Nueva Ecija is known as the Philippines' "Rice Granary" because it was a pioneer in the production of the country's staple food throughout the twentieth century. Primarily, the province was not always committed to rice farming and was in fact regarded a frontier territory for most of its history. Immigrants from Ilocos and other parts of Luzon began to plant rice on the vast land. The Tagalog area is the origin of a strong Philippine cultural legacy in language, politics, economy, and literature. A strong patriotic stance and a strong ethnically grounded framework characterize Novo Ecijano literature. 

A video presentation created by Alyana Bauto, Christine Acosta, Francelle Mamaclay, Diane Saguran, and Shella Yambot that is about how students view the literature of Nueva Ecija.

 Famous Authors in Nueva Ecija 

 A mind map of Literary writers of Nueva Ecija Literary 

Genres that are popular in Novo Ecijanos' Literature 

 Tag cloud that represents and summarized their literature through words and phrases.

 Here are the Novo Ecijano Literarians: 

 Lazaro Francisco, also known as Ka Saro, is well-known for his mastery of Tagalog as well as his choice of subject matter and narratives, which primarily focused on the lives of farmers. He also wrote about imperialism, communism, the judicial system, the survival of democracy, and even child abuse. As an admired master of the Tagalog novel who has made significant contributions to our literary tradition, some of his novels are still available today. These novels are: “Binhi at Bunga” (1925), “Cesar” (1926), “Ama” (1929), “Bayang Nagpatiwakal” (1931), “Sa Paanan ng Krus” (1934), “Ang Pamana ng Pulubi” (1935), “Bago Lumubog ang Araw” (1936), “Singsing na Pangkasal” (1939), “Ilaw sa Hilaga” (1947), “Sugat ng Alaala” (1951), “Maganda pa ang Daigdig” (1956), “Daluyong” (1961).

 "Paano ninyo gagamitin ang inyong mga sandata habang naghihintay kayo ng mga pagbabago?" Maganda pa ang daigdig 

 source: https://opinion.inquirer.net/119742/remembering-lazaro-francisco 

Heber Bartolome is a folksinger that sings socially critical songs that ordinary folks and conscious listeners can connect. His songs like “Tayo’y mga Pinoy” [‘We Are Filipinos’] remains relevant, as it calls for independence from empire. Another song, “Nena,” reflects on the impact of impoverishment and how it compels people to embrace miserable choices such as prostitution among other things. Other songs like “Karaniwang Tao” [‘Ordinary Man’] depicts the struggles of the ordinary working man against a rotten and moribund system; “Lerry” tells about the radical options that people embrace in times of oppression and the persecution that comes with it; and “Tagulaylay” [‘Lamentation’] centers on the poor peasant’s lament about the yoke of feudalism. These, including the song “Almusal” [‘Breakfast’], are songs that people both in the homeland and in the diaspora can relate to. Heber’s songs transcend time as it never focuses on personality cult but on real or concrete issues of the day as well as on progressive ideology. 

 "Tayo'y mga pinoy" 

Tayo'y mga Pinoy,tayo'y hindi kano

 'Wag kang mahihiya kung ang ilong mo ay pango 

Dito sa Silangan ako isinilang Kung saan nagmula ang sikat ng araw

 source:https://filipinojournal.com/heber-bartolome-rocks-winnipeg/

 Rony V. Diaz is a multi-award-winning Filipino author. He has received several Palanca Awards. He became executive director of The Manila Times in 2001. He finally rose to the position of publisher and president of the Manila Times School of Journalism. He has taught English at the University of the Philippines Diliman and worked as a foreign service corporator for the Philippine government. He is the author of the story "The Centipede." He is a recipient of a University of the Philippines Literature Fellowship, a Rockefeller Fellowship for creative writing, and a member of the University of the Philippines Writers Club. He was born on December 2, 1932 in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija.

source:https://peoplepill.com/people/rony-v-diaz?fbclid=IwAR3EC5v89waaWcm4gx1IGSuPaRna-BG1iRUazQqOm7iueg8lB1PP6QkYdbc 

 Maria Odulio de Guzmán worked as a teacher, educator, principal, author, and writer. She was the Philippines' first female principal of a secondary school. From 1918 to 1928, she was a teacher at Nueva Écija High School in the province of Nueva Écija. She attended Radford State Teacher's College (now Radford University), which is located in Radford, Virginia, in the United States. She taught at the Philippine Normal College and compiled and wrote multiple multilingual dictionaries in Filipino, Spanish, and English. She was also a translator of José Rizal's Noli Me Tangere and a co-translator of Rizal's El filibusterismo. 

