“CAN we bring back those days again?” mused Connie Escobar, the titular character in The Woman Who Had Two Navels, the celebrated 1961 novel of National Artist Nick Joaquin.
Literature’s popularity may not be what it was once, but every year, around the birthday of the seminal Filipino writer on May 4, the luster of the written art form—those golden days—shines anew. The Nick Joaquin Literary Awards (NJLA) returned for its 2024 edition, celebrating once again the best of the best in Philippine literature today. Named after the late National Artist for Literature and former Philippines Graphic editor-in-chief, the NJLA is hosted by the magazine Philippines Graphic, and honors the most outstanding short story writers and poets.
“Sir Nick Joaquin conceptualized the Graphic Literary Awards, which was renamed in his honor after his passing in 2004, thus establishing the tradition that we proudly continue today,” ALC Media Group chairman D. Edgard A. Cabangon said during the 2024 NJLA at Samsung Hall SM Aura Premier on May 7.
Cabangon’s father, the late visionary businessman and philanthropist Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon-Chua, held a strong friendship with Joaquin, and appointed him the first editor-in-chief of the Philippines Graphic in 1990.
“We owe it to Sir Nick Joaquin that the Philippines Graphic remains as a home for talented writers, inspiring and encouraging them to pursue their craft through initiatives like these awards,” Cabangon added. “I am confident that Sir Nick, along with my father, is looking down upon us with pride and joy, witnessing the fruits of our labor and the legacy that they have left behind.”
Back-to-back ‘Poet of the Year’ winner and other awardees
THE annual NJLA recognizes exemplary pieces published in the Philippines Graphic Reader, established in 2022 as the companion literary magazine of the Philippines Graphic. The Graphic Reader serves as the country’s first and only nationally circulated monthly magazine completely devoted to Philippine literature in English, featuring emerging and established Filipino writers and poets.
Hailed as the NJLA Graphic Salute Awardees for 2024 were all 82 short story writers and poets whose literary works were featured in the Philippine Graphic Reader’s 2nd cycle, spanning February 2023 to January 2024. From this pool of writers, three winners were selected in the short story category, along with the Poet of the Year.
Aside from the individual awards, the 2024 Awards also recognized five local government units (LGUs) as partners of the NJLA in promoting literature at the grassroots level, particularly in schools. To further the cause, T. Anthony C. Cabangon, publisher of Philippines Graphic, Philippines Graphic Reader, and BusinessMirror, announced the launch of “NJLA-LGU Advocacy for English and Literature.” He said the partnership project serves as the corporate social responsibility of the Cabangon siblings, “to keep [our father’s] dream project alive.”
A celebration and an alignment of stars
THE NJLA is as much an award-giving body as it is a venue where art titans converge. This year’s guests of honor included two recipients of the highest national recognition given to Filipino individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts: National Artist for Literature Ricky Lee and National Artist for the Visual Arts Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera.
Aside from the awards and appearances of artistic luminaries, the 2024 NJLA also featured a special exhibition of all the 12 Philippines Graphic Reader covers to date.
Every month, the publication features on its pages four short stories and four poems selected from literary submissions to the magazine. These literary pieces are then visualized by talented illustrators Randy Constantino and Ardie Aquino, with support from Graphic Reader Creative Director Ed Davad and Creative Design Consultant Ces Cabangon. Meanwhile, the Graphic Reader’s inside illustrations are done by noted visual artist Jimbo Albano.
Long line of exemplary literature
THE Philippines Graphic has always been a staunch supporter of literature. Since it first became a magazine in 1927, the outlet has carried on its pages the literary works of talented Filipino short story writers and poets.
In 1990, the Philippines Graphic was reborn through its third owners, Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua and his family. Appointed as the title’s editor-in-chief was the ambassador’s good friend, Nick Joaquin, who pushed for devoting precious publication space for short stories and poetry in English, written by young and veteran Filipino writers.
Joaquin is widely regarded as the most distinguished Filipino writer in English, as well as the greatest Filipino writer of the 20th century. He was born in Paco, Manila, in 1917, and spent most of his life exploring the diverse heritage of the Filipino people across different forms of literature, from novels to poems, and more. His famous works include the 1966 play A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino and the 1990 non-fiction My Manila: A History for the Young.
In 1976, Joaquin was conferred the rank and title of National Artist of the Philippines for Literature.
In a previous statement, ALC Media Group chairman D. Edgard A. Cabangon said that his father, the late ambassador, and Joaquin “both cherished literature,” adding that the two “vowed to nurture excellent literary works on the pages of the magazine.”
True to the cause, Philippine literature in English blossomed on the pages of the Philippines Graphic. The magazine featured the early works of writers who became the next generation of established Filipino fictionists and poets in the country. The impressive roster includes Charlson Ong, Clovis Nazareno, Carlos Ojeda Aureus, Carina C. David, Angelo Rodriguez Lacuesta, Katrina Tuvera, Andrea Pasion, Ernesto Superal Yee, Luis Joaquin Katigbak, Lakambini Sitoy, and Erwin E. Castillo, to name a few.
Image credits: BusinessMirror/Bernard Testa
