Alejandro G.
Abadilla According to Pedro Ricarte,[1] Abadilla's major
Alejandro G. Abadilla (March 10, 1906August
26, 1969), commonly known as AGA, was a
Filipino poet, essayist and fiction writer. Critic
Pedro Ricarte referred to Abadilla as the father of
modern Philippine poetry, and was known for
challenging established forms and literature's
"excessive romanticism and emphasis on rime
and meter". Abadilla helped found the
Kapisanang Panitikan in 1935 and edited a
magazine called Panitikan. His Ako ang Daigdig
collection of poems is oneof his better known
works.
Early life
Abadilla was born to an average Filipino family on
March 10, 1906, in Salinas, Rosario, Cavite. He
finished elementary school at Sapa Barrio
School, then continued for high school education
in Cavite City. After graduation, he worked for
abroad into a small printing shop in Seattle,
Washington. He edited several section of the
Philippine Digest, Philippines-American Review
and established Kapisanang Balagtas (Balagtas'
Organization). In 1934, he returned to the
Philippines where he finished AB Philosophy at
the University of Santo Tomas. Until 1934, he
became municipal councilor of Salinas before
shifting to insurance selling job.
Major works
Aside from writing Ako ang Daigdig, Abadilla
wrote several poems and compilation of his
works:
Mga Kuwentong Ginto (Golden Stories) -
he co-edited with Clodualdo del Mundo.
Mga Piling Katha: Ang Maikling Kathang
Tagalog (Chosen Works: An Anthology
of Short Stories in Tagalog) - he co-
edited with F.B. Sebastian and A.D.G.
Mariano.
Maiikling Katha (Short Stories) - together
with Commission on Filipino Language
head Ponciano B.P. Pineda.
Mga Piling Sanaysay (Several Essays).
Parnasong Tagalog: Katipunan ng mga
piling tula mula kina Huseng Sisiw at
Balagtas hanggang sa kasalukuyang
panahon ng pamumulaklak at
pagkaunlad (Tagalog Works:
Compilation of Poems from Huseng
Sisiw through Francisco Balagtas until
Present Times of Flourishing Philippine
Poetry).
Ako ang Daigdig at Iba pang mga Tula (I
am the World and Other Poems).
Tanagabadilla, Una at Ikalawang Aklat
(Tanagabadilla: First and Second
Books)- compilation of Abadilla's
tanagas. In Filipino poetry, a tanaga is a
short poem of one stanza with 7-7-7-7
syllabic verse, with an AAAA rhyme
scheme. Usually, a tanaga is embedded
with symbols. Tanagabadilla is a coined
term consisting of tanaga and Abadilla.
Pagkamulat ni Magdalena (Magdalena's
Awakening) - a novel which he co-edited
with Elpidio P., Kapulong.
Ako ang Daigdig
breakthrough in Philippine poetry was when he
wrote his poem Ako ang Daigdig (I am the World)
in 1955. Initially, poetry critics at that time rejected
the poem since it does not follow the traditional
poetry that uses rhyming scheme and proper
syllable numbering. In the poem, the repetition of
the words ako (I), daigdig (world) and tula (poem)
leaves an impression that the poet, Abadilla, is
not himself. The speaker of the poem tells that he
himself, his world of poem and his poems are
united as one
Amado V. Hernandez
Amado Vera Hernandez, commonly known as
Amado V. Hernandez (September 13, 1903
March 24, 1970) was a Filipino writer and labor
leader who was known for his criticism of social
injustices in the Philippines and was later
imprisoned for his involvement in the communist
movement. He was the central figure in a
landmark legal case that took 13 years to settle.
He was born in Hagonoy, Bulacan but
grew up Tondo, Manila, where he studied at the
Manila High School and at the American
Correspondence School.
Writer
While still a teenager, he began writing in Tagalog
for the newspaper Watawat (Flag). He would later
write a column for the Tagalog publication
Pagkakaisa (Unity) and become editor of
Mabuhay (Long Live).
