07/06/2026
Exploding Galaxies, a publisher dedicated to rediscovering out-of-print Philippine literary works, has set its sights on the elusive fictionist Lilia Pablo Amansec. But she may already be lost to time.
In a June 6 Facebook post, the publisher said Amansec’s stories “need to be rediscovered,” warning it would be a shame if they disappeared altogether. It cited her last known public appearance in 2001, when she received the Parangal Hagbong from The Varsitarian, the University of Santo Tomas’ student publication, as part of its campus literary contest Gawad Ustetika.
But in the comments, literary critic and poet Louie Jon Sanchez—then Varsitarian associate editor and chairman of the Gawad Ustetika committee that recognized Amansec—confirmed what many did not know.
"Patay na si Aleng Lily. Matagal na," Sanchez said. "Sayang talaga at napakahirap hagilapin ng mga kuwento niya."
No official record of her death—or even a list of surviving works—has surfaced.
Founded in 2023 by writer Mara Coson—the child of SM Investments Corporation Vice President Teresita Sy-Coson—Exploding Galaxies has since republished Wilfrido D. Nolledo’s "But for the Lovers" (1970), Linda Ty-Casper's "The Three-Cornered Sun" (1979), Erwin Castillo's "The Firewalkers (1992), and Doreen Fernandez and Edilberto Alegre's "Sarap" (1988) and "Palayok" (2000).
Its last republication was Nolledo's "Canticles for Dark Lovers" (1955–1971) in May.
đź“š FROM PRODIGY TO ENIGMA
Amansec’s life is nothing short of brilliant—but largely undocumented.
According to a 2001 The Varsitarian report, she was a Palanca Award winner for her short stories: “Lilies of Yesterday” (2nd place, 1957), “Dream Tiger” (2nd place, 1963), and “Loverboy” (1st place, 1964).
She was also an academic standout, graduating valedictorian of UST High School and summa cm laude from its then Faculty of Philosophy and Letters (now Faculty of Arts and Letters). She later earned a master’s degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Michigan in 1950.
Beyond literature, Amansec led a varied creative life. She reportedly ran the C**k & Bull Tavern, a piano bar that inspired the Bullencock bar in her story “Fable Time.” She painted under the pseudonym “Lelia” and was featured in "Self Portraits 2: Fourteen Filipino Artists Speak" (Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2003) by Thelma Kintanar and Sylvia Mendez Ventura.
A newspaper clipping shared by Exploding Galaxies also identified her as a former advertising copywriter.
Yet by 2001, Amansec had retreated from public life. When she received the Parangal Hagbong, she was living alone in Antipolo, working as a manghuhula. Exploding Galaxies also cited accounts that she “could stare at the sun.”
In a chat with radar, Sanchez recalled how his team fetched Amansec from Antipolo for the ceremony. “We dressed her up,” he said, noting they had to es**rt her back afterward. He recalled her being “so frail” and “eccentric.”
“[I]f we did not recognize the gift of Lilia Pablo Amansec we could have lost her talent forever,” Sanchez said in The Varsitarian's report.
đź“š FRAGMENTS OF A BODY OF WORK
What remains of Amansec’s writing is striking—but scarce.
Sanchez told radar there's no complete record of her works beyond award-winning pieces. “Loverboy,” a necrophiliac story, was later included in "The Best Philippine Short Stories of the Twentieth Century" (Tahanan Books, 2003), edited by Isagani R. Cruz. She was with other literary giants like Paz Marquez Benitez, N.V.M. Gonzales, Manuel Arguilla, Estrella Alfon, Nick Joaquin, Gregorio Brillantes, and Gilda Cordero-Fernando.
“Di rin sure kung alam ng mga kamag-anak,” Sanchez said of her remaining works.
Part of the obscurity, he added, may be because Amansec didn't pursue an academic career or become a "big time writer" within literary institutions.
"Very underrated siya. [Ang] mga underrated, pag may nakakabasa lang ng works nila saka may nagkakainteres pag-aralan," he said.
As a student, the journalism major Sanchez said that for their literary criticism class, he and his group—which included the late award-winning business journalist Cai Ordinario—retrieved Amansec's stories across old periodicals.
"We were able to collect, siguro, four to five stories yata," he said.
Their final output was a profile of Amansec and a folio of her works. Sadly, Sanchez said he lost his personal copy.
"It could also be that 'yon lang talaga (ang works niya)," Sanchez said. "But who knows."
(✍️: Nikko Miguel Garcia, 📸: Exploding Galaxies/Facebook, Susan Lara)
