‘I thought I'd missed the chance… but then I shouted for joy… if I could sell this feeling, I could pay for a library for my village,’ – Air Woman First Class Saga-oc

Tabuk City, Kalinga – An iKalinga uniformed writer has been making headlines for winning prestigious awards by writing stories inspired by her hometown. Most recently, she clinched First Prize in the 75th Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature on November 26, 2025, in Makati City.

According to national media, this year’s Palanca Awards received a total of 2,359 entries across various categories and genres. Out of these, 54 winners were honored for 58 winning works, including Air Woman First Class Joan Saga-oc, who hails from Upper Uma, Lubuagan, Kalinga.

Saga-oc shared in an interview that receiving the award felt almost impossible until the email arrived. She recalled that even her first recognition, the Severino Reyes Honor Award for Author and Publisher, came as an unexpected surprise.

The Palanca win, she said, filled her with overwhelming pride, so much so that she joked that if she could sell the feeling, she could build a library for her village.

“…to win the Palanca First Prize Award was incredible because I honestly thought I'd missed the chance, so I was resigned to giving up when the email arrived… I wept a bit, shouted for joy, yelled into my pillow, and rolled around on my bed in the barracks. If I could sell this feeling, I could pay for a library for my village,” she said.

The armor that stood out

When asked about any mishaps on her way to the awarding ceremony, Saga-oc mentioned being too shy to ask her literary idols for a selfie and an outfit mix-up. With no time for adjustments, she resorted to wearing her trusted Kalinga jacket (her “armor”), which she said ended up standing out even more than her original outfit.

“I asked my cousin to design a Kalinga outfit for the Palanca ceremony. I self-measured and sent the details to her, but when it was sent to me, both top and bottom were very loose. My fault! I’d forwarded inaccurate measurements. I had no other choice but to wear my Kalinga jacket again, which I often describe as my armor. But I guess it stood out that night,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, established in 1950 in honor of Carlos Palanca Sr., aims to develop Philippine literature by encouraging writers to produce their most outstanding literary works.