(DEC.10)—This year, three UP Diliman College of Arts and Letters (UPD CAL) faculty, namely, Professors J. Neil Garcia, Norma A. Respicio and Galileo Zafra, won the 34th National Book Awards (NBA) for their publications in 2014.
The awarding ceremony was held Dec. 5 at the Old Senate Session Hall, Museum of Fine Arts, National Museum.
The award is given yearly by the National Book Development Board (NBDB) and Manila Critics Circle (MCC) to the best books written, designed and published in the country.
Garcia’s book “The Postcolonial Perverse Vol. 1” published by the UP Press was chosen as winner of the Ophelia Alcantara Dimalanta Prize for Best Book of Literary Criticism/Literary History in English.
Respicio won in the Alfonso T. Ongpin Prize for Best Book on Art for her book “Journey of a Thousand Shuttles, The Philippine Weave” published by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
Zafra, together with Dr. Michael Coroza, received the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino Prize for Best Book in Language Studies for their book “Ambagan 2011: Mga Salita Mula sa Iba’t Ibang Wika sa Filipinas” published by the UP Press.
Garcia is currently the director of the UP Press. He is also a creative writing professor at the Department of English and Comparative Literature. He earned his PhD in English Studies and MA Comparative Literature at UPD.
Respicio is a faculty at the Department of Art Studies. She earned her PhD in Philippine Studies, MA in Art History and BA Fine Arts at UPD.
Zafra, a former Sentro ng Wikang Filipino director, is a professor at the Departmento ng Filipino at Panitikan ng Pilipinas. He obtained his PhD in Philippine Literature as well as her master’s and undergraduate degrees at UPD.
Two retired UP faculty, namely, Professors Luis V. Teodoro and Jun Cruz Reyes, also won the NBA.
Teodoro, former dean of the UP College of Mass Communication, won the Best Book for Journalism for his book “Vantage Point: The Sixth Estate and Other Discoveries” published by the UP Press.
Reyes, former professor from CAL Department of Filipino at Panitikan ng Pilipinas, received the Best Anthology in Filipino award for his book “Ang Labingtatlong Pasaway” published by Visprint, Inc.