Nba 40

THE 40TH
NATIONAL
BOOK AWARDS
13 MAY 2023
NATIONAL BOOK DEVELOPMENT BOARD

MANILA CRITICS CIRCLE
THE 40TH
NATIONAL
BOOK AWARDS
13 MAY 2023
NATIONAL BOOK DEVELOPMENT BOARD

MANILA CRITICS CIRCLE
National Book Development Board
3F–4F Regalado Hive Building, Regalado Avenue
Fairview Park Subdivision, Fairview, Quezon City 1118
Ⓒ 2023 National Book Development Board (NBDB) and Manila Critics Circle (MCC)
All rights reserved. All works of authors and artists that appear in this publication are reserved.
Editorial Team
Anthony John Balisi, Julie Anne Campollo, Kathrine Dean, Florelyn Micua, Catherine Orda, Addie Pobre,
and Marc Vincent Soriano
40th National Book Awards
NBDB
CHAIR'S
MESSAGE
Dante Francis "Klink" Ang II

Chair, National Book Development Board
To our authors, artists, publishers, distinguished guests, I am honored to

welcome all of you today here at the historic Manila Metropolitan Theater to
celebrate our country’s finest literary talents. This is a day to remember, as
we at the National Book Development Board, together with the Manila Critics
Circle, will recognize the enterprising creative labor behind the most
outstanding Filipino books written, designed, and published in 2021.
This cycle of the National Book Awards (NBA) is a milestone in many ways.
For one, it officially marks the 40th edition of this prestigious award, which
has been honoring Filipino books since it was started by the Manila Critics
Circle in 1982. The awards had to be postponed during the peak of the
pandemic, but as we gather once more, the 40th National Book Awards
should be enough of a reassurance that we will always bounce back from
disruptions to reassert the depth and breadth of Filipino creativity brought to
life by the tireless efforts of the publishing industry.
The 40th cycle of the NBA is a testament to how far contemporary Philippine
literature has come. Since the 1980s, the awards has seen how our great
writers today such as our National Artists for Literature, Gémino Abad, Virgilio
Almario, and Resil Mojares started and have become masters of their craft.
Likewise, the awards has highlighted works showcasing the diverse tapestry
of the story of the nation, weaving the highs and lows, joys and loneliness,
and triumphs and tragedies of Filipinos across the archipelago. It is a
celebration of the exemplary attempt to capture through words, people,
places, and events that best describe who we are as Filipinos. The
tumultuous, transformational period of our nation in the '80s was documented
in a book of bold journalistic vignettes that was among the first recipients of a
National Book Award.
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NBDB
CHAIR'S
MESSAGE
The same period was satirized in a novel in Filipino by Jun Cruz Reyes, the
so-called “enfant terrible” of Philippine letters, and for which he also
received his second NBA. Prior to the onset of the 2000s, we recorded our
aspirations in travel narratives tracing many distant lands elsewhere and
beyond the nation. In the early years of the new millennium, our award-
winning comic books opened us up to the exciting, fantastical worlds of
mythology.
These stories would not have come to fruition without our publishers who
ensure that every manuscript goes through a tight chain of processes so
that every reader gets nothing less than they deserve.
At this year’s 40th National Book Awards, the winning works and finalists
reflect the many intersections of our past, present, and future. A book of
poetry, for instance, transcreates our history through its unflinching
reinterpretation of characters of a novel that remains in our national
consciousness. Our collective grief about the crises we are facing today,
from the pandemic to climate change, is told in a collection of short stories
and anthology to signify that perhaps, it is through each other that we can
find the audacity of hope that will propel us out of uncertainty. In this period
of ecological crisis, a book of philosophy urges us to remake our future by
looking inward—to come face to face with ourselves in order to move
towards repentance and rebirth.
Books as an essential, material medium of our development as humans and

as a country endure. It is with this conviction that we at the NBDB promise
to continue supporting our stakeholders. With the MCC and our other
partner organizations in the industry, the NBDB will keep working to bring
our publishing industry to greater heights as we usher in a new era.
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NBDB
CHAIR'S
MESSAGE
We have a lot in store for this year—aside from the 40th National Book
Awards, the Philippine Book Festival should be on everyone's calendar. The
first of its kind, this highly programmatic festival complete with workshops
and exhibits will be a place for local publishers, agents, distributors, and
retailers to sell books to institutions, readers, and the public. It will comprise
two major festivals that will happen in Manila and Davao. Meanwhile, to
assert the power of our numbers, the Philippine delegation for the 2023
Frankfurter Buchmesse will ensure that the promotional efforts we have built
through the years will be sustained.
We thank you once again for joining us at the 40th National Book Awards. I
hope everyone will come home from this with a newfound appreciation for
the works that our creatives have to offer—as well as for the stories we bring
to you and the rest of the world.
Good afternoon, and let’s toast to new beginnings for the book industry!
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MCC
CHAIR’S
MESSAGE
Dean Francis Alfar

Chair, Manila Critics Circle
Welcome to the National Book Awards! It’s great being together – in the flesh,
and face to face—as we celebrate the very best of books published in 2021.
And as we are also celebrating our 40th anniversary—delayed by our favorite
intrusive pandemic, let’s take a step back to how it all began.
In 1981, a quartet of readers took the unprecedented steps to champion the

cause closest to their hearts: to give Philippine books they loved the
attention they deserved. This is the secret origin of the Manila Critics Circle,
whose founders were not just any readers but accomplished writers,
reviewers, and literary critics themselves.
Isagani Cruz, Ophelia Alcantara Dimalanta, Alfredo Navarro Salanga, and

Alfred A. Yuson combed bookstores and any place where Filipino books
could be found, devoured them, and shared their treasured discoveries,
marking the first National Book Awards in 1982.
In the four decades that followed, membership in the MCC grew – but only by
invitation, requiring a unanimous vote before an invitation was extended –
with National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario, National Artist for
Literature Cirilo F. Bautista, National Artist for Literature Resil B. Mojares,
Arlene Babst-Vokey, Alice Guillermo, Leonides V. Benesa, Doreen G.
Fernandez, Fr. Miguel Bernad, SJ, Juaniyo Arcellana, Soledad S. Reyes, Ruel
S. De Vera, and Joel Pablo Salud, with Honorary Member Roger J. Bresnahan.
The current members of the MCC, Danton R. Remoto, Shirley O. Lua, Alma
Anonas-Carpio, Michael M. Coroza, Jenny Ortuoste, and Antonio La Viña –
with myself as Chair, work to continue the tradition of honoring the best
Philippine publications of the year.
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MCC
CHAIR’S
MESSAGE
On a personal note, when I was recruited by Isagani Cruz years ago, I never
dreamed that I would one day be the Chair. I thought I was asked to join
because of my loud mouth and hosting skills.
In 2008, the Manila Critics Circle entered an agreement with the National
Book Development Board to co-administer the National Book Awards,
continuing the selection and celebration of the best writers, translators,
artists, designers, and publishers. Every year, the NBDB not only covers the
logistics and costs of the NBA, but helps the MCC by inviting expert writers,
academics, critics, designers, and representatives from various schools and
organizations to join us as judges, to give opportunities for more opinions, for
more voices to be heard. For all these, and so much more, the MCC is
thankful to Chair Dante Francis Ang II, Executive Director Charisse Aquino-
Tugade, and all our friends and work partners at the NBDB.
Selecting the finalists and winners of the National Book Awards is a multi-
step process. It begins with opening the nomination period with a formal call
for submissions. Judges for each category are then vetted then invited.
During the first deliberations, all entries are assessed by the MCC and the
individual category judges to determine the finalists. These books are all
already exemplars. Time is then given before the second deliberation for the
judges to reread the finalists. During the second deliberation, all members of
the MCC discuss and debate merits of each finalist with the category judges
to determine the winners. And finally, all winners are honored with prizes on
the Awards night, to recognize the quality of their writing, design, and
publication. The Publisher of the Year is awarded to the publisher that
garners the most awards from its entries, in recognition of their excellence.
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MCC
CHAIR’S
MESSAGE
Let me say thanks once again to the NBDB and my fellow members of
the MCC, for your hard work and commitment to the NBA;
Our category judges, for sharing your expert opinions;
Our friends in the press, for supporting our advocacy of encouraging the
creation of better and better Philippine books;
All the publishers for making all these amazing books real;
The finalists and winners, for daring to dream and finishing that draft;
And of course to you—our co-readers and booklovers, who share our

passion of the written word.
Let’s get the celebration started—this is the 40th National Book Awards!
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NBDB
EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR’S
MESSAGE
Charisse Aquino-Tugade
Executive Director, National Book Development Board
Good evening, everyone, and congratulations to all the winners! Before anything
else, allow me to express my gratitude to the Manila Critics Circle and, of course,
my team at the NBDB. It is with and largely because of them that I get to stand
here tonight and speak to all of you, our distinguished judges, authors, and
publishers. We are all here tonight to celebrate you and your work, and all that
you have done to make the future of the Filipino book possible.
Tonight marks the 40th anniversary of the National Book Awards, an honor that,
at the end of the day, is really here to remind us that the great enterprising and
creative labor that go behind book production deserves recognition. You all
know that our books deserve greater leverage, and tonight is a reminder of that.
More support from the public and private sectors, more ways to tell the general
public that the Filipino book is worth reading, and that the Filipino author, artist,
editor, and publisher is always worth supporting.
Book publishing has, sadly, always needed that extra push, that need to
constantly justify its existence and clamor for support. That probably speaks to
systemic issues more than anything else, issues that we will still work to solve.
But tonight, instead of dwelling on them, I would like to once again make a call
for us to continue extending our support to the book publishing industry. Let’s
buy and read more local books. Let’s stop relegating our own literature to small
Filipiniana sections in our bookstores. As an agency, we shall continue lobbying
for policy that puts the Filipino publishing professional first; we will continue
providing creative and professional development opportunities.
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NBDB
EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR’S
MESSAGE
Since 2008, we have collaborated with the Manila Critics Circle to conduct the
National Book Awards. We have committed to this with the belief that awards
are necessary not just to celebrate our country’s literary gifts, but to drive
growth for the industry and to weigh in on the cultural conversation that has
long privileged foreign voices.
We hope to inform public choice and to make a statement about the strength of
our community, for the latter is the often unacknowledged foundation of what
is often perceived as a solitary activity. Because if these awards have taught us
anything, it’s that books thrive in the pursuit of and amid communities. Each
genre represented in the awards is a community of Filipino artists. Look around
you now and remember these faces—they are the people who have dedicated
their time and talents to keep the Filipino short story alive, push the nobela to
new experimental heights, and help bring komiks out of obscurity and into the
public consciousness, presenting it as the art form that it has always been.
The fact that this 40th cycle of the awards marks the first time since the NBA
was held in person is obviously very special. But I want to draw attention to the
fact that this event is one of the first chances we’ve been granted to simply be
in this community since the outbreak.
So please enjoy and remember that besides a celebration, tonight is an

affirmation of our belief in the written word, and that more urgently, it is a call
to keep the Filipino book alive and for all of us to continue protecting and
serving the Filipino author and reader.
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NBDB
EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR’S
MESSAGE
Before I end, I want to take this opportunity to invite you all to the upcoming
Philippine Book Festival in June at the World Trade Center Manila and in August
at SMX Davao. The PBF is the largest traveling book fair where we will all get
the chance to gather once again as a community and champion our literary
talent. Let’s all show up for our publishers and booksellers. Let's all show up for
our writers and readers.
Thank you very much and have a good evening. Mabuhay tayong lahat at
mabuhay ang panitikang Pilipino!
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THE NATIONAL
BOOK AWARDS
THE STORY BEHIND
THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS
Celebrating the 40th year of both the Manila Critics Circle and the National
Book Awards, we would like to share the MCC’s beginnings, and its continued
advocacy for the recognition of the best books published each year across a
growing number of literary and non-literary categories in the Philippines.
The Manila Critics Circle was founded in 1981 when Ophelia Alcantara
Dimalanta, Alfredo Navarro Salanga, Alfred A. Yuson, and Isagani R. Cruz
realized that Philippine books were not getting the attention they deserved.
What to Cruz “seemed like a quixotic venture at that time was featured in the
Asiaweek Literary Review.”
That magazine article carried this lede: “Considering the Philippines’ relatively
high literacy rate, it is ironic that reading is not a favourite pastime among
Filipinos. A quartet of dedicated Manila littérateurs believe it’s high time
something were done to dispel this literary lassitude.”
Over the last four decades, this intrepid group of critics grew to include
Leonides V. Benesa, Arlene Babst-Vokey, National Artist for Literature Virgilio
S. Almario, Alice Guillermo, Doreen G. Fernandez, National Artist for Literature
Resil B. Mojares, Roger Bresnahan, Miguel A. Bernad, SJ, Juaniyo Arcellana,
National Artist for Literature Cirilo F. Bautista, Soledad S. Reyes, and Joel
Pablo Salud.
The present set of MCC members is comprised of: Ruel de Vera, Danton
Remoto, Shirley O. Lua, Dean Francis Alfar, Alma Anonas-Carpio, Michael
Coroza, Tony La Viña, and Jenny Ortuoste.
In the early years, several sculptors donated trophies and, later, when the
NBDB took over the management of the awards those trophies and their
design were finally funded. The National Book Awards now has a
standardized trophy, much like how the Academy Awards has its
recognizable Oscar trophy. The sculptors who donated their art to our awards
include Eduardo Castrillo, Agnes Arellano, Cesare and Jean Marie Syjuco,
Edgar Doctor, Gino Gonzalez, Napoleon Abueva, Tito Sanchez, Michael Allen
R. Cacnio, Salvador Joel Alonday, Pete Jimenez, and Lawin Abueva.
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The National Book Awards has had several sponsors who helped defray the
huge expenses holding such awards entails: several corporations, agencies,
and schools such as Artlab, the Ateneo de Manila University, Ayala Museum,
Benguet Corp., Betty’s Sans-Rival & Catering Service, Coca-Cola Bottlers
Phils., the Cultural Center of the Philippines, De La Salle University, Equitable
Philippine Commercial International Bank, Far Eastern University, Filipinas
Foundation, Filipino Bookstore, Fortune Tobacco Corporation, Ganesh Art
Center, Heritage Art Gallery, Jollibee Foods Corporation, La Tondeña, Land
Bank of the Philippines, Magnolia Corporation, Manila Electric Company, Mobil
Philippines, Nestlé Philippines, Paper Industries Corporation of the Philippines,
Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, Philippine Long Distance
Telephone Company, Philippine Studies Association, Primetrade Asia, San
Miguel Corporation, SGV & Company, University of Santo Tomas, and the
University of the Philippines Creative Writing Center.
We have also continued to enjoy the support of the National Commission for
Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the administrator of the Manila Metropolitan
Theater which serves as the venue for the awarding ceremony of the 40th
National Book Awards.
Now, the NBDB covers the costs of mounting the National Book Awards, with
help from the NCCA. The NBDB also adds to the MCC’s expertise by inviting
other critics, organizations, and schools to participate in the process of
judging which books are the best of the year.
The winners receive cash awards from various donors, as well as the NBDB,
and these awards are given in those donors’ names. For the 40th cycle of the
National Book Awards, we have the Gerardo P. Cabochan Prize (short fiction
in Filipino), the National Artist Cirilo F. Bautista Prize (short fiction in English),
the Pablo A. Tan Prize (nonfiction prose in English), the Victorio C. Valledor
Prize (poetry in Filipino), the Alfonso T. Ongpin Prize (Art), the Elfren S. Cruz
Prize (social sciences), and the John C. Kaw Prize (history).
The National Book Awards honors the best books written, designed, and
published in the Philippines, and this cycle of the awards highlights titles
published in 2021. We garnered 213 title nominations across categories
grouped into Literary, Non-Literary, and Design and written in English, Filipino,
and Ilocano. Of the 100 finalists, 29 emerged as winners.
When the National Book Awards set out on its maiden voyage in 1981, there
were very few quality books being published in the Philippines. Four decades
later, hundreds of Philippine books are marvelously written, beautifully
designed, professionally published, and widely read. These are the treasures
yielded by our patrimony of letters.
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NATIONAL BOOK
DEVELOPMENT BOARD
The National Book Development Board is the book agency of the
Philippines mandated to create a robust environment for publishing
that stands on a strong culture of reading. It provides technical and
developmental assistance to creatives, publishers, booksellers,
enterprises, and individuals involved in the production of books and
the business of publishing.
It has a multisector representation which harnesses the creativity of

content creators, publishers, book distributors, and readers toward a
vibrant book publishing ecosystem.
THE MANILA
CRITICS CIRCLE
Founded in 1981, the Manila Critics Circle, Inc. is a non-profit,
non-stock organization of professional literary critics and
newspaper columnist who believe that Philippine books deserve
much more attention than they usually get from business, media and
the general public. Aside from giving the Annual Book Awards, the
Circle has held an ASEAN-wide literary contest (in cooperation with
Filipinas Foundation), participated in the nomination process for
National Artist awards, joined National Book exhibits, prepared
various position papers on literary publishing, and sat in the National
Book Development Board. Members have done reviews for national
and international periodicals, such as ASEAN Theater Journal,
Asiaweek, Diyaryo Filipino, Filipinas, Filipino Magazin (Filmag),
Independent, Journal of Asian Studies, Kinaadman, Manila Chronicle,
Manila Times, National Book Review, Philippine Daily Globe,
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippine Graphic, Philippine Journal of
Education, Philippine Panorama, Philippine Star, Philippine Studies,
Sun-Star Weekend, Unitas, and World Literature Today, and for
television shows such as Mabuhay: This is Your Wake-Up Call.
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40TH NATIONAL BOOK
AWARDS TROPHY
About the Trophy
The National Book Awards Perpetual Trophy was designed by artist

Apolinario L. Aquino, Jr. and was first used in the 37th National Book
Awards in 2018. It symbolizes the Filipino's love of reading books.
The half-person-half-pen figure represents all the writers, artists,
publishers, editors, translators, book designers, and book lovers
across the country. The book, as its pedestal, signifies the
importance of reading—a valuable foundation of education. The
black and gold colors embody the significance of books’
entertainment value, flair to ignite creativity, and even power to
spark a conversation. The design also integrates the logos of the
two collaborating partners, the Manila Critics Circle and the National
Book Development Board. The trophy is a testament of our pride of
the Philippine publication industry.
About the Artist
Los Baños-based artist Apolinario “Apokovski” Aquino, Jr. got his

early publication experience as political cartoonist in high school
and as graphics editor of the official publication of UPLB students.
Since then, he has been getting art and layout design projects from
various private and government institutions such as the National
Book Development Board, Commission on Population and
Development, National Defense College of the Philippines, Rotary
Club Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University Press, Asian
Development Bank, and Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation. He
became a recipient of the Innovation and Creative Enterprise
Scholarship Program (ICE) at Thames International Business School.
He is now representing the Philippines as storybook artist in Aston
University’s Global Bioenergy Stories in United Kingdom.
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NATIONAL BOOK
AWARDS
Every year since 1982, the Manila Critics Circle has been giving the
National Book Awards to the best books written, designed, and published
in the Philippines. Early in 2008, the Manila Critics Circle entered into an
Agreement with the National Book Development Board to institutionalize
and co-administer the National Book Awards with the NBDB to better
honor Philippine publishers, authors, and book designers.
The NBDB’s participation in the conduct of the National Book Awards is in

line with its mandate to support local authorship and promote the
development of quality books, in accordance with RA 8047 or the Book
Publishing Industry Development Act. Both the NBDB and the MCC
envision to give a yearly tribute and will continue to recognize the
creative works of talented authors and publishers to produce quality
books for many years to come.
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Program
Registration
Philippine National Anthem
Opening Message
Dante Francis Ang II
Chair, NBDB
Message from the MCC

Dean Francis Alfar
Chair, MCC
Presentation of Awards
Closing Message
Charisse Aquino-Tugade
Executive Director, NBDB
End of Program
Dean Francis Alfar

Master of Ceremonies
WINNERS
&
FINALISTS
WINNERS AND FINALISTS
LITERARY
DIVISION
Winners and Finalists 40th National Book Awards Literary Division
BEST NOVEL IN ENGLISH
Snakes in the Grass

