Moymoy Lulumboy series wins first Severino Reyes Medal for Young Adult Literature

Segundo Matias Jr. poses with his Severino Reyes Medal plaques on International Children's Book Day, April 2, at the National Library of the Philippines. Photo courtesy of Segundo Matias.

MANILA, Philippines — Palanca-awardee Segundo Matias Jr. and illustrator Jomike Tejido clinched the first inaugural Severino Reyes Medal for young adult literature with ‘Moymoy Lulumboy: Ang Batang Aswang’ on International Children's Book Day (ICBD), April 2, at the National Library of the Philippines (NLP).

In a Facebook post, Matias congratulated Tejido and called the award a ‘big deal.’

“Mga ganitong karangalan ang nagbibigay ng inspirasyon at lakas ng loob na magpatuloy pa ako sa pagsusulat,” he wrote. [Such honor gives me the inspiration and courage to continue writing.]

Alongside Matias and Tejido’s win, author Agay Llanera and illustrator Lui Manaig also won for Best Story Book with “I Like Wearing Rainbows.” Meanwhile, Augie Rivera (author) and AI Estrella’s (illustrator) “Kalambing” won Best Picture Book.

The International Board on Books for Young People Philippines (IBBY-PH) introduced the Severino Reyes Medal in 2024 to honor the legacy of Filipino playwright and author Severino Reyes on ICBD.

Best known as the “Father of Filipino Zarzuela”, Reyes founded the Tagalog magazine Liwayway in 1922. Three years later, he released a series of short stories under the title “Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang.” Over the decades, his stories have been adapted into many forms of media, including the hit TV series that aired on GMA Network in 2007.

According to IBBY-PH, the Severino Reyes Medal is intended to “promote literacy and recognize the outstanding contributions of Filipino publishers, authors, and illustrators of children's and young adult literature.”

The winners were chosen by professional librarians from National Library of the Philippines (NLP), Philippine Librarians Association Inc. (PLAI), Philippine Association of School Librarians Inc. (PASLI), and Association of Librarians in the Public Sector (ALPS).

The full honor list is posted in the Facebook page of IBBY Philippines.

Young Adult Literature in the Philippines

First published in 2014, Ang Batang Aswang is the first installment of the Moymoy Lulumboy series, a six-book-long chronicle that follows young demigod Moymoy in his journey back to the cursed world of Gabun where mythological creatures of local Filipino folktales reside.

ABS-CBN Corporation acquired the rights to turn the series into a multimedia franchise in December of 2017. The sixth book titled “Moymoy Lulumboy: Ang Ugat at ang Propesiya” was published in 2019 by Lampara Publishing House, Inc. — a company founded by Matias himself.

It's one of the very few Filipino young adult series to achieve recent success. The award win highlights the growing recognition for the genre, even though YA readership remains low in the country.

Results from the recent National Readership Survey (NRS) showed that only 42% of adults and 47% of children reported reading non-school books (NSBs) in 2023. This is a sharp 33% decline from the recorded adult readership in 2017.

Among these, short stories and novels for young adults lag behind other NSB genres for both Filipino children and adults.

Leading NSB Genres for Filipino Adults in 2023

Graph courtesy of National Book Development Board

Leading NSB Genres for Filipino Children in 2023

Graph courtesy of National Book Development Board

The NRS is a poll commissioned by the National Book Development Board to examine the reading habits of Filipino citizens. In 2023, they doubled the previous sample size of 1200 respondents to broaden its demographic coverage.