Silliman alumnus honored with Pres. Carlos P. Garcia Award
Silliman University (SU) Creative Writing graduate Fred Jordan Mikhail T. Carnice, known by his pen name F. Jordan Carnice, received the 2025 President Carlos P. Garcia Award for Excellence in Literary Arts on National Poetry Day, November 22, 2025, at the Ceremonial Hall of the New Capitol Building in Tagbilaran City, Bohol.
His citation states: “In recognition of his unwavering commitment to the preservation, enrichment, and promotion of Boholano and Filipino culture and arts, this award celebrates Mr. Carnice’s multifaceted excellence as a writer, poet, journalist, visual artist, environmentalist, and cultural researcher. He uses his words to connect cultural knowledge with environmental preservation, mentors young writers, and founded the Tagik and Kinalitkalit literary competitions to promote Boholano culture. An award-winning poet, his accolades include the 2020 Cebu Climate Emergency Literature and Arts Competition poetry grand prize, Poet of the Year at the Nick Joaquin Literary Awards (NJLA) in 2023 and 2024, and the 2025 Graphic Salute Award. His passion and dedication to advancing culture and environmental awareness through literature embody President Carlos P. Garcia’s ideals of cultural pride and creative excellence.”
Carnice, a poet, fictionist, and visual artist from Tagbilaran City, is the son of civil engineer Wilfredo Ladeza Carnice and public high school English teacher Natividad Torralba Carnice. Now based in Dumaguete City, he works as a researcher for the National Museum of the Philippines. His works have appeared in publications in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. His poems are forthcoming in a special issue of Cutthroat: A Journal of the Arts featuring Asian writers, and his food heritage essay will be included in The Bohol We Savor, companion to the anthology The Bohol We Love, which also featured his essay “A (Re)collection of Stones.”
Jordan Carnice with his proud parents, Engr. Wilfredo Ladeza Carnice and Natividad Torralba Carnice.
He founded and co-edits Pinanlinan, a literary anthology series distributed for free to schools and public libraries to foster literacy and build an archive of Bol-anon literature. He is a regular panelist at the Agi Creative Writing Workshop, a workshop for emerging and established Boholano writers. A fellow of three national writing workshops, he has twice served as a panelist for both the Taboan Philippine Writers Festival and the Dumaguete Literary Festival. He is part of the technical working group behind Dumaguete’s designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Literature on October 31, 2025. He is also the author of two poetry chapbooks—Weights & Cushions (2018) and How to Make an Accident (2019)—and is an active volunteer of Plastic Free Bohol, Bohol Climate Walkers, and Clean Energy Advocates of Bohol.
The President Carlos P. Garcia Awards, conferred by the Provincial Government of Bohol through the Center for Culture and Arts Development (CCAD) and the Bohol Arts and Cultural Heritage (BACH) Council, recognize Boholanos who demonstrate excellence in their fields and contribute meaningfully to the province and the nation. The award upholds the legacy of President Carlos P. Garcia—lawyer, poet, chess enthusiast, and statesman—whose life exemplified intellect and integrity.
The same award was also given to Outstanding Sillimanian Dr. Marjorie Evasco in 2011. Carlos P. Garcia, before becoming the eighth President of the Philippines, was a Sillimanian himself, completing his high school and pre-law studies at Silliman University.
