Danton Relato Remoto (born March 25, 1963) is a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

writer, essayist, reporter, editor, columnist, and professor. Remoto received the first prize at the

ASEAN ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, militar ...

Letter-Writing Contest for Young People. The award earned Remoto a scholarship at the

Ateneo de Manila University , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Jesuits) , academic_aff ...

in the Philippines. As a professor, Remoto taught

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and Journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University.Danton Remoto
panitikan.com Remoto is the chairman emeritus of Ang Ladlad, a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) political party in the Philippines.

Biography

Remoto was born in

Basa Air Base Cesar Basa Air Base, or simply Basa Air Base (formerly known as Floridablanca Airfield), is an airbase currently operated by the Philippine Air Force. It is located at Floridablanca, Pampanga about northwest of Metro Manila in the Philippines. ...

Floridablanca, Pampanga Floridablanca, officially the Municipality of Floridablanca ( pam, Balen ning Floridablanca; fil, Bayan ng Floridablanca) is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of ...

. His father, Francisco Sr., was a soldier while his mother, Lilia Relato, was a music teacher.

Education

In 1983, Remoto obtained his AB in Interdisciplinary Studies from the

. In 1989, while under the Robert Southwell scholarship, Remoto gained his MA degree in

English Literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

. In 1990, while under the British Council Fellowship, Remoto received his Master of Philosophy in Publishing Studies from the

University of Stirling The University of Stirling (, gd, Oilthigh Shruighlea (abbreviated as Stir or Shruiglea, in post-nominals) is a public university in Stirling, Scotland, founded by royal charter in 1967. It is located in the Central Belt of Scotland, built w ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. In 2000, Remoto was given the

Fulbright Scholarship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

for

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. He also taught Freshman English Composition and Creative Writing: Fiction at Rutgers University. In 2003, Remoto obtained a fellowship from the Asian Scholarship Foundation at the

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia The National University of Malaysia ( ms, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, abbreviated as UKM) is a public university located in Bandar Baru Bangi, Hulu Langat District, Selangor, Malaysia. Its teaching hospital, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia ...

(

National University of Malaysia The National University of Malaysia ( ms, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, abbreviated as UKM) is a public university located in Bandar Baru Bangi, Hulu Langat District, Selangor, Malaysia. Its teaching hospital, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia ...

). In 2004, Remoto obtained a fellowship from the Asian Scholarship Foundation at the

National University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in the c ...

. In March 2009, Remoto obtained a PhD in English Studies with a major in Creative Writing from the

University of the Philippines Diliman , image = University of The Philippines seal.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = Official Logo of UP Diliman , motto = Honor and Excellence , established = February 12, 194 ...

Career

From 1986, Remoto worked as a writer, reporter, editor, and columnist for the Philippine Press. In 1989, Remoto edited Alfredo Navarro Salanga's ''Buena Vista'', a collection of poetry and fiction and was a co-editor of ''Gems in Philippine Literature''. In 1994, Remoto became a Local Fellow for Poetry the UP Creative Writing Center. Together with J. Neil Garcia, Remoto edited the so-called ''Ladlad'' ("Out of the Closet") series, a succession of

gay literature Gay literature is a collective term for literature produced by or for the gay community which involves characters, plot lines, and/or themes portraying male homosexual behavior. Overview and history Because the social acceptance of homosexual ...

. He taught full-time at the Ateneo de Manila University from 1986 to 2009, and later worked as a Communications Analyst at the United Nations Development Programme and as Head of Research and News Desk Manager at TV5. He appeared in

Gloc-9 Aristotle Condenuevo Pollisco (born October 18, 1977), known professionally as Gloc-9, is a Filipino rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as one of the best Filipino rappers of all-time, his fast-flowing vocal style has made him one of th ...

's music video " Sirena", which depicts the life of a

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

person who was maltreated by his father. The music video also featured

Boy Abunda Eugenio Romerica Abunda Jr. (; born October 29, 1960), popularly known as Boy Abunda, is a Filipino professor, television host, publicist and talent manager. Early life and education Boy Abunda was born as Eugenio Romerica Abunda Jr. in Boro ...

. He also became a radio commentator during Radyo5's heyday until restructuring.

Awards

Remoto was the recipient of several cultural and literary awards and recognition. In 1979, Remoto won the ASEAN prize for essay writing. In 1983, he won the Galian sa Arte at Tula award for poetry. In 1986, Remoto won the PLAC award for poetry. In 1987, Remoto won the

Palanca Award The Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, popularly known as the Palanca Awards, are a set of literary awards for Philippine writers. Usually referred to as the "Pulitzer Prize of the Philippines", it is the country's highest literary ...

for essay writing. He is a three-time

Cultural Center of the Philippines The Cultural Center of the Philippines ( fil, Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas, or CCP) is a government-owned and controlled corporation established to preserve, develop and promote arts and culture in the Philippines.Presidential Decree No. ...

(CCP) awardee for poetry. He won the Stirling District Arts Council Award for poetry and short story writing twice in 1989, and again in 1990. In 1993, Remoto became the Procyon Prize winner for poetry. He received the Cultural Center awards for film and video for the screenplay of the documentary ''House of the Crescent Moon'' and for the film ''The Last Parian''. In 2004, Remoto obtained the Philippines Free Press Award for essay writing. In 2006, he became an awardee of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts Award for poetry translation. In 2007, Remoto was granted the Philippine Graphic magazine's

Nick Joaquin Nicomedes "Nick" Marquez Joaquin (; May 4, 1917 – April 29, 2004) was a Filipino writer and journalist best known for his short stories and novels in the English language. He also wrote using the pen name Quijano de Manila. Joaquin was conferr ...

Award for short story writing.

Works

Remoto's writings include the following:

Poetry

*''Skin, Voices, Faces'' (1991) *''Black Silk Pajamas / Poems in English and Filipino'' (1996) *''Pulotgata; The Love Poems'' (2004) *''Rain'' *''Padre Faura Witnesses The Execution of Rizal''

Essays

*''Seduction and Solitude'' *''X-Factor'' *''Gaydar'' *''Buhay Bading'' *''Rampa: Mga Sanaysay'' *''A Teacher's Tale''

Books

*''Ladlad'' *''Bright,Catholic and Gay'' *''Happy Na, Gay Pa'' *''Riverrun''

Filmography

* ''Tayuan mo at Panindigan!'' (

AksyonTV Aksyon TV () was a Philippine free-to-air television network. It was a joint venture of Nation Broadcasting Corporation and TV5 Network, Inc. (international operations is under its subsidiary Pilipinas Global Network Ltd.), both under PLDT medi ...

, 2011–2012) * ''Remoto Control'' ( Radyo5 92.3 News FM, 2012-June 2017; Radio Pilipinas 1, Q3 2017–present)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Remoto, Danton 20th-century Filipino poets Kapampangan people LGBT writers from the Philippines University of the Philippines alumni Ateneo de Manila University faculty Ateneo de Manila University alumni Rutgers University alumni Palanca Award recipients English-language writers from the Philippines Writers from Pampanga Filipino columnists Filipino journalists Filipino educators 1963 births Living people Ladlad politicians Gay politicians Gay writers LGBT rights activists from the Philippines 21st-century Filipino poets Filipino male poets 20th-century male writers 21st-century male writers 21st-century LGBT people