Amado Vera Hernandez

➢ known as Amado V. Hernandez or Ka Amado.

➢ (September 13, 1903 – March 24, 1970); age: 66
➢ He was born in Tondo, Manila, parents from Hagonoy, Bulacan.
➢ he studied at the Manila High School and at the American
Correspondence School
➢ In 1932, he married the Filipino actress Atang de la Rama. Both
of them would later be recognized as National Artists: Hernandez for
Literature, de la Rama for Theater, Dance and Music.
➢ a Filipino writer and labor leader who was known for his criticism of social injustices in
the Philippines and was later imprisoned for his involvement in the communist movement.
➢ He gave voices to the oppressed peasants and laborers
➢ He became editor of the Manila daily Mabuhay from 1932 to 1934.
➢ Hernandez was arrested on January 26 on the suspicion that he was among the leaders of the
rebellion.
➢ But the authorities could not find evidence to charge him. He was transferred from one military
camp to another and it took nearly a year before he was indicted on a charge of rebellion with
murder, arson and robbery - a complex crime unheard of in Philippine legal history.

Works
1. Novels
o Mga Ibong Mandaragit (Birds of Prey),1969
o Luha Ng Buwaya (Crocodile's Tears), 1972
2. Poems
o Isang Dipang Langit
o Panata sa Kalayaan
o Ang Mga Kayamanan ng Tao
o Ang Dalaw Kay Silaw
o Bartolina
o Kung Tuyo Na ang Luha Mo Aking Bayan
o Bayang Malaya
o Ang Taong kapos
o Bayani
o Sa Batang Walang Bagong Damit
o Isang Sining ng Pagbigkas
o Ang Panday
o Ang Aklasan
o Bayang Pilipinas
3. Essays
o Si Atang at ang Dulaan (Atang and the Theater)
o Si Jose Corazon de Jesus at ang Ating Panulaan (Jose Corazon de Jesus and Our Poetry)

Contributions
o National Artist for Literature in 1973
o Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for One-act Play in Filipino
o Republic Cultural Heritage Award
o Author of the 1st Filipino socio-political novel
o Social and political leader
o Ateneo de Manila University awarded him its first Tanglaw ng Lahi award.
o President of the Congress of Labor Organization (CLO)
o President of the defunct Philippine Newspaper Guild
 BIENVENIDO L. LUMBERA
(April 11, 1932)

Bienvenido L. Lumbera was born on April 11,

1932. He spent most of his youth in Batangas until he
entered the University of Santo Tomas in 1950 to pursue
a degree in journalism. He was barely a year old when his
father, Christian Lumbera (a Shooting Guard with a local
basketball team), fell from a fruit tree, broke his back, and died. Carmen Lumbera, his
mother, suffered from cancer and died a few years later. By the age of five he was an
orphan. He and his older sister were cared for by their paternal grandmother, Eusebia Teru.
He completed his M.A. and then his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature at Indiana University
in 1967. Lumbera writes in English and Filipino, and has produced works in both
languages.
WORKS
➢ He has a poetry collection entitled Likhang Dila, Likhang Diwa (1993), and Balaybay:
Mga Tulang Lunot at Manibalang, a collection of new poems in Filipino and those from
Likhang Dila.
➢ He has several critical works, including Abot-Tanaw: Sulyap at Suri sa Nagbabagong
Kultura at Lipunan (1987) and Writing the Nation/Pag-akda ng Bansa (2000).
➢ He has also done several librettos, among them Tales of the Manuvu (1977) and Rama Hari
(1980). Sa Sariling Bayan: Apat na Dulang May Musika (DLSU, 2003) collects the four
historical musicals Nasa Puso ang Amerika, Bayani, Noli Me Tangere: The Musical, and
Hibik at Himagsik Nina Victoria Laktaw.
CONTRIBUTION
➢ One of the brave souls who embraced the art of expression since Martial Law, renowned
National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera, one of our few remaining living
treasured National Artists
➢ Came back to the Philippines to teach Literature, Philippine Studies and Creative Writing
at the Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, and University of the
Philippines and University of Santo Tomas. Imparting what he learned from his studies,
experiences, life in general has always been on his list. With his wit and perseverance, he
did not only have the chance to teach in his own country but also in Japan. Aside from
teaching in a typical setup, his writings have also taught many of his readers until today.
GUILLERMO ESTRELLA TOLENTINO's

Life:

• Guillermo Estrella Tolentino was born on July 24, 1890 in Malolos, Bulacan.
• Tolentino completed his degree in fine arts in 1915 at the UP.
• In 1919, Tolentino went to the United States to pursue further studies on a scholarship grant
from Bernard Baruch of New York University's Beaux School of Arts.
• He graduated from New York University with honors in 1921.
• He traveled to Europe to visit renowned museums and art galleries in London and Paris.
• He then went on to study in Regge Istituto di Belle Arti in 1922.
• From 1953 to 1955 Tolentino served as director of the School of Arts' of the University of the
Philippines. He retired in 1955 as professor emeritus.
• Considered as the "Father of Philippine Arts"
• He died on July 12, 1976 at the age of 86.

