Alejandro

Reyes
Roces
 Alejandro Reyes Roces
 a Filipino author, essayist, dramatist and a
NATIONAL ARTIST of the Philippines for
literature.

 served as SECRETARY OF EDUCATION from 1961

to 1965, during the term of Philippine president
Diosdado Macapagal.
Personal details of ALEJANDRO R.
ROCES

BORN July 13,1924 at Manila, Philippine

DIED May 23, 2011(age 86) Manila,

Philippines

NATIONALITY Filipino
Spouse(s) Irene Yorston Viola

Parents Rafael Roces and Inocencia

Reyes
 OCCUPATION
Journalist, author,essayist,
dramatist,teacher, educator,fighter,
raconteur, patriot, public servant
 KNOWN FOR

Changing the date of Philippine

Independence Day from July 4 to
June 12
> Recovering the stolen original
manuscripts of NOLI ME TANGERE,
EL FILIBUSTERISMO and MI
ULTIMO ADIOS

>Change the language used in

Philippine passports, coins, bills and
diplomas to wikang pambansa
 AWARDS

NATIONAL ARTIST OF
LITERATURE ON 25
JUNE 2003
 In 1950 he won second
prize in competition with
American writers in a
nation-wide short story
contest sponsored by the
writer's digest.
 He was the first
Filipino writer to
break into THE
PACIFIC SPECTATOR.
 LITERARY WORKS
> During his freshman year in the university of Arizona

Roces won Best Short Story for We Filipinos are Mild Drinkers

(1948-1951)My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken it was listed as Martha

Foley’s Best americanStories

>(1980)FIESTA is a book of essays, featuring folk fesstivals such as

Ermita’s Bota Flores, Aklan’s Ati
atihan and Naga’s Penafrancia.
>(2005)SOMETHING TO CROW
ABOUT this book has been
recently brought to life by a
critically acclaimed play of the
same title; the stage version of
something to crow about is the
first Filipino zarzuela in english
 “You cannot be a
great writer, first, you
have to be a good
person” Roces