Filipino poet Romulo Baquiran Jr receives 2011 SEA Write Award

Filipino poet Romulo Baquiran Jr receives 2011 SEA Write Award
March 5, 2012 1:43pm


Filipino poet and Palanca award winner Romulo Baquiran Jr. was awarded the Southeast Asian Writers Award (SEA Write Award) for 2011 last Feb. 16 in Bangkok, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced Monday.

An assistant professor at the University of the Philippines’ College of Arts and Letters, Baquiran was honored along with seven other writers from other ASEAN countries: Mohd Zefri Ariff bin Mohd Zain Ariff (Brunei), D Zawawi Imron (Indonesia), Bounthanong Xomxayphol (Laos), Mohd Zakir Syed bin Syed Othman (Malaysia), Robert Yeo Cheng Chuan (Singapore), Jadet Kamjorndej (Thailand), and Nguyen Chi Trung (Vietnam).


The awarding ceremony was done at the gala dinner celebrating the SEA Write Award’s 33rd year held at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok. Thai Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana handed out the awards on behalf of her father, the Crown Prince.

Baquiran joins a list of distinguished Filipino writers who have already won the SEA Write Award in previous years, among them:
National Artist Nick Joaquin (1980)
Gregorio C. Brillantes (1981)
Edilberto K. Tiempo (1983)
Virginia R. Moreno (1984)
Bienvenido N. Santos (1987)
National Artist Virgilio S. Almario (1988)
Carmen Guerrero Nakpil (1990)
National Artist Alejandro Roces (1997), and
Ophelia Alcantara Dimalanta (1999).

Poetry books

Baquiran, who hails from Santo Tomas, Isabela, has won a Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature in 2010 for his poetry collection titled “Parokya,” set to be published soon by the University of the Philippines Press.

He has also written and published two other books featuring his poetry: "Mga Tula ng Paglusong (Journey Poems)" and "Onyx."

“Onyx” won the National Book Award for Poetry in 2003.

Baquiran finished his AB Filipino and MA in Literature degrees at the University of the Philippines.

He is an active member of the Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo (LIRA), a group of Filipino poets.

Baquiran also edited some books, such as "ASEANO: An Anthology of Poems from Southeast Asia" and "Urbana and Felisa," according to the DFA. –KG, GMA News

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