Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions (CPAR)

Prepared by: Ms. Narlyn P. dela Cruz, LPT

LECTURE NO.4b
NATIONAL ARTIST
(Theater, Visual Arts, Literature)

NATIONAL ARTIST FOR THEATER

DAISY Hontiveros – AVELLANA (1999)

 An actor, director and writer
 Born in Roxas City, Capiz on January 26, 1917
 She has elevated legitimate theater and dramatic arts to a new level of excellence by staging and performing in
breakthrough productions of classic Filipino and foreign plays and by encouraging the establishment of performing
groups and the professionalization of Filipino theater
 Co – founded the Barangay Theatre Guild in 1939 together with her husband , National Artist Lamberto Avellana
and other artists
 She has starred in plays like
 Othello (1953)
 Macbeth in Black (1959)
 Casa de Bernarda Alba (1967)
 Tatarin
 Best remembered for her portrayal of Candida Marasigan in the stage and film versions of Nick Joaquin’s Portrait of
the Artist as Filipino
 Her directorial credits
 Diego Silang (1968)
 Walang Sugat (1971)
 Among her screenplays
 Sakay (1939)
 Portrait of the Artist as Filipino (1955)

ROLANDO TINIO (Theater and Literature, 1997)

 He is also a National Artist for Literature
 Playwright, thespian, poet, teacher, critic and translator, marked his career with prolific artistic productions
 His chief distinction is as a stage director whose original insights into the scripts he handled brought forth
productions notable for their visual impact and intellectual cogency
 He established and became the administrator of the Ateneo Experimental Theater
 Later on he handled Teatro Pilipino where he revived the sarswela & other traditional Filipino drama & introduced
contemporary Western drama
 Works :
 Collections of Poetry
o Sitsit sa Kuliglig
o Dunung – dunungan
o Kristal na Uniberso
o A Trick of Mirrors
 Film Scripts
o Now and Forever
o Gamitin Mo Ako
o Bayad Puri
o Milagros
 Sarswelas
o Ang Mestisa

Page 1 of 16
 Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions (CPAR)

Prepared by: Ms. Narlyn P. dela Cruz, LPT

o Ako
o Ang Kiri
o Ana Maria
 Komedya
o Orosman at Zafira
 Musical
o Larawan

WILFRIDO MA. GUERERRO (1997)

 A teacher and theater artist whose 35 years of devoted professorship has produced most sterling luminaries in
Philippine performing arts today : Behn Cervantes, Celia Diaz – Laurel, Joy Virata, Joonee Gamboa, etc.
 In 1947, he was appointed as UP Dramatic Club director and served for 16 years
 As founder and artistic director of the UP Mobile Theater, he pioneered the concept of theater campus tour and
delivered no less than 2,500 performances in a span of 19 committed years of service
 His plays include :
 Half an Hour in a Convent
 Wanted : A Chaperon
 Forever
 Condemned
 Perhaps
 In Unity
 Deep in my Heart
 Three Rats
 Our Strange Ways
 The Forsaken House
 Frustrations

HONORATA “ATANG” DELA RAMA (Theater and Music, 1987)

 Formally honored as the Queen of Kundiman in 1979
 She performed kundiman and Filipino songs for indigenous communities all over the country
 For her, the kundiman and sarsuelas mirrors the Filipino people
 Already 74 years old singing the same song (Nabasag na Banga) that she sang as a 15 – year old girl in the sarsuela
Dalagang Bukid
 She became the very first actress in the very first Tagalog film when she essayed the same role in the sarsuela’s film
version (Dalagang Bukid)
 As early as age seven, she was already being cast in Spanish sarsuelas such as:
 Mascota
 Sueῆo de un Vals
 Marina
 Pangarap ni Rosa
 She counts the role though of an orphan as her most rewarding & satisfying role that she played with
realism, the stage sparkling with silver coins tossed by a teary – eyed audience
 Among the kundiman and other songs she popularized were :
 Pakiusap
 Ay, Ay Kalisud
 Kung Iibig ka
 Madaling Araw (Jose Corazon de Jesus)
 Mutya ng Pasig (Deogracias Rosario & Nicanor Abelardo)
 She also wrotes her own sarswela:
 Anak ni Eba

Page 2 of 16
 Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions (CPAR)

