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Lakambini Sitoy

@bing_sitoy

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Creative writer, teacher and artist living in Denmark.
Blog: bingsitoy.blogspot.com

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girl math is if i’m saving up for months and then spending it solely for mibf as planned, it’s technically free right?

next splurge will be on my birthday lol this girl is maxed out but she’s happy with all the books she went home with! no sickness nor weather could ever stop her from being surrounded by books 📖

#bookhaul📚 #mibf #mibf2026

i found my new favorite tote bag gosh i couldn’t even put it on the floor it’s too gorgeous 😭

yes, that jack edwards interview with zendaya got to me lol

i also got this book because florence pugh is gonna be in the movie lol

i’ve been looking for bamboo girls for MONTHS and thank god ateneo de naga press is at mibf!!! 😭

i’m also excited for love if i’m pretty!! i love cute covers that ACTUALLY cover the dark story within its pages lol

fredrik backman is one of my dream authors to read his books but i wasn’t emotionally ready to cry yet

only got love between the lines because it’s a giveaway copy (which is now closed!)

but i finally got getting lucky by jacq parairo!! 😭 so bummed i missed her signing huhu

had to get malaya’s first issue at raygun’s booth because i wasn’t able to join the kickstarter campaign

also i’ve been eyeing cat cafeteria since the @talkbookishtomeph x @picofofficial book tour!!

thank you, @one.more.chap.ter for the pasabuy of locust girl and fish-hair woman!! 😭🫶🏻

also the kindness of birds was a last-minute impulse purchase because it is signed, and it’s the last book i need to complete my collection of merlinda’s works so this is really special to me. sad i missed the group book launch tho 😭

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Sharing my birthday gifts and hauls 🫣

As always, no birthday of mine is complete without books. Also my mom got me my first ever art book and it’s the gorgeous Witch hat atelier art book! Literally crying when I got it. Thank you so much to those who greeted me on my special day.

Special thanks to @poatic.library for helping me get my signed copies. I was supposed to have it signed on the day but duty calls.

I was not expecting the cake and flowers from my loving partner despite our long distance relationship. Nevertheless he always makes my day special. I love you so much! @el_nunal21

#bookhaul #birthdaygirl #bookaesthetic #bookcommunity #travelling_books

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IBBY World Congress 2026 Day 2!
Feeling blessed to be able to see the Hans Christian Anderson Awards be presented IRL! Congratulations to winners Michael Rosen and Cai Gao ✨ 🇬🇧🇨🇳
Congratulations also to @link_philippines for winning the IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award! 🇵🇭

#ibbyworldcongress2026 #ibby #kidlit #writerlife

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beach reads x ateneo press 💙

in case you missed it, select titles from our friends at @ateneopress are now in-store!

★ the quiet ones by glenn diaz
★ yñiga by glenn diaz
★ stray cats by irene sarmiento
★ the end comes on without a gasp (poems) by trish shishikura
★ factory of alleged virtues (poems) by alfonso manalastas
★ amigo warfare (poems) by eric gamalinda
★ love if i'm pretty by lakambini sitoy
★ memoirs of an art forger by julian tongson jr.

📍 grab your copies at 2/f @thebeachhousekapitolyo OR
📲 online @tbrshelf.kap

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i can’t believe i unearthed my one direction photo for this book review…but here we are

thank you @ateneopress for sending over a copy of a new filipino book release, “love if im pretty” by @bing_sitoy 👾

this was an unexpectedly thought-provoking, timely read that fills in the gap of literature for teenagers navigating online spaces in the philippines and beyond. at times, i was a bit thrown off by the pragmatic, highfalutin tone (teenagers don’t really talk like that) but on the whole, Sitoy treats her characters with compassion. they make mistakes, feel vulnerable, and want to belong somewhere—but really, who doesn’t?

my main concern is the lack of trigger warnings around such heavy topics. i would suggest they put the trigger warnings in a separate page at the end of the book, similar to some short story collections i’ve seen published recently. other than that, this is an incredibly helpful resource for teenagers and parents navigating a tumultuous developmental stage. thank you again to Ateneo Press! #booktokph #akdangpinoy #bookrecommendations #teenlit #bookrecs

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no fever can stop me from finally sharing my thoughts on Love If I’m Pretty by @bing_sitoy , published by Ateneo Press 🦋

first of all, sorry if i look a bit like a zombie 😭 i’ve been dealing with a fever and the past few days have been rough, but i really wanted to get this out.

i genuinely urge you to pick this book up. it’s such an important read!! the said friend i annoyed was @thisbookbelongstopam ! watch out for her review, too 🤩

this is my first time reading a Lakambini Sitoy book, and i already know i want to explore more of her work.

thank you again to ateneo press for sending this my way!

and to everyone, i hope you had a great week and that you have an even better weekend 🧚

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Ang “Love If I’m Pretty” ni Lakambini Sitoy na inilimbag ng Bughaw, literary imprint ng Ateneo de Manila University Press ay tungkol sa isang 14 years old na si Lia, nagluluksa pa sa pagkamatay ng kaniyang ina, nang lumipat sila ng kaniyang ama sa isang coastal town sa Pilipinas. Malayo sa kinagisnang buhay, kailangan niyang makibagay sa bagong paaralan, kung saan niya makikilala si Charlie. Ang taong magbibigay sa kaniya ng katanungan para sa puso at sarili. Naka-set sa panahong nagre-recover ang Pilipinas matapos ang mahabang lockdown gawa ng COVID-19.

Labas sa isinulat sa taas, mayroong aspekto rin ang nobela ng pagkukuwento sa danas ng kabataang may RP (role play) account sa isang fictional game na “Rescue”. Integral ang gampanin nito sa kuwento.

