Bookwatch Vol.20 No.1 (Approved Cover)

This issue’s editor:
Libay Linsangan Cantor is a published fiction/
nonfiction author and cultural journalist,
media literacy lecturer, advocacy filmmaker,
and gender rights trainer. A BA Film and MA
Creative Writing graduate from U.P. Diliman,
she is a two-time Palanca awardee and a
former director-scriptwriter of children’s
educational TV programs.
This issue’s contributors:
Onnah Valera has written for Mabuhay Magazine and other
publications. She received a grant funding from Cinemalaya
and produced My Fake American Accent in 2008 and has
since produced two more indie films. For the past four years,
she has been writing for the weekly cable program The Jon
Santos Show.
NBDB Governing Board
Flor Marie Sta. Romana-Cruz
Chair
Reynaldo Antonio D. Laguda
Vice-Chair
Undersecretary for Finance and Administration
Department of Education
Ceferino S. Rodolfo
Undersecretary for Industry Development Group
Department of Trade and Industry
Felipe M. De Leon, Jr.
Chairman
National Commission for Culture and the Arts
Rowena Cristina L. Guevara
Undersecretary for Science and
Technology Services
Department of Science and Technology
Ruperto S. Sangalang
Commissioner
Commission on Higher Education
Ani Rosa S. Almario
Vice President
Adarna House, Inc.
Maria Karina A. Bolasco
Assistant General Manager and
Publishing Manager
Anvil Publishing, Inc.
Dr. Isagani R. Cruz
Founder
Manila Critics Circle
Ruel S. De Vera
Journalist
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Alfredo C. Ramos
Chairman and President
National Book Store, Inc.
Tin Palattao is a writer based in the City of Gentle People
known as Dumaguete. After graduating as a Communication
Arts major in U.P. Los Baños, she worked at the Theater Center
Program of the Philippine Educational Theater Association
(PETA) where she coordinated line productions and special
events. In her current full-time job, she describes images in
Science and Technology, Engineering and Medical (STEM)
textbooks for visually challenged students.
Loreen Ordoño is a lesbian mom who writes for a living. She’s
the founder of FEIST Magazine, an online magazine for LBTQ
women, and an Overall Co-Coordinator of Metro Manila
Pride, the network of volunteers that spearhead the annual
LGBT Manila Pride March. She lives in Pasig and currently
works for an online news portal, managing social media.
This issue’s layout artist:
Mariel Sandico is a multimedia arts practitioner and
associate lecturer from Mapua Institute of Technology. She
manages Layag Pilipinas, a nomadic artist collective for youth
empowerment through arts education.
Bookwatch is the official publication of the National Book Development Board.
It is not for sale. All rights reserved. No article or visual material may be reproduced
or altered without permission from the authors and artists. NBDB retains the sole
printing rights of the journal. However, the journal may be freely copied digitally
and shared. Copyright of the commissioned and solicited articles and visuals are
owned by the NBDB until publication, whereupon copyright reverts back to the
authors and artists.
For inquiries please call 570-6198 or 697-1804.
Message from the Chair
April has become a red-letter month in the calendar of all writers, publishers,
teachers, and book lovers. Last year, the President signed Proclamation No. 968
declaringApril of every year as Buwan ng Panitikang Filipino or National Literature Month
which recognizes that Philippine literature, written in different Philippine languages, is
associated with the history and cultural legacy of the State, and must be promoted
among Filipinos. This proclamation also acknowledges how “national literature plays an
important role in preserving and inspiring the literature of today in introducing to future
generations the Filipino values that we have inherited from our ancestors.” While the
first National Literature Month was quite modest, this year’s spectacular celebrations
are made possible by collaborations among government agencies, cultural institutions,
and private stakeholders who are steadfast in their goal of promoting literature and the
love of reading among Filipinos.
Among the many celebrations taking place this month is the 7th
Philippine International
Literary Festival (PILF), a flagship event of the NBDB that celebrates authorship,
readership, and best publishing practices. This year’s festival is themed “Against
Forgetting” to put into focus literature that breaks conservative literary traditions and
gives voice to the oppressed and disenfranchised. The festival will be an important
venue for discourse on the role of the authors in creating works that bring issues to light
and the importance of discussing this kind of courageous literature with young readers.
It is apt that this issue of Bookwatch shows how literature can be a vehicle for the
promotion of important social advocacies. Housed in this issue are articles that highlight
the role of literature in advocacy: From Ondoy to Yolanda, where Bookwatch editor
Libay Linsangan Cantor discusses the artistic process of turning tragedy and trauma
into literature; “LGBT Then and Now,” a piece contributed by Loreen Ordoño that
explores the developments that have taken place in queer literature, “Rated X or PG:
The Secrets We Ought to Tell “ by Tin Palattao which argues why it’s important to tackle
“taboo” topics in children’s literature.
The National Book Development Board hopes that National Literature Month enriches
your experience of Philippine literature. We thank you for your continued support for
our many initiatives. Let us continue to work towards making the country a nation that
READS PINOY.
Flor Marie Sta. Romana-Cruz
Chair, NBDB
About the
National Book
Development Board
Vision
The National Book Development Board is the
leading catalyst for building a culture of reading
and authorship as well as an environment for the
growth of the book publishing industry towards
making it globally competitive.
Mission
• Promote investments in the book industry
• Develop an environment conducive for the
growth of the book publishing industry
• Enhance market growth of the book industry
by promoting lifelong learning through
reading
http://www.booksphilippines.gov.ph
Unit 2401
Prestige Tower
F. Ortigas Jr. Road
(formerly
Emerald Ave.),
Ortigas Center,
Pasig City

SIGHTS AND SOUND OF THE SURGE COVER CMYK_175 LINES
10% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 10% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 10% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
FRONT COVER
CONTENTS Vol. 20 No. 1 2016
A Whole Lot To Be Said
About Hilot
National Book Development
Trust Fund: Exploring
Literary Deep Space
From Ondoy to Yolanda:
Transforming Tragedy into
Literary Content
Writing About Alternative
Families in the Margins
Joining the Bannedwagon
Rated X or PG: The Secrets We
Ought to Tell
NBDTF Call for Submissions
National Book Awards
Recently Released and
Upcoming Titles
Career Opportunities
Bestseller Lists
features
08
08
11
16
12
The Differently Abled in
Filipino Children’s Literature20
LGBT Then and Now:
Challenges, Differences,
and the Future of Queer
Philippine Literature
16
Author’s Point-of-View:
The Seed of Advocacy in
Eugene Evasco’s Federico
23
24
28
32
06
43
27
35
36
12
32
20
28
24
11
To further the ties between advocacy and literature, Ordoño also
interviewed Buhay Bahaghari editor Eva Callueng who discussed
how LGBTs are writing their own narratives today—and what
topics they cover—while looking back at previous LGBT content
in Philippine Literature. An interview with author Jhoanna Cruz
is included as she discussed why she writes the kind of lesbian-
themed stories she has published. I also discuss another writing
process connected to another advocacy as I narrated in my article
how I tried to transform a national tragedy of epic climate change
proportions (i.e. Typhoon Yolanda) into literary content by giving
voice to the survivors in an NGO-published book.
An advocacy need not be huge or deep. While an advocacy could
reflect international and national concerns, it could also relate to
us, individually, on a personal level. For example, encouraging
reading, especially reading Philippine literature, could also be
considered as an advocacy, no matter how “simple” it may sound
to some. Simple things lead to bigger things, and small advocacy
actions lead to greater socio-cultural and behavioral changes later
on. Advocacies remind us of what’s important to preserve and
develop in our society, and highlight humane aspects that the
population should not forget.
We hope that the advocacies we highlighted in this issue would
resonate on a personal level with you, dear readers, as we all try to
advance and support such positive causes in our society today, on
a national level. For the personal will always be political, and the
personal and political could also be literary.
Happy reading!
Notes from the Editor
This volume of Bookwatch coincides with the 2016 Philippine
International Literary Festival (PILF) in terms of themes and topics.
This year, PILF carries the theme “Against Forgetting.” Once again, this
annual celebration of books aims to conduct discussions regarding
responsible industry practices, promote locally published books and
talent, as well as provide a venue for deeper engagement among
stakeholders. But with this theme in mind, the sessions center around
certain topics often marginalized as taboo or alternative.
There are sessions about various types of advocacies that concern
specific communities and sectors. Histories and indigenous peoples’
concerns are covered in one session while literature from the lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community are covered in
another. Women’s writings, topics deemed “sensitive,” and heritage
concerns are also outlined within other panels. From such sessions,
social justice advocacies are sure to emerge which currently concern
the nation such as climate change, gender and sexuality issues,
reproductive health, and HIV/AIDS, among others.
The advocacy issue of Bookwatch also rides this current wave of the
PILF. Starting with an explanation of the National Book Development
Trust Fund, we spotlight one of the recent fund grantees aiming
to revive and move the concept of hilot from the alternative to the
mainstream in an interview conducted by Cinemalaya indie film
grantee Onnah Valera. Another alternative-to-mainstream discourse
is penned by lesbian mother Loreen Ordoño in her article about
how writers discuss families in the margins, featuring an interview
with lesbian author Bernadette Neri. Dumaguete-based writer Tin
Palattao enumerates Filipino books that empower and give voice to
children with special needs and people with disabilities, featuring a
sidebar story on how acclaimed writer Eugene Evasco developed his
children’s book Federico about a child with Down Syndrome. Palattao
also lists down local publications that dared tackle sensitive topics
such as child sexual abuse and HIV/AIDS, among others. Valera also
explores how a young adult novel could be banned from certain local
schools because of having risqué content, featuring Edgar Samar’s
Janus Silang series.
P.S. The editor welcomes
comments, suggestions and
queries. Please e-mail her at
libay.cantor@gmail.com.
36 35