Prepared by: Ms. Narlyn P. dela Cruz, LPT

 Aking Ina
 Puri at Buhay

SALVADOR F. BERNAL (Theater Design, 2003)

 An exceptional theater designer who design more than 300 productions distinguished for their originality since 1969
 Sensitive to the budget limitations, he harnessed the design potential of inexpensive local materials, pioneering or
maximizing the use of bamboo, raw abaca and abaca fiber, hemp twine, rattan chain links and gauze cacha
 Also, he is a professor at the University of the Philippines – Diliman and Ateneo de Manila University where he
shared his competencies to the aspiring young designers
 He established the PATDAT (Philippine Association of Theater Designers and Technician) in 1995 to promote theater
design
 He internationally introduced the Philippine theater design through the Philippine Center of OISTAT (Organization
Internationale des Scenographers, Technicians et Architectes du Theater)

SEVERINO MONTANO (2001)

 Hailed as the Titan of the Philippine Theater, he took the lead in promoting legitimate theater in the country
 He was a top caliber playwright, artist, and director who took up degrees in & outside the country to master theater
arts & later on to share his learnings & competencies to the younger Filipino generation
 He started his career & education at the University of the Philippines where he studied education & became the
head of the UP Dramatic Club
 His journey continued as he entered different universities in the United States like American University, Yale
University and New York University
 As Dean of Instruction of the Philippine Normal College, he organized the Arena Theater to bring drama to the
masses
 He trained & directed the new generations of dramatists including Rolando S. Tinio, Emmanuel Borlaza, Joonee
Gamboa, and Behn Cervantes
 He established a graduate program at the Philippine Normal College for the training of playwrights, directors,
technicians, actors, & designers
 He also established Arena Theater Playwriting Contest that led to the discovery of Wilfrido Nolledo, Jesus T.Peralta,
and Estrella Alfon
 Among his awards and recognitions :
 Patnubay ng Kalinangan Award (1968) from the City of Manila
 Presidential Award for Merit in Drama and Theater (1961)
 Rockefeller Foundation Grant to travel 98 cities abroad (1950, 1952, 1962, 1963)

LAMBERTO AVELLANA (Theater and Film, 1976)

 Director for theater and films
 Called The Boy Wonder of Philippine Movies
 He was the first to use the motion picture camera to establish a point – of – view, a move that revolutionized the
techniques of film narration
 At 20, portrayed Joan of Arc , in time for Ateneo’s diamond jubilee, initially set out to establish a Filipino theater
 BARANGAY THEATER GUILD – formed with his wife, Daisy Hontiveros – Avellana (star of many UP play), having Leon
Ma. Guerrero & Raul Manglapus as members
 Carlos P. Romulo (president of Philippine Films), encouraged him to try his hand at directing films
 Sakay

Page 3 of 16
 Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions (CPAR)

Prepared by: Ms. Narlyn P. dela Cruz, LPT

 His first film, where he demonstrated a kind of visual rhythm that established a new filmic language
 Declared as the best picture of 1939 by critics and journalists alike & set the tone for his career in film that
would be capped by such distinctive achievements
o Grand Prix at the Asian Film Festival in Hong Kong for Anak Dalita (1956)
o Best Director of Asia award in Tokyo for Badjao, among others
 He was also the first filmmaker to have his film Kandelerong Pilak shown at the Cannes International Film Festival
 Among the films he directed for worldwide release were :
 Sergeant Hasan (1967)
 Destination Vietnam (1969)
 The Evil Within (1970)

NATIONAL ARTIST FOR VISUAL ARTS

FERNANDO AMORSOLO (Painting, 1972)

 The first national artist of the country
 The official title Grand Old Man of Philippine Art was bestowed on him when the Manila Hilton inaugurated its art
center on January 23, 1969 with an exhibit of a selection of his works
 Returning from his studies abroad in the 1920’s, he developed the backlighting technique that became his
trademark where figures, a cluster of leaves, spill of hair, the swell of breast, are seen aglow on canvas
 His works of arts were notable for reflecting the artistic and cultural heritage of the Philippines
 His major works include the following :
 Maiden in a Stream (1921) – GSIS collection
 El Ciego (1928) – Central Bank of the Philippines Collection
 Dalagang Bukid (1936) – Club Filipino collection
 The Mestiza (1943) – National Museum of the Philippines collection
 Planting Rice (1946) – UCPB collection
 Sunday Morning Going to Town (1958) – Ayala Museum collection