Patrick Everard
University of the Philippines Press
A book written by a foreigner in the Philippines is usually met

with trepidation, but Patrick Everard has created a feat in
combining fiction and historical facts in his novel Snakes in the
Grass. It puts the Filipino reader on equal footing with the
protagonist, amplifying solidarity and rendering empathy in
narrating the rise of a man called Ferdinand Marcos and how
he plunged the country into the perils of martial law. The plot
is without cultural bias, punctuated at great lengths with hard
data, into the years of power. Everard shows a deft hand with
setting his fiction in one of the most turbulent times in our
history.
— Criselda Yabes
The Secret of Derek Guerrero The Small-but-terrible Gina: White Lady, Black Christ
Mark Manalang The Manila Trilogy Charlson Ong
HS Grafik Print Weldon M. McCarty Milflores Publishing, Inc.
27
BEST NOVEL IN FILIPINO
Aswanglaut
Allan N. Derain
Ateneo de Manila University Press
Bunga ang Aswanglaut ni Allan Derain ng matalas na saliksik at

malikhaing guni-guni upang harayain ang aswang samantalang
sinisipat din ang bisa ng mga ganitong salaysay upang
magsilbing kritika sa ating kontemporaneong daigdig. Muling
isinasalaysay ni Derain ang alamat ng mga kagila-gilalas na
nasa loob ng ating mga takot at pag-iimbot upang balintunang
makakatha ng isang bagong nilalang para bigyang-saysay ang
dilim ng mga kasalukuyan nating buhay at loob nang di iniiwan
ang uyam at halakhak bilang sandata’t kanlungan. Tinuturuan
tayo ng nobela kung paano maaaring hindi tumingin sa malayo
upang makita ang mabilis na magpapatuyo sa ating mga sugat
samantalang naghihintay tayo sa pagwawakas ng mundo. Para
sa kaniyang matagumpay na paggamit ng nobela bilang anyo
ng pagsisiwalat sa mga makabagong posibilidad ng kagila-
gilalas na nakakapit sa pagpapahalaga sa mga salaysay ng
bayan, iginagawad ang National Book Award sa nobelang
Aswanglaut ni Allan Derain.
— Edgar Calabia Samar
Isang Dekadang Resty Asinkrono: Isang Nobela The Rain in España Kilapsaw
Jov Ortua Almero Mesándel Virtusio Arguelles 4reuminct Ellen Sicat
University of the De La Salle University (Gwynette Saludes) University of the
Philippines Press Publishing House Precious Pages Corporation Philippines Press
28
NATIONAL ARTIST CIRILO F. BAUTISTA PRIZE

FOR BEST BOOK OF SHORT FICTION
IN ENGLISH
Selected Short Stories
Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
University of Santo Tomas Publishing
House
Cecilia Manguerra-Brainard’s Selected Shot Stories has put

her works on the literary map, becoming a master in the
traditional form she has perfected for years. Her short fiction
collection of 39 stories is a classic in itself, spanning from the
war era in her home province of Cebu and continuing her
love for story-telling in other parts of the country that were
significant to her. She carried on into the diaspora in America,
where she has been living since 1969, unspooling more
stories befitting her well-crafted and nuanced collection.
There is no doubt that Brainard’s endearing and engaging
style is one for nostalgia and permanence in the halls of
Philippine literature.
— Criselda Yabes
Brown Hole: Stories Flowers for Thursday: Stories

Israfel Fagela Mia Tijam
University of the Philippines Press Ateneo de Naga University Press
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GERARDO P. CABOCHAN PRIZE

IN FILIPINO
Ang Itim na Orkidyas ng Isla Boracay:

Mga Kuwento
Genevieve L. Asenjo
Parang napakahirap nang paksain ng pagmamahal sa

kasalukuyan kapag mukhang pinaiikot ang buhay natin ng sari-
sariling anyo ng kasawian at paghahagilap ng kasiyahan. Sa
Ang Itim na Orkidyas ng Isla Boracay ni Genevieve L. Asenjo,
muling pinag-iisipan ng mga kuwento ang pag-ibig at pantasya
nang may magkasabay na gaan at gravitas ng kasalukuyang
karanasan sa hilahan ng pangingibang-bayan at pananahanan.
Malinaw ang ambag ni Asenjo hindi lang sa pagbabalangkas
ng mga kasalukuyang damdamin sa mga pagtangi sa katutubo
at banyaga kundi maging sa paghahain ng posibilidad ng
paggamit ng Filipino sa pagkukuwento samantalang
humuhugot ng bokabularyo’t gulugod ng pahayag sa pinag-
uugatan niyang mga isla ng Kiniray-a at sa sanga-sangang
Filipino ng mga ginagalugad niyang lansangan ng Maynila.
Para sa kaniyang matagumpay na paggamit ng maikling katha
bilang anyo ng pagsisiwalat sa mga kontemporaneong danas
ng damdamin na may lalim ng mga sinaunang alamat at lawak
ng patuloy na nagbabagong mundo, iginagawad ang National
Book Award sa aklat ng maiikling katha sa Filipino na Ang Itim
na Orkidyas ng Isla Boracay ni Genevieve L. Asenjo.
— Edgar Calabia Samar
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GERARDO P. CABOCHAN PRIZE

IN FILIPINO
Ang Huling Emotero Tinagong Dagat: Solo Flight: Mga Kuwento

Mark Angeles Kuwento ng mga Batang Mangingisda Rita dela Cruz
University of the Philippines Press Riza G. Barbaran Isang Balangay Media Productions
Eksamen at iba pang kuwento ng pag-ibig

U Z. Eliserio
31
PABLO A. TAN PRIZE

FOR BEST BOOK OF NONFICTION PROSE
IN ENGLISH
Departures: Essays
Priscilla Supnet Macansantos
This collection of personal essays is not only engaging, but

also written in beautiful prose; the tone is at once quiet yet
revelatory. The strength of this book is its scope that widely
encompasses so many worlds, not only of the personal but
also of the outside world. It describes life during the postwar
years in rural Ilocos Sur until the early '70s, the author’s
college days during martial law, deaths in the family, even the
COVID lockdown, among others, all told in a calm yet
steadfast voice describing violence, grief, and tenderness.
There is much grace in the turn of phrases, the hushed but
strong convictions that emanate from the stories. This voice is
never loud nor vociferous, but it pierces the heart. The details
are lovingly told and painted vividly, each phrase effortless,
fluid and seamless. These are tales that come out of the soul’s
depths, not only about suffering and tears, but also kindness
and empathy, and most of all, love. Indeed, the stories are not
only of departures, of partings, of going away, but also of
arrivals, of finding meaning in our lives, and always, of coming
home.
— Alice M. Sun-Cua
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PABLO A. TAN PRIZE

FOR BEST BOOK OF NONFICTION PROSE
IN ENGLISH
Is There Sex in Heaven? What I Wanted To Be When I Grew Up: Ascending the Fourth Mountain:
and other essays bypassing A Writer's Early Apprenticeship A Personal Account of the
a passing world Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo Marcos Years
Simeon Dumdum, Jr. University of the Philippines Press Maria Virginia Yap Morales
Ateneo de Manila University Press Ateneo de Manila University Press
In the Line of Fire: Lectures

Joel Pablo Salud
San Anselmo Publications, Inc.
33
BEST BOOK OF NONFICTION

PROSE IN FILIPINO
Sa Yakap ng Gubat at Dagat ng

Palawan: Mga Ekosanaysay
John Iremil Teodoro
Pawikan Press
Magagara ang cover, nakakatuwang haplusin ang papel, at

masarap basahin ang mga librong finalist sa kategoryang
Filipino creative non fiction ng National Book Awards. Walang
tulak kabigin sa kanila. Kaya naisip kong suriin na lang muli
ang mga dagdag na feature ng bawat finalist. Itong Sa Yakap
ng Gubat at Dagat ng Palawan Mga Ekosanaysay ni John
Iremil Teodoro ang may pinakamaraming features. Bukod sa
kanyang mahuhusay at makabuluhang sanaysay tungkol sa
buhay, kultura at geography ng Palawan, ang librong ito ay
may appendix. Mababasa sa appendix.
Samakatuwid, ang librong ito ay hindi lang pampanitikang

akda. Ito ay maituturing din na isang manwal ng mga guro,
magulang o indibidwal tungkol sa paanong mag-recruit ng
earth warriors mula sa hanay ng kabataan. Dahil din sa mga
special feature, napagtibayan ko na ang librong ito ay
magandang halimbawa ng kolaborasyon ng manunulat,
editor, at publisher.
— Beverly Siy
Aishite imasu: Mga Dagling Sanaysay Suóng: Mga Aporismo ng #Pasahero: Mga Nakikisakay na Sanaysay
sa Danas-Japan Paglusong at Pagsulong Joselito D. De Los Reyes
Romulo P. Baquiran, Jr. Gerome Nicolas dela Peña University of Santo Tomas
University of the Philippines Press 8Letters Bookstore and Publishing Publishing House
34
BEST ANTHOLOGY
Harvest Moon: Poems and Stories

from the Edge of the Climate Crisis
Padmapani L. Perez, Rehana Rossouw,
Alexandra Walter, and Renato Redentor
Constantino
Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities
(ICSC) and Milflores Publishing, Inc.
The book is a cut above the rest. Each well-thought out

page contributes to the arresting design, which blends
beautifully with the curation of the works. The collaborative,
dialogic process that brought the book about is its strongest
asset, signifying how important collective work is in “the
long work of battling the [climate] crisis”. The use of
creative restraints and prompts in shaping the contributions
demonstrates how collective creation is possible, enjoyable,
and necessary. The book digs deep into the modern
experience of living on an earth that we fear is dying, but we
also know shall outlast us. From this, fortunately, springs
hope.
— Faye Cura
35
BEST ANTHOLOGY
Tingle: Anthology of Pinay This Season of Grief: Stories, Poetry, Lamyos: New LGBTQ Fiction from
Lesbian Writing Prayers, and Practical Help the Philippines
Jhoanna Lynn B. Cruz Joanna Nicolas-Na J. Neil C. Garcia
Anvil Publishing, Inc. OMF Literature, Inc. University of the Philippines Press
Tinubdan: New Voices from Northern Mindanao

Arlene J. Yandug, Maria Elena L. Paulma,
and Lilia A. Cotejar
Xavier University Press
36
BEST BOOK OF LITERARY

CRITICISM/CULTURAL STUDIES IN ENGLISH
Campaigns of Knowledge: U.S.

Pedagogies of Colonialism and
Occupation in the Philippines and Japan
Malini Johar Schueller
Malini Johar Schueller has accomplished a pioneering work

which powerfully demonstrates the importance of undertaking
comparative studies of colonial pedagogical enterprises. Her
work on the American educational projects in colonial
Philippines and occupied Japan systematically unmasks the
racialist presuppositions of these seemingly benevolent
tutelary pedagogical campaigns. The study shows, among
others, that the differing colonial educational approaches in
the two countries have their roots in rigidly Orientalist
concepts of Japanese and Filipinos, with a specifically
“tropicalist Orientalism” applied to the latter, considered to be
on the lower rung of the racial ladder. This study holds a
pressing and continuing relevance even as colonial and
neocolonial pedagogies continue to be launched in
contemporary U.S. counter-insurgency campaigns all over the
globe.
— Ramon Guillermo
Partial Views: On the Essay as a Genre What Kapitan Tiago Served and Padre Damaso Ate:
in Philippine Literary Production Studies on Jose Rizal, His World, and His Works
Conchitina Cruz Jose Victor Z. Torres
De La Salle University Publishing House Ateneo de Manila University Press
37
BEST BOOK OF LITERARY

CRITICISM/CULTURAL STUDIES IN FILIPINO
Musika ng Pananakop: Panahon ng

Hapon sa Filipinas, 1942-1945
Raul Casantusan Navarro
Maihahanay ang akda ni Raul Casantusan Navarro sa bagong

henerasyon ng mga saliksik-pangkasaysayan hinggil sa
musikang Pilipino. Taglay ng mga bagong pananaliksik na ito
ang masinsin na pagsasanib ng mataas na antas ng kasanayan
sa mga disiplina ng musikolohiya at historiograpiya. Kapansin-
pansin ang masinop at kumprehensibong paggamit ng mga
batis na mahusay na naibabalangkas at nabibigyan ng kritikal
na interpretasyon sa isang magaang basahin na
pangkasaysayang salaysay. Mabigat na ambag sa kaalaman
ang solidong iskolarsyip nito tungkol sa musika sa Pilipinas sa
panahon ng mga Hapon. Babalik-balikan ito ng mga
espesyalista, mag-aaral, at pangkalahatang mambabasa
bilang isang esensyal na reperensya at batis ng impormasyon.
— Ramon Guillermo
Digmaan ng mga Alaala: Buklat/Mulat: Halagahan:

Rebolusyon at Pagkakamali Pagbasa at Pagsulat Mga Teksto ng Pagturing
sa mga Talang-Gunita ng mga Aklat Pambata Patrick Flores
Laurence Marvin S. Castillo Eugene Y. Evasco Ateneo de Naga University Press
University of the Philippines Press University of the Philippines
Press
38
BEST BOOK ON MEDIA STUDIES
Hindi Nangyari Dahil Wala sa Social

Media: Interogasyon ng Kulturang New
Media sa Pilipinas
Rolando B. Tolentino, Vladimeir B.
Gonzales, and Laurence Marvin S.
Castillo
This informative and intriguing collection of critical essays

brings to the foreground important issues surrounding our
collective experiences online and gives us insight into the
various ways in which individuals navigate the internet. The
essays tackle a diverse range of topics, from viral advertising
and video games to fan cultures and the processing of news in
an age of hashtags in virality.
Tolentino, Gonzales, and Castillo’s careful curation has

resulted in an exemplary book that explores multiple
perspectives of Filipino social media culture in a time of global
neoliberalism.
— Jenny Ortuoste
39
PHILIPPINE LITERARY ARTS COUNCIL PRIZE

FOR BEST BOOK OF POETRY IN ENGLISH
Tangere
Rodrigo V. Dela Peña, Jr.
Here is a poet who stares unflinchingly at history. Tangere is a

gesture of respect as it is of subversion. Each poem reinvents
the novel’s key chapters. But with Dela Peña’s poetic armory in
full array, he brings to light anew the characters that have
lived in the nation’s consciousness. This time, they speak in
tensile lines and with as much fervor as we could imagine, “the
words set afire.”
— Dinah Roma
College Boy: Poems

Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta
The tone is resolute. The poet is skilled in the movement of

lines—how to begin, measuredly, scaling up the narrative,
the argument, and the thrust. Only a poet of intellectual and
creative stamina can write with so much grace, poem after
poem. In College Boy, Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta achieves a
feat in unraveling the algorithms of human desire, of the
waiting with “nothing but want.”
— Dinah Roma
40
PHILIPPINE LITERARY ARTS COUNCIL PRIZE

FOR BEST BOOK OF POETRY IN ENGLISH
Thorn Grass Tokhang Nation: Poems Poems from Ground Z

Luis H. Francia Arvin Abejo Mangohig Victor N. Sugbo
University of the Philippines Press University of Santo Tomas University of the Philippines Press
Publishing House
41
VICTORIO C. VALLEDOR PRIZE

FOR BEST BOOK OF POETRY IN FILIPINO
Pasakalye
Lean Borlongan
Self-published
Kailangan natin ang Pasakalye ni L. Borlongan para makita ang

kalagayan ng Patungan, isang komunidad na malapit sa dagat,
sa Maragondon, Cavite. Dahil ang Patungan ay larawan ng ng
iba pang mga pamayanan sa maraming bahagi ng bansa.
Tinutulaan ni Borlongan ang araw-araw na gawain ng mga
mamamayang naghihikahos pero nagpapatuloy sa buhay,
nabubuhay, lumalaban. Gamit ang wika na halos hubad sa
pagiging “matulain”, isasatinig ni Borlongan ang madalas ay
hindi naririnig na boses ng mga karaniwang tao. Dahil dito,
lumilikha si Borlongan ng mga pamilyar ngunit bagong paraan
ng paghahayag at pagpapahayag, ng pakikibaka. Ang aklat na
ito ang kailangan ng bayan sa kasalukuyan.
— Jerry Gracio
Tuwing Nag-Iisa sa Mapa ng

Buntong-hininga
Paolo Miguel G. Tiausas
Sarili ang paksa sa aklat ni Tiausas, mga meditasyon sa

kahulugan ng mga autobiyograpikal na detalye bilang bata,
kabataan, estudyante, bahagi ng henerasyon na madalas
nating pinagkakamalang mababaw dahil nararahuyo sa TV,
video games, K-Drama sa lintek na pag-ibig na ‘yan; kaya
miminahin ni Tiausas ang kanyang gunita, hindi lang para
ipasilip sa atin ang kanyang mga partikular na karanasan, gamit
ang wikang ngangayunin ngunit ano’ng rikit, sa paraang
mapanudyo, masiste, magaan dahil tila niloloko lang tayo; o
niloloko nga tayo ni Tiausas sa pagpaksa sa kanyang sarili para
igiit na narito ako, balido ang karanasan ko, at ang karanasan
ko ay karanasan din ng henerasyong ito. Dahil dito, umiigpaw
ang aklat ni Tiausas sa sarili kahit nag-iisa, binibigyan tayo ng
mapa sa gitna ng ating mga buntong-hininga.
— Jerry Gracio
42
VICTORIO C. VALLEDOR PRIZE

FOR BEST BOOK OF POETRY IN FILIPINO
Indi Natun Kinahanglan kang Duro nga Panaghoy,Pagtutol Lunas sa Nabubuong Lubos
Tinaga sa Atun Tunga (Hindi Natin (Weeping, Resisting) Paul Alcoseba Castillo
Kailangan ng Maraming Salita sa Ating Jun Cruz Reyes University of Santo Tomas
Pagitan): Mga Tula sa Kinaray-A University of the Philippines Press Publishing House
& Filipino
Genevieve L. Asenjo
Sa Aking Pagkadestiyero/In
My Exile: Mga Tula/Poems
Joi Barrios
43
BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL IN ENGLISH
Alandal
Written by J. Philip Ignacio
Illustrated by Alex Niño
Komiket, Inc.
Ang Alandal ay isang maaksiyong epiko ng digmaan, pag-ibig, at pagtataksil na madetalyeng isinulat ni
Jay Ignacio at mas madetalye pang isinalarawan naman ni Alex Niño na isang batikang dibuhista. Malalim
ang pananaliksik ni Jay sa kuwentong ito na bunga ng kaniyang pagkahumaling sa Filipino martial arts.
Ang mga larawan naman ni Mang Alex ay may kakaibang enerhiya na nag-iimbita sa mga mata ng
mambabasa na suriin at kilatisin ang bawat detalye. Lahat ng pigura ay gumagalaw na parang nakuhanan
ng larawan sa gitna ng pagsasayaw. Isang pagdiriwang ang pagbabalik ni Mang Alex sa Pinoy komiks at
salamat kay Jay sa pagbibigay-daan dito.
— Mervin Malonzo
Twinkle, Twinkle
Tori Tadiar
Komiket, Inc.
44
BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL IN FILIPINO
Ang mga Alitaptap ng Pulang Buhangin

Written and illustrated by RH Quilantang
Komiket, Inc.
Isang mundong nababalot ng kadiliman ang makikita natin sa

Ang mga Alitaptap ng Pulang Buhangin ni RH Quilantang.
Ngunit sa kabila ng kalunos-lunos na kalagayang ito, may
iilang mga matatapang na taong nagsisilbing liwanag at
gabay para sa mga natitirang mga tao. Sila ang mga tanod na
nagpapanatili ng kaayusan at tagapagligtas ng mga tao laban
sa mga halimaw ng dilim. Mahusay na napaghalo ni RH ang
mitolohiya at teknolohiya sa kuwentong ito. Pagsasama ng
luma at bago. Pinapatunayan ng kuwentong ito na kayang
labanan ng maliliit naliwanag ng mga alitaptap ang kadiliman
kung magsasama-sama at magkakaisa ang mga ito.
— Mervin Malonzo
Li'l Bertong Badtrip! Tarantadong Kalbo Volume 2

Manix Abrera Kevin Eric Raymundo
Self-published Komiket, Inc.
45
BEST TRANSLATED BOOK
Mga Himutok sa Palikuran at iba pang

kuwento
Eka Kurniawan
Translated by Amado Anthony G. Mendoza III
Savage Mind: Arts, Books, Cinema
Amado Anthony Mendoza’s Filipino translation of Eka

Kurniawan’s short stories (Mga himutok sa palikuran at iba
pang kuwento) crackles with the vulgar and the elegant, the
traditional and the modern, the native and the foreign
cohabiting in a single paragraph, sometimes in a single
sentence. Again and again in Mendoza’s translation the reader
experiences a sense of “rightness” and the occasional surprise
at Mendoza’s choice of words; between an English translation
and a Filipino translation of Kurniawan, the bilingual Filipino
reader would probably choose the Filipino one, betting it
would be closer to the original than the English.
— Paul Dumol
Three Nights, Three Days Catch A Falling Star Avenge Me! The Bamboo Stalk
Eros S. Atalia, Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo, Precioso Palma, Saud Alsanousi,
Translated by David T. Ong Translated by Chuckberry Translated by Soledad Translated by Jen
19th Avenida J. Pascual S. Reyes Recato-Daño
Publishing House Lampara Publishing House De La Salle University Anvil Publishing, Inc.
Publishing House
46
BEST NOVEL IN ILOCANO
Dagiti Pundador (The Founders)

Prescillano N. Bermudez
Saniata Publications
An outstanding testament to the tenacity and endurance, hard

work and diligence of the pioneering Ilocano families led by Ka
Gabriel, Prescillano Bermudez’s Dagiti Pundador presents
realistic experiences of industrious pioneering families
clearing the hectares of wilderness of a remote northern
Isabela area, transforming it into a productive rural settlement,
growing into a barrio with its own school house and later into
a municipality with its own plaza and recognized local
government. Bermudez’s use of truly hardboiled/traditional
Ilocano language matches the wealth of traditional practices
and values embodied in the work. This novel certainly
deserves the NBA recognition as it depicts and immortalizes
now rare and early rural life and practices, portrays the
undaunted heroes in real hardships and adversities. Its almost
fully chronological narration affords the traditional mode of
compelling and masterful portraits of the Ka Gabriels, Ka
Dalmases, Nana Angelas and Mayang, and Pedongs.
— Adelaida F. Lucero and Junley L. Lazaga
Matayakon, Rosing! (I Am Dying, Rosing!)

