NCCA honors Abueg with Dangal ng Haraya

In upholding excellence in the arts, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) recognizes La Salle faculty Dr. Efren Abueg as a major contributor to the country’s wealth of literature.

Abueg will be given the distinguished Dangal ng Haraya Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2nd Gawad Alab ng Haraya awarding ceremony on August 9 at the Tambunting Hall, Museum of the Filipino People.

Instituted by the NCCA, the Dangal ng Haraya is a tribute to individuals and organizations that have rendered lasting contributions to Philippine arts and culture. The Commission believes that Abueg’s commitment and contribution to the field of literature is truly exemplary and deserving of this recognition.

An exemplary novelist in Filipino, Abueg served as the director of the Student Publications Office from 1984 to 1987, and fostered Ang Pahayagang Plaridel, the official Filipino student publication of the University, as his brainchild.

Abueg’s acclaimed novels include Dilim sa Umaga, Habagat sa Lupa, and Dugo sa Kayumangging Lupa. A multi-awarded fictionist, Abueg has six Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for short stories. He also received the Philippines Free Press Award for the short story in Filipino, and four Liwayway Literature Prizes for his novels.

His many achievements include the Balagtas Memorial Award, Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas, and Gawad Quezon sa Panitikan. In 1998, he was chosen as a National Fellow for Fiction by LIKHAAN: U.P. Creative Writing Center.

Abueg is presently with the Department of Literature and Philippine Languages, and a resident writer of the University’s Bienvenido N. Santos Creative Writing and Research Center. He also teaches in De La Salle University-Dasmariñas.

By his example, NCCA hopes that this will encourage initiative and excellence in other artists, cultural workers, and institutions. The Commission continues to seek exemplary models that will help develop and promote the national culture and arts, as well as preserve the Filipino cultural heritage.