REGION III AUTHORS

REGION III AUTHORS

1.Francisco Balagtas

Francisco Balagtas y de la Cruz (April 2, 1788 – February 20, 1862), also known as Francisco Baltazar, was a prominent Filipino poet, and is widely considered as one of the greatest Filipino literary laureate for his impact on Filipino literature. The famous epic, Florante at Laura, is regarded as his defining work.
The name "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.
Francisco Balagtas was born on April 2, 1788 in Barrio Panginay, Bigaa, Bulacan as the youngest of the four children of Juan Balagtas, a blacksmith, and Juana de la Cruz. He studied in a parochial school in Bigaa and later in Manila. During his childhood years. Francisco later worked as houseboy in Tondo, Manila.
The popular Filipino debate form Balagtasan is named after Balagtas.
Balagtas learned to write poetry from José de la Cruz (Huseng Sisiw), one of the most famous poets of Tondo, in return of chicks. It was de la Cruz himself who personally challenged Balagtas to improve his writing. Balagtas swore he would overcome Huseng Sisiw as he would not ask anything in return as a poet. (source: Talambuhay ng mga Bayani, for Grade 6 textbook)
In 1835, Balagtas moved to Pandacan, where he met María Asunción Rivera, who would effectively serve as the muse for his future works. She is referenced in Florante at Laura as 'Celia' and 'MAR'.
Balagtas' affections for MAR were challenged by the influential Mariano Capule. Capule won the battle for MAR when he used his wealth to get Balagtas imprisoned under the accusation that he ordered a servant girl's head be shaved. It was here that he wrote Florante at Laura—In fact, the events of this poem were meant to parallel his own situation.
He wrote his poems in Tagalog, during an age when Filipino writing was predominantly written in Spanish.
Balagtas published Florante at Laura upon his release in 1838. He moved to Balanga, Bataan in 1840 where he served as the assistant to the Justice of peace and later, in 1856, as the Major Lieutenant. He was also appointed as the translator of the court. He married Juana Tiambeng on July 22, 1842 in a ceremony officiated by Fr. Cayetano Arellano, uncle of future Philippine Supreme Court Chief Justice Cayetano Arellano. They had eleven children but only four survived to adulthood.
He died on February 20, 1862 at the age of 73. Upon his deathbed, he asked a favor that none of his children become poets like him, who had suffered under his gift as well as under others. He even went as far as to tell them it would be better to cut their hands off than let them be writers.
Balagtas is so greatly revered in the Philippines that the term for Filipino debate in extemporaneous verse is named after him: Balagtasan.

An elementary school was erected in honor of Balagtas, the Francisco Balagtas Elementary School (FBES), located along Alvarez Street in Santa Cruz, Manila. There is also a plaza and park (Plaza Balagtas) erected in Pandacan, Manila while most of the streets were named after various Florante at Laura characters in honor of Francisco Balagtas. His birthplace, Bigaa, Bulacan, was renamed to Balagtas, Bulacan in honor of him.

Works

Orosmán at Zafira – a komedya (a Filipino theater form evolved from the Spanish comedia) in four parts

• Don Nuño at Selinda – a komedya in three parts
• Auredato at Astrome – a komedya in three parts
• Clara Belmore – a komedya in three parts
• Abdol at Misereanan – a komedya, staged in Abucay in 1857
• Bayaceto at Dorslica – a komedya in three parts, staged at Udyong on September 27, 1857
• Alamansor at Rosalinda – a komedya staged at Udyong during the town's feast
• La India elegante y el negrito amante – a short play in one part
• Nudo gordeano
• Rodolfo at Rosemonda
• Mahomet at Constanza
• Claus (translated into Tagalog from Latin)
• Florante at Laura, an awit (metrical narrative poem with dodecasyllabic quatrains [12 syllables per line, 4 lines per stanza]); Balagtas' masterpiece

 2.Tomas F. Agulto

Born on 21 December 1953 in Hagonoy, Bulacan. He wrote poems at a young age and had them commented on by his family and neighbors. He further honed his poetic skills as a member Galian as Arte at Tula , and went on to work on various jobs, especially in non-government sector, in pursuit of his own maturity. his poetry collections Lagi Na'y Kailangan Kong Gumising Nang Maaga at Iba Pang Pagdidilidili (Always I have To Wake Up Early and Other Redlections, 1981),Bakasyunista (Summer Folk, 1984) and Batanes at Iba Pang Pulo (Batanes and Other Lands, 1989) all won prizes in the Don Carlos Palanca Awards for Literature. His essay “Ang Mga Badjaw sa Tungkalang” (The Bajao of Tungkalang, 1988) also won in the Palanca Award. In 1987, the CCP Literary Contest awarded him a prize for his short story “Ang Walang Lubay na Istasyon ng Pag-asa (The Unending Stations of Hope and Search). The following poems have won in the annual poetry contest of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (oe KWF, formerly the Surian ng Wikang Pambansa and later Linangan ng mga Wika sa Pilipinas): “Kalatas kay Pinang” (Letter to Pinang) and “Umulan Man at Umaraw” (Rain or Shine); and “Malayo Na Ang Narating Ng Prusisyon” (The Procession Has Covered a Lot of Ground). KWF has proclaimed him Poet of the Year three times, the first time in 1988 for his poem “Polusyon” (Pollution) and 2 nd Prize for the same award for a poem on the great plebeian Andres Bonifacio in 2009. His book Ang Magandang Babae sa Sta. Elena is an anthology poems, stories, and essays; while SA.BA.TRISa Masaganang Milenyo (2001) is a novel. His book of poems and essays, Kuntra Krusada is forthcoming.

