MANILA -- The Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) hopes to receive, as entries for its annual Gawad Julian Cruz Balmaseda award, theses and dissertations covering technical matters and written in the country's national language, Filipino.
"We're already accepting entries and want to also get theses and dissertations focusing on science, math, engineering and other technical topics," said KWF senior language researcher Roy Rene Cagalingan.
Citing available KWF data as of Thursday (Jan. 10), he said masteral theses and doctoral dissertations the agency received as entries for the award over the years mostly covered humanities-related topics.
He noted that having entries covering technical matters as well will further demonstrate the Filipino's versatility as a language for higher discourse.
Demonstrating Filipino's versatility will help encourage the public to increasingly use this language, he continued.
"As entries for the award show, Filipino isn't for daily conversation only," he said.
Named in honor of Filipino writer Julian Cruz Balmaseda, the award is KWF's highest recognition for outstanding theses and dissertations written in Filipino.
KWF coordinator Greg Granada said data as of Thursday further show that theses and dissertations contestants submitted since 2015, when the agency first gave the award, mostly tackled literature, philosophy and language education.
"A few entries tackled either social science, sociology, journalism, religious education or anthropology," he added.
He said people who successfully defended their theses and dissertations written in Filipino between January 2018 and October 2019, can join the ongoing 2020 Gawad Julian Cruz Balmaseda award competition.
Such materials must be the contestants' original work and haven't yet been published, however, KWF clarified.
KWF set 5 p.m. of Oct. 11 this year as deadline for submissions of entries for the award.
Parties interested in joining the competition can contact KWF for other details regarding this matter.
Earlier, Granada said KWF will formally recognize on Jan. 28 in Manila the newest Gawad Julian Cruz Balmaseda award recipient.
University of Sto. Tomas professor Dr. Wennielyn Fajilan will receive the 2019 award for her dissertation, 'Pananalig sa Bata: Kasaysayan at Panunuri sa Muling Pagsasalaysay at Pagsasaling Pambata sa Filipino' at University of the Philippines, he said.
She will receive from KWF a plaque of recognition and PHP100,000 in cash, he added.
"KWF may also publish her dissertation under this agency's Aklat ng Bayan project," he said further.
The award's previous recipients were Marlon S. Delupio (2015), Gilbert Macarandang (2016), Lovela Velasco (2017) and de Leon in the dissertation category as well as Roman Sarmiento Jr. (2016) and Christian Javier Fajardo (2017) in the thesis category, said KWF.
There can only be one winner in each category, KWF said.
"It's possible to have no winner in any of the categories," Granada clarified, however.
He added there's no 2019 winner in the thesis category. (PNA)
