On July 18, 2025, during National Children's Book Day, the Philippine Board on Books for Young People awarded the Salanga, Alcala and de Jesus Prizes to Patricia Gomez, Tin Javier and Rommel Joson respectively. I invited them for a blog interview and they all said yes! My dear readers, I am pleased to present to you, Ms. Patricia Gomez, winner of the 2025 Salanga Prize for the young adult novel, Three Thimbles.
1. Congratulations! What was your first reaction when you found out Three Thimbles had won the Salanga Grand Prize?
Thank you, Ms. Zarah! I couldn’t believe it at first when I received an email from PBBY that my story, Three Thimbles, had won the Grand Prize. I had to read the message several times just to be sure. It was a mixture of surprise, joy, gratitude and disbelief when I first found out.
2. Can you share the inspiration behind Three Thimbles? Was there a specific event, person, or image that sparked the idea?
My inspiration for the story was none other than Marcela Agoncillo herself. To me she was a heroine who took on a very important role in our country’s history, sewing the first Philippine flag, one that would outlive her and be synchronous to our nation’s birth itself, its struggles and triumphs, its identity and story.
When I was looking her up on the Internet, I saw a picture of her old thimble and immediately knew that hers and her seven-year old daughter, Lorenza’s and Delfina Herbosa de Natividad’s stories, stories of the three women who sewed the first flag of the Philippine republic, are what I would really like to write as one story, intertwined and entitled Three Thimbles, for this historical fiction category of PBBY.
3. Your story blends narrative history and symbolism in a way that feels both intimate and universal. How did you approach shaping it for young readers?
Although I wanted to, I was not able to use the first-person point of view for each of the three main characters’ stories that would have made it more accessible and fun for young readers. What I did instead was to narrate the story of each character alternately, akin to sewing together pieces of cloth, until the whole tapestry is revealed. It is my hope that young readers would not only be able to relate to Lorenza as she was the youngest of the characters but also find solace in Delfina and develop empathy from Marcela as their stories are as distinct as the three thimbles that represents them.
4. What was it like to see Tin Javier’s illustrations bring your words to life? Did her visual interpretation reveal new dimensions of the story to you? It was so surreal to see Ms. Javier’s illustrations because she really brought color, light and life to my story. I was so thrilled. To have a talented artist and illustrator like her read and then translate my story into visual form is a great honor.
Yes, her visual interpretation revealed a new dimension to me in the illustration of the funeral scene. Whereas I had imagined them solemnly gathered around a coffin already lowered on the ground, Ms. Javier’s high angle portrayal of the event that showed a raised coffin and everyone’s grief-stricken faces huddled tight around it was definitely more intimate and impactful.
5. What message or feeling do you hope children—and the adults reading alongside them—will carry after experiencing Three Thimbles?
The message I would like to impart in my story is to always have hope. Just as our nation’s forefathers did not give up on our country despite insurmountable odds, we should also not give up on the things that matter most, because in the end, we will have that sovereignty, we will be able to sew that flag, we will have that peace we long for, we will find the answers we are seeking, we will triumph over adversity but if not, we may be given a gift that will outlive us and our children and help countless others, if we do not give up.
Watch for Tin Javier's interview in the next posting. Read more about the Salanga Prize by visiting the PBBY website.