His writings gained the attention of Tagalog
literati and some of his stories and poems were
included in anthologies, such as Clodualdo del
Mundo's Parolang Ginto and Alejandro Abadilla's
Talaang Bughaw.
In 1922, at the age of 19, Hernandez became a
member of the literary society Aklatang Bayan
which included noted Tagalog writers Lope K.
Santos and Jose Corazon de Jesus.
In 1932, he married the Filipino actress Atang de
la Rama. Both of them would later be recognized
as National Artists: Hernandez for Literature, de
la Rama for Theater, Dance and Music.
Works
Novels
His socio-political novels were based on his
experiences as a guerilla, as a labor leader and
as a political detainee.
Mga Ibong Mandaragit (Birds of
Prey),1969
Luha Ng Buwaya (Crocodile's Tears),
1972
Poems
Isang Dipang Langit (An Arm's Length
Piece of the Sky)
 Panata sa Kalayaan (Oath to Freedom)
Ang Dalaw (The Visit)
Bartolina (Solitary Confinement)
Kung Tuyo Na ang Luha Mo Aking
Bayan (When Your Tears Dry Up, My
Country)
Short Stories
Wala nang Lunas (No more Remedy)
Kulang sa Dilig (lack of Watering)
Langaw sa Isang Basong Gatas (Fly in
a Glass of Milk)
Dalawang Metro sa Lupang Di-Malipad
ng Uwak (Two Meters in the Land
Which a Crow Can't Fly on)
Ipinanganak ang Isang Kaaway sa
Sosyedad (An Enemy of the Society is
Born)
Magpinsan (Cousins)
Plays
His plays are mostly based on his experiences
in prison.
Muntinglupa , 1957
Hagdan sa Bahaghari (Stairway to the
Rainbow), 1958
Ang Mga Kagalang-galang (The
Venerables), 1959
Magkabilang Mukha ng Isang Bagol
(Two Sides of A Coin), 1960
Essays
Si Atang at ang Dulaan (Atang and the
Theater)
Si Jose Corazon de Jesus at ang Ating
Panulaan (Jose Corazon de Jesus and
Our Poetry)
Freedom fighter
Hernandez joined the resistance movement
when the Japanese invaded in the Philippines in
1941. He was an intelligence operative of the
guerilla outfit of Marking and Anderson, whose
operations covered Bulacan and the Sierra
Madre mountains, throughout the Second World
War.
While he was a guerilla, Hernandez came in
contact with guerillas of the Hukbo ng Bayan
Laban sa Hapon (Hukbalahap) which was
founded by Luis Taruc and other communist
ideologues continued by the Philippine
Commonwealth troops entered in Bulacan. It is
believed that this was when Hernandez
developed sympathies, if not belief, with the
communist movement.
Labor leader
After the war, President Sergio Osmena
appointed him councilor of Manila during the
reconstruction of the war-devastated city. He also
became president of the defunct Philippine
Newspaper Guild in coordination with its editor in
chief, Narjeey Larasa.
In 1950, the Philippine military started a
crackdown against the communist movement,
which was had sparked open rebellion in some
areas on Luzon island, and the CLO
headquarters was raided on January 20, 1951.
Hernandez was arrested on January 26 on the
suspicion that he was among the leaders of the
rebellion.
It was while he was imprisoned that he wrote his
most notable works. He wrote Isang Dipang
Langit (A Stretch of Heaven), which later won a
Republic Cultural Heritage Award, and Bayang
Malaya (Free Nation), which later won a Balagtas
Award. Also written in prison was his masterpiece
Luha ng Buwaya (Tears of the Crocodile).
Portions of his novel Mga Ibong Mandaragit
(Birds of Prey) was also written while he was at
the New Bilibid Prison. He also edited the prison's
newspaper Muntinglupa Courier.
