REGION VI

 

 

REGION VI

 

 

 

 

 

1.Mark Anthony A. Grejaldo

 

Mark Anthony A. Grejaldo was born August 11, 1980 in Iloilo City. He is a graduate of Mass Communications from the West Visayas State University. He started writing poetry in 1998. In 1999, he became a fellow for Poetry in the Iligan National Writers' Workshop and the U.P. National Writers' Workshop in Davao City. "Lihim ng mga Alitaptap" (his first attempt in writing a screenplay) was a finalist in the 3rd Star Cinema Screenwriting Contest.

 

2. Ricardo Demetillo

ricaredo demetillo

Ricaredo Demetillo was born on June 20, 1920 in Dumangas, Iloilo. He was a poet, essayist and critic who graduated cum laude in AB English, 1947 in the University of the Philippines; School of Letters, Bloomington, Indiana; MFA in English and Creative Writing in State University of Iowa in 1952. He married Angelita Demetillo.             Some of his publications include:   No Certain Weather (1956, poetry)  La Via (1959, poetry)   Golden Jubilee Ode Libretto (1959)  Barter in Panay (1961, 1984)  Daedalus and Other Poems (1961) The Authentic Voice of Poetry (1962) Masks and Signatures (1968)  The Heart of Emptiness is Black (1973) Lazarus Troubador (1974) The City and the Thread of Light He was a scholar of SU in Presbyterian and International in 1949; fellow of Rockefeller Foundation in 1952; Pro Patria Awardee in 1961; Republic Cultural Heritage Awardee in 1968; UP Golden Jubilee for Poetry, Art Association, and Palanca Awardee in 1972, 1973 and 1974; Rizal Centennial Awardee; and Gawad Balagtas in 1991.       3. Ernesto Superial Yee Ernesto Superal Yee 3.Ernesto Superal Yee was born on 29 October 1953 in Tanjay, Negros Oriental. He finished his BBA (major in management) and LLB at SU, and passed the bar in 1983. He was a fellow in the Silliman Writers Workshop, 1977 and currently is Clerk of Court V at the Regional Trial Court, Branch 32, Dumaguete Cit. He is also a part-time professor of Civil Law and Remedial Law at the College of Law, SU. He plays the piano and also writes fiction.

 

REGION VI

REGION V

REGION V

1. Azucena Uranza

Azucena Uranza was born on 27 January 1929 in Sorsogon, Sorsogon. She received her BA in Journalism (1952) and MA in English (1969) from the Far Eastern University. Her books include Bamboo in the Wind (novel, 1990); A Passing Season (novel, 2002); Feast of the Innocents (novel, 2003); Women of Tammuz (novel, 2004); Voices in a Minor Key (short story collection, 2005); andArbol, An Etnographic Record of a Family (coffee table book, 2002). Many of her short stories were published by Philippines Free Press, Weekly Women's Magazine, Focus Magazine , and Ginoo Magazine . Her awards include Philippine Centennial Awards for Literature; Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature; Focus Philippines Literary Awards; Pama-as, Gintong Bai Award from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts; Green and Gold Artist Award from FEU. Her stage, television, and radio plays were produced by Channel 4, DZRH, and FEU. She was an associate professor at Far Eastern University, and taught Literature and Humanities.

