Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards 2013 Winners

The 3rd Filipino ReaderCon was held last Saturday, December 7, and the winners of the 2nd Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards were announced at the end of the event. In behalf of the FRCA committee, we’d like to thank everyone who participated and helped make this event a success. Thank you also to our judges who spent time to read the books, and to the publishers who generously provided copies of the books to our judges. There were a lot of bumps in the road as usual, but we have learned a lot and we are committed to making the FRCA better in the years to come.

Here are the winners of the Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards 2013.

Children’s Picture Book

Mga Saranggola sa Tag-Ulan (Kites in the Rain) by Eugene Evasco and Bernadette Solina-Wolf (LG&M Corporation)

The children chose Mga Saranggola sa Tag-ulan because they liked the colors, drawings, and the characters trying to fly kites in the rain and using their imagination.

Chick Lit

That Kind of Guy by Mina V. Esguerra (Summit Books)

We picked TKoG because it was funny, lighthearted, and the characters and situations were more relevant/current. It was easy to relate to and (dare we say it) “realistic”, and we think that the Filipino reader would find it most engaging and enjoyable to read.

Novel in English

Woman in a Frame by Raissa Rivera Falgui (Flipside Publishing)

Raissa Rivera Falgui’s Woman in a Frame is a literary masterpiece. It takes all of the best elements of Filipino culture, history, and tradition and fuses them into a cohesive whole, consistently referring to familiar things, places, and events that are distinctly Filipino. It celebrates equality of the sexes, magnifies the effects of centuries-long foreign conquest in present-day society, and honors the importance of family. Like an artist’s magnum opus, Woman in a Frame is a beautiful work of art, a gem in Filipino literature.

Novel in Filipino

Territorio de los Hombres Batch 6: Marcial Ortega by Vanessa (Precious Pages Corporation)

What made this novel engaging for us was not just its formulaic plot, but also its back-stories. The author took time to build her characters and abide to a so-familiar formula among our modern romance stories. Matibay ang mga tauhan, may mga kasayasayang pinaghuhugutan, at nag-di-develop ng may dahilan. This made us realize that the author wouldn’t want to mess up with her readers’ intelligence.Finally, the novel is also a wish fulfillment for us. Kwento ito ng pag-ibig, pangangarap, pagkabigo, pagbangon, pagyaman (super yaman!) at paghihiganti – isang bagay na naka-nuot sa ating mga kamalayan bilang tao at bilang Pilipino. Pareho man ang tema nito sa ibang mga finalist, ay mas higit naming nakita ang aming sarili kina Marcial at Carmen.

Kaya naman ngayong taong ito, aming iginagawad ang Filipino Reader’s Choice Award para sa Nobelang Filipino kay Vanessa para sa kanyang Territorio de los Hombres Batch 6: Marcial Ortega.

Comics/Graphic Novels

Trese 5: Midnight Tribunal by Budjette Tan and KaJo Baldisimo (Visprint)

We decided that Trese 5: Midnight Tribunal as the winner of the comic/graphic novel catergory because its narrative was able to incorporate the elements of Philippine folklore, history, and pop culture, creating a unique balance between the fairy tale story and the fantasy graphic novel. Other elements of comics, such as the use of color, panelling, etc., were also utilized to complement the overall mood and movement of the narrative. Lastly, the story brings together both the young and the old generation: those who grew up hearing the stories of these mythical creatures from their elders, and those who are just discovering the Philippine folklore.

Short Story Anthology

Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang (Volume 2) by Severino O. Reyes, Christine S. Bellen, Rebecca T. Anonuevo and Felix Mago Miguel (Tahanan Books)

Ang Ikalawang Antolohiya ng Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang ay isang koleksyon ng mga maiiksing kwento na may kakayahang ipasyal ka sa ma-alamat na nakaraan ng ating bayan. Sa mga pahina nito ay maari kang maka-enkuwentro ng isang sawa na may makapangyarihang Sula na maaring bumago ng takbo ng iyong buhay. Sa mundong ito ay di hadlang ang iyong katayuan sa buhay o murang edad. Dito maaring mapalitan ang kabiguan sa pag-ibig nang walang kapantay na saya at karangalan. Kung kaya naman naniniwala kami na ang akdang ito ang may kakayanang makawili ng pinakamaraming mambabasang Pilipino mula sa iba’t ibang edad, antas ng edukasyon, at katayuan sa buhay.

Essay Anthology

Subversive Lives: A Family Memoir of the Marcos Years by Susan F. Quimpo & Nathan Gilbert Quimpo (Anvil)

This anthology written by the Quimpo family siblings provides another perspective in decades of Philippine activism that is probably untold or unknown by many. This autobiography engages the Filipino reader because of the authors’ sincerity to what has really happened in their advocacy to combat the diseases of the Philippine society. In addition, it uses clear, vivid descriptions that makes such an autobiography enjoying and interesting to read.

Poetry

Lita: Poems on Women by the Cavite Young Writers Association (Balangay Books)

Lita: Poems on Women is a beautiful collection that illustrates vividly the different stereotypes about women, and places these stereotypes in the Filipino context to reflect the prejudices of society. It shows women in different roles in our society for how they really are, reminding us of the admirable inner strength of women. At the same time, it tackles topics that revolve around or indirectly affect women, including the fears of men and other societal issues.

Congratulations to all the winners! :)