I think I was the only one in the entire batch excited to hold that textbook. In fourth year high school, we had this thick textbook for Filipino class, which our class didn’t even bother to learn. I remembered excelling in it and surprising my teachers, who always asked why I’m able to write well in Filipino. There was, however, the essay writing in Filipino. In between, I couldn’t recall reading any other stories because most of the time, it was always Math and Science. In high school, Filipino subjects were mostly about the required readings– Ibong Adarna, Rizal’s Noli and Fili. I was “indoctrinated” at a Protestant Chinese school, where the Filipino subject is least prioritized. My first encounter with Abueg was life-changing. His works touched on the very essence of what makes us Filipino, and for that, he has inspired a generation of writers, including me, to take up fiction writing. His works, spanning from the seminal short story “ Kamatayan ni Tiyo Samuel” (Palanca First Prize for Short Story in Filipino in 1967) to the novel Huwag Mong Sakyan ang Buhawi (Nominated for a National Book Award in 2015), have a “personal” feel, as if he is writing about your neighbor, your teacher, or the couple across your street. Abueg, foremost fictionist in Filipino, without getting personal.
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