Works:

• Acknowledged as his masterpiece and completed in 1933, The Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan
stands as an enduring symbol of the Filipinos’ cry for freedom.
• UP Oblation that became the symbol of freedom at the campus
• Bronze figures of President Quezon at 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
• Also designed the gold and bronze medals for the Ramon Magsaysay Award and did the seal of
the Republic of the Philippines

Contributions:

• These were the awards given to Guillermo Tolentino:

1959 – UNESCO Cultural Award in Sculpture

1963 – Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award

1967 – Republic Cultural Heritage Award

1970 – Presidential Medal of Merit

1972 – Diwa ng Lahi Award

1973 – National Artist of the Philippines for Visual Arts in Sculpture

• By his works, Guillermo Tolentino played a vital role in enhancing Philippines Arts more
particularly un the aspect of Sculptures in which he was honored as a National Artist.
• He enable to influence almost everybody by his artistic way of expressing thought of
nationalism.
• His works would be a long lasting mark that signifies the Filipinos' artistry and nationalism.
 Vicente Manansala (January 22, 1910 – August 22, 1981)

Manansala was born in Macabebe, Pampanga. He is the son of Perfecto Q. Manansala and
Engracia Silva. He married Hermenegilda (Hilda) Diaz, with whom he had one child. From 1926 to 1930,
he studied at the U.P. School of Fine Arts. In 1950, he received a nine-month scholarship to study at the
École des Beaux-Arts in Paris by the French government. He earned a living as illustrator for the Philippines
Herald and Liwayway and layout artist for Photonews and Saturday Evening News Magazine during the
1930s. As a member of the Thirteen Moderns and the neo-realists, he was at the forefront of the
modernist movement in the country. With the issues of national culture and identity in focus after WWII
his works were those of the other early modernists which reflected the social environment and expressed
the native sensibility. He held his first one-person show at the Manila Hotel in 1951.
Honored as National Artist in Painting in 1981, Vicente S. Manansala is considered the country’s
pioneer in Cubism. He was one of the Thirteen Moderns led by Victorio C. Edades, and was one of the Big
Three in the modernist movement, along with Cesar Legaspi and H. R. Ocampo. In addition, he formed
the group of Neo-Realists together with Romeo Tabuena and Anita Magsaysay-Ho. Manansala developed
transparent cubism and his works were done mostly in the figurative mode, reflecting the society and the
local environment. He favored the styles of Picasso and Cezanne, and believed that the true beauty of art
lay in the process of creating it.
His major works include:
• 1940 – Bangkusay Seascape
• 1948 – Banaklaot
• 1950 – Madonna of the Slums
• 1951 – Jeepneys
• 1967 – Reclining Mother and Child
He also painted several historical murals including:
• Stations of the Cross for UP Diliman Chapel
• Mural for Philippine Heart Center
• Fresco mural for the National Press Club
Achievements:
• 1941 – 1st Prize, National Art Exhibition, UST, for Pounding Rice
• 1950 – 1st Prize, Manila Grand Opera House Exhibition, for Barong-Barong #1
• 1950 – 1st Prize, Art Association of the Philippines First Annual Art Competition, for Banaklaot
• 1953 – 2nd Prize, Art Association of the Philippines, for Kahig (Scratch)
• 1955 – 2nd Prize, Art Association of the Philippines, for Fish Vendors
• 1955 – 3rd Prize, Art Association of the Philippines, for Best-Served, Well-Gained
• 1957 – Outstanding UP Alumnus
• 1962 – 2nd Prize, Art Association of the Philippines, for Give Us This Day
• 1962 – Best in Show, Art Association of the Philippines, for Give Us This Day
• 1963 – Republic Cultural Heritage Award
• 1970 – Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award, from the City of Manila
FRANCISCO ARCELLANA
Life:

Francisco Arcellana was born September 6, 1916 in Sta. Cruz, Manila to parents Jose Cabaneiro Arcellana
and Epifania Quino. He was the fourth of the 18 children. Arcellana bloomed early in his craft and
prospered from his first schooling in Tondo until he entered the University of the Philippines (UP) as a pre-
medical student in 1932. He developed an interest in writing while he was studying at the Manila West
High School (now Torres High School) as an active staff of the the school organ The Torres Torch.

While in UP, Arcellana received an invitation to join the U.P. Writer’s Club from Manuel Arguilla. This
happened after his “trilogy of the turtles” appeared in the Literary Apprentice. Arcellana also marked the
beginning of nontraditional forms and themes in Philippine literature when he edited and published the
Expression in 1934. He graduated with a degree in philosophy in 1939 and later went into medical school.

He married Emerenciana Yuvencio with whom he had six children: Francisco Jr., Elizabeth, Jose Esteban,
Maria Epifania, Juan Eugenio, Emerenciana Jr.

Works:

Selected Stories (1962)

Poetry and Politics: The State of Original Writing in English in the Philippines Today (1977)

The Francisco Arcellana Sampler (1990).

Philippine PEN Anthology of Short Stories, editor (1962)

Fifteen Stories: Story Masters 5, editor (1973)

Contributions:

He is considered an important progenitor of the modern Filipino short story in English. Arcellana
pioneered the development of the short story as a lyrical prose-poetic form within Filipino literature. His
works are now often taught in tertiary-level-syllabi in the Philippines. Many of his works were translated
into Tagalog, Malaysian, Russian, Italian, and German. Arcellana won 2nd place in the 1951 Don Carlos
Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, with his short story, "The Flowers of May." Fourteen of his short
stories were also included in Jose Garcia Villa's Honor Roll from 1928 to 1939. His major achievements
included the first award in art criticism from the Art Association of the Philippines in 1954, the Patnubay
ng Sining at Kalinangan award from the city government of Manila in 1981, and the Gawad Pambansang
Alagad ni Balagtas for English fiction from the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipino (UMPIL) in 1988.