07
For the National Book Development
Trust Fund 2016, three categories are
now accepting submissions: Mother
Tongue, Senior High School, and
IPR. Since these materials are few or
even nonexistent, this year’s NBDTF is
geared towards addressing this gap.
NBDTF
2016
Call for
Submissions
Submissions are encouraged for
Supplementary Reading Materials written
in the mother tongue for children in Grades
One to Three.
Five language categories are open:
Waray (Region VIII), Maranao (Region IX),
Kapampangan (Region III), Maguindanaon
(Region IX), and Tausug (Region IX). The
completed manuscripts, comprised of 30-
50 pages, in the chosen mother tongue
(with Filipino translation), are meant to
increase proficiency in reading and writing
in the mother tongue and to enrich the
target readers’ appreciation of the different
facets of the region where such language is
used.
These manuscripts may be compiled in
one book or included in a series of four (4)
books, with the following descriptions:
1 of 4: Environment
This book will tackle topography, natural
resources, endemic plants and animals,
and other environmental features (e.g.
disasters) in the region where the specific
mother tongue is spoken.
2 of 4: People, Places, and Events
This book will tackle historical places,
people, and events of the region where the
specific mother tongue is spoken.
3 of 4: Arts and Culture
This book will tackle different art forms
(visual arts, music, dance, theater, literary,
etc.) and cultural beliefs and events in the
region or geographical areas where the
specific mother tongue is spoken.
4 of 4: Short Fiction for Children
This book will comprise of poems or short
fiction for children written in the mother
tongue.
Who May Apply
• Juridical entities employing authors who
have the capacity to undertake the project.
• NBDB-registered authors who are
proficient in the language categories
Deadline of Applications
July 31, 2016. Applications mailed from
outside Metro Manila will be accepted if
postmarked July 31, 2016.
NBDTF 2016:
Mother Tongue
NBDTF 2016:
senior high school
NBDTF 2016:
IPR
Submissions are encouraged for
Supplementary Reading Materials for Senior
High School Students (Grades 11 and 12).
The completed manuscripts, comprised of
150-200 pages, are intended to develop
knowledge and skills, cutting across the
different strands such as, Sports, Technical-
Vocational and Livelihood, Arts and
Humanities, and ICT.
1. Entrepreneurship
This book is meant to introduce a student
to the work force as an entrepreneur who
is able to market his or her skills as a viable
source of income.
2. Market Research
This book is meant to teach the basics of
quantitative and qualitative research and
how research should be the sound basis of
understanding business.
Who May Apply
• Juridical entities employing authors who
have the capacity to undertake the project.
• Authors who are able to develop and
complete manuscripts under the categories
set out above.
An applicant may apply in more than one
category, provided that he or she will be
able to complete them within the given
timeframe.
how to apply
Submit the following documents:
• Applicant’s curriculum vitae (in the case
of juridical entities, its SEC registration
documents, as may be applicable, and the
curriculum vitae of the authors-applicants)
• A sworn statement indicating that
the submitted work is an original and
unpublished work, and that the applicant is
the copyright-holder of the work
• A project proposal (setting out the
objectives, proposed scope of work i.e. table
of contents, timeline, budget and resources,
and other relevant information supporting the
author’s capacity to undertake the project)
September 30, 2016. Applications mailed
from outside Metro Manila will be accepted
if postmarked September 30, 2016.
September 30, 2016. Applications mailed
from outside Metro Manila will be accepted
if postmarked September 30, 2016.
Submissions are encouraged for books
on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in the
Philippine context that are meant for the
general public.
The completed manuscripts, comprised of
150-200 pages, are intended to tackle basic
concepts of Intellectual Property Rights
suited for the target age (as set out in the
project proposal).
Who May Apply
NBDB-registered authors who are able to
develop and complete manuscripts under
the category set out above are welcome to
apply.
how to apply
06
chosen and wish to develop and complete
manuscripts in one or more of the four (4)
books, as set out above.
An applicant may choose more than one of
the four books in the series,provided that he
or she will be able to complete them within
the given timeframe. Separate applications
are needed for each book application (e.g.,
one application for Waray Region VIII Book
1: Environment, another for Waray Region
VIII Book 3: Arts and Culture, etc.)
how to apply
objectives, proposed scope of work i.e.
table of contents, timeline, budget and
resources, and other relevant information
supporting the author’s capacity to
undertake the project)
• NBDB Certificate of Registration
• Manuscript Form: In 12-point type, Times
New Roman, with at least 1-inch margins,
and sequentially numbered on 8 1/2” x
11” bond paper, in quadruplicate copies. A
digital copy shall also be submitted.
• Manuscript Substance: At least 25% of the
manuscript, written in the language applied
for (with Filipino translation)
Terms and Conditions
of the Grant
Upon awarding of the grant, a grantee is
given three (3) months to complete the
manuscript (or the remaining 75% of the
work). The grantee may be awarded PHP
70,000-100,000 per manuscript, based on
the proposed budget of the applicant and
as approved by the proper AC.
of the Grant
Upon awarding of the grant, a grantee
is given six (6) months to complete the
manuscript (or the remaining 75% of
the work). The grantee may be awarded
PHP100,000-150,000 per manuscript,
based on the proposed budget of the
applicant and as approved by the proper
AC.
objectives, proposed scope of work i.e.
table of contents, timeline, budget and
resources, and other relevant information
supporting the author’s capacity to
undertake the project)
of the Grant
Upon awarding of the grant, a grantee
is given six (6) months to complete the
manuscript (or the remaining 75% of
the work). The grantee may be awarded
PHP100,000-150,000 per manuscript,
based on the proposed budget of the
applicant and as approved by the proper
AC.
How grantees are chosen
An Advisory Committee (AC) shall
deliberate and choose among
the pool of submissions under
each category. Should there be
no manuscript of good quality as
determined by the AC, the NBDB
reserves the right not to award a
grant to any applicant.
Bookwatch Vol. 20 No. 1 BookwatcH Vol. 20 No. 1

A W h o l e L o t T o B e
S a i d A b o u t
Science scholars discuss why they want to document and popularize anew
an ancient Filipino way of healing, a tradition unjustly being eclipsed by
modernity.
Hilot
08 09
By Onnah Valera
The unwise immediately dismiss the
hilot or paying the albularyo (local
healer) a visit as quackery. The weary office
workers who frequent health spas pamper
themselves by choosing the Swedish or
Thai massage over the Philippine hilot
massage. Local authors want to hopefully
change this perspective via a book project
they’re currently doing.
The authors of Hilot: Revealing The
Albularyo’s Ancient Secrets of Healing
spoke to me about what they’ve unearthed
about this practice. Meet Bibiano “Boy”
S. Fajardo, hilot stalwart and co-writer
Louanne Mae L. Calipayan. They’re
recipients of a writing grant from the
National Book Development Board Trust
Fund given to science scholars for 2015.
BOOKWATCH: What prompted you to
get together to write Hilot: Revealing The
Albularyo’s Ancient Secrets of Healing?
BIBIANO S. FAJARDO: For me, it just evolved.
Louanne attended a hilot seminar sponsored
by DTI (Dept. of Trade and Industry) in 2012,
then she came over and we talked. Then she
wrote articles about hilot and that was it. She
went to ATHAG (Association of Traditional
Health Aid Givers, Inc.) and I asked for help
for our communication component.
LOUANNE MAE CALIPAYAN: I actually first
met Sir Boy as a Broadcast Communication
major in college, around 15 or so years
ago. We had a subject called Development
Broadcasting where we wrote the script for a
program on Radyo ng Bayan. My group chose
Philippine culture, so we featured music and
him as an albularyo. Back then, I was very
interested in what he was saying, but I did not
know how to pursue it. So after the interview,
I walked him down the building and that
was it. Fast forward to 2012, I attended a
DTI seminar series that featured all sorts of
business and skills seminars like setting up
a business, registration, taxation, etc., but
then “Hilot” caught my eye. When I got to the
seminar room, I saw Sir Boy’s name and Sir
Boy himself and remembered that he was the
guest speaker that we had forgotten to feed
over a decade ago! For a while, I was debating
with myself on whether to approach him or
not. But my guilty conscience prodded me
to go up and at least introduce myself. So I
did. It turned out he was looking for a writer.
So I volunteered. With my experience in the
NGO sector and preserving traditional dance
“We hope to make the average
person aware of the processes
inside their bodies and what
they are supposed to do
to maintain their health.”
Photo by Russell Lorenzo,
courtesy of Louanne May Calipayan.
(pangalay), I was immediately concerned
about the sustainability of what they were
doing, because I could see they were helping
a lot of people.
BW: Do you approach an albularyo on
a regular basis? Or at the first sign of
physical trouble, do you make a doctor’s
appointment?
LMC: Actually, I grew up with conventional
medicine; my father is a doctor while my
mother is a nurse. But as is the case in
many Filipino families—especially in the
provinces—when I was little, I experienced
both. Whenever I would have a fever, my
mother would first give me conventional
medicine, being the nurse that she is. But
if hours after that first dose the fever still
continued, she would bring me to the well-
known manghihilot in a nearby barangay.
My father, the doctor, would tell her he didn’t
believe in hilot. But like so many mothers,
she would reply that she didn’t care; she
would go for whatever method would get me
well. You see, her mother (my grandmother)
performed tawas (a spiritual cleansing
ritual), while an aunt (my grandmother’s
sister) also later went into healing. A funny
thing happened the other year, when I was
in my hometown of Ormoc City. I was sick.
Of course they wanted me to take medicines,
but I didn’t want to. Instead, I went to a well-
known healer in our town who told me to
make tea out of atis leaves. So we went to
the City Health Office, not for medicines,
but to get leaves from the atis tree in the
yard. Mama’s former colleague saw us and
laughed, commenting why is it that while
other people are scrambling for medicines,
the doctor’s daughter was picking leaves.
BW: Dr. Fajardo, in your many years of healing
and teaching hilot and herbal medicine,
what has been the major hindrance to their
recognition in mainstream healthcare?
BSF: In my experience, I had to extract each
and every single thing—whether philosophies,
concepts, or procedures—from the albularyos
I learned from. I had to search what fit in with
my own understanding as a chemical engineer.
It was the best thing that happened to my
life, because now, I understand the process
and mechanics done by the albularyo. On the
surface, they seem to be complete opposites—
we are talking of science while the albularyo is
talking of mystical experiences. But thanks to
Mr. Maranan who was my mentor in the science
of traditional healing, I began to appreciate the
science behind hilot. As chemical engineers, we
areprocess-orientedsoIseethatthesicknesses
that are happening to the individual are actually
just the results of different processes in the
body. I never practiced chemical engineering
as a career. It is only now that I realize I would
be using it here, for healing. The concepts in
Hilot are very different from conventional
medicine. Also, the terms being used by most
practitioners are drawn from tradition and
are idioms referring to mystical characters or
elementals. I’m the only one explaining the
science behind the healing.
LMC: Actually, herbal medicines are now in
the mainstream, because of the efforts of
the Philippine Institute for Traditional and
Alternative Health Care (PITAHC), as well
as local pharmaceutical companies that are
producing lagundi tablets and syrup, sambong
tablets, etc., on a commercial scale.
BSF: The identification of herbs for the
sampung halamang gamot (10 medicinal
plants) came from (a) local albularyo. They
conducted studies and clinical tests on that. But
the approach to the use of the herbs is based
on western germ theory; it is not according to
our tradition.
BW: Dr. Fajardo, you have a solid background
in chemical engineering and you’re a builder
by profession, too. What is your builder-
designer aesthetic?
BSF: The only reason I took up chemical
engineering in college was that even in my
earlier years, chemistry was very easy for
me. So my motivation to take up chemical
engineering was that it was easy. With regards
to my aesthetics in construction, well, there
(is) a lot of what many people consider as
rubbish all around. For example, driftwood;
they are just scattered all over, and no one pays
them any attention. But in my mind, I consider
it a challenge to create something out of these
so-called “waste” materials. I could create
designs out of (the) driftwood! I was part of the
movement that started ethnic furniture using
indigenous materials together with interior
designers Edith Oliveros and Tirso Umale.
So basically, my aesthetic revolves around
organic furniture and organic landscaping.
You can also get a glimpse of my aesthetic if
you look for pictures of Nature Villa Banahaw
which I designed. During those years, I would
go around the country to source materials and
oversee ongoing construction sites. I would
rather seek out traditional healers in the area
and stay with them instead of stay at hotels.
BW: Dr. Fajardo, do you consider your being
an albularyo-manghihilot a profession as well?
BSF: No. I consider this my “good time”
because I find it very entertaining. At the same
time, when people get healed, there is actually
more “psychic income” rather than material
income. “Psychic income” is when you are
happy that you are able to help other people.
BW: Dr. Fajardo, please enlighten us about this
term attributed to you—life navigator.
BSF: As a healer, you are the one holding the
rudder or the steering wheel. You know what
is not working, what is out of whack. So I liken
the albularyo to a navigator, although a person
is much more complicated than a boat because
a boat is mechanical and does not have a
mind of its own. As I often explain during
our seminars, a person has a mind, emotions,
and body. As a life navigator, I help people
clear knots in their thinking and mend their
emotions and body.
BW: In your upcoming book, what is your
ultimate objective?
BSF: In the first book, I wrote about the
scientific entry points of bringing back health
to the individual. Now, in this second book,
we are attempting to explain the process
behind this scientific framework. We hope
to make the average person aware of the
processes inside their bodies and what they
are supposed to do to maintain their health.
We hope to make the scientific community
take notice of this perspective that they have
not looked at before. For the spiritual and
religious community, we hope to make them
understand the interconnection of the spirit,
soul, and the physical body. The Philippines
has such a wealth of knowledge when it comes