HERNANDO OCAMPO (1991)

 A self – taught painter, a leading member of the pre – war Thirteen Moderns (the group that charted the course of
the modern art in the Philippines)
 His works provided an understanding & awareness of the harsh social realities in the country immediately after the
Second World War& contributed significantly to the rise of the nationalist spirit in the post – war era
 It was his abstract works that left an indelible mark on Philippine modern art ; his canvasses evoked the lush
Philippine landscape, its flora & fauna, under the sun & rain in fierce & bold colors
 He also played a pivotal role in sustaining the Philippine Art Gallery, the country’s first
 Works :
 Genesis (1968) – acknowledge masterpiece, served as the basis of the curtain design of the Cultural Center
of the Philippines main theater
 Ina ng Balon
 Calvary
 Slum Dwellers
 Nude with Candle and Flower
 Man and Carabao
 Angel’s Kiss
 Palayok at Kalan
 Ancestors

Page 4 of 16
 Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions (CPAR)

Prepared by: Ms. Narlyn P. dela Cruz, LPT

 Isda at Mangga
 The Resurrection
 Fifty – Three “Q”
 Backdrop
 Fiesta

BENEDICTO “BENCAB” CABRERA (Painting, 2006)

 Signs his paintings “Bencab”, upheld the primacy of drawing over the decorative color
 He started his career in the mid – sixties as a lyrical expressionist
 His solitary figures of scavengers emerging from a dark landscape were piercing stabs at the social conscience of a
people long inured to poverty & dereliction
 He was born in Malabon, has christened the emblematic scavenger figure Sabel (a melancholic symbol of
dislocation, despair & isolation – the personification of human dignity threatened by life’s vicissitudes, & the vast
inequities of Philippine Society)
 He was internationally known & had been exhibiting in Europe, United States of America
 In his forty years of being a visual artist, he received various awards like the National Artist award and the Gawad
CCP for Sining
 Some of his works are :
 Madonna with Objects (1991)
 Studies of Sabel (1991)
 People Waiting (1989)
 The Indifference (1988)
 Waiting for the Monsoon (1986)

CARLOS “BOTONG” FRANCISCO (Painting, 1973)

 He was a muralist from Angono, Rizal that for three decades, he painted murals showing the historical past of the
Philippines
 Most of his subjects depict the life in his hometown & highlight the lives of the farmers and the fishermen
 The significant elements in his paintings were their lines & shapes that seem like cutouts and their lush tropical
colors
 He was one of the so – called The Triumvirate along with other Galo Ocampo and Victorio Edades, who introduced
modern art to the country
 His major works include :
 Portrait of Purita
 The Invasion of Limahong
 Serenade
 Muslim Betrothal
 Blood Compact
 First Mass at Limasawa
 The Martyrdom of Rizal
 Bayanihan
 Magpupukot
 Fiesta
 Bayanihan sa Bukid
 Sandugo

Page 5 of 16
 Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions (CPAR)

Prepared by: Ms. Narlyn P. dela Cruz, LPT

CESAR LEGASPI (Visual Arts, 1990)

 A pioneer neo – realist of the country, is best remembered for his singular achievement of refining cubism in the
Philippine context
 He belonged to the Thirteen Moderns, who followed the steps of The Triumvirate who promoted modern arts in the
country
 His distinctive style and daring themes contributed significantly to the advent and eventual acceptance of modern
art in the Philippines
 He made use of geometric fragmentation technique, weaving social comment and juxtaposing the mythical and
modern into his overlapping, interacting forms with disturbing power and intensity
 Among his works were :
 Gadgets I
 Gadgets II
 Diggers
 Idols of the Third Eye
 Façade
 Ovary
 Flora and Fauna
 Triptych
 Flight
 Bayanihan
 Struggle
 Avenging Figure
 Turning Point
 Peace
 The Survivor
 The Ritual

ABDULMARI ASIA IMAO (Sculpture, 2006)