3.Emilio Mar Antonio

Emilio Mar Antonio was born on 11 December 1903 in Bambang, Bulacan. He died on 13 May 1967 in Quiapo, Manila. He was a poet and a fictionist. In 1941, he married Andrea Teodoro and they had six children, one of whom is poet Teo Antonio. He was the administrator and mediator of the balagtasan on radio sponsored by Compania Elizalde and wrote for their newspaper, Taliba. He was a member of the editorial board of Liwayway from 1946- 1949 and editor of Bulaklak from 1950-1965.

He wrote three novels in verse: Lakandupil, Nakaluping Dahon and Perlas sa Putikan. He wrote Magat, Ama ng Lahing Kayumanggi, a novel, in prose with Macario Pineda as co-atuhor. They were all published in Liwayway. His Birang na May Luha was published in 1949.

He became popular as a balagtasan poet, who engaged Florentino Collantes, Nemesio Caravana, and others in public debates in verse on contemporary issues. His lyric poems Ang Nayon ko and Gagamba at Alitaptap have been anthologized in Walong Dekada ng Makabagong Tulang Pilipino, 1981.

In 1937, Mar Antonio won a gold medal in the annual choice by the Kapisanang Ilaw ng Bayan in Bulacan for his poem, “Ang Nayon Ko.” He was proclaimed poet laureate by the Kapisanang Diwang Ginto for his poem, “Ilaw.”, and by Liwayway in 1938. He also won in the first balagtasan to be aired on radio besting opponents Fernando Monleon and Francisco Paño. The topic was Sino ang Higit na Dapat Mahalin: Ina, Asawa o Anak?

In 1951, he was proclaimed “Prince of Balagtasan” by the Kapisanan ng mga Makata at Mambibigkas, along with Collantes as the “King of Balagtasan” after a heated poetic joust on the topic: Dapat bang Pairalin ang Import Control sa Pilipinas?

After Collantes’ death in 1954, Antonio and Caravana fought over the coveted title in a poetic joust on the topic, Alin ang lalong Mahalaga: Buhay Kahapon o Buhay Ngayon? He defended Antonio and he was crowned as “King of Balagtasan” by the Taliba ng Inang Wika or TANIW headed by Lope K. Santos.

4. Virgilio V. Vitug

Virgilio V. Vitug. b. Lubao, Pampanga 17 September 1951. Poet, essayist, journalist, scriptwriter. He is married to essayist Marites Danguilan with whom he has a son, Alab. He studied at the University of the East, and was a fellow in the writers’ workshops of the Ateneo de Manila, University of the Philippines, and Silliman University. He has worked as a reporter and/or columnist for the Times Journal, Tempo, Manila Times, and Manila Chronicle; an associate editor inSagisag and Kaligiran magazines; and head writer of the children’s television program Batibot. He has also served as director of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism and the National Press Club; publisher of Agriscope, and chair/president of World Media Groove. In 1990 he became executive producer of the TV program Mag-agri Tayo, a correspondent of the Asian Reviewer, and associate editor of The Filipino, both London-based periodicals and contributor ofThe Entrepreneur. He was also head writer of ABS-CBN’s “Pipol” and “Off the Record” and ANC’s “By Demand.”

He co-founded and was former chairperson of Galian sa Arte at Tula (GAT). Two of his poems are anthologized in Virgilio S. Almario’s Walong Dekada ng Makabagong Tula (Eight Decades of Modern Poetry), “Isang Tanong sa Sarili” (A Question for Myself) and “Ako si Virgilio V. Vitug” (I am Virgilio V. Vitug). his other works are found in Galian and New Poems in Pilipino. He wrote a Pampango passion play, Sinakulo ning Balen (Passion of the Town), and co-authored a book,Agribusiness Oppurtunities in the Philippines, 1988.

Vitug has won the following awards; honorable mention, “Simula ng Gabi sa Luba” (Evening Commences in Lubao), 1969, and “Isang Tanong sa Sarili,” 1976, in the Talaang Ginto of the Surian ng Wikang Pambansa, respectively; special award, Loyola Poetry Contest, 1972; and second prize, National Zarzuela Writing Contest for “Hoy, Boyet” (Hey, Boyet). He has been a fellow at the Ateneo Writers’ Workshop, 1970; UP Writers’ Workshop, 1971; and Silliman Writers’ Workshop, 1972.