BSF: We are the ones who are beginning to
formalize the teaching of hilot healing. You see,
traditionally, hilot is learned slowly, bit by bit,
through informal exchanges and discussions. I
would like to emphasize again that the hilot in
the spa is different from the hilot healing that
we do. In the very early stages of hilot in the
spa, the students that I had in Chi Spa Shangri-
la were very well accepted in Muscat, Oman.
Therapists from major resort hotels whom I
trained in those early years are now all over
the world. At the moment, we are actively
working with the Philippine Institute for
Traditional and Alternative Health Care for the
national competency standards and guidelines
for the recognition and certification of hilot
practitioners and training programs.
LMC: Actually, hilot is widespread, especially
in rural areas. The thing is that their work is
just not officially recognized. Sadly though,
in many places, expert healers are dying out.
We really need to work for the mainstream
acceptance and recognition of hilot in order
to stimulate interest among the younger
generation to continue the tradition.
National Book Development
Trust Fund Exploring Literary
Deep Space
The National Book Development
Board Trust Fund (NBDTF or “grant”)
helps Filipino authors to boldly go where
(almost) no author has gone before. NBDTF
provides writing grants to help Filipino
authors to explore topics where books are
few and far between.
The grant was established in 2009 through
RA 9521 or the “National Book Development
Trust Fund Act.” The government wanted
to provide support for books which might
not have mainstream audience, but are as
important.
The National Book Development Board
(NBDB), the government agency mandated
to develop and support the Philippine book
publishing industry, manages the grant.
The agency screens the applicants and
awards winning authors once a year. The
first batch of grants was awarded in 2012.
The grantees covered topics where books
are either few or non-existent.
Filipino literature are often written in
Filipino or English—leaving a lot of stories
in other Philippine languages uncompleted
or unpublished. The grant has a category
for authors to write novels in their mother
tongue.
Scientists are also urged to produce books
in their respective fields of expertise.
Science reference books used in the
Philippines are mostly imported. While
researchers are making breakthroughs,
their literature rarely exits the academe to
reach a wider audience.
Since its inception, grants were given to
authors who wrote about local history,
culture, medicine, food science and
technology, environment, health and
wellness, gender studies, Islamic studies,
and novels written in other Philippine
languages, among others.
“Once and for all, we want
to separate hilot from its
associations with superstition
and quackery, and restore
its status as the traditional
healing system of the
Philippines.”
NBDB grant recipients Louanne Mae L. Calipayan and Bibiano “Boy” S. Fajardo during the awarding
ceremonies.
The grantees with two ATHAG manghihilot; photo courtesy of Louanne May Calipayan.
to healing; what remains is for practitioners to
open their minds to our traditions. We have a
lot of techniques to share that are simple yet
effective and safe.
LMC: Once and for all, we want to separate
hilot from its associations with superstition
and quackery, and restore its status as the
traditional healing system of the Philippines.
Because only when this is done can we even
hope to ensure that the practice of hilot
will continue to serve future generations of
Filipinos to come.
BW: Many spas now offer hilot on their
menu, alongside other popular massages and
relaxation methods. How do you view this
development in the mainstream?
BSF: It is a major disaster. When we started
out, I developed a real hilot sequence for the
spa that applied traditional techniques and
taught it to major spas. But along the way, it
was diluted into plain massage, disregarding
the natural laws. So now you see all sorts
of massage being labeled as “hilot.” Hilot is
different from massage. Hilot is for healing, not
just relaxation.
BW: Who’s continuing to carry the torch for
ancient Filipino healing? Is it being taught to a
lot of people these days in classroom settings?
10 11
The grant has resulted in three published
books:
Next year, six more manuscripts are due to
be published:
Traditional Medicines in Colonial
Philippines, 16th to the 19th Centuries
by Ma. Mercedes G. Planta
Kasaysayan at Vulneridad: Ang
Kabihasnan at Lipunang Pilipino sa
Harap ng Pananalanta ng Balang, 1569-
1949 by Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan
Remembering the July 16, 1990
Earthquake by Anna Christie V. Torres,
published in 2015 by the Cordillera
Studies Center, University of the
Philippines Baguio
•
•
•
UDI(H): Dokumentasyon ng
Pagpapanday ng mga Ifugao
by Dr. Lars Raymundo C. Ubaldo
Even before the Spanish colonization, the
Ifugao were already forging their own
weapons. The book catalogues various
weapons and details how the Ifugao
started metalworking.
Mangroves of the Philippines:
Responding to Environmental and
Social Change
by Dr. Miguel Fortes; Dexter M. Cabahug,
Jr.; and Severino G. Salmo III
Save the mangroves! Mangroves of the
Philippines puts a spotlight on preserving
the coastal ecosystems in the country.
This book asks us to save these coastline
trees since they can store carbon dioxide
and prevent climate change.
•
•
On the Night of Sendong by Lilian C. de
la Pena
On the Night of Sendong tells the story
of 14 children survivors of Typhoon
Sendong from Cagayan de Oro. The book
is an English translation of Sa Kagabhion
sa Sendong: Narratives of Children-
Survivors.
•
NBDTF 2016 will open new categories to cover more topics. Authors are invited to submit
their applications for this year’s categories.
After they finish the manuscripts,
authors have to find publishers to
print their books and make them
available to the target market.
Publishers who are interested in
these or past books funded by the
grant can contact Jason Tabinas at
tabinas@nbdb.gov.ph.
Ti Bantay Asin
An Ilocano novel by Sherma Benosa
Panagsapul Iti Puraw A Kabalio
An Ilocano novel by Ariel S. Tabag
Mga Tigmo sa Balagbatbat
An Ilocano novel by Telesforo Sungkit, Jr.
•
•
•

