Palanca Hall of Fame for the remarkable feat of winning 1st Prize five times in various categories.

The Palanca’s Novel and Nobela categories are open only every two years.

Mr. Atalia’s winning novel is “inspired by real events.” It came about after the author watched a YouTube video about a woman who auctioned off her virginity.

“I wondered, what if this happened in the Philippines? I contextualized it and localized it, so we follow a main character with a financially troubled family who goes into this line of work,” Mr. Atalia told BusinessWorld at the sidelines of the awarding ceremony.

“Ayaw niya sana pero inalukan siya na mag-interbyu doon sa 30 virgins na binebenta ang virginity sa mga tao abroad for P1 million (The character is unwilling at first, but is offered to interview the 30 virgins who sell their virginity to people abroad for P1 million),” he explained.

He said that the challenge with local works about characters forced to operate in morally gray areas is “conveying their importance as stories that can’t be told in a regular classroom, in a Catholic setting.” He revealed that the goal is for the novel to be published by next year.

Meanwhile, University of the Philippines Diliman instructor Lakan Umali was the Grand Prize winner of the Novel category for The Ferdinand Project, a work where “humanity and empathy shine amid dark situations.”

Avoiding spoilers, Ms. Umali described the novel as a playful depiction of the Philippines today. “I think that with the absurdity and chaos of the world around us, we really have to find newer, more playful ways to talk about it without diminishing the gravity of our situation,” she said.

Ms. Umali, who is transgender, told BusinessWorld that this recognition she just received in the field of literature is “a small yet important step in trans representation, showing that queerness is not just political football, but proof of trans people’s existence.”

She hopes to revise her novel based on feedback from her master’s degree thesis advisers at the UP College of Arts and Letters.

NEW HALL OF FAMERSAside from Mr. Atalia, three other writers made it this year to the Palanca Hall of Fame, which now totals 30 people.

Cagayan de Oro-based poet Mikael de Lara Co got the award following a win in the Tula category with “Panayam sa Abo.” He also won in this same category last year, with “Epistolaryo ng Bagamundo at ang tugon ng Multo.”

Playwrights and friends Joshua Lim So and Miguel Antonio Alfredo Luarca each entered the elite circle with prizes in the play categories. Mr. So’s Pagkapit Sa Hangin garnered first place as a Filipino one-act play, while Mr. Luarca’s Corridors clinched first place in the English full-length play category.

For Mr. Atalia, being a Hall of Famer legitimizes one’s work. “These are experts, writers, academics, literary scholars who appreciate your work,” he explained.

“Nakakatuwa kasi parang naka-tsamba ulit, ‘di ba? Pang-limang tsamba na! (It’s exciting because it still feels like luck, you know? Like you lucked out for the fifth time!)”

The Awards also honored the achievements of 31 new writers from a total of 54 awardees in four divisions: Kabataan, English, Filipino, and Regional Languages.

HOW WE WRITEAcclaimed Filipino filmmaker Jun Robles Lana was the guest of honor and speaker at this year’s ceremony and the recipient of the Gawad Dangal ng Lahi award.

Mr. Lana has won 12 Palanca Awards prizes and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006. His award-winning films include Mga Kwentong Barbero, Anino sa Likod ng Buwan, Die Beautiful, Kalel, 15, and About Us But Not About Us, his timely stories reflecting contributions to both Philippine literature and cinema.

In his speech, Mr. Lana posed the question: “How do we write in this complex present?”

It is in the context of a fast-changing world inundated with data that he questioned writers’ influence.

“There was a time when we imagined that it was the lack of information that was keeping us in a dictatorship, yet the present has proven us wrong. We now have the information, but how many of us would be able to say that this has brought an exponential growth in our audiences, or that it has meant better conversations?”

Mr. Lana cited the difficulty Filipinos have in determining what are facts, propaganda, and unjustified opinions. He shared his experience as a storyteller and filmmaker, making connections with others who helped nurture his talent and accompany him in navigating the burden of speaking truth in a complicated world.

He concluded: “We write by breaking the silence and the voice of the voiceless, for those who have been marginalized and forgotten, those who struggle in the shadows and the sea and the earth. We write by illuminating stories that would otherwise be kept in the dark, no matter how challenging, because those stories are the ones that will shape our future.” — Brontë H. Lacsamana

ENGLISH DIVISIONNovel

1st Prize — The Ferdinand Project by Lakan Ma. Mg. D. Umali

2nd Prize — The People’s Republic of Negros by Michael Aaron Gomez

Short Story

1st prize — “Muted City” by Jan Kevin M. Rivera

2nd Prize — “The Man Who Sold Dignity” by Antonio Hernandez

3rd Prize — “Bee Happy” by Kiefer Adrian Z. Occeño

Short Story for Children

1st Prize — NO WINNER

2nd Prize — NO WINNER

3rd Prize — “A Young Poet Dreams of a Hundred Words that Rhyme with Maynila” by Edgar C. Samar