2.Luis Cabalquinto

Luis Cabalquinto was born in Magarao, Camarines Sur, Philippines on January 31, 1935. He earned the B.A. in Mass Communication degree at thenU.P. Diliman Institute of Mass Communication. Later, after getting the degree, transferred to the UP College of Forestry in Los Banos, working there as an instructor and "Chief" of the Publication & Information Section. He received a Fulbright-Hays grant (in 1968) and went to Cornell University in Ithaca, New York for further studies in mass communication. Cabalquinto enrolled in fiction and poetry writing workshops conducted by A.R. Ammons, William Matthews, James McConkey, and others in the English Department. He had been sporadically writing poetry and fiction since high school but at Cornell his creative writing teachers convinced him that he should pursue imaginative writing more seriously. Also, at this time, LC was further encouraged when some of his poems were published for the first time in the US--in small-press journals like Alkahest, Greenfield Review, New: American & Canadian Poetry. He has received fellowships and awards from the following: Bread Loaf Conference (Vermont); New York University--Academy of American Poets poetry prize; New School for Social Research--Dylan Thomas Poetry Award; New York Foundation for the Arts-fellowship award in poetry. His written work has appeared in magazines and journal anthologies published in the Philippines, United States, Australia, Hongkong, France, and the Czech Republic (e.g. American Poetry Review, Prairie Schooner, Manoa, Greenfield Review, Manila Review, Caracoa, Philippines Free Press, Philippine Graphic, Philippine Midweek, Asiaweek, Heritage, Katripunan, Contact, River Styx, Minetta Review, Potable Lower East Side, Trafika, Inetrnational Quarterly, FRank, Poetry Australia, and others). His published books are: "The Dog-eater and Other Poems"(1989, Kalikasan Press), "The Ibalon Collection"(1991, Kalikasan Press), and "Dreamwanderer" (1992, Kalikasan Press), "Brigeable Shores" (2002, Kaya Press, US) and Moon Over Magarao" (2004, UP Press, Manila). His books currently in preparation : "Depth of Fields (100 Selected Poems), "Pamamangka sa Di Lamang Dalawang Ilog" (collections of Poems in Filipino).

3.Estelito Baylon Jacob

3. Estelito Baylon Jacob was born on September 3, 1973. He is currently teaching literature, creative writing and journalism subjects at the University of Nueva Caceres. He finished his secondary education at the Ateneo de Naga University and earned the degree of Bachelor of Secondary Education, major in English in the same school. Right now, he is finishing his MA in English at the University of Nueva Caceres. Jacob is one of the 40 authors published by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts for their UBOD Writers Series project. His chapbook is a collection of poetry in Bikol entitled Mga Nirukitdukit. Jacob was also a recepient of Special Achievement Award in Creative Writing conferred by the University of Nueva Caceres, 2nd Prize Winner in the 1999 Bikol Poetry Writing Contest: Mga Tula Para ki Ina, finalist in the 1st Premio Tomas Para sa Literaturang Bikol (Fiction and Poetry Categories), fellow in the 40th UP National Writers Workshop held in Baguio(2002), panelist in the 1st Juliana Arejola-Fajardo Workshop for Bikol Writing (2003), Workshop Director in the 2nd Juliana Arejola-Fajardo Workshop for Bikol Writing(2005), facilitator in the Pagsurat Bikolnon 2 held in Legazpi City(2004), shortlisted in Home Life Poetry Writing Contest (2001, 2004 and 2005). His publication credits include 2001 Aklat Likhaan ng Maikling Kwento at Tula (UP Press, 2003), Sarong Rambong na Burak (Balay Ibalon Press, Canada, 2003), Paburukadon sanggatos na Burak (Balay Ibalon, 2004), Bulawan baga, BUrak Palan (Balay Ibalon, 2005), Latian (Legazpi City, 2004), Liwayway Magazine, Sunday Times Magazine, Philippine Graphic, Home Life Magazine, Burak, Aniningal, The Paper, Letra, Bikol Reporter, Bicol Mail, Bikol Expose, Muse Apprentice Guild, Our Own Voice, Makata, Tinig, emanilapoetry, Bangraw. He is one of the editors of BANGRAW, a Bikol magazine, and currently the president of KABULIG-Bikol, Bikol Writers Association. He makes his home at #36 Marupit, Camaligan, Camarines Sur.

4. Ricky Lee

He has written more than 150 film scripts since 1973, earning him more than 50 trophies from various award-giving bodies, including a 2003 Natatanging Gawad Urian Lifetime Achievement Award from the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino (Filipino Film Critics) As a scriptwriter, he has worked with the best Filipino directors (Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal, Marilou Diaz-Abaya, Chito Rono, Joel Lamangan, Laurice Guillen, Gil Portes, Oliva Lamasan, Rory Quintos, and Mel Chionglo). Many of his films have been screened in the international film festival circuit in Cannes, Toronto, Berlin, among others.

