Alvin Q. Larida, a writer and educator from South Cotabato, was honored as one of the laureates at the prestigious 71st Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards. The ceremony took place on November 27, 2023, at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. Larida got the second prize in the Regional Division for his Hiligaynon short story "Lola Violeta."
This year marked the addition of 30 first-time awardees to the esteemed Palanca list, recognizing outstanding Filipino writers, poets, and playwrights. A total of 54 individuals received awards across 20 writing categories in four divisions: Kabataan, English, Filipino, and Regional Languages.
The evaluation process involved literary luminaries carefully selected from their respective fields, assessing the 1,405 submitted entries.
“Ang Palanca ay isang portal para sa mas malaking hamon. Hamon para sa pangako, sumubok, at magpatuloy. Malaki ang ambag nito sa katulad kong nagsisimula pa lang. Nong 2018 lang ako nagsimulang magsulat, pero sa totoo, bata pa lang ako pangarap ko na ang magsulat at maging manunulat. Dahil hindi ganun ka lawak ang training at network, di ko na tinuloy 'yon dati,” said Larida.
(Palanca is a portal for a bigger challenge. A challenge for promise, to try, and to continue. It contributes greatly to someone like me who is just starting out. I only started writing in 2018, but in truth, I've dreamed of writing and becoming a writer since I was a child. Because my training and network were not that extensive, I didn't pursue it before.)
“Bilang manunulat sa Hiligaynon na laking SOX, isang malaking oportunidad ang binigay sa akin ng Palanca na mapakinggan at mabasa ang kwentong Hiligaynon na mula sa aking bayan at probinsya,” he added.
(As a Hiligaynon writer who grew up in SOX, Palanca gave me a great opportunity to have Hiligaynon stories from my town and province heard and read.)
Larida is from Surallah, South Cotabato, and teaches at Libertad National High School. He writes in Kinaray-a, Hiligaynon, and Filipino. His literary prowess has been recognized with numerous accolades for his poems, fiction, and short stories.
These include the prestigious Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, the Malip-ot nga Sugilanon in South Cotabato, the Leoncio Deriada Prize for Poetry and Fiction, Bantugan sa Panulatan Kinaray-a, Peter’s Prize, and Dungug Kinaray-a.
His works have found a home in various publications such as the Cotabato Literary Journal, Kasingkasing Press, Bantugan sa Panulatan Kinaray-a, Dagmay, SunStar Davao, and Mindanao New Voices, where they continue to inspire and captivate readers.
Named after the distinguished businessman and philanthropist Don Carlos Palanca Sr. and sponsored by the Carlos Palanca Foundation Inc., the Palanca Awards stand as the country's longest-running and most prestigious literary competition.
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