Authors & Books

Albert “Bert” Banico is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Journalism at the Lyceum University of the Philippines and was a campus writer in his younger days at the Independent Sentinel student publication and the Lycean Magazin, both a member of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines. He is a Master’s of Science in General Sociology degree holder at the Asian Social Institute with a Management and Leadership program at Ateneo School of Business prior to the Covid 19 pandemic. He published his three novellas (“Sa Piling Mo, Liwanag and Laro sa Dilim), all under the 8Letters Publication. He also published one graphic children novel under Kawangis Publishing.

Participant to the 2019 Write Things Manila for Creative Non-Fiction (CNF) writeshop of Neni Sta. Romana Cruz with Prof. Susan Lara, Albert is also part of the Rebelde Class Batch 24 with the National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts, Ricky Lee and Antonio Luna film director, Jerrold Tarog, and a Sanaysaya Batch 3 member with Beverly Sy for CNF workshop.

Included in the 8th Angono Writing Workshop ng 3/7 Poet Society and awarded for the best screenplay in 1993 Writing Challenge under the Writing Workshop of the late showbiz writer and Philippine National University (PNU) Professor Dr. Giovani Calvo with playwright Frank Rivera, film director Joel Lamangan, Komiks writer Vincent Chua, and late stage actor, comedian, and film director Bernardo Bernardo.

Previously, Albert was a member of the National Press Club and formerly the National Treasurer of the Philippine Association for the Sociology of Religion. Presently, he is working as a documentation officer under a property management company in Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

Karina Africa Bolasco dedicated four decades of her life to book publishing, first as Junior Editor, then as Assistant Publishing Manager for Textbooks at National Bookstore. After ten years, she co-founded Anvil Publishing which she ran for 26 years. In 2016, she moved to Ateneo de Manila University Press. Under her leadership, both presses won Publisher of the Year many times and for their books, over 300 National Book awards.

Active in literary organizations and industry associations, she also served as National Book Development Board Governor and Cultural Education Head at the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

Karina was hailed as one of the Ten Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) in 1995 for her work in book publishing and literacy development. In 2018, she was awarded a 6-month fellowship at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) at the Kyoto University.

She wrote two children’s books and contributed to anthologies, literary and professional, and represented the country in many international publishing congresses.

In 2013, she was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Manila Critics Circle and The Hildegard Award for Changemakers in Media.

Paul Alcoseba Castillo teaches Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Santo Tomas (UST), where he is finishing his doctorate degree in Literature. He is a product of the national creative writing workshops of UST and Iligan, as well as film criticism workshops. He is a resident fellow of the UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies and a researcher at the UST Research Center for Culture, Arts, and the Humanities. He is currently the Deputy Director of the UST Publishing House. His poetry has been widely recognized: 1st Place for Poetry in Filipino at the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature (2018), 3rd place twice at the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino’s Makata ng Taon: Talaang Ginto (2018, 2017), 3rd place at the Maningning Miclat Poetry Awards (2013), and Best Book of Poetry in Filipino at the National Book Awards (2019).

He is a member of Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo (LIRA), the oldest organization of poets writing in Filipino, and is serving as a Board Member of the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas. He is the author of two poetry chapbooks, Pananangan (Librong LIRA, 2016), Mga Kuwadro (Aklat Ulagad, 2023), a journal monograph under the Tomás Journal titled Pag Napako Ang Pangako (CCWLS, 2023), and three poetry collections, namely, Walang Iisang Salita (2018), Lunas sa Nabubuong Lubos (2021), and Kondenado (2023), all published by the UST Publishing House. He has a forthcoming collection of poetry titled Ang Lihim, Kung Pag-ibig (Librong LIRA).

Aria Chelabian is a brilliant mind who has dedicated his life to making learning both entertaining and fun for the next generation. Equipped with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the Mapua Institute of Technology, Aria has been pushing boundaries and exploring new ways to engage and inspire the youth of this generation, which earned him a 2024 Good Designs award for Process Improvement in teaching critical thinking.

