ESMERALDA CADO ALBIS is a poet, national awardee playwright, social activist, servant leader, theater actress and director. She received her AB Literature Degree from Ateneo de Naga University. She attended the Casa Bayanihan Program of University of San Francisco at Ateneo de Manila University which intensified her compassion on the margins. She acted in and later directed the restaging of Mga Aninipot sa Tahaw kan Salog. Moreover, she also directed three other musical plays entitled “Ang Pambihirang Sombrero,” “Ang Alamat ni Daragang Magayon”, and her first written play – “Mga Agi-agi kan Tulong Salampati” . She also directed other drama Bicol plays entitled “Dormitorio” and “Krosing”. She co-founded Tumatarok Theater Company and has produced the short film “Papa Enciong – The Life and Heroic Acts of Former Mayor Simplicio Cadores during the Japanese Occupation in Minalabac, Camarines Sur. In 2023, she was selected as a fellow for the 7th Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio Writers Workshop of the UP-ICW LIKHAAN for her play, The Convalescence of a Priestess. This work, its Filipino version entitled Ang Pagbuo ng Baliana, subsequently earned her the Grand Prize in the Playwriting Category at the 2024 DTI Young Creatives Challenge Season 1. That same year, she also received the 2024 Outstanding Minalabacueña Award from her hometown for her national contributions to the arts.
In addition to her creative work, she serves as a Digital Marketing Manager with nearly seven years of experience in social media and marketing operations.