First-time winners rule at Palanca Awards’ Diamond year

But veteran is the big winner with 3 nods in play categories

FOR the 75^th or Diamond Jubilee year of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, 54 winners were chosen out of 2,359 entries, a record-high in the awards history. Of the 54, 36 were first-time awardees.

The ceremony, which annually recognizes Filipinos who exhibit the gold standard in writing excellence, was held in Makati City on Wednesday night.

There were 20 writing categories awarded as the Novel and Nobela categories were not open this year. These categories are open only every two years.

One of the first-time winners was Joan D. Saga-oc, a member of the Philippine Air Force, who was the Essay category grand prize winner for “Echoes of Life in a Kalinga Village: Past and Present.” The essay highlights her native Kalinga culture and conveys the importance of preserving traditions. It will be part of her upcoming self-published book about Kalinga village life.

“I didn’t even know about the Palancas. I heard about it from another author I met in Baguio,” she told BusinessWorld at the awards night. “So I went home and researched it. And I wrote my essay about three separate events of how life used to be in the village, the changes we have now, the vanishing past. It’s very personal.”

Ms. Saga-oc added that because she is self-published, her previous works are found only at Mt. Cloud Bookshop in Baguio City, though they are available to order through her online pages.

“This is a cultural responsibility, especially folk tales, which nobody is sharing anymore because they’re mostly oral. That’s why I decided to write them down and publish them,” she said.

Another first-time awardee was researcher Aldrine F. Anzures, who won the grand prize in the Dulang Isang Yugto category. His one-act play, Anino ng Pagtubos, is a conversation between two hitmen while drinking together, tackling themes of guilt and the human capacity for violence.

“I was more haunted by the idea of the story, of hitmen killing for different reasons,” he told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of the ceremony. “I wanted to see them conversing about that act, to confront the humanity of these people.”

Mr. Anzures explained that he had previously submitted his play to be staged, but it was not accepted — and that he is still working on improving it for it to be performed in the future. He said the Palanca win has validated that there is something to the story.

“It’s a lesson that, sometimes, there are plays that read well but aren’t ready yet for performance,” he said. “I never gave up on it because it’s my first time ever to write a play.”

BIG WINNER

The big winner that evening was playwright and filmmaker Dustin Celestino, who won first place for a full-length play in English with Fidelity, third place for a full-length play in Filipino (with no other winners) for A.NI.MAL, and second place for a one-act play in Filipino for Elehiya.

“This was not expected at all! Although I send several submissions every year, I don’t expect most of them to win,” he told BusinessWorld via Messenger. “At the end of the day, any competition about art is extremely subjective. This year, I had time to write for five categories, so winning three is definitely a pleasant surprise.”

Mr. Celestino’s works, whether for film or theater, are a hybrid of both forms, with dialogue-heavy scenes, long takes, and actors performing as if on stage. They are usually political in nature and reference current events, which for him means “they demand urgency.”

“I think our best-received works are films that we’re able to exhibit while the issues portrayed are still relevant. But, in our experience, it’s always two to three years delayed,” he said. His Palanca-winning play from 2019, Ang Duyan ng Magiting, was filmed and released at Cinemalaya in 2023.

He added that A.NI.MAL, about the corruption scandals of 2025, will “only be a year late,” as it is to be filmed and released at Cinemalaya in 2026. Meanwhile, Elehiya will be used for the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Virgin Labfest theater festival in 2026.

“When writing, I don’t decide whether something is a play or a film, because I freely adapt between media,” Mr. Celestino added. “It is a process I enjoy, because every adaptation teaches me more about the limits, as well as the advantages, of each art form.”

PASSING THE TORCH

The Palanca Awards, after 75 years, is an important avenue for writers to pursue different opportunities, said Dr. Ruth Elynia D. Mabanglo, poet, playwright, translator, educator, and guest of honor at this year’s ceremony.

In 1995, Ms. Mabanglo was the first woman inducted into the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature Hall of Fame. Her published works include “Anyaya ng Imperyalista,” “Gahasa at Iba Pang Tula,” and “Balada ni Lola Amonita.”

“The Palanca Awards opened many doors for me, the most consequential of which was to go to Hawaii,” she said in her speech. “At the University of Hawaii, I became the head of the program offering a Bachelor’s degree in Filipino and Philippine literature outside of the Philippines.”

For her, the new generations of awardees, beyond being recognized, should be able to pursue their own opportunities.

Meanwhile, Criselda Cecilio-Palanca, who represented the family behind the award, pointed out in a speech that it means a lot for the awards to be standing strong amid “bewildering times, with the world experiencing many challenges.”

“We realize that we cannot afford to stay stuck in our comfort zones in the midst of a fast-evolving and ever-confounding landscape. We see before our eyes the swift passing of the digital torch through generations, even as we grapple with the increasing intrusion of ChatGPT and AI in writer territory,” she said.

Established in 1950 in memory of Don Carlos Palanca, Sr., the Palanca Awards aims to develop Philippine literature by providing incentives for writers, to serve as a treasury of Philippine literary gems, and to assist in their dissemination. — Brontë H. Lacsamana

Winners of the 2025 Palanca Awards

FILIPINO DIVISION
Maikling Kuwento

1^st Prize — “Isang Kahong Cassette Tapes” by Lee Joseph M. Castel

2^nd Prize — “Myrna, Aso” by Gilbert M. Baldoza

3^rd Prize — “Ang Ilusyon a Kulay ng Ating Budhi” by Ronaldo S. Vivo, Jr.

Maikling Kuwentong Pambata

1^st Prize — “Ginoong Buwan” by Elyrah Loyola Salanga-Torralba

2^nd Prize — “Problema Ko Si Nanay” by Genaro R. Gojo Cruz

3^rd Prize — “Si Tala Sa Mahiwagang Pila Ng Jeep” by Dawn Gabriela Emmanuele G. Dela Rosa

Sanaysay

1^st Prize — “Ari” by John Brixter M. Tino

2^nd Prize — “Si Richard Gappi at Ako” by Filliffe Rae Anthonie C. Anorico

3^rd Prize — “Ang Apat Kong Ina” by Angela Cabanes

Tula

1^st Prize — “Paghimbing sa Templo” by Ronald A. Atilano

2^nd Prize — “Guho” by Alvin C. Ursua

3^rd Prize — “Doomsaying” by Karl Isaac M. Santos

Tula Para Sa Mga Bata

1^st Prize — “Mga Minatamis na Taludtod” by Christopher S. Rosales

2^nd Prize — “Unang Tibok ng Pusong Musmos” by Genaro R. Gojo Cruz

3^rd Prize — “Ang Salita ay Isang Ugat” by Klara Domagtoy Espedido

Dulang May Isang Yugto

1^st Prize — Anino ng Pagtubos by Aldrine F. Anzures

2^nd Prize — Elehiya by Dustin Edward D. Celestino

3^rd Prize — Dantay sa Patay by Rouchelle Dinglasan

DULANG GANAP ANG HABA
1^st Prize — NO WINNER

2^nd Prize — NO WINNER

3^rd Prize — A.NI.MAL by Dustin Edward D. Celestino

DULANG PAMPELIKULA
1^st Prize — Ang Birheng Ipinagkanulo by Christopher T. Cabahug

2^nd Prize — Watsonville by Rodolfo C. Vera

3^rd Prize — Mga Kalapating Matayog ang Lipad by Arjanmar H. Rebeta

ENGLISH DIVISION
Short Story

1^st Prize — “Goat” by Al Ryanne G. Gatcho

2^nd Prize — “Golgotha” by Enrico Miguel Perez

3^rd Prize — “Milked For Milk” by Christopher D. Gabriel

Short Story for Children

1^st Prize — “Captain Crayon and the Doodle Pirates” by John Bryan R. Balolong

2^nd Prize — “That’s What I Said” by Manuelita Contreras-Cabrera

3^rd Prize — “Kapid” by Bryan Mari J. Argos

Essay

1^st Prize — “Echoes of Life in a Kalinga Village: Past and Present” by Joan D. Saga-Oc

2^nd Prize — “The Cemetery Playlist” by Catherine S. Babao

3^rd Prize — “Autoethnography of a Hermit Crab” by Mark Alden Arcenal

Poetry

1^st Prize — “Translocation” by Jan Dennis S. Destajo

2^nd Prize — “Strange, Black Silhouettes” by Alfonso G. Manalastas

3^rd Prize — “Exodus 15” by Ryan Paul T. Caidic

Poetry Written for Children

1^st Prize — “All The Worlds I Know” by Cyne Jarvis J. Zarceno

2^nd Prize — “Wonders In The Whirlwind: Poems to Make You Think, Dream, and Do” by Junard P. Duterte

3^rd Prize — “Words That Wiggle and Dance” by Salvacion D. Tandoc

One-Act Play

1^st Prize — Repatriation by Russell Stanley Q. Geronimo

2^nd Prize — The Field of Forgotten Dreams by Nicolo Ricardo C. Magno

3^rd Prize — One-Winged Butterfly by Debbie Ann L. Tan

Full-Length Play

1^st Prize — Fidelity by Dustin Edward D. Celestino

2^nd Prize — LVNA by Rafael Paolo D. Jimenez

3^rd Prize — The President’s Therapist by Salvacion D. Tandoc

REGIONAL DIVISION
Short Story-Cebuano

1^st Prize — “Ang Kataposang Bato sa Isla Pangaea” by Jose Alenogene I. Limpangog

2^nd Prize — “Unglo” by CD L. Borden

3^rd Prize — “Samin” by Kenjiro P. Mitsui

Short Story-Hiligaynon

1^st Prize — “Anaw” by Keft Sina-On Sobredo

2^nd Prize — “Binakol” by Rex Menard L. Cervales

3^rd Prize — “Bagat” by Al Jeffrey L. Gonzales

Short Story-Ilokano

1^st Prize — “Ni Inang Cion ken ti Panagur-urayna” by Freddie P. Masuli

2^nd Prize — “Ti Bannuar Ti Bario Tabueng” by Lito P. Hilidon

3^rd Prize — “Fireplace” by Prudencio G. Padios

KABATAAN DIVISION
Sanaysay

1^st Prize — “Tamang Pagluto ng Sinigang” by Joshua P. Manio

2^nd Prize — “Enter Prompt: Ma, Sorry Po!” by Jhanna Louise C. Amado

3^rd Prize — “Suki Ako ng Pagod” by Euna P. Oraiz

Essay

1^st Prize — “The Salt Sermon” by John Carl Ll. Guardian

2^nd Prize — “Everything is Made Up” by Charisse Mae M. Gonzalo

3^rd Prize — “Ctrl + V? No Thanks” by Celestin Nicole R. Facistol