Dionisio S. Bulong
47
BEST BOOK OF SHORT FICTION

IN ILOCANO
FINALISTS
Kulukol iti Kilikili (Drill for the Armpit) Villa Ken Dadduma Pay a Sarita
Efren A. Inocencio Ariel Sotelo Tabág
Saniata Publications Saniata Publications
48
BEST ANTHOLOGY IN ILOCANO
Panaglantip (Union)
Dionisio S. Bulong and
Eden Cachola-Bulong
Eden Bulong and Dionisio Bulong’s Panaglantip is an

exceptional “wedding” of male and female barrio folk concerns
in a rural setting, or put another way, an affirmation of the
endearing though difficult life in the farms. That each story is
well-crafted; set in realistic, unromanticized rural spaces;
employs credible dialog portraying credible characters; and
uses selectivity and suggestiveness of plot details make the
collection worthy of a National book Award.
Apit (Harvest)
Oswald A. Valente and Ariel Sotelo Tabág
49
BEST BOOK OF POETRY

IN ILOCANO
Baribari (Pardon Me)
Roy Vadil Aragon
Baribari, Roy Aragon’s poetry collection, is socio-politically

significant and relevant as it reflects on the poor’s hunger and how
this may be assuaged. Its familiar domestic images (certainly
Ilocano, like the pinakbet, or paria, or even, salt)), whether satirically
handled or seemingly presented as matter of fact, effectively ram
down harsh realities. Moreover, the hurts, the pains, the struggles
are rendered more lyrical and powerfully gripping with his sharp
metaphors and ironies in rhythmical repetitions and play on words.
As the title insinuates, these poetic pieces are exclamatory
forewarnings to drive away the “bad spirits” blocking the otherwise
dignified aspirations of the poor.
Anglem (Incense)
Daniel L. Nesperos
Daniel Nesperos’ outstanding poetry collection, Anglem, may be

distinguished by its “humanism borne of struggle.” Aware of the
injustices and abuses of the people, especially the poor and
helpless, and bolstered by a sense of moral obligation, Nesperos
translates and interprets the people’s anguish and anger and helps
them enunciate their oppressed situations and fight for their
human dignity. The fifty-one poems embody such commitment,
intensified by apt figures of speech and parallel repeated
expressions. More than that, his ending rhetorical questions
effectively voice the all-important recourse—the need for one
voice, for one shrill cry for those leaders to prioritize the elegy for
the hurting stomachs, or the medicine for the excruciating pains.
The poetic power of the poems, individually and collectively, is
certainly eloquent and formidable, and undisputably renders it a
National Book Awardee.
50
BEST BOOK OF POETRY

IN ILOCANO
Rabii (Night): 100 a #tweetniw

Roy Vadil Aragon
51

IN ILOCANO
FINALISTS
Dagiti Sagrado a Tay-ak ti Isla Fuga Sirib ti Puli ni Ilokano (Ilokano Folklore)
(Fuga Island Sacred Scapes) Isabelo Florentino delos Reyes,
Ronel P. Dela Cruz, Translated by Ariel Sotelo Tabág
Translated by Ariel Sotelo Tabág Saniata Publications
52
NON-LITERARY
DIVISION
Winners and Finalists 40th National Book Awards Non-Literary Division
ALFONSO T. ONGPIN PRIZE

FOR BEST BOOK ON ART
Endangered Splendor:
Manila's Architectural Heritage
1571-1960
Fernando Zialcita and Erik Akpedonu
This exquisite book is clearly an important contribution to the

nation's history of art and architecture. But perhaps its most
remarkable feat is that it marks significant advancement in the
documentation of the Manila's history. This is a great
reference material for students of art history and anyone who
wants to learn about our cultural history. We applaud the
authors for the book’s rich and thorough archival research and
very detailed full-color photographs that highlight Manila’s
architectural design. Fernando Zialcita and Erik Akpedonu
successfully convey the story of such a historic city by putting
together hard data rendered in scholarly yet straightforward
language with artfully produced images.
— Manila Critics Circle
55
ELFREN S. CRUZ PRIZE

FOR BEST BOOK IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
The Water Defenders:

How Ordinary People Saved a Country
from Corporate Greed
Robin Broad and John Cavanagh
For an illuminating account of development aggression and

how, by not seeing their fight as simply anti-mining but as a
campaign for clean water and for life, ordinary people who
turned themselves into “water defenders” ended mining
operations in their own country; careful illustration of the
entanglements of small places such as Cabañas with large
issues such international investment disputes and relatability
of the El Salvadoran experience to the Philippines; and
absorbing narrative non-fiction that demonstrates that the
role of social scientists is not only to critique but also provide
those in positions to solve a problem with ideas to solve this
problem.
— Czarina Saloma-Akpedonu
More Tomboy, More Bakla Than We Bioethics: Ethics of Life The Role of Shrines in View of the
Admit: Insights into Sexual and Fausto B. Gomez, OP New Evangelization: Pope Francis’
Gender Diversity in Philippine Culture, University of Santo Tomas Theology on Shrines and
History, and Politics Publishing House Pilgrimages applied in the Philippine
Mark Blasius and Richard T. Chu Context
Vibal Foundation, Inc. Kendrick Ivan B. Panganiban
Claretian Communications
Foundation, Inc.
56
JOHN C. KAW PRIZE

FOR BEST BOOK ON HISTORY
Púgot: Head Taking, Ritual Cannibalism,

and Human Sacrifice in the Philippines
Narciso C. Tan
Vibal Foundation, Inc.
Púgot: Head Taking, Ritual Cannibalism, and Human Sacrifice

in the Philippines by Narciso C. Tan is a masterful work on a
historical topic only a select few dare tread. Based on a
meticulous examination of a treasure trove of published and
archival sources, the book showcases the author’s deft
handling of a delicate subject matter. Without resorting to
sensationalism or essentialism, it describes precolonial head
taking, ritual cannibalism, and human sacrifice, and analyzes
them against the context of indigenous Philippine culture.
While recognizing the value of the information taken from
Spanish chroniclers and eyewitnesses, Tan skillfully removes
their ethnocentric bias to show readers the social significance
of such practices to the communities that practiced them.
— Michael D. Pante
Transpacific Engagements: Civilizational Imperatives: Between Celebration and Specters of Germany:

Trade, Translation, and Visual Americans, Moros, and the Critique: Snapshots from Colonial Rivalry and
Culture of Entangled Empires Colonial World 500 Years of Philippine Scholarship in the Philippine
(1565-1898) Oliver Charbonneau Christianity Reform Movement
Florina H. Capistrano-Baker Ateneo de Manila University José Mario Francisco, SJ & Revolution
and Meha Priyadarshini Press Ateneo de Manila University Nathaniel Parker Weston
Ayala Foundation, Inc., Getty Research Press Ateneo de Manila University
Institute, and Kunsthistorisches Institut Press
in Florenz
57
BEST BOOK ON HUMOR, SPORTS,

LIFESTYLE, AND BUSINESS
The Business of Banking: Structure and

Profitability; Risks and Controls
Deogracias N. Vistan
Anvil Publishing, Inc.
The Business of Banking is a must-read for banking

practitioners, financial management students and—basically—
anybody who is looking to borrow money from the bank. The
author has exhaustively turned 34 years of solid banking and
management experience into (what I believe will soon be) the
textbook that provides both a comprehensive look at the
Philippine banking system – from its evolution as an industry
and its current practices, the different key management
functions and operations of the bank, all the way up to the
future of Philippine banking. Born out of the pandemic,
Vistan’s book on the local banking scene is his own worthwhile
contribution to nation-building.
— RJ Ledesma
A Kind (of) Business: Essays on

Business Leadership and Society
Elfren S. Cruz and Benito L. Teehankee
Anvil Publishing, Inc.
58
BEST BOOK ON FOOD
Appetite for Freedom: The Recipes of

Maria Y. Orosa, with Essays on Her
Life and Work
Helena Orosa del Rosario
Ige Ramos Design Studio
Appetite for Freedom: Recipes of Maria Y. Orosa book is the

runaway winner. MYO's lifetime work in scientific research
and culinary recipes (more than 700 in the book) have
become the standards in today's food industry. Her invaluable
contribution to the development of our culinary history cannot
be underscored enough. This tome is a must-read, must-
have, reference book for every amateur or professional cook
alike, as well as a would-be home-based entrepreneur on how
to make atchara, barquillos, guava jam, and the like, for
commercial production.
— Claude Tayag
Notes from My Kitchen 2 Baking Simpol Kitchen Secrets: A The Gospel of Food:
Chef Reggie Aspiras Chef Tatung Sarthou Guidebook on Cooking Lessons I Learned from
Anvil Publishing, Inc. Vertikal Books Skills and Techniques Eating around the World
Chef Tatung Sarthou Sharwin Tee
Vertikal Books Anvil Publishing, Inc.
59
BEST BOOK IN SCIENCE

FINALISTS
AGuide to Gingers of Sorsogon The Bicol River Basin Project: Development of

R. V. A. Docot Comprehensive Early Warning System for
FEU Publications Agri-Fishery Communities in the Bicol
River Basin
Ricky P. Laureta, Ric Ryan H. Regalado,
and Diomerl Edward B. Baldo
Partido State University
60
BEST BOOK IN SPIRITUALITY

AND THEOLOGY
Handumanan (Remembrance): Digging

for the Indigenous Wellspring
Karl M. Gaspar, CSsR
Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
The 2023 National Book Award for the Spirituality and Theology
Category is given to Handumanan (Remembrance) by Karl
Gaspar. This book is a historico-political reflection on the plight
of the Filipino indigenous people. It looked at colonization from
the perspectives of the colonizers, from the coopted Filipinos,
and from the Filipinos who contested such process. The work
more importantly problematized the status of the indigenous
people as a byproduct of colonization and uneven national
development. Gaspar was able to mobilize a good amount of
historical and archival data and treated these using the lens of
his actual engagements with the lumads of Central Mindanao.
This book invites us to learn from the indigenous people and to
struggle for their just inclusion to our modern lowland cultures.
As the Philippines mark the fifth centenary of its Christianization
and westernization, it is but fitting to look back at these pockets
of marginalized Filipinos. Gaspar’s deep scholarship and insights
were expressed in a text that is highly readable, even to an
audience who might not even have the rudiments of his
academic disciplines and interests. Even if Gaspar is a Catholic
religious brother, this book can appeal to non-Catholic, even
non-Christian Filipinos, as much as it can appeal to Catholic
Filipinos.
— Feorillo A. Demeterio III
61
BEST BOOK IN SPIRITUALITY

AND THEOLOGY
PagTuhan: The Tausug Sports in the Philippines: The Filipino Christ and the Historical
Spiritual Tradition History, Values, Spirituality Jesus Toward a Filipino Christology
Darwin J. Absari Edgardo D. Alaurin, OP, STHD Michael Demetrius H. Asis
University of the Philippines Press University of Santo Tomas Ateneo de Manila University Press
Publishing House
62
BEST BOOK IN PHILOSOPHY
Repentance and Rebirth at the End of

Life as We Know It
Agustin Martin G. Rodriguez
Repentance and Rebirth at the End of Life as We Know It is

ambitious and monumental in scope—life as we know it—and
intent—in finding a way out of self-destruction. But it is only
ambitious in a world still stuck in a predominantly managerial
mode of thinking. Reflecting on the breadth of philosophical,
political, and cultural history, and drawing mainly from Scheler
and Heidegger, Rodriguez makes an urgent call away from
“our usual way of thinking” and towards a position of humility
(hence repentance) and the recognition of both the possibility
for and necessity of hope (hence rebirth).
— Remmon E. Barbaza
Thought-Pieces: Nietzschean Reflections on

Anti-foundationalism, Ethics, and Politics
Paolo A. Bolaños
Aletheia Printing and Publishing House
63
SPECIAL CITATIONS
More Tomboy, More Bakla Than We Admit: Insights into Sexual and Gender
Diversity in Philippine Culture, History, and Politics
Mark Blasius and Richard T. Chu
A collection of essays that lays the historical and theoretical foundations of the
scholarship on non-heteronormativity in the Philippines. It demonstrates that
the Filipino life-world does not necessarily conform to Western notions of non-
heteronormative sexualities and genders. The Introduction is comprehensive,
with adequate space for the editors’ own ideas before proceeding to weigh up
the work of the various contributors.
— Czarina Saloma-Akpedonu
Between Celebration and Critique:

Snapshots from 500 Years of Philippine Christianity
José Mario Francisco, SJ
This interdisciplinary anthology of the author’s essays that were gathered and
published in time for the quincentennial of the arrival of Christianity in the
Philippines. The title is a concise description of the overall tone of the book. It
shows the author’s ability to engage in historical, philological, philosophical,
and even political discussions about various facets of the Catholic faith from
its introduction in the sixteenth century to its lasting influence in the
contemporary period.
— Michael D. Pante
The Bicol River Basin Project: Development of Comprehensive Early Warning

System for Agri-Fishery Communities in the Bicol River Basin
Ricky P. Laureta, Ric Ryan H. Regalado, and Diomerl Edward B. Baldo
Partido State University
The book provides a multifaceted view of the Bicol River Basin ecosystem,
which is necessary in understanding development that can bring the region
out of poverty and into resiliency. The involvement of stakeholders in
addressing the climate and disaster risk of the region, as well as in
implementing projects related to agriculture and fisheries, reflects a deep
understanding of localizing SDGs. For its participative and inclusive approach
to sustainability and resiliency, The Bicol River Basin Project receives this
special citation.
— Ma. Assunta Caoile-Cuyegkeng
64
DESIGN
Winners and Finalists 40th National Book Awards Design
BEST BOOK DESIGN
Endangered Splendor:
Manila's Architectural Heritage
1571-1960
Fernando Zialcita and Erik Akpedonu
Design by Ali Figueroa and Erik Akpedonu
The title, Endangered Splendor, is wonderful and sets the tone

for the book's design. The font is elegant but crowded and
clipped to reflect the current state of heritage architecture
within the globalized world. As one opens the book, the
endpaper introduces us to a plan of 18th century Manila,
reminiscent of today's images in Google Earth. The book is
neatly structured, always providing a compass to guide the
reader through each district: Intramuros, Binondo, San
Nicolas, and Tondo. In each chapter, the subtle use of colored
paper assists the reader in distinguishing each author: Zialcita
in pink presents the cultural significance of the district, Venida
in yellow appraises the economic value of its heritage, and
Akpedonu in blue provides a structural design assessment in
relation to heritage conservation. As a reference book based
on fieldwork, the images (photographs, illustrations) and the
text are perfectly balanced, reflecting the spirit of
collaboration as noted in the acknowledgments behind the
book. I congratulate everyone who made this book possible.
— Katya Guerrero
67
Winners and Finalists 40th National Book Awards Design
BEST BOOK DESIGN
Forth Drugs and Philippine Society More Tomboy, More Bakla Than We
Rosmon Tuazon Gideon Lasco Admit: Insights into Sexual and
English translation by Ben Aguilar Design by Nadine Legaspi and Gender Diversity in Philippine Culture,
Design by Carla Gamalinda, Ben Karl Frederick M. Castro History, and Politics
Aguilar, and Ronald Verzo III Ateneo de Manilla University Press Mark Blasius and Richard T. Chu
Isang Balangay Media Productions Design by Francisco DC. Mendoza,
Ryan T. dela Cruz, and Patricia Ann
G. Chan
68
PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR
We honor all the presses actively working to innovate and

maintain the standards of excellence held dear in Philippine
publishing. So it is doubly wonderful to be able to recognize
the efforts of one press which has done these things on a
consistent basis. Not only has this press garnered 16 titles
as finalists this year, it is also worth mentioning that these
titles span a range of diverse subject matter, from Manila's
architectural heritage, our collective experiences online in
the time of global neoliberalism, and an urgent call towards a
position of humility and the recognition of both the
possibility for and necessity of hope through a collection of
philosophical inquiries. The diversity and quality are
recognized in the nine National Book Awards given to the
Ateneo de Manila University Press, our Publisher of the Year,
now for the fifth consecutive year.
69
70
40TH NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
AWARD
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
AWARD
Maria Karina A. Bolasco

Director
One cannot talk of Philippine publishing today without

mentioning Karina Africa Bolasco, consummate publisher
who has not only won countless Publisher of the Year
awards for Anvil in her early years in the industry and more
recently, also for the Ateneo De Manila University Press, a
university press she has transformed into a lively, relevant,
and productive press with titles that appeal not only to the
academe but the general public as well. It is certainly a track
record that is hard to beat.
But more than these awards, Karina is to be credited for

encouraging writers, both unknown and established, to keep
writing and keep publishing. Whenever one has a
conversation with her, narrating a simple personal
experience, she would be wont to say, "write that up into a
book." It is amazing how she could see a gem of a possible
book in everyone’s little stories. She was most encouraging
that way, seeing a potential published book in everyone.
We are grateful to Karina for blazing new trails in publishing

so that books by Filipino authors and illustrators and book
designers in various genres and popular topics became well
known and recognized and enjoyed by readers here and
abroad. In international gatherings like the Frankfurter
Buchmesse, she was a constant speaker at different fora,
recognized for her expertise and impeccable credentials.
Thank you, Karina, for all you have done to promote

Philippine books and readership. It has not been an easy nor
painless journey, but all your initiatives are inspiring and so
gratefully acknowledged—and have certainly been a
significant leap for the industry.
— Neni Sta. Romana Cruz
73
74
THE MANILA
CRITICS CIRCLE
The Manila Critics Circle
DEAN FRANCIS ALFAR

