AMADO V.

HERNANDEZ

Born September 13, 1903

Hagonoy, Bulacan, Philippines
Died March 24, 1970 (aged 66)
Spouse(s) Atang de la Rama
Amado Vera Hernandez, commonly known as Amado V. Hernandez (September 13, 1903–March 24, 1970), was a Filipino
writer and labor leader who was known for his criticism of social injustices in the Philippines and was later imprisoned for his
involvement in the communist movement. He was the central figure in a landmark legal case that took 13 years to settle.
He was born in Hagonoy, Bulacan but grew up in Tondo, Manila, where he studied at the Gagalangin, Tondo, the Manila
High School and at the American Correspondence School.
Writer
While still a teenager, he began writing in Tagalog for the newspaper Watawat (Flag). He would later write a column for the
Tagalog publication Pagkakaisa (Unity) and become editor of Mabuhay (Long Live).
His writings gained the attention of Tagalog literati and some of his stories and poems were included in anthologies, such as
Clodualdo del Mundo's Parolang Ginto and Alejandro Abadilla's Talaang Bughaw.
In 1922, at the age of 19, Hernandez became a member of the literary society Aklatang Bayan which included noted
Tagalog writers Lope K. Santos and Jose Corazon de Jesus.
In 1932, he married the Filipino actress Atang de la Rama. Both of them would later be recognized as National Artists:
Hernandez for Literature, de la Rama for Theater, Dance and Music.
Works
Novels
His socio-political novels were based on his experiences as a guerrilla, as a labor leader and as a political detainee.
 Mga Ibong Mandaragit (Birds of Prey),1969
 Luha Ng Buwaya (Crocodile's Tears), 1972

Poems
 Isang Dipang Langit  Bayang Pilipinas  Inang Wika
 Panata sa Kalayaan  Ang Taong kapos  Ang Tao
 Ang Mga Kayamanan ng Tao  Bayani  Pamana
 Ang Dalaw  Sa Batang Walang Bagong  Ang Aklasan
 Bartolina Damit
 Kung Tuyo Na ang Luha Mo  Isang Sining ng Pagbigkas
Aking Bayan  Ang Panday

Essays
 Si Atang at ang Dulaan (Atang and the Theater)
 Si Jose Corazon de Jesus at ang Ating Panulaan (Jose Corazon de Jesus and Our Poetry)

JOSE GARCIA VILLA

August 5, 1908
Born
Singalong, Manila, Philippine Islands
February 7, 1997 (aged 88)
Died
New York City, New York, United States
Pen name Doveglion
Occupation Poet, critic, lecturer
Language English
Nationality Filipino
Literary movement Modernism, Surrealism
Notable works The Anchored Angel, The Emperor's New Sonnet, Footnote to Youth
Philippine National Artist, Academy Award for Literature, Guggenheim Fellowship, UP Golden Jubilee Literary Contests,
Notable awards
Pro Patria Award, Heritage Award

Literature
portal
Jose Garcia Villa (August 5, 1908 – February 7, 1997) was a Filipino poet, literary critic, short story writer, and painter. He was
awarded the National Artist of the Philippines title for literature in 1973,[1] as well as the Guggenheim Fellowship in creative writing
by Conrad Aiken.[2] He is known to have introduced the "reversed consonance rhyme scheme" in writing poetry, as well as the
extensive use of punctuation marks—especially commas, which made him known as the Comma Poet.[3] He used the penname
Doveglion (derived from "Dove, Eagle, Lion"), based on the characters he derived from himself. These animals were also explored by
another poet E. E. Cummings in Doveglion, Adventures in Value, a poem dedicated to Villa.[1]

NICK JOAQUIN

Joaquin on a 2010 stamp of the Philippines

Nicomedes Márquez Joaquín
Born May 4, 1917
Manila, Philippine Islands
April 29, 2004 (aged 86)
Died
San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines
Occupation Novelist
Nicomedes Márquez Joaquín (May 4, 1917 – April 29, 2004) was a Filipino writer, historian and journalist, best known for his short
stories and novels in the English language. He also wrote using the pen name Quijano de Manila. Joaquín was conferred the rank
and title of National Artist of the Philippines for Literature.
He is considered[by whom?] one of the most important Filipino writers in English, and the third most important overall, after José Rizal
and Claro M. Recto.
Adaptations
Tatarin (2001), a movie based on Joaquín’s short story "The Summer Solstice", was directed by Amable “Tikoy” Aguiluz. The
screenplay was written by Ricardo Lee. Joaquín was consulted on the film. The cast included notable Filipino actors Edu Manzano (as
Paeng Moreta,) Dina Bonnevie (Lupe Moreta), Rica Peralejo (Amada), and Raymond B. Bagatsing.
Works
May Day Eve (1947) Gloria Diaz & Other Delineations The Quartet of the Tiger Moon:
Prose and Poems (1952) (1977) Scenes from the People Power
The Woman Who had Two Navels Doveglion & Other Cameos (1977) Apocalypse (1986)
(1961) Language of the Streets and Other Collected Verse (1987)
La Naval de Manila and Other Essays Essays (1977) Culture and History: Occasional Notes
(1964) Manila: Sin City and Other Chronicles on the Process of Philippine Becoming
A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino (1977) (1988)
(1966) Pop Stories for Groovy Kids (1979) Manila, My Manila: A History for the
Tropical Gothic (1972) Reportage on the Marcoses (1979) Young (1990),
A Question of Heroes (1977) Language of the Street and Other The D.M. Guevara Story (1993),
Joseph Estrada and Other Sketches Essays (1980) Mr. F.E.U., the Culture Hero That Was
(1977) The Ballad of the Five Battles (1981) Nicanor Reyes (1995).
Nora Aunor & Other Profiles (1977) Reportage on Politics (1981) Rizal in Saga (1996)
Ronnie Poe & Other Silhouettes (1977) Tropical Baroque (1982) ABE: A Frank Sketch of E. Aguilar Cruz
Reportage on Lovers (1977) The Aquinos of Tarlac: An Essay on (2004)
Reportage on Crime (1977) History as Three Generations (1983)
Amalia Fuentes & Other Etchings Almanac for Manileños
(1977) Cave and Shadows (1983)

