Abdon Balde, Jr.: An engineer turned literary man

By Renato Perdon
Sydney-Australia
Thu 9th September 2010





A consistent award winning Filipino literary writer from Bicol, he is one of the most respected literary figures today in the Philippines, in the company of National Artist Virgilio Almario, aka Rio Alma, 2008 MAN Asia Prize winner Miguel Syjuco, prominent and award-winning writer Alfred A. Yuson, and other talented Filipino writers. His colleagues in Philippine literary field, considered him as a late-bloomer. Almario, in particular, hails him as a new discovery in Philippine literature while another multi-awarded poet Rebecca Aonuevo admires his unique works for their artful imagination and simplicity.

This Bicolano writer is even recognised overseas in the company of such literary stalwarts like Edwin Thumboo, Wena Poon, John Boyne, Mark Waid, Joyce Gan, Miguel Angel Mendo, Partrick Forsyth, Anwar Ridhawan, and Mark Ravinder. Recently, he participated in the Singapore Writers Festival dwelling on various subjects such as writing novels, stories and songs; global perspective on literature, investigating culture and crime in fiction; the business of books and publishing, discovering new writers and finding new readers; crafting anthologies; comics entrepreneurship; creative writing experiences; graphic novels and fantasy; and many other aspects of writing, publishing and selling literary works. He, however, made a significant contribution to the festivals Professional Literary symposium billed as Read ASEAN: A comparison of consumer book-buying habits and trends within the ASEAN. The festival was attended by representatives from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

He was born Abdon Jun Balde, Jr. in 1946, in barrio Busac, Oas, Albay, in southern Luzon, to a poor family. His father is a rice farmer who worked hard so that he would get a better education. He is an engineer by training, to follow his father decision on what he should pursue in college. Even at young age, his inclination to writing was already evident, but his father did not believe that a life could be raised out of writing stories. Like many Bicol parents, his parents were not inclined to consider writing as a way to support a family. He was then in high school, at the age of 14 when he wrote The Legend of a Rose which was dramatised in the local radio station, DZGB Legazpi City.

After completing his engineering studies, he worked as civil engineer and for the next 33 years of his professional career as a construction engineer, he handled various engineering projects building roads and highways, airports and runways, bridge and irrigation projects, both in the Philippines and overseas. One such important project was when he was assigned to supervise the construction of the Tribhuyan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal. One benefit he enjoyed in this non-literary work experience was the ability to make a keen observation and record in his memory the things that were happening around him. His engineering expertise and experience contributed to his moving up the ladder, from a field engineer position to a construction manager, marketing manager, and finally he rose to the position of a vice president of Philrock Inc. of the Yuchengco Group of companies, one of the largest civil works contractors in the Philippines.



He was successful in his engineering career, although not much of his liking, but because of his respects of his parents wishes. However, he was aware of his first love writing was always in his mind. In fact, his first short story, Milagro sa Aming Nayon was published in Liwayway magazine way back in 1961, when he was only 16 years old. Then a year after, it was followed by Kuwento ng Isang Pag-ibig, now part of college textbooks. While nurturing his literary muse, he was a keen observer of the world, particularly in the Philippines. The rampant corruption in private and public works forced him to abandon a lucrative profession. He decided to quit his engineering profession in 1999 to start a new life and pursue his love of writing, a shift in career, so to speak.

His first book, Mga Pangarap at Pangitain, a collection of 14 short stories written over four decades, was published in 2001. The book recently received recognition from critics and fellow writers. The public reception to his early literary ventures was positive and this made him vow to write and publish a book every year. His tales, more often than not, are set in the Bicol region and distinguished for their celebratory Bicol sensibility. The social observations that he had in his mind during the past years of his non-literary life were put between covers and is very evident in his second novel, Sa Kagubatan ng Isang Lungsod (In the Forest of A City) which became the only nominated finalist in Filipino fiction in the September 2002 National Book Award. One reviewer compared the book to unraveling events that happened in over the period of 20 years. It dwells on an ancient tragedy in a modern setting of ill-fated lives, doomed love and corruption in the government, a record of his observation in the past looking at the lives and people around him in the urban areas.

In 2003, his Hunyango sa Bato was published. It tells of the corruption in the construction industry and irregularities in public works projects. Explaining about the book, Balde said in one of the interviews: Many readers are wondering why I had to write about this kind of theme that has been happening since time immemorial, but based on experience, its complexity and perplexities give one a new perspective, especially (about) whats going on in our country today from jueteng payoffs to other scandals. In fact, contemporary situation such as rampant corruption in the government and the declining interest of the youth in their own culture and literature have inspired him to put on paper what he has been observing.

In 2005, his Calvary Road, a collection of stories in the surreal and absurd genre was published and took the National Book Awards and the 2005 J. C. Laya Prize for Best Book Fiction. Then, this was followed by his monumental novel Awit ni Kadunung, about ancient heroes and the expeditions of Juan de Salcedo in Bicol Region which became the 2008 National Book Award Finalis.

As of this writing, Balde has produced four novels, three short story collections and a book of essays on aging and titled 60ZENs: Tips on Senior Citizenship, his ninth book, which was launched by Anvil Publishing Inc late last year. Another novel Sa Lupain ng Ibalong, the Bicol epic in novel form, is scheduled late this year to be published by the UST Publishing House.