DEAN FRANCIS ALFAR is an author and advocate of speculative fiction. His books include the novel
Salamanca; short fiction collections The Kite of Stars and Other Stories, How to Traverse Terra Incognita, A
Field Guide to the Roads of Manila and Other Stories, and Stars in Jars; and the children’s book How Rosang
Taba Won A Race. As an editor and anthologist, he is the founder of the Philippine Speculative Fiction annuals,
and the editor of anthologies including Fantasy: Filipino Fiction for Young Adults, Horror: Filipino Fiction for
Young Adults, Science Fiction: Filipino Fiction for Young Adults, Maximum Volume: Best New Philippine Fiction
1 & 2, and Ang Manggagaway at iba pang Kathang-Agham at Pantasya mula sa Gitnang Europa at Pilipinas,
among others.
Dean’s short stories have been anthologized internationally, in books such as The Big Book of Modern Fantasy,
The Time Traveler’s Almanac, and The Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror, as well as in various magazines and online
publications. His literary awards include 10 Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature — including the
Grand Prize for Novel for Salamanca — as well as National Book Awards, the Philippines Free Press Literary
Award, and the Gintong Aklat Award. He has a new collection of short fiction as well as several anthologies in
the pipeline.
Dean is the founder and Chief Creative Officer of Kestrel, a digital design & development company, and Logik,
a social media marketing agency. As a creative, he has developed stories, campaigns, and collaterals as Globe
Telecom, Metrobank, Citibank, Toyota, SM Group of Companies, 7-Eleven, Jollibee Foods Corporation, and
San Miguel Foods Corporation, among many others.
ALMA ANONAS-CARPIO
ALMA ANONAS-CARPIO is a freelance journalist, editor, and writer. She is the author of three books: Kitchen
Diary (a cookbook), Maligno Unbound (a collection of short urban fantasy fiction), and How to Tame Your
Tikbalang Without Even Trying (an erotic novel).
77
MICHAEL M. COROZA
MICHAEL M. COROZA is a Full Professor and the current Chair of the Department of Filipino, School of
Humanities, Ateneo de Manila University. He handles graduate and undergraduate classes in Filipino Literature,
Creative Writing, and Literary Translation. He has held in this institution since 2012 the Rev. Fr. Horacio de la
Costa, SJ Endowed Professorial Chair in History and the Humanities. In 2016, it awarded him the Rev. Fr. Henry
Lee Irwin, SJ, Memorial Teacher Award for the Humanities. A multi-awarded poet, essayist, short story writer
for children, and literary translator, he received the Southeast Asia (SEA) Write Award from the Royalty of
Thailand in 2007. In 2019, the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF, or the Filipino Language Commission)
recognized him as “Kampeon ng Wika” (Language Champion) in the fields of literature and translation. He is the
Chair of the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL, or Writers' Union of the Philippines) and was the
former Head of the National Committee on Language and Translation (NCLT) of the National Commission for
Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
ANTONIO GABRIEL LA VIÑA
ANTONIO GABRIEL LA VIÑA is a leader, teacher, thinker, human rights, environmental and climate justice
lawyer, and social entrepreneur. He is at present Associate Director for climate policy and international
relations of Manila Observatory and a professor of law, philosophy, and governance in several universities in
the Philippines. Dean Tony is currently the Chair of the Jurisprudence and Legal Philosophy Department of the
Philippine Judicial Academy and a columnist/regular contributor to Manila Standard, Rappler, and MindaNews.
He is the lead convenor and Chair of the Movement Against Disinformation and a member of the Board of
Directors/Trustees of Rappler, Inc. and Pinoy Media Center. He is the former Dean of the Ateneo de Manila
University School of Government, co-founder of Ashoka Philippines and the Legal Rights and Natural
Resources Center, and a former environmental undersecretary of the Philippines.
SHIRLEY O. LUA
SHIRLEY O. LUA, Ph.D., is an associate professor of literature at De La Salle University (DLSU). She is a
member of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino, the film critics group that confers the annual Gawad Urian on
the best Philippine movies. She served as the associate editor of Direk: Essays on Filipino Filmmakers (DLSU
Publishing House and Sussex Academic Press, 2018). She is former director of DLSU Bienvenido N. Santos
Creative Writing Center (2011-2017).
78
JENNY ORTUOSTE
JENNY ORTUOSTE, PhD, is a writer, teacher, and media practitioner.
She currently teaches communication and creative writing (BA and MA levels) at the University of Santo Tomas
(UST), where she is also a member of the Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies (CCWLS) and
Research Center for Culture, Arts, and the Humanities (RCCAH). Dr. Ortuoste writes two weekly columns –
opinion and literary – for Manila Standard; her sports column there is on hiatus. She has had newsroom
experience as an online editor at a major daily newspaper and at a government media agency.
She also had her own radio shows, had a TV show on horseracing, and was a live horseracing sportscaster and
columnist for many years. She is a Palanca Award-winning essayist, and has received awards for her short
fiction. Her creative writing has been published in literary journals and magazines. Her most recent book,
Fictionary (UST Publishing House, 2016), is a collection of short stories.
She is also a visual artist, creating book cover designs and illustrations in watercolor/mixed media and textile
art. Her work has been exhibited at the Cultural Center of the Philippines as part of a group show. As a
manager and administrator, she has had stints in government in management, operations, corporate planning,
and communications, and in the private sector in management, events management, and PR.
DANTON R. REMOTO
DANTON R. REMOTO, PhD, has been teaching for more than 30 years. He has taught at universities in the
United States, Malaysia, and the Philippines. He was educated at Ateneo de Manila University, Rutgers
University (USA), University of Stirling (UK) and the University of the Philippines. He has been a scholar of the
Ford Foundation-Asian Scholarship Foundation, the British Council, and the Fulbright Foundation.
He is a novelist published by Penguin Random House, the world’s biggest publisher. His novel, Riverrun, has
been chosen by bookriot.com as one of the “five most highly anticipated books by an Asian author in 2020.”
79
80
THE CATEGORY
JUDGES
The Category Judges
LITERARY DIVISION
CRISELDA YABES
NOVEL AND SHORT FICTION IN ENGLISH
CRISELDA YABES is a writer and journalist from the Philippines who has spent years covering the Muslim conflict in
the Mindanao South where she grew up. Her latest book published in 2020 on the ISIS-led siege, The Battle of
Marawi, has been a best-seller. Her first novel Crying Mountain, a love story against the backdrop of a Muslim
uprising, was longlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2010; it was re-published by Penguin Southeast Asia in
2019. It was followed by Broken Islands, also published in 2019, about two women in the aftermath of the super
typhoon Haiyan that devastated central Visayas. She has also written other books, stories, articles, and essays
about various themes and issues on her travels around the country and elsewhere. She graduated with a journalism
degree from the University of the Philippines and lived in Paris after a fellowship with the Fondation Journalistes en
Europe. She divides her time between the Philippines and France, where she plans to re-settle for more creative
endeavors.
EDGAR CALABIA SAMAR

NOVEL AND SHORT FICTION IN FILIPINO
Si EDGAR CALABIA SAMAR ang may-akda ng seryeng Janus Silang (na nagwagi ng National Book Award at National
Children's Book Award) at ng mga nobelang bumubuo sa Trilohiya ng mga Bilang na nagwagi ng NCCA Writer's Prize
(Walong Diwata ng Pagkahulog), National Book Award (Sa Kasunod ng 909), at Palanca Award (Teorya ng Unang
Panahon). Associate Professor siya sa Ateneo de Manila University at naging visiting professor sa Osaka University
mula 2017 hanggang 2022. Naging writer in residence siya sa International Writers Program ng University of Iowa sa
US noong 2010 at guest author ng Sharjah International Book Fair sa UAE noong 2017. Nakapagbigay na siya ng
panayam tungkol sa panitikan, wika, at malikhaing pagsulat sa iba't ibang panig ng bansa mula Batanes hanggang
Zamboanga, gayundin sa labas ng bansa tulad ng USA, China, Japan, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, at United
Kingdom. Kasalukuyan din siyang Vice Chair ng National Commission on Literary Arts ng National Commission on
Culture and the Arts. Sundan siya sa edgarcalabiasamar.com at sa IG/Twitter sa @ecsamar.
ALICE M. SUN-CUA
NONFICTION PROSE IN ENGLISH
ALICE M. SUN-CUA is a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist, poet, travel narrative writer, literary translator, and
xigong practitioner. Her books include Riding Towards the Sunrise and other Travel Tales (2000) which won the
National Book Award for Travel Writing, Charted Prophecies and other Poems (2002), The Transient Years:
Perimenopause in Filipino Women (2008), Autumn in Madrid and other Travel Tales (2013), Kissing Through a
Handkerchief and other Travel Tales (2017), Golden Kumquats in Trieste and other Travel Tales (2018) and Women
Talk: Answers to Common Pregnancy & Gynecological Problems (2019). Literary translations include: the poetry of
Miguel Hernández (Recoged esta voz, 2014) from Spanish to Hiligaynon, a book of poetry by Jaime Gil de Biedma
(Las personas del verbo, 2016) from Spanish to English, and the novel Nada by Carmen Laforet from Spanish into
Hiligaynon (2020). She was awarded the 2019 Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas for her English travel
narratives by the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL). She has an MFA from DLSU Manila and an MS in
Clinical Epidemiology from UP Manila.
83
The Category Judges
BEVERLY SIY
NONFICTION PROSE IN FILIPINO
Si BEVERLY SIY ay isang nanay na manunulat, tagasalin, at copyright advocate. Aktibo si Bebang sa larangan
ng publishing. Isa siya sa mga Book Champion at Intellectual Property Ambassador ng ating bansa noong
2015. Siya ay nakalikha at nakapaglathala ng labing-isang aklat sa pamamagitan ng pagsusulat, pagsasalin,
pagpapatnugot at pag-i-illustrate. Naglilingkod siya ngayon sa Intertextual Division sa patnubay ng CCP
Cultural Content Department. Siya ay nakatira sa Bacoor, Cavite kasama ang kanyang asawa at mga anak.
Maaari siyang makontak sa beverlysiy@gmail.com. Ang ilan sa kanyang mga akda ay libreng mababasa sa
babe-ang.blogspot.com.
FAYE CURA
ANTHOLOGY
FAYE CURA is a writer, editor, and the founder and publisher of Gantala Press, a feminist small press that has
published, among others, a collection of life narratives of peasant women; activist cookbooks and comics; and
anthologies of writings by women-loving-women, political prisoners, and poet-martyrs. She edited and did
translation work for Pa-liwanag: Writings by Filipinas in Translation which was published by Tilted Axis Press
(UK) in 2020. Recently, she contributed to the international anthology Curating as Feminist Organizing
(Routledge, 2022). Faye is the author of four collections of poetry, the latest of which is Punan: Sinalin at
Tinagni-tagning Tula (Papertrail Projects, 2022). She co-wrote the graphic narrative Dawwang: Kababaihang
Tagapagtanggol ng Kordilyera (2021) for Goethe Institute's Movements & Moments Project. The comics was
also published in English (by Drawn & Quarterly and Zubaan Books) and German (by Jaja Verlag) as part of
anthologies. Faye had worked as a researcher and curator of History exhibitions for a private library for 11
years, during which she fulfilled art residencies with the Asian Cultural Council (USA) and Cultural
Partnerships Initiative (South Korea). She is a member of Rural Women Advocates.
RAMON GUILLERMO
LITERARY CRITICISM/CULTURAL STUDIES
RAMON GUILLERMO is the current director of the UP Diliman Center for International Studies (CIS). He also
serves as a fellow of the UP Institute for Creative Writing. He specializes in writing about radical movements in
Southeast Asia from both a translation theory perspective and as a translator. Additionally, he is an active
practitioner and proponent of digital humanities (DH) in the Philippines. He is the author of the books Pook at
Paninindigan (2009), Translation and Revolution (2009), 3 Baybayin Studies (2017), and the novel Ang Makina
ni Mang Turing (2013).
84
The Category Judges
DINAH ROMA
POETRY IN ENGLISH
DINAH ROMA is a University Fellow and Full Professor of Literature and Creative Writing at De La Salle
University and is the multi-awarded author of four books of poetry, namely, A Feast of Origins (2004),
Geographies of Light (2011), Naming the Ruins (2014), and We Shall Write Love Poems Again (2022). She is a
two-time recipient of the country’s National Book Award for Poetry in English (in 2005 and 2022), and she
also won a Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Poetry in English. In 2019, the Writers Union of the Philippines
(UMPIL) conferred on her the Gawad Francisco Balagtas for Poetry in English, a lifetime achievement award
for her contribution to Philippine literature.
JERRY GRACIO
POETRY IN FILIPINO
JERRY B. GRACIO is a poet, screenwriter and cultural and development worker. He is a recipient of two
National Book Awards for his poetry collections, the Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, the University of
the Philippines Centennial Prize for Literature, and the Southeast Asia (SEAWrite) Award in Bangkok. He was
former Commissioner for Samar-Leyte Languages at the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, and currently works as
senior writer for ABS-CBN.
MERVIN MALONZO
GRAPHIC NOVEL AND COMICS
MERVIN MALONZO is a comic artist/writer best known for his aswang comic Tabi Po which was given the
National Book Award for Graphic Literature in 2014. Tabi Po was also adapted to a live-action TV mini-series
in 2017. He collaborated with other writers to produce more comics and illustrated books such as Alejandro
Pardo series, Janus Silang at ang Labanang Mananaggal-Mambabarang, Alternative Alamat, Ang Subersibo,
and After Lambana, most of which are now international titles. He manages an independent small press effort
called Haliya Publishing where he publishes his own and other indie artists' comics. His first animated short
film Ella Arcangel: Oyayi sa Dilim won the top prize in Animahenasyon 2020. He is currently adapting the same
title to an animated full-length film with the support of the Film Development Council of the Philippines. When
he is not producing personal book and animation projects, he animates TV ads. He loves working from home
so he can be with his wife and son all the time.
85
The Category Judges
PAUL DUMOL
TRANSLATION
PAUL ARVISU DUMOL is a playwright, historian, and educator. He received an AB in Communication Arts from the
Ateneo de Manila University (1973), an MA in Philosophy from the Liberal Arts Institute of the University of Navarre
(1978), a Licentiate in Medieval Studies from the Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies, Toronto, Canada (1993),
and a PhD in Medieval Studies with specialization in Philosophy from the University of Toronto (1994). His one-act
play Ang paglilitis ni Mang Serapio (1968) is the most produced play of Philippine theater at present and considered
the first Philippine modernist play in Tagalog. Dr. Dumol was the academic director of Southridge School, Muntinlupa,
from 1979-1990, and Vice President for Academic Affairs of the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) from 1995-
2007. In 1999 he received the Centennial Honors for the Arts in the field of drama from the Cultural Center of the
Philippines; he was declared Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas in the field of drama by the Unyon ng Manunulat ng
Pilipinas (UMPIL) in 2002, and received the Gawad Rizal from the Pambansang Komisyong Pangkasaysayan in 2012.
His English translation of the Spanish documents of the Synod of Manila of 1582 was awarded Best Translated Book
at the National Book Awards in 2015. In 2022 he received the Gawad Dangal ng Panitikan from the Komisyon sa
Wikang Filipino. In 2004, together with other colleagues from UA&P, he founded the Philippine Center for Civic
Education and Democracy, an NGO dedicated to civic education in which he continues to be active. Currently, he
teaches writing drama in UA&P.
ADELAIDA F. LUCERO
ILOCANO
A scholar ng bayan turned professor ng bayan; a UP Department of English and Comparative Literature loyalist from
AB to PhD; a lover of language and literature, arts and culture, and gender and general education; Prof. ADELAIDA F.
LUCERO counts 36 years of full-time teaching marked with a few professorial chairs, teaching and research awards,
and six books. She may have retired but she remains retire-less, actively involved as officer of the NRCP Humanities,
of the UP Folklorists, the UP Association of Women, and as head of the UP Chapter of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa
Phi.
JUNLEY L. LAZAGA
ILOCANO
JUNLEY L. LAZAGA is an associate professor of Literature at the University of the Philippines Baguio where he
finished his BA and MA in Language and Literature. He was a fellow at the first Cordillera Creative Writing Workshop
in 2007 and eventually served as its director, is a founding member of the Ubbog Cordillera Writers, and a past
president of the Baguio Writers’ Group. He won first prize in the second poetry competition of the Timpuyog dagiti
Mannurat nga Ilokano in 2010. He was a recipient of a UP Baguio Golden Jubilee Award for Creative Work (2011) and
is the first from UP Baguio to be conferred the title of University Artist (2018-2020) by the University of the
Philippines. His works as editor include the anthology of Ilokano poetry with translations in Filipino, Dandaniw Ilokano:
mga tulang Ilokano, 1621-2014, which was published by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) and the National
Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in 2015, and Buhay ni Lam-ang: Salin ng Vida de Lam-ang (Antiguo
Poema Popular de Ilocos)” na nalathala sa El folk-lore Filipino (1890) ni Isabelo delos Reyes, also published by KWF
and NCCA in 2019. His most recent work, a multilingual children’s book, Maysa, Dua… Dungdungnguenka/One, Two…
I Cherish You (Isa, Dalawa… Pinakamamahal Kita), was published by Saniata Publications in 2022 with a Publication
Grant from the National Book Development Board. A poet and translator, he is in the board of PEN Philippines and the
executive council of the National Committee on Literary Arts.
86
The Category Judges
NON-LITERARY DIVISION
NORMA RESPICIO
ART
DR. NORMA RESPICIO is a PhD holder in Philippine Studies from the University of the Philippines, Diliman. Her
primary fields of specialization are: 1) the history and aesthetics of traditional art forms with special focus on
the textiles of the Philippines (and Southeast Asia) and those of Japan (and East Asia), 2) the management
and documentation of tangible and intangible art forms (e.g., songs, epics, indigenous skills and technology),
and 3) the safeguarding of heritage sites (built and natural) in the Philippines. She has also done in-depth
studies on Japanese textile art history and aesthetics over decades in several institutes in Japan, earning
prestigious fellowships including the Japan Foundation’s.
Dr. Respicio earned the Most Outstanding Researcher’s Award in the Centennial of Philippine Independence
Gawad Chancellor’s Awards, University of the Philippines in 1998. She has authored and co-authored various
books such as Weaving Ways: Filipino Style and Techniques (2020), Inabel: Philippine Textile from the Ilocos
Region (2015), which won the 35th National Book Award Alfonso T. Ongpin Prize for Best Book on Art,
Journey of a Thousand Shuttles, The Philippines Weave (2014), which also won under the art category of the
34th National Book Award, and Tawid, The Living Treasures of Ilocos Sur (2010), to name a few.
CZARINA SALOMA-AKPEDONU
SOCIAL SCIENCES
CZARINA SALOMA-AKPEDONU is Professor at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and Dean of
the School of Social Sciences of the Ateneo de Manila University. She obtained her doctoral degree in
Sociology from Universitaet Bielefeld in Germany, her MA in Population Science from Peking University in the
People’s Republic of China, and her BA in Sociology from the University of the Philippines in Diliman. Her
professional responsibilities included being Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Director
of the Institute of Philippine Culture, President of the Philippine Sociological Society, President of the Women’s
Studies Association of the Philippines, Vice President of the Research Committee on the Sociology of Science
and Technology of the International Sociological Association, and Chair of the Technical Panel for the Social
Sciences and Communication of the Commission on Higher Education. Her books include Possible Worlds in
Impossible Spaces: Knowledge, Gender, and Information Technology in the Philippines (Ateneo de Manila
University Press, 2006) Casa Boholana (Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2011); Many Journeys, Many
Voices: Filipina Overseas Workers, 1960-2010 (Anvil Publishing, 2015); Food Consumption in the City:
Practices and Patterns in Urban Asia and the Pacific (Routledge, 2016), and The Inconsistent State: Population
Displacements, Hybrid Politics, and Everyday Engagements with the Philippine State (forthcoming). As an
experienced scholar working across academic and applied contexts, her research on knowledge mobilization
in social development, the built environment, and responsible consumption and production aims at promoting
a problem-solving mode in social science engagement and the intelligent popularization of social issues.
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The Category Judges
MICHAEL D. PANTE
HISTORY
MICHAEL D. PANTE is an associate professor at the Department of History, Ateneo de Manila University, and the
chief editor of Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints. He is the author of A Capital City at the
Margins: Quezon City and Urbanization in the Twentieth-Century Philippines (Ateneo de Manila University Press,
2019) and Popular Culture Depictions of Public Transport Drivers in Southeast Asian Cities, a monograph published in
Korean by South Korea’s Asia Culture Center (ACC), which awarded him an ACC Research Fellowship in 2022.
He is also a 2023 Saliksik Kasaysayan fellow of the Philippine Social Science Council.
RJ LEDESMA
HUMOR, SPORTS, LIFESTYLE, AND BUSINESS
MR. LEDESMA, the Consul of Monaco to the Philippines, is a jack-of-all-trades and a master of all. For SME
entrepreneurship, he is an Agora Awardee for Excellence in Entrepreneurship and an Accredited GoNegosyo Mentor
for his work in Mercato Centrale (a food business incubator), where he recently won the 2019 SME Company of the
Year at Asia CEO Awards, the 2019 SME Company of the Year Awards, the 2019 SME Excellence in Innovation
Philippine Winner at the Asean Business Awards, and the SME Winner in Business Model Innovation the 2020 First
Mansmith Innovation Awards. He is also co-founder of EnterPH (a market entry consulting firm for foreign
offshoring/outsourcing businesses) and Easy Franchise (an online franchise marketplace that connects franchisors &
franchisees). For solo entrepreneurship, he is a Hall of Famer and a 3-time Best Male Emcee at the Aliw awards and a
3-time National Book Awards finalist who has written six best-selling books. And for the academe, he holds a double
degree in Applied Economics and Business Management from De La Salle University (1995) where he graduated with
a Student Leadership Award. He was a writing fellow for both the University of the Philippines and Silliman University
National Writing Workshops and a Masters Degree in Real Estate Development from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (2001). He was the first Asian to deliver the valedictory speech at MIT Center for Real Estate. He
currently hosts the Bright Ideas on Bloomberg Philippines/One News, a show that focuses on the local tech start up
scene, and Philippine Realty TV on CNN Philippines.
CLAUDE TAYAG
FOOD
CLAUDE TAYAG is an accomplished artist, writer, a handy chef and an advocate of Filipino cuisine most of his adult
life. His best-selling books include Food Tour, a collection of his food and travel essays from his column in the
Philippine Star, peppered liberally with his pen drawings and recipes; and Linamnam – Eating One’s Way Around the
Philippines, which he co-authored with his wife Mary Ann Quioc. He is also a co-author and the food stylist of the
seminal cookbook Kulinarya – A Guidebook to Philippine Cuisine. Tayag is one of those rare breed of “food
missionaries” who literally puts his foot where his mouth is, so to speak. Together with his wife, they run the by-
reservation-only Bale Dutung Restaurant in Angeles City, Pampanga, serving sumptuous traditional Pampango
spread, and Downtown 1956 Café, at the Quad in Nepo Center in the same city, serving Tayag’s take on Filipino
comfort foods. Quite recently, Bale Dutung was included in The World’s 50 Best 2021 Essence of Asia list, celebrating
”authenticity, culinary culture and community focus”. He's the guy who introduced sisig to Anthony Bourdain.
88
The Category Judges
MA. ASSUNTA CAOILE-CUYEGKENG

