For the first time in years, I attended the Palanca Awards Night by myself and blogging about it one month too late. (After the pandemic no-nos were lifted, there was a surge of activities that needed attendance and attention.)
Sons #1 and #3 were busy or found reasons to be busy. Tony could no longer navigate stairs and long walks.
So on November 27, I donned an old outfit (a bit on the tight side now), dabbed my face with talc, drew a line over my thinning eyebrows, wore my glasses and hearing aids, put on my mask, and off I went, humming a happy hymn.
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,Tune my heart to sing Thy grace . . .
This year, I chaired the board of judges for Short Story for Children (English).
Deliberations were done online. So I looked forward to meeting my peers with whom I made tough decisions between winners and losers.
On Palanca Nights, one is never really alone. Journalists swarm in and out, documenting details for tomorrow’s papers. Fellow literature lovers are a-plenty. I only had one tiny concern: who will take photos of moi. I never learned to do selfie and was at the mercy of those doing it with panache. Will they share those mementos with me?
Dr. Luis Gatmaitan, the keynote speaker, who was awarded the Gawad Dangal ng Lahi (a special citation for those who have contributed immensely to the development of Philippine literature)—and who calls me BFF, and vice-versa—did! They are above and below.
They do not tell the whole story from my eyes. But the memories of this unforgettable night are intact in my mind, for as long as my Creator enables me to see them clearly.
The judging? We had 75 entries, which I reviewed meticulously to be fair to the writers who slaved over them.
We got to shake the winners’ hands on stage and that, to me, was a most wonderful thing!
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