After five years of imprisonment, the Supreme
Court allowed Hernandez to post bail on June 20,
1956. He then resumed his journalistic career and
wrote a column for the Tagalog tabloid Taliba. He
would later be conferred awards in prestigious
literary contests, like the Commonwealth Literary
Contest (twice), Don Carlos Palanca Memorial
Awards (four times) and journalism awards given
by the National Press Club of the Philippines (four
times).
On May 30, 1964, the Supreme Court acquitted
Hernandez in a decision that would be a
landmark in Philippine jurisprudence. The case
People of the Philippines vs. Amado V.
Hernandez is now a standard case study in
Philippine law schools.
Hernandez continued to write and teach after his
acquittal. He was teaching at the University of the
Philippines when he died on March 24, 1970.
Benigno Juan
Benigno Juan (born November 20, 1938)
is a journalist and a writer. Benigno Juan was
born in Santa Quitria, Novaliches, Quezon City.
As both his parents were farmers, he learned to
till soil at an early age and became a farmer. He
was a working student from high school until
college, taking up odd jobs from farming to
working in a paper mill, until he found his true
calling as a journalist/writer. He received his AB
Journalism degree from Manuel L. Quezon
University.
Juan served as managing editor of
Liwayway magazine for 16 years, and wrote
numerous short stories, serialized and illustrated
novels, essays, feature articles, and others.
Afterwards, he became the editor and columnist
of People's Journal and People's Taliba
newspaper of the Journal Group of Companies.
Community Works
Benigno Juan has served as an elected
barangay councelor of Palatiw, Pasig City for
two terms. He formally organized and registered
the Palatiw Senior Citizen Association, Inc.
(PASCA), of which he is now President. Juan is
also a former President of the San Agustin
Parish Pastoral Council and a member of the
Federation of Senior Citizens of Pasig City.
Awards
Benigno Juan has obtained many awards for his
writings, such as:
Seven Don Carlos Palanca Awards;
Ten Surian ng Wikang Pambansa
awards for essay;
Two Samahang Balagtas awards for
fiction;
The Binhi Award for Agricultural Writing;
An Outstanding Pasigueo Award for
literature and journalism (1994);
2005 Outstanding Senior Citizen of
Pasig City Award;
2006 Gawad Pambansa Alagad ni
Balagtas, which was given by the Unyon
ng Manunulat ng Pilipinas
Works
Benigno Juan is famous for many of his works.
Examples include Ang mga Deboto, Bagyo, Ina,
Kapag di ukol, Kotse, Maluwalhating Pasko, Sa
Paskong Darating, Si Tatang, Sorpresa, Sumpa,
Ang mga tinik ni Sigfreda, Wala nang lawin sa
bukid ni Tata Felipe, Trahedya, Tagtuyot, Saan
ihahanap ng puwang ang hiningat panagimpan,
Piitan, Pangamba, Orasyon, Monumento, Malas,
Maibabalik pa ba?, Lagablab ng isang yagit,
Kabayu-kabayuhan, Isang ganap na paglaya,
Inhustisya, Ibagsak ang ano, kailan at paano,
Gusto kong umiyak, Duguang sapatos, Dilim,
Ama, Masarap, Masakit Umibig (Taliba
newspaper, 2006), Bahay Kuwago (Taliba,
2006), and Futuristic.
Noted Articles
Malikmata (1974)
Wala nang Lawin sa Bukid ni Tata
Felipe (1975);
Lagablab ng Isang Yagit (1977);
Pagkamulat at iba pang Sanaysay
(1980
Kaya Bang Ipiit at Saka Tanuran ang
Isang Gunita (1981).
Orasyon sa Simbahan, sa Piitan at sa
Coral Ballroom ng Manila Hilton
Habag
Bienvenido Santos
Bienvenido N. Santos (19111996) was a
Filipino-American fictionist, poet and nonfiction
writer. He was born and raised in Tondo, Manila.
His family roots are originally from Lubao,
Pampanga, Philippines. He lived in the United
States for many years where he is widely credited
as a pioneering Asian-American writer.