The University of the Philippines conferred upon Arcellana a doctorate in humane letters, honoris causa
in 1989. Francisco Arcellana was proclaimed National Artist of the Philippines in Literature on 23, 1990 by
then Philippine President Corazon Aquino.
N.V.M. Gonzalez
(September 8, 1915 – November 28, 1999)

Néstor Vicente Madali González (September 8, 1915 –

November 28, 1999) was a Filipino novelist, short story writer,
essayist and poet. Conferred as the National Artist of the
Philippines for Literature in 1997.

Biographical Highlights
 González attended college at National University (Manila)
but he was unable to finish his undergraduate degree.
 While in Manila, González wrote for the Philippine Graphic and later edited for the Evening
News Magazine and Manila Chronicle.
 His first published essay appeared in the Philippine Graphic and his first poem in Poetry
in 1934.
 González made his mark in the Philippine writing community as a member of the Board of
Advisers of Likhaan: the University of the Philippines Creative Writing Center, founding
editor of The Diliman Review and as the first president of the Philippine Writers'
Association. González attended creative writing classes under Wallace Stegner and
Katherine Anne Porter at Stanford University.
 . In 1950, González returned to the Philippines and taught at the University of Santo
Tomas, the Philippine Women's University and the University of the Philippines (U.P.). At
U.P.
Works
Gonzalez’ major works are:
▪ The Winds of April (1941) ▪ "The Tomato Game".1992
▪ A Season of Grace (1956) ▪ A Grammar of Dreams and Other
▪ The Bamboo Dancers (1988) Stories, 1997
▪ The Land And The Rain
▪
Local and International Recognitions
 Regents Professor at the University of California at Los Angeles, 1998–1999
 Philippines Centennial Award for Literature, 1998
 National Artist Award for Literature, 1997
 Oriental Mindoro Sangguniang Panlalawigan Resolution "extending due recognition to
Nestor V. M. González... the commendation he well deserves..." 1996
 City of Manila Diwa ng Lahi award "for his service and contribution to Philippine national
Literature," 1996

Contributions
 Gonzalez was revered for preserving Filipinos' cultural roots through his short stories and
other writings
 Showcased the Filipino spirit in rural, urban landscapes.
 Awards attest to his triumph in appropriating the English language to express, reflect and
shape Philippine culture and sensibility.
Fernando Amorsolo
(May 30, 1892 – April 24, 1972)

Fernando Amorsolo y Cueto (May 30, 1892 – April 24, 1972) was one of the most
important artists in the history of painting in the Philippines. Amorsolo was a portraitist and painter
of rural Philippine landscapes. He is popularly known for his craftsmanship and mastery in the
use of light.

Biographical Highlights
 During college, Fernando Amorsolo's primary influences were the Spanish people
court painter Diego Velázquez, John Singer Sargent, Anders Zorn, Claude Monet,
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, but mostly his contemporary Spanish masters Joaquín
Sorolla Bastida and Ignacio Zuloaga.
 Amorsolo's most notable wora student at the Liceo was his painting of a young
man and a young woman in a garden, which won him the first prize in the art school
exhibition during his graduation year.
 To make money during school, Amorsolo joined competitions and did illustrations
for various Philippine publications, including Severino Reyes’ first novel in Tagalog
language, Parusa ng Diyos ("Punishment of God")
 The artist became a professor in his early 20’s and was already establishing
himself in the art world. At the age of 25, he was already married to Salud Jorge
 Among his staunchest supporters was Guillermo Tolentino, the finest sculptor the
country ever produced and Amorsolo’s best friend.

Works
Amorsolo’s major works are:
▪ Babaeng nagbabasa ▪ Bataan
▪ Afternoon Meal of the Workers ▪ The Bombing of the
▪ Assassination of Governor Intendencia (1942)
Bustamante ▪ The Building of Intramuros
▪
Local and International Recognitions
 1922 – 1st Prize, Commercial and Industrial Fair in the Manila Carnival
 1929 – 1st Prize, New York's World Fair, for Afternoon Meal of Rice Workers (also
known as Noonday Meal of the Rice Workers)
 1940 – Outstanding University of the Philippines Alumnus Award
 1959 – Gold Medal, UNESCO National Commission
 1961 – Rizal Pro Patria Award
 1961 – Honorary Doctorate in the Humanities, from the Far Eastern University
Contributions
 That winter he went to New York and discovered the works of the postwar
impressionists and cubists, who became the major influence on his works.
 The volume of paintings, sketches and studies of Amorsolo is believed to have reached
more than 10,000 pieces.
 Amorsolo’s influence can be seen in many landscape paintings by Filipino artists, including
early landscape paintings by abstract painter Federico Aguilar Alcuaz.
Lamberto V. Avellana
(February 12, 1915 – April 25, 1991)

Lamberto Vera Avellana (February 12, 1915 – April 25, 1991) was a prominent Filipino
film and stage director. Despite considerable budgetary limitations that hampered the post-war
Filipino film industry, Avellana's films such as Anak Dalita and Badjao attained international
acclaim. In 1976, Avellana was named by President Ferdinand Marcos as the very first National
Artist of the Philippines for Film. While Avellana remains an important figure in Filipino cinema,
his reputation as a film director has since been eclipsed by the next wave of Filipino film directors
who emerged in the 1970s, such as Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal.