Essay

1st Prize — “Ghost-hunting in Sagada” by Lioba Asia E. Piluden

2nd Prize — “Another Hope Entirely” by Kara Danielle Eraña Medina

3rd Prize — “A Personal History of Sea Urchins” by Jade Mark B. Capiñanes

Poetry

1st Prize — “Silangan” by Joel M. Toledo

2nd Prize — “La Muerte De La Luz” by Lyde Gerard Sison Villanueva

3rd Prize — “We Are Not Yet Lost” by Ana Maria Segunda K. Lacuesta

Poetry Written for Children

1st Prize — “Every Year, J Gained a Power” by Edgar C. Samar

2nd Prize — “Where are the Dinosaurs?” by Stacy Haynie Bolislis Ayson

3rd Prize — “Thirteen Ways of Looking at Books” by Peter Solis Nery

One-act Play

1st Prize — Unidentified by Eljay Castro Deldoc

2nd Prize — The Impossible Dream by Miguel Antonio Alfredo V. Luarca

3rd Prize — Line Up by Kenneth Theodore Cheng Keng

Full-length Play

1st Prize — Corridors by Miguel Antonio Alfredo V. Luarca

2nd Prize — Birdie by Dustin Edward D. Celestino

3rd Prize — The Echoist by Emilio Antonio Babao Guballa

FILIPINO DIVISIONNobela

1st Prize — Thirty Virgins by Eros Sanchez Atalia

Special Prize — NO WINNER

Maikling Kuwento

1st Prize — “Gagambang-bahay” by Mark Anthony Angeles

2nd Prize — “Siya si Ril” by Hannah A. Leceña

3rd Prize — “Ang Lungga” by Aljane C. Baterna

Maikling Kuwentong Pambata

1st Prize — “Musikong Bumbong” by Christopher S. Rosales

2nd Prize — “Si Bambalito, ang Batang Bayani ng Bangkusay” by Brian James S. Camaya

3rd Prize — “Atang Para kay Nanang Toyang” by John Patrick F. Solano

Sanaysay

1st Prize — “Tulambuhay ng Isang Makatang Laway” by Tomas F. Agulto

2nd Prize — “Autoetnograpiya ng Luksa” by David R. Corpuz

3rd Prize — “Love Child” by Adelle Liezl Chua

Tula

1st Prize — “Panayam sa Abo” by Mikael de Lara Co

2nd Prize — “Paa, Tuhod, Balikat ng Tagakaulo: Higatang sa Pangil ng Pana-panahong Pagkalugmok” by John Dave B. Pacheco

3rd Prize — “Dugo ng Aking Dugo” by John Brixter M. Tino

Tula Para Sa Mga Bata

1st Prize — “Anak ng Baha! Mga Tulang Pambata” by John Romeo Leongson Venturero

2nd Prize — “Saklolo, Trak ng Bumbero!” by John Michael G. Londres

3rd Prize — “Add to Cart at iba pang mga Tula” by Eros Sanchez Atalia

Dulang May Isang Yugto

1st Prize — Pagkapit Sa Hangin by Joshua Lim So

2nd Prize — Vengeance of the Gods by Hans Pieter Luyun Arao

3rd Prize — Ang Trahedya ni Bert by U Z. Eliserio

Dulang Ganap ang Haba

1st Prize — NO WINNER

2nd Prize — Ardor by Miguel Antonio Alfredo V. Luarca

3rd Prize — Ka Amado by Andrew Aquino Estacio

Dulang Pampelikula

1st prize — Championship by Andrew Bonifacio L. Clete

2nd Prize — Paglilitis by Raymund T. Barcelon

3rd Prize — Dobol by Rian Jay G. Hernandez

REGIONAL DIVISIONShort Story-Cebuano

1st Prize — “Pamalandong ni Antigo Mokayat” by Michael Aaron Gomez

2nd Prize — “Anino” by Reynaldo A. Caturza

3rd Prize — “Maninibya” by Gracelda I. Lina

Short Story-Hiligaynon

1st Prize — “Ang Liwat nga Paglupad ni Lolo” by Serafin I. Plotria, Jr.

2nd Prize — “Labô” by Bryan Mari Argos

3rd Prize — “Anagas, Anagas, Baylo ’Ta Ngalan” by Al Jeffrey L. Gonzales

Short Story-Ilokano

1st Prize — “Panaggawid” by Neyo E. Valdez

2nd Prize — “Uram” by Ma. Lourdes Ladi Opinaldo

3rd Prize — “Anniniwan” by Prodie Gar. Padios

KABATAAN DIVISIONSanaysay

1st Prize — “Dito sa Kanlungan ng Hiraya’t Katotohanan” by Glorious Zahara Exylin C. Alesna

2nd Prize — “Sinulid at Buhay” by Raya T. Mitra

3rd Prize — “Bura, Sulat” by Lancelot MJ T. Edillor

Essay

1st Prize — “The Digital Snowball” by Brant Angelo S. Ambes

2nd Prize — “My Humanly Unhuman Friend” by Ruth Mecanelle Magolhado

3rd Prize — “Some Things Must Never Change” by Glorious Zahara Exylin C. Alesna