 A native of Sulu, he is a sculptor, painter, photographer, ceramist, documentary film maker, cultural researcher ,
writer, and articulator of Philippine Muslim art & culture
 Through his works, the indigenous ukkil, sarimanok and naga motifs have been popularized and instilled in the
consciousness of the Filipino nation and other people as original Filipino creations
 His UP art education introduced him to Filipino masters like Guillermo Tolentino and Napoleon Abueva, who were
among his mentors
 With his large – scale sculptures and monuments of Muslim and regional heroes and leaders gracing selected sites
from Batanes to Tawi – Tawi, he has helped develop among cultural groups trust and confidence necessary for the
building of a more just and humane society
 Among his works were :
 Industry Brass Mural – Philippine National Bank, San Fernando City, La Union
 Mural Relief on Filmmaking – Manila City Hall
 Industrial Mural – Central Bank of the Philippines, San Fernando City, La Union
 Sulu Warriors (statues of Panglima Unaid and Captain Abdurahim Imao) – 6 ft. , Sulu Provincial Capitol

Page 6 of 16
 Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions (CPAR)

Prepared by: Ms. Narlyn P. dela Cruz, LPT

GUILLERMO Estrella TOLENTINO (Sculpture, 1973)

 A product of the Revival Period in Philippine art
 Returning from Europe (he was enrolled at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Rome) in 1925, he was appointed as
professor at the UP School of Fine Arts where the idea also of executing a monument for national heroes struck him
; the result was the UP Oblation (the symbol of freedom at the campus)
 The Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan – acknowledge as his masterpiece, completed in 1933, stands as an enduring
symbol of the Filipino’s cry for freedom
 He also designed the gold and bronze medals for the Ramon Magsaysay Award and did the seal of the Republic of
the Philippines
 Other works include:
 Bronze figures of President Quezon at the Quezon Memorial
 Life – size busts of Jose Rizal at UP and UE
 Marble statue of Ramon Magsaysay in GSIS building
 Granolithics of heroic statues representing education, medicine, forestry, veterinary science, fine arts and
music at UP

ARTURO LUZ (1997)

 A painter, sculptor and designer for over 40 years
 An abstractionist known for his minimalist paintings and sculptures which exude sophisticated simplicity
 He started doing art at the age of 17 without prior training
 Had his first art lesson under the tutelage of Pablo Amorsolo
 He enrolled at the University of Sto. Tomas and took up Fine Arts
 He also studied abroad, in US and Europe, to further improve his skills in art making
 His significant works :
 Bagong Taon
 Vendador de Flores
 Skipping Rope
 Candle Vendors
 Procession
 Self – Portrait
 Night Glows
 Grand Finale
 Cities of the Past
 Imaginary Landscapes
 Black and White – displayed in the lobby of the CCP’s Bulwagang Carlos V. Francisco (little theater)
 Sculpture of stainless cube is located in front of the Benguet Mining Corporation Building in Pasig

FREDERICO AGUILAR ALCUAZ (Painting, Sculpture, & Mixed Media, 2009)

 Known for his gestural abstract expressionistic painting using a variety of mediums like acrylic and oil
 He was also a sculptor who produced abstract & figurative sculptures made of materials like ceramics, paper, and
mixed media
 His works are:
 Reveries of Love
 Still Life with Landscape

Page 7 of 16
 Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions (CPAR)

Prepared by: Ms. Narlyn P. dela Cruz, LPT

 Panoramic View of Manila

 Tres Marias
 Tap Room

NAPOLEON ABUEVA (Sculpture, 1976)

 At 46, a native of Bohol, was the youngest National Artist awardee
 Considered as the Father of Modern Sculpture, he has helped shape the local sculpture scene to what it is now
 Being adept in either academic representational style or modern abstract, he has utilized almost all kinds of
materials from hard wood (molave, acacia, langka wood, ipil, kamagong, palm wood and bamboo) to adobe, metal
stainless steel cement, marble, bronze, iron, alabaster, coral, and brass
 Among his early innovations was when he introduced in 1951 what was referred to as buoyant sculpture (sculpture
meant to be appreciated from the surface of a placid pool)
 In the 80’s, he put up a one – man show at the Philippine Center, New York
 His works have been installed in different museums here & abroad, such as The Sculpture at the United Nations
headquarters in New York
 Some of his major works are:
 Kaganapan (1953)
 Kiss of Judas (1955)
 Thirty Pieces of Silver (1979) – Eternal Garden Memorial Park
 The Transfiguration (1979) – Eternal Garden Memorial Park
 UP Gateway (1967)
 Nine Muses (1994) - UP Faculty Center
 Sunburst (1994) – Peninsula Manila Hotel
 The bronze figure of Teodoro M. Kalaw in front of National Library
 Murals in marble at the National Heroes Shrine, Mt. Samat, Bataan