Awards
José García Villa's Honor Roll (1940) Ten Most Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines (TOYM),
Philippines Free Press Short Story Contest (1949) Awardee for Literature (1955)
Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Literary Awards (1957–1958; Tanglaw ng Lahi Award from the Ateneo de Manila University
1965; 1976) (1997)
Harper Publishing Company (New York, U.S.) writing Several ESSO Journalism awards, including the highly
fellowship covetedJournalist of the Year Award.
Stonehill Award for the Novel (1960) Several National Book Awards from the Manila Critics' Circle
Republic Cultural Heritage Award (1961) for The Aquinos of Tarlac: An Essay in History as Three
Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award from the City of Generations; The Quartet of the Tiger Moon: Scenes from the
Manila (1964) People Power Apocalypse; Culture and History: Occasional
National Artist Award (1976). Notes on the Process of Philippine Becoming; The World of
S.E.A. Write Award (1980) Damian Domingo: 19th Century Manila (co-authored with
Ramon Magsaysay Award for Literature (1996) Luciano P.R. Santiago); and Jaime Ongpin: The Enigma: The
Profile of a Filipino as Manager.
Famous lines
"Love should have no alternatives; love should be the sole reason for loving; love should spring of itself.”
“The point is not how we use a tool, but how it uses us.”
“If for us culture means museum and library and open house and art gallery, for them it meant the activities and amenities of
everyday life... The rift is... between "folk" culture, where the unschooled can be wise, and print culture, which enslaved the other
senses to the eye.”

CARLOS P. ROMULO

Carlos Peña Rómulo, QSC PLH (14 January 1899 – 15 December 1985) was a Filipino diplomat, statesman, soldier, journalist
and author. He was a reporter at 16, a newspaper editor by the age of 20, and a publisher at 32. He was a co-founder of the Boy
Scouts of the Philippines, a general in the US Army and the Philippine Army, university president, President of the UN General
Assembly, was eventually named one of the Philippines' National Artists in Literature, and was the recipient of many other honors
and honorary degrees. His hometown is Camiling, Tarlac and he studied at the Camiling Central Elementary School during his basic
education.

Death:He died, at 87, in Manila on 15 December 1985 and was buried in the Heroes’ Cemetery (Libingan ng mga Bayani). He was
honored as the Philippines’ greatest diplomat in the 20th Century. [citation needed][5] In 1980, he was extolled by United Nations
Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim as "Mr. United Nations" for his valuable services to the United Nations and his dedication to
freedom and world peace.′

Awards and Recognitions

 Gen. Romulo (3d from R), as President of the  Carlos P. Romulo statue UN Avenue.
United Nations General Assembly, talks with  Rómulo is perhaps among the most decorated
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
 Filipino in history, which includes 82 honorary degrees from different international institutions and universities and 74
decorations from foreign countries:

 Nobel Peace Prize nomination in 1952 "For his
contribution in international cooperation, in
particular on questions on undeveloped areas, and
as president for UN's 4th General Assembly"[6]
 Quezon Service Cross, April 17, 1951
 Philippine National Artist in Literature, 1982
 United States Presidential Medal of Freedom,
January 12, 1984
 Boy Scouts of America Silver Buffalo Award
 Distinguished Service Star of the Philippines
 Philippine Gold Cross
 Distinguished Conduct Star
 Purple Heart
 Presidential Unit-Citation with Two Oak Leaf Clusters
 Philippine Legion of Honor (Commander)
 Grand Cross of the Order of the Phoenix from the
Greek Government
 Grand Cross of the Order of Carlos Manuel do
Cespedes from the Republic of Cuba
 Pulitzer Prize in Correspondence, 1942
 World Government News First Annual Gold Nadal
Award (for work in the United Nations for peace and
world government), March 1947
 Princeton University- Woodrow Wilson Memorial
Foundation Gold Medal award ("in recognition Of his
contribution to public life"), May 1947
 International Benjamin Franklin Society's Gold Medal
(for “distinguished world statesmanship in 1947”),
January 1948
 Freeman of the City of Plymouth, England, October
1948
 United Nations Peace Medal
 World Peace Award
 Four Freedoms Peace Award
 Named in the 100 Most Prominent Rotarians in the
world
 Philippine Presidential Medal of Merit, July 3, 1949
 Hero of the Republic Award, 1984
 Member, Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity
 Co-founder, Boy Scouts of the Philippines
 Member, Pan Xenia International Professional
Foreign Trade Fraternity
Anecdotes from Beth Rómulo through Reader's Digest (June 1989)

At the third UN General Assembly, held in Paris in 1948, the USSR’s deputy foreign minister, Andrei Vishinsky, sneered at
Rómulo and challenged his credentials: “You are just a little man from a little country.” “It is the duty of the little Davids of this
world,” cried Rómulo, “to fling the pebbles of truth in the eyes of the blustering Goliaths and force them to behave!”

During his meeting with Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia, Marshal Tito welcomed Gen. Romulo with drinks and cigars, to which
the general kindly refused. Their conversation went as follows:

“ Tito: "Do you drink?"