Biography
Santos received his Bachelor of Arts degree from
the University of the Philippines where he first
studied creative writing under Paz Marquez
Benitez. In 1941, Santos was a government
'pensionado (scholar) to the United States at the
University of Illinois, Columbia University, and
Harvard University. During World War II, he
served with the Philippine government in exile
under President Manuel L. Quezon in
Washington, D.C., together with the playwright
Severino Montano and Philippine National Artist
Jose Garcia Villa.
In 1946, he returned to the Philippines to become
a teacher and university administrator. He
received a Rockefeller fellowship at the Writers
Workshop of the University of Iowa where he later
taught as a Fulbright exchange professor. Santos
has also received a Guggenheim Foundation
fellowship, a Republic Cultural Heritage Award in
Literature as well as several Palanca Awards for
his short stories. Scent of Apples won a 1980
American Book Award from the Before Columbus
Foundation.
Santos received honorary doctorate degrees in
Humanities and Letters from the University of the
Philippines, and Bicol University (Legazpi City,
Albay) in 1981. He was also a Professor of
Creative Writing and Distinguished Writer in
Residence at the Wichita State University from
1973 to 1982, at which time the University
awarded him an honorary doctorate degree in
Humane Letters. After his retirement, Santos
became Visiting Writer and Artist at De La Salle
University in Manila; the University honored
Santos by renaming its Creative Writing Center
after him.
Works
Novels
The Volcano (1965)
Villa Magdalena (1965)
The Praying Man (1977)
The Man Who (Thought He) Looked
Like Robert Taylor (1983)
What the Hell for You Left Your Heart in
San Francisco? (1987)
Short Story Collections
Dear Miss Samonte
You Lovely People (1955,1976)
Brother, My Brother (1960)
The Day the Dancers Came
(1967,1983)
Toledo is the Love (1969)
Dwell in the Wilderness (1985)
Collections of Letters (unknown)
Epifanio de los Santos
Epifanio de los Santos y Cristbal (April 7, 1871
April 18, 1928) was most distinguished as a
Filipino historian, intellectual titan , literary critic,
jurist, antiquarian, and patriot. He was appointed
director of the Philippine Library and Museum by
Governor General Leonard Wood in 1925.
Epifanio de los Santos Avenue
(commonly known as EDSA), the main road
through Metro Manila, was named in honor of
him. Several schools, streets, a college, a
hospital and even a printing press were also
named after him. There is an Epifanio De Los
Santos Auditorium in the Philippine National
Library.
His full name when translated from Spanish
means "Epiphany of the saints bearing Christ
inside".
Early life
He was born in 1871 in Malabon, Rizal, to an
affluent hacendero Escolastico de los Santos of
Nueva Ecija and harpist or pianist Antonina
Cristbal of Malabn. He studied at the Ateneo
Municipal de Manila where he obtained a summa
cum laude of Bachelor of Arts degree and at the
University of Santo Tomas where he finished his
law studies. He topped the bar exams. As a
young man he was humbled by the feat of his
classmates and study mates of their fluency in
Spanish and had grown a liking and desire to
learn Spanish through his admiration of a novel
entitled "Pepita Jimnez" of the Spanish realist
Juan Valera y Alcal-Galiano. Rafael Palma
(1930) noticed that during his college years his
collecting instinct was early manifested when he
curiously dedicated himself gathering plants and
flowers in the Nueva Ecija area wherein he also
sought the company and even communed with
the rural communities. According to Agoncillo,
"nobody suspected that he would someday
become a literary man". His home in Intramuros
became the meeting place of the finest and young
cultured nationalistic literary clique comprising of
Cecilio Apstol (Catulo), Fernando Ma. Guerrero
(Fulvio Gil), Jos Palma, Rafael Palma (Hapon),
Jaime C. De Veyra, Macario Pineda, Mariano V.
Del Rosario (Tito-Tato), Salvador V. Del Rosario
(X. Juan Tagalo), Ysidro Paredes, Macario
Adriatico, Jose Clemente Zulueta and Jose G.
Abreu (Kaibigan). According to Wenceslao E.
