Potenciano “Junne” Canizares Jr., the Lawyer-Writer of Talisay, Cebu
The bilingual literary genius of Talisay City, Potenciano “Junne” Canizares Jr., was born in Talisay, Cebu, on May 20, 1936. He finished his Bachelor of Arts at the Colegio de San Jose-Recoletos (now a university) and Bachelor of Laws at the University of San Carlos. He was admitted to the Bar on March 18, 1965.
He was president of the Ludabi (Lubas sa Dagang Bisaya) in 1970. He became the first editor of the Cebu Advocate, a local newspaper. He was Ludabi’s recipient of the Lapu-Lapu bust sculpted by Cebuano artist, Fidel Araneta. He was also a winner of awards from the Bathalad-Sugbo, Women in Literary Arts (WILA), Bag-ong Suga (Danao City, Cebu), and Bisaya Magazine.
He won the English short story contest of The FREEMAN (which celebrated its 100th year in 2019) and The Cross Monthly. He started starting writing while in school and was recognized by the College Editors’ Guild of the Philippines and received the Golden Medallion. He wrote the book, “The Fastest Olisi Fighter,” as part of the Doce Paris Arnis & Escrima Club of Cebu, under the brothers, Eulogio “Yoling” Cañete and Ciriaco “Cacoy” Cañete.
His English poems were published in The Philippine Free Press, Focus Philippines, and other national publications. His poems, novels, dramas, and other literary works were published in Bisaya, Alimyon, Silaw, and Ang Bag-ong Suga.
He was editor of The Carolinian, the school publication of the University of San Carlos. In 1960 he wrote the play “Rajah Hamabar” which was translated into Filipino by fellow Cebuano writer, Don Pagusara (originally from Carcar, Cebu, but now based in Davao). The play is in the book “Dulaang Cebuano” which was published by the Ateneo de Manila University Press.
The Cebuano plays were translated into English by National Artist Prof. Resil B. Mojares and Dr. Erlinda Kintanar Alburo. The other entries in the book were the plays “Ang Pagmahal sa Yutang Natawhan” by Don Vicente Sotto, “Ang Asawa sa Sugarol” by Ismael Paras, and “Ang Peke” by Buenaventura Rodriguez (the first governor of Cebu to occupy the Cebu Provincial Capitol Building in 1937)
Lawyer Potenciano Canizares Jr., the Literary Genius of Talisay, Cebu is a Don Vicente Sotto Memorial Awardee having been listed as one of the “Top 15 Literary Writers in Cebuano in the Post-World War II Era” given during the Golden Jubilee Convention of Bathalad-Sugbo on February 25, 2019.
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