Romulo: "No, I don't."
Tito: "Do you smoke?"
Romulo: "No, thank you."
Tito: "What do you do then?"
Romulo: "I etcetera." ”
At this, Marshal Tito was tickled by his reply and loudly exclaimed around the room, "I etcetera, etcetera, etcetera!"
Rómulo was a dapper little man (barely five feet four inches in shoes). When they waded in at Leyte beach in October 1944, and the
word went out that General MacArthur was waist deep, one of Romulo's journalist friends cabled, “If MacArthur was in water waist
deep, Rómulo must have drowned!”
In later years, Rómulo told another story himself about a meeting with MacArthur and other tall American generals who disparaged
his physical stature. "Gentlemen," he declared, "When you say something like that, you make me feel like a dime among nickels."
Books
Carlos P. Romulo at the Clark Air Base (1979)
 I Saw the Fall of The Philippines Pocket Books, Special Student Edition, SP-18,
 Mother America December 1957; biography of Ramon Magsaysay,
 My Brother Americans Pocket Books edition updated with an additional
 I See The Philippines Rise chapter on Magsaysay's death)
 The United  I Walked with Heroes (autobiography)
 Crusade in Asia (The John Day Company, 1955;  Last Man off Bataan (Romulo's experience during
about the 1953 presidential election campaign of the Japanese Plane bombings.)
Ramon Magsaysay)  The Filipino Flag Rises...Alone
 The Meaning of Bandung  Im a Filipino
 The Magsaysay Story (with Marvin M. Gray, The
John Day Company 1956, updated re-edition by

FRANCISCO ARCELLANA
Francisco "Franz"[1] Arcellana (September 6, 1916 – August 1, 2002) was a Filipino writer, poet, essayist, critic, journalist and
teacher. He was born on September 6, 1916. Arcellana already had ambitions of becoming a writer during his years in the
elementary. His actual writing, however, started when he became a member of The Torres Torch Organization during his high school
years. Arcellana Grande continued writing in various school papers at the University of the Philippines Diliman. He later on received
a Rocketfeller Granted and became a follower in creative writing the University of Iowa and Breadloaf's writers conference from
1956– 1957.[2][3]
He is considered an important progenitor of the modern Filipino short story in English. Arcellana pioneered the development of the
short story as a lyrical prose-poetic form within Filipino literature. His works are now often taught in tertiary-level-syllabi in the
Philippines. Many of his works were translated into Tagalog, Malaysian, Russian, Italian, and German. Arcellana won 2nd place in
1951 Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, with his short story, "The Flowers of May." 14 of his short stories were
also included in Jose Garcia Villa's Honor Roll from 1928 to 1939. His major achievements included the first award in art criticism
from the Art Association of the Philippines in 1954, the Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan award from the city government of Manila
in 1981, and the Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas for English fiction from the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipino (UMPIL) in
1988.
On April 2, 1989, the University of the Philippines conferred upon Arcellana a doctorate in humane letters, honoris causa. Francisco
Arcellana was proclaimed National Artist of the Philippines in Literature on 23, 1990 by then Philippine President Corazon C.
Aquino.[4]
In 2009, or seven years after his death, his family came out with a book to pay tribute to National Artist for Literature Arcellana. The
book entitled, "Franz," is a collection of essays gathered by the Arcellana family from colleagues, friends, students and family
members, including fellow National Artist Nick Joaquin, Butch Dalisay, Recah Trinidad, Jing Hidalgo, Gemino Abad, Romina Gonzalez,
Edwin Cordevilla, Divina Aromin, Doreen Yu, Danton Remoto, Jose Esteban Arcellana and others.[5]

Arcellana is buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

Arcellana died in 2002. As a National Artist, he received a state funeral at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
His grandson Liam Hertzsprung performed a piano concert in 2006 dedicated to him.
Arcellana's published books include:
Selected Stories (1962)
Poetry and Politics: The State of Original Writing in English in the Philippines Today (1977)
The Francisco Arcellana Sampler (1990).

N. V. M. GONZALEZ

September 8, 1915
Born
Romblon, Romblon, Philippine Islands
Died November 28, 1999 (aged 84)
Occupation Teacher, author, journalist, essayist
Language English
Nationality Filipino
Alma mater National University (Philippines) (dropped out)

Notable Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship, Palanca Memorial Award for Literature, City of Manila Medal of Honor,
awards Philippine National Artist

Néstor Vicente Madali González (September 8, 1915 – November 28, 1999) was a Filipino novelist, short story writer, essayist and
poet. Conferred as the National Artist of the Philippines for Literature in 1997.
Biography
He was born on 8 September 1915 in Romblon, Philippines.[1] González, however, was raised in Mansalay, a southern town of the
Philippine province of Oriental Mindoro. González was a son of a school supervisor and a teacher. As a teenager, he helped his
father by delivering meat door-to-door across provincial villages and municipalities. González was also a musician. He played the
violin and even made four guitars by hand. He earned his first peso by playing the violin during a Chinese funeral in Romblon.
González attended Mindoro High School (now Jose J. Leido Jr. Memorial National High School) from 1927 to 1930. González
attended college at National University (Manila) but he was unable to finish his undergraduate degree. While in Manila, González
wrote for the Philippine Graphic and later edited for the Evening News Magazine and Manila Chronicle. His first published essay
appeared in the Philippine Graphic and his first poem in Poetry in 1934. González made his mark in the Philippine writing community
as a member of the Board of Advisers of Likhaan: the University of the Philippines Creative Writing Center, founding editor of The
Diliman Review and as the first president of the Philippine Writers' Association. González attended creative writing classes under
Wallace Stegner and Katherine Anne Porter at Stanford University. In 1950, González returned to the Philippines and taught at the
University of Santo Tomas, the Philippine Women's University and the University of the Philippines (U.P.). At U.P., González was only
one of two faculty members accepted to teach in the university without holding a degree. On the basis of his literary publications
and distinctions, González later taught at the University of California, Santa Barbara, California State University, Hayward, the
University of Washington, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of California, Berkeley.

