This research, titled “Utilizing Local Anthology in Fostering Literary Appreciation in Creative Writing,” addresses the disconnect between abstract literary theory and the cultural reality of Grade 12 HUMSS students at the University of Saint Anthony. Grounded in Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy and Cognitive Poetics Model of Literary Resonance and Theory of Aesthetic Textual Engagement, the study investigates how integrating Rinconada folktales, such as can serve as cognitive hooks to enhance student engagement. Using descriptive-developmental design, the study assessed baseline literary appreciation, developed a supplementary material using the available local anthology and measured its subsequent impact on students' literary appreciation in Creative Writing. The study’s findings revealed that: 1) Before the intervention, students had high technical scores but a moderate overall appreciation level, struggling most with personal connection, 2) Students from the study faced difficulties in critical engagement because their textbooks contained foreign settings which created cultural distance and restricted their creative expression, 3) Student scores reached the "High Appreciation" level after they utilized the local anthology which resulted in improvements across all assessment areas, and 4) The "PAMANA" material received a "Very Satisfactory" expert evaluation although validators found only minor typographical errors which required correction. Furthermore, the research concludes that: 1) Students show strong understanding of literary techniques but they fail to connect with texts that originate from different cultures, 2) The use of foreign materials requires students to spend their mental energy which prevents Bicolano learners from establishing connections while they try to develop their creative abilities, 3) Local anthologies remove cognitive barriers which enable students to concentrate on advanced writing skills instead of needing to understand new writing contexts, and 4) The developed material functions as a professional tool which maintains cultural authenticity while it connects technical skills to cultural understanding. Based on these results, the following recommendations are formulated: 1) Educators’ classroom instructions should be replaced with methods that help students develop personal connections to their studies, 2) Teachers should use local folktales and community stories as their main teaching materials because these resources will help students develop better writing skills and create deeper understanding of their local heritage, 3) Future researchers should use this study's framework to develop localized materials for other Humanities and Social sciences subjects, and 4) The Senior High School Department should integrate this approved supplementary material into their official curriculum for contextualized learning.