JEREMIAS ELIZALDE NAVARRO (Painting, 1999)

 Popularly known as J. Elizalde Navarro, born in May 22, 1924 in Antique
 A versatile artist, being both a proficient painter & sculptor
 As a painter, he created both abstract and figure paintings using oil and watercolor
 The prominent elements in his abstract works were its geometric forms and spontaneous strokes
 His figure paintings were inspired by Balinese art and culture
 As a sculptor, he was popular for his masks, carved in hardwood, with combined features of human and animals
 Also known for his assemblages wherein he combined metals and found materials to create stunning work of art
 His remarkable works:
 I’m Sorry Jesus I Can’t Attend Christmas This Year (1965)
 Homage to Dodgie Laurel (1969 : Ateneo Art Gallery collection)
 A Flying Contraption for Mr. Icarus (1984 : Lopez Museum)

FRANCISCO COCHING (Posthumous Conferment, 2014)

 Tugged as Dean of Filipino Illustrators, he was popular for his komiks drawings
 The significant features of his works were their fluid drawings & dramatic storyline
 Fantasy, love and adventure were the usual themes of his works drawing inspiration from awit & korido
 His works illustrated gallant men & beautiful ladies and the victory of good over evil

Page 8 of 16
 Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions (CPAR)

Prepared by: Ms. Narlyn P. dela Cruz, LPT

 Among his works were :

 Lapu – Lapu
 Pedro Penduko
 Hagibis
 El Nido
 Maldita

VICTORIO EDADES (Painting, 1976)

 Father of Modern Philippine Painting
 One of the Triumvirate who introduced modernism in Philippine Visual Art
 Upon his arrival in the Philippines after studying abroad, he shocked many Filipinos on his exhibit due to his non –
conventional style of painting ; he deviated from Amorsolo’s use of happy and bright colors and used dark and sad
hues in his paintings instead
 Depicted in his works were the hardships in the life of the laborers and the lower class in the society
 In 1930’s, he taught at UST & became dean of its Department of Architecture where he stayed for three full decades
; it was during this time that he introduced a liberal arts program that offers subjects as art history & foreign
languages that will lead to a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, that this development brought about a first in Philippine
education since art schools then were vocational schools
 Retiring from teaching at age 70, the university conferred him the degree of Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa, for
being an outstanding visionary, teacher and artist
 Among his works are :
 The Artist and the Model
 Portrait of the Professor
 Japanese Girl
 Mother and Daughter
 The Wrestlers
 Poinsettia Girl

ANG KIUKOK (Visual Arts, 2001)

 Born to immigrant Chinese parents Vicente Ang and Chin Lim, Ang Kiukok is one of the most vital and dynamic
figures who emerged during the 60’s and continues to make an impact up to the present
 Ang Kiukok originally mean Ang Hua Shing (Hua Shing literally means Chinese born ; he is the only son with 4
sisters)
 He was known for his highly expressionistic works containing powerful meanings
 Angst, anguish, and anger are the glaring emotions contained in his cubistic works as these were created in the time
of Martial Law
 Some of his works include:
 Geometric Landscape (1969)
 Pieta (1962) - won the bronze medal in the 1 st International Art Exhibition held in Saigon
 Seated Figure (1979) – auctioned at Sotheby’s in Singapore
 His works can be found in many major art collections, among them were the CCP, National Historical Museum of
Taipei, and the National Museum in Singapore
 He died on May 9, 2004

Page 9 of 16
 Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions (CPAR)

Prepared by: Ms. Narlyn P. dela Cruz, LPT

JOSE T. JOYA (Visual Arts, 2003)

 An abstractionist known for his gestural paintings (paint is applied intuitively & spontaneously, in broad brush strokes,
using brushes or spatula, or is directly squeezed from the tube & splashed across the canvas)
 The prominent elements of his artworks include their color harmony inspired by the country’s landscapes, their
kinetic energy, and their spontaneity
 He is also a multimedia artist who painted on ceramics such as vessels, plates, and tiles
 As an artist, he promoted visual arts to the younger generations by conducting regional workshops
 Among his works are:
 Beethoven Listening to the Blues
 Space Transfiguration
 Hills of Nikko
 Abstraction
 Dimension of Fear
 Naiad
 Torogan
 Cityscape
 Granadean Arabesque – a work on canvas big enough to be called a mural, features swipes and gobs of
impasto and sand