In 2015, Aria’s creative passion led him to write the Graphic Mythology Adventure series, Ma-I. This series has been praised for its captivating storytelling, brilliant illustrations, and its ability to bring the rich culture and mythology of the Philippines to life. The success of Ma-I inspired Aria to create a range of card games that include Anyare?, Ma-I Card Game, and Sino si Anino? These games have quickly become popular among teens and adults alike, offering a fun and interactive way to learn and explore.

Not content with just creating games and books, Aria co-founded Kawangis Publishing in 2019. This innovative publishing company is dedicated to promoting Filipino culture and history through comics, graphic novels, and other creative mediums. As one of the co-founders, Aria has been instrumental in shaping the company’s vision and driving its success.

As an editor, Aria has worked on several graphic novels, including Incognito, Zona Cero, Unang Kadaugan, A Thousand Words, and Maharlikan Chronicles. His attention to detail, creative vision, and ability to bring out the best in her team has made him a sought-after editor in the industry.

But what truly sets Aria apart is his unwavering commitment to making learning fun. Through his books, games, and other creative projects, he has shown that education doesn’t have to be boring. With his infectious enthusiasm and boundless creativity, Aria is inspiring the next generation of young minds to explore, learn, and grow. So if you’re looking for an author who can both entertain and educate, look no further than Aria Chelabian – a true champion of learning and creativity.

Carlorozy Clemente is a multifaceted freelancer with expertise in book illustrations, shirt designs, logos, and storyboarding. His creative passion extends to personal projects, including comic book illustrations and original card game designs. Notably, he’s the author of “Darwin’s Association of Delicious Evilness” (published at Komikon 2017) and the illustrator of “Strange Natives: The Boy with Capiz Eyes” (written by Paolo Herras). Carlorozy is also invested in the ongoing project “Era of the Kalaydoskowps,” which debuted at Summer Komikon 2019 and has since expanded to two volumes. Juggling these creative pursuits with his full-time role as a dad, he prioritizes precision and dedication to manage multiple timelines effectively.

Stephanie Marie R. Coo is a Filipino-Chinese author of the acclaimed book, Clothing the Colony: Nineteenth-Century Philippine Sartorial Culture, 1820-1896 (Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2019), which won the 39th National Book Award and John C. Kaw Prize for Best Book in History (2022) and the prestigious IIAS-ICAS International Book Prize for Best Book in Humanities (2021), conferred biennially by a consortium of universities led by Leiden University, Netherlands. After earning her PhD in History, mention très honourable avec les félicitations du jury à l’unanimité (very honorable mention with unanimous congratulations from the jury) from Université Nice Sophia Antipolis in France, Dr. Coo was awarded a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Universidad de Granada in Spain and Ruhr-Universität Bochum in Germany. Currently, she holds an associate professorship at Ateneo de Manila University and conducts research with Centro de Humanidades (CHAM – NOVA FCSH), Universidade Nova de Lisboa in Portugal. Her second book, Seams of Sedition: Sartorial Symbols in José Rizal´s Noli Me Tángere (Ateneo de Naga University Press, 2025), was – and will be – presented at the Leipzig (March 2025) and Frankfurter Buchmesse (October 2025), where the Philippines will be featured as the Guest of Honour nation.

KRISTIAN SENDON CORDERO is a poet, fictionist, essayist, translator, and an independent filmmaker. He has written five poetry collections in Filipino, Bikol and Rinconada, the latest two both received the National Book Awards for Poetry in Filipino and Bikol in 2014. As a translator, he translated selected poetry of Rainier Maria Rilke, Minatubod Ako Sa Diklom (I Have Faith in the Night), Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, An Pakagimata ni Gregor Samsa in Bikol and An Mapara Sa Kinaban/Ang Maglaho Sa Mundo, selected poetry of Jorge Luis Borges in Bikol and Filipino under the translation grant from Programa Sur of Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores Y Culto of the Republic of Argentina. He was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines for Arts and Literature in 2022. He is the co-head of the Translation Committee for the Philippine Guest of Honor in the 2025 Frankfurt Buchmesse and serves as the director of the Ateneo de Naga University Press.

