About “The Rocking Horse”
“The Rocking Horse” is a collaboration of two of the best artistic and literary talents of the country -- Elmer Borlongan and Becky Bravo. It is the result of a unique creative process.

It all started with Elmer Borlongan's "The Rocking Horse." This painting was used as the inspiration in a widely publicized children's storywriting contest that received over 80 entries from Filipinos all over the world. This maiden competition, now renamed the Romeo Forbes Children's Storywriting Competition, was won by multiple Palanca Award winner Becky Bravo. Her winning story was, in turn, fully illustrated by Elmer Borlongan.

All of Elmer's paintings were showcased as a major solo exhibition in June 2006. The book will be co-published by CANVAS and UST Publishing House and will be launched in early October 2006. Proceeds from the sale of the artworks and books will be used to support the annual storywriting competition and other CANVAS initiatives to promote broader awareness, appreciation for, and access to Philippine art, culture and environment.

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If you would like to purchase a copy of The Rocking Horse, please email us at info@canvas.ph.

About Elmer Borlongan
Elmer Borlongan began his drawing and painting lessons under the inspired tutelage of Fernando Sena at the early age of 11. He took art courses at U.P. Diliman College of Fine Arts as a painting major, and won numerous awards in various painting competitions.

He is included in the roster of the prestigious Thirteen Artist Awards (1994), and has represented the Philippines in various international art festivals. He was an Artist-in-Residence in ARCUS Ibaraki, Japan (1996). His works are in the collections of the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum and the Singapore Art Museum. He currently resides with his artist-wife Plet C. Bolipata in San Antonio, Zambales.

About Becky Bravo
Becky Bravo's first foray into the children's fiction genre began in 1996 during a short-lived attempt at a Masteral degree in Creative Writing. One of the first classes she took was an undergraduate course in children's fiction, and it was for this class that she wrote her first actual children's story entitled "Fetch". On her first crack at joining the Palanca Memorial Awards in 1997, "Fetch" came away with the 2nd Prize for Children's Fiction in English.

She has participated in the contest every year since then, winning 1st Prize in 2000 for "Fish for Two", and another in 2004 for "The Cat Painter", both of which were later published as picture books.

She became a member of KUTING in 2004.