Gonzalez is buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

On 14 April 1987, the University of the Philippines conferred on N.V.M. González the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris
causa, "For his creative genius in shaping the Philippine short story and novel, and making a new clearing within the English idiom
and tradition on which he established an authentic vocabulary, ...For his insightful criticism by which he advanced the literary
tradition of the Filipino and enriched the vocation for all writers of the present generation...For his visions and auguries by which he
gave the Filipino sense and sensibility a profound and unmistakable script read and reread throughout the international community
of letters..."
N.V.M. González was proclaimed National Artist of the Philippines in 1997. He died on 28 November 1999 in Philippines at the age of
84. As a National Artist, Gonzalez was honored with a state funeral at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

Works

Gonzalez on a 2015 stamp of the Philippines

The works of Gonzalez have been published in Filipino, English, Chinese, German, Russian and Indonesian.
Novels
The Winds of April (1941)
A Season of Grace (1956)
The Bamboo Dancers (1988)
The Land And The Rain
The Happiest Boy in The World
Short fiction
"The Tomato Game".1992
A Grammar of Dreams and Other Stories. University of the Philippines Press, 1997
The Bread of Salt and Other Stories. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1993; University of the Philippines Press, 1993
Mindoro and Beyond: Twenty-one Stories. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 1981; New Day, 1989
Selected Stories. Denver, Colorado: Alan Swallow, 1964
Look, Stranger, on this Island Now. Manila: Benipayo, 1963
Children of the Ash-Covered Loam and Other Stories. Manila: Benipayo, 1954; Bookmark Filipino Literary Classic, 1992
Seven Hills Away. Denver, Colorado: Alan Swallow, 1947
Essays
A Novel of Justice: Selected Essays 1968–1994. Manila: National Commission for Culture and the Arts and Anvil (popular edition),
1996
Work on the Mountain (Includes The Father and the Maid, Essays on Filipino Life and Letters and Kalutang: A Filipino in the World),
University of the Philippines Press, 1996
Awards and prizes
Regents Professor at the University of California at Los Angeles, 1998–1999
Philippines Centennial Award for Literature, 1998
National Artist Award for Literature, 1997
Oriental Mindoro Sangguniang Panlalawigan Resolution "extending due recognition to Nestor V. M. González... the commendation
he well deserves..." 1996
City of Manila Diwa ng Lahi award "for his service and contribution to Philippine national Literature," 1996
City of Los Angeles resolution declaring October 11, 1996 "N.V.M. González Day, 1996
The Asian Catholic Publishers Award, 1993
The Filipino Community of California Proclamation "honoring N.V.M. González for seventy-eight years of achievements," 1993
Ninoy Aquino Movement for Social and Economic Reconstruction through Volunteer Service award, 1991
City and County of San Francisco proclamation of March 7, 1990 "Professor N.V.M. González Day in San Francisco," 1990
Cultural Center of the Philippines award, Gawad Para sa Sining, 1990
Writers Union of the Philippines award, Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtás, 1989
University of the Philippines International Writer-in-Residence, 1988
Doctor of Humane Letters (Honoris Causa) from the University of the Philippines, 1987
Djerassi Foundation Artist-in-Residence, 1986
Philippine Foreign Service Certificate of Appreciation for Work in the International Academic and Literary Community, at San
Francisco, 1983
Emeritus Professor of English, California State University, 1982
Carlos Palanca Memorial Award (Short Story), First Prize for 'The Tomato Game,' 1971
City of Manila Medal of Honor, 1971.
Awarded Leverhulme Fellowship, University of Hong Kong, 1969.
Visiting Associate Professorship in English, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1968.
British Council award for Travel to England, 1965.
Intemaciones Award for Travel in the Federal German Republic, 1965.
Philippines Free Press First Prize Award winner for Serenade (short story), 1964.
Rockefeller Foundation Writing Grant and Travel in Europe, 1964
Jose Rizal Pro-Patria Award for The Bamboo Dancers, 1961
Republic Cultural Heritage Award for The Bamboo Dancers, 1960
Carlos Palanca Memorial Award (Short Story), Third Prize winner for On the Ferry, 1959
Philippine Free Press Third Prize winner for On the Ferry, 1959
Republic Award of Merit for "the advancement of Filipino culture in the field of English Literature," 1954.
Carlos Palanca Memorial Award (Short Story), Second Prize winner for Lupo and the River, 1953
Rockefeller Foundation Study and Travel fellowship to India and the Far East, 1952
Carlos Palanca Memorial Award (Short Story), Second Prize winner for Children of the Ash-covered Loam, 1952
Rockefeller Foundation Writing Fellowship to Stanford University, Kenyon College School of English, and Columbia University, 1949–
1950
Liwayway Short Story Contest, Third Prize winner for Lunsod, Nayon at Dagat-dagatan, 1943
First Commonwealth Literary Contest honorable mention for The Winds of April, 1940

EDITH LOPEZ TIEMPO

Pambansang Alagad ng Sining ng Pilipinas
Panitikan
1999
Edith L. Tiempo
Tunay/Buong
Edith Lopez Tiempo
pangalan
Abril 22, 1919
Kapanganakan
Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
Agosto 21, 2011
Kamatayan
Lungsod ng Dumaguete
Kabansaan Pilipino
Larangan Panitikan
Pinag- Pamantasang Silliman, Pamantasang
aralan/Kasanayan Estado ng Iowa, Pamantasan ng Denver
Si Edith Lopez Tiempo (Abril 22, 1919—Agosto 21, 2011[1]) ay nagtapos ng kursong Malikhaing Pagsusulat sa Pamantasan ng Iowa.
Nakilala siya sa larangan ng panulaan bagamat sumulat din siya ng maikling katha. Ang kanyang tulang Looking Through the window
Pane ay hinangaan ng isang kritikong Amerikano na si Robert Penn Warren.
Ang katipunan ng mga maiikling kuwentong kanyang sinulat ay pinamagatang Abide in Joshua and Other Stories .
Sa panulaan, ang ilan sa magagandang tula ni Edith ay ang Lament for the Little Fellow, isang soneto; Crocodile Egg, Cracked Shell,
Saint Anthony's Feast, at In the Beginning.
Asawa siya ni Edilberto Tiempo.