Retana, most of the men who contribute largely
to the most brilliant period or Golden Age in
Philippine-Spanish Literature were those same
men who gathered every Thursday at Don
Panyong's entresuelo.
A Great Filipino Academician
Seor De los Santos was considered one
of the best Filipino writers in Spanish of his time,
compared only to Marcelo H. del Pilar. As a
young man, he was the first Filipino to become a
member of the Spanish Royal Academy of
Language, Spanish Royal Academy of Literature
and Spanish Royal Academy of History in Madrid
and was touted as the "First Filipino
Academician". It was the admiration of his
writings that Marcelino Menndez y Pelayo asked
the Real Academia Espaola to open its door to
the benevolent young native scholar. Eventually,
he formed a delightful acquaintanceship with the
rest of the iconic academicians of that time,
including his favorite Spanish author which is
Juan Valera. As an ardent nationalist, De los
Santos was a young associate editor of the
outselling and influential revolutionary paper "La
Independencia"(1898), writing in scathing prose
under the pen name G. Solon and also a member
of the Malolos Congress. He also co-founded
other newspapers like La Libertad, El
Renaciemento, La Democracia, La Patria and
Malaysia. He also made valuable publications
namely; Algo de Prosa (1909), Literatura Tagala
(1911), El Teatro Tagala (1911) Nuestra
Literatura (1913), El Proceso del Dr. Jos Rizal
(1914), Folklore Musical de Filipinas (1920). He
also authored Filipinos y filipinistas (Filipinos and
Filipinists), Filipinas para los Filipinos, Cuentos y
paisajes Filipinos (Philippine Stories and Scenes)
and Criminality in the Philippines (19031908).
He was an eminent scholar of "Samahan ng mga
Mananagalog" which was initiated by Felipe
Calderon in 1904, and it includes active members
with the likes of Lope K. Santos, Rosa Sevilla,
Hermenigildo Cruz, Jaime C. De Veyra and
Patricio Mariano.
He was a man of many talents and had
been documented as a translator (Spanish,
English, French and German), linguist (even
dialects like Ita, Tingian, Ibalao), philosopher,
philologist, paleographer, pyschologist, painter,
musician (guitar, piano and violin), poet,
biographer, bibliographer, monographer,
journalist, publisher, essayist, editor, literary
critic, art critic, lecturer, researcher, government
executive, jurist, politician, lawyer, outstanding
civil servant and philanthropist in his lifetime by
various historians (Gregorio F. Zaide, Libardo D.
Cayco, Teodoro Agoncillo et al.), local and
foreign writers and even American critics like
Austin Craig and A.V. Hardtendorp. As a gifted
artist, he was described as a brilliant painter but
failed to develop more of this talent. As an
accomplished musician, he was one of the expert
pianist and master guitar player in his time
compared to his follower, Guillermo Tolentino
(distinguished sculptor), and General Fernando
Canon (revolutionary hero). The artistic potential
of the guitar through his skills was realized and
documentedly praised by local and foreign music
critics like Charles E. Griffith. Griffith likened his
guitar playing to the great Segovia of Spain. He
was also known to play the violin as well. In fact,
he was awarded a professorship in music. This
outstanding feat earns him more of a polymath
status just like Jose Rizal. Gregorio F. Zaide, his
biographer, and Hartendorp has described him a
rare genius with his encyclopedic knowledge and
talents.
A Revered Filipino Patriot
The erudite scholar was well traveled, going to
many places in Europe, Asia and Americas
searching for rare Philippine documents in big
museums, archives and libraries. As an
inveterate bibliophile, his books is comparable to
Pardo de Tavera & Jos Rizal's collections. He
collected almost 200 paintings and sculptor
pieces (Juan Luna, Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo,
Fabian de la Rosa, Arellano, Pablo Amorsolo and
Fernando Amorsolo, Nepomuceno, and
Guillermo Tolentino), musical literatures, opera
records, valuable printed materials, documents
and manuscripts on the revolution and historical
pictures. He built one of the best and rare
collections and libraries in the Philippines,
excluding those of the religious corporations.