VICENTE MANANSALA (Painting, 1981)

 A cubist painter who painted with a wide range of subject matters from the happy and bountiful rural to poverty -
stricken urban set – ups
 He contributed in the modernism of Philippine visual arts by his style of transparent cubism
 As a young boy, his talent revealed through the copies he made of the Sagrada Familia and his mother’s portrait
that he copied from a photograph
 After finishing the Fine Arts course from UP, he worked as an illustrator of the Philippine Herald where he became
acquainted with Hernando Ocampo, Carlos Francisco, and Cesar Legaspi
 He admired Carlos Francisco the most who influenced his art making
 He trained at Paris and at Otis School of Drawing in Los Angeles
 His works are :
 A Cluster of Nipa Hut
 San Francisco Del Monte
 Banaklaot
 I Believe in God
 Market Venders
 Madonna of the Slums
 Still Life with Green Guitar
 Via Crucis
 Whirr
 Nude

Page 10 of 16
 Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions (CPAR)

Prepared by: Ms. Narlyn P. dela Cruz, LPT

NATIONAL ARTIST FOR LITERATURE

FRANCISCO ARCELLANA (1990)

 A writer, poet, essayist, critic, journalist & teacher, is one of the most important progenitors of the modern
Filipino short story in English
 Due to his innovativeness in developing fiction, he was able to come up with short stories using lyrical prose –
poetic approach
 His works depict Filipino’s sensibility
 He had published the following :
 Books
o Selected Stories (1962)
o Poetry and Politics : The State of Original Writing in English in the Philippines Today (1977)
o The Francisco Arcellana Sampler (1990)
 Short Stories
o Frankie, The Man Who would be Poe
o Death in a Factory
o Lina
o A Clown Remembers
o Divided by Two
 Poems
o The Other Woman
o This being the Third Poem
o This Poem is for Mathilda
o To Touch You and I Touched Her

EDITH TIEMPO (1999)

 A poet, fictionist, teacher & literary critic, is one of the finest Filipino writers in English
 She was born on April 22, 1919, in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
 In over five decades she had produced numerous remarkable poems and short stories
 She is an influential tradition in Philippine literature in English
 Together with her late husband, Edilberto Tiempo, she founded and directed the Siliman National Writers Workshop
in Dumaguete City, which has produced some of the country’s best writers
 Her published works include :
 Novels
o A Blade of Fern (1978)
o The Native Coast (1979)
o The Alien Corn (1992)
 Poetry Collections
o The Tracks of Babylon and Other Poems (1966)
o The Charmer’s Box and Other Poems (1993)
 Short Story Collections
o Abide, Joshua, and other Stories (1964)

Page 11 of 16
 Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions (CPAR)

Prepared by: Ms. Narlyn P. dela Cruz, LPT

BIENVENIDO LUMBERA (2006)

 A poet, librettist, and scholar
 As a poet, he introduced to Tagalog literature what is now known as Bagay Poetry, a landmark aesthetic tendency
that has helped to change the vernacular poetic tradition, together with other poets like Rolando Tinio
 He is the author of the following works:
 Poems
o Likhang Dila,Likhang Diwa (poems in English and Filipino, 1993)
o Balabay
o Mga Tulang Lunot at Manibalang (2002)
o Sa Sariling Bayan (2004)
o Apat na Dulang may Musika (2004)
o Agunyas sa Hacienda Luisita (2004)
o Pakikiramay (2004)
 As Librettist
o Tales of the Manuvu and Rama Hari - he pioneered the creative fusion of fine arts and popular
imagination
 Books (as a scholar)
o Tagalog Poetry (1570 – 1898)
o Tradition and Influences in its Development
o Philippine Literature: A History and Anthology
o Revaluation: Essays on Philippine Literature
o Writing the Nation / Pag – akda ng Bansa

N.V.M. GONZALES (1990)

 Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzales, better known as N.V.M. Gonzales, was a fictionist, essayist, poet, and teacher,
articulated the Filipino spirit in rural, urban landscapes
 Among the many recognitions, he won the following:
 First Commonwealth Literary Contest in 1940
 Republic Cultural Heritage Award in 1960
 Gawad CCP para sa Sining in 1990
 He became U.P.’s International – Writer – in – Residence & a member of the Board of Advisers of the UP Creative
Writing Center
 In 1987, UP conferred on him the Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, its highest academic recognition
 His major works :
 The Winds of April
 Seven Hills Away
 Children of the Ash – Covered Loam and Other Stories
 The Bamboo Dancers
 Look Stranger, on this Island Now
 Mindoro and Beyond: Twenty – One Stories
 The Bread of Salt and Other Stories
 Work on the Mountain
 The Novel of Justice: Selected Essays (1968 – 1994)
 A Grammar of Dreams and Other Stories

Page 12 of 16
 Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions (CPAR)

Prepared by: Ms. Narlyn P. dela Cruz, LPT

VIRGILIO “RIO ALMA” ALMARIO (2003)

 A poet, literary historian, and critic, who has revived and reinvented traditional Filipino poetic forms
 In 34 years, he had published 12 books of poetry, which include:
 Makinasyon
 Perigrinasyon
 Landmark trilogy
o Doktrinang Anakpawis
o Mga Retrato at Rekwerdo
o Muli, sa Kandungan ng Lupa
 He has also redefined how the Filipino poetry is viewed & 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
 Barlaan at Josaphat
 He founded the following literary workshops:
 GAT (Galian sa Arte at Tula)
 LIRA (Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika at Anyo)
 He has 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)
 Headed the NCCA (National Commission for Culture and the Arts) as Executive Director from 1998 to 2001

CIRILIO BAUTISTA
 A literary genius who produced numerous works such as poems, fictions and essays
 For four decades, he contributed in the enrichment and promotion of Philippine literature through his writings,
workshops, and lectures
 He brought literature closer to the people especially to the young generations by conducting literary workshops and
lectures all over the country where he discussed literary techniques and developments
 Founded literary groups like the Philippine Literary Art Council, Baguio Writers Group, and the Iligan Writer’s
Workshop
 He was also an instrument in the establishment of the Bienvenido Creative Writing Center in the De La Salle
University
 Included his works are :
 Summer Suns
 Galaw ng Asoge
 Words and Battlefield

NICK JOAQUIN (1976)

 A playwright, poet, novelist, short story writer, and a journalist
 Regarded by many as the most distinguished Filipino writer in English writing so variedly and so well about so many
aspects of the Filipino
 Also enriched the language with critics coining Joaquinesque to describe his baroque Spanish – flavored English or
his reinventions of English based on Filipinisms
 His literary pieces explored the Spanish colonial past of the country and the social changes evident in the Philippines
 His works are:
 Doῆa Geronima
 Candido’s Apocalypse
 The Order of Melchizedek

Page 13 of 16
 Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions (CPAR)

Prepared by: Ms. Narlyn P. dela Cruz, LPT

 The Woman Who Had Two Navels

 A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino
 Manila, My Manila: A History for the Young
 The Ballad of the Five Battles
 Rizal in Saga
 Almanac for Manileῆos
 Cave and Shadows

AMADO V. HERNANDEZ (1973)

 A poet, playwright, and novelist, is among the Filipino writers who practiced committed art (the function of the writer
is to act as the conscience of society and to affirm the greatness of the human spirit in the face of inequity and oppression)
 His contribution to the development of Tagalog prose is considerable – he stripped Tagalog of its ornate character
and wrote in prose closer to the colloquial than the official style permitted
 His works :
 Mga Ibong Mandaragit – first written when he was in prison, the first Filipino socio – political novel that
exposes the ills of the society as evident in the agrarian problems of the 50’s
 Bayang Malaya
 Isang Dipang Langit
 Luha ng Buwaya
 Amado V. Hernandez: Tudla at Tudling: Katipunan ng mga Nalathalang Tula 1921 – 1970
 Langaw sa Isang Basong Gatas at Iba Pang Kwento ni Amado V. Hernandez
 Magkabilang Mukha ng Isang Bagol at Iba Pang Akda ni Amado V. Hernandez

LAZARO FRANCISCO (Literature, Posthumous Conferment, 2009)

 A master of Tagalog novel whose literary pieces highlight the writer’s nationalism
 His novels express his desire for social change
 He wrote for the masses and the common people depicting their way of life
 He published 11 literary classics, included are:
 Ama
 Daluyong
 Maganda Pa ang Daigdig

JOSE GARCIA VILLA (1973)