F. SIONIL JOSÉ

Francisco Sionil José’s novels, short stories and non-fiction works highlight the social underpinnings, class struggles and colonial
history of Filipino society.
He is best known for his epic work, The Rosales Saga – five novels encompassing a hundred years of Philippine history, painting a
vivid documentary of Filipino life.
Since starting his writing career in 1949, José has written more than 35 books, translated into more than 20 languages and published
worldwide. He has also been involved with international cultural organizations, notably International P.E.N., the world association of
poets, playwrights, essayists and novelists, whose Philippine Center he founded in 1958.
José has worked as a journalist, and has founded a bookshop, publishing house and art gallery. In 1966, he established Solidarity, a
monthly magazine of “current affairs, ideas and the arts,” whose contributors included Southeast Asia’s leading writers, poets,
statesmen, scholars and political activists.
According to Prof. Edwin Thumboo of the National University of Singapore, “Ever the visionary, Frankie saw Southeast Asia as a
region well ahead of the politicians, political scientists and economists. Solidarity did more to advance the understanding of
Southeast Asia and the sense of it as a region, than any other journal.”
Recognitions of José’s literary works and his influence on the Philippines and Asia include the Ramon Magsaysay Award for
Journalism, Literature and Creative Arts (1980), Philippine National Artist (2001), and the Pablo Neruda Centennial Award (2004),
and Officer in the French Order of Arts and Letters (2014).
Now in his nineties, he continues to be a prolific writer and relentless voice against social injustice and national amnesia. Almost
daily, he still climbs the three flights of steps to his writing alcove at the Solidaridad Bookshop in Manila.

RECOGNITION

"As an artist, he incorporates the devastating knowledge of his

probable ineffectuality with his refusal to cease, prodding the
social conscience of his countrymen. 'I want to be a mirror or a
The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundaton witness to my time,' he writes, 'and in so being, I also hope I
am expressing the view of those millions who have no voice.'
Moreover, José believes, as one of his characters says, 'We die
when we stop being angry.'"
"America has no counterpart ... no one who is simultaneously
James Fallows
a prolific novelist, a social and political organizer, an editor
The Atlantic
and journalist, and a small-scale entrepreneur ... As a
 writer, José is famous for two bodies of work. One is the
Rosales sequence, a set of five novels published over a
twenty-year span which has become a kind of national saga."
"Mr. José, a publisher, bookseller and ubiquitous Philippine
Pico Iyer
novelist, is a loving, anguished chronicler of the steady
The New York Times
degradation of his once-elegant homeland."
"Indeed, it is his literature, not his politics, that has made
Francisco Tatad
Sionil José what he is, and it is what the nation has a right and
The Manila Times
a duty to celebrate today."
"Sionil José has the ability to write evocatively ... his
Arthur Lundkvist descriptions of the rural enviorment have an intense glow and
The Swedish Academy, Stockholm a lyrical shine ... truly an emancipated stylist, an interpreter of
character and analyst of society."

Virgilio S. Almario
National Artist for Literature (2003)
Virgilio S. Almario, also known as Rio Alma, is a poet, literary historian and critic, who has revived and reinvented traditional Filipino
poetic forms, even as he championed modernist poetics. In 34 years, he has published 12 books of poetry, which include the seminal
Makinasyon and Peregrinasyon, and the landmark trilogy Doktrinang Anakpawis, Mga Retrato at Rekwerdo and Muli, Sa Kandungan
ng Lupa. In these works, his poetic voice soared from the lyrical to the satirical to the epic, from the dramatic to the incantatory, in
his often severe examination of the self, and the society.
He has also redefined how the Filipino poetry is viewed and paved the way for the discussion of the same in his 10 books of
criticisms and anthologies, among which are Ang Makata sa Panahon ng Makina, Balagtasismo versus Modernismo,Walong Dekada
ng Makabagong Tula Pilipino, Mutyang Dilim and Barlaan at Josaphat.
Many Filipino writers have come under his wing in the literary workshops he founded –the Galian sa Arte at Tula (GAT) and the
Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika at Anyo (LIRA). He has also long been involved with children’s literature through the Aklat Adarna
series, published by his Children’s Communication Center. He has been a constant presence as well in national writing workshops
and galvanizes member writers as chairman emeritus of the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL).
He headed the National Commission for Culture and the Arts as Executive Director, (from 1998 to 2001) ably steering the
Commission towards its goals.
But more than anything else, what Almario accomplished was that he put a face to the Filipino writer in the country, one strong face
determinedly wielding a pen into untruths, hypocrisy, injustice, among others.