SCIENCE
ASSUNTA CUYEGKENG is a professor at the Department of Educational Leadership and Management of the
Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design (GBSEALD). She is the Executive Director of
the Lily Gokongwei Ngochua Leadership Academy and the Managing Editor of the Journal of Management
for Global Sustainability. In 2013 she helped establish the Ateneo Institute of Sustainability and became its
Director from 2013 to 2021. She was also with the John Gokongwei School of Management from 2010 to
2021, where she helped develop degree and research programs in sustainability and leadership. She was
Vice President for the Loyola Schools of the Ateneo de Manila University from 2006-2010. Achoot obtained
her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Chemistry from Ateneo de Manila University and her doctoral degree
in Chemistry from the University of Regensburg in Germany. She has written on polymers, science education,
environment, quality assurance in education, and leadership. Her literary essays, poems, and Filipino
translations appear in various anthologies. Her current research and teaching interests are in the fields of
leadership, systems thinking, social entrepreneurship, and sustainability.
FEORILLO A. DEMETERIO III

SPIRITUALITY AND THEOLOGY
DR. FEORILLO A. DEMETERIO III is a Full Professor of the Department of Filipino, College of Liberal Arts, the
Executive Director of the Research and Grants Management Office, De La Salle University. He is the author of
the books Ang mga Ideolohiyang Politikal ng Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (2012),
Ferdinand Blumentritt and the Philippines (2013), The Socio-Political Discourses of the Catholic Bishops'
Conference of the Philippines (2018), and Ang Mindanao sa Hiraya ni Ferdinand Blumentritt (2022). He co-
authored the books From Exceptionality to Exceptional: Inclusion of Differently Abled Persons in the
Workplace (2014) and Cataloging and Baselining the Filipino-Spanish Churches of the Diocese of Maasin, on
the Island of Leyte (2020). He is the author/co-author of over a hundred articles on hermeneutics, cultural
studies, Philippines studies, and Filipino philosophy that are published in a number of local and international
journals. He served as a visiting research professor at the Council for Research in Values and Philosophy,
Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, in 2013, and at the Divinity School of Chung Chi College,
Chinese University of Hong Kong, in 2021. In 2014, Dr. Demeterio was recognized as an outstanding alumnus
in the field of philosophy by the Graduate School of the University of Santo Tomas. In 2022, he was given the
Matthew Eichler Memorial Fellowship in Education by the Asia-Pacific Consortium of Researchers and
Educators. He is a co-founder of the Andrew Gonzalez Philippine Citation Index.
89
The Category Judges
REMMON E. BARBAZA
PHILOSOPHY
DR. REMMON E. BARBAZA is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Ateneo de Manila University, where
he twice served as chair of the Department of Philosophy, and for a year as the acting dean of the School of
Humanities. He earned a BA in Linguistics from the University of the Philippines-Diliman in 1988, an MA in
Philosophy from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1994, and a PhD in Philosophy from the Hochschule für
Philosophie in Munich, Germany, in 2002, with a dissertation, Heidegger and a New Possibility of Dwelling
(Frankfurt: Peter Lang, 2003), written under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Gerd Haeffner, SJ Apart from
Heidegger, his research interests include technology, language, the city, environment, and translation. His
essay, There Where Nothing Happens: The Poetry of Space in Heidegger and Arellano, appears in Heidegger
and the Earth: Essays in Environmental Philosophy, 2nd, expanded ed. (University of Toronto Press, 2009). He
edited the book, Making Sense of the City: Public Spaces in the Philippines (Ateneo de Manila University
Press, 2019). His essay, The Boat Will Rise, Too: On the Necessity, Allure, and Terror of Water, appears in the
anthology, Coastal Urbanities: Mobilities, Meanings, Maneuverings (Leiden: Brill, 2022). He is a founding
member of the Heidegger Circle in Asia, and a member of the board of directors of the Philosophy of the City
Research Group. He engages the wider public through commentaries in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. An avid
cyclist, he also engages in photography, calligraphy, scuba diving, and aikido, all of which flow from and back
into his intellectual life.
KATYA GUERRERO
DESIGN
KATYA GUERRERO has consistently worked on creative initiatives to support and promote Philippine art and
culture since the 1990s: Big Sky Mind, New Manila (1999-2001), Photography Art Center, Makati (2002), Big
Sky Mind Artists' Projects Foundation, 18th Avenue, Cubao (2003-2005), Pioneer Studios (2008-present),
Artbooks.ph (2016-present), Luzviminda: Archive of Philippine Photography (2018-2023). Now, post-
pandemic, with a daughter about to leave for college, she looks forward to a quiet and more introspective life.
90
SPECIAL PRIZES
Our Sponsors
National Artist Cirilo F. Bautista

Prize for Best Book of Short Fiction in English
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Victorio C. Valledor
Prize for Best Book of Poetry in Filipino
93
Our Sponsors
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Prize for Best Book of Nonfiction Prose in English
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94
PRESS RELEASES
&
NEWS ARTICLES
5 things you should know about the Philippine National Book Awards to call
yourself a certified bookworm
Addie Pobre
The finalists of the 40th National Book Awards (NBA) have just been announced by the
National Book Development Board and the Manila Critics Circle. Several of the finalists
include household names such as Tarantadong Kalbo and Manix Abrera. Print is certainly
not dead despite the time of ChatGPT, with bookworms even resurging into many identities
these days — you can create a YouTube channel and call yourself a booktuber. You can
even be viral on TikTok as a BookToker.
The community behind readers today does not even stop at posting the books they love on
the web, but has become a cultural force that can even spark a movement — just take a
look at dark academia, for example.
But zooming in on the whole conversation, local books — written by Filipino authors and
produced by Filipino publishers — are more often than not missing. While it’s great that the
habit of reading has found its space in the corners of the Internet, books about our own
context and realities have yet to carve a stronger presence in the whole gamut of online
content on all things reading and writing. It can be argued that this is bound to happen
given that foreign publishing houses produce more titles than Filipino publishers. Still, that
does not mean that we should turn to what is more: We can always choose to look at our
own stories first, first and foremost.
If you identify as a Filipino bookworm, and would love to know more about local books and
promote them on your socials, then you may want to start getting to know more about our
very own National Book Awards. Aside from the Palanca Awards, we have the Philippine
National Book Awards to recognize literary talents.
In view of the upcoming 40th National Book Awards, here are five things Filipino
bookworms must know.
1. The NBA has seen the careers of the veteran Filipino writers we now stan
National Artist Gemino Abad’s When Bridges Are Down, Mountains

Too Far (Published by the University of the Philippines Press, 2020),
the 39th National Book Awards’ Winner of the Best Book of Poetry in
English
Just a cursory glance at the catalogs of the awards showcasing

winners through the years will give you an idea of not just the history
of the nation, but of how the literary giants we now stan - like
National Artists such as Virgilio Amario and Gemino Abad, and
academic Caroline Hau - started in their careers to become the
masters of their craft.
97
Caroline Hau’s Tiempo Muerto (Published by the Ateneo de Manila

University Press, 2019), the 39th National Book Awards’ Winner of
the Best Novel in English
For instance, Almario’s genius was already lauded when the book
he edited, Walong Dekada ng Makabagong Tulang Pilipino, had
won the National Book Award for Anthology in 1981 before he was
declared a National Artist in 2003. Likewise, the poetry of Abad
has been a source of inspiration for many aspiring poets since
1988 when his book Poems and Parable won the National Book
Award for Poetry.
Caroline Hau, known for her works on nationalism and its influence on Filipino writings in
English, Filipino, and Chinese, has been making waves ever since her book, Intsik: An
Anthology of Chinese Filipino Writing, won the National Book Award for Anthology in 2000.
2. It's not all academic.
4REUMINCT’s (Gwynette Saludes) The Rain in España (Published by

Precious Pages Corporation, 2021), finalist of the 40th National Book
Awards’ Best Novel in Filipino
Most might have the impression that the awards are just academic
pomp. Recognizing quality books, however, does not necessarily
mean being #elitist; on the contrary, the awards has been a witness to
some of the best local books enjoyed not just by academic circles, but
also by the general public. 4REUMINCT’s (Gwynette Saludes) The
Rain in España, is a finalist at the 40th NBA. First published on
Wattpad, the book touches on the lives of two university students as
they navigate the exhilaration of young adult romance.
Jun Cruz Reyes’s Panaghoy, Pagtutol (Published by the University

of the Philippines Press, 2021), finalist of the 40th National Book
Awards’ Best Book of Poetry in Filipino
Jun Cruz Reyes, also known as the “enfant terrible” of Philippine

letters and whose NBA-award winning books consist of novels in
Filipino, is also proving that he can be a multifaceted artist beyond
the literary. His latest work, Panaghoy, Pagtutol (Weeping,
Resisting), is a book of poems with illustration vying for the 40th
NBA’s Best Book of Poetry in Filipino award. The book, according to
Reyes himself, is about an “artist making art in the time of terror and
turmoil, in the time of a pandemic and popular democracy in the
Philippines.”
98
Manix Abrera’s Li’l Bertong Badtrip! (Published by Manix Abrera,

2021), finalist of the 40th National Book Awards’ Best Graphic Novel
Award
Likewise, fans of Manix Abrera should look forward to their favorite

artist’s work being heralded as a finalist once more at the 40th
NBA’s graphic novel category. In Li’l Bertong Badtrip, Abrera’s
signature colorful strokes envision the exhilarating adventures of
Bertong Badtrip, a character from the Kikomachine Komix daily
comic strip.
3. It’s going on in its 40th year
The 40th cycle of the National Book Awards is a milestone in many ways. It officially marks
the 40th edition of the prestigious award, which has been honoring the best books written,
designed, and published in the Philippines since it was started by the Manila Critics Circle
(MCC) in 1982.
Founded in 1982 by the MCC, composed of accomplished

writers, reviewers, and literary critics, the National Book
Awards has gone on to become an important annual prize in
the publishing scene in the Philippines. The membership of
the MCC has included National Artists for Literature Virgilio
S. Almario, Cirilo F. Bautista, and Resil B. Mojares. It will hold
the 40th awards night in May 2023 at the Manila
Metropolitan Theater.
4. It judges a book by its cover
Claude Tayag’s A Watercolor Journey (Designed by Miguel Mari,

Published by Holy Angel University Press, 2019), the 39th
National Book Awards’ Winner of the Best Book Design
Before you raise your eyebrows, by judging a book by its cover,

we don’t mean that the awards is biased towards books with a
pretty aesthetic. But as a book award, the NBA is particular about
everything: not just the substance, but also the form.
The design of a book is secondary to content in the selection of the finalists and winners in all
categories of the awards, except the book design category, in which books are evaluated
entirely based on their form: paper, type, layout, among others.
Claude Tayag’s book, A Watercolor Journey, was the winner of the book design category in the
39th NBA. According to Maria Yodel Pe, herself a graphic designer and the category’s judge,
the book deserves to win for its “thoughtful choice of paper, the book format, to the choice of
typefaces and the delicate layout.”
99
5. It’s open to other Philippine regional languages
Sirib ti Puli ni Ilokano, translated by Ariel Sotelo Tabág, written by

Isabelo Florentino delos Reyes, published by Saniata Publications,
2021. Finalist of the 40th National Book Awards’ Best Translated
Book in Ilocano
Beyond Filipino and English, languages in the Philippines extend to

a variety of regional languages that signify the breadth and depth
of our identities. In order to sustain a strong culture of reading and
authorship, we need to reaffirm the multiplicity of our cultures to
encourage production of books in languages spoken across the
archipelago. And this is why the awards has also been evaluating
books in many Philippine languages, aside from our two main
languages.
For the 40th NBA, books in Ilocano are taking the limelight. Ranging from novel to short
fiction to anthology to poetry to translation, the Ilocano books that have made it as finalists
reintroduce Ilocano traditions once more in ways serious, poetic, and humorous all at once.
100
EXCLUSIVE: The finalists of the 40th National Book Awards

Andrea Panaligan
CNN Philippines Life
March 27, 2023
As part of its commitment to celebrating the enterprising creative labor involved in book
publishing, the National Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Manila Critics Circle
(MCC) announce the finalists of the 40th National Book Awards.
An annual prize that honors the most prestigious book titles written, designed, and
published in the Philippines, the National Book Awards is crucial in a craft that is as
significant as it is undersupported. Books and the people who make them are at the
frontlines of our fight against disinformation and historical distortion — the National Book
Awards reinvigorates Philippine publishing, spotlighting local voices and attracting a wider
readership.
Of course this is only one step. Strengthening local literature also means supporting
authors, artists, and creative workers before they win awards; championing independent
publishers and small bookstores; building more free libraries and stocking relevant titles;
and fostering a culture of reading that begins with an empowering education system.
It also means debunking the myth that local books are hard to find. While we call for
popular bookstores to carry more Filipino titles, local publishers have been servicing
readers nationwide since they transitioned to digital. Most finalist presses — including the
University of the Philippines Press, leading with 24 finalists, are available on all major e-
commerce platforms.
This cycle of the National Book Awards received 213 title nominations across 29 categories
consisting of three languages: English, Filipino, and Ilocano. The categories are grouped
into Literary, Non-Literary, and Design, honoring not only authors but also cover designers
and layout artists. The awarding ceremony, the first to be held onsite after the pandemic,
will be on May 13, 2023 at the Manila Metropolitan Theater.
101
LITERARY DIVISION
NOVEL (ENGLISH)
"Snakes in the Grass" - Patrick Everard, UP Press
"The Secret of Derek Guerrero" - Mark Manalang, HS Grafik Print
"The Small-but-Terrible Gina" - Weldon M. McCarty, UP Press
"White Lady, Black Christ" - Charlson Ong, Milflores Publishing, Inc.
NOVEL (FILIPINO)
"Isang Dekadang Resty" - Jov Ortua Almero, University of the Philippines Press
"Asinkrono: Isang Nobela" - Mesándel Virtusio Arguelles, De La Salle University Publishing
House
"Aswanglaut" - Allan N. Derain, Ateneo de Manila University Press
"The Rain in España" - 4REUMINCT, Precious Pages Corporation
"Kilapsaw" - Ellen Sicat, University of the Philippines Press
SHORT FICTION (ENGLISH)

"Selected Short Stories" - Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, University of Santo Tomas
Publishing House
"Brown Hole" - Israfel Fagela, University of the Philippines Press
"Flowers for Thursday" - Mia Tijam, Ateneo de Naga University Press
SHORT FICTION (FILIPINO)

"Ang Huling Emotero" - Mark Angeles, University of the Philippines Press
"Ang Itim na Orkidyas ng Isla Boracay" - Genevieve L. Asenjo, University of the Philippines
Press
"Tinagong Dagat" - Riza G. Babaran, University of the Philippines Press
"Solo Flight" - Rita dela Cruz, Isang Balangay Media Productions
"Eksamen at Iba Pang Kuwento ng Pag-ibig" - U Z. Eliserio, University of the Philippines
Press
NONFICTION PROSE (ENGLISH)

"Is There Sex in Heaven?" - Simeon Dumdum, Jr., Ateneo de Manila University Press
"What I Wanted to be When I Grew Up" - Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo, University of the
Philippines Press
"Departures" - Priscilla Supnet Macansantos, University of the Philippines Press
"Ascending the Fourth Mountain" - Maria Virginia Y. Morales, Ateneo de Manila University
"In The Line of Fire" - Joel Pablo Salud, San Anselmo Publications, Inc.
ANTHOLOGY
"Tingle" - Jhoanna Lynn B. Cruz (Ed.), Anvil Publishing, Inc.
"This Season of Grief"- Joanna Nicolas-Na, OMF Literature, Inc.
"Lamyos" - J. Neil C. Garcia (Ed.), University of the Philippines Press
"Harvest Moon" - Padmapani L. Perez, Rehana Rossouw, Alexandra Walter & Renato
Redentor Constantino, Milflores Publishing, Inc.
"Tinubdan" - Arlene J. Yandug, Maria Elena L. Paulma & Lilia A. Cotejar (Eds.), Xavier
University Press
102
LITERARY CRITICISM/CULTURAL STUDIES (ENGLISH)

"Partial Views" - Conchitina Cruz, De La Salle University Publishing House
"Campaigns of Knowledge" - Malini Johar Schueller, Ateneo de Manila University Press
"What Kapitan Tiago Served and Padre Damaso Ate" - Jose Victor Z. Torres, Ateneo de
Manila University Press
LITERARY CRITICISM/CULTURAL STUDIES (FILIPINO)