Lee grew up with his relatives in Daet, Camarines Norte. His mother died when he was 5 years old and only saw his father on few occasions. He studied primary and secondary school in the same town. It was said that Lee often sneaks into movie houses and bury himself in books at the school library, tearing away pages with striking images. An intelligent student, he consistently topped his class from grade school on to high school. His promising writing career took a first step when he won his first national literary award for a short story he wrote when he was still in high school. Driven by his passion to pursue dreams, he ran away from home and took a bus to Manila. He roamed the streets, taking on menial tasks as a waiter during the day and asking his town mates to accommodate him during the night until he collapsed one day in Avenida out of hunger.

He was accepted at University of the Philippines-Diliman as an AB English Major but never got his diploma from U.P. where, ironically enough, he later taught script writing at its College of Mass Communication. He became an activist during those politically turbulent times and was affiliated with Panulat para sa Kaunlaran ng Sambayanan (PAKSA, or Pen for People's Progress) along with Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera and Jose F. Lacaba. He lived as a fugitive during the Martial Law years and was later incarcerated. All these experiences would prove to be a wealthy source of inspiration from which to draw his stories and characters.

Among the books he has published are: Si Tatang at mga Himala ng Ating Panahon (an anthology of his fiction, reportage, behind-the-scene musings and the full screenplay of Himala),

REGION V

REGION II AUTHORS

 

 REGION II AUTHORS

 

1.Emmanuel Agapito Flores Lacaba (December 10, 1948 – March 18, 1976), popularly known as Eman Lacaba, was a Filipino writer, poet, essayist, playwright, fictionist, scriptwriter, songwriter and activist and he is considered as the only poet warrior of the Philippines.

Lacaba was killed on March 18, 1976 in Tucaan Balaag, Asuncion, Davao de Norte he was set to go back shortly to the city for a new assignment that would have used his writing skills, and had even agreed to write a script for Lino Brocka once he got back there. He was 27 years old.^[1]

Works

Lacaba wrote the lyrics of "Awit ni Kuala", the song sung by Lolita Rodriguez in the classic Lino Brocka masterpiece 'Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang '. He also composed new revolutionary lyrics in Cebuano for some well-known folk songs.

 

2.FERNANDO M. MARAMAG
(1893-1936)
Poet and Journalist

Fernando  Maramag  was  an  excellent  poet  and  journalist  in  English.    He  had  a  rich  style
and deep understanding of human nature – qualities which made his poetry appealing to all
readers.  On the other hand, his editorial writings “exerted great influence on the various phases
of the Filipino way of life, particularly in its government, economics, education and politics,”
according to a critic.

He was born on January 21, 1893 in Ilagan, Isabela, to Rafael Maramag and Victoria
Mamuri, a Spanish mestiza.  His parents were wealthy landowners.
At  age  seven,  he  was  enrolled  in  a  public  school in his hometown.  He finished his high
school  in  1908.    He  was  15  when  he  entered  the  Philippine  Normal  School.    However,  at  the
insistence of his father, he transferred to the University of the Philippines.
At UP he started writing for the school organ.  A brilliant student, he later became its
editor-in-chief.  Among his equally brilliant classmates, were Pilar Hidalgo-Lim and Jose Hilario.
Together, they managed the school newspaper.
At age 21, he was named principal of the Instituto de Manila, a prestigious school for
gifted and well-off students.    Later,  he  became  an  English  professor  at UP. He  also  taught  at  San
Juan de Letran.  During this time, he met and married Constancia Ablaza, by whom he had six
children.

In 1917, he became the editor of Rising Philippines, a daily read by almost every literate
Filipino because of its nationalistic contests.   The Philippines Herald and the National Weekly
also benefited from his editorship.
With his credentials, he started to work in the government as chief of the publications
division of the Department of Justice.  Later, he became technical assistant to then Senate
President Manuel Luis Quezon.

Maramag published countless poems which were devoured and admired by the reading
public, like “My Queen Tagala,” “The Atheist,” “A Christ Without a Cross,” “Jose Rizal,” and “The
Presentation.”  He wrote about the history of the English language in the Philippines.  This
enabled him to mine the secrets of English poetics, especially its techniques.  Leopoldo Y. Yabes, a
noted literary historian, included seven of Maramag’s works in his book of Filipino essays in
English, which has become a standard textbook in English in Philippine schools and universities.
Maramag also wrote appraisingly of some eminent Filipinos in history like the Presidents
Manuel Quezon and Sergio Osmeña , Sr., not to mention Dr. Jose Rizal, neither understating nor
over glorifying their qualities and achievements, but treating his subjects with sincerity and
respect.