survivors? As the editor, I stepped in and gave
him pointers: start by collating their stories in
three acts: the beginning (before the typhoon),
the middle (while it was happening), and the
end (the aftermath). He had a treasure of
voices as raw materials; all he needed was to
sculpt the experiences to form one narrative—
their tale of survival.
But perhaps his age—as well as the experience
of roaming around the devastated areas—
made it impossible for him to go on. I couldn’t
blame him; listening to the interviewees on
record, I could feel their anguish, their pain,
the loss, the grieving, the desperate attempt to
hang on to sanity, the nervous laughter caked
by this so-called Filipino spirit of resilience.
It was hard to bite into at times, listening in.
I could just imagine if it were me interviewing
these people, these survivors, on the ground,
still feeling raw, but trying not to feel dejected.
It was hard. I could understand the “writer’s
block” that came with this type of project. I
pitied the young man.
So the project coordinator let him be. Another
three months passed, and still no manuscript
from him. Eventually, our coordinator told
me that the young writer left the project, so
I was asked to take over the writing duty. I
asked a friend to take over as the editor, and
I still followed my own editorial advice for
the book’s direction. But I had to go down to
the ground to experience what happened,
firsthand. I needed to put some faces to the
voices on the recorded interviews, and I
needed to see a backdrop where this tale
unfolded. I need to scan the scene, to at least
get a feel of the affected communities.
So off to Leyte and Samar I went.
SIGHTS AND SOUND OF THE SURGE COVER CMYK_175 LINES
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FRONT COVER
Transforming Tragedy into
Literary Content
From Ondoy to Yolanda:
1312
A writer's journey takes on many paths —even flooded
ones. How can one avoid being washed over? One
writer discovers her process of processing.
By Libay Linsangan Cantor
When Ondoy struck some six years ago, I was at home, oblivious to
the catastrophe about to rise and engulf my city of Marikina. It
was a slow September day, and I just finished monitoring the Saturday
morning children’s TV show I was writing scripts for. I started to boil
water so I can prepare noodles for brunch when my cooking gas decided
to conk out on me. I called the gas company and they promised to send
a replacement tank soon. But an hour passed and still no replacement
“It’s one thing to write about a
tragedy where you’re directly
affected, but it’s another thing
to write about another tragedy
while channeling the affected
people.”
Photos taken by
the author.
It’s one thing to write about a tragedy where
you’re directly affected, but it’s another thing to
write about another tragedy while channeling
the affected people.
Two years ago, an acquaintance of mine
contacted me and asked if I could work as
the editor of a book their non-government
organization (NGO) was putting together.
It was a Typhoon Yolanda project, and they
wanted to document the experiences of the
survivors in connection with their disaster risk
reduction programs for people living in coastal
areas. They have marine life protection and
other related programs of an environmental
bent in different areas of Eastern Samar, so
they wanted to have a human-focused aspect
to add to their rehabilitation projects. Anything
I could do to help in any way, yes, I am so in,
since I could relate with the people struck by
this tragedy. If my editorial work could help in
any way, I am willing to go on board and help.
So help I did.
It turned out that the NGO already
commissioned a young writer to go around
the devastated areas in Leyte and Samar
to interview survivors. He went there raw,
barely three months after the typhoon struck,
so memories of loss and sadness were still
fresh in the minds and hearts of the people he
interviewed. He was able to talk to 48 people,
finding willing survivors to converse more
in-depth than the usual coverage broadcast
Whenever there’s a huge news item at the
moment, all regular content in TV networks
stop. They have to go live, while on coverage,
to show viewers what’s happening, and give
updates blow by blow, by the minute or by
the hour. When regular shows try to get back
to regularly scheduled programming, they
have to scrap or postpone whatever episode
they banked already and prepare a new one in
response to that huge news item of the moment.
Thus, as the scriptwriter stuck in the middle
of Marikina—thanking the universe that my
relatives got out alive and unharmed even if
some of their houses were still submerged
underneath the floods—I got a message from
my executive producer to write an Ondoy-
related episode for the coming week.
I know we’re media people and we’re trained
to be professional all the time, but I wanted to
take some time out and absorb this upwelling
tragedy that was engulfing my personal
reactions along with my professional ones.
How can someone command that of me,
immediately, to write something that’s still
unfolding, developing, currently affecting me
and my loved ones? For the first time during
that TV program’s run, I requested that my
executive producer take the reins on this one,
please, because I don’t think I can fictionalize
this tragedy, yet, more so make preschool
children comprehend what just happened
around all of us and lecture them on disaster
risk reduction-management at the same time.
Ratings and extra income be damned; I still
couldn’t write about it when it was still that
raw. Yes, even if I wasn’t totally or heavily
affected, you still sympathize with your city
and empathize with the people you know were
affected more heavily than you. I’m not sure if
they would call empathizing unprofessional,
but so be it—I can’t write about it, just yet. And
that was that.
media did. His results were uneven, and
understandably so; mothers and fathers who
lost children had a hard time articulating their
grief, but there were a few who were able to
share just enough of a story to capture the
essence of their experiences. The same was
true for husbands or wives who lost spouses or
parents. I could just imagine their frustration of
having to face this young man who was asking
them to recall their typhoon experience before,
during, and after it hit. There were also women
and men who needed to talk, a release perhaps,
a friendlier form of psychosocial coping, a form
of temporary therapy as they narrated their
stories for the record.
Three months after his interviews were
conducted, the young writer was able to
transcribe all the recordings, but he needed
a guide. How will this book project string
together information and stories from the
It was already August of 2014 when I landed
in Tacloban, Leyte’s capital city and the point
of entry to this site of tragedy. The airport was
obviously still under construction, but it was
working nonetheless.
Much of the city had a “back in business”
attitude while some had a “business as usual”
atmosphere. We toured around the places I
only saw in photos from media friends and
colleagues who covered these sites. We went
all over Tacloban in one day, and then traveled
to Eastern Samar the next day.
came, until I got a weird call from them, saying they
can’t proceed with the delivery anymore because their
truck can’t pass the rising waters on the streets where I
lived. Bewildered, I doubted their reason, until I peeked
outside my condominium window and saw half of the
streets outside, indeed submerged in water. The rains
weren’t stopping, and I understood what that meant.
Typhoon. Rains. Flood. Little did I know that what
came next was catastrophe—an utterly serious one
that went by the international name of Ketsana.

a book-length collection of the sights and
sounds of that storm surge. No story of the
48 survivors went to waste; I included their
narratives in one way or another. Everyone’s
narrative is important, regardless of brevity
or depth. I wanted everyone to be there, these
kind souls who took the time to speak to our
interviewer, a handful of whom I’ve met
during my ocular inspection of the place. And
a few weeks after the one-year anniversary
of the typhoon, we launched the book on
November 2014. And I am still humbled to
this day to have helped them fashion their
stories for many people to read.
Indeed, resilience is an understatement to
describe what these folks went through and
how they rose from it. Typhoon Yolanda
survivors need to have a better word for
resilience, because with this devastation—
and their way of rising from it—they just
reinvented the concept, that fateful night
when Yolanda came to visit.
1514
“Listening to the interviewees on
record, I could feel their anguish,
their pain, the loss, the grieving,
the desperate attempt to hang on to
sanity, the nervous laughter caked
by this so-called Filipino spirit of
resilience.”
It was hard to write about a tragedy that
happened to you, but I felt it was heavier
to write about a tragedy that happened
to people you didn’t know. Sure, I have
friends and colleagues who were from these
provinces, and I commiserate with their loss
and the damage their families received. But I
felt it was a bigger responsibility to have these
voices, the Typhoon Yolanda survivors, speak
to the readers and give justice to their stories.
I had to lock myself up in my house for one
whole month, imbibe everything my senses
experienced, and tried to put myself in their
shoes. To churn out a workable manuscript,
I have to tap back into what it felt like during
Ondoy, to connect with what happened in
Yolanda. Emotional, arduous, but nonetheless
fulfilling, especially when I was finally able to
craft a first draft.
When I released Chapter 1, I sent it to my editor
and our project coordinator as a test, sensing if I
got what they wanted to capture. And what they
said gave me hope, as they said reading my text
made their hair stand on end. Guided by what
my senses picked up during my travels, and
armed with the voices of these interviewees, I
continued to mold their stories until it became
P.S. Libay is the author of Sights and
Sounds of the Surge: Stories from the
Coast as Told by Yolanda Survivors
published by the Foundation for
Philippine Environment. It is
available in Popular Bookstore and
in FPE’s office.
Roaming around these provinces was like
entering a magical realism pop-up book, where
surrealism and realism clashed and held on to
each other, bitterly not letting go. I saw those
huge ships that landed squarely on the streets
around Tacloban, as if placed there by a giant
playing with toy cars and boats. Around it, the
communities took shape again and life was like
normal, except for that huge elephant in the
room, or literally, that ship on the side of the
street.
I passed by the coliseum-like center near the
shore where many took refuge, only to have
their lives taken away when the storm surge hit.
It’s funny but as we drove past this place, I can
hear the sea breeze merge with the sounds of
the traffic, and it felt like I was also hearing faint
cries of despair woven within that sea breeze.
It was doubly chilling. I held onto my tiger’s eye
and amethyst crystal bracelets tighter, and said
a silent prayer for the voices that seemed to
reach out from beyond the sea.
From Leyte, we crossed that famed bridge,
the one the dictator “gave” to his first lady
as a birthday gift, so I read. Connecting Leyte
to Samar, we crossed the bridge to see what
was happening on the eastern side. As the
NGO who commissioned me had coastal
area projects in several barangays heading
towards Guiuan in Eastern Samar, we headed
there and stayed the night.
The next morning, we roamed all around the
small town of Guiuan, said to be one of the far
tips of the Philippines, and always the first to
face typhoons coming from their side of the
world. Nearly three months near the one-year
anniversary of this devastating typhoon and I
still saw families living in tent cities put up by
international aid agencies. Schools, churches,
buildings and homes were in shambles, much
like the uprooted mangroves and destroyed
marine life. Some were left untouched while
some were being rebuilt.
Coastal communities were also rebuilt,
but with new tokens of survival from
international donations: solar-powered
lamps, distributed boats with the name of
the agency units where it came from, coco
lumber and other rebuilding materials and
tools, cut tarpaulins from banners of different
United Nations agencies repurposed as
dividers or rooftops. We also drove past many
“impromptu” graveyards, meaning highway
islands with crosses and mini-tombstones to
mark whoever died on those spots. Highway
to heaven comes to mind as we drove past
these roads. Again, that sea breeze with faint
voices went with our travels, everywhere we
drove.