Biographical Highlights
 Avellana's career in film starter with an offer of then General Carlos P. Romulo to direct a
film on the revolutionary hero Macario Sakay for the big screen.
 His wife, Daisy (Hintiveros-Avellana) apparently chided him for not knowing the first thing
about movies, Avellana was not dissuaded and Daisy ended up writing the screenplay.
 "Sakay" jumped-started what came to be Avellana innovative introduction of a point of
view replacing the traditional eye level camera angle in film storytelling.
 "Sakay" was adjudged best film of 1939, cheered for its technical aspects and especially
for realism that uncommon in Philippines cinema.
Works
Avellana’s major works are:
▪ Anak Dalita ▪ Medalyong Perlas
▪ La Campa De Baler ▪ Huk sa Bagong Pamumuhay
▪ El Legado
▪ Scout Rangers

Local and International Recognitions

 Anak Dalita, which was named Best Film at the 1956 Asia-Pacific Film Festival
 Won a Grand Prix Award at the Asian Film Festival for the movie Anak Dalita (1956).
 Became the first Filipino filmmaker to have his film Kandelerong Pilak (1954) screened
at the Cannes International Film Festival.
 Is also the first-ever Filipino to be named National Artist for Theatre and Film in 1976.
 One of his classics A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino (1965) is his first movie to be
restored in 2015.
 Has been immortalized with the release of three stamps carrying his portrait in February
2015, as a way of marking his birth centenary and celebrating the National Arts Month.
Contributions
 Avellana is probably the only living and active Filipino director who has succeeded in
hanging on to nearly four decades of filmmaking.
 Avellana – the punctilious perfectionist, the creator of many memorable moments in film,
has decided to return once more to his first real medium of personal expression – the
celluloid.
Manuel Conde
(October 9, 1915 – August 11, 1985)
Manuel Pabustan Urbano was born on October 9, 1915 in Daet, Camarines Norte.
He was a Filipino actor, director and producer. As an actor, he also used the screen name Juan
Urbano during the 1930s aside from his more popular screen name, Manuel Conde.
Biographical Highlights
➢ Conde went to Manila to study Geological Engineering at Adamson University.
➢ In 1935, he worked for Philippine Films without payment and just for experience.
➢ In 1939, Conde co-wrote his first ever film script with Carlos Vander Tolosa.
➢ In 1944, Conde became friends with Carlos ‘Botong’ Francisco when then, instead of films,
he directed plays and collaborated with Botong who painted the stage backdrops.
➢ In 1947, Conde established the Manuel Conde Productions and produced notable films.
➢ Conde passed away on August 11, 1985 at age 69 from heart attack.

Works
Monde created more than forty films from 1940-1963. His major works are:
▪ Ibong Adarna (1941) ▪ “Genghis Khan” (1950)
▪ Juan Tamad Series (1947-1963) ▪ “Ikaw Kasi!” (1955)
▪ “Prinsipe Paris” (1949) ▪ “Krus na Kawayan” (1956)
▪ “Siete Infantes de Lara” (1950) ▪ “Molave” (1961)

Local and International Recognitions

➢ He won four awards in the Philippines Herald’s movie popularity polls (Most Popular Male
Star, Most Popular Character Actor, Most Popular Director and his movie “Siete Infastes
de Lara” as Most Popular Picture in the Philippines) with the help of Julita.
➢ Genghis Khan was the first Filipino film to be acclaimed at an international film festival in
Venice in 1952.
➢ He received the Natatanging Gawad Urian in 1978; the Philippine Artist Hall of Fame
Award in 1980 and Walang Kupas Award in 1983.
➢ He was honored posthumously in 2006 the Presidential Medal of Merit (for Films) by
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for his contribution to culture and the arts.
➢ He was the National Artist for Cinema in 2009.

