Abad is a key figure in UP; here he was able to serve as the Secretary of the University, Secretary of the Board of Regents, Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Director of the U.P. Institute of Creative Writing. Some of Abad's most notable works include Fugitive Emphasis (poems, 1973), In Another Light (poems and critical essays, 1976), The Space Between (poems and critical essays, 1985), and Poems and Parables (1988).

As a poet, Abad was able to bag noteworthy awards such as the Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas from Unyon ng mga Manunulat ng Pilipinas (UMPIL), UP Gawad Chancellor Best Literary Work, three Palanca awards for poetry (1976, 1980, and 1983 respectively). 

Filipino poet, playwright, and cultural icon, Virginia R. Moreno is born in Tondo, Manila where she discovered her passion for literature. Moreno has earned a Philosophy degree in UP Diliman and even led a pool of Philippine Collegian writers as a literary editor. 

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Moreno is a well-respected figure in Filipino literature; she was able to mentor generations of visual artists, academic scholars, writers, and even filmmakers. Her first poetry collection titled Batik Maker and Other Poems was awarded Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Poetry (First Prize) in 1972.

In 1984, Moreno bagged the Southeast Asia (SEA) Write award which recognised her literary excellence and cultural leadership in the ASEAN region. The succeeding years were also fruitful for the writer; in 1991, she was conferred the prestigious Chroslais dans l’Ordre des Palmes Academiques by the French Government.

Poet and screenplay writer Jose "Pepe" F Lacaba had his fair share of drastic life experiences during the height of his journalistic career.

Lacaba has bravely written critiques against the Marcos administration; because of this, he was detained from 1974 to 1976 without any charges.

In an article from The Daily Tribune, Lacaba shared that at the dawn of April 25, 1974, on the second year of martial law, he was awakened by state forces who banged on his door and yelled, "Open up! We're the authorities!"

Lacaba further explained that as soon as he opened the door, armed men shoved the barrel of a rifle into his stomach. "Somebody spun me around and forced me to lie face down on the floor. In that position, I was stepped on, kicked in the ribs, hit in the back and on the back of the head with rifle butts."

Read more: Ninoy Aquino Day: Remembering The Icon As A Catalyst For Democracy

Inside his prison cell, Lacaba's life was threatened by soldiers who pummelled his chest and stomach with their fists. In another circumstance, Lacaba was forced to lie on the back of his neck with both of his feet lying on a steel cot. This torture was dubbed "San Juanico Bridge." 

The torture only stopped when Lacaba pleaded that the guards finish him off. “I was forced to “lie down in air” twice. The third time, I simply refused to get up. I stayed crumpled on the floor and said, "You may as well just kill me. Go ahead and kill me."

Lacaba was only released when his close friend and colleague from the Philippine Free Press Nick Joaquin, made it a condition before agreeing to be conferred National Artist for Literature in 1976.

In his lifetime, Lacaba has received multiple awards such as the Adapted Screenplay of the Year for Rizal sa Dapitan (1997), 1998 Metro Manila Film Festival; Star Awards for Movies; Gawad Urian; and Cinemanila Lifetime Achievement Award (2008).

Merlinda Bobis is a Filipino-Australian poet born in Legazpi City, Albay. She has received her bachelor's degree at Aquinas University and her post-graduate degrees at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) and the University of Wollongong, Australia respectively. 

Bobis' works mainly focus on various genres in Filipino and English. She is known for writing about the traditional Filipino culture and her immigrant experiences in Australia. 

Her famous poems include Rituals: Selected poems, 1985-1990; Summer was a Fast Train without Terminals (Melbourne: Spinifex, 1998); and Usaping Ina at Anak. For her prowess in writing, she bagged the Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas (National Balagtas Award: a lifetime award for author's poetry and prose in English, Pilipino, Bikol) from the Unyon ng Manunulat ng Pilipinas (Union of Philippine Writers); Australian Literature Society Gold Medal for Banana Heart Summer (2006); Philippine National Book Award for Fiction (Joint winner) from the Manila Critics' Circle for White Turtle (2000), and Carlos Palanca Memorial Award in Literature (Philippine national award).

Related: World Book Day 2021: 7 Of The Most Intriguing Filipino Fiction Books

Poet Luis Francia was born in Manila; he was able to get his AB Humanities degree from the Ateneo de Manila University where he graduated cum laude. 

In the 1970s, Francia moved to New York where he met and studied with National Artist of the Philippine Literature José García Villa.

Francia's poetry books include The Arctic Archipelago and other poems, The Beauty of Ghosts, Museum of Absences, and Tattered Boat. In 1978, the writer won his first Palanca award for 15 Poems. The writer has also written for various publishing agencies like The Nation, Newsday, San Francisco Chronicle, and The New York Times.

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