THE ATENEO community continues its excellence in creative writing with a total of five winners in the 64th Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards (CPMA) held on September 1 at the Rigodon Ballroom of the Peninsula Manila Hotel.

Management engineering sophomore Vicah Villanueva was awarded second place in the Kabataan Essay, English Division category with her essay titled, “Adrift on a Promise.”

Moreover, Filipino Department Assistant Professor Alvin Yapan, PhD received the top prize in the Maikling Kuwento, Filipino Division category with his piece entitled, “Ang Bugtong ng Manok at Agila.”

Fine Arts Program Lecturer Ana Maria Katigbak-Lacuesta earned first place as well in the Poetry, English Division category with her poem, “We Won’t Be Tending Gardens.”

Likewise, Mikael De Lara Co (BS ES ‘03) grabbed third place in the same category with his poem titled, “This Tender Gravity.”

Another alumna, Ma. Nicola Loretto Sebastian (AB LIT ENG ‘08), was awarded first in the Essay, English Division category with her work, “The Salt Price.”

Raising awareness

This year’s Kabataan Essay entries answered the following question: “How can the youth help in natural disaster preparedness in the country?”

For Villanueva, her response was influenced by personal experiences.

In her essay, the Iloilo native recalled when her home was flooded when Typhoon Frank hit her province in 2008. She lamented the fact that she and her family could have been more prepared if they had known of the incoming flood.

She also noted that in her high school, students would always be oriented about safety procedures. However, everyone would be disinterested because these protocols were yet to be put to use.

Villanueva said in a mix of English and Filipino, “[The essay] promotes awareness of usual safety procedures during disasters, but at the same time, [examines] our own response, the response of the youth during disasters, and how they can help.”

The two-time Palanca awardee expressed her happiness at receiving the award: “I was having a really bad, stressful week during that time, so let’s just say [winning a Palanca] was a silver lining during that week.”

Reigniting the flame

Yapan’s award-winning short story marked his re-entry into creative writing after a brief hiatus, during which he pursued filmmaking and screenwriting.

“I was actually doubting, having second thoughts [and] doubting myself with whether I could still go back to writing short stories [or not],” he admitted.

However, he said his love for the craft ultimately made him return to the field of creative writing. “I wanted to go back and hone myself again in writing fiction.”

“Ang Bugtong ng Manok at Agila” is inspired by an article that Yapan read back in 2008. The story is about a tribal Filipino farmer named Bryan Balo-on, who was arrested and fined P100,000 for eating an endangered Philippine eagle.

“There’s a law prohibiting us from killing these birds, but of course, the tribal Filipino doesn’t know of the law. Pero, kinulong pa rin siya (But he was still imprisoned). So, for me, it’s a very disturbing news report where issues of human rights and animal rights are being pitted against each other,” he explained.

Yapan initially wrote this short story as an addition to a book, an anthology of all of his short stories, that he will be releasing this year.

“It’s long overdue… People are asking when I will come up with my anthology of short stories, so I thought this year, since I am taking a rest from filmmaking, I could focus on publishing my short stories,” he said.

Yapan’s award this year marks his fifth win in the Maikling Kuwento, Filipino Division category, three of which are first place finishes. For him, however, this latest victory is especially “emotional and significant.”

“It’s a pat on the back that I got to be noticed again in the field of fiction, [which is] where I first got noticed,” he said.

Continuing the passion

Katigbak-Lacuesta is no stranger to the CPMA, having won twice before in the Poetry, English Division category; she won third and second place in 2005 and 2009, respectively.

She said that one’s initial motivation in joining the CPMA stems from trying to gain a foothold in the creative writing industry. “In anyone’s early experience with the contest, the motivation for joining would be street cred.”

With her poem this year, however, her source of inspiration and motivation came when she was writing a book and was not looking for any other project to do.

“I felt a strong creative energy at work that seemed to have no motive or end in sight. That’s why I knew I had to trust it and see where it led me. It was beyond ego or ambition. Even though I felt somewhat depleted after the completion of my book, I knew I had to write this collection [of poems],” she said.

Katigbak-Lacuesta explained that “We Won’t Be Tending Gardens” is a collection of poems about migration and western exoticism. “It’s also about how language has no fixed geography.”

Katigbak-Lacuesta was “over the moon” when she first learned that her poem had won, but admitted she wanted to keep her win to herself initially.

“It was this large emotion I felt very possessive of—you’re bursting at the seams but it’s a private joy,” she admitted.

Editor’s note: Vicah P. Villanueva is a member of The GUIDON Inquiry Staff.