“E ka mamako, e muku lalakwan. E ka tatangis, mibalik ku naman”, famous lines from a classical Kapampangan folksong.  This is a mortal supplication reaching the high heavens begging not to leave someone or someplace dearest to the heart.

Tony’s “poesyang melalang king Amanung Siswan” depicts a soothing amalgam of the “sakdal rima” and the “vers libre” paving a metamorphosis from the traditionally rhymed to the contemporary free verse.

August 31, 2007 was the crowning glory of his pen.  He was awarded First Place in the Tagisan King Poesia at the Bayview Park Hotel, Roxas Blvd., Manila hosted by Gawad Komisyon 2007,  Republika Ng Pilipinas.  His winning entry: “Bulung at iba pang Tula” is a collection of ten (10) selected poems in Kapampangan.  Notably, he introduced a couple of poetic genres: Tanka and Haiku in the vernacular literature.

Our Sasmuan poet likewise won two literary awards in essay writing. His “Thoughts and Impressions on the February 25, 1986 EDSA People Power” won First Place (out of 54 entries) in a Bicol regionwide contest in 1987.  His “Banking to the Letter” was also First Place in a bankwide (including overseas branches) anecdote writing contest conducted by Philippine National Bank in its Diamond Anniversary in 1991.

More than 2,000 years ago, a question was asked: “Will nothing good come out of my native Nazareth?”

                                                                                                                                                                              Antonio Mercado Peña