Arnold Subastil is an award-winning author and professional web developer whose work bridges storytelling, faith, and technology. In 2025, he received the Lampara Prize for Young Adult Category (Grand Prize), marking a milestone in his writing journey. By day, he builds digital systems and leads development teams; by night (and sometimes in stolen moments between commits), he writes fiction, posts essays, and shares reflections on life, hope, and faith.

Born and raised in Parañaque, Arnold grew up listening to bedtime stories from his mother, an early influence that would spark his love for narrative. Over time, that quiet spark grew into a steady flame: he began publishing short stories, motivational essays, and novels—both in English and Filipino—on platforms such as his own website and through self-publishing. 

While his fiction sometimes delves into darkness (as in Among Five Sinners), Arnold frames his creative mission around hope. He often explores themes of faith, humanity, guilt, redemption, and the fragile balance between light and shadow. His works range from Christian horror to speculative myth-tech blends (e.g. Clickbalang, which reimagines Filipino folklore in the era of social media)  to emotional stories dealing with mental health and belief (e.g. The Case of Wallace).

Technical Life & Teaching

Arnold’s storytelling craft is matched by his technical expertise. He holds a degree from PUP Taguig (Class of 2013) and has contributed significantly to academic and tech communities as a speaker and instructor. In his career:

• He started as a System QA / Data Analyst before shifting to web development roles.

• He taught part-time at PUP Taguig (2014–2016), handling foundational classes in programming and information technology.

• He has served as a Senior Web Developer at companies such as Forthmedia Interactive Development and Café24 Philippines.

• His technical skillset includes PHP (especially Laravel), JavaScript frameworks, Go, Python, and database systems like MySQL, Postgres, MongoDB, and more.

• He also shares knowledge through technical blogs, tutorials, and project-based teaching—especially on Medium and via personal channels.

Arnold’s dual life—tech by trade, writer by heart—gives him a unique voice. He’s able to move fluently between code and poetry, logic and metaphor, algorithms and allegory.

Personality, Values & Voice

• Authenticity over façade: Arnold prefers to use his real name rather than a pen name, believing in showing up with all his strengths and flaws.

• Advocacy of hope: Even in darker stories, his anchor is hope—he hopes readers walk away with something real: a tear, a laugh, a spark.

• Community & giving back: He frequently gives tutorials, accepts project-based work, and writes technical and motivational content as a way of sharing what he’s learned.

• Curiosity across domains: Whether it’s theology, folklore, programming, or human psychology, Arnold weaves diverse threads into his writing and work.