OFW earns another Taiwan literary award

Overseas Filipino worker Melinda Babaran collected a second consecutive award at the Taiwan Literature Award for Migrants.

Babaran got the Choice Award at the 6th Taiwan Literature Award for Migrants for “Kapirasong Papel,” a poem about a Filipino whose migrant worker wife was having an affair.

She thought about writing the poem when she heard one of the tenants in her dormitory, also an OFW, screaming over the phone at her husband whom she found out has a lover.

Babaran counts herself lucky because unlike the subjects of her poem, her father took care of her and her siblings while their mother worked overseas.

“Kapirasong Papel” is not at all tragic because the husband, on the verge of depression, decided to fix his life upon realizing he still has their child to raise.

Babaran, who lives in Taoyuan, works in a semiconductor factory and has been in Taiwan for 12 years.

Last year, Babaran took the Jury Award for the poem “Latay sa Laman” in which she expressesd her love for her father.

The Manila Economic and Cultural Office recognized Babaran with a “Gawad ng Pangulo” medal.

The awarding ceremony was held at the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area in Chiayi County on 29 September. A total of 680 submissions were evaluated to pick eight winners. (Taiwan News)