Two book entries published by the USC Publishing House won in the 41st National Book Awards organized by the National Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Manila Critics’ Circle on December 9, 2023.
USC Publishing House Manager Dr. Julius P. Relampagos nominated two book entries – The Chinese Mestizos of Cebu City 1750-1900 and Sinug-Ang: A Cebuano Trio when the nomination process opened in March 2023.
The NBDB officially announced the winners through its Facebook page and both USC-nominated books won.
Michael Cullinane’s The Chinese Mestizos of Cebu City 1750-1900 is USC’s first digital book and it won the John C. Kaw Prize for Best Book on History.
It brings to light the untold story of an important part of Spanish colonial Cebu’s social and economic life—the Chinese Mestizo. NBDB recognizes the book as an important addition to Philippine studies where local history contributes to the knowledge of our country’s past that gave rise to our national identity.
Meanwhile, Sinug-ang: A Cebuano Trio by Erlinda Alburo, Ester Tapia, and Corazon Almerino won the Best Anthology in Binisaya.
According to the NBDB, the book displays different experiences showcasing the great breadth of the authors’ lives as they trace the intersections of language, power, and class. Reflecting the complexity and diversity of contemporary Cebuano poetry by women, the poems presented are explosive and sensuous, meditative and inventive, sometimes ironic and tender.
The prestigious National Book Awards is an annual prize awarded by the National Book Development Board and the Manila Critics’ Circle that honors the most outstanding book titles written, designed, and published in the Philippines.
During the judging process at the 41st National Book Awards, a total of 35 titles, including two from the USC Publishing House, emerged as winners out of 235 nominations across 34 categories consisting of seven languages: Filipino, English, Bikol, Binisaya, Hiligaynon, Tausug, and Waray.
With reporting from the USC Publishing House