I really love the cover. Unang-una pa lang, na-curious na ako sa pag-depict ng character na may RP account. Trend kasi ito sa mga kabataan, ’yung pagkakaroon ng digital identity na malayo sa kanilang totoong buhay. You can be who you want to be. Hindi naman ako binigo ni Sitoy sa pagbabasa ko ng nobela. Sa pagkilala kay Lia, na masasabi kong may mga pagkakataon na abot-abot ang irita ko sa kaniya. Pero may espasyo pa rin sa pag-intindi, dahil dumaan din naman ako sa ganoong phase ng buhay.

Nang matapos ko basahin, nakuha ko ang kahalagahan ng ganitong panitikan sa kasalukuyan, parang gusto kong ipabasa ang aklat sa mga kakilala ko. Dahil yun ang role ng aklat. Ang kuwento ng nobela ay hindi lang to make you feel good, but to make you aware. I even recall the work of Steno Padilla, ’yung Ang Lihim sa Tore ng Sinagtala. Magkaiba sila pero may iisa silang kuwentong inihayag sa mambabasa. Iyong kuwento na ’yon ang dahilan kumbakit gusto kong mabasa ito ng marami.

All in all. Medyo foreign ang dating ng nobela kahit naka-set sa Pilipinas. Pero na-overcome ’yun for me ng goal ng aklat. Mahalaga itong mabasa ng mga Lia at Charlie sa buhay natin. Maraming salamat sa Ateneo Press sa pagkakataon na mabasa ko ang nobelang ito! <3 ;)

Kung interesado kayong mabasa ang aklat, available na ito sa lahat ng online shopping channels ng Ateneo de Manila University Press for 500 pesos.

#bookrecommendations
#bookreviews

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Lakambini Sitoy (@bing_sitoy )—award-winning writer and longtime voice in Philippine literature, reflects on literary competitions in the age of AI.

With quiet humor and humility, she revisits her own wins—what it means to be recognized, and what it really means to keep writing especially in the legacy of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature.

In collaboration with the Dumaguete Literary Festival 2026 (@dumalitfest ).

Watch her full video feature also known as Ilhanay, in one of our pinned posts.

—

FRMT Team

Story Producer: Timi Burbano (@timiburbano )

Multimedia Producer: Franz Acaylar (@frannzoned )

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The world has no shortage of inspiring women, and the same can be said for Philippine literature. As we close women’s month, we’re putting the spotlight on complex and flawed women, strong-willed and resilient women, women who know their own minds, women who are finding their way on their own terms. They may be fictional, but their stories mirror the experiences and struggles of their real-life counterparts. There is much we can learn from them—lessons we can bring with us throughout our lives. Here are 10 fictional women (and girls) to inspire you!

𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵! 💜🌸

📚Books mentioned:
Titser ni Liwayway Arceo
Tiempo Muerto by Caroline Hau
The Age of Umbrage by Jessica Zafra
The House by the Beach by Marichelle Roque-Lutz
Yñiga by Glenn Diaz
Broken Islands by Criselda Yabes
Ang Babaing Iyon ni Efren Abueg
Stray Cats: A Novel by Irene Sarmiento
My Lola’s Love Letters by Ines Bautista-Yao
Love If I’m Pretty by Lakambini Sitoy

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Lakambini Sitoy (@bing_sitoy ) writes from fragments—an image, a line, a passing scene—slowly shaped into stories through time and thought.

A writer, visual artist, and an educator; her work moves across themes of feminism, environment, and identity, returning to them in cycles. For Sitoy, the process never really stops—it lives in daydreams, in stillness, in the spaces before the words arrive.

This is the first feature for Ilhanay, a docu-series on some of Dumaguete’s literary pillars; in partnership with the Dumaguete Literary Festival (@dumalitfest )

—
FRMT Team

Story Producer: Timi Burbano (@timiburbano )

Multimedia Producer: Franz Acaylar (@frannzoned )

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𝗛𝗢𝗧 𝗢𝗙𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦❗

𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗜𝗳 𝗜'𝗺 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁𝘆
by Lakambini Sitoy

📚 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸:
Lia, fourteen years old and mourning the death of her mother, is stuck in a coastal town, where life goes on amid a pandemic. Her classmate Charlie is strangely different. Lia stalks him, then befriends him. Soon she must choose between him and Shadow, her online boyfriend from a role-play game. But is Charlie really the beautiful boy Lia imagines him to be?

Lia must navigate the world of the game, the cruelty of school, her difficult relationship with her father and the puzzling, conflicting memories of her mother.

Love If I’m Pretty’s themes include gender identity, bullying, online presence and emerging sexuality.

🛍𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲:
𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗲: https://go.ateneo.net/LoveIfImPrettySHOP
𝗟𝗮𝘇𝗮𝗱𝗮: https://go.ateneo.net/LoveIfImPrettyLAZ

📍Also available at the Ateneo Press Bookshop in Bellarmine Hall, Ateneo de Manila University.

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𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗦𝗢𝗢𝗡 from Bughaw, an imprint of the Ateneo de Manila University Press

Lia, fourteen years old and mourning the death of her mother, is stuck in a coastal town, where life goes on amid a pandemic. Her classmate Charlie is strangely different. Lia stalks him, then befriends him. Soon she must choose between him and Shadow, her online boyfriend from a role-play game. But is Charlie really the beautiful boy Lia imagines him to be? Lia must navigate the world of the game, the cruelty of school, her difficult relationship with her father and the puzzling, conflicting memories of her mother.

𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗜𝗳 𝗜'𝗺 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁𝘆 includes themes of gender identity, bullying, online presence and emerging sexuality.

Cover design and artwork by Pie Tiausas (@pietiau).

Out this March.

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