Alejandro Reyes Roces

Alejandro Roces, is a short story writer and essayist, and considered as the country’s best writer of comic short stories. He is known
for his widely anthologized “My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken.” In his innumerable newspaper columns, he has always focused on the
neglected aspects of the Filipino cultural heritage. His works have been published in various international magazines and has
received national and international awards.
Ever the champion of Filipino cultures, Roces brought to public attention the aesthetics of the country’s fiestas. He was instrumental
in popularizing several local fiestas, notably, Moriones and Ati-atihan. He personally led the campaign to change the country’s
Independence Day from July 4 to June 12, and caused the change of language from English to Filipino in the country’s stamps,
currency and passports, and recovered Jose Rizal’s manuscripts when they were stolen from the National Archives.
His unflinching love of country led him to become a guerilla during the Second World War, to defy martial law and to found the
major opposition party under the dictatorship. His works have been published in various international magazines and received
numerous national and international awards, including several decorations from various governments.
[http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca/org-awards/literature/alejandro_roces.php]
I was introduced to the works of Alejandro Roces in high school when we were asked to read “We Filipinos Are Mild Drinkers.” I was
barely halfway through reading this work but I was already bent double in bed, laughing really hard. A week after, we were given
another dose of the Roces wit and humour when we were asked to read “My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken.”
Roces wrote about the Philippines of his time – a country under American colonial rule but still retaining its distinctive rural culture
and traditions. His works brim with local colour. The scenes he depicted in his narratives are all but gone now except in the most
remote areas of the country.
His stories and essays are told with humour – the tongue-in-cheek kind, which just adds all the more to their appeal. I am hoping
that the Grade 7 students will enjoy the two selections I have posted here.

BIENVENIDO LUMBERA
Life and Works of Bienvenido Lumbera
Freeway is honored to pay tribute tribute to one of the brave souls who embraced the art of expression since Martial Law,
renowned National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera, one of our few remaining living treasured National Artists
Born on April 11, 1932 in the humble town of Lipa, Batangas, Bienvenido didn’t exactly have an easy childhood. He lost his father,
Timoteo Lumbera, while he was barely a year old then his mother, Carmen Lumbera, succumbed to cancer a few years later, leaving
him under his relatives’ watchful guidance. Trials and adversities never did crumble Tatay Bien’s spirit but he used it instead to touch
the lives of different people through his compelling works and words.
He finished his studies and M.A degrees at the University of Santo Tomas in 1950 and later pursued his Ph.D in Comparative
Literature at Indiana University in 1968.
A few years later, he came back to the Philippines to teach Literature, Philippine Studies and Creative Writing at the Ateneo de
Manila University, De La Salle University, University of the Philippines and University of Santo Tomas. Imparting what he learned
from his studies, experiences, life in general has always been on his list. With his wit and perseverance, he did not only have the
chance to teach in his own country but also in Japan. Aside from teaching in a typical setup, his writings have also taught many of his
readers until today.
He was able to create numerous well applauded and celebrated literature for publications and theater, some of which include Tales
of the Manuvu, Rama Hari, Nasa Puso and Amerika, Bayan: Apatna Dulang Musika, Revaluation, Pedagogy and many more earning
him the title of Philippine National Artist for Literature in 2006.
About the Collection
Celebrating today’s openness to freedom of expression is a timely tribute to one of the brave souls who embraced the art of
expression since Martial Law. We are talking about the multi-hyphenate, renowned National Artist for Literature, Bienvenido
Lumbera, one of our few remaining living treasured National Artists. Bienvenido Lumbera
Bienvenido Lumbera is a Filipino poet, critic and dramatist. He is a National Artist of the Philippines and a recipient of the Ramon
Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communications. He won numerous literary awards, including the National
Book Awards from the National Book Foundation, and the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards.
Personal life
Lumbera was born in Lipa on April 11, 1932.[1] He was barely a year old when his father, Christian Lumbera (a Shooting Guard with a
local basketball team), fell from a fruit tree, broke his back, and died. Carmen Lumbera, his mother, suffered from cancer and died a
few years later. By the age of five he was an orphan. He and his older sister were cared for by their paternal grandmother, Eusebia
Teru.
When the war ended, Lumbera and his grandmother returned to their home in Lipa. Eusebia, however, soon succumbed to old age
and he was once again orphaned. For his new guardians, he was asked to choose between his maiden aunts with whom his sister
had stayed or Enrique and Amanda Lumbera, his godparents. The latter had no children of their own and Bienvenido, who was
barely fourteen at the time, says he chose them mainly because "they could send me to school."
Education
Lumbera received his Litt.B. and M.A. degrees from the University of Santo Tomas in 1950, and then his Ph.D. in Comparative
Literature from Indiana University in 1968.

