Rogelio R. Sikat

Rogelio R. Sikat (also known as Rogelio Sícat) (1940-1997) is a Filipino fictionist, playwright, translator and educator. Born and raised in San Jose, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, Sicat graduated with a "B.Litt. in Journalism" from the University of Santo Tomas and an "M.A. in Filipino" from the University of the Philippines.

Sikat received numerous literary prizes but he was particularly remembered for "Impeng Negro", his 1962 Palanca awardwinning short fiction in Filipino (Tagalog). Many of his ground-breaking stories first appeared in Liwayway, a long-running magazine with a particularly strong Tagalog literary section. A posthumous appreciation of Sicat's achievements were highlighted by award-winning writer Lilia Quindoza-Santiago in "Living and Dying as a Writer." The article appeared in "Pen & Ink III".

Sikat was "University Professor" and Dean of the "College of Arts and Letters", University of the Philippines in Diliman from 1991 to 1994. U.P. College of Mass Communication Professor Angelito Tiongson worked on a feature film "Isang Munting Lupa" based on Sicat's "Tata Selo," another prizewinning story . Playwright and film/theater director Auraeus Solito, on the other hand, created a short film narrative based on "Impeng Negro" in 1999. Sikat was posthumously awarded by the "Manila Critics Circle" with a "National Book Award" for Translation in 1998.