Contributions
➢ He introduced a new form of romantic comedy called “sophisticated comedy” which “drew
humor not from slapstick or physical deformities of comedians but from witty dialog and
the humor inherent in or proceeding from the situation of characters.
➢ He also opened doors of opportunities for local cinema to be known internationally with
his films “Genghis Khan” and “Sigfredo.”
➢ In transforming the traditional cinematic genres, Conde constantly upgrade and update
films of genres according to the needs audience and the times.
➢ Conde’s works were big contributions to the Philippinization of the cinema in the country.
Napoleon V. Abueva
(January 26, 1930 – February 16, 2018)
Napoleon Abueva, was born in Tagbilaran, Bohol to Teodoro Abueva,
a Bohol congressman and Purificacion Veloso, president of the Women’s Auxiliary
Service. Abueva had six other brothers and sisters: Teodoro Jr., Purificacion, Jose,
Amelia Martinez, Teresita Floro, and Antonio.
He assumed the name Napoleon at the age of six, when as a student at the St. Joseph
Academy in Tagbilaran, one of the nuns first called him Napoleon after Napoleon
Bonaparte. The name stuck, and ever since, Abueva referenced the quote from
Napoleon: "If I weren't a conqueror, I would wish to be a sculptor." At U.P, one of his
mentors was Guillermo Tolentino, also a national artist, who created the oblation at the
university entrance. Tolentino later designated to him the task of replicating the sculpture
for the Campus of U.P. Los Banos. In 1976, he was proclaimed as National Artist of the
Philippines for Visual Arts by then President Ferdinand Marcos. He was the youngest
recipient of the title at age 46.
Some of his major works include Kaganapan (1953), Kiss of Judas (1955),Thirty
Pieces of Silver, 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, and
murals in marble at the National Heroes Shrine, Mt. Samat, Bataan.
His Sandugo or Blood Compact shrine in Bohol, Tagbilaran City is a landmark at the site
of the first international treaty of friendship between Spaniards and Filipinos.
At 46 then, Napoleon V. Abueva, a native of Bohol, was the youngest National Artist
awardee. Considered as the Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture, Abueva 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 the early innovations Abueva introduced in 1951 was what he referred to as
“buoyant sculpture” — sculpture meant to be appreciated from the surface of a placid
pool. In the 80’s, Abueva put up a one-man show at the Philippine Center, New York. His
works have been installed in different museums here and abroad, such as The
Sculpture at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.
 GERARDO DE LEON
(September 12, 1913 – July 25, 1981)
De León, who was born Gerardo Ilagan, was a member of the Ilagan clan of Philippine motion
pictures, which includes Robert Arevalo, Conrado Conde, Angel Esmeralda, Eddie Ilagan, Ronaldo
Valdez, musical scorer Tito Arévalo, and his daughter Liberty Ilagan. De León was a medical doctor by
profession, but his ultimate love for film has won him over. He made eight more films as an actor before
he became a director. He made his directorial debut with Bahay-Kubo (1939), starring Fely Vallejo, who
later became his wife. One of his unfinished projects was Juan de la Cruz (1972) with Fernando Poe, Jr..
Nicknamed "Manong", de León is the most awarded film director in the history of the Filipino
Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences' FAMAS Awards. From 1952 to 1971, he was awarded seven
FAMAS Awards, three of them received consecutively. His 1961 film The Moises Padilla Story was
selected as the Philippine entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 32nd Academy Awards, but was
not accepted as a nominee.
All of the films for which he won Best Director also won Best Picture at the FAMAS, namely Sawa
sa Lumang Simboryo (1952), Hanggang sa Dulo ng Daigdig (1958), Huwag Mo Akong
Limutin (1960), Noli Me Tangere (1961, adapted from the novel of the same title), El
Filibusterismo (1962), Daigdig ng mga Api (1965), and Lilet (1971).

Gerardo “Gerry” De Leon, film director, belongs to the Ilagan clan and as such grew up in an
atmosphere rich in theater. Significantly, De Leon’s first job — while in still in high school — was as a
piano player at Cine Moderno in Quiapo playing the musical accompaniment to the silent films that were
being shown at that time. The silent movies served as De Leon’s “very good” training ground because the
pictures told the story. Though he finished medicine, his practice did not last long because he found himself
“too compassionate” to be one, this aside from the lure of the movies. His first directorial job was “Ama’t
Anak” in which he directed himself and his brother Tito Arevalo. The movie got good reviews. De Leon’s
biggest pre-war hit was “Ang Maestra” which starred Rogelio de la Rosa and Rosa del Rosario with the
still unknown Eddie Romero as writer.