RYAN C. CUATRONA, LPT is a Bikolnon artist, cultural worker, and educator from Buhi, Camarines Sur. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Digital Illustration and Animation from Ateneo de Naga University (2017) and is currently completing his Master’s in Computer Graphics and Animation. He is a full-time Senior High School teacher at the same university under the Arts and Design Track – 2D Animation and Visual Effects Strand.

As a filmmaker, he served as production designer for the Bikol film Hinulid (2016), earning a Best Production Design nomination at the 40th Gawad Urian and winning Best Visual Design at the 24th Filipino International Cine Festival in San Francisco. His 2D-3D animated short film Kalumbata (2021) received Special Mention at the 5th Sine Kabataan Short Film Competition by the Film Development Council of the Philippines.

He is a published writer and contributing translator of literary works into Bwînën, the language of Buhi. His translation work appears in Pag-Ibig: Mga Aporismo ng Pagnanasa’t Pagsinta (Tolentino, 2014), Pagkamuot: Mga Binirikol na Usipon Gikan sa Europa (Olsa, Cordero, Misolas, 2028), and Hindi Pasisiil ang Pagsibol at Iba Pang Tula mula Hungaria (Cordero, Vilasis, 2023). He self-published a translation of selected Aesop’s Fable—Kaaayüpan: Mga Piling Pabula ni Esopo (2016) and is currently preparing a Bwînën translation of The Little Prince. A book designer for several universities and independent press, many of the titles he has worked on have been recognized as finalists or winners of the National Book Awards.

He is the founder and creative director of Project Susog Inc., a youth-led heritage organization recognized as a semi-finalist in the 2021 Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations. He is a fellow of the 7th Saringsing Writers Workshop and the 1st Saling-Panitik Bienvenido Lumbera Translation Seminar-Workshop.

DR. JOSE Y. DALISAY JR (Butch Dalisay to readers of his “Penman” column in the Philippine STAR) was born in Romblon, Philippines in 1954.

He has published over 40 books of his stories, plays, and essays, with seven of those books receiving the National Book Award from the Manila Critics Circle. More than 20 of his screenplays have also been produced. In 1998, he was named to the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Centennial Honors List as one of the 100 most accomplished Filipino artists of the past century.

After being imprisoned during Martial Law for his activism, he graduated from the University of the Philippines in 1984 (AB English, cum laude), and then received an MFA from the University of Michigan (1988) and a PhD in English from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (1991) on a Fulbright-Hays grant. He taught English and Creative Writing as a full professor at the University of the Philippines and served as chairman of the English Department and Director of the UP Institute of Creative Writing. He retired in 2019 and was named Professor Emeritus shortly after.

Among his literary distinctions, he has won 16 Carlos Palanca Awards in five genres (entering the Palanca Hall of Fame in 2000), five Cultural Center of the Philippines awards for playwriting, and Famas, Urian, Star and Catholic Film awards and citations for his screenplays. He was named one of The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) of 1993 for his creative writing by the Philippine Jaycees. In 2005, he was given the Premio Cervara di Roma in Italy for his literary achievements. In 2007, his second novel, Soledad’s Sister, was shortlisted for the inaugural Man Asian Literary Prize in Hong Kong; his novels have been translated into and published in Italian, Spanish, French, German, and US editions.

Trixia Vail Dalumpines is a cum laude graduate of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines – Sta. Mesa, Manila, with a Bachelor of Arts in English degree under the College of Arts and Letters. She has worked as an English instructor and as an editor in private companies. She has started as an editor at the then new Inteligente Publishing, Inc. in 2016, and has since moved to editorial head, managing editor, and now currently as the Head of the Content and Production Division after nine years of service. She has a 10-year editorial experience, which expands from essays to textbooks, storybooks, promotional materials, and other learning materials. In 2024, she attended the Asian Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC) held in Singapore from May 22 to 25, 2024, and served as one of the panelists for the talk titled, “Outside the Box: Navigating Textbook Creation in K-12 Philippines.”

