Lit

• Cebuano literature refers to literary works written in Cebuano, a language widely spoken in the southern Philippines, extending to cover oral literary forms in both indigenous and colonial Philippines
• Majority of Cebuano writers are from the Visayas and Mindanao region, with recognized outlets like the Bisaya Magasin based in Makati City, and a lively Cebuano community of writers outside the country
• Cebuano literature includes poetic forms like "balak" (with "balaybay" or metaphor), "tigmo" (riddles), "panultihon" (proverbs), and "garay" verses
• "Balitaw," a poetic debate requiring participants to improvise and even sing their lines, and "kulilising hari," a lighthearted courtship play, were popular forms of improvised poetry in Cebuano literature
• Cebuanos have a rich oral tradition with legends like "Maria Cacao" and folktales like "Haring Gangis ug Haring Leon," carrying lessons and values of humor and resourcefulness
• Written literature in Cebuano became noteworthy in the late 19th century, with Tomas de San Geronimo's "Soneto sa Pagdayeg can Santa Maria Gihapon Virgen" (1751) being one of the first religious compositions
• Postwar Cebuano literature was downgraded to third class despite Cebuano still being the language of home and street, with drama being the weakest genre
• Temistokles M. Adlawan, a contemporary Cebuano poet, is known for his irreverent humor and sensitivity to gender issues, with notable works like "One Day On the Road"
• Adlawan's "One Day On the Road" explores the conflict between the old and the new by depicting the life of tricycle drivers in Cebu, reflecting the changing landscape of locality
• Ernesto Lariosa, known as the Vanguard of Cebuano Literature, was recognized for his excellence in Cebuano writing and received the 2003 Gawad Pambansang Alagad in Balagtas for poetry and story
• Lariosa, born on December 11, 1944 in Tabionan, San Fernando, Cebu, was awarded the title of Vanguard of Cebuano Literature by the Cebu City Council for winning the Palanca Award three times
• Lariosa's work "Exchange" (Bugti) won the first prize in the prestigious Carlos Palanca Awards and is a complex blend of visions of rural happiness and the reality of the Cebuano industrialization experience
• Hope Sabanpan-Yu, the current director of the Cebuano Studies Center, holds a doctorate degree in Comparative Literature from the University of the Philippines (Diliman) and has published scholarly works on Cebuano literature
• Sabanpan-Yu has authored four collections of poetry and scholarly publications focusing on maternal representations in Cebuano fiction and the Philippine migrant woman in literature
• Sabanpan-Yu has been a SEASREP grant awardee at the Universitas Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta and has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in literature, creative nonfiction, theory, and criticism
• Hope Sabanpan-Yu's scholarly publications include works on bridging cultures in literature and institutionalizing motherhood in Cebuano literature
• Ernesto Lariosa received several awards, including the 2004 National Fellow, UP Diliman “Likhaan” for Regional Literature, and the 1991 Cultural Center of the Philippines Literary Grant in Cebuano Poetry
• Lariosa was also awarded the Palanca Award for Cebuano Short Story, which he won thrice, and was recognized as the Writer of the Year of Bathalad twice (in 1993 and 2005)
• Lariosa was a Hall of Famer in Cebuano Poetry by Bathalad in 2006 and received the 1980 Gintong Butil Award for Best Publication Editor by National Food Authority
• In 2013, Lariosa was awarded the Best Column Writer by the Cebu Archdiocesan Mass Media Award
• Ernesto Lariosa's other works include "Crackshots and other stories," "Kaliring: Pinungpong mga balak ug sugilanon," "The History of San Fernando," "The History of Carmen," and "Bangaw sa Alimungaw"
• Ernesto Lariosa was born on December 11, 1944 in Tabionan, San Fernando, Cebu, and grew up in Panadtaran, San Fernando