"Digmaan ng mga Alaala" - Laurence Marvin S. Castillo, University of the Philippines Press
"Buklat/Mulat" - Eugene Y. Evasco, University of the Philippines Press
"Halagahan" - Patrick Flores, Ateneo de Naga University Press
MEDIA STUDIES
“Hindi Nangyari Dahil Wala sa Social Media” - Rolando B. Tolentino, Vladimeir B. Gonzales, &
Laurence Marvin S. Castillo, Ateneo de Manila University Press
POETRY (ENGLISH)
"Tangere" - Rodrigo V. Dela Peña, Jr., University of the Philippines Press
"Thorn Grass" - Luis H. Francia, University of the Philippines Press
"College Boy" - Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta, Ateneo de Manila University Press
"Tokhang Nation" - Arvin Abejo Mangohig, University of Santo Tomas Publishing House
"Poems from Ground Z" - Victor N. Sugbo, University of the Philippines Press
POETRY (FILIPINO)
"Indi Natun Kinahanglan kang Duro nga Tinaga sa Atun Tunga" - Genevieve L. Asenjo,
"Sa Aking Pagkadestiyero" - Joi Barrios, University of the Philippines Press
"Pasakalye" - Lean Borlongan, self-published
"Lunas sa Nabubuong Lubos" - Paul Alcoseba Castillo, University of Santo Tomas
Publishing
"Panaghoy/Pagtutol (Weeping, Resisting)" - Jun Cruz Reyes, University of the Philippines
Press
"Tuwing Nag-Iisa sa Mapa ng Buntong-hininga" - Paolo Miguel G. Tiausas, University of the
Philippines Press
GRAPHIC NOVELS AND COMICS (ENGLISH)

"Alandal" - Author: J. Philip Ignacio; Illustrator: Alex Niño, Komiket, Inc.
"Twinkle, Twinkle" - Author/Illustrator: Tori Tadiar, Komiket, Inc.
GRAPHIC NOVELS AND COMICS (FILIPINO)

"Li'l Bertong Badtrip!" - Author/Illustrator: Manix Abrera, Self-published
"Tarantadong Kalbo 2" - Author/Illustrator: Kevin Eric Raymundo, Komiket, Inc.
"Ang Mga Alitaptap ng Pulang Buhangin" - Author/Illustrator: RH Quilantang, Komiket, Inc.
TRANSLATION
"Mga Himutok sa Palikuran at Iba Pang Kuwento" - Translator: Amado Anthony G. Mendoza
III; Author: Eka Kurniawan, Savage Mind: Arts, Books, Cinema
"Three Nights, Three Days" - Translator: David T. Ong; Author: Eros S. Atalia, 19th Avenida
Publishing House
103
The Bamboo Stalk" - Translator: Jen Recato-Daño; Author: Saud Alsanousi, Anvil
Publishing, Inc.
"Avenge Me!" - Translator: Soledad S. Reyes; Author: Precioso Palma, De La Salle
University Publishing House
ILOCANO (FICTION-NOVEL)
"Dagiti Pundador (The Founders)" - Prescillano N. Bermudez, Saniata Publications
"Matayakon, Rosing! (I Am Dying, Rosing!)"- Dionisio S. Bulong, Saniata Publications
LOCANO (SHORT FICTION)

"Kulukol iti Kilikili (Drill for the Armpit)" Efren A. Inocencio, Saniata Publications
"Villa Ken Dadduma Pay a Sarita" - Ariel Sotelo Tabág, Saniata Publications
ILOCANO (ANTHOLOGY)
"Panaglantip (Union)" - Dionisio S. Bulong & Eden L. Cachola-Bulong, Saniata Publications
"Apit (Harvest)" - Oswald A. Valente & Ariel Sotelo Tabág, Saniata Publications
ILOCANO (POETRY)
"Baribari (Pardon Me)"- Roy Vadil Aragon, Saniata Publications
"Rabii (Night) 100 a #tweetniw" - Roy Vadil Aragon, Saniata Publications
"Anglem (Incense) - Daniel L. Nesperos, Saniata Publications
ILOCANO (TRANSLATION)
"Dagiti Sagrado a Tay-ak ti Isla Fuga (Fuga Island Sacred Scapes)" - Translator: Ariel Sotelo
Tabág; Author: Ronel P. Dela Cruz, Saniata Publications
"Sirib ti Puli ni Ilokano (Ilokano Folklore) - Translator: Ariel Sotelo Tabág; Author: Isabelo
Florentino delos Reyes, Saniata Publications
ART
"Endangered Splendor" - Fernando Zialcita & Erik Akpedonu, Ateneo de Manila University
Press
SOCIAL SCIENCES
"More Tomboy, More Bakla Than We Admit" - Mark Blasius & Richard T. Chu, Vibal
Foundation, Inc.
"The Water Defenders" - Robin Broad & John Cavanagh, Ateneo de Manila University Press
"Bioethics" - Fausto B. Gomez, OP, University of Santo Tomas Publishing House
"The Role of Shrines in View of the New Evangelization - Kendrick Ivan B. Panganiban,
HISTORY
"Transpacific Engagements"- Florina H. Capistrano-Baker & Meha Priyadarshini (Eds.),
Ayala Foundation, Inc. & Getty Research Institute & Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz
"Civilizational Imperatives" - Oliver Charbonneau, Ateneo de Manila University Press
"Between Celebration and Critique" - José Mario C. Francisco, SJ, Ateneo de Manila
University Press
104
"Púgot" - Narciso C. Tan, Vibal Foundation, Inc.

"Specters of Germany" - Nathaniel Parker Weston, Ateneo de Manila University Press
HUMOR, SPORTS, LIFESTYLE, AND BUSINESS

"A Kind (of) Business" - Elfren N. Cruz and Benito L. Teehankee, Anvil Publishing, Inc.
"The Business of Banking" - Deogracias N. Vistan, Anvil Publishing, Inc.
FOOD
"Notes From My Kitchen 2" - Chef Reggie Aspiras, Anvil Publishing, Inc.
"Appetite for Freedom" - Helena Orosa del Rosario, Ige Ramos Design Studios (iRDS)
"Baking Simpol" - Chef Tatung Sarthou, Vertikal Books
"Kitchen Secrets" - Chef Tatung Sarthou, Vertikal Books
"Gospel of Food" - Sharwin Tee, Anvil Publishing, Inc.
SCIENCE
"A Guide to Gingers of Sorsogon" - R. V. A. Docot, Far Eastern University Publications
"The Bicol River Basin Project" - Ricky P. Laureta, Ric Ryan H. Regalado & Diomerl Edward
B. Baldo, Partido State University

"PagTuhan: The Tausug Spiritual Tradition" - Darwin J. Absari, University of the Philippines
Press
"Sports in the Philippines" - Fr. Edgardo D. Alaurin, OP, SThD, University of Santo Tomas
Publishing House
"The Filipino Christ and the Historical Jesus Toward a Filipino Christology" - Michael
Demetrius H. Asis, Ateneo de Manila University Press
"Handumanan (Remembrance)" - Karl M. Gaspar, CSsR, Claretian Communications
Foundation, Inc.
PHILOSOPHY
"Thought-Pieces" - Paolo A. Bolaños, Aletheia Printing and Publishing House
"Repentance and Rebirth at the End of Life as We Know It" - Agustin Martin G. Rodriguez,
DESIGN
"Endangered Splendor" - Authors: Fernando Zialcita & Erik Akpedonu, Cover design, book
design, and layout: Ali Figueroa, Ateneo de Manila University Press
"More Tomboy, More Bakla Than We Admit" - Authors: Mark Blasius and Richard T. Chu,
Book Design: Francisco dC. Mendoza, Cover Design: Ryan T. dela Cruz, Layout: Patricia
Ann G. Chan and Ryan T. dela Cruz, Vibal Foundation, Inc.
"Drugs and Philippine Society" - Gideon Lasco (Ed.), Book design: Nadine Legaspi, Cover
design: Karl Fredrick M. Castro, Ateneo de Manila University Press
"Forth" - Author: Rosmon Tuazon, English translation: Ben Aguilar, Book Cover Design,
Cover Art, and Interior Art: Carla Gamalinda, Book Layout: Ben Aguilar & Ronald Verzo II,
Isang Balangay Media Productions
Published online at https://www.cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/literature/2023/3/27/40th-national-

book-awards-finalists.html
105
Philippines 40th National Book Awards finalists announced

Dean Simons
Comics Beat
March 27, 2023
With this year's awards, the "Graphic Literature" category has been renamed “Graphic
Novels and Comics” and split into two linguistic categories (English and Filipino).
The Philippines’ National Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Manila Critics Circle
(MCC) have declared their finalists for the country’s prestigious 40th National Book Awards
and there have been some changes – the “Graphic Literature” category has been renamed
“Graphic Novels and Comics” and split into two linguistic categories (English and Filipino).
While the awards themselves have had a “graphic literature” category for some years
(since at least the 28th edition in 2008/2009), this year’s two changes could be significant –
indicative of the growing number of books and attention in the space, and the recognition
of an “industry standard” – according to one observer.
Another interesting development is festival-runner Komiket Inc. is behind the publication of

four of the five listed finalists: J. Philip Ignacio and Alex Niño‘s Alandal, Tori Tadiar‘s
Twinkle, Twinkle, Kevin Eric Raymundo‘s Tarantadong Kalbo [tr: Scared Bald] vol 2, and RH
Quilantang‘s Ang Mga Alitaptap ng Pulang Buhangin [The Red Sand Fireflies].
As noted by Komiks Reader, a blogger and critic, on Facebook:
“Two impactful changes in this year’s 40th National Book Awards given by the National
Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Manila Critics Circle:
“1) “Graphic Literature” award category was changed to the industry standard “Graphic
Novel and Comics” award
“2) Separate awards will be given to komiks in English and in Filipino just like in other
categories.
“Oh and by the way, Komiket, Inc. published 4 out of 5 komiks nominated for the two
categories. Amazing! Congrats Komiket and of course to our esteemed komiks creators…
It’s a good time to buy and read komiks!”
The National Book Awards have been running since 1982. They are comprised of literary,
non-literary (usually academic), and design category groups. In the literary, graphic novels
(or “graphic literature”) sit alongside poetry, novels, anthologies, literary criticism,
biography/autobiography, to name a few. Over the past decade categories have
increasingly been split into separate linguistic groups – with each one usually reflecting
work published in English and Filipino languages. The awards were created and run by the
Manila Critics Circle and since 2008 administered by the Philippines National Book
Development Board, a government agency.
106
The finalists for this year’s awards:
Alandal, Writer: Jay Philip Ignacio; Artist: Alex Niño (Komiket, Inc.)
“Kidnapped by Iranun pirates, Sabina discovers she is the granddaughter of the Sutan of
Sulu. There, she meets a mysterious warrior named Alandal.”
Twinkle, Twinkle, writer/artist: Tori Tadiar (Komiket, Inc.)
"Manila, the Golden Age. Twins Alta and Signa use their mystical ability to catch stars,
hoping to sell the stardust to a mysterious patron. The twins discover that catching falling
stars has a price, and costs more than what they bargained for.”
Li’l Bertong Badtrip!, Writer/Artist: Manix Abrera (Self-published)
“Join the smallest and most intense mystery of the villain in the various interactions he and
his colleagues have with the mysteries of the academy, the cosmos, hell, and other cruel
schemes of burning challenges of fate! Because Berto was once a child. Li’l BERTONG
BADTRIP!”
Tarantadong Kalbo [tr. Scared Bald] vol .2 – Writer/Artist: Kevin Eric Raymundo (Komiket,
Inc.)
Second volume of Tarantadong Kalbo which,
“…features an irreverent bald protagonist who gives razor-sharp social commentary during
the pandemic-era.”
Ang Mga Alitaptap ng Pulang Buhangin [tr. The Red Sand Fireflies] – Writer/Artist: RH
Quilantang (Komiket, Inc.) “To what extent can you be responsible for promises made? This
is the story of father and child Jon and Stella Mandaluyong in a world shrouded in darkness
and emptiness.”
Published online at https://www.comicsbeat.com/philippines-40th-national-book-awards-finalists-

announced/
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11 A Libro Nga Ilokano, Finalist Iti National Book Awards

J. L. Lazaga
Bannawag
March 31, 2023
Sangapulo ket maysa a libro nga Ilokano ti napili a finalist para iti maika-40 a National Book
Awards (NBA), kas impakaammo ti National Book Development Board (NBDB).
Tinawen nga ipapaay ti NBDB ken ti Manila Critics Circle (MCC) ti NBA kadagiti kapipintasan
a libro a nasurat, nadisenio, ken naipablaak iti Filipinas iti panggep a mapasantak ti
panagilibro iti pagilian.
Iti daytoy a pannakaangay ti NBA, naluktan ti naisangsangayan a benneg nga Ilokano para
kadagiti libro a naipablaak kadagiti tawen 2019-2021.
Lima a kategoria iti benneg ti Ilokano ti nakapilian dagiti nasao a libro.
Para iti nobela nga Ilokano, napili a finalist ti Dagiti Pundador (2020) ni Prescillano N.
Bermudez ken ti Matayakon, Rosing! (2020) ni Dionisio S. Bulong.
Para iti ababa a sarita nga Ilokano, nominado ti koleksion dagiti ababa a sarita ni Efren A.
Inocencio a Kulukol iti Kilikili (2021) ken ti koleksion a Villa Ken Dadduma Pay a Sarita (2019)
ni Ariel Sotelo Tabag.
Nominado iti kategoria nga antolohia nga Ilokano ti Panaglantip: Antolohia Dagiti Sarita
(2019). Daytoy a libro ti nakatiponan dagiti napili a sarita da Dionisio Soliven Bulong ken
Eden Laguesma Cachola-Bulong. Iti isu met laeng a kategoria a nominado ti Apit: Antolohia
dagiti Daniw nga Ilokano (2021) nga inedit da Oswald A. Valente ken Ariel Sotelo Tabag.
Naukkon iti daytoy a libro dagiti daniw dagiti tallopulo ket dua a mannaniw manipud iti
grupo nga Iti Puso ken Riknak Tagabangkagak (Bangkag Dagiti Mannalon iti Balikas itan).
Iti kategoria a daniw nga Ilokano, agbalubal dagiti agpada a premiado a mannurat a da Roy
Vadil Aragon ken Daniel L. Nesperos. Dua a libro ti dandaniw ni Aragon ti naisalip, ti Baribari
(2019) ken ti Rabii: 100 a #tweetniw (2019). Ti libro nga Anglem (2019) ti umuna a koleksion
dagiti daniw ni Nesperos.
Para iti kategoria a patarus nga Ilokano, agsinnalip para iti pammadayaw ti libro ni Dr. Ronel
P. Dela Cruz a napauluan iti Dagiti Sagrado a Tay-ak ti Isla Fuga (2021) ken ti libro a
napauluan iti Sirib ti Puli ni Ilokano (2021) a patarus iti orihinal a sinurat iti Espaniol a linaon ti
“Folk-lore Ilocano” ni Isabelo de los Reyes a naadaw iti librona nga El Folk-lore-Filipino
(1890). Agpada nga impatarus dagitoy ni Ariel Sotelo Tabag.
Impablaak ti Saniata Publications amin dagitoy a libro a naisalip iti pammigbig iti nasao a
pammadayaw.
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Mairaman dagiti lima a kategoria iti Ilokano kadagiti siguden a kategoria iti NBA. Iti benneg ti
literatura, mapagdasig dagiti libro iti Ingles ken iti Filipino: piksion (nobela ken ababa a
sarita); prosa a saan a piksion; antolohia; pelikula ken drama; kritisismo iti literatura
ken/wenno iti kultura; pakasaritaan ti literatura; daniw; nailadawan (graphic) a literatura
agraman ti komiks; ken patarus.
Iti benneg a non-literary: arte; dagiti propesion; siensia mainaig iti kagimongan (social
sciences); pakasaritaan; pagkakatawaan, isports, lifestyle, ken negosio; taraon/makmakan;
siensia; espiritualidad ken teolohia; ken pilosopia. Maisina pay ti pammadayaw iti benneg ti
disenio ti libro.
Maibatay iti opisial a pakaammo dagiti mangimatmaton iti NBA, adda 213 a libro a
nainominar kadagiti 29 a kategoria. Maipaayan iti premio a P40,000.00 ti tunggal autor
wenno para disenio iti libro a makagun-od iti kangrunaan a pammadayaw iti tunggal
kategoria.
Nagdalan dagiti nainominar a libro iti pre-screening, sa naarisit dagitoy babaen ti dua a
deliberasion.
Maipaayan pay iti naisangsangayan a pammadayaw kas para ipablaak iti tawen (publisher
of the year) ti publisher a kaaduan iti bilang ti libro a nakagun-od kadagiti pammigbig a kas
finalist ken kangrunaan a premio iti amin a kategoria ti NBA.
Maiwaragawag dagiti nakagun-od iti pammigbig dagiti kangrunaan a premio iti seremonia a
maangay inton Mayo 13, 2013 iti Manila Metropolitan Theatre.
Para iti kompleto a listaan dagiti finalist bisitaen ti: 11 A Libro Nga Ilokano, Finalist Iti
National Book Awards
J. L. Lazaga wenno 11 A Libro Nga Ilokano, Finalist Iti National Book Awards
J. L. Lazaga. (J.L. Lazaga)
Published online at https://bannawag.ph/2023/03/31/11-a-libro-nga-ilokano-finalist-iti-national-book-

awards/
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40th National Book Awards finalists announced

Jenny Ortuoste
The Manila Standard
March 29, 2023
As we enter National Literature Month in a few days, let’s find out what’s new on the literary
scene.
The Manila Critics Circle (MCC) and the National Book Development Board (NBDB) have
announced the finalists of the 40th National Books Awards (NBA).
The NBA is an annual prize that honors the best book titles written, designed, and
published in the Philippines.
It incentivizes and recognizes the production and publication of high-quality books that
spotlight local voices, topics, and themes of interest to the scholar, student, and general
reader.
This milestone cycle of the NBA received 213 title nominations across 29 categories in
three languages—English, Filipino, and Ilocano.
The categories are grouped into Literary, Non-Literary, and Design divisions, honoring not
only authors but also cover designers and layout artists.
The awarding ceremony, the first to be held onsite after the pandemic, will be on May 13,
2023, at the Manila Metropolitan Theater.
Congratulations to all the finalists!
As a member of the MCC and one of the judges of this year’s NBA, I may say that this is a
fine crop of books and would recommend them highly.
Most of the finalist presses have an online presence via their websites and/or e-commerce
platforms, so please do go browse and buy.
Here are the finalists of the 40th NBA in the Literary Division.
As much as I want to share the full list here, I have to consider space limitations. See the full
list on the NBDB website and Facebook page.
NOVEL (ENGLISH)
“Snakes in the Grass”—Patrick Everard, University of the Philippines (UP) Press; “The
Secret of Derek Guerrero”—Mark Manalang, HS Grafik Print;
“The Small-but-Terrible Gina”—Weldon M. McCarty, UP Press; “White Lady, Black Christ”—
Charlson Ong, Milflores Publishing, Inc.
NOVEL (FILIPINO)
“Isang Dekadang Resty”—Jov Ortua Almero, UP Press; “Asinkrono: Isang Nobela”—
Mesándel Virtusio Arguelles, De La Salle University (DLSU) Publishing House;
“Aswanglaut”—Allan N. Derain, Ateneo de Manila University (Ateneo) Press; “The Rain in
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España”—4REUMINCT, Precious Pages Corporation; “Kilapsaw”—Ellen Sicat, UP Press

“Selected Short Stories”—Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, University of Santo Tomas (UST)
Publishing House; “Brown Hole”—Israfel Fagela, UP Press; “Flowers for Thursday”—Mia
Tijam, Ateneo de Naga University Press

“Ang Huling Emotero”—Mark Angeles, UP Press; “Ang Itim na Orkidyas ng Isla Boracay”—
Genevieve L. Asenjo, UP Press; “Tinagong Dagat”—Riza G. Babaran, UP Press; “Solo
Flight”—Rita dela Cruz, Isang Balangay Media Productions;”Eksamen at Iba Pang Kuwento
ng Pag-ibig”—U Z. Eliserio, UP Press

“Is There Sex in Heaven?”—Simeon Dumdum, Jr., Ateneo Press; “What I Wanted to be When
I Grew Up”—Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo, UP Press; “Departures”—Priscilla Supnet
Macansantos, UP Press; “Ascending the Fourth Mountain”—Maria Virginia Y. Morales,
Ateneo Press; “In The Line of Fire”—Joel Pablo Salud, San Anselmo Publications, Inc.
NONFICTION PROSE (FILIPINO)