He died on October 23, 1936.
In his honor, a marker was installed in his hometown on January 21, 1983. 

3.Leona Florentino (April 19, 1849-October 4, 1884) was a Filipino poet in the Spanish and Ilocano languages. She is considered as the "mother of Philippine women's literature" and the "bridge from oral to literary tradition".

Born to a wealthy and prominent family in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Florentino began to write her first verses in Ilocano at a young age. Despite her potential, she was not allowed to receive a university education because of her gender. Florentino was instead tutored by her mother, and then a series of private teachers. An educated Ilocano priest taught her advanced Spanish and encouraged her to develop her voice in poetry.

Florentino married a politician named Elias de los Reyes at the age of 14. They had five children together. Their son Isabelo de los Reyes later became a Filipino writer, activist and senator. Due to the feminist nature of her writings, Florentino was shunned by her husband and son; she lived alone in exile and separately from her family.She died at the age of 35.

Works

Her lyrical poetry in Spanish, and especially that in Ilocano, gained attention in various international forums in Spain, Paris and St. Louis, Missouri. Her literary contributions - particularly 22 preserved poems - were recognized when she was included in the Encyclopedia Internationale des Oeuvres des Femmes (International Encyclopedia of Women’s Works) in 1889. She is believed to be the first Filipina to receive this international recognition, an homage that occurred after her death at a young age.

 

4. Alfred Yuson
Born on 23 February 1945 in Manila . (Also known as Krip Yuson.) He has authored 23 books, including novels, poetry collections, short fiction, essays, and children's stories, apart from having edited various other titles. Yuson was conferred the Southeast Asia Write Award (SEA Write) in 1992 in Bangkok, and has been elevated to the Hall of Fame of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, the Philippines ‘ most prestigious literary distinction. He has frequently represented the Philippines in Literary conferences, festivals and reading tours in the United States, Japan, China, Finland, Scotland, Thailand, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, South Africa, and Columbia, and his works may be found in many international anthologies.
Yuson is a founding member of the Philippine Literary Arts Council (PLAC), Creative Writing Foundation, Inc. and Manila Critics Circle, and was Chairman of Writers Union of the Philippines . His bibliography includes the potry collections:Sea Serpent, (Monsoon Press, 1980), Trading in Mermaids (Anvil Publishing, Inc., 1993), Mothers Like Elephants (Anvil Publishing, Inc., 2000) Hairtrigger Loves: 50 Poems on Woman (University of the Philippines Press, 2002), and the translation, Love's A Vice/ Bisyo ang Pag-ibig: Translations into English of 60 Poems by mike L. Birgonia (National Commission for Culture at the Arts, 2004). Yuson currently writes a literature and culture column for The Philippines Star.He also teaches fiction and poetry at Ateneo de Manila University, where he held the Henry Lee Irwin Professorial Chair in Creative Writing. His two novels, The Great Philippine Jungle Café and Voyeurs and Savages are studies of Philippine culture. Another novel, The Music Child , was among five works short listed for the second (2008) Man Asian Literary Prize.

5.Ado Vinuya was born in Manila in 1930. He studied in the University of Santo Tomas and the Far Eastern University. He served as editor and public information officer of the Manila Health Department. A versatile worker, he has also been a laborer, sanitary inspector, laboratory technician, clerk, and radio announcer. Vinuya also wrote fiction. He has a poetry collection, with preface written by Carlos P. Romulo, entitled Pregnant Woman and Other Poems (1968

6.Norman Wilwayco, aside from being a multiple Palanca award winner (one being the prestigious Grand Prize for the novel in 2002), plays bass for a rock and roll band and designs multimedia web sites. He also writes for Filmless Films. He previously wrote for the popular television show Batibot and has contributed articles to Liwayway, Manila Times and Inquirer. He was a fellow of the UP Writers Workshop and won the first prize in the Amado Hernandez Award for Literature in 1999.

7.Gregorio Aglipay Cruz y Labayan (Latin: Gregorius Aglipay; 5 May 1860 – 1 September 1940) was a former Roman Catholic priest who became the first Filipino Supreme Bishop of the Philippine Independent Church, a Christian Protestant sect in the form of a national church in the country.

