GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 20 October) — Winning in the prestigious Carlos Palanca Awards has opened the eyes of a 22-year old Tagakaulo from this city, to the vast potentials he has in terms of literary writing.
John Dave Pacheco, a fourth year student of Bachelor of Arts in Filipino at the Mindanao State University (MSU) here, told MindaNews in an online interview on Sunday that he had no inkling he would get the highly prestigious literary award.
The young awardee excitedly shared how he learned that he won second place in the 2024 Palanca Awards under the Tula category, on his 22nd birthday on October 19.
Tagakaulo writer John Dave Pacheco received a precious gift on his 22nd birthday on October 19: an e-mail informing him that he won second prize in the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards under the Tula category. Photo from Pacheco’s FB
“I was about to leave Davao Occidental where I did research work for my thesis, when I decided to connect to a pisonet (wifi-vendo machine) to check my emails.”
Scrolling through the emails, Pacheco said he could hear his heart pounding when he saw in the email inbox a notification from the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature.
Without opening the email yet, he said “Nanginginig, ginakulbaan, na kahilakon ko (I was shaking, I was nervous, I felt like crying).And as I opened the email, nanalo talaga!” (I really won!).
Pacheco bagged second place in the 2024 Palanca Awards under the Tula category with his collection of poems called “Paa, Tuhod, Balikat ng Tagakaulo: Higatang sa Pangil ng Pana-panahong Pagkalugmok.”
Another Palanca awardee – Hannah Adtoon Leceña from Kiamba town in Sarangani, an MSU General Santos alumna, won second place under Maikling Kwento in Filipino category for her short story “Siya si Ril.”
The Palanca Awards is the Philippines’ most prestigious and most enduring in the field of Literature.
Pacheco said he wrote his poem collection “para maging boses mismo sa kung saan ako nagmula” (to be the voice of my people). His work is a mixture of the culture, beliefs and stories of the Tagakaulo community in Sarangani and his own experiences, “kung gaano ang Tagakaulo na nade-deprive when it comes to their land, sa pait ng buhay, sa kanilang mga ginagawa” (on how the Tagakaulo were deprived of their lands, and the challenges they face in their lives), he said.
The Tagakaulo writer hinted he gets affected by what he sees in their community that there are times when he feels his works are an exercise in futility, driving him to rest his literary pen.
But he realized that he needs to convey the struggles of his community to those outside of it, to make their life experiences relatable to a broader audience.
“Ako mismo bilang isang Tagakaulo na nagsusulat sa aking komunidad, paano ko maihahatid yung kwento na naiintindihan pa rin ng mga tagalabas? (As a Tagakaulo writing about my community, how will I share our stories so the world outside ours would understand?) Since Filipino ang language ko, meron siyang pagpapahalaga na makakabasa talaga” (Since the language I am using is Filipino, then there is a better chance it will be read), he said.
He said what he has become he owes to writers in the Soccsksargen region who encourage other writers, especially the emerging ones, to create their own inspiring works.
Overcoming self-doubt
Pacheco, who has participated in several national writing workshops, opened up about a challenging period when he stopped writing for several months after he found himself questioning his ability.
He recalled that on learning that he won, he posed a question to himself, “Kung hindi ba ako nanalo sa Palanca, hindi pa rin ba ako magsusulat?”(If I had not won a Palanca, will I not write again?)
Pacheco said he came to realize the importance of persistence and believing in oneself.
“Huwag kayong humintong magsusulat (Do not stop writing).Never question your credibility, your story, or the community you want to write about,” he said as a reminder to himself and to budding writers like him.
Pacheco believes in the power of storytelling and says it should not take an accolade for a writer to chase his or her passion to tell their story.
“Hindi dapat sa isang gantimpala, sa isang panalo masusukat mo yung sarili sa pagsusulat, no? Kahit manalo ka o matalo, kahit anong mangyari, magsusulat ka at magsusulat ka dapat” (Your worth as a writer should not be measured by one award, one win. Win or lose, whatever happens, you should write and write), he said.
Pacheco draws inspiration from community narratives.
“Ang kwento ng ating komunidad, tayo lang makakagawa. Alam mo na ang kwento ng komunidad mo, ay kuwento ng iyong pagkatao, kuwento ng iyong kaluluwa, at kuwento ng iyong puso. At dapat iparinig sa mundo” (Only we can make the story of our community. You already know that the story of your community is the story of your humanity, of your soul, of your heart. It’s a story that should be heard).
The Palanca Awards rites will be held on Nov 22 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila. (Guia A. Rebollido / MindaNews)
