Jose Monfred C. Sy is an assistant professor at the Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature, University of the Philippines Diliman. He is also currently a doctoral student at the Department of Comparative Literature, the University of Hong Kong. He is the author of the children’s books Lola Buena’s Garden of Miracles (Chikiting Books, 2019), Si Laleng at ang Lakbay-paaralan (Adarna House, 2020), Ang Sirenang Takot Malunod (Chikiting Books, 2021), Kakatok-katok sa Bahay ni Benok (CANVAS, 2021), Mga Tagapagtanggol ng Lupang Ninuno (Adarna House, 2024), Gusto Ko ng Sigbin! (Brille Petit, 2025), and Ang Natatanging Ngaratngat: Ang Buhay ni Leonardo Co, Siyentista ng Bayan (UP College of Science, 2026). With Sophia Flor Perez, he translated Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White as Ang Sapot ni Charlotte (Southern Voices Printing Press, 2023). His works have received honors from the Romeo Forbes Story Writing Competition, the National Children’s Book Awards, and The Severino Reyes Medal.
His research on children’s literature appears in Plants in Children’s and Young Adult Literature (Routledge, 2022), Martial Law @50 (IBON Foundation, 2022), Bata, Hiwaga, Bansa (University of the Philippines Press, 2023), Indigenous Media and Popular Culture in the Philippines (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024), and Children’s Literature in Place (Routledge, 2024). He is also a co-editor of the books Suring Supling (Sentro ng Wikang Filipino, 2022), Mula Palengke Patungong Paaralan (IBON Foundation, 2024), Reimagining Development in Southeast Asia (Springer, 2025), and Decolonizing Comparative Literature (Springer, 2025). He is a member of the Congress of Teachers/Educators for Nationalism and Democracy (CONTEND), Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines, and Network for Philippine Studies in Hong Kong (NePS-HK).