Known for inciting patriotic rebellion among the Filipino clergy, he was also a political activist who became acquainted with Isabelo de los Reyes, who would start a Protestant church named after Aglipay in 1902.

Aglipay was previously excommunicated by Archbishop of Manila Bernardino Norzaleda y Villa on May 1899, upon the expressed permission of Pope Leo XIII. Aglipay later joined the Freemason Order in May 1918. Aglipay later married Pilar Jamias y Ver from Sarrat, Ilocos Norte in 1939 and then died one year later. Followers of Aglipay through the Philippine Independent Church colloquially sometimes refer to their membership as Aglipayans.

 

8.Naya S. Valdellon grew up in Manila, Philippines and has worked as a magazine editorial assistant, freelance copy editor, content writer for a website design company, and literature and writing composition teacher. She graduated in 2002 with a BFA in Creative Writing from the Ateneo de Manila University, where she was Associate Editor of Heights -- the university's official literary publication. She was a fellow for poetry in English in the 38th UP National Writers Workshop (2001) and the 41st Dumaguete National Writers Workshop (2002).

She is a recent M.A. in English and Creative Writing graduate now based in Toronto, Canada. She loves cats, cooking, chess, crosswords, and crazy concoctions. 

9.
A BS computer science degree holder, Ana Maria Villanueva-Lykes discovered the world of words only five years ago. Since then she has been published in The Philippines Free Press, Philippine Graphic, Reader's Digest, and several collections and anthologies. She trained with the Philippine Daily Inquirer for two years before she moved on to other publications. She currently works as editor-in-chief for AsianTraveler Magazine and La Salle 's Rektikano Magazine.
Her novel, Caracol, earned her an outstanding thesis award for her MFA degree in Creative Writing at De La Salle University in 2008. She is a fellow of the 7 th Iyas Creative Writing Workshop and the 44 th U.P. National Writers Workshop.
.REGION II AUTHORS

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.

REGION 1 AUTHORS

1.Carlos Bulosan

 Carlos Sampayan Bulosan (November 2, 1913 – September 11, 1956) was an English-language Filipino novelist and poet who spent most of his life in the United States. His best-known work is the semi-autobiographical Americas is in the house..Carlos Bulosan was born to Ilocano parents in the Philippines in the rural village of Mangusmana, in the town of Binalonan, Pangasinan. There is considerable debate around his actual birth date, as he himself used several dates, but 1911 is generally considered the most reliable answer, based on his baptismal records, but according to the late Lorenzo Duyanen Sampayan, his childhood playmate and nephew, Carlos was born on November 2, 1913. Most of his youth was spent in the countryside as a farmer. It is during his youth that he and his family were economically impoverished by the rich and political elite, which would become one of the main themes of his writing. His home town is also the starting point of his famous semi-autobiographical novel, America is in the Heart.Following the pattern of many Filipinos during the American colonial period, he left for America on July 22, 1930 at age 17, in the hope of finding salvation from the economic depression of his home. He never again saw his Philippine homeland. Upon arriving in Seattle, he met with racism and was forced to work in low paying jobs. He worked as a farmworker, harvesting grapes and asparagus, and doing other types of hard work in the fields of California. He also worked as a dishwasher with his brother and Lorenzo in the famous Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo. He was active in labour movement along the Pacific coast of the United States and edited the 1952 Yearbook for International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 37, a predominantly Filipino American cannery trade union based in Seattle.

After many years of discrimination, starvation and sickness, Bulosan had to undergo surgery for tuberculosis in the Los Angeles County Sanitarium, now the USC Medical Center. The tuberculosis operations made him lose most of the right side of his ribs and the function of one lung. He was confined in the hospital for two years where he took advantage and read one book per day. He became a prolific writer and voice concerning for Filipinos and the struggles they were forced to live in.

His other novels include The Laughter of My Father, which were originally published as short sketches, and the posthumously published The Cry and the Dedication which detailed the armed Huk Rebellion in the Philippines. One of his most famous essays was "Freedom from Want," commissioned by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt as part of a series on the "Four Freedoms" and published on March 26, 1943 in the Saturday Evening Post. Maxim Lieber was his literary agent in 1944.

