The Canonical Authors and works of Philippine National Artists in Literature.

Cirilo F. Bautista

Bautista was born in Manila on July 9, 1941 and spent his childhood in Balic-Balic, Sampaloc.
He is a Filipino poet, fictionist, critic and writer of nonfiction. He was conferred with the
National Artist of the Philippines award in 2014. He is an adopted Son of Iligan City, 1997, by
virtue of Executive Order #98 signed by Mayor Alejo Yanes, for his contribution “in the
development of creative writing in Mindanao, for serving as a role model among young writers,
as well as his tireless promotion of Iligan City as a center for literary arts in the Philippines.”
Bautista was instrumental in the founding of the Iligan Writers Workshop and was its primary
mover in attracting young writers to congregate in Mindanao and learn the craft of writing. His
works include Boneyard Breaking, Sugat ng Salita, The Archipelago, Telex Moon, Summer
Suns, Charts, The Cave and Other Poems, Kirot ng Kataga, and Bullets and Roses: The Poetry of
Amado V. Hernandez. His novel Galaw ng Asoge was published by the University of Santo
Tomas Press in 2004. His latest book, Believe and Betray: New and Collected Poems, appeared
in 2006, published by De La Salle University Press. - His poems have appeared in major literary
journals, papers, and magazines in the Philippines and in anthologies published in the United
States, Japan, the Netherlands, China, Romania, Hong Kong, Germany and Malaysia.

Lazaro A. Francisco

Francisco developed the social realist tradition in Philippine fiction. His eleven novels, now
acknowledged classics of Philippine literature, embodies the author’s commitment to
nationalism. Francisco gained prominence as a writer not only for his social conscience but also
for his “masterful handling of the Tagalog language” and “supple prose style”. With his literary
output in Tagalog, he contributed to the enrichment of the Filipino language and literature for
which he is a staunch advocate. He put up an arm to his advocacy of Tagalog as a national
language by establishing the Kapatiran ng mga Alagad ng Wikang Pilipino (KAWIKA) in 1958.
His masterpiece novels—Ama, Bayang Nagpatiwakal, Maganda Pa Ang Daigdig and Daluyong
— affirm his eminent place in Philippine literature.

Bienvenido Lumbera

is a Filipino poet, critic and dramatist. Bienvenido Lumbera was proclaimed National Artist in
April 2006. - At the height of Martial Law, Lumbera had taken on other creative projects. He
began writing librettos for musical theater. Initially, the Philippine Educational Theater
Association (PETA) requested him to create a musical based on Carlos Bulosan’s America Is in
the Heart. Eventually, Lumbera created several highly acclaimed musical dramas such as Tales of
the Manuvu; Rama, Hari; Nasa Puso ang Amerika; Bayani; Noli me Tangere: The Musical; and
Hibik at Himagsik Nina Victoria Laktaw. Sa Sariling Bayan: Apat na Dulang May Musika, an
anthology of Lumbera's musical dramas, was published by De La Salle University-Manila Press
in 2004. Lumbera authored numerous books, anthologies and textbooks such as: Revaluation;
Pedagogy; Philippine Literature: A History and Anthology; Rediscovery: Essays in Philippine
Life and Culture; Filipinos Writing: Philippine Literature from the Regions; and Paano Magbasa
ng Panitikang Filipino: Mga Babasahing Pangkolehiyo.

Alejandro Reyes Roces

was a Filipino author, essayist, dramatist and a National Artist of the Philippines for literature.
He served as Secretary of Education from 1961 to 1965, during the term of Philippine President
Diosdado Macapagal. - During his freshman year in the University of Arizona, Roces won Best
Short Story for We Filipinos are Mild Drinkers. Another of his stories, My Brother’s Peculiar
Chicken, was listed as Martha Foley’s Best American Stories among the most distinctive for
years 1948 and 1951. Roces did not only focus on short stories alone, as he also published books
such as Of Cocks and Kites (1959), Fiesta (1980), and Something to Crow About (2005). Of
Cocks and Kites earned him the reputation as the country's best writer of humorous stories. It
also contained the widely anthologized piece “My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken”. Fiesta, is a book
of essays, featuring folk festivals such as Ermita's Bota Flores, Aklan's Ati-atihan, and Naga's
Peñafrancia. - Something to Crow About, on the other hand, is a collection of Roces’ short
stories. The book has been recently brought to life by a critically acclaimed play of the same
title; the staged version of Something to Crow About is the first Filipino zarzuela in English.
This modern zarzuela tells the story of a poor cockfighter named Kiko who, to his wife's chagrin,
pays more attention to the roosters than to her. Later in the story, a conflict ensues between
Kiko’s brother Leandro and Golem, the son of a wealthy and powerful man, over the affections
of a beautiful woman named Luningning. The resolution? A cockfight, of course. Something to
Crow About won the Aliw Award for Best Musical and Best Director for a Musical Production. It
also had a run off-Broadway at the La Mama Theater in New York.

Virgilio S. Almario

(born March 9, 1944) better known by his pen name, RIO ALMA, is a Filipino artist, he is a poet, critic,
translator, editor, teacher, and cultural manager. Here are some of his Notable Poetry Collections:

a. Palipad-Hangin. (1985)
b. Sentimental. (2004)
c. Memo Mulang Gimokudan. (2005)
d. Dust Devils. (2005)
e. Tatlong Pasyon sa Ating Panahon, poems for children with illustrations by Mark Justiniani, Neil
Doloricon, Ferdinand Doctolero. (2006)
f. Buwan, Buwang, Bulawan. (2009)