LGBTthen now&Challenges, Differences, and the Future of
Queer Philippine Literature
Where is the LGBT experience in Philippine literature? As the earlier works
were predominantly gay-centric, is this still the reality after two decades?
We speak with two lesbian-identified writers for an overview of LGBT
writings then and now.
By Loreen Ordoño
16
Back in 2005, looking for Philippine
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
(LGBT) publications in local bookstores take
a lot of time, effort, and patience.
For one, if you identify as other than gay, you’d
be hard-pressed to find a book dedicated
to the experiences of lesbians, bisexuals,
and transgenders. Gay men had the series
of Ladlad: An Anthology of Philippine Gay
Writing edited by writer-professors J. Neil
Garcia and Danton Remoto. Copies of these
books line the Philippine Lit. shelves, together
with other books by Remoto, featuring gay
literature such as Black Silk Pajamas, Gaydar,
Pulotgata, and more. However, obviously
lacking was the presence of lesbian, bisexual,
and transgender local literature.
In 1998, the first Filipino lesbian book
anthology sold in the Philippines titled TIBOK:
Heartbeat of the Filipino Lesbian compiled
and edited by Anna Leah Sarabia published
by Anvil Publishing and Circle Books. It was
a compilation of lesbian-themed writings
that focused on the various experiences
of women-loving-women in the ‘80s and
‘90s. Similar to Ladlad, it contained short
stories, poems, and essays. But after its
first published run, Anvil has not published
more copies.
Fast forward to 11 years later and young
LGBT folks are treated to local LGBT
literature that can be found on the shelves
of bookstores, school libraries, and more. A
quick trip to National Bookstore and you’ll
have a bag filled with books such as Tahong/
Talong, He’s Dating the Transgender, Women
Loving, new editions of Ladlad, and the gay
magazine TEAM. Meanwhile, the University
of the Philippines Center for Women’s
17
It started as a vacuum that I wanted to fill. As a
young lesbian and a literature major, I wanted
to read about the lesbian experience in order to
understand myself. - Jhoanna Cruz
“
“
Studies (UP CWS) in Diliman houses their
publications entitled Ano’ng pangalan mo sa
gabi? At iba pang mga tanong sa mga LGBT
and Buhay Bahaghari: the Filipino LGBT
Chronicles.
While the content of all these books revolve
around experiences that LGBT Filipinos and
Filipinas share, queer Pinoy writing has
changed greatly in terms of point-of-view,
themes, and reader reception.
“Mas naging open ‘yung mga tao sa
pagsusulat” (“People became more open
in writing”), shares Prof. Eva Aurora
Callueng, Pinoy LGBT Channel editor of the
news-information portal Philippine Online
Chronicles (POC) and Buhay Bahaghari
book editor. For the book, she narrates that
“‘Yung mga sumusulat, importante na mga
advocate sila, mas more for the community
‘yung sinusulat nila. Mas writing to educate
ang kanyang layunin. Hindi siya ‘yung para
sa pera kung hindi ‘yung contribution. ‘Yun
ang kagandahan sa mga sumusulat kasi
naniniwala sila sa mga isyu at nakikita nila
na isa itong paraan para palaganapin ‘yung
kanilang mga saloobin.” (“It’s important
for writers to be advocates as they write
more for the community. Writing to educate
is their priority rather than writing for
money, but contribution. That’s the beauty
of having such writers because they believe
in the issues, and they see this as a platform
to widen their advocacy scope.”)
The book started with a simple conversation
between Callueng and fellow professor Eric
Manalastas, then the UP CWS Deputy Director
of Research, Publication and Resource
Collection. Back in 2013, Callueng and
Manalastas were talking about handpicking
articles published on the POC Pinoy LGBT
Channel (www.thepoc.net/pinoylgbt) and
compiling all these into a book. However,
the idea has evolved into having various
contributors share original creative
nonfiction pieces.
In the book’s introduction, Callueng shares,
“The meeting at the LGBT Community
Dialogue held in June 2013 paved the way
for the birth of these chronicles. It was Prof.
Eric Manalastas who proposed the idea
of collecting Filipino LGBT stories that is
somehow similar to the Pinoy LGBT channel
of the Philippine Online Chronicles. Being the
first of its kind, I fell in love with the idea
and so after the event, I immediately emailed
friends and leaders of the community to write
their stories.”
One of the writers that Callueng got in touch
with is Jhoanna Lynn Cruz, author of Women
Loving: Stories and a Play. Cruz shared the
same sentiment that
while there were foreign
texts on the stories of
the lives and experiences
of lesbians, she wasn’t
able to find any lesbians
in Philippine literature.
“Not that there weren’t
any actual lesbians, but
they were not out (or
were only selectively out)
and were not writing directly about the
lesbian experience,” recalls Cruz.
As for her book, she says that, “It started as
a vacuum that I wanted to fill. As a young
lesbian and a literature major, I wanted to
read about the lesbian experience in order
to understand myself.”
Today, with the advent of new technology,
younger generations have easier access
to information pertaining to the shared
experiences of the LGBT community as
a whole. According to Callueng, “Swerte
ang henerasyon na ito kasi may access sila
sa ganyan. Dati, kailangan pang pumunta
sa library para maghanap-hanap ng mga
tungkol sa lesbianism, sa nararamdaman
nila.” (“This generation is lucky because
they have access to information. Before,
you need to go to a library to search about
lesbianism and how women feel about it.”)
Cruz adds, “With all the platforms available
today, especially online, we must make sure
that we keep doing our part in making our

P.S. Eva Callueng is currently focused
on technical writing and teaching, and
does not have any upcoming book
projects so far.
Jhoanna Lynn Cruz is currently
working on two projects: an anthology
of stories by Philippine lesbians
entitled Tingle which she’s co-editing
with Charmaine Carreon, and a
memoir entitled Abi Nako, Coming
Back to Life in Davao, which is about
her first eight years in Davao City,
where she moved after her marriage
failed.
18
Swerte ang henerasyon na ito kasi may access sila. Dati, kailangan
pang pumunta sa library para maghanap-hanap ng mga tungkol sa
lesbianism, sa nararamdaman nila. - Eva Callueng
“ “
loving visible through our writing in order
to shape the consciousness of the future.
But more important, we must do it to reach
out to our community of readers and assure
them that they are not alone. We are not
alone.”
Apart from LGBT writers telling their stories
and experiences, Callueng shares that there
are also heterosexual writers that contribute
to the POC Pinoy LGBT Channel. “‘Yung mga
‘het’ magsusulat sila pero ang isusulat nila,
‘yung perspektibo nila, ano ‘yung tingin
nila sa mga LGBT isyu. Kung Pinoy LGBT
channel siya, mas makakatulong kung Pinoy
LGBT ang nagsusulat kasi karanasan niya.
Ito naman ay paglalahad ng karanasan.
Pero hindi ibig sabihin, LGBT lang dapat
ang magsusulat kasi gusto rin natin makita
‘yung perspektibo ng isang heterosexual
na tao.” (“Heterosexuals are also writing
there but they use their perspectives, like
how they see LGBT issues. If it’s a Pinoy
LGBT channel, it will help if Pinoy LGBTs
will write their own stories. It’s a sharing of
experiences. But it doesn’t mean only LGBTs
are allowed there, since we’re also curious
to know about the heterosexual person’s
perspectives of us.”)
LGBT issues seen from the perspective of
those not part of the community allows
LGBT people a more objective look into the
realities of the world they live in. How much
has actually changed? Do these heterosexual
individuals still think of gays and lesbians as
immoral non-Christians? Have they figured
out the difference between a gay man and a
transgender woman?
On writing for the LGBT community, Callueng
says that, “‘Yung pagsusulat, sumasa-panahon.
Nakakonteksto kung ano ‘yung dominanteng
isyu na hinaharap ng bansa. Mas aggressive
ang mga writers lalo kapag may isyu.
Sumasabay sa panahon pero hindi namamatay
‘yung mga klasikal na isyu like coming
out, kasi hindi ka rin naman magsasawang
basahin, kasi alam mong katotohanan siya ng
buhay ng tao.” (“Writings are attuned with
current events. Dominant issues currently
facing the nation are contextualized. Writers
become more aggressive whenever there are
issues. These run parallel with other undying
classic issues like coming out, since you don’t
tire of reading about such things, because
you know these stories are true stories of
people’s lives.”)
Truestoriesofrealpeople,indeed.Cruzshares
that she had an internalized homophobia
which contributed to the delay in her book’s
publication. The stories she wrote became
the manuscript for her Master’s Degree thesis
at De La Salle University (DLSU). However,
when the DLSU Press was shut down, her
book was shelved for almost 10 years. “I
didn’t have the courage to submit it to anyone
else. It was one thing to publish my stories
in various journals and magazines; it was
another to put them all together in one book
that would identify me as a ‘lesbian author.’
Also, by then, I had entered a heterosexual
marriage and had a child. I worried about
how publishing the book would affect my
families. In fact, I worried so much, I stopped
writing altogether.”
Finally, Anvil Publishing, Inc. got in touch
with her to publish the book in 2010. When
her contract with Anvil expired in 2014, she
and a former DLSU colleague had an ebook
deal to help the stories reach a new and
global platform. The ebook was released in
October 2015 as Women on Fire.
Meanwhile, for Buhay Bahaghari editor
Callueng, the most challenging part of
editing a compilation of creative nonfiction
essays weren’t in the publishing or
production of the book. Rather, it was in the
process of compiling all the written pieces.
“Kinategorize ko ‘yung mga gawa, binigyan
ko sila ng mga themes, tapos editor’s
decision kung saan papasok ‘yung mga
istorya. Pinagtagpi-tagpi na halimbawa,
‘pag binasa ko ‘yung isang istorya, ano kaya
ang magandang kasunod? Binasa ko bilang
reader. Importante kasi ‘yung pagtagpi-
tagpiin sila na natatayo ‘yung bawat tema
na iisa. Hahanapan mo sila ng ugnayan.” (“I
categorized the works, gave them themes,
then my editor’s decision prevailed on
where each story would fit. I pieced them
together, like if I read one story, I think
about what story comes next. I read them
like a reader. It’s important that when
they’re grouped together, they will make
one theme stand strong. I find connections
among them.”)
Writing and editing LGBT-themed books
for a predominantly Catholic country such
as the Philippines comes with a lot of
challenges and struggles indeed. While a
2013 study stated that the Philippines is
the most gay-friendly country in Asia, we
have been left behind by our neighboring
countries when it comes to the legal
protection of basic human rights. Our Anti-
Discrimination Bill has been languishing
in Congress for more than a decade, and
we haven’t received justice for heinous
hate crimes against LGBT folk. With this
scenario, how do LGBT writers and editors
keep themselves motivated to do what they
do?
For Callueng, she finds a connection with
one of the oldest professions. “Nakaangkla
sa pagiging guro; gusto mong makita ‘yung
sa munting paraan na nagbabago ‘yung isip
nila, nagbabago ‘yung tingin nila sa atin.
‘Pag nakita mo na nagbago ‘yung pagtingin
nila, ‘yung pagkilos nila, attitude nila, namo-
19
motivate ka na mas pag-igihin pa ‘yung
ginagawa mo kasi alam mong nakakaapekto
ka at nakakaimpluwensiya ka sa kahit
munting paraan. Gusto mong maging bahagi
nung pagbabago, o makaambag dun sa gusto
mong makitang pagbabago.” (“I’m anchored
on my being a teacher; You want to see, in
your own small way, how they change their
minds, how their views about us change. If
you see that their perspectives are changing,
their actions and attitudes, you’re motivated
to improve what you’re doing because you
know you can affect and influence in a small
way. You want to be part of that change, or
contribute to the change you wish to see.”)
For Cruz, the political becomes personal.
“A few years after my book came out, I
met young lesbian writers who told me
that finding my book changed their lives,
encouraged them to write their own poems
and stories, including a Muslim princess,
who is not yet out to her family. That
showed me that my writing is not just about
me and my issues. It has an obligation to
a community. This remains my passion,”
shares Cruz.
Apart from sharing what motivates them
to keep doing what they do, both Cruz and
Buhay Bahaghari depicts essays about
rainbow lives, for the first time gathering
stories penned by lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender Filipinos. It is edited by Eva
Callueng.
Callueng offered insightful advice for the
writers of today.
“Just do it. Embrace all the possible
publication platforms: your own social media
accounts, local magazines, online journals,
local anthologies, international venues. If
you have a book manuscript, send it out
to publishers with a positive mindset. You
have nothing to lose. I wish I could have told
myself that when I was younger. But also lose
the unnecessary arrogance—allow editors to
edit your work and revise when necessary.
“ “Writing and editing LGBT-themed books for a predominantly Catholic
country such as the Philippines comes with a lot of challenges and
struggles indeed. How do LGBT writers and editors keep themselves
motivated to do what they do?
Women Loving is the print book version of Jhoanna Cruz’
writings. It is now available as an ebook entitled Women
on Fire.
Writer Jhoanna Cruz is currently collating
writings from women-loving-women for a
new book anthology.
Also, remember that performing your work is
a kind of publication, so join public readings
and enjoy the momentary spotlight. It would
help in building your confidence and your
audience,” says Cruz.
Meanwhile, Callueng shared, “Unang-una,
kailangan malinaw: ano ‘yung layunin mo,
bakit ka nagsusulat, para saan ‘yung sinusulat
mo. Kasi ‘yung pagkilos ng isang tao ay
nakabase sa kanyang gustong matamo o ma-
achieve. Kung nagsusulat ka dahil ang layunin
mo ay para ibahagi ang iyong saloobin or
makaambag ng kung anumang bagay sa
kilusan o sa kinabibilangan mong sektor,
ang pinaka-secret sa tingin ko ay walang iba
kung hindi maging totoo ka lang sa sarili mo,
na hindi ka nagsusulat para ma-
impress ‘yung mga tao kung hindi
para mag-express. Mahalaga ‘yung
lawak nung karanasan dahil sa
pagbabahagi ng karanasan na ‘yun,
natututo ‘yung mga tao at nagiging
kapana-panabik at kawili-wili ‘yung
binabasa nila kapag nabibigyan
mo ito ng lapit sa tunay na buhay.”
(“First of all, things have to be clear:
your objectives, why you write, and
what for. A person’s actions are
based on what they want to achieve.
If you’re writing with the objective
of sharing thoughts or insights
about the social movements of
your sector, I think the secret is to
be true to your self, that you’re not
writing to impress but to express. One’s far-
reaching experience is important because
by sharing one’s experiences, readers
learn from them, and readers find it more
exciting and entertaining if what they’re
reading is based on real-life experiences.”)
It’s easy to become optimistic about
the future of Philippine LGBT literature
when you have mentors such as Prof. Eva
Callueng and Prof. Jhoanna Cruz to look up
to. Gone are the days that young LGBT folks
have to hide their most authentic selves in
the closet and learn about their gender and
sexuality through experimentation without
proper education. With the thriving LGBT
Philippine literature scene, we won’t be
surprised to find more LGBT-themed and
alternative family-themed books lining up
the local bookstores soon.

