PARADOXICAL

Resty S. Odon is a freelance writer who used to be based in Metro Manila, but currently resides in Bayambang, Pangasinan.

Born in 1970 in Pandacan, Manila, he grew up in the big city until his family moved to Bayambang, Pangasinan, where his father hailed from, when it was time for him to go to school. He attended Bayambang Central School (kinder and grade school) and Pangasinan State University Laboratory High School, and he finished B.S. Biology from the University of the Philippines-College Baguio (now UP Baguio) as a Department of Science and Technology (DOST) scholar.

After graduation, he worked chiefly as a writer in various capacities in Manila’s 'knowledge process outsourcing' (KPO) industry. He started as an indexer and abstractor for a humanities database project in Innodata Philippines, engineering and psychology database projects at Asec Philippines, and chemical industry database project in Data Gateway Philippines. Then he became a coder and document titlist for a legal database project in Quorum Litigation Services Philippines, Inc. (later renamed Legal Data Services Inc.). He also tried his hand on medical indexing in Asec Information Technology Inc. For several years, he also worked, on and off, as an online English instructor for Smarthinking.com. In Innodata-Isogen (EMCI), he became a copy-editor for an American medical website and, later, news digest writer for an Australian nursing website. He also worked briefly as a scientific editor for a British-owned, Hong Kong-based editorial services firm KGSupport. He then became an online medical copy-editor for MIMS Philippines.

In 1997, on the side, he tried writing essays for publication and eventually broke into magazine and newspaper feature writing. Soon, he became a freelance magazine contributor, staff writer, and editor. These prior work experiences all seem unrelated, but they each had an impact on his writing. His writings on wide-ranging subjects have appeared in various sections of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, including Sunday Inquirer Magazine. In the People at Work section, he contributed dozens of short think pieces about life in the workplace. He also had articles published in Philippine Star, Fudge magazine (Manila Bulletin), and Manila Times. In asianTraveler magazine, he rose to become an editor from being a proofreader and frequent contributor.

As a content writer online (blogger), he has contributed articles in a diverse range of independent media entities. Eventually, he came out with a book (more precisely, a compilation of essays) accessible online, “Being Filipino This Side of Town,” which explores a favorite subject, the puzzle of Filipino identity.

In 2016, he was hired as a writer by the Local Government Unit of Bayambang, Pangasinan through then Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao and was designated as Public Information Officer (PIO). As PIO, he was responsible for creating engaging content for the official Facebook page of the municipality, Balon Bayambang, and the official monthly newsletter of the same title, on top of managing the Public Information Office of the LGU. His team also periodically produces annual reports and other special publications, including books about the town's history and culture. Among the books he wrote for and helped edit are Subol na Pananisia, which is about the local parish church's history; Say Nanlapuan, the town's detailed cultural-historical profile, an output of a local culture-mapping project; and Santuario de San Vicente Ferrer: The Journey, a book detailing the arduous journey of getting the local parish church officially declared as an archdiocesan shrine.   

In 2024, his essay on his hometown's fish-grilling tradition won the third prize in the prestigious Doreen G. Fernandez Food Writing Award, a competition for all writers of Filipino descent from all over the world. 

In 2025, he was invited as guest columnist by Northern Times, Pangasinan province's newspaper with the biggest circulation.

Apart from overseeing the documentation of LGU accomplishments from day to day, his most recent endeavors are heavily focused on overlooked topics, including his personal experience in public service, as well as the history and traditional culture of his hometown.

posted by Resty Odon  # 5:20 PM