2014 PALANCA AWARDEES

 

Quote of the Day

 

"The only difference between reality and fiction is that fiction has to be credible."--Mark Twain

 

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     In his Facebook account, Errol Abrew, a no-nonsense Ilokano writer from Caba, La Union, Philippines, congratulated the Ilokano fictiionists who won in the 2014 Palanca Literary Award for Literature. They are a certain Ramones, second place; and the esteemed Roy Vadil Aragon, 3rd place. The blogger does not know anything about Ramones. But for the writer to beat Mr. Aragon in the ranking is something.
       Who were the judges in this year's Ilokano short story category. The same Mafia? The veteran Ilokano writer Rey Duque, a perennial Palanca winner, is no longer there. He died this year. Rey, a Palanca Hall of Famer, has won the most number of awards in the annual contest and no Ilokano writer will be able to duplicate his feat in the years to come. Rest in peace, Rey. You have done your part not only in the vineyard of Ilokano fiction but also in Philippine fiction.
     The results indicate the the quality of Ilokano writing fiction this year? Why was there no first place winner?
      Dr. Aurelio Solver Agcaoili of the University of Hawaii at Manoa made an acidic comment about the "artistry" of the entries this year. Did he sit as one of the judges in the Ilokano short story category?