Draft:Genaro Gojo Cruz
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Genaro Gojo Cruz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Genaro R. Gojo Cruz December 16, 1976 |
| Alma mater | Philippine Normal University[a] |
| Occupations | Teacher, writer, poet |
| Writing career | |
| Language | Filipino |
| Notable awards | Carlos Palanca Memorial Award (multiple years); Talaang Ginto "Makata ng Taon" (Poet of the Year), 2004 and 2007 |
Genaro R. Gojo Cruz (born December 16, 1976) is a Filipino teacher, poet, and writer known primarily for children's literature in Filipino. He teaches in the Department of Literature at De La Salle University–Manila, where the university's own faculty directory lists his rank as Assistant Professor/Lecturer.[3][2][b]
Biography
[edit]Gojo Cruz was born in Balut, Tondo, Manila, and grew up in Muzon, City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.[1] He finished elementary school at Muzon Elementary School (now Benito Nieto Elementary School) in 1990 and secondary school at Bulacan Standard Academy in 1994.[1] He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education, majoring in Social Sciences, from the Philippine Normal University in 1995, and later completed a Master of Arts in Philippine Studies at De La Salle University–Manila in 2008 as a scholar.[2][1]
He currently teaches in De La Salle University–Manila's Department of Literature.[3][2][c]
Awards and honors
[edit]Gojo Cruz has won first prizes in numerous Philippine literary competitions, including the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature (notably in 2002 and 2009), the Pambansang Gawad Ka Amado (2002 and 2003), the PBBY-Salanga Writers Prize (2016 and 2017), and the Romeo Forbes Children's Story Writing Competition (2016), according to his De La Salle University faculty profile.[2] He was twice named Makata ng Taon ("Poet of the Year") in the Talaang Ginto competition administered by the Commission on the Filipino Language, in 2004 and 2007, per his De La Salle University faculty profile.[2]
He continues to place in the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards' children's-literature categories in recent years: he won second prize in the Tula Para sa mga Bata (Poetry for Children) category at the 71st awards in 2023 for "Ako, Mga Tulang Pambata,"[5] and won two second prizes at the 73rd (Diamond Jubilee) awards in 2025 — in Maikling Kuwentong Pambata (Short Story for Children) for "Problema Ko Si Nanay," and in Tula Para sa mga Bata for "Unang Tibok ng Pusong Musmos."[6][7]
His children's book May Gulong na Bahay won an Honorable Mention at the 2004 PBBY-Salanga Writers' Prize and was later named one of the "Best Reads" at the 5th National Children's Book Awards (2018), presented by the Philippine Board on Books for Young People and the National Book Development Board.[2]
Selected bibliography
[edit]| Year | Title | Publisher | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Ang Lumang Aparador (short-story version) | — | First Prize, Short Story for Children in Filipino, Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature.[8] |
| 2004 | Ang Lumang Aparador ni Lola (book edition) | Lampara Publishing House | ISBN 971-5180-55-8 |
| 2005 | Ang Mga Paborito Kong Meryenda | Vibal Publishing House | ISBN 971-0314-29-7 |
| 2005 | Si Nanay Mining at ang Tatlong Kuting | Vibal Publishing House | ISBN 971-0314-28-9 |
| 2006 | Ang Aking Pamilya | Vibal Publishing House | ISBN 971-0314-32-7 |
| 2006 | Ang Bahaghari | Vibal Publishing House | ISBN 971-0422-24-3 |
| 2007 | Mga Laruang Papel | Vibal Publishing House | ISBN 978-971-0422-57-9 |
| 2008 | Ang Sulatan | Vibal Publishing House | ISBN 971-0422-80-4 |
| 2009 | Ang Dyip ni Mang Tomas (Mang Tomas and His Jeep) | Canvas / University of Santo Tomas Publishing House | Bilingual Filipino–English edition; won a Carlos Palanca Memorial Award first prize.[9] |
| 2009 | Mahabang-mahabang-mahaba | — | First Prize, Maikling Kuwentong Pambata, Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature.[10] |
| 2010 | Mahabang-Mahabang-Mahaba (book edition) | Adarna House | Has an English translation. |
| 2017 | Ang Lumang Aparador ni Lola (illustrated reprint) | Lampara Publishing House | Illustrated by J.M. Tejido. |
| 2020 | Ako ay May Titi (I Have a Penis) | Lampara Books | Illustrated by Beth Parrocha. A children's book on genital hygiene for boys; drew wide Philippine media coverage and sold out its first print run within about a week of release.[11][12][e] |