Working across painting, installation and sculpture, Kawayan De Guia incorporates an eclectic mix of objects into his wall-based works and art projects, including Ifugao rice gods, decorative torpedo bombs, and American jukeboxes transformed into Pinoy jeepneys. His works humorously and piquantly comment on a multitude of issues, from the histories of occupation, trade and exchange that have influenced Philippine history and culture, to the relationships between community and commodities. De Guia lives in Baguio City, a key alternative art centre to Manila, situated in the mountainous region of Cordillera in the northern central part of the island of Luzon. Like his mentors who were part of the Baguio Arts Guild, he is deeply embedded in Cordilleran culture and interested in the heritage and indigenous cultures of the region. De Guia is also a curator and author of key projects such as the Axis Art Project presenting the artists of his community.

Nick Deocampo is a filmmaker, film historian, and author. He recently retired as a film professor at the U.P. Film Institute in the University of the Philippines – Diliman. He took up his Master of Arts degree in Cinema Studies at New York University and received his Certificate in Film in Paris, France. His documentaries have been screened and have won awards nationally and internationally. His books have garnered four of the country’s National Book Awards. As a recognized film personality, he has served as jury member in various international film festivals. As a scholar, he has been a recipient of various academic grants and fellowships. Among his publications is Alternative Cinema: The Unchronicled History of Alternative Cinema in the Philippines.

He is presently the chair of the UNESCO Philippines Memory of the World Committee. In 2023, he received the Premio Casa Asia, Spain’s highest cultural award. He is also the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Film Development Council of the Philippines for his achievements in cinema and the Gawad Tsanselor para sa Natatanging Guro from the University of the Philippines for his academic and teaching excellence.

Kath C. Eustaquio-Derla wears many hats but her favorite is being the COO (child of owner, #truestory) of her family’s design-print-publish business HS Grafik Print with over 40 years of industry experience. She is the Head of Publishing of HS Grafik Print. As a second-generation printer, Kath founded and heads PaperKat Books, the self-publishing arm that offers a writing and mentoring program for aspiring book authors.

Kath is named Marketing in Asia’s 70 Rising Personalities On LinkedIn Philippines, Writing Hacks Academy’s Top 35 Filipino Coaches Aspiring Writers And Entrepreneurs Should Follow, and VB Consulting and Connected Women’s 100 Most Influential Filipino Women on LinkedIn. Kath founded and heads Story Factory, a long-term partnership project that allows non-industry writers/authors to pitch their storylines and/or concepts to producers and directors for film and/or TV adaptations. She collaborates with MAVX Productions Inc., Gushcloud Philippines, and J Creative Entertainment, and more.

Hidilyn Diaz is a trailblazing Filipino weightlifter and airwoman who made history by becoming the first Filipino to win an Olympic gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 after her silver finish at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

She also won multiple Golds in the Asian Weightlifting Championships, Asian Games, SEA Games and World Weightlifting Championships

Diaz graduated with a degree in Business Management from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde in July 2023. She also took a short course on Athlete Career Transition Sports Ethics and Integrity at KU Leuven in partnership with the International Olympic Committee Solidarity in Belgium. She is presently a member of the IWF Athletes Commission.

Diaz is a recipient of The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) and The Outstanding Women For Nation Service (TOWNS) awards, recognizing her contributions to sports and nation-building.

Diaz is a strong advocate for grassroots development in weightlifting, aiming to promote the sport in rural areas and provide opportunities for young athletes to excel. She is running her Hidilyn Diaz Weightlifting Academy in JalaJala Rizal and has championed weightlifting to be included in Palarong Pambansa (the Philippines’ largest sport competition).

Through her achievements and advocacies, Hidilyn Diaz continues to inspire a new generation of Filipino athletes and entrepreneurs, leaving a lasting impact on the country’s sports landscape.

Gladys Luz C. Doronila of OMF Literature has been with the organization for over two decades. She joined the company fresh out of university as a marketing staff handling international sales, and rose to the ranks to become product and supply chain director, later chief operating officer, and sales and marketing director. A graduate of BS Statistics from the University of the Philippines, Diliman, she enjoys making sense of numbers and working with words.Gladys plays a key role in the acquisition, production, procurement, and distribution decisions at OMF Literature. She led OMF Lit through seasons of changes in the organization, including structural and supply chain developments and the company’s digital transformation, especially during the pandemic.

Gladys believes in the transformative power of storytelling and prays the next generation will have a lifelong love for reading, starting with her daughter.

Ace C. Enriquez is an ads man by day and a graphic novel illustrator in between. His works include comic books like Bathala: Apocalypsis, Mang Jose Ang Superhero-ng Naniningil, Pouches & Buckles, the Facebook comic strip series Engkanto-4-Hire and Josefina, which won an award in the 41st National Book Awards for Best Tagalog Graphic Novel and now being translated and published in Germany and their latest offering, Lunatics.

Mina V. Esguerra writes and publishes English-language romance and contemporary fiction. Her contemporary romance novellas have won Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards, and have been featured on NPR, Buzzfeed, the Seattle Review of Books, and more. She is an advocate for Filipino authors and readers, and delivers lectures regularly on topics such as writing, publishing, guiding creative communities, and making the romance genre more inclusive. She founded RomanceClass, a community of Filipino authors who write romance in English, and since 2013 has helped over 100 authors write and publish their romance books, now read in 52 countries worldwide. She is also a media adaptation agent, working with LA-based Bold MP to develop romance media by Filipino creatives for an international audience. Visit minavesguerra.com for more information about her books and projects.

Patricia Evangelista is a trauma journalist and former investigative reporter for the Philippine news company Rappler. Her debut book, Some People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in My Country, an account of the Philippine drug war, was hailed as “a journalistic masterpiece” by the New Yorker.

The book, released October 2023 by Random House, was a New York Times Top 10 Best Books of the Year, A New Yorker and The Economist Best Book of the Year, and was Time Magazine’s #1 Nonfiction Book of the Year. It has since won the NYPL Helen Bernstein Book Award and was longlisted for the Moore Prize for Human Rights and the PEN Galbraith Award. She lives in Manila.

Renato Zosimo Evangelista is the first Mangyan lawyer from the Hanunuo-Mangyan Tribe in Mindoro. He obtained his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree at Manuel L. Quezon University and passed the Bar Exam on May 3, 2002. Atty. Evangelista also holds a Master’s of Law (LLM) degree from the University of Essex, United Kingdom as a British Chevening scholar.

He is a practicing lawyer and a legal advocate for indigenous peoples’ rights in the Philippines. He is the Founding and Managing Partner of his law firm based in Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

He was a past President and Member of the Board of Trustees of the Mangyan Heritage Foundation, Inc., which preserves and compiles Mangyan literary works and indigenous knowledge.

SEAWRITE 2010 laureate (Southeast Asia Writer, Philippines) and National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Ani ng Dangal 2011 awardee, Marjorie Evasco has published several books, the latest of which is her omnibus book of poems, It Is Time To Come Home: New & Collected Poems (co-published by DLSU PH & Milflores Publishing, Inc., 2023), and Vital Signs: Philippine Short Stories on Healing, which she co-edited with Dr. Ronnie Baticulon (Milflores Publishing, Inc., 2025). Six of her books have won National Book Awards for poetry, oral history, biography, and art, and two have won the Gintong Aklat (Golden Book) award for poetry in English from the Book Development Association of the Philippines (BDAP). She received the UMPIL (Union of Filipino Writers) Gawad Alagad Balagtas in 2004, the Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan (City of Manila) in 2005, the Outstanding Silliman University alumna for creative writing in 2008, and the 2011 Carlos P. Garcia award for literature from Bohol, her home- island. She is a University Fellow and Professor Emeritus (Literature) of De La Salle University and is currently its Writer-in-Residence. She sits in the teaching panel of the IYAS La Salle National Writers Workshop in the University of St. La Salle, Bacolod City, and in the Silliman University National Writers Workshop in Dumaguete City. She also directs the DLSU National Writers Creative Nonfiction Workshop for Medical Doctors and Healthcare Professionals. She advocates for writing and speaking in Binísayá or Cebuano-Visayan, the Philippine language of the communities she works with in the Visayas and Mindanao.