Academe
Lumbera taught Literature, Philippine Studies and Creative Writing at the Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, the
University of the Philippines Diliman, and the University of Santo Tomas. He was also appointed visiting professor of Philippine
Studies at Osaka University of Foreign Studies in Japan from 1985 to 1988 and the very first Asian scholar-in-residence at the
University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Martial law
After Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law, Lumbera was arrested by the Philippine military in January 1974.
He was released in December of the same year. Cynthia Nograles, his former student at the Ateneo de Manila University, wrote to
Gen. Fidel Ramos for his release. Lumbera married Cynthia a few months later. In 1976, Lumbera began teaching at the Department
of Filipino and Philippine Literatures, U.P. College of Arts and Letters. In 1977, he served as editor of Diliman Review upon the
request of then College of Arts and Sciences Dean Francisco Nemenzo. The publication was openly against the dictatorship but was
left alone by Marcos’ authorities.
Creative works
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.
Organizational affiliations
Lumbera also established his leadership among Filipino writers, artists and critics by co-founding cultural organizations such as the
Philippine Comparative Literature Association (1969); Pamana ng Panitikan ng Pilipinas (1970); Kalipunan para sa mga Literatura ng
Pilipinas (1975); Philippine Studies Association of the Philippines (1984) and Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino (1976). In such ways,
Lumbera contributed to the downfall of Marcos although he was in Japan during the 1986 Edsa uprising, teaching at the Osaka
University of Foreign Studies.
Lumbera is also the founding and current chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the multi-awarded media group Kodao Productions
and a member of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines and the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan.
Literary reputation
Lumbera is now widely acknowledged as one of the pillars of contemporary Philippine literature, cultural studies and film, having
written and edited numerous books on literary history, literary criticism, and film. He also received several awards citing his
contribution to Philippine letters, most notably the 1975 Palanca Award for Literature; the 1993 Magsaysay Award for Journalism,
Literature, and Creative Communication Arts; several National Book Awards from the Manila Critics Circle; the 1998 Philippine
Centennial Literary Prize for Drama; and the 1999 Cultural Center of the Philippines Centennial Honors for the Arts. He is currently
the editor of Sanghaya (National Commission on Culture and the Arts), Professor at the Department of English in the School of
Humanities of the Ateneo de Manila University, Emeritus Professor at the Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature, College
of Arts and Letters, U.P. Diliman, and Professor of Literature at De La Salle University. For a time, he also served as president of the
Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), a national organization of more than 40,000 teachers and employees in the education sector.
The launching of Bayan at Lipunan: Ang Kritisismo ni Bienvenido Lumbera, edited by Rosario Torres-Yu and published by the
University of Santo Tomas Publishing House, was celebrated by the University of the Philippines in January 2006.
Bienvenido Lumbera was proclaimed National Artist in April 2006.
Works
Poetry
Ka Bel
Literary criticism
Revaluation: Essays on Literature, Cinema, and Popular Culture, 1984
Tagalog Poetry, 1570-1898: Tradition and Influences on Its Development, 1986
Abot-Tanaw: Sulyap at Suri sa Nagbabagong Kultura at Lipunan, 1987
Textbooks
Pedagogy
Philippine Literature: A History and Anthology
Rediscovery: Essays in Philippine Life and Culture
Filipinos Writing: Philippine Literature from the Regions
Paano Magbasa ng Panitikang Filipino: Mga Babasahing Pangkolehiyo
Awards
National Artist, April, 2006
Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts, 1993
Pambansang Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas, Unyon ng mga Manunulat ng Pilipinas (UMPIL)
National Book Awards from the Manila Critics' Circle
Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature
Visiting Professorship, Osaka University of Foreign Studies
Professor Emeritus, University of the Philippines
Philippine Centennial Literary Prize for Drama
Cultural Center of the Philippines Centennial Honors for the Arts
1st Asian scholar-in-residence at the University of Hawaii at Manoa

LAZARO FRANCISCO
Francisco Lázaro (21 January 1891[1] – 15 July 1912)[2] was the first Portuguese Olympic marathon runner and standard bearer[3] of
the Portuguese legation in the nation's first ever Olympic Games, the 1912 Summer Olympics, in Stockholm, Sweden.
Like all the Olympic athletes of his time, Lázaro was an amateur sportsman, and his actual job was as a carpenter in an automobile
factory in Lisbon.[4] Prior to the Olympics he had run and won three national marathon championships in his native country, [5] where
he represented S.L. Benfica.[6]
Lázaro was the first athlete to die during an Olympic event, after collapsing at the 30 kilometer mark of the marathon. The cause of
death was thought to be severe dehydration due to the high temperature registered at the time of the race; later it was discovered
Lázaro covered large portions of his body with wax to prevent sunburns, but eventually the wax impermeability restricted the
athlete's natural perspiration, leading to a serious body fluid electrolytic imbalance.[7]
The novel The Piano Cemetery by Portuguese novelist José Luís Peixoto is based on Francisco Lázaro's story.[8]

