AN ASSOCIATE professor from the Ateneo de Manila University will be awarded the Gawad Paz Marquez Benitez by the Unyon ng mga Manunulat ng Pilipinas.

Dr. Jerry Respeto, a faculty member of the Kagawaran ng Filipino, will receive the award during the 50th National Writers’ Congress on April 27, 2024.

The Gawad Marquez Benitez is a lifetime achievement award for teachers of Philippine Literature.

Ateneo said Respeto began teaching at Ateneo de Manila as a part-time lecturer in 1994 and became a full-time instructor in 1996. He teaches Philippine Literature and Purposive Communication in Filipino at the college.

In his teaching and scholarly work, he highlights the importance of Philippine languages and folk performances in the understanding of our past and of ourselves.

He specializes in Filipino drama and shares his mastery of what he calls “bayang panitikan” in the teaching and study of our national literature.

“In 2010, he was given the Outstanding Junior Teacher Award by the Ateneo Schools Parents Council (ASPAC). In 2013, he was given the Fine Arts Professorial Chair in recognition of his work in teaching play translations and adaptations. In 2019, he received the Rev Henry Lee Irwin Memorial Teacher Award,” Ateneo said.

“Dr. Respeto is frequently invited by national cultural institutions, such as the NCCA, and state universities all over the country to deliver lectures on literature,” it added.