In the 50s and 60s, he produced many films that are now considered classics including “Daigdig
ng Mga Api,” “Noli Me Tangere,” “El Filibusterismo,” and “Sisa.” Among a long list of films are “Sawa
sa Lumang Simboryo,” “Dyesebel,” “The Gold Bikini,” “Banaue,” “The Brides of Blood Island.”.
HERNANDO R. OCAMPO
(April 28, 1911 – December 28, 1978)
Ocampo was born on April 28, 1911 in Sta. Cruz, Manila. His parents were Emilio Ocampo and
Delfina Ruiz, both ilustrados. He finished his high school at the YMCA, Manila in 1928, and then went to
Letran College to take up pre-law at the instance of his father. Instead of concentrating on his studies,
however, he devoted more time to creative writing. He was partial to poetry and short stories. In 1932, he
joined Narciso G. Reyes, who was to become Philippine ambassador, in forming the veronica Writer’s
Group. As a journalist, Ocampo worked as associate editor of the Herald Midweek Magazine before he
served as director of the National media Production Center from 1954 to 1958.
Although Ocampo excelled in journalism and short story writing, he was more eminent as a
painter. A modernist, he painted brilliant canvases that bear a distinctive originality. His abstract paintings
won in art compositions in the 40’s and 50’s. In 1948, Ocampo represented the Philippines at the Sports art
Exhibition in Victoria and Albert Museum in London. In 1950, he was offered a scholarship to study
French art in Paris. The following year, the Unite States government offered him a Smith-Mundt leader
grant in communications. However, he declined both offers for personal reasons. In 1954, in recognition
of his contributions towards the advancement of Filipino culture in the field of painting, the government
bestowed on him the Republic Cultural Heritage Award.
Hernando R. Ocampo, a self-taught painter, was a leading member of the pre-war Thirteen
Moderns, the group that charted the course of modern art in the Philippines. His works provided an
understanding and awareness of the harsh social realities in the country immediately after the Second World
War and contributed significantly to the rise of the nationalist spirit in the post-war era. It was, however,
his abstract works that left an indelible mark on Philippine modern art. His canvases evoked the lush
Philippine landscape, its flora and fauna, under the sun and rain in fierce and bold colors. He also played a
pivotal role in sustaining the Philippine Art Gallery, the country’s first.
Ocampo’s acknowledged masterpiece Genesis served as the basis of the curtain design of the
Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater. His other major works include Ina ng
Balon, Calvary, Slum Dwellers, Nude with Candle and Flower, Man and Carabao, Angel’s Kiss, Palayok
at Kalan, Ancestors,Isda at Mangga, The Resurrection, Fifty-three “Q”, Backdrop, Fiesta.
Ocampo died of heart failure on December 28, 1978. Thirteen years later, in June 1991, he was
posthumously named National Artist, thus securing his place of honor in Philippine art and culture.
FRANCISCO V. COCHING
Francisco V. Coching was born January 29, 1919, to novelist Gregorio Coching and Juana
Vicente, in Pasay City, Metro Manila. He dedicated his life to his family and to the art of writing
and illustrating comics novels for four decades. Mostly a self-taught artist, Coching started with
pen-and-ink drawings and later graduated to storytelling, via comics illustrations. His father was
a novelist for a magazine, and Coching apprenticed under him at first. Under the tutelage of the
acclaimed Tony Velasquez, creator of the "Kenkoy" series, Coching's first serious work was
"Bing Bigotilyo," created in 1934. This was followed by "Marabini," a creation interrupted by
World War II, during which he joined the ROTC Hunters, enlisting in its guerrilla group called
the Kamagong Unit. In 1944 Coching met and married Filomena Navales, who became not just
his wife but his lifetime assistant.
Coching died in 1998, and his wife and children gave him a tribute at the Pasig Museum (Pasig
City), where huge movie posters of Coching-written films and studio stills from LVN Pictures,
Sampaguita Studios and Premiere Productions adorned the museum. The lead stars of his works-
turned-movies, like Vic Vargas and Cesar Ramirez, attended the tribute.
Works:
Coching's seventh creation was "Hagibis," which he created from 1947-1950. Loosely
inspired by Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Tarzan," "Hagibis" proved to be so popular it was made into
a film with 'Fernando Poe Sr' (Hagibis (1947)) and Coching followed it up with several sequels.
"Hagibis" helped secure his fame as an illustrating artist. From "Hagibis" through "Pedro
Penduko" in 1954 to "Thor" in 1962, "Tiagong Lundag" in 1966 and "El Vibora" in 1972,
Coching churned out endless sagas of romance and adventure, of heroic exploits and mighty
deeds that fed the popular imagination of the Filipino reader and movie-going audience. Coching
was very prolific, credited with approximately 60 titles, and his works covered many genres:
mystery, fantasy, romance, adventure, mythology, folklore, horror, biography, sex, drama and
comedy, for example. Although from time to time he was inspired by foreign works like
"Tarzan" and Louis L'Amour's western novels, Coching stuck close to Filipino local color, and
today he is considered the "Dean of Filipino illustrators," his name revered in the same league as
one reveres Balagtas and even 'José Rizal'.
Contributions:
Coching helped to make the "komiks" an effective medium of verbal and visual literacy,
thus promoting Filipino as national language. He sas been nominated a few times for the title of
"National Artist." Coching is considered the "Dean of Filipino illustrators." Aside from being the
Dean of Filipino illustrators, he is also recognized as the Dean of Filipino Comics.
NICK JOAQUIN (MAY 4, 1917 – APRIL 29, 2004)

Poet, fictionist, essayist, biographer, playwright, and National Artist, decided to quit after three years of
secondary education at the Mapa High School. Classroom work simply bored him. He thought his
teachers didn't know enough. He discovered that he could learn more by reading books on his own, and
his father's library had many of the books he cared to read. He read all the fiction he could lay his hands
on, plus the lives of saints, medieval and ancient history, the poems of Walter de la Mare and Ruben
Dario. He knew his Bible from Genesis to Revelations. He doesn't like fish, sports, and dressing up. He is
a bookworm with a gift of total recall. He started writing short stories, poems, and essays in 1934. Many
of them were published in Manila magazines, and a few found their way into foreign journals. His essay
La Naval de Manila (1943) won in a contest sponsored by the Dominicans whose university, the UST,
awarded him an A.A. (Associate in Arts) certificate on the strength of his literary talents. The Dominicans
also offered him a two-year scholarship to the Albert College in Hong Kong, and he accepted. Unable to
follow the rigid rules imposed upon those studying for the priesthood, however, he left the seminary in
1950.

Works:

The novel The Woman Who Had Two Navels (1961) examines his country’s various heritages. A Portrait
of the Artist as Filipino (1966), a celebrated play, attempts to reconcile historical events with dynamic
change. The Aquinos of Tarlac: An Essay on History as Three Generations (1983) presents a biography of
Benigno Aquino, the assassinated presidential candidate. The action of the novel Cave and Shadows
(1983) occurs in the period of martial law under Ferdinand Marcos. Joaquin’s other works include the
short-story collections Tropical Gothic (1972) and Stories for Groovy Kids (1979), the play Tropical
Baroque (1979), and the collections of poetry The Ballad of the Five Battles (1981) and Collected Verse
(1987). Joaquin’s later works are mostly nonfiction, including Manila, My Manila: A History for the Young
(1990), The D.M. Guevara Story (1993), and Mr. F.E.U., the Culture Hero That Was Nicanor Reyes (1995).

Contributions:

Joaquín deeply admired José Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines. Joaquín paid tribute to Rizal by
way of books such as The Storyteller's New Medium - Rizal in Saga, The Complete Poems and Plays of
Jose Rizal, and A Question of Heroes: Essays in Criticism on Ten Key Figures of Philippine History. He also
translated the hero's valedictory poem, "Land That I Love, Farewell!"

Joaquín served as a member of the Philippine Board of Censors for Motion Pictures under President
Diosdado Macapagal and President Ferdinand E. Marcos. According to writer Marra PL. Lanot, Joaquín
was untouched by Marcos' iron fist. Joaqun's first move as National Artist was to secure the release of
imprisoned writer José F. Lacaba. Later, at a ceremony on Mount Makiling attended by First Lady Imelda
Marcos, Joaquín delivered an invocation to Mariang Makiling, the mountain's mythical maiden. Joaquín
touched on the importance of freedom and the artist. As a result, for the remainder of the Marcos
regime, Joaquín no longer received invitations to address important cultural events.
Victorio Edades
• Born on December 13, 1895 in Barrio Bolosan in Dagupan, Pangasinan,
• The youngest of ten children, six of whom died from smallpox epidemic shortly before the turn
of the 20th century.
• "Father of Modern Art in the Philippines" and named National Artist in 1976
• Died on March 7, 1985 (aged 89)
• Enrolled at the University of Washington where he took up architecture and later earned a
Master of Fine Arts in Painting

NOTABLE WORKS

• The Sketch
• The Builders
• Interaction
• Fontainebleau, August 1937
• The Model and The Artist
• Portrait of the Professor
• Japanese Girl
• Mother and Daughter
• The Wrestlers
• Poinsettia Girl

CONTRIBUTIONS

• Edades bravely mounted a one-man show at the Philippine Columbia Club in Ermita to introduce
to the masses what his modern art was all about. He showed thirty paintings, including those
that won acclaim in America. It was a distinguished exhibit, for the Filipino art circle was
suddenly shaken by what this young man from Pangasinan had learned from his studies abroad.
• Edades helped organized the University of Sto. Tomas Department of Architecture in 1930 and
was its acting head. In 1935, he was appointed as Director of the UST College of Architecture
and Fine Arts, which he organized under the wing of Architecture. He was guided by the existing
American curricula when he made the Fi Painting. On February 12, 1977, UST conferred on
Edades the degree of Doctor of Fine Arts, Honoris Causa.
• By introducing modern ideas into the Philippine art scene, Victorio Edades managed to destroy
the conventions of domestic art, and also got rid of the clichéd ideology he believed stunted the
development of Philippine art
 Alejandro “Anding” Roces
(July 13, 1924 – May 23, 2011)

“You cannot be a great writer; first, you have to be a good person”

Alejandro Roces, is a Filipino journalist, short story writer, essayist, dramatist, teacher, educator, fighter,
raconteur, patriot, public servant. Roces, who was born in Manila, is considered as the country’s best writer
of comic short stories. He is known for his widely anthologized “My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken.” He was
married to Irene Yorston Viola, with whom he had a daughter, Elizabeth Roces-Pedrosa. In his countless
newspaper columns, he has always focused on the neglected aspects of the Filipino cultural heritage. His
works have been published in various international magazines and has received numerous national and
international awards.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND:

• Elementary: Ateneo de Manila University

• Secondary: Ateneo de Manila University
• Tertiary: Arizona State University, University of Tokyo
WORKS

Short Story:

• My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken – listed as Martha Foley’s Best American Stories among the most
distinctive for years 1948 and 1951.
Books:

• Of Cocks and Kites (1959)- earned him the reputation as the country's best writer of humorous
stories
• Fiesta (1980)- a book of essays, featuring folk festivals such as Ermita's Bota Flores, Aklan's Ati-
atihan, and Naga's Peñafrancia
• Something to Crow About (2005)- a collection of Roces’ short stories. The book has been recently
brought to life by a critically acclaimed play of the same title

AWARDS:

• National Artist Award for Literature, Republic of the Philippines – 2003

• The Rizal Pro Patria Award, Republic of the Philippines
• Grand Cross for Distinguished Service with Star and Epaulement of the Order for Distinguished
Service of the Federal Republic of Germany
• Orden de Isabel la Catolica, Spain
• Gran Cruz la Orden del Merito Civil, Spain
• Orden de la Aguila Azteca, Mexico
• Tanda Kehormatan Bintang Mahaputera, Republic of Indonesia
• Grand Maitre de L’Ordre National, Republic of Malagasy
• Order of the White Elephant, Kingdom of Thailand
• Order of the Brilliant Star, China
• One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines, chosen by the Junior Chamber of
Commerce for distinction in Journalism
• Awarded, Patnubay ng Kalinangan (Vanguard of Culture), City of Manila – 1988
• Outstanding Journalist of the Year - Confederation of Filipino Veterans Journalism
• Granted the Conde de Foxa Award for El Llegado and La Campana de Baler at the Certamen
Cine Documental Ibero-Americano y Filipino, Bilbao, Spain
• Awarded, Diwa ng Lahi (Spirit of the Race), City of Manila – 1988
• Special Plaque of Appreciation - Consulate General of the Philippines and the Filipino Community
of Guam
• Appointed Honorary Ambassador-at-Large for Guam - 1998
• Awarded the Tanging Parangal ng CCP, Gawad CCP Para sa Sining – 1990
• Zobel Award for Literature, 1995
• Philippines S.E.A. Write Awardee – Thailand 1997
• CCP Centennial Honors for the Arts - Cultural Center of the Philippines

CONTRIBUTION

• Popularized several local fiestas, notably, Moriones and Ati-atihan

• He personally led the campaign to change the country’s Independence Day from July 4 to June 12
• Recovered Jose Rizal’s manuscripts when they were stolen from the National Archives.
• Caused the change of language from English to Filipino in the country’s stamps, currency and
passports
• Become a guerilla during the Second World War to defy martial law and to found the major
opposition party under the dictatorship.
VIRGILIO S. ALMARIO
Life:
Virgilio S. Almario (March 9, 1944) , also known as Rio Alma, is a poet, literary historian and critic, who
has revived and reinvented traditional Filipino poetic forms, even as he championed modernist poetics. He
sought his education at Manila and finished his degree in A.B. Political Science at the University
of the Philippines.
His life as a poet started when he took master’s course in education at the University of the East where he
became associated with Rogelio G. Mangahas and Lamberto E. Antonio.
He is now a National Artist of the Philippines and presently fills in as the executive of the Komisyon sa
Wikang Filipino (KWF), the government agency that is mandated to promote and standardize the use of
the Filipino language. On January 5, 2017, He was chosen as the director of the National Commission for
Culture and the Arts.