CIRILO BAUTISTA
Cirilo F. Bautista (born July 9, 1941) is a Filipino poet, fictionist, critic and writer of nonfiction. He is conferred with the National Artist
of the Philippines award.
Education
He received his basic education from Legarda Elementary School (1st Honorable Mention, 1954) and Mapa High School
(Valedictorian, 1959). He received his degrees in AB Literature from the University of Santo Tomas (magna cum laude, 1963), MA
Literature from St. Louis University, Baguio City (magna cum laude, 1968), and Doctor of Arts in Language and Literature from De La
Salle University-Manila (1990). He received a fellowship to attend the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa (1968–
1969) and was awarded an honorary degree—the only Filipino to have been so honored there.
Career
Bautista taught creative writing and literature at St. Louis University (1963–1968) and the University of Santo Tomas (1969–1970)
before moving to De La Salle University-Manila in 1970. He is also a co-founding member of the Philippine Literary Arts Council
(PLAC) and a member of the Manila Critics Circle, Philippine Center of International PEN and the Philippine Writers Academy.
Bautista has also received Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards (for poetry, fiction and essay in English and Filipino) as well as Philippines
Free Press Awards for Fiction, Manila Critics' Circle National Book Awards, Gawad Balagtas from the Unyon ng mga Manunulat ng
Pilipinas, the Pablo Roman Prize for the Novel, and the highest accolades from the City of Manila, Quezon City and Iligan City.
Bautista was hailed in 1993 as Makata ng Taon by the Komisyon ng mga Wika ng Pilipinas for winning the poetry contest sponsored
by the government. The last part of his epic trilogy The Trilogy of Saint Lazarus, entitled Sunlight on Broken Stones, won the
Centennial Prize for the epic in 1998. He was an exchange professor in Waseda University and Ohio University. He became an
Honorary Fellow in Creative Writing at the University of Iowa in 1969, and was the first recipient of a British Council fellowship as a
creative writer at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1987.
Bautista 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. These include: excerpts from Sunlight on
Broken Stones, published in World Literature Today, USA, Spring 2000; What Rizal Told Me (poem), published in Manoa, University
of Hawaii, 1997; She of the Quick Hands: My Daughter and The Seagull (poems), published in English Teacher’s Portfolio of
Multicultural Activities, edited by John Cowen (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996).
Aside from his teaching, creative and research activities as a Professor Emeritus of Literature at the College of Liberal Arts, De La
Salle University-Manila, Bautista is also a columnist and literary editor of the Philippine Panorama, the Sunday Supplement of the
Manila Bulletin. He is also a member of the Board of Advisers and Associate, Bienvenido Santos Creative Writing Center of De La
Salle University-Manila and Senior Associate, The Center for Creative Writing and Studies of the University of Santo Tomas.
Works
Poetry
Summer Suns (with Albert Casuga, 1963)
The Cave and Other Poems (1968)
The Archipelago (1970)
Charts (1973)
Telex Moon (1981)
Sugat ng Salita (1985)
Kirot Ng Kataga (1995),
Sunlight On Broken Stones (2000)
Tinik Sa Dila: Isang Katipunan Ng Mga Tula (2003)
The Trilogy Of Saint Lazarus (2001)
Believe and Betray: New and Collected Poems (2007)
Fiction
Stories (1990)
Galaw ng Asoge (2004)
Literary Theory and Cultural Studies
Breaking Signs (1990)
Words And Battlefields: A Theoria On The Poem (1998)
The Estrella D. Alfon Anthology Vol. I – Short Stories (2000)
Bullets And Roses: The Poetry Of Amado V. Hernandez / A Bilingual Edition (translated Into English And With A Critical Introduction)
(2002)
Awards, Prizes and Honors
First Prize in Epic Writing English Category, of the National Centennial Commission’s Literary Contests, 1998, sponsored by the
Philippine Government. The judges in this prestigious contest, held to commemorate the Centennial of our freedom, gave the prize
to Bautista’s Sunlight on Broken Stones, the last volume in his The Trilogy of Saint Lazarus. This epic of 3,050 lines concludes his
monumental work on Philippine history.
In 1999, Sunlight on Broken Stones, published by De La Salle University-Manila Press, garnered the National Book Award given by the
Manila Critics Circle and the Gintong Aklat Award given by the Book Development Association of the Philippines
Hall of Fame of the Palanca Awards Foundation for achievements in the field of literature, 1995. This is given to Filipino writers who
have distinguished themselves by winning at least five First Prizes in the Palanca Literary Contests.
Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature nine (9) times for poetry, fiction and essay. His prize-winning works include:
Philippine Poetics: The Past Eight Years (essay), 1981; Crossworks (collected poems), 1979; Charts (collected poems), 1973; The
Archipelago (epic poem), 1970; Telex Moon (epic poem), 1975; The Cave and Other Poems (collected poems), 1968; and the short
stories Ritual and The Man Who Made a Covenant with the Wind.
National Book Award given by the Manila Critics Circle five (5) times, for The Archipelago, Sugat ng Salita, Sunlight on Broken Stones,
The Trilogy of Saint Lazarus and Tinik sa Dila.
Diwa ng Lahi, Gawad Antonio Villegas at Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan in the field of literature by the City of Manila. This award
is given to outstanding Manila artists who have contributed to the advancement of arts and culture. 430th Araw ng Maynila, June
22, 2001, Bulwagang Villegas, Manila City Hall.
Gawad Balagtas in 1997 by the Unyon ng mga Manunulat ng Pilipinas for Bautista’s achievements as a poet, fictionist, and critic.
Included in Who’s Who in the World, 1996, New Providence, New Jersey, U.S.
Makata ng Taon 1993, sponsored by the Komisyon ng mga Wikang Pilipinas with the poem Ulat Buhat Sa Bulkan. With this and his
Palanca award for Tagalog poetry and his winning the First Prize in the Poetry contest sponsored by the Dyaryo Filipino with his
poem, Ilang Aeta Mula Sa Botolan, Bautista affirmed his importance as a bilingual writer.
Included in The Oxford Companion to the English Language, edited by Tom MacArthur, Oxford University Press, 1992.
Included in The Traveller’s Guide to Asian Literature, 1993.
Knight Commander of Rizal by the Order of the Knights of Rizal, December 1998, in recognition of Bautista’s literary works that
helped propagate the ideas and achievements of the national hero. His The Trilogy of Saint Lazarus has the national hero as the main
character and focal point in the author’s poetic recreation of the development of the Filipino soul from the beginning of our history
to the present.
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.
Gawad Manuel L. Quezon in 1996 by the Quezon City Government in connection with the Quezon Day Celebrations for Bautista’s
outstanding achievement as writer, editor and teacher.
Certificate of appreciation from the Benigno Aquino, Jr., Foundation for his literary works that helped perpetuate the memory of the
late senator
St. Miguel Febres Cordero Research Award, SY2002-03 given by De La Salle University-Manila, 2002. This award was given to Bautista
in recognition of his achievements in research and creative writing.
First Annual Dove Award by the College of Liberal Arts, De La Salle University-Manila, February 14, 2001. An alumnus of the
Graduate School of the University, Bautista was honored for the contributions he had in energizing the writing life in campus
through his co-founding of the creative writing programs in the University and activities as Writer-in-Residence for fifteen years.
Most Outstanding Achievement Award in Literature by the Philets-Artlets Centennial Alumni Association of the University of Santo
Tomas, 1996.
Most Outstanding Alumnus Award for Literature, Mapa High School Alumni Association, 1983.
Pablo Roman Prize for his Novel-in-Progress entitled Reconstruction, 1982.
Most Outstanding Alumnus Award for Literature from the Alumni Association of the College of Arts and Letters, University of Santo
Tomas, 1982.
Fernando Maria Guerrero Award for Literature, University of Santo Tomas Alumni Association, 1980.
Most Outstanding Alumnus Award for Literature, Graduate School, Saint Louis University, 1975.
British Council Fellowship as Visiting Writer, Trinity College, Cambridge, England, 1987. Bautista was the first Filipino writer to be
invited to attend the Cambridge Seminar on Contemporary Literature.
Honorary Fellow in Creative Writing, University of Iowa, U.S., 1969
Visiting Professor at Waseda University, Japan and Ohio University, U.S.