Carlos Bulosan's works and legacy is heralded in a state of the art permanent exhibition known as 'The Carlos Bulosan Memorial Exhibit" displayed at the historic Eastern Hotel in the heart of Seattle's International District highlighted with a massive centerpiece mural titled: 'Secrets of History created by renowned artist Eliseo Art Silva^.

Works

• The Laughter of My Father
• The Cry and the Dedication
• My Father's Tragedy

 

 2. F. Sionil José

F. Sionil José or in full Francisco Sionil José (born December 3, 1924) is one of the most widely-read Filipino writers in the English language. His novels and short stories depict the social underpinnings of class struggles and colonialism in Filipino society. José's works - written in English - have been translated into 22 languages, including Korean, Indonesian, Russian, Latvian, Ukrainian and Dutch.

Biography

José was born in Rosales, Pangasinan, the setting of many of his stories. He spent his childhood in Barrio Cabugawan, Rosales, where he first began to write. José was of Ilocano descent whose family had migrated to Pangasinan before his birth. Fleeing poverty, his forefathers traveled from Ilocos towards Cagayan Valley through the Santa Fe Trail. Like many migrant families, they brought their lifetime possessions with them, including uprooted molave posts of their old houses and their alsong, a stone mortar for pounding rice.^[1][2][3][4]

One of the greatest influences to José was his industrious mother who went out of her way to get him the books he loved to read, while making sure her family did not go hungry despite poverty and landlessness. José started writing in grade school, at the time he started reading. In the fifth grade, one of José’s teachers opened the school library to her students, which is how José managed to read the novels of José Rizal, Willa Cather’s My Antonia, Faulkner and Steinbeck. Reading about Basilio and Crispin in Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere made the young José cry, because injustice was not an alien thing to him. When José was five years old, his grandfather who was a soldier during the Philippine revolution, had once tearfully showed him the land their family had once tilled but was taken away by rich mestizo landlords who knew how to work the system against illiterates like his grandfather.^[1]

"Authors like myself choose the city as a setting for their fiction because the city itself illustrates the progress or the sophistication that a particular country has achieved. Or, on the other hand, it might also reflect the kind of decay, both social and perhaps moral, that has come upon a particular people."-F. Sionil José, BBC.com, July 30, 200

Sionil José also owns Solidaridad Bookshop, which is on Padre Faura Street in Ermita, Manila. The bookshop offers mostly hard-to-find books and Filipiniana reading materials. It is said to be one of the favorite haunts of many local writers.^[1][2][3][4]

In his regular column, Hindsight, in The Philippine Star, dated September 12, 2011, he wrote "Why we are shallow," blaming the decline of Filipino intellectual and cultural standards on a variety of modern amenities, including media, the education system—particularly the loss of emphasis on classic literature and the study of Greek and Latin--, and the abundance and immediacy of information on the internet.

WorksA five-novel series that spans three centuries of Philippine history, translated into 22 languages

• Po-on (Dusk) (1984) ISBN 971-8845-10-0
• The Pretenders (1962) ISBN 971-8845-00-3
• My Brother, My Executioner (1973) ISBN 971-8845-16-X
• Mass (December 31, 1974) ISBN 0-86861-572-2
• Tree (1978)

3.Gregorio Taer Affiano

Born: Vigan, Ilocos Sur; November 17, 1934. Fictionist, teacher. He is the son of Esteban Amano and Olympia Taer. He obtained his education degree from the Philippine College of Arts and Trades in Manila. He was later granted a scholarship under the Colombo Plan to study in Tokyo, Japan. He taught at the University of Northern Philippines in Vigan, became principal then chief of the Education Department if the Ilocos Norte College of Arts and Trade (now a college of Don Mariano Marcos State University) in Laoag City. He is a member of Gunglo Dagiti Mannurat nga Ilokano (GUMIL) Laoag, GUMIL Ilocos Norte and GUMIL Filipinas. He is at present a professor and administrator at the Don Mariano Marcos State University.

