Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino honors Dr. Jarin with Gawad Julian Cruz Balmaseda 2026

Dr. Ferdinand P. Jarin, a professor from the Humanities Division of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV), was recently awarded the Gawad Julian Cruz Balmaseda 2026 by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) for his dissertation titled Ang Kalyeng Walang Kamatayan: Ang Paglalandas ni Leoncio P. Deriada sa Panitikan ng Banwa at Bansa, completed at De La Salle University-Manila.

As part of the recognition, Dr. Jarin will receive PHP 100,000.

According to the KWF, Dr. Jarin successfully articulated the development of regional literature, particularly the presence and relevance of Western Visayas literature in the contemporary period.

Through his analysis of selected works by Leoncio P. Deriada, the dissertation explored the sensibility and concept of nationhood while continuing to bridge regional and national literary discourse.

The Gawad Julian Cruz Balmaseda recognizes outstanding theses and dissertations written in Filipino across academic disciplines, especially in the natural sciences, social sciences, and mathematics.

The award aims to promote original scholarly work in Filipino by offering incentives that support the intellectualization and modernization of the national language. (Gerthrode Charlotte Tan-Mabilog/IPO/With sources from Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino)