FRANCISCO BALAGTAS BIOGRAPHY

Francisco Balagtas (born Francisco Baltazar y de la Cruz; April 2, 1788 – February 20, 1862),
also known as Francisco Baltazar, was a prominent Filipino poet, and is widely considered one
of the greatest Filipino literary laureates for his impact on Filipino literature. The famous
epic Florante at Laura is regarded as his defining work.
The surname "Baltazar", sometimes misconstrued as a pen name, was a legal surname Balagtas
adopted after the 1849 edict of Governor-General Narciso Claveria y Zaldua, which mandated
that the native population adopt standard Spanish surnames instead of native ones. His mentor
was José de la Cruz, otherwise known as Joseng Sisiw.
Baltazar is also known for writing his poems in Tagalog instead of Spanish to show resistance to
Spanish rule.
Baltazar is also known for writing his poems in Tagalog instead of Spanish to show resistance to
Spanish rule.

EARLY LIFE
Francisco Balagtas was born on April 2, 1788, in Barrio Panginay,
Balagtas Bulacan, formerly Bigaa. He was the youngest of the four
children of Juan Balagtas , a blacksmith, and Juana de la Cruz. He
was baptized on April 30 that same year. He studied Canon Law,
Philosophy, Latin and the Classics in Colegio San Juan de Letran
and Colegio de San Jose. He finished school in 1812.

Francisco Balagtas, was a prominent Filipino poet and author; he was recognized as the “Prince of
Tagalog Poets” and was bestowed as an equal to William Shakespeare for his contribution and
influence on Philippine literature. The famous 19th century epic romance, Florante at Laura, is was
his most defining work.
Two years after he met Juana Tiambeng of Orion, Bataan, they were married (July 22, 1842)
Together, they had eleven children—five boys and six girls. However, only seven of them would live.

In 1849, Governor-General Narciso Claveria ordered that every Filipino native adopt a Spanish
surname. Balagtas then became known as Francisco Baltazar. Balagtas became imprisoned for the
second time in 1856 when a housemaid’s complaint publicized that he had cut her hair. He was
freed in 1860 and resumed his poetry writing.

Balagtas died on February 20, 1862 at the age of 74. His last wish was that none of his children
follow in his footsteps and become for fear that they would go through the same hardships that he
did. He even went as far as to tell them it would be better to cut their hands off than let them be
writers.
SEVERINO R. REYES BIOGRAPHY
Reyes wrote 26 zarzuelas and 22 dramas in his career. He is known as the "Father of Tagalog
Plays" and as the "Father of the Tagalog Zarzuela".

Reyes helped found the Liwayway magazine in 1922, and is recognized for pioneering the
Tagalog literary renascence during his lifetime. His stories under the pen name Lola
Basyang were the magazine's most widely read feature.

Severino Reyes (February 11, 1861 – September

15, 1942) was a Filipino writer, playwright, and
director of plays. He used the pen name Lola
Basyang. He was nicknamed "Don Binoy".

Reyes married his childhood friend Maria Paz Puato, and they had 17 children.

He spoke both Tagalog and Spanish, and understood Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and various
Philippine dialects.

Severino Reyes is very well-known and respected for his literary talents. In fact, for many, he is
known as the Father of Filipino Plays.
While he is credited with writing several different types of literature, there are certain pieces of
writing that are most memorable. One of these pieces of literature includes the play "No
Wounds," which focused on the Philippine Revolution and the trials, tribulations and the
bravery of the Filipino revolutionary army.
During the Japanese occupation, he suffered from heart disease and was confined for a time in a
hospital. He died on September 15, 1942.
DR. RICARDO G. ABAD BIOGRAPHY
Ricardo Abad completed his doctorate in sociology at Fordham University, New York, in 1975 on a
Fulbright-Hays grant, and soon after came to teach at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology,
Ateneo de Manila University and to work as a Research Associate, two years later as Director, of the
Institute of Philippine Culture (IPC).

Ricardo Abad is Professor Emeritus and Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology as well
as Founding Director and faculty member of Department of Fine Arts (formerly the Fine Arts Program),
Ateneo de Manila University. He obtained his doctorate in Sociology from Fordham University, and soon
after returning to the Philippines, launched a second career in the theater becoming, in 1984, Artistic
Director of Tanghalang Ateneo, a post he held until 2014. He was also President of the Philippine
Sociological Society, Editor of the Philippine Sociological Review, Director of the Institute of Philippine
Culture, and Chair of the School Forum, a Senior Fellow and former Board Member of the Social
Weather Stations, and currently Vice-President of the Asia-Pacific Bureau of Theater Schools and
Treasurer of the Asian Shakespeare Association.

Born in Manila on August 10, 1946

Actor and director in over 120 productions while

at the same time doing sociological work as
teacher, researcher, and editor.

SALVADOR F. BERNAL BIOGRAPHY

Salvador Floro Bernal (January 7, 1945 – October 26, 2011) was an artist from the Philippines.
Bernal's career began in 1969. His output included over 300 productions in art, film and music, and
earned him the award of National Artist for Theater and Design in 2003. He earned a philosophy degree
in 1966 from the Ateneo de Manila University where he would later teach literature and stage design.

Bernal organized the Philippine

Association of Theatre Designers
and Technicians (Patdat) in 1995,
through which he introduced
Philippine theater design to the
world