Novels Bautista garnered several
Palanca Awards (1980, 1983, and 1984) for her novels
‘GAPÔ, ''
Dekada '70 and Bata, Bata… Pa'no Ka Ginawa?'', which exposed injustices and chronicled women's activism during the
Marcos era.
‘GAPÔ, the Palanca Awards 1980 grand prize winner, published in 1988, is the story of a man coming to grips with life as an
Amerasian. It is multilayered scrutiny of the politics behind US bases in the
Philippines, seen from the point of view of ordinary citizens living in
Olongapo City. ''Dekada '70'' is the story of a family caught in the middle of the tumultuous decade of the 1970s. It details how a middle-class family struggled and faced the changes that empowered Filipinos to rise against the Marcos government. These events happened after the
bombing of Plaza Miranda, the suspension of the
writ of habeas corpus, the proclamation of martial law and the random arrests of political prisoners. The oppressive nature of the Marcos regime, which made the people become more radical, and the shaping of the decade were all witnessed by the female protagonist, Amanda Bartolome, the mother of five boys. ''Bata, Bata… Pa'no Ka Ginawa?'', literally, "Child, Child… How Were You Made?", narrates the life of Lea, a working mother and a social activist, who has two children. In the end, all three, and especially Lea, have to confront Philippine society's view of single motherhood. The novel deals with the questions of how it is to be a mother, and how a mother executes this role through modern-day concepts of parenthood. Bautista's 2013 book
In Sisterhood received the Filipino Readers' Choice Award Nominee for Fiction in Filipino/Taglish in 2014, organized by the Filipino Book Bloggers Group. In 2015, Bautista launched the book
Sixty in the City, about the life of friends Guia, Roda and Menang, who are in their mid-60s and realize that there's a good life in being just a wife, mother and homemaker.
Short stories Two of Bautista's short stories won the
Palanca Awards, namely "Tatlong Kwento ng Buhay ni Juan Candelabra" ("Three Stories in the Life of Juan Candelabra"), first prize, 1982; and "Buwan, Buwan, Hulugan mo Ako ng Sundang" ("Moon, Moon, Drop Me a Dagger"), third prize, 1983. In 1991 Bautista with Cacho Publishing House, published a compilation of short stories entitled
Buwan, Buwan, Hulugan Mo Ako ng Sundang: Dalawang Dekada ng Maiikling Kuwento.
Screenplays Bautista's venture as a screenwriter produced several critically acclaimed works. Her first screenplay was
Sakada (Seasonal Sugarcane Workers), 1976, which exposed the plight of Filipino peasants. Her second film was
Kung Mahawi Man ang Ulap in 1984, which was nominated for awards in the
Film Academy of the Philippines. Also written during the same year was
Bulaklak ng City Jail, based on her novel about imprisoned women, which won almost all awards for that year from various awards guilds including
Star Awards and
Metro Manila Film Festival. In 1998 her work was used for Chito Rono's film adaptation of
Bata Bata Paano Ka Ginawa, starring Vilma Santos. In 2000 she wrote
Gusto Ko Nang Lumigaya, the screenplay for
Maryo J. de los Reyes' political drama thriller.
Other activities Bautista became a national fellow for fiction of the
University of the Philippines Diliman Creative Writing Center in 1986. She also served as vice-president of the Screenwriters Guild of the Philippines and as chair of the Kapisanan ng mga Manunulat ng Nobelang Popular. She was the only Filipino included in a book on foremost international women writers published in Japan in 1991. Bautista was honored by the Ateneo Library of Women's Writings on March 10, 2004, during the 8th Annual Lecture on Vernacular Literature by Women. In 2005, the Feminist Centennial Film Festival presented her with a recognition award for her outstanding achievement in screenplay writing. In 2006, she was given the Diwata Award for best writer by the 16th International Women's Film Festival of the UP Film Center. ==Translations of her novels==