Balde is known to inject humour in his work. To attract and make his target audience at ease in receiving his latest book on senior citizens, he made this invitation for its launching with a full sense of humour: Please be sure to come. You will be in good company. We have sent invitations to homes for the aged, associations of senior citizens, caregivers clubs, Philippine Veterans Association, Philippine Undertakers Association, and select memorial homes and memorial parks. Due to the type of crowd we expect, appropriate amenities shall be provided, such as racks for wigs, glasses for false teeth, adult diapers, hearing aids, magnifying glasses, etc. Wheel chairs, stretchers and canes are available at very affordable rental rates. An ambulance will be on standby. In case of furtuitous events, a cortege is on call. The launch area will be lighted with candles. The air will be scented with frankincense. And music will be provided by monks singing Gregorian chants. The program will start with a novena for our dearly departed and for those who are already on the pre-departure stages. Food will comprise chiefly of porridge, boiled oatmeal and mashed potato. Gerber for adults will be on sale. Please notify us in advance if you have food preference, say if you are a vegetarian, humanitarian or a cannibal. Discount coupons for memorial plans will be raffled off.

Balde is passionate about his work writing novels, short stories, and essays. As a prolific writer, he authored a sucession of books on Philippine literature, three of his works, Mayong, Hunyango sa Bato, and Calvary Road won for him the National Book Awards. Mayong was cited for its engrossing narrative set in the Bikol Regionset in mellifluous Tagalog or Filipinoone that merges deathless legend and fantastic lore with the romance of present-day realities, in the process weaving a well-told tale of the crossover between the natural and the supernatural.

Early in 2010, his 8thbook titled Sibago was launched at the Tomas Aquinas Research Complex Auditorium, Manila. The novel tells the travel of Kumar Amar, a Gurkha from the Himalayas, to Donsol, Sorsogon in Bicol. His goal was to rescue a fair maiden named Sita who was abducted and hidden by many-faced demons in the forest of Sibago. Travelling on the wings of Garuda (Airlines) and aided by Jannu (Hanuman?), Kumar had to reach Bicol, cross the sea of the whale sharks (butanding), enter the river of Linao, sanctuary of the fireflies (aniniput) in order to rescue Sita in a thrilling retelling the story akin to the centuries old Hindi epic, Ramayana.

Other recognitions bestowed on him include the Palanca Awards for Literature in 2003 which made him the oldest first-time recipients of that prestigious award, being already 57 years of age when he received the award. In the same year, he was recognised also with the Rokyaw Ibalong Award for Literary Arts, then the following year, he won the 2004 Juan C. Laya Award for Best Novel and, again, for the same award the following year for Best Book of Fiction. In 2007, he was given the Premio Arejola Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature and in 2008, the Omaw sa Oragon Award which was given him during a tribute in his honour by the Aquinas University in Legazpi City. In 2009, he received the Bikolinismo Regional Artist Award plaque. He was cited for his contribution in building a Bicolano and Filipino sense of nationhood and who have pioneered in a mode of creative expression or style, thus earning distinction and making an impact on succeeding generations of artists.

On the same year, he became the recipient of the Southeast Asian Writer award which was granted him by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn and his Royal Consort HRH Princess Srirasm of Thailand at a solemn ceremonies held in Bangkok. The awarding ceremonies were held on the occasion of the SEA Writers 31stawards presentation held in the Royal Ballroom of Bangkoks Mandarin Oriental, where Balde received his award together with seven other ASEAN writers. The prestigious award comes with a handsome cash prize and he was nominated by UMPIL or the Writers Union of the Philippines. Among other nominees were poets Vim Nadera, Marne Kilates, Cesar Ruiz Aquino (also a fictionist) and Teo Antonio.

This year, the Philippine government gave him additional recognition by granting him the Ani ng Dangal award at a ceremonies held in Malacaang Palace. This succession of awards granted him made his contemporary literary friend, Alfredo A. Yuson said of him: When it rains, it pours, hes likely to be saying to himself. Yuson also said that for Balde, it has been a positively propitious pail-full/brimful of news that seems to confirm the signification that, like unwelcome glitches, good luck comes in threes.

1970 to 1999, he wrote in English, but encouragement from his literary friends convinced him to write in Filipino. After receiving numerous awards and recognitions, he is now inspired to write in his native tongue, the Bicol-Oasnon dialect. Although lives in Manila with his family, he regularly return to his roots and visit historical places and renew acquaintances with old friends. While most of his works are in Filipino, Balde writes in three dialects of Bicol language, adding to his literary outputs are poems of contemporary period. His rawit-dawit (Bicol poems) and tigsik (satirical lines) came out recently and published in the Bicol region. Writing in his native dialect, he is of the opinion that he can only best express what is in his mind or in his heart if he writes in his own native language, a very rare quality of a writer, indeed. His works is appreciated by many because he could reach his readers. His using the Bicol dialect as a medium of literary expression is his contribution to the promotion of Bicol literature. To encourage people to learn more about their Bicol roots, Balde is currently using Bicol-Oasnon dialect to convey stories from his region.

Our successful Bicolano literary man is currently vice-chair of UMPIL as well as the National Committee on Language and Translation, a board member of the Filipinas Copyright Licensing Society and Wika ng kultura at Agham, a member of the Kabulig Bicol Writers Group, and a consultant for the National Book Stores.