2120
The
Differently Abled
in Filipino
Children’s
Literature
There was a time when the blind, the deaf,
and the wheelchair-bound were the butt
of jokes. In the jokes, they are competing
with each other comically: a race of some
sort between the orthopedically challenged,
a series of mistaken instructions by the deaf,
and a string of love affairs with the blind
getting the most scores.
The Filipino connotation of the term “special
child” eventually becomes sarcastic, referring
to able-bodied people having characteristics
of a person with disability (PWD) – difficult
to deal with and different from the so-
called “normal” majority. When humor lost
its charm, the jokes later on transform into
bullying, much to the entertainment of those
who do not grasp the plight of PWDs because
they still see them as comical characters. This
led to parents of children with disabilities
to begin considering the condition as an
embarrassment and a sensitive topic that
should only be discussed with a doctor.
There are different types of disabilities that
are classified based on what makes a person
unable to function on the same level of
efficiency as a regular individual. Yet despite
the distinctions, PWDs need all the support
they can get from the people around them.
They are bullied every so often because they
simply could not fight back. What’s worse is
that they could not defend themselves from
verbal abuse because they, too, have no idea
about their disability. Imagine this among
children.
Through literature, many writers are
beginning to narrate stories featuring
children with disabilities. They believe
that the younger generation should not
cultivate the culture of discrimination
By Tin Palattao
Filipino writers have been immortalizing the experience of PWDs in
children’s literature. Here are some of them.
A family member who serves as hands-on
guardian or another child who positively
and indiscriminately sees the disability
as a difference and not a point to ridicule
commonly narrates stories about children
with intellectual disabilities. Their
descriptions focus on the actions and
responses of the differently abled child
rather than on their physical attributes.
Federico (1997)
Written by Eugene Evasco with illustrations
by Paul Eric Roca, the story of Federico
mirrors that of the author’s memory of a
childhood friend, Christian, with Down
Syndrome. Through the narrator, Evasco
describes children like Federico as regular
individuals with slightly different physical
features. They also play games, learn in
The intellectually challenged
Those with learning disabilities
school, and participate in activities that
other children can do. Federico is special
for his ability to love, make friends, and
appreciate the things around him despite
his mental disability.
Garnering the Philippine Board on Books for
YoungPeople(PBBY)–SalangaWriter’sPrize
in 1997, Federico is the first book published
by Adarna House that tells the story of
a child with Down Syndrome. The book
hopes to open the discourse and awareness
about other kids like Federico when such a
disorder is deemed as an embarrassment or
curse while simultaneously euphemized as
God’s blessing.
Erick Slumbook (2004)
A mother’s memoir, Erick Slumbook tells the
journey of caring for a child with autism.
Mother and author Fanny Garcia shares how
she came to accept her son’s condition and
the challenges that come with it. She said in
the book that despite the roller coaster of
emotions, she has no regrets and that even
though she would be given another chance,
she would still choose her son Erick.
Garcia also wrote the short story for
children titled Sapagkat ang Special
Children ay Bahagi rin ng Lipunan at Mundo
that won 3rd prize in the Don Carlos Palanca
Memorial Awards for Literature in 1995.
Teachers are the first to notice this. After
noting of the frequency of a child’s difficulty
at school, they call the attention of parents
to recommend a visit to the doctor who will
then suggest to the parents to have their
child undergo therapy.
and that children’s stories will provide
opportunities for children to understand
disabilities in a language that they know and
not with the complicated medical jargon.
Evident in these stories are how children
with disabilities use their creativity and
imagination in coping with their condition.
Various publishing houses in the country
haveprintedthesenarrativesinorderforthe
stories to reach a wider audience. Usually
accompanied by colorful illustrations,
these books soften the perceived cultural
“misfortune” of having a disability and
instead effectively invite younger readers
to see a glimpse of the world of a child with
disability in a more humane aspect.
Have you met them yet?
Xilef (2000)
Xilef is a dyslexic boy with an active
imagination triggered when his teacher calls
someone to read aloud the text on the board.
Author Augie Rivera begins his story where
Xilef assumes to be a space fighter reporting
to a certain Kapitan X about a group of
asteroids (writings on the board) that he
thinks will crash to a planet called Xtimus and
in order to save it, Xilef draws out his laser
sword (a blackboard eraser). Xilef describes
how reading is a difficult task. The letters
move across the page and when he finally
gets hold of the word, he reads a different
word that, to his classmates, sounds like alien
language.
Rivera, together with illustrator Beth
Parrocha-Doctolero, portrays how a child with
dyslexia copes with the learning and social
difficulties of participating in school and
how this kind of disability can be discovered
and controlled. Xilef is the first children’s
story that features a child with dyslexia, thus
winning the 3rd prize in Maikling Kuwentong
Pambata category of Don Carlos Palanca
Memorial Awards for Literature in 1999 and
joining the list of the International Board on
Books for Young People (IBBY) Outstanding
Books for Young People with Disabilities in
2005.
The orthopedically challenged are the easiest
to identify among the range of PWDs. Either
they have no more limbs to start with or
they still have them physically but lost their
function. The same can be said of existing
body parts that lost their ability to function
such as the eyes or the ears.
The physically challenged
Sandosenang Sapatos (2002)
Wheelchair-bound Susie is the second
daughter of a shoemaker. Instead of lashing
out about the difficulties of raising a
physically challenged child, Susie’s parents
love her as a typical little girl who has
discovered her penchant for writing. Susie
vividly tells her sister Karina that she’s
been dreaming about a dozen pairs of
beautiful shoes. When their father passed