source:https://dbpedia.org/page/Maria_Odulio_de_Guzman 

 Damiana L. Eugenio is a professor and a Filipina author. She was born on September 27, 1921 in San Miguel, Bulacan, and passed away on October 10, 2014. She got numerous awards and recognitions for her works and writings, and she was granted the title "Mother of Philippine Folklore" in 1986. Some of her works were Philippine Proverb Lore (1975), Awit and Korido: A Study of Fifty Philippine Metrical Romances in Relation to Their Sources and Analogues (1965), and Philippine Folk Literature: An Anthology (1965). (1981)

 

"Kung ano ang puno siya ring bunga"

source:https://thelearningnookblog.wordpress.com/2018/06/10/who-is-damiana-ligon-eugenio/

 Wilfredo O. Pascual, Jr. made writing. His efforts was amply rewarded when he won the much coveted Grand Prize Award of the prestigious Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, 2004. Apart from his award-winning essay entitled ''Devotion'' which depicted a fan's extreme fondness, he also wrote ''Guns'' and "Kilometer zero." He was a Project Director of the Nueva Ecija Historical, Cultural and Arts Council in 1993; Field Officer, Orient Integrated Development Consultants, Inc., Bagiuo City from 1991-1992; and Liaison Officer, Coordinating Center for Dramatic Arts, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Manila in 1990. 

 An excerpt from "devotion" In March 2003, I met a Noranian in Caloocan city who had enshrined a pair of Nora Aunor's worn green Via Venetto shoes... 

source:http://clsualumni.org/page=news&action=details&opt=popup&REFECODE=NP05080047&fbclid=IwAR1rJDwYcHxrdPskkPMrJWKup4SyNgGKmq0V3q57kdmwcJ3IpMXanOG1YyQ 

 Since the 1960s, Rogelio Mangahas, along with Virgilio S. Almario a.k.a Rio Alma and Lamberto Antonio, formed a triad of modernist Tagalog poets. Rio Alma went on to become the National Artist for Literature. In 1967, Mangahas coauthored and published "Manlilikha: Mga Piling Tula," an anthology of poems that lay the groundwork for the modernist movement as an alternative to classic Tagalog poetry. Mangahas was born in Cabiao, Nueva Ecija, to a Hukbalahap family that fought against Japanese troops during World War II. The poetry collection, as well as his critical essay on Edgardo M. Reyes' "Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag," was awarded first place in the Palanca Awards. He was caught and imprisoned for two years in 1973. His wife Fe, who was seized with him, was held for a short time. During his time in jail and during the martial law period, he wrote "Villanelle sa Iyong Pagdalaw" (1973), "Mga Ibon sa Hawlang Bakal" (1977), and "Tagulaylay ng Isang Insurekto" (1977). Mangahas created plays, literary criticism, and short tales in addition to poetry. 

 An excerpt from "Villanelle sa Iyong Pagdalaw" 

 Tara, kung nais mong magsilindro ng hiwa-hiwang tubig sa mga tumana

 Kung iyang mga mata ang hindi takot umibig 

Ang pagtitiis ay ilatag sa mantalona 

 sa likod ng kalabaw na matsora 

source:https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/299651/modernist-vanguard-poet-rogelio-g-mangahas-79/?fbclid=IwAR02vmxPVQxuOJXQPGTY5k7_9Jii7IHoDzqbY0RLdnhTHbObK8MmFaaFwhw

 Rogelio R. Sikat was a Filipino novelist, dramatist, translator, and educator who died in 1997. Sicat was born and reared in San Jose, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, and graduated from the University of Santo Tomas with a "B.Litt. in Journalism" and a "M.A. in Filipino" from the University of the Philippines. Sikat won various literary awards, but he is most known for "Impeng Negro," a short story in Filipino that won the Palanca Prize in 1962. Aside from this, "Isang Munting Lupa," based on Sicat's "Tata Selo," is another prizewinning story. Sicat was posthumously won a "National Book Award" for Translation in 1998 by the "Manila Critics Circle." 

 source:https://enacademic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/2061352 

 Many famous authors have won many outstanding awards and contributed significantly to the history of literature. Unfortunately, many people are unfamiliar with them. If students are not studying literature, many will be utterly unfamiliar with the famous literary authors. It may be because literature is not in their interest, so they do not spend time learning their background. Learning literature in the 21st century is significant as it allows a person to step back in time and learn about life on Earth from the ones who walked before us. We can gather a better understanding of culture and have a greater appreciation of them. This occurrence becomes possible thanks to the different literary authors and their contributions; that is why we should appreciate every one of them.