“Aishite imasu”—R P. Baquiran, Jr., UP Press; “Suóng”—Gerome Nicolas Dela Peña, 8Letters
Bookstore and Publishing; “#Pasahero”—Joselito D. Delos Reyes, UST Publishing House;
“Sa Yakap ng Gubat at Dagat ng Palawan”—John Iremil Teodoro, Pawikan Press
POETRY (ENGLISH)
“Tangere”—Rodrigo V. Dela Peña, Jr., UP Press; “Thorn Grass”—Luis H. Francia, UP Press;
“College Boy”—Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta, Ateneo Press;
“Tokhang Nation”—Arvin Abejo Mangohig, UST Publishing House; “Poems from Ground Z”—
Victor N. Sugbo, UP Press
POETRY (FILIPINO)
“Indi Natun Kinahanglan kang Duro nga Tinaga sa Atun Tunga”—Genevieve L. Asenjo, UP
Press; “Sa Aking Pagkadestiyero”—Joi Barrios, UP Press; “Pasakalye”—Lean Borlongan,
self-published; “Lunas sa Nabubuong Lubos”—Paul Alcoseba Castillo, UST Publishing
House;
“Panaghoy/Pagtutol (Weeping, Resisting)”—Jun Cruz Reyes, UP Press;
“Tuwing Nag-Iisa sa Mapa ng Buntong-hininga”—Paolo Miguel G. Tiausas, UP Press
Published online at https://manilastandard.net/opinion/314317890/40th-national-book-awards-finalists-

announced-palanca-awards-news.html
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LIST: Finalists of the 40th National Book Awards

Camille Santiago
Philstar Life
March 29, 2023
The finalists for this year's National Book Awards have been named.
On Tuesday, March 28, the National Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Manila
Critics Circle released the list of finalists of the 40th National Book Awards.
The National Book Awards is held annually to "celebrate the enterprising creative labor
involved in book publishing." It recognizes the best book titles written, designed, and
published in the Philippines.
This year, the awarding body has received 213 title nominations across 29 categories
consisting of three languages: English, Filipino, and Ilocano.
Among the nominees are "The Small-but-Terrible Gina" by Weldon M. McCarty,

"Aswanglaut" by Allan N. Derain, and "Ang Huling Emotero" by Mark Angeles. The
University of the Philippines Press has 24 nominated titles, while the Ateneo de Manila
University Press has 16.
The winner of each category will receive a cash prize of P40,000. They will be named on
May 13, 2023 at the Manila Metropolitan Theater.
A special Publisher of the Year award will also be given to the publisher with the highest
number of finalists and winners across all categories in the National Book Awards.
Here are the finalists of the 40th National Book Awards.
LITERARY DIVISION
NOVEL (ENGLISH)
"Snakes in the Grass" - Patrick Everard, University of the Philippines Press
"The Secret of Derek Guerrero" - Mark Manalang, HS Grafik Print
"The Small-but-Terrible Gina" - Weldon M. McCarty, University of the Philippines Press
"White Lady, Black Christ" - Charlson Ong, Milflores Publishing, Inc.
NOVEL (FILIPINO)
"Isang Dekadang Resty" - Jov Ortua Almero, University of the Philippines Press
"Asinkrono: Isang Nobela" - Mesándel Virtusio Arguelles, De La Salle University Publishing
House
"Aswanglaut" - Allan N. Derain, Ateneo de Manila University Press
"The Rain in España" - 4REUMINCT, Precious Pages Corporation
"Kilapsaw" - Ellen Sicat, University of the Philippines Press
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"Selected Short Stories" - Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, University of Santo Tomas
Publishing House
"Brown Hole" - Israfel Fagela, University of the Philippines Press
"Flowers for Thursday" - Mia Tijam, Ateneo de Naga University Press

"Ang Huling Emotero" - Mark Angeles, University of the Philippines Press
"Ang Itim na Orkidyas ng Isla Boracay" - Genevieve L. Asenjo, University of the Philippines
Press
"Tinagong Dagat" - Riza G. Babaran, University of the Philippines Press
"Solo Flight" - Rita dela Cruz, Isang Balangay Media Productions
"Eksamen at Iba Pang Kuwento ng Pag-ibig" - U Z. Eliserio, University of the Philippines
Press

"Is There Sex in Heaven?" - Simeon Dumdum, Jr., Ateneo de Manila University Press
"What I Wanted to be When I Grew Up" - Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo, University of the
Philippines Press
"Departures" - Priscilla Supnet Macansantos, University of the Philippines Press
"Ascending the Fourth Mountain" - Maria Virginia Y. Morales, Ateneo de Manila University
"In The Line of Fire" - Joel Pablo Salud, San Anselmo Publications, Inc.
NONFICTION PROSE (FILIPINO)

"Aishite imasu" - R P. Baquiran, Jr., University of the Philippines Press
"Suóng" - Gerome Nicolas Dela Peña, 8Letters Bookstore and Publishing
"#Pasahero" - Joselito D. Delos Reyes, University of Santo Tomas Publishing House
"Sa Yakap ng Gubat at Dagat ng Palawan" - John Iremil Teodoro, Pawikan Press
ANTHOLOGY
"Tingle" - Jhoanna Lynn B. Cruz (Ed.), Anvil Publishing, Inc.
"This Season of Grief"- Dan Andrew S. Cura, OMF Literature, Inc.
"Lamyos" - J. Neil C. Garcia (Ed.), University of the Philippines Press
"Harvest Moon" - Padmapani L. Perez, Rehana Rossouw, Alexandra Walter & Renato
Redentor Constantino, Milflores Publishing, Inc.
"Tinubdan" - Arlene J. Yandug, Maria Elena L. Paulma & Lilia A. Cotejar (Eds.), Xavier
University Press
LITERARY CRITICISM/CULTURAL STUDIES (ENGLISH)

"Partial Views" - Conchitina Cruz, De La Salle University Publishing House
"Campaigns of Knowledge" - Malini Johar Schueller, Ateneo de Manila University Press
"What Kapitan Tiago Served and Padre Damaso Ate" - Jose Victor Z. Torres, Ateneo de
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LITERARY CRITICISM/CULTURAL STUDIES (FILIPINO)

"Digmaan ng mga Alaala" - Laurence Marvin S. Castillo, University of the Philippines Press
"Buklat/Mulat" - Eugene Y. Evasco, University of the Philippines Press
"Halagahan" - Patrick Flores, Ateneo de Naga University Press
"Musika ng Pananakop" - Raul Casantusan Navarro, University of the Philippines Press
MEDIA STUDIES
“Hindi Nangyari Dahil Wala sa Social Media” - Rolando B. Tolentino, Vladimeir B. Gonzales, &
POETRY (ENGLISH)
"Tangere" - Rodrigo V. Dela Peña, Jr., University of the Philippines Press
"Thorn Grass" - Luis H. Francia, University of the Philippines Press
"College Boy" - Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta, Ateneo de Manila University Press
"Tokhang Nation" - Arvin Abejo Mangohig, University of Santo Tomas Publishing House
"Poems from Ground Z" - Victor N. Sugbo, University of the Philippines Press
POETRY (FILIPINO)
"Indi Natun Kinahanglan kang Duro nga Tinaga sa Atun Tunga" - Genevieve L. Asenjo,
"Sa Aking Pagkadestiyero" - Joi Barrios, University of the Philippines Press
"Pasakalye" - Lean Borlongan, self-published
"Lunas sa Nabubuong Lubos" - Paul Alcoseba Castillo, University of Santo Tomas
Publishing
"Panaghoy/Pagtutol (Weeping, Resisting)" - Jun Cruz Reyes, University of the Philippines
Press
"Tuwing Nag-Iisa sa Mapa ng Buntong-hininga" - Paolo Miguel G. Tiausas, University of the
Philippines Press

"Alandal" - Author: J. Philip Ignacio; Illustrator: Alex Niño, Komiket, Inc.
"Twinkle, Twinkle" - Author/Illustrator: Tori Tadiar, Komiket, Inc.

"Li'l Bertong Badtrip!" - Author/Illustrator: Manix Abrera, Self-published
"Tarantadong Kalbo 2" - Author/Illustrator: Kevin Eric Raymundo, Komiket, Inc.
"Ang Mga Alitaptap ng Pulang Buhangin" - Author/Illustrator: RH Quilantang, Komiket, Inc.
TRANSLATION
"Mga Himutok sa Palikuran at Iba Pang Kuwento" - Translator: Amado Anthony G. Mendoza
III; Author: Eka Kurniawan, Savage Mind: Arts, Books, Cinema
"Three Nights, Three Days" - Translator: David T. Ong; Author: Eros S. Atalia, 19th Avenida
Publishing House
"Catch A Falling Star" - Translator: Chuckberry J. Pascual; Author: Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo,
Lampara Publishing House
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ILOCANO (FICTION-NOVEL)
"Dagiti Pundador (The Founders)" - Prescillano N. Bermudez, Saniata Publications
"Matayakon, Rosing! (I Am Dying, Rosing!)"- Dionisio S. Bulong, Saniata Publications
ILOCANO (SHORT FICTION)

"Kulukol iti Kilikili (Drill for the Armpit)" Efren A. Inocencio, Saniata Publications
"Villa Ken Dadduma Pay a Sarita" - Ariel Sotelo Tabág, Saniata Publications
ILOCANO (ANTHOLOGY)
"Panaglantip (Union)" - Dionisio S. Bulong & Eden L. Cachola-Bulong, Saniata Publications
"Apit (Harvest)" - Oswald A. Valente & Ariel Sotelo Tabág, Saniata Publications
ILOCANO (POETRY)
"Baribari (Pardon Me)"- Roy Vadil Aragon, Saniata Publications
"Rabii (Night) 100 a #tweetniw" - Roy Vadil Aragon, Saniata Publications
"Anglem (Incense) - Daniel L. Nesperos, Saniata Publications
ILOCANO (TRANSLATION)
"Dagiti Sagrado a Tay-ak ti Isla Fuga (Fuga Island Sacred Scapes)" - Translator: Ariel Sotelo
Tabág; Author: Ronel P. Dela Cruz, Saniata Publications
"Sirib ti Puli ni Ilokano (Ilokano Folklore) - Translator: Ariel Sotelo Tabág; Author: Isabelo
Florentino delos Reyes, Saniata Publications
ART
"Endangered Splendor" - Fernando Zialcita & Erik Akpedonu, Ateneo de Manila University
Press
SOCIAL SCIENCES
"More Tomboy, More Bakla Than We Admit" - Mark Blasius & Richard T. Chu, Vibal
Foundation, Inc.
"The Water Defenders" - Robin Broad & John Cavanagh, Ateneo de Manila University Press
"Bioethics" - Fausto B. Gomez, OP, University of Santo Tomas Publishing House
"The Role of Shrines in View of the New Evangelization - Kendrick Ivan B. Panganiban,
HISTORY
"Transpacific Engagements"- Florina H. Capistrano-Baker & Meha Priyadarshini (Eds.),
Ayala Foundation, Inc. & Getty Research Institute & Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz
"Civilizational Imperatives" - Oliver Charbonneau, Ateneo de Manila University Press
"Between Celebration and Critique" - José Mario C. Francisco, SJ, Ateneo de Manila
University Press
"Púgot" - Narciso C. Tan, Vibal Foundation, Inc.
"Specters of Germany" - Nathaniel Parker Weston, Ateneo de Manila University Press
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HUMOR, SPORTS, LIFESTYLE, & BUSINESS

"A Kind (of) Business" - Elfren N. Cruz and Benito L. Teehankee, Anvil Publishing, Inc.
"The Business of Banking" - Deogracias N. Vistan, Anvil Publishing, Inc.
FOOD
"Notes From My Kitchen 2" - Chef Reggie Aspiras, Anvil Publishing, Inc.
"Appetite for Freedom" - Helena Orosa del Rosario, Ige Ramos Design Studios (iRDS)
"Baking Simpol" - Chef Tatung Sarthou, Vertikal Books
"Kitchen Secrets" - Chef Tatung Sarthou, Vertikal Books
"Gospel of Food" - Sharwin Tee, Anvil Publishing, Inc.
SCIENCE
"A Guide to Gingers of Sorsogon" - R. V. A. Docot, Far Eastern University Publications
"The Bicol River Basin Project" - Ricky P. Laureta, Ric Ryan H. Regalado & Diomerl Edward
B. Baldo, Partido State University

"PagTuhan: The Tausug Spiritual Tradition" - Darwin J. Absari, University of the Philippines
Press
"Sports in the Philippines" - Fr. Edgardo D. Alaurin, OP, SThD, University of Santo Tomas
Publishing House
"The Filipino Christ and the Historical Jesus Toward a Filipino Christology" - Michael
Demetrius H. Asis, Ateneo de Manila University Press
"Handumanan (Remembrance)" - Karl M. Gaspar, CSsR, Claretian Communications
Foundation, Inc.
PHILOSOPHY
"Thought-Pieces" - Paolo A. Bolaños, Aletheia Printing and Publishing House
"Repentance and Rebirth at the End of Life as We Know It" - Agustin Martin G. Rodriguez,
DESIGN
"Endangered Splendor" - Authors: Fernando Zialcita & Erik Akpedonu, Cover design, book
design, and layout: Ali Figueroa, Ateneo de Manila University Press
"More Tomboy, More Bakla Than We Admit" - Authors: Mark Blasius and Richard T. Chu,
Book Design: Francisco dC. Mendoza, Cover Design: Ryan T. dela Cruz, Layout: Patricia
Ann G. Chan and Ryan T. dela Cruz, Vibal Foundation, Inc.
"Drugs and Philippine Society" - Gideon Lasco (Ed.), Book design: Nadine Legaspi, Cover
design: Karl Fredrick M. Castro, Ateneo de Manila University Press
"Forth" - Author: Rosmon Tuazon, English translation: Ben Aguilar, Book Cover Design,
Cover Art, and Interior Art: Carla Gamalinda, Book Layout: Ben Aguilar & Ronald Verzo II,
Isang Balangay Media Productions
Published online at https://philstarlife.com/geeky/284698-list-nominees-for-the-40th-national-book-

awards
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Read these new essential works by Filipina authors in time for the 40th
National Book Awards: The shortlist for the prestigious award has just been
released. The titles we’re rooting for are shaping up to be essential works by
women authors we love
Catherine Orda
Preen
April 3, 2023
In E. San Juan Jr.’s “Sisa’s Vengeance: Jose Rizal’s Sexual Politics and Cultural Revolution,”
the literary scholar presents a radical reading of Rizal, arguing that the novelist did in fact
believe in gender equality as key in the fight for national liberation. A feminist reading of
Rizal is radical (and most welcome) for several reasons, and San Juan makes a compelling
case by reading the character of Sisa as the embodiment of the injustices suffered by the
motherland.
But our literature has long harbored these connections, even beyond love stories set
against the backdrop of revolution. Which is to say that Rizal’s critique of colonialism as
found in the fate of his female characters may just be a welcome addition to the long line of
Filipina authors writing the story of their nation.
The Manila Critics Circle and the National Book Development Board recently announced the
finalists for the 40th National Book Awards—many of them authored by women whose
contributions to literature have shaped our culture. Here are the titles we’re rooting for:
1. Solo Flight: Mga Kuwento by Rita dela Cruz (Isang Balangay Media Productions, 2021)
Published by Balangay Books, Rita dela Cruz’s collection of stories is a meditation on being
alone, in particular what it is like to be a single woman—whether by choice or circumstance
—in a society where this is stigmatized. Introspection is a reliable and comforting
companion in these deceptively simple stories that feature very human characters, which,
told in a familiar and easy-to-understand language, evoke intimacy by way of relatability.
The dynamics of female friendships also figure heavily into Dela Cruz’s stories, particularly
how women in similar situations find in each other a kind of respite from the pressures of
being a woman. The description on its publisher’s website puts it better: “…isang
selebrasyon sa pag-iisa at pag-iisa ng mga kababaihan.” Here’s to hoping we see more
books like this published.
2. What I Wanted to be When I Grew Up by Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo (University of the

Philippines Press, 2021)
Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo’s work is unparalleled for many reasons, not in the least of which is
the fact that it has consistently covered both literary creation and scholarship, often
featuring the life and work of women authors or deals in some way with the life of women.
In “What I Wanted to be When I Grew Up,” she writes about how the books she read and
the movies she watched in her youth were instrumental in her own development as a
writer.
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This book narrates Pantoja Hidalgo’s coming-of-age story, part of which is told through
revisiting her mother’s unpublished memoirs and journals, which, as Pantoja Hidalgo’s
longtime readers will recognize as material that found their way in her fiction and
nonfiction.
In these memoirs, told in Pantoja Hidalgo’s distinct voice—clear, elegant, and always with a
touch of wit and grace—we see a compelling portrait of one of our pioneering writers who,
since her youth, her formative days as a university student and as a professor, have always
found a home in reading and writing.
3. Partial Views: On the Essay as a Genre in Philippine Literary Production (De La Salle
University Publishing House, 2021)
Although arguably better known for her poetry, Conchitina Cruz has also written significant
pieces of criticism, notably on literary production in the Philippines. Her 2021 monograph
tracks the development of the creative nonfiction genre in the country, and makes a case
for the expansion of the perspective and obligations of the essayist: that their essays,
however personal they may be, must employ the kind of accountability and self-reflexivity
usually demanded from journalism and scholarly work, respectively.
Although intended for teachers and students of creative writing and literature, Cruz’s
monograph proves to be a worthwhile read for anyone who might be interested in the inner
workings of literary production (meaning, the politics and aesthetics that govern it) in the
country.
4. Tingle: Anthology of Filipina Lesbian Writing edited by Jhoanna Lynn B. Cruz (Anvil
Publishing, 2021)
When considering the state of queer writing in the Philippines—or anywhere in the world
for that matter—it always has to do with lamenting either its lack or the absence of proper
representation. Queer anthologies by design, then, almost always have an impossible task
ahead of them: to fill a gap and to do so properly.
Tingle isn’t exempted from these expectations, and we are convinced that the only way to
truly access its gifts beyond tokenism and the short-lived results of advertising is to
actually read it. Make what you will of the stories and poems written by women whose
voices are clearly missing from the mainstream. The women in this anthology are making
themselves visible (in itself a powerful act) on their own terms. We hope readers will see
the value in that and pick up this book.
5. Kilapsaw by Ellen Sicat (University of the Philippines Press, 2021)
The stories that the novelist Ellen Sicat writes, most of them dealing with family dynamics
and domestic life, are always deeply attentive to the society they portray. The plot-driven
Kilapsaw takes an unflinching look at gender-based violence and other harsh realities
women experience in relationships. In narrating the life of Diwa, Sicat writes with restraint,
which allows her the space to perform a thoughtful examination of a societal ill that is rarely
given the serious attention it deserves. The predictability of the overall plot doesn’t take
118
away from the subtlety of the project as Sicat situates her story in its proper context: a
societal ill that is rarely given the serious attention it deserves. The predictability of the
overall plot doesn’t take away from the subtlety of the project as Sicat situates her story in
its proper context: a society in which notions of morality are tied with modernization, and
where sexual politics and class are inextricable from everyday life.
Published online at https://preen.ph/132829/essential-works-filipina-authors-40th-national-book-

awards
119
FULL LIST: The winners of the 40th National Book Awards

CNN Philippines Life
April 28, 2023
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines Life, April 28) — The Manila Critics Circle (MCC) and the
National Book Development Board (NBDB) have announced the winners of the 40th
National Book Awards.
Launched in 1982 by the MCC, the award honors the most prestigious book titles written,
designed, and published in the Philippines. This cycle of the National Book Awards
highlights titles published in 2021 and garnered 213 title nominations across categories
grouped into Literary, Non-Literary, and Design and written in English, Filipino, and Ilocano.
Out of the 100 finalists, 29 emerged as winners. The awarding ceremony will be held onsite
– the first since the pandemic – on May 13.
Below is the full list of winners of the 40th National Book Awards.
LITERARY DIVISION
BEST NOVEL IN ENGLISH

“Snakes in the Grass” - Patrick Everard (University of the Philippines Press)
BEST NOVEL IN FILIPINO

“Aswanglaut” - Allan N. Derain (Ateneo de Manila University Press)
NATIONAL ARTIST CIRILIO F. BAUTISTA PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK OF SHORT FICTION IN
ENGLISH
“Selected Short Stories” - Cecilia Manguerra Brainard (University of Santo Tomas
Publishing House)
GERARDO P. CABOCHAN PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK OF SHORT FICTION IN FILIPINO

“Ang Itim na Orkidyas ng Isla Boracay: Mga Kuwento” - Genevieve L. Asenjo (University of
the Philippines Press)
PABLO A. TAN PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK OF NONFICTION PROSE IN ENGLISH

“Departures: Essays” - Priscilla Supnet Macansantos (University of the Philippines Press)
BEST BOOK OF NONFICTION PROSE IN FILIPINO

“Sa Yakap ng Gubat at Dagat ng Palawan: Mga Ekosanaysay” - John Iremil Teodoro
BEST ANTHOLOGY
“Harvest Moon: Poems and Stories from the Edge of the Climate Crisis” - Padmapani L.
Perez, Rehana Rossouw, Alexandra Walter, & Renato Redentor Constantino (Milflores
Publishing, Inc. & Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities)
BEST BOOK OF LITERARY CRITICISM/CULTURAL STUDIES IN ENGLISH

“Campaigns of Knowledge: U.S. Pedagogies of Colonialism and Occupation in the
Philippines and Japan” - Malini Johar Schueller (Ateneo de Manila University Press)
120
BEST BOOK OF LITERARY CRITICISM/CULTURAL STUDIES IN FILIPINO

“Musika ng Pananakop: Panahon ng Hapon sa Filipinas, 1942-1945” - Raul Casantusan
Navarro (University of the Philippines Press)
BEST BOOK ON MEDIA STUDIES

“Hindi Nangyari Dahil Wala sa Social Media: Interogasyon ng Kulturang New Media sa
Pilipinas” - Rolando B. Tolentino, Vladimeir B. Gonzales, & Laurence Marvin S. Castillo
(Ateneo de Manila University Press)
PHILIPPINE LITERARY ARTS COUNCIL PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK OF POETRY IN ENGLISH
“Tangere” - Rodrigo V. Dela Peña, Jr. (University of the Philippines Press)
“College Boy” - Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta (Ateneo de Manila University Press)
VICTORIO C. VALLEDOR PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK OF POETRY IN FILIPINO

“Pasakalye” - Lean Borlongan (Self-published)
“Tuwing Nag-Iisa sa Mapa ng Buntong-hininga” - Paolo Miguel G. Tiausas (University of the
Philippines Press)
BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL IN ENGLISH

“Alandal” - J. Philip Ignacio, Author; Alex Niño, Illustrator (Komiket, Inc.)
BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL IN FILIPINO

“Ang Mga Alitaptap ng Pulang Buhangin” - RH Quilantang, Author & Illustrator (Komiket,
Inc.)