opened in a language and narrative that
children could understand. He believes that
children’s literature could hone the ideal
life in the family and community that is free
from any harm and negligence.
He concludes, “Ang mga aklat gaya ng
Federico ay paghahanda sa kung paano
mabuhay at makipamuhay kasama ng iba,
magkakaiba man ng lahi, uri, sekswalidad,
at mga espesyal na pangangailangan.” (“A
book like Federico is a good preparation as
to how we could live and exist with others,
regardless of the differences we have like
race, gender, sexuality, and special
needs.”)
away, they found the shoes that their father
made for Susie. Each pair is exactly the same
as the shoes in Susie’s dream.
Author Luis Gatmaitan presents that a family
can love despite the frustration and dismay
due to the disability and shows how Susie’s
father turned the negativity into something
meaningful to Susie. Sandosenang Sapatos
won the Maikling Kuwentong Pambata
category of Don Carlos Palanca Memorial
Awards for Literature in 2001.
Ang Madyik Silya ni Titoy (2002)
Writer Russell Molina introduces Titoy,
another wheelchair-bound character, through
the eyes of an unnamed narrator who comes
with Titoy to magical adventures. Together,
they go to the moon, to the kingdom of tilapia,
and to a palace where crickets hold rock and
roll concerts. The narrator is Titoy’s only
friend who plays with him in the plaza where
their adventures begin.
Through the narrator, Molina describes how
the other kids discriminate wheelchair-
bound children and how bad the narrator
feels that those children would not find a
friend in people like Titoy.
Ang Tahimik na Mundo ni Bunso (2008)
Kristine Canon authored this tale illustrated
by Frances Alcaraz about an elder brother
or kuya who’s always on the lookout for his
younger brother, the bunso in the family, who
doesn’t appear to mind the sounds and shouts
of people around him. It turns out that bunso
is deaf and is also unable to speak.
The story encourages people to understand
how deaf children react to stimuli with the
absence of sound, as their actions could be
easily misunderstood. However, Canon’s story
focused on the deaf child getting a hearing aid
instead of the family learning sign language
to have a common language with the child.
Nonetheless, it’s a good introduction on
how Filipino culture faces the deaf and how
a family embraces their deaf child with love
and care.
Teka! Ang Labo Yata ng Aking Mata
(2014)
Another story by Gatmaitan, this book is
about Lirio, a little girl with myopia or
nearsightedness. She is used to going near
the blackboard or holding a book very
closely to her face just to be able to read
what is written. Both family members and
teachers notice her difficulty in seeing from
afar, prompting them to have Lirio’s eyes
checked by an ophthalmologist. Rather
than feeling sorry for herself, she gains
confidence with her varied eyeglass frames
that make her look hip in school.
Disability is physically limiting and
extremely challenging. There will always be
moments when even the differently abled
reach their lowest point and give up to see
what lies ahead, especially the young PWDs.
All they need is a great lift from the abyss of
self-pity to the horizon of possibilities.
Books can only present us glimpses of
what it feels to be a PWD and how children
and adults alike see them from different
perspectives. There is nothing wrong in
being different; disabilities make a person
different. What matters more is that we
can make that difference count. But by
featuring them more in literature, society
signifies that their lives matter, as PWD
stories ought to be told often.
2322
Evasco kept those memories as the years
passed. He believed that people should know
that children with Down Syndrome and
other cognitive impairments are also human,
that they have to be understood rather than
ridiculed, and that it’s worth knowing them.
So when he joined the U.P. National Writers
Workshop in 1995, he penned the story of
Federico.
Even in names, there is discrimination.
According to Evasco, the piece had a different
title for the workshop – “Kuya Bondying.” He
thought that the judges of writing contests
gave it no attention because it sounded
comical. Later, he changed it to Federico,
a name with Spanish descent, as it better
exudes an impression of a dignified person.
Two years after writing the story, it was
selected for publication. And the rest is
history.
Evasco said of his intent on publishing
the book, “Kailangang matalakay ang mga
paksaing natukoy, bagamat maselan, hindi
popular at hindi mapagkakakitaan, upang
maimulat na ang mga bata hangga’t maaga pa;
upang hindi sila mabigla sa mga pagkakaiba-
iba sa lipunan; at upang makalikha ng
henerasyong walang diskriminasyon at
panghuhusga sa kapwa.” (“There is a need to
tackle sensitive topics, regardless if they’re
not popular or a goldmine for publication,
so we can open children’s eyes early on, that
they won’t get culture shocked by diversity
in society, so we can create a generation
free from discrimination and bigotry against
others.”)
Evasco also emphasized that even though this
book failed commercially, the more important
thing was that the discourse about PWDs was
Eugene Evasco is an award-winning
Filipino writer of children’s literature
and a respected creative writing professor
at the University of the Philippines in
Diliman. It’s interesting to note that his
first children’s book, Federico, was inspired
by his real-life encounter with a child with
special needs at a very young age.
The story is a retelling of a memory about
Evasco’s childhood friend, Christian, a child
with Down Syndrome. It is claimed to be the
first local children’s book that talks about
a child with this condition. Published by
Adarna House in 1997, Federico received
the 1997 Grand Prize in PBBY-Salanga
Writer’s Prize.
In his essay “Sipat sa Aking Kauna-unahang
Aklat” (“Looking at My First Book”), he
recounts how he became friends with
Christian as they spent their preschool
years in the Child Development Center of
U.P. Diliman where education was inclusive.
His first encounter with discrimination
stirred him to vividly remember how the
adults expressed their shock in seeing
Christian, hearing fellow parents feel pity
for the child’s parents, and being exposed to
confusion as to why such an “abnormality”
exists. Evasco memorized the names they
used to refer to Christian: “Mongoloid,”
“abno” (abnormal), “blessing,” and “swerte”
(good luck).
The Seed of Advocacy in
Eugene Evasco’s Federico
Author’s point-of-view:
By Tin Palattao
Federico author Dr. Eugene Evasco.

By Tin Palattao
24 25
In the era of modern technology where
human beings live in two worlds—the Earth
and in cyberspace—taboos are becoming
an open book. What were considered as
prohibited issues such as sex, incest, child
abuse, cancer, and gender issues are brought
to light because of continued discourses
where opinions of various people, including
that of those affected, create a common
ground to understanding. Voices of those kept
in the dark are being heard as they recount
their bad experiences.
If such taboos are difficult for adults to deal
with, what more for children? How can they
be introduced to matters that even adults
could not fully comprehend and resolve?
The most troubling are issues that are close
to home. Print and online publishers in the
country are carefully opening the eyes of
children about the possibilities of family
problems through short stories taking
the perspective of children and teens. The
colorful illustrations add a layer to massage
the reality as each scene unfolds the fictional
version of true events.
Here are some publications that tackle such
“taboo” topics about children and young
adults.
Ang Lihim ni Lea (2007)
Author Augie Rivera tells a story of a girl
named Lea whose family moved to the big
city. While her mother works abroad, Lea is
left under the care of her father in their condo
orrated
X T h e S e c r e t s W e
O u g h t to T e ll
Is there still such a thing as
“taboo” in literary themes? In
the Philippines, there are still
topics deemed as such, especially
in children’s literature and YA
fiction. But writers still bravely
chronicle them.
unit. All is well until one day, Lea discovered
that she could run through closed doors
without being noticed by their neighbors.
One by one, she visits them and realizes the
nature of the noises she hears from their
unit. When in school, Lea tried to do it again
but ended up bruising herself. One of her
teachers saw this and asked a psychologist
to talk to Lea, who later revealed that she
pushes herself to imagine that she has
powers when her father touches her private
parts. The teacher and the psychologist
sought help from authorities and informed
Lea’s mother of the situation.
Rivera’s narration reflects how a child
copes with sexual abuse: by assuming
superpowers that would take her to
places away from the abuser. The author
presented his protagonist as a strong and
creative character who chooses to explore
her options to keep herself together
rather than become totally submissive
and powerless. The story sheds light to
cases of child molestation carried out by
the parents to their own children, in the
process reminding adults to be vigilant on
children acting differently.
Papa’s House, Mama’s House (2004)
Written by Jean Lee Patindol, the story
takes the point of view of the older of the
two daughters of a family with separated
parents. For an agreed period of time,
both kids come and visit their parents
alternatively. They notice that their
parents live in separate houses and rarely
see each other. Though they have clothes
and toys in both houses, they know which
house is their mother’s or father’s with
the distinct differences in the ambience
and decorations. As the story ends, both
daughters are overjoyed when their father
comes over to their mother’s house for the
older daughter’s birthday.
In a Catholic and conservative society like
ours, this situation is greatly frowned upon
as divorce is still deemed unconstitutional.
The narrative shows the confusion of a
child on the practice and nature of shared
custody between parents and the reason
for the separation. Patindol creatively used
analogies to provide examples that children
could grasp such as parents are like
airplanes and trains that could go places but
never together and like some colors do not
combine well and only produce ugly results.
With the help of illustrations by artist Mark
Salvatus, readers are introduced to many
possibilities regarding marriage and family:
a family is about love and not solely about
physical togetherness; married couples
can decide to separate if they are unable to
reconcile their differences; only the parents
can fully explain to their children about the
separation; and separated married couples
can be friends and set their egos aside for
their children. The author also pushes
the boundary of breaking the concept of a
“perfect” family with an open ending and a
hopeful protagonist.
Ang Bonggang Bonggang Batang Beki
(2013)
This playful and colorful tale by Rhandee
Garlitos tells of a young boy named Adel
whose favorite color is pink. The story
basically revolves around this, as well as his
effeminate mannerisms and girl-like actions,
resulting to neighbors taunting him as “beki”
or gay. The book shows how discrimination
based on one’s perceived sexual orientation
or gender identity could haunt even a
young boy like Adel. But he counters them
with his own brand of protection: the love,
warmth, care, and most of all understanding
and acceptance of his loving father and his
protective siblings.
Adel is seen as a strong character who may
not yet be identifying as gay, but the book
shows that there’s nothing wrong if he
eventually does. He also has friends who are
like him, and this makes an important point
that being gay is not a life lived in isolation
since birds of the same pink feathers indeed
flock together, as in the case of Adel and his
colorful fun friends.
Harana (2015)
It all began with a crash. Ash is having his
first-day high when he goes to his first
class with his bike. On the way, he sees a
cat (he eventually calls it Estrella Monella)
and bumps Trey’s car. Emerging from the
driver’s seat is Trey, a typical rock star bad
boy with angst. Since Ash could not afford
to pay for the repairs, Trey demands Ash to
pg