| 2020 | Mahabang-mahabang-mahaba (Adarna reprint) | Adarna House | Illustrated by A.G.B. Madueño. |
| 2023 | Ako, Mga Tulang Pambata | — | Second Prize, Tula Para sa mga Bata, 71st Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature. |
| 2025 | Problema Ko Si Nanay | — | Second Prize, Maikling Kuwentong Pambata, 73rd Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature. |
| 2025 | Unang Tibok ng Pusong Musmos | — | Second Prize, Tula Para sa mga Bata, 73rd Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature. |
Notes
[edit]- ↑ He also completed a Master of Arts in Philippine Studies at De La Salle University–Manila in 2008 and, per one of his two current De La Salle University faculty profile pages, was pursuing a Ph.D. in Filipino Studies there as of that page's writing.[2]
- ↑ As of this article's writing, two separate faculty-profile pages for him exist on the De La Salle University website that give conflicting details: one, cited above, lists his rank as "Assistant Prof. Lecturer" and states he has authored more than 70 children's books; the other lists his rank as "Senior Lecturer," states he has published more than 90 books for children, and adds that he serves as associate for children's literature at the university's Bienvenido N. Santos Creative Writing Center.[4] The university's own faculty directory corroborates the "Assistant Prof. Lecturer" rank.[3] This discrepancy between the university's own pages is unresolved and disclosed here rather than silently picked.
- ↑ Facebook posts attributed to Gojo Cruz and to Colegio Sta. Isabel of Laguna indicate he earlier taught at that school in Siniloan, Laguna from 2000 to 2002, and afterward at the Philippine Normal University's Center for Teaching & Learning from 2003 to 2008, before joining De La Salle University. These earlier-career teaching posts have not been confirmed through an independent secondary source and are noted here for completeness rather than asserted as fact.
- ↑ Gojo Cruz's De La Salle University faculty profile pages credit him with authorship of more than 70 children's books (one page) or more than 90 (the other, see note above);[2][4] the table below is a partial, independently source-checked list and is not exhaustive.
- ↑ One 2025 De La Salle University faculty-profile page for Gojo Cruz gives the publication year of Ako ay May Titi as 2019, while contemporaneous August 2020 press coverage (GMA News, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, and TV5) describes it as a new release at that time; this article follows the contemporaneous press coverage.[4]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 "Background of Genaro Gojo Cruz" (in Filipino). Adarna House. Archived from the original on November 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Gojo Cruz, Genaro R." (in Filipino). De La Salle University, College of Liberal Arts. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Faculty Information: Alphabetical List (G)". De La Salle University. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Genaro Gojo-Cruz". De La Salle University, College of Liberal Arts. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
- ↑ "71st Palanca Awards holds ceremony at historical PICC". Manila Bulletin. November 30, 2023. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
- ↑ "LIST: Winners of 2025 Carlos Palanca Awards Diamond Jubilee Year". The Philippine Star. November 28, 2025. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
- ↑ "54 scribes win at 73rd Palanca Awards; Inquirer editor among judges". Philippine Daily Inquirer. November 27, 2025. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
- ↑ "Palanca awardees announced". The Philippine Star. September 2, 2002. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
- ↑ "Children's book art now in malls". Philippine Daily Inquirer Lifestyle. April 30, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
- ↑ "Palanca Awards: Talaan ng mga Nagwagi ng Gantimpalang Palanca". Tagalog Lang. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
- ↑ "Children's book aims to show young boys how to take proper care of their genitals". GMA News Online. August 13, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
- ↑ "'Ako ay May Titi': Children's book aims to educate boys on genital care". Philippine Daily Inquirer. August 12, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2026.