“Mga Himutok sa Palikuran at Iba Pang Kuwento” - Amado Anthony G. Mendoza III,
Translator; Eka Kurniawan, Author (Savage Mind: Arts, Books, Cinema)
BEST NOVEL IN ILOCANO

“Dagiti Pundador (The Founders)” - Prescillano N. Bermudez (Saniata Publications)
BEST ANTHOLOGY IN ILOCANO

“Panaglantip (Union)” - Dionisio S. Bulong & Eden Laguesma Cachola-Bulong (Saniata
Publications)
BEST BOOK OF POETRY IN ILOCANO

“Baribari (Pardon Me)” - Roy Vadil Aragon (Saniata Publications)
“Anglem (Incense)” - Daniel L. Nesperos (Saniata Publications)
ALFONSO T. ONGPIN PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK ON ART

“Endangered Splendor: Manila’s Architectural Heritage, 1571-1960” - Fernando Zialcita &
Erik Akpedonu (Ateneo de Manila University Press)
121
JOHN C. KAW PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK ON HISTORY

“Púgot: Head Taking, Ritual Cannibalism, and Human Sacrifice in the Philippines” - Narciso
C. Tan (Vibal Foundation, Inc.)
BEST BOOK ON HUMOR, SPORTS, LIFESTYLE, & BUSINESS

“The Business of Banking: Structure and Profitability; Risks and Controls” - Deogracias N.
Vistan (Anvil Publishing, Inc.)
BEST BOOK ON FOOD

“Appetite for Freedom: The Recipes of Maria Y. Orosa, with Essays on Her Life and Work” -
Helena Orosa del Rosario (Ige Ramos Design Studios)
BEST BOOK IN SPIRITUALITY AND THEOLOGY

“Handumanan (Remembrance): Digging for the Indigenous Wellspring” - Karl M. Gaspar,
CSsR (Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.)
BEST BOOK IN PHILOSOPHY

“Repentance and Rebirth at the End of Life as We Know It” - Agustin Martin G. Rodriguez
(Ateneo de Manila University Press)
DESIGN
BEST BOOK DESIGN

“Endangered Splendor: Manila’s Architectural Heritage, 1571-1960” - Ali Figueroa & Erik
Akpedonu, cover design, book design, layout, and artistic direction; Fernando Zialcita & Erik
Akpedonu, authors (Ateneo de Manila University Press)
Published online at https://www.cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/literature/2023/4/28/40th-National-

Book-Awards-winners.html
122
FULL LIST: Winners, 40th National Book Awards

Rappler
April 29, 2023
MANILA, Philippines – The National Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Manila Critics
Circle have announced the winners of the 40th National Book Awards.
The winners were posted on NBDB’s Facebook page on Friday, April 28.
This year’s awards covered titles published in 2021. Out of 213 nominations across
categories, 100 finalists were selected, with only 29 winning awards.
Winners will receive their awards at an onsite ceremony on May 13. Here’s a full list of
awardees:
75 book finalists published in 2011 competed for about 2 dozen major prizes, special
awards and citations in the literary and non-literary divisions of the 31st National Book
Awards
BEST NOVEL IN ENGLISH: Snakes in the Grass by Patrick Everard, University of the
Philippines Press
BEST NOVEL IN FILIPINO: Aswanglaut by Allan N. Derain, Ateneo de Manila University Press
NATIONAL ARTIST CIRILO F. BAUTISTA PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK OF SHORT FICTION IN
ENGLISH: Selected Short Stories by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, University of Santo Tomas
Publishing House
GERARDO P. CABOCHAN PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK OF SHORT FICTION IN FILIPINO: Ang Itim
na Orkidyas ng Isla Boracay: Mga Kuwento by Genevieve L. Asenjo, University of the
Philippines Press
PABLO A. TAN BEST BOOK OF NONFICTION PROSE IN ENGLISH: Departures: Essays by

Priscilla S Macansantos, University of the Philippines Press
BEST BOOK OF NONFICTION PROSE IN FILIPINO: Sa Yakap ng Gubat at Dagat ng Palawan:

Mga Ekosanaysay by John Iremil Teodoro, Pawikan Press
BEST ANTHOLOGY: Harvest Moon: Poems and Stories from the Edge of the Climate Crisis
by Padmapani L. Perez, Rehana Rossouw, Alexandra Walter, and Renato Redentor
Constantino, Millflores Publishing Incorporated and Institute for Climate and Sustainable
Cities (ICSC)
BEST BOOK OF LITERARY CRITICISM/ CULTURAL STUDIES IN ENGLISH: Campaigns of

Knowledge: US Pedagogies of Colonialism and Occupation in the Philippines and Japan by
Malini Johar Schueller, Ateneo de Manila University Press
123
BEST BOOK OF LITERARY CRITICISM/ CULTURAL STUDIES IN FILIPINO: Musika ng

Pananakop: Panahon ng Hapon sa Filipinas, 1942-1945 by Raul Casantusan Navarro,
BEST BOOK ON MEDIA STUDIES: Hindi Nangyari Dahil Wala sa Social Media: Interogasyon
ng Kulturang New Media sa Pilipinas by Rolando Tolentino, Vladimeir B. Gonzales, and
PHILIPPINE LITERARY ARTS COUNCIL PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK OF POETRY IN ENGLISH:
Tangere by Rodrigo V. dela Peña Jr., University of the Philippines Press and College Boy:
Poems by Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta, Ateneo de Manila University Press
VICTORIO C. VALLEDOR PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK OF POETRY IN FILIPINO: Pasakalye by

Lean Borlongan, self-published; and Tuwing Nag-Iisa sa Mapa ng Buntong-hininga by Paolo
Miguel G. Tiausas, University of the Philippines Press
BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL IN ENGLISH: Alandal, written by Philip Ignacio, illustrated by Alex
Niño, Komiket Inc.
BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL IN FILIPINO: Ang Mga Alitaptap ng Pulang Buhangin by RH

Quilantang, Komiket Inc.
BEST TRANSLATED BOOK: Mga Himutok sa Palikuran at iba pang kuwento by Eka
Kurniawan, translated by Amado Anthony G. Mendoza III, Savage Mind: Arts, Books,
Cinema
BEST NOVEL IN ILOCANO: Dagiti Pundador (The Founders) by Prescillano N. Bermudez,

BEST ANTHOLOGY IN ILOCANO: Panaglantip (Union) by Dionisio Soliven Bulong and Eden
Cachola-Bulong, Saniata Publications
BEST BOOK OF POETRY IN ILOCANO: Baribari (Pardon Me) by Roy Vadil Aragon, Saniata
Publications and Anglem (Incense) by Danile L. Nesperos, Saniata Publications
Non-literary Division
ALFONSO T. ONGPIN PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK ON ART: Endangered Splendor: Manila’s
Architectural Heritage, 1571-1960 by Fernando Zialcita and Erik Akpedonu, Ateneo de
ELFREN S. CRUZ PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES: The Water Defenders:
How Ordinary People Saved a Country from Corporate Greed by Robin Broad and John
Cavanagh, Ateneo de Manila University Press
JOHN C. KAW PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK ON HISTORY: Pugot: Head taking, Ritual Cannibalism
and Human Sacrifice in the Philippines by Narciso C. Tan, Vibal Foundation Inc.
124
BEST BOOK ON HUMOR, SPORTS, AND LIFESTYLE: The Business of Banking: Structure and
Profitability; Risks and Controls by Deogracias N. Vistan, Anvil Publishing
BEST BOOK ON FOOD: Appetite for Freedom: The Recipes of Maria Y. Orosa, with Essays
on Her Life and Work by Helena Orosa del Rosario, Ige Ramos Design Studio
BEST BOOK IN SPIRITUALITY AND THEOLOGY: Handumanan (Remembrance): Digging for

the Indigenous Wellspring by Karl M. Gaspar, CSSR, Claretian Communications Foundation
Inc.
BEST BOOK IN PHILOSOPHY: Repentance and Rebirth at the End of Life as We Know It by
Agustin Martin G. Rodriguez, Ateneo de Manila University Press
Design
BEST BOOK DESIGN: Endangered Splendor: Manila’s Architectural Heritage, 1571-1960,
design by Ali Figueroa and Erik Akpedonu, Ateneo de Manila University Press
– Rappler.com
Published online at https://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/literature/list-winners-40th-national-book-

awards/
125
126
PUBLISHERS
19TH AVENIDA PUBLISHING HOUSE

B7L4 Tahiti Street Crystal Place, Malagasang 2C, Imus City, Cavite
Website: myavenida.com
Shopee: avenidabooks
8LETTERS BOOKSTORE AND PUBLISHING

Website: 8lettersbooks.com
Shopee: cindycortezwong | Lazada: 8Letters Bookstore and Publishing
ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PRESS

Ground floor, Bellarmine Hall, Loyola Heights, Quezon City
Website: unipress.ateneo.edu
Shopee: ateneopress | Lazada: Ateneo University Press
ATENEO DE NAGA UNIVERSITY PRESS

1/F Xavier Hall, Ateneo de Naga University, Ateneo Avenue, Bagumbayan Sur, Naga City
Facebook: @adnupress
Website: adnu.edu.ph/upress
ALETHEIA PRINTING AND PUBLISHING HOUSE

16 Sampaguita St. Panorama Homes, Buhangin, Davao City
Website: aletheiapublishing.com
Shopee: peterelicor | Lazada: Aletheia Publishing
ANVIL PUBLISHING, INC.

7/F Quad Alpha Centrum, 25 Pioneer Street, Mandaluyong City
Website: anvilpublishing.com
Shopee: anvilpublishinginc | Lazada: Anvil Publishing
AYALA FOUNDATION, INC., GETTY RESEARCH INSTITUTE, AND

KUNSTHISTORICHES INSTITUT IN FLORENZ
8/F 111 Paseo Building, Paseo de Roxas corner Legazpi Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City
Website: ayalafoundation.org
Facebook: @ayalafoundation
129
CLARETIAN COMMUNICATIONS FOUNDATION, INC.

#8 Mayumi St. UP Village, Diliman, Quezon City
Facebook: @claretianpublicationsph
Website: claretianpublications.com
DLSU PUBLISHING HOUSE

2401 Taft Avenue, Malate, Manila
Website: dlsu.edu.ph/research/publishing-house/
FEU PUBLICATIONS
Far Eastern University (FEU), Nicanor Reyes Street, Sampaloc, Manila
Website: feu.edu.ph
Shopee: feutamsbookstore | Lazada: FEU Tams Bookstore
HS GRAFIK PRINT
3 Sage corner Rosemary Streets, Dreamhomes Subdivision, Barangay Dela Paz, Pasig City
Website: hsgrafikprint.blogspot.com
IGE RAMOS DESIGN STUDIOS (IRDS)

15B Boardwalk Bay Gardens Metropolitan Park, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City
Website: anvilpublishing.com/publisher/ige-ramos-design-studio-philippines
ISANG BALANGAY MEDIA PRODUCTIONS

Website: balangaybooks.com
Shopee: Balangay Books | Lazada: Balangay Bookshop
KOMIKET, INC.
2/F Unit 217C The Atrium of Makati, Makati Ave., Urdaneta Village, Makati City
Website: www.komiket.org
Shopee: Komiket Inc. | Lazada: Komiket
LAMPARA PUBLISHING HOUSE

83 Sgt. Rivera St., SFDM, Quezon City
Facebook: @lamparabooks
130
LEAN BORLONGAN
Email: lksborlongan@gmail.com
MANIX ABRERA
Website: manixabrera.com/books
Shopee: Kikomachine Komix!
MILFLORES PUBLISHING, INC.

1244 E. Amang Rodriguez Avenue, Barangay Dela Paz, Pasig City
Website: milflorespublishing.com
Shopee: Milflores Books | Lazada: Milflores Publishing
OMF LITERATURE, INC.

776 Boni Avenue, Barangka Ilaya, Mandaluyong City
Website: omflit.com
Shopee: OMF Literature | Lazada: OMF Literature
PARTIDO STATE UNIVERSITY

Partido State University, San Juan Bautista St., Goa, Camarines Sur
Website: parsu.edu.ph
PAWIKAN PRESS
Block 8 Lot 24, Wellspring Village 2, Catalunan Pequeño, Davao City
Facebook: @PawikanPress
PRECIOUS PAGES CORPORATION

5/F JRich Corporate Center, 16 Sto Domingo, Avenue Cor. P. Florentino, Quezon City
Website: preciousshop.com.ph
Shopee: Precious Pages Bookstore| Lazada: Precious Pages Bookstore
SAN ANSELMO PUBLICATIONS

137-B E. Abada, Quezon City
Facebook: @sananselmopress
Shopee: San Anselmo Publications Inc.
131
SANIATA PUBLICATIONS
17H Ermin Garcia Avenue, Pinagkaisahan, Cubao, Quezon City
Facebook: @saniata.publications
SAVAGE MIND: ARTS, BOOKS, CINEMA

5 Peninsula St, Naga City
Facebook: @SavageMindBikol
Shopee: Savage Mind Bookshop | Lazada: SAVAGE MIND/ADNU PRESS
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES PRESS

E. delos Santos St., UP Diliman Campus, Quezon City
Website: press.up.edu.ph/store
Shopee: UP Press | Lazada: UP Press
UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS PUBLISHING HOUSE

Beato Angelico Building, University of Santo Tomas, Espana Blvd., Sampaloc, Manila
Website: ust.edu.ph/administrative-offices/publishing-house/
Shopee: UST Publishing House
VERTIKAL BOOKS
65-K9th Street, East Kamias, Quezon City
Facebook: @vertikalbooks
VIBAL FOUNDATION, INC.

1253 G. Araneta Avenue, Quezon City
Website: shop.vibalgroup.com
Shopee: vibalgroup | Lazada: Vibal Books
XAVIER UNIVERSITY PRESS

Lucas Hall 203, Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan, Corrales Avenue, Cagayan de Oro
Website: xu.edu.ph/xu-press
132
LET'S COLLABORATE!
CHARISSE AQUINO-TUGADE FOLLOW US

Executive Director @nbdb.phil
oed@books.gov.ph
@nbdb_phil
+63 918 985 5830
@NBDB_PHIL
WEBSITE @booksphilippines
https://books.gov.ph
National Book Development Board
3/F and 4/F Regalado Hive Building,
Regalado Avenue,
Fairview, Quezon City 1118
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THE 40TH

NATIONAL BOOK DEVELOPMENT BOARD

NATIONAL BOOK DEVELOPMENT BOARD

Dante Francis "Klink" Ang II

To our authors, artists, publishers, distinguished guests, I am honored to

Books as an essential, material medium of our development as humans and

Dean Francis Alfar

In 1981, a quartet of readers took the unprecedented steps to champion the

Isagani Cruz, Ophelia Alcantara Dimalanta, Alfredo Navarro Salanga, and

Our category judges, for sharing your expert opinions;

And of course to you—our co-readers and booklovers, who share our

So please enjoy and remember that besides a celebration, tonight is an

It has a multisector representation which harnesses the creativity of

About the Trophy

The National Book Awards Perpetual Trophy was designed by artist

About the Artist

Los Baños-based artist Apolinario “Apokovski” Aquino, Jr. got his

The NBDB’s participation in the conduct of the National Book Awards is in

Philippine National Anthem

Message from the MCC

Dean Francis Alfar

BEST NOVEL IN ENGLISH

Snakes in the Grass

A book written by a foreigner in the Philippines is usually met

BEST NOVEL IN FILIPINO

Bunga ang Aswanglaut ni Allan Derain ng matalas na saliksik at

— Edgar Calabia Samar

NATIONAL ARTIST CIRILO F. BAUTISTA PRIZE

Cecilia Manguerra-Brainard’s Selected Shot Stories has put

Brown Hole: Stories Flowers for Thursday: Stories

GERARDO P. CABOCHAN PRIZE

Ang Itim na Orkidyas ng Isla Boracay:

Parang napakahirap nang paksain ng pagmamahal sa

— Edgar Calabia Samar

GERARDO P. CABOCHAN PRIZE

Ang Huling Emotero Tinagong Dagat: Solo Flight: Mga Kuwento

Eksamen at iba pang kuwento ng pag-ibig

PABLO A. TAN PRIZE

This collection of personal essays is not only engaging, but

PABLO A. TAN PRIZE

In the Line of Fire: Lectures

BEST BOOK OF NONFICTION

Sa Yakap ng Gubat at Dagat ng

Magagara ang cover, nakakatuwang haplusin ang papel, at

Samakatuwid, ang librong ito ay hindi lang pampanitikang

Harvest Moon: Poems and Stories

The book is a cut above the rest. Each well-thought out

Tinubdan: New Voices from Northern Mindanao

BEST BOOK OF LITERARY

Campaigns of Knowledge: U.S.

Malini Johar Schueller has accomplished a pioneering work

BEST BOOK OF LITERARY

Musika ng Pananakop: Panahon ng

Maihahanay ang akda ni Raul Casantusan Navarro sa bagong

Digmaan ng mga Alaala: Buklat/Mulat: Halagahan:

BEST BOOK ON MEDIA STUDIES

Hindi Nangyari Dahil Wala sa Social

This informative and intriguing collection of critical essays

Tolentino, Gonzales, and Castillo’s careful curation has

Púgot: Head Taking, Ritual Cannibalism, and Human Sacrifice

AGuide to Gingers of Sorsogon The Bicol River Basin Project: Development of