According to Zaide, his famous Filipiniana
collection was rated by foreign scholars as the
best in the world. His intense passion for learning
makes him a revered Filipino patriot. In Europe,
he was recognized as the premier philologist and
writer of biographical matters about the
Philippines.
He made a large body of works on Philippine
literature, arts, music, politics and biographical
and historical sketches of great and notable
Filipinos which includes Andrs Bonifacio, Emilio
Jacinto, Marcelo H. Del Pilar, Pardo de Tavera,
Ignacio Villamor, Francisco Balagtas, Jos Rizal,
Wenceslao Retana, Yusay, Rafael Del Pan,
Miguel Morayta, "The Women of Malolos" etc. He
also translated Filipino literary works into
Spanish, notably Balagtas' Florante at Laura
(1916).
He died in office on April 18, 1928. The
Philippine government paid him a tribute to a
stately funeral. Local and foreign scholars
lamented to a loss to what has been described by
them as the "Great among the Great Filipino
Scholars".
Genoveva Matute
Genoveva Edroza-Matute (January 3, 1915
March 21, 2009) was a Filipino author. In 1951,
she was the recipient of the first ever Palanca
Award for Short Story in Filipino, for her short
story "Kuwento ni Mabuti", which has been cited
as the most anthologized Tagalog language
short-story.
Life
Matute was a graduate of the University of
Santo Tomas.[2] She worked in the academe for
46 years, retiring in 1980 as the head of the
Department of Filipino at the Philippine Normal
College. She also served as the Dean of
Instruction of the same university.[2]
For her short stories, Matute would win a total of
four Palanca Awards. She won First Prize in
1951 for Kuwento ni Mabuti, in 1955 for
"Paglalayag sa Puso ng Isang Bata", and in
1961 for "Parusa".
In 2005, Matute was awarded a Lifetime
Achievement Award by Philippine President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Matute was married to Epifanio Gar. Matute,
who created the popular Filipino radio program
Kuwentong Kutsero in the 1950s. She was
likewise active in writing radio plays and
productions in the 1950s.
Liwayway Arceo
Liwayway Arceo (1920 2011) was a multi-
awarded Tagalog fictionist, journalist, radio
scriptwriter and editor from the Philippines.
Arceo was the author of well-received novels
such as Canal de la Reina (1985) and Titser
(1995). She also published collections of short
stories such as Ina, Maybahay, Anak at iba pa,
Mga Maria, Mga Eva, Ang Mag-anak na Cruz
(1990), and Mga Kuwento ng Pag-ibig
(1997). Most of her books were published by
Ateneo de Manila University Press and The
University of the Philippines Press.
Arceo's story Uhaw ang Tigang na Lupa was
placed second in the Japanese Imperial
Government-sanctioned Pinakamabuting
Maikling Katha ng 1943 (The Best Short Stories
of 1943).
Arceo made her mark as a lead actress in a
Japanese and Philippine film produced during
World War II. The film Tatlong Maria was
produced by two movie companies: X'Otic
Pictures of the Philippines and Eiga Hekusa of
Japan in 1944.
She also ventured into radio by Ilaw ng Tahanan,
a long-running radio serial. Ilaw ng Tahanan
became a television soap opera aired in RPN 9
during the late 1970s.
Arceo's short story Lumapit, Lumayo ang Umaga
was later turned into an award-winning film by
National Artist Ishmael Bernal in 1975. Filipina
thespian Elizabeth Oropesa received a FAMAS
Best Actress Award in 1976 for her role in the film.
Arceo received a Carlos Palanca for Short Story
in Filipino (Filipino (Tagalog) Division) in 1962; a
Japan Foundation Visiting Fellowship in 1992; a
Gawad CCP for Literature given by the Cultural
Center of the Philippines in 1993; a Doctorate on
Humane Letters, honoris causa, from the
University of the Philippines in 1991; the Catholic
Authors Award from the Asian Catholic
Publishers in 1990, and the Gawad Balagtas Life
Achievement Award for Fiction from the Unyon ng
mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (Writers Union of the
Philippines or UMPIL) in 1998.
