JC Pacala: The Unforeseen Revelation
December 3, 2015 11:20PM
JOHN CARLO "JC" Pacala is not your typical student busying himself with medical jargons and pointy needles at his part-time job at the Faculty of Pharmacy—he is also a man who can captivate you with his words.
JC, a 22-year old Political Science graduate of the University of Santo Tomas, is one of those 27 fortunate awardees at the 65th Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards – Filipino Division. His first attempt in submitting a work in the Palanca awards was unsuccessful. He was not the type of person to give up easily at achieving his dream and tried again after he trained to improve his craft. He eventually won the award. His winning short story was titled “Ang Reynang Espada at mga Pusa.” The story is about the life of Jose T. Clutario III, a homosexual inmate who refuses to accept his executive clemency because he ironically feels freer behind the bars rather than outside, where he feels imprisoned in the beliefs of the people around him. “Nag back to basics lang ako sa plot niya at nagfocus ako sa emotions ng kwento,” he explained. (I just went back to the basics with its plot, and I focused more on the emotions of the story.) Although the short story is purely fictional, he incorporated some of his personal experiences and fears not only to make the story realistic, but also to show his own identity as a writer. “’Yun yung gusto ko mangyari sa akin sa pag-gawa ko ng storya na ito—ang tumanda ako na may kasama.” (What happened in the story is exactly how I want my life to turn out—to grow old with somebody.) Late realizations JC’s rise to the literary scene started when he was in third year college. He was invited by a colleague to join the annual Varsitarian fiction writing seminar. At first, he joked that the buffet was precisely the only thing that enticed him to submit his work, but his words won as he got accepted in the seminar. He was praised by the speaker, telling him he had a talent for writing. He was not fully new to writing; when he was in high school, he was part of a school publication and wrote news articles that tackle issues relating to his school. He was also into theatre and drawing, which exposed him to the creative arts that paved the way for his increased interest in the literary genre. The praise he got from the seminar drove him to continue writing fiction stories and eventually submit his works in the Palanca awards. The Palanca awardees’ parents were very supportive of his decision to somewhat embrace the art of writing. He jokingly said that when he was in college, his mother would hastily comment on the works he submitted in contests even though he did not tell her about his plans. Currently, JC is working as a call center agent, but plans to pursue writing as his full-time job. He said that he had already created many short stories and plans on publishing them when the time is right. Challenges contemporary writers face JC pointed out that many writers are not recognized because they tend to be more experimental in their works. “In a sense, feeling ko buhay naman ang pagbabasa at pagsusulat [sa Pilipinas], recognition lang talaga ang kailangan,” he added. (In a sense, I think that reading and writing are both very much alive in the Philippines, it is just that they lack recognition.) He also gave a reaction on the rise of Wattpad, an online writing community, saying that the site can train young writers in order for them to improve their craft even though some of the stories submitted in the site are centered on teen romance. “Siguro konti pa lang ‘yung experience ng ibang writers dun (Wattpad) kaya hindi mapasok sa gusto ng mga professional critics, but overtime gagaling at gagaling sila,” JC said. (I think some writers in Wattpad only have little experience that is why their works are not up to the standards of professional critics, but overtime they will improve.) The late bloomer’s advice “Magsulat ka,” he exclaimed. (Write!) JC stressed that if a person wants to be in the ranks of great writers, a good start would be to read and write. “Kahit ga’no ka-ganda idea mo, kung hindi mo alam kung pano i-execute at i-kwento, malabo ‘yun,” he explained. (No matter how beautiful your idea is, if you don’t know how to execute nor narrate it, that would be difficult.) He said that revising your story numerous times can lead you to see errors that you have missed. “Patagalin mo ng tatlong araw yung una mong gawa at makikita mong may mai-improve ka pa,” JC suggested. (Leave your story for about three days and you will realize there is still much to improve.) JC Pacala made his parting shot not with some expert advice or well-crafted quote, but with some personal stories about his life in the university. He may have won a prestigious award, but despite all of the success he remains to be humble. After all, that’s what truly matters. P--Julian A. Elona |
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The views and opinions of the students do not reflect the views of the University of Santo Tomas. All content are by the staffers unless otherwise stated. |
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