Playwright Bienvenido M. Noriega, Jr. won First prize for his full length play- “Bayan Mo” at the Palanca Awards in1986.
No doubt, he was one of the most prolific writers during his short life. He had 22 major literary awards – 6 from CCP, 13 from Palanca, 1 from PETA, 1 from Palihang Aurelio Tolentino and 1 from ECP. He also had 4 major book awards. He wrote 4 other staged plays, 2 musicales, 2 song lyrics for Basil Valdez. He even wrote 2 film screenplays and wrote likewise for television - “Dalawang Kuwento” for Ang Makulay na Daigdig ni Nora. He had two National Literary Recognitions: Centennial Honors for the Arts (in Theater) and Tanglaw ng Lahi Award.
In conferring the Tanglaw ng Lahi award to Noriega, Ateneo De Manila stated that “The significance of Noriega’s achievement in Theater and Film will be impoverished unless it is put in place with his career in banking and government service. Here one does not find the simple case of competition between work and avocation or between two careers or even loves. Noriega was expert in his two occupations – as writer and technocrat and he managed to put them together in his person.”
“Noriega has put form to the Filipino’s search for a sense of place in these works. His characters often find themselves out of place--literally and in every aspect.
By presenting characters who are out of place and at the same time, refusing an easy way out for their dilemma, Noriega ennobles the plight and struggle of the Filipino. He takes an insider’s point of view to depict outsiders’ lives, and thus is able to confront, even satirize, every facet of Filipino life without despair nor disdain.”
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