Novelist, Activist, and Feminist Icon Lualhati Bautista Passes Away at 77

Filipino novelist, critic, and activist Lualhati Bautista passed away peacefully in her sleep on Sunday, February 12. The renowned writer and feminist icon was 77.

Her cousin, Sonny Rose Samonte, confirmed the news in a Facebook post, saying: “Sad news for our Torres clan. Our first cousin, Lualhati Bautista, died at 77 years old this morning."

She was one of the most celebrated writers of our time. The award-winning novelist is best known for works like Dekada ’70, Desaparesidos, Bata, Bata, Pa’no Ka Ginawa? and Gapo, racking in Palanca Awards in 1980, 1983, and 1984.

The author had been part of a generation of writers whose subjects focused on the harsh truths of the Martial Law years, such as the prevailing repression, social inequality, and violence during that time. Bautista was also known for documenting the progress of women's activism under an oppressive regime.

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Bautista's works would be adapted into films, as well. She had written the screenplay for Bulaklak sa City Jail, which featured the great Nora Aunor. It had been crowned best story and best screenplay at the Metro Manila Film Festival in 1984. Dekada '70, on the other hand, became a movie in 2002, thanks to director Chito S. Roño.

She would go on to become vice president of the Screenwriters Guild of the Philippines and chair of the Kapisanan ng mga Manunulat ng Nobelang Popular. The writer was also named a national fellow for fiction by the University of the Philippines Creative Writing Center back in 1986. She would also go on to become a recipient of the Diwata Award for best writer from the International Women’s Film Festival of the UP Film Center in 2006.