 Is considered as one of the finest contemporary poets regardless of race or language
 He used Doveglion (dove, eagle, lion) as penname, the very characters he attributed to himself
 Also known for the tartness of his tongue
 Have Come, Am Here – the first of his poems that received a critical recognition when it appeared in New York in
1942 that, soon enough, honors and fellowships were heaped on him: Guggenheim, Bollingen, The American
Academy of Arts and Letters Awards
 His works have been collected into the following books:
 Footnote to Youth
 Many Voices
 Poems by Doveglion
 Poems 55
 Poems in Praise of Love: The Best Love Poems of Jose Garcia Villa (as chosen by himself)

Page 14 of 16
 Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions (CPAR)

Prepared by: Ms. Narlyn P. dela Cruz, LPT

 Selected Stories
 The Portable Villa
 The Essential Villa
 Mir – I – nisa
 Storymasters 3: Selected Stories from Footnote to Youth
 55 Poems: Selected and Translated into Tagalog by Hilario S. Francia

FRANCISCO SIONIL JOSE (2001)

 Commonly known as F. Sionil Jose, was recognized for his remarkable writings showing the Filipino’s aspiration for
freedom and social justice
 A publisher, lecturer on cultural issues, and the founder of the Philippine Chapter of the international organization
PEN
 Awards:
 CCP Centennial Honors for the Arts (1999)
 Outstanding Fulbrighters Award for Literature (1988)
 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts (1980)
 As a journalist, he traveled to different parts of the world and became exposed to different societal problems
 He realized the importance of land reform and social change and wrote articles about them in the Manila Times
Sunday Magazine, which won numerous awards
 As a novelist, he wrote his opus called the Rosales Saga consisting of the following:
 The Pretenders
 Tree
 My Brother, My Executioner
 Mass
 Po – on

CARLOS P. ROMULO (1982)

 His multifaceted career spanned 50 years of public service as educator, soldier, university president, journalist, and
diplomat
 He was the first Asian president of the United Nations General Assembly ; Philippine Ambassador to Washington
D.C. ; Minister of Foreign Affairs
 Essentially, he was very much into writing: he was a reporter at 16 ; a newspaper editor by the age of 20 ; and a
publisher at 32
 He was the only Asian to win the America’s coveted Pulitzer Prize for Journalism for a series of articles predicting the
outbreak of World War II
 In all, he wrote and published 18 books, a range of literary works which included the following:
 The United (novel)
 I Walked with Heroes (autobiography)
 I Saw the Fall of the Philippines, Mother America
 I See the Philippines Rise (war – time memoirs)
 His other books include his memoirs of his many years’ affiliations with United Nations:
 Forty Years: A Third World Soldier at the UN
 The Philippine Presidents (oral story of his experiences serving all the Philippine Presidents)

Page 15 of 16
 Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions (CPAR)

Prepared by: Ms. Narlyn P. dela Cruz, LPT

ALEJANDRO “ANDING” ROCES (2003)

 A short story writer and essayist, and considered as the country’s best writer of comic short stories
 One of the few humorists in literature
 He is known for his widely anthologized My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken
 For more than five decades, he wrote essays and columns for the newspaper
 He has a column in Daily Mirror (now Philippine Star) dubbed as Roses and Thorns
 As a true patriot, he initiated the change of Philippine Independence Day from July 4 to June 12 as well as a change
of language from English to Tagalog in country’s coins and bills, stamps, and passports
 He also has a remarkable contribution to culture as he institutionalized the local fiestas such as Moriones and Ati –
Atihan
 His works include:
 We Filipinos are Mild Drinkers
o Won the first prize in the Student Literary Contest and published in the prestigious Arizona
Quarterly
o Included in Martha Foley’s famous annual anthology of The Best American Short Stories
o Considered one of the most distinctive stories
 Cocks and Kites and Other Stories
 Fiesta
 Something to Crow About

CARLOS QUIRINO
 He was the first recipient of the National Artist Award for Historical Literature awarded by President Fidel V. Ramos
 He was the biographer who wrote The Great Malayan, one of the first Jose Rizal Biographies
 He has written 10 books and articles which contain wide range of topics involving Philippine History and Culture
 His books include:
 Maps and Views of Old Manila
 Lives of the Philippine Presidents
 The History of Philippine Sugar Industry
 Filipino Heritage: The Making of a Nation

Page 16 of 16