Activist, novelist Lualhati Bautista, 77

MANILA, Philippines — Novelist and activist Lualhati Bautista, known for her Palanca Award-winning novels such as “Dekada ’70,” “‘Gap?,” and “Bata, Bata…Pa’no Ka Ginawa,” died yesterday morning. She was 77.

Her relatives and fellow artists in the writing community posted their tributes on social media, as they recalled her contribution to Philippine literature and the fight for women’s rights.

“My sister Lualhati Bautista passed away this morning. We will appreciate your prayers for the repose of her soul. We now have three deaths in the family in the month of February – my father, my brother and now Lualhati, a well-known writer, novelist and women’s rights advocate,” Lualhati’s sister Marilag said on Facebook.

On Facebook, Rosario Samonte called her cousin a “feminist, known for her advocacy on women’s rights.”

“I, together with my siblings, are deeply saddened by her passing. Rest in paradise Lualhati, or Ne as we used to call her,” she said.

Bautista wrote about strong female characters who questioned male authority and patriarchal values in society. Her novels were often required reading in high school and college.

She also criticized in her works the atrocities committed during the martial law regime of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

According to the Ateneo Library of Women’s Writings, Lualhati was known “for her honest realism, her courageous exploration of women’s issues, and her compelling female protagonists, who confront difficult situations at home and in the workplace with uncommon grit and strength.”

She won the Palanca award for best novel in 1980 for “Gapo,” in 1983 for “Dekada ’70” and in 1984 for “Bata, Bata…Pa’no Ka Ginawa?” She also won the Palanca for her short stories “Tatlong Kuwento ng Buhay ni Julian Candelabra” in 1982 and “Buwan, Buwan, Hulugan Mo Ako ng Sundang” in 1983.

Amanda, a mother who was awakened to social realities during the Marcos regime in the novel “Dekada ’70,” and Lea in “Bata, Bata…Pa’no Ka Ginawa,” were portrayed by Vilma Santos in the films directed by Chito Roño.

Bautista’s works “Dekada ’70” and “Desaparesidos” were staged at Areté in the Ateneo de Manila University.

She also wrote award-winning screenplays, such as “Bulaklak sa City Jail” (starring Nora Aunor as detainee Angela in the film directed by Maria O’ Hara in 1984); and “Kadenang Bulaklak” (directed as a film by Joel Lamangan in 1994).

Lines from her works have been printed by local shirt brand Linya-Linya, such as this famous “Dekada 70” quote: “Ang payapang pampang ay para lang sa mga pangahas na sasalunga sa alimpuyo ng mga alon sa panahon ng unos (Tranquil shores are only for those who boldly oppose raging waves during storms).”

An experimental novel/memoir titled “In Sisterhood: Lea at Lualhati,” according to post by Silliman University’s buglas.writers, “also served as Bautista’s manifesto on writing and the meaning of being a woman in contemporary times.” She also had a nonfiction book, “Hinugot sa Tadyang.”

Her recent works are a collection of poems titled “Alitaptap sa Gabing Madilim” and the novels “Sonata” and “Sixty in the City.”

Journalist Howie Severino, in an Instagram post, described “Dekada ’70” as “the bravely honest novel I read in my early 20s that changed the way I thought about literature, because it spoke to me and what many in my generation were going through.”

“We have just lost one of our best and strongest voices in literature,” wrote poet Grace Monte de Ramos. “She was a staunch feminist and fearless activist, calling out oppression and abuses from the time of the dictator Marcos until now.”

Born on Dec. 2, 1945 in Tondo, Manila, Bautista was a vocal supporter of former vice president Leni Robredo during the 2022 presidential race.