Ginlawan (Volume 8, No. 4) from the Suguidanon (Epics) Series of Panay Island, chanted by Gawad Manlilikha ng Bayan awardee Federico Caballero, has won the National Book Award for Poetry in Hiligaynon and Kinaray-a at the 43rd National Book Awards. The awards are given by the National Book Development Board and the Manila Critics Circle.
Ginlawan tells the story of the hero Humadapnon, who goes on a sea journey to search for another wife. While he is away, another man takes his wife, Malitong Yawa, who is a binukot (a well-kept maiden honored in the community). This leads to conflict and her death. She is later brought back to life through the gahum (supernatural power) of Humadapnon’s sister. The epic reflects the beliefs, traditions, and way of life of the Panay Bukidnon people.
The Suguidanon epics are long oral stories of the Panay Bukidnon indigenous group from Central Panay. They were researched and recorded starting in 1993 in Calinog, Iloilo by UPV Professor Emeritus, Dr. Alicia Magos and Anna Razel Limoso-Ramirez with the support of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. The published books are part of 14 titles collected mainly from the Caballero family. Their mother, Preciosa Caballero, was a binukot and babaylan (community healer) who helped preserve these epics for the community.
After the epics were recorded from Federico Caballero, a Balay Turun-an (School for Living Traditions) was established to teach the epics and other Panay Bukidnon cultural practices to children in the community.
The manuscripts were kept for many years at the Center for West Visayan Studies of the University of the Philippines Visayas. In 2014, preparation for publication began under Chancellor Rommel Espinosa of UP Visayas and UP System President Alfredo Pascual. The project was led by Anna Razel Limoso-Ramirez as Project Coordinator, with assistance from Prof. Eliodora Dimzon. A tripartite Memorandum of Agreement was signed between UP, the Panay Bukidnon and the researcher to ensure the royalty for the community.
The series was accepted for publication in 2015 by the University of the Philippines Press under Director Neil Garcia, who described the epics as the “magnum opus” of the Press. The book was desk edited by Aivee Dulid and officially released in 2025 during the term of Director Galileo Zafra.
The main translators for the Kinaray-a texts were Anna Razel Limoso-Ramirez and Romulo Caballero, assisted by Anna Caballero. Limoso-Ramirez is from Lambunao, Iloilo, which is near Calinog, and she speaks Kinaray-a, the same language used by the community. She also grew up with Panay Bukidnon families who lived in her grandfather’s farm.
The 14 book titles are the result of many years of work by a team from UPV and members of the Panay Bukidnon community. Contributors to manuscript preparation include Analina Caballero, Teresita Quezon, Agnes Dimzon, Adonis Rebong, Prof. Ma. Joji Tan, and Jemelie Limoso. Contributors to cover design and production include Caiden Ramirez, Ramon Ramirez, Alven Polido, Gian Genoveza, Jhunn Harold Manaay, Liby Limoso, and Alan Cabalfin.
Consultants for this manuscripts were Teresita Caballero, Romulo Caballero, and Rodolfo Caballero from the Panay Bukidnon communities.
For 2026, Senator Loren Legarda has initiated the digitization of other oral narratives recorded by Dr. Alicia Magos and her team in the hinterlands of Central Panay. These include the Talda, Dilot, and Ulawhay recorded by Judith Pabito. This project will add to the many Panay Bukidnon recordings kept at the UPV Center for West Visayan Studies. This is part of her longstanding support of the local heritages in Panay island where the Cultural Mapping of Panay and Guimaras was conducted. The digitization will be done in collaboration with the University of the Philippines Open University and UPV under Chancellor Clement Camposano.
The National Book Award for Ginlawan is an important recognition of the rich oral literature and cultural heritage of the Panay Bukidnon people. It ensures that these stories will continue to be preserved, studied, and shared with future generations in the Philippines and around the world. (UPV IPO)
