Gawad Balagtas Awards Night (2)

The awarding ceremony of Gawad Balagtas capped the 45th UMPIL National Writer’s Congress with the theme: “Literature, Healing, and Wellness.”

All the seven awardees were each given two pages in the printed program, and this one’s mine. 

  

The citation reads:

"In writing stories for children, she time and again deploys narrative as an efficacious manner of awakening and illuminating. Awakening, as she presents, by way of the various facets of action, the myriad aspects of being human and humane; illuminating, not merely to instil morals among her young readers, but more so, to enlighten a world usually shrouded in darkness. She sows in the field of her stories the seed of valules enriched by Christian perspective. In its growth, in every flip of her books, hope is reaped, time and again, this fruit of faith, not only in the word, but also in the Word became flesh."

The chosen excerpt from my works:

From the “Tree of Life” (13th book in the Oh, Mateo! Series)

I believe that aside from the reasons cited by UMPIL for giving me the award, the real ones are out there—three of them, holding the book quoted above, are these: 

Yna (publications director of OMF Lit, publisher of my children’s books) and son #3 (as Tony can’t navigate stairways and long hallways these days), took time off from their busy schedules to be my cheerers on that special afternoon. 

And so we enjoyed the food, laughter, photo ops, encounters, and conversations. Old and new friends huddled in one hall to celebrate literature.      

(continued from last post) 

Photo credit: Mars Mercado, for children's photo (3rd from top)