In 1999, Liwayway Arceo received a Philippine
National Centennial Commission award for her
prioneering and exemplary contributions in the
field of literature.
When she died, Filipino writers paid tribute to
Liwayway A. Arceo during a memorial service
held at the Loyola Memorial Chapel in
Guadalupe, Makati City, Philippines on
December 6, 1999.
Lualhati Bautista
Lualhati Torres Bautista (b. Manila, Philippines
December 2, 1945) is one of the foremost
Filipino female novelists in the history of
contemporary Philippine Literature. Her novels
include, Dekada '70, Bata, Bata, Pa'no Ka
Ginawa?, and GAP.
Biography
Bautista was born in Tondo, Manila, Philippines
on December 2, 1945 to Esteban Bautista and
Gloria Torres. She graduated from Emilio Jacinto
Elementary School in 1958, and from Torres High
School in 1962. She was a journalism student at
the Lyceum of the Philippines, but dropped out
even before she finished her freshman year. She
has served as vice-president of the Screenwriters
Guild of the Philippines and chair of the
Kapisanan ng mga Manunulat ng Nobelang
Popular. She became a national fellow for fiction
of the University of the Philippines Creative
Writing Center in 1986. Also in 1986, she was
invited to participate in the US- International
Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), multi-regional
project on American film. The following year, she
participated in the ASEAN writers conference
held in Singapore.
Work
In addition to being a novelist, Lualhati Bautista is
also a movie and television screenwriter and a
short story writer. Her first screenplay was
Sakada (Seasonal Sugarcane Workers), a story
written in 1975 that exposed the plight of Filipino
peasants. Bautista has received recognition from
the Philippines' Don Carlos Palanca Memorial
Awards for Literature and the Surian ng Wikang
Pambansa in 1987. Her award-winning
screenplays include Bulaklak sa City Jail (A
Flower in City Jail) (1984), Kung Mahawi Man ang
Ulap (If The Clouds are Parted) (1984), Sex
Object (1985). For screenplay writing, she has
received recognition from the Metro Manila Film
Festival (best story-best screenplay), Film
Academy Awards (best story-best screenplay),
Star Awards (best screenplay), FAMAS (finalist
for best screenplay), and URIAN awards. Two of
her short stories have also won the Carlos
Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, Tatlong
Kuwento ng Buhay ni Julian Candelabra (Three
Stories in the Life of Julian Candelabra), first
prize, 1982; and Buwan, Buwan, Hulugan mo Ako
ng Sundang (Moon, Moon, Drop Me a Sword),
third prize, 1983. Bautista also authored the
television dramas Daga sa Timba ng Tubig (The
Mouse in the Bucket of Water) (1975) and Isang
Kabanata sa Libro ng Buhay ni Leilani Cruzaldo
(A Chapter in the Book of Life of Leilani Cruzaldo)
(1987). The latter won best drama story for
television from the Catholic Mass Media Awards.
Bautista was honored by the Ateneo Library of
Womens Writings on March 10, 2004 during the
8th Annual Lecture on Vernacular Literature by
Women. In 2005, the Feminist Centennial Film
Festival presented her with a recognition award
for her outstanding achievement in screenplay
writing. In 2006, she was recipient of the Diwata
Award for best writer by the 16th International
Women's Film Festival of the UP Film Center.
She is also the only Filipino included in a book on
foremost International Women Writers published
in Japan, 1991.
Works
Short fiction collections
Buwan, Buwan, Hulugan Mo
Ako ng Sundang: Dalawang
Dekada ng Maiikling Kuwento
Screenplays
Sakada
Kung Mahawi Man ang Ulap
Bulaklak sa City Jail
Kadenang Bulaklak
The Maricris Sioson Story
Nena
Bata, Bata...Pa'no Ka Ginawa?
Dekad 70