Amano began writing in Ilocano in 1957.That same year, his poem “Arado” was published in Bannawag. Since then, he has published many poems, essays on practical arts, and short stories in the same magazine. His best-known stories are “Dimo Koma Biroken Ti Kaasida” (Do Not Look For Their Mercy), “Talna” (Peace), and “Bubon” (Well). Some of his works were anthologized in Tugot (Foot-prints), edited by Onofrecia I. Ibarra and Hermenegildo A.Viloria and published by GUMIL Ilocos Sur. A former editor of the Philippine Educational Journal, he has also authorized four popular books on practical arts.

In 1986 he won first prize in the short story writing contest in the Gov Roque Ablan Awards for Iluko Literature

4.Clemente Alejandria

Born: Canaman, Camarines Sur; November 23, 1895. Poet,playwright. His parents are Geronimo Alejandria and Victoria Bulocon. He finished his segunda ensenanza (high school) at the Seminario-Colegio de Nueva Caceres , Naga,later studying again in the Canaman Public School . He was a member of the writer's organization Sanghiran nin Bikol.

Of his many works, only three poems are said to be extant: “Pagoroaggoyog” (Just Hum to Yourself), published in Sanghiram, 1927; “Estrella Del Sur” (Star of the South) and “Sa Madaling Osip” (In Short), which appeared in Bicolnon magazine,1940. Other poems were published in Kalendariong Bikol. His plays, now said to be all lost, include Prinsipe Lizardo (Prince Lizardo) and Prinsipe Fernando (Prinsipe Fernando).

Alejandria won second prize in the 1926 poetry contest for his translation of Jose Rizal's “Mi ultimo adios” (My Last Farewell).

5. Santiago B. Villafania

Santiago B. Villafania is a Pangasinan poet [based in Manila]. He writes in Pangasinan, Filipino/Tagalog and English. 

He was born in Tuliao, Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan on January 31, 1971. Finished a Bachelor of Arts degree Major in English at the University of Pangasinan in 1991. 

Some of his poems have appeared in local and international print and web publications. His poetry collection in Pangasinan language Balikas na Caboloan is among the works published by the National Commission for the Culture and the Arts (NCCA) under its UBOD New Writers Series (2005). 

Villafania advocates for the resurgence of Pangasinan as a literary language. He was awarded the Writer of the Year (2004) by the Ulupan na Pansiansia'y Salitan Pangasinan (Association for the Preservation of the Pangasinan Language) and Award of Merit (2005) by the Association of Writers and Authors for Regional Development (Region I) for his first book, Pinabli tan arum ni'ran Anlong(Beloved and Other Poems) published in 2003.

His second book of poems, Malagilion: Soniton Pangasinan , is an attempt to open the propylaea of literary renaissance in Pangasinan. He is currently coming out with a chapbook of his poems in English titled Murtila .

6. Paul B. Zafaralla

Born on June 22, 1983 in Upon, Pinili, Ilocos Norte. He is a multilingual writer (Iluko, English, Filipino) on Ilocano and Philippine culture and the arts for the past 51 years. His outlets are Bannawag , Rima, Iluko anthologies, lectures, English broadsheets, popular and professional magazines, journals, and classrooms. He enjoys regional, national and international recognitions for his incisive and scholarly critiques. The Association of the Philippines gave him a special cognition for his body of published works in 1971. This was followed by numerous official participation in national and ASEAN congresses on arts and aesthetics, in many of which as a paper reader. At the University of the Philippines where he received his degrees (BFA, MAED, Ph. D in Communication), his body of published works had been duly recognized. The Manila Critics Circle awarded him the 2004 National Book Award for Rice in the Seven Arts, Sept. 4, 2005. Pinili-Metro Manila Residents Associations, Inc., awarded him the Don Ignacio Lafrades Award for Distinguished Achievement, December 9, 2006. Dr. Zafaralla is a member of GUMIL Filipinas; PEN International; Phi Kappa Phi International Honor Society; and Pi Gamma Mu International Honor Society in the Social Sciences.

7. Jose A. Bragado

Jose A. Bragado was born on 25 August, 1936 in Santa, Ilocos Sur. He took up several courses in college, including Journalism and English. He has worked as News & Comics Editor and Literary Editor. He has published in the Bannawag magazine 20 novels, 65 short stories, 50 poems, 170 feature articles and essays, translated 5 novels from Filipino to Iluko; he has alos edited and co-authored several books. He has published short stories in the Liwayway magazine. He wrote the life of Gabriela and Diego Silang for Balintataw , a radio program of Cecille Gidote-Alvarez at the DZRH. The drama ran for one month. He has received various awards for his contributions to Iluko literature. He was nominated for National Artist for Literature Award in 2003.