26
be submissive to him, saying that Trey owns
him. Ash has three friends who rescue him
in distress and serve as shoulders to cry
on when needed. Ash meets Trey’s friend
Anton, with whom he has his first coitus.
On Christmas break, Trey follows Ash in
his hometown in Bicol, introduces himself
to Ash’s family, and confesses his love to
Ash. The story concludes with Ash and Trey
receiving their negative HIV test results and
Trey, performing on stage, dedicating his last
song to Ash.
In this 10-part series set in U.P. Diliman,
the coming-of-age story of the freshman
Ash represents an overview of how the
younger generation comes to terms with
their sexuality. The online novel shows
how the young adult characters get support
from heterosexual friends, form same sex
relationships, and become responsible
enough to have themselves checked for HIV
and other STDs before engaging with their
partners. Though taken in an all-positive
perspective, the story also briefly presents
how family members deal with homosexual
children with acceptance and without
hostility.
For years, HIV-positive individuals are
ostracized because HIV/AIDS is closely
associated with homosexuality. But many
organizations have been formed to spread
proper information about it. One such
organization is Love Yourself, a Manila-based
organization campaigning for awareness on
HIV and other STDs and the importance
of getting tested every now and then,
especially before having sex. With the
characters in the novel series set as college
students, the organization—serving as the
online publisher of this novel—provides
support and counseling to the youth and
males having sex with males (LGBT-MSM),
as the proponents believe that positive
changes start in self-worth which include
acceptance of sexuality and vigilance on
spreading safer sex etiquette. In the story,
Ash reveals to Trey that he suspects he
has HIV because he might have gotten it
from having sex with Anton. The writers
displayed that trust and consideration to
other people are very crucial in times like
this to prevent partners from having the
same condition. Love Yourself maximizes
social media as it breaks the ice on the
taboo on gender issues and HIV, and assures
the youth and LGBT-MSMs that they are not
alone.
When bad things happen to us, sometimes
we decide to keep them a secret. We don’t
tell it to anyone until we’re found out, and
we only seek help if the situation gets out
of hand. Often, we sulk into the depths of
confusion and disappointment. But there is
light and hope; people willing to help will
be there for us. While we would agree that
some things are better left unsaid, there are
matters that need to be discussed. Literary
works like these books and online novels
help a lot in popularizing what needs to be
dissected more in society.
27
Fully Booked
Top Ten bestsellers (January to March 2016)
OTWOL (On The Wings Of Love): JaDine Happy
Memory Project by ABS-CBN Publishing
Si by Bob Ong
News Hardcore! Hukbong Sandatahan Ng
Kahaggardan! by Manix Abrera
Kikomachine Komix Blg. 11 Mga Kirot Ng Kapalaran
by Manix Abrera
The Arrow With A Heart Pierced Through Him
by Antoinette Jadaone
The Aquino Legacy by Elfren Sicangco Cruz and
Neni Sta. Romana Cruz
Halina Filipina by Arnold Arre
From Grit To Great by Jonathan Yabut
Trese: Sa Kanto Ng Balete Drive At 13th Street
by Budjette Tan
Opportunity Of A Lifetime by Wilson Sy
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
This is Me, Love Marie (Summit Publishing)
by Heart Evangelista
Push: Muses, Mischief & How to Make It in Manila
by BJ Pascual
The Girl He Never Noticed by Neilani Alejandrino
(sweetdreamer33)
The Bubble Bible by Michael V.
Best Friend Slash Bedmate by iloves14
The ABCs of Hand Lettering by Abbey Sy
My High School Life by Mona Lin (angellover254)
Arranged Marriage to My Boss by Diane Villena
(xmissgrayx)
Falling for the Opposite by Ma. Katrina Serrano
(yourstrulytrina)
Ang Boyfriend Kong Artista by Ella Larena
(modernongmariaclara)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
buqo
E-book bestsellers as of March 31, 2016 based on
combined iOS and Android sales
Imelda Marcos: The Rise and Fall of One of the
World’s Most Powerful Women by Carmen Navarro
Pedrosa
A History of the Philippines by Samuel K. Tan
Trese: Case 1: At the Intersection of Balete and 13th
Street by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo
Kubori Kikiam: Strips for the Soul #1 by Michael
David
Wealth Workbook by Francisco Colayco and Helen
Valderrama
86 Life Answers: PISCES by John Mesina
The Forgotten Warriors by David J. Wallis and
Ronald L. Darr
WickedMouth: Unang Putok by Glentot and Mots
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Flipside Publishing Services, Inc.
bestseller lists
april 2016

the moment the first book came out, it lit up
the online book forum sites like a Christmas
tree with Janus Silang book reviews, analysis,
Facebook and Instagram likes, commentary,
and fan art. Initial chapters of Janus Silang
were made available for the Wattpad
readership online, which increased readers’
interest. Book sales were propelled by
autographsessions atbookstores, universities
and at the annual Manila International Book
Fair.
The Manila International Book Fair attracts
not just the loyal fans of prolific authors.
The country’s scholastic heads attend the
fair to procure books the schools require
their students to read. Ergoe Tinio, senior
marketing associate of Adarna House, Inc.,
described the YA book boom as such. “Based
on the shelf space the genre is given in the
28 29
Joining the
What happens when a locally published book gets banned due
to controversial content? A publisher explains the artistic and
business side of things.
By Onnah Valera
What do J.D. Salinger, J.K. Rowling and Edgar Calabia Samar have in
common? They have all written books that got banned.
In the publishing world, the more obvious answer to the question would
be, these authors have made money for their respective publishing
houses. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and Rowling’s Harry Potter
sold like the proverbial hotcakes. Their books reached many readers,
especially the youth. The Catcher in the Rye, originally written by
Salinger for adults, was required reading in our literature courses ever
since adolescents adopted Salinger’s book depicting their angst and
alienation. Harry Potter books scored huge from book sales. Movie spin-
offs from the Harry Potter books were a hit at the box office. Whenever
Rowling released a new one, young and old muggles alike chorused,
“Here, take my money!”
Millions liked to read these books, so that’s cool, right? Yet conservatives
banned The Catcher in the Rye, complained that it contained sexually
explicit and vulgar words. Conservative sectors in the United States
banned Harry Potter for espousing magic. These books belong to the
long list of published works from all over the planet which have been
generously and lovingly served by famous authors, then slammed for
threatening the morality of the youth and yet remained in demand.
Edgar Samar, a multi-awarded Filipino poet, novelist, educator and 2015
winner of the Philippine National Book Award for Si Janus Silang at ang
Tiyanak ng Tabon as Best Fiction seems to be following the footsteps
of a band of authors of banned books. The reason for the Janus Silang
controversy will be revealed later within this article.
The YA gold rush
In his online blog, Samar says that his colleague, the late Rene Villanueva,
coaxed him to write a YA (young adult) novel. In reply to Villanueva’s
challenge, Samar wrote a book for the ordinary teen and promised
himself that it would be a showstopper.
He crafted Si Janus Silang at ang Tiyanak
ng Tabon, weaving together Philippine
mythology and multiplayer online gaming.
Because of the ecstatic response he got from
the YA market, Edgar crafted yet another, Si
Janus Silang at Ang Labanang Manananggal-
Mambabarang. Both books were published
by Adarna House, Inc. Characters in the
Janus Silang books include creatures from
Philippine folklore, familiar, but written
with a modern YA twist—Samar used RPG
(role playing games) jargon. By doing
so, Samar succeeded in interpreting this
old subject in Philippine literature with
computer age gaming interface treatment.
Samar nailed it and acquired overwhelming
success on his first foray into writing novels
for YA readers.
In his online blog, Samar confessed, “It was
definitely a challenge, but only because it
was another territory that I was trying to
clear for myself. Even before I began writing
the first chapter, I promised myself that it
would be unlike my earlier novels—here I
focused on relating a story. When I wrote my
first novel, Walong Diwata ng Pagkahulog, I
knew I was interested in themes rather than
plot, and so I mostly essayed rather than
tell a story. I really invested a lot of creative
imaginings in this (Janus Silang) series, and
I am glad that the early readers of the first
book are mostly appreciative of what I did.
There was a blog tour, and if their reviews
are of any indication, I believe that the book
would not make them feel they just wasted
their time by the time they are done with
it. Most readers thus far already expressed
their excitement for the next books.”
The first Janus Silang Book had put a
spell on Edgar Samar’s growing followers.
It had raised more questions about the
protagonist’s world and fueled anticipation
for the next book. In his online blog, Samar
shared that Adarna House, Inc. agreed to
publish three books, although he felt three
only managed to include expositions of
Janus Silang’s world. He’s raring to create
at least nine to finish what he started. AndJanus Silang author Edgar Calabia Samar.
Banned
wagon
bookstores, one could safely assume that YA
readership is flourishing. This does not apply
exclusively to foreign publications, which still
has dominance in our market. Local YA has
seen a big jump over the recent years, thanks
to indie writers and publishers allowing
access to their work through mainstream
bookstores.”
Janus Silang flagged
Easy access to writer’s works is ultimately a
good thing. But in a free market of ideas, it
is also the bane of publishers and writers.
Once you put your work out there in an
ocean of books, you can definitely reach a
wide group of readers and your book ends
Keeping the book’s
‘sensitive content’ could
mean that the book
will not be considered
for required reading in
schools. But our editorial
team believed that
the gore was essential
to the story.
“
”
up trending. Note that trending could be a
result of either overwhelming acceptance
or unwarranted controversy.
Samar disclosed in his online blog that “It
was a real concern, especially because we
wanted the book to reach as much young
readers as it could. But in the end, we
decided to retain an authentic voice (I could
not imagine Janus not cursing), rather than
censor ourselves to serve the interests of
more conservative parents and teachers.
We were also hoping that our parents
and teachers nowadays are more capable
of seeing past through ‘risky’ details in a
novel for the other greater things that we
believe the novel could offer. I appreciate
that Adarna House still believed in the
series despite its potentially challenging
sales in schools.”
Tinio acknowledged that Adarna House,
Inc. was aware of the possibility that
the Janus Silang book could face some
challenges. “During the initial discussions
about the manuscript of the first book of
the Janus Silang series, these were exactly
our concerns. Keeping the book’s ‘sensitive
content’ could mean that the book will
not be considered for required reading in

Bookwatch Vol.20 No.1 (Approved Cover)

Bookwatch Vol.20 No.1 (Approved Cover)

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