If their lives were books, they would be bestsellers

There are particular times or places for reading specific books,” said Patrick Campos, second-prize winner of STAR, National Book Store and Globe Telecom’s “If My Life Were a Book 2007” essay writing contest, during the awards ceremony last month.

“Criticism in the library. Canons in the office. Memoirs in quiet places. Poetry in the toilet, where you can concentrate. Science on long jeep rides. Drama on holidays. Philosophy or theology in the evenings. Wisdom in the morning. History on weekends,” Patrick continued. “But no matter the preferences and the reading practices, I’m sure many of us here won’t last long without books. The reward is in the reading, and only a few things could feel as good as reading the last word in a singularly beautiful and profound book.”

He’s absolutely right. We won’t last long without books and we always feel guilty when we let weeks pass without starting on a new one. For the past seven years we have been celebrating our love of books with our contest winners. Like previous batches, last year’s crop is from all professions, walks of life and all over the country. There are professional writers and hobby writers, award winners and first-time-to-be-published. Eight winners were selected from 52 whose essays appeared in the Sunday Lifestyle pages in 2007.

This is one event that nobody likes to miss (unfortunately, Lifestyle sub-editor Kathy Moran missed it, as she was on assignment in Scandinavia at the time).   We love the opportunity to meet the winners and hear stories from Nanay Socorro Ramos, founder and general manager of NBS and, according to National Artist Nick Joaquin, the country’s “super tindera.” In our first few years, it became almost a ritual that after the awarding, Nanay would give us Lifestyle staffers a new edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, but what I actually wanted to read was The Idiot’s Guide to Public Speaking.

And like the super tindera that she is, Nanay knows her merchandise; she can tell you the titles on the current bestseller list and which ones are on the way there. With all her success, is it any wonder that her favorite book is How to Win Friends & Influence People? This year, it was books on houses that she recommended to STAR president and CEO Miguel Belmonte.

For the first time, too, the awards featured live music. Carmen Echeverria & the RSVP String Ensemble performed with Miguel’s daughter Regina Belmonte, who did covers of pop tunes by Cyndi Lauper and Rihanna just before she had to go to school. The eldest among the Belmonte grandkids, Reggie is a YoungStar columnist and an Ateneo student. According to Lifestyle editor Millet Mananquil, the late STAR founder Betty Go-Belmonte once told her that Reggie, who was then just in her tweens, had the people skills and the  makings of a future STAR president — just like her dad Miguel.

STAR editor in chief Isaac Belmonte talked about his children’s love of particular titles over their movie versions while Cecilia “Bak” Licauco wondered out loud how time seems to have flown quickly since the contest began. It seemed not so long ago when she and Millet sat down to discuss ways to encourage people to read more. It didn’t matter what kind of books they chose to read and write about, so long as they would pick one up and appreciate the written word once again.

In our first year, a regional trial court judge won first place with her essay on the book that turned her from an awkward, miserable teenager into a happy, confident one who actually began to enjoy growing up. That book was Roget’s Thesaurus.

Last year, we changed the theme of the contest from “My Favorite Book” to “If My Life Were a Book” and asked readers to write about a book that best mirrored their lives — or to write about their lives as though they were writing a book.

This year’s grand-prize winner Rodolfo Acebes wrote about finding meaning in life after becoming a paraplegic. A radio host (he does his program from his spring bed at home), Rodolfo was brought to Manila from Mindoro courtesy of National Book Store to attend the awards ceremony at NBS in Rockwell Power Plant. He won P50,000 (P25,000 in cash and P25,000 in NBS certificates) and a Globe Handyphone.

UP Film Institute faculty member and independent filmmaker Patrick Campos won second prize for his essay on Greg Brillantes’ brilliant short story “The Apollo Centennial.” He received P30,000 and a Globe Handyphone. Third-place winner Theresa Millalos, a political science professor at UP Baguio, wrote about her harrowing experience in Aceh, Indonesia in her winning essay. She won P20,000 and a Globe Handyphone.

Five honorable-mention winners were selected, each winning P10,000 (P5,000 cash from STAR and P5,000 gift certificates from NBS) and a Globe Handyphone. Winner Sid Gomez Hildawa passed away just last week. He was a poet, visual artist and an architect. Sid was known to every reporter who has covered the art beat as he headed the CCP’s visual, literary and media arts department, and had also won before in our contest. After he was given his prize, Sid talked about writing his essay not so much to win again but to share his story — an epiphany of sorts during his childhood years.

Also on the honorable-mention list were Mariano Carpio, a previous first-prize winner, who wrote about his odd-ventures and growing up with an oddly shaped head and how these all related to Brillantes’ “The Apollo Centennial” (yes, it’s quite a classic short story); Cora Lim Acosta, a mother of three and a Walt Whitman fan; Sara Lumba Tajonera, an English teacher and mother; and five-time Palanca winner and freelance writer Clarissa Estuar.

The awards were held at NBS in Rockwell Power Plant over lunch lovingly organized by Gift Gate president Virgie Ramos and catered by Gaita Fores of Cibo.

Tita Virgie, as usual, organized the book awards with such care and attention to detail, and the food was of course superb the way Gaita always does it — Pepato steamed fish in parchment boxes, pasta flambéed in a parmesan wheel and melt-in-your-mouth desserts.  

This year’s panel of judges was composed of Isaac Belmonte, NBS VP for purchasing Cecilia Licauco, Lifestyle editor Millet Mananquil, Globe’s head of PR Jones Campos and corporate communication  head Menchie Osial, Lifestyle’s Ching Alano, Scott Garceau and myself, STAR desk editor Juaniyo Arcellana, Buensalido & Associates president Joy Buensalido, and columnists Butch Dalisay and Krip Yuson.

We never tire of hearing the very brief and insightful speeches of Palanca Hall of Famers Krip and Butch. In the early years, Butch would congratulate the winners in his speech by saying something like, “Reading a book is an art; writing about reading a book is another art form altogether.”

He didn’t say it this year, but we know and believe it by heart. Please say it again, Butch, because in these times of mindless noontime shows, we need to be inspired and hear you say that reading, writing and doing both well still matter.