GIAN LAO was one of the Filipino writers who publicly talked about their experiences of sexual harassment and grooming in the Philippine literary scene.This issue blew up in September, days after the publishing house Exploding Galaxies announced it would not be releasing Alfred Yuson’s novel.
The following post in Facebook by Gian Lao last September 6, 2026, is reprinted with his permission.
Facebook post about Sexual Predation in the Philippine Literary Scene
by Gian Lao, September 6, 2026
Sige na nga. Dahil mukhang kailangang sabihin ito out loud. In 2010, when I was a fellow at the 49th Silliman University Writers Workshop, I was subjected to unwanted sexual advances from a panelist via multiple text messages—which I’ve come to believe constitute sexual harassment. At the time, what I heard from peers was: “Pabayaan mo na ‘yan. Matanda na ‘yan.” I don’t blame the people who said that, because that was how we all coped with existing in the Philippine literary world at the time. But I was 22—and that senior citizen had no business repeatedly calling me “Snow White” and saying “I wish you were here. The boys are swimming tonight.” I no longer have these text messages, but I do resent that I still remember what some of them contained.
Thankfully, I’m generally fine. I am not suffering from PTSD, and I don’t do this to elicit sympathy. But that is also why I have an obligation to make this argument—so that others who are traumatized do not have to be re-triggered just to try and reason with our literary forebears. Because sure, I wasn’t traumatized, but it could have happened—and it has happened—and it could still happen to other people, who might not be fine.
So I think it should be said out loud that we should not minimize this problem. It is not a “peeve.” Sexual predation does not deserve to be lumped thoughtlessly with “bad parenting” in a list of poor behavior—especially given that the literary scene is hunting grounds for many influential and depraved figures. And we might as well use this Exploding Galaxies fiasco to talk about a problem that deserves more chatter than whether or not bad parents deserve a place in our bookshelves.
This is an opportunity for us to repeat—louder this time—that it is wrong for workshop panelists to try and sleep with fellows. It is wrong for teachers to try and sleep with students. And it is wrong to say nothing when you see it happening—or if you know it has happened in the past, and still choose to stay silent.
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