 

8.Reynaldo Arquero Duque  Born on October 29. 1945 in Bagani Ubbog, Candon, Ilocos Sur. He has worked as Managing Editor of Liwayway magazine. He was also president of Gunglo Dagiti Mannurat nga Ilokano (GUMIL) Filipinas. Duque writes novels, poetry and short stories in Ilocano, Filipino, and English. Duque has garnered 63 literary awards in English, Ilocano and Filipino, 8 from the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, 2 from the Palihang Aurelio Tolentino, 4 from the Gawad CCP sa Panitikan, 9 from the Gov. Roque Ablan Awards for Iluko literature, 3 from the Golden Leaf Literary Awards, 7 from the Talaang Ginto and Gantimpalang Collantes of the Surian ng Wikang Pambansa, 2 from the Focus Philippines literary contest and Kabataang Barangay Playwriting Contest, and 2 from the Population Commission Playwriting Contest. He was National Fellow for Translation, UP Institute of Creative Writing and awarded Outstanding Son of Candon in the field of literature and journalism. He has written novels and short stories in comics form which were published in Bannawag, Bisaya, Yuhum, P.M. News, Balita ng Maynila, and various comics magazines. His many books include: Ankel Sam, S.O.B. (1991), Centerly, Manong (1986), Dagiti Asin Ti Lasag (The Salt of the Flesh, 1975), Sika Amin Dagitoy (You Are All of These, 1974), Lumahai (Offering, 1973), Bannawag: Saanen (Dawn No More, 1972) and Aloha Nui Loa (Aloha My Love, 1972).

9. Onefrecia Ipac Ibarra

Born on 21 July 1939 in Pacis, Sinait, Ilocos Sur. Onefrecia Ipac Ibarra has a BSEE (cum laude), M.A. in Education, and Ph.D. in Bilingual Education degrees, and received a number of scholarships given by both government and private agencies. She has served in various capacities as professor and faculty member of the Mariano Marcos State University, and became the first teacher of Ilokano literature to postgraduate students in the country. Her numerous short stories, essays, drama, and poems were published in Bannawag, Sirmata, Ani 7, Tobacco Farmers, Pluma, Siit, Talged, and GUMIL Sinait . She received the prestigious Leona Florentino award from GUMIL Filipinas on 27 April 2002, and retired as professor V from the MMSU College of Education in the same year.

10. Abdon M. Balde Jr.

 Bicol, Philippines

September 12, 1946

 

Abdon M. Balde, Jr. is an award-winning Filipino novelist. He has written and published short stories, poems and novels in English, Tagalog and the languages of Bicol.

Balde finished a degree in civil engineering and worked as a construction engineer for thirty-three years, after which he retired to pursue a career as an author. His writer career bloomed and critics noted his unique raw talent. He concentrated in writing creative short stories, poems and novels. He received his first literary award in 2003 and has since continued to win acclaim for his work.

Today, he is a councilor of the organization Lupon Sa Wika, a member of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and director of the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas .Born on a military base in the Philippines, Lou Diamond Philips rose to fame with a series of hit films in the late 1980s, inlcuding La Bamba, Stand and Deliver, and Young Guns. After a few flops in the early 1990s, Philips earned a Tony nomination for his work in The King and I on Broadway. He continues to make television appearances,

Early Life

Actor. Lou Diamond Phillips was born February 17, 1962, on the Subic Bay Naval Station in the Philippines to Lucita Aranas and American naval officer Gerald Upchurch. The young actor was eventually adopted by his mother's second husband, taking his stepfather's surname Phillips. Though he was raised in small-town Texas, Lou Diamond Phillips had stars in his eyes from a young age. Passing up the opportunity to go to Yale, he instead chose to attend the local University of Texas at Arlington where he got his Bachelor's in Fine Arts degree in drama. He was active in drama club productions and a local comedy troupe. Eager to break out of the small town drama scene, Phillips capitalized on whatever opportunities came his way. The up-and-comer would often go to great lengths to meet idols (like Robert DeNiro) when they passed through nearby Dallas.

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