Works:
Makinasyon and Peregrinasyon
Doktrinang Anakpawis
Mga Retrato at Rekwerdo
Mali, Sa Kandungan ng Lupa
UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino
Contributions:
Palipad-Hangin (1985) Sentimental (2004)
Katon Para sa Limang Pandama Sonetos Postumos (2006)
(1987)
Buwan, Buwang, Bulawan (2009)
Estremelenggoles (2004)
Tatlong Pasyon sa –
Memo Mulang Gimokudan (2005)
Ating Panahon (2006)
Dust Devil (2005)

In his works, his poetic voice soared from the lyrical to the satirical to the epic, from the dramatic to the
incantatory, in his often-severe examination of the self, and the society. He also redefined how the Filipino
poetry is viewed.
He founded literary workshops like the Galian sa Arte at Tula (GAT) and the Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika
at Anyo (LIRA), which many filipino writers have come under his control.
He has also long been involved with children’s literature through the Aklat Adarna series, published by his
Children’s Communication Center.
He has been a constant presence as well in national writing workshops and galvanizes member writers as
chairman emeritus of the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL).
He headed the National Commission for Culture and the Arts as Executive Director, (from 1998 to 2001)
that guides the Commission towards its goals.
But more than anything else that he accomplished was that he put a face to the Filipino writer in the country,
one strong face determinedly wielding a pen into untruths, hypocrisy, injustice, among others.
Lazaro Francisco (February 22, 1898 – June 17, 1980)
Life, Works, and Contributions

He is the fourth child of Eulogio Francisco and Clara Angeles. He was born in Orani, Bataan but
went to Nueva Ecija.
He acquired his college education at the Central Luzon Agricultural college and, later, through the
International Correspondence School. In 1946, his essay "Tatsulok" won in the Commonwealth Literary
Contest, and became the basis of his major social novels. As a writer, Francisco earned acclaim for Ilaw
sa Hilaga, considered the best novel ever written in the first decade of the Third Philippine Republic. First
published as Bayang Nagpapatiwakal, it deals mostly with the detriment of economic imperialism,
colonial mentality, nationalism and agricultural backwardness. It was printed in book form.
His novels show he enriches the literature of the country and tries to beautify the Filipino nation
through his extraordinary language skills and involvement in the welfare and aspirations of Filipinos.
BINHI AT BUNGA, published in Liwayway in 1925 and won 3rd price in the 1st Liwayway Novel
writing contest in 1926. Adapted for the stage by the "Samahang Sarsuela Gabrie," of Manila. Published
in book form in 1927. CESAR, published in Liwayway in 1926 and adjudged 2nd prize winner, 2nd
Liwayway Novel writing contest. AMA, published in 1929 in Liwayway. Adapted for stage by the
"Samahang Sarsuela Gabriel". The premiere showing was held during the Cabanatuan town fiesta of 1930
undar the patronage of Dona Catalina Tinio. Jose Corazon de Jesus (King of Balagtasan) and Atang de la
Rama (Queen of the Stage) in stellar roles. BAYANG NAGPATIWAKAL, published in Alitaptap from
1931 to 1932. Later, to be rewritten under the title, "Ilaw Sa Hilaga". ANG PAMANA NG PULUBI,
serialized in Liwayway in 1935 and adapted for the stage by SSG. It was filmed by the Philippine Films
under the direction of Eduardo de Castro with Alma Bella and Jose Padilla, Jr. in lead roles. Another box-
office hit of the 30s. BAGO LUMUBOG ANG ARAW, serialized in Liwayway in 1936 and adapted for
the stage by SSG. Filmed by Parlatone Films with Rogelio de la Rosa and Elsa Oria in stellar roles. A
box-office hit. ILAW SA HILAGA, serialized in Liwayway from 1946 to 1947. Adjudged the best novel
written during the fisrt 5 years of the Philippine Republic. Acclaimed by literary critics.
The nationalism of Francisco found its concrete expression in the Kapatiran ng mga Alagad ng
Wikang Pilipino (KAWIKA), a nationwide organization which he himself established in 1958 to sustain
and advocate the use of Tagalog (Filipino) as a national language. He himself wrote KAWIKA’s
constitution and rules.
Francisco worked in the provincial government of Nueva Ecija as provincial assessor until he
retired in 1963. As provincial assessor, he fought for the rights of small farmers. It was his idea to create
an agency that would protect Filipino grain raisers and traders from the abuses of foreign businessmen.
Thereafter, the National Rice and Corn Corporation (NARIC) was strengthened by President Marcos and
renamed National Grains Authority (NGA), during martial law. In recognition of his active nationalism
and his salutary contributions to Philippine culture and literature, he was conferred the following awards:
Republic Cultural Heritage Award (1970), Patnubay ng Kalinangan from the City of Manila (1975),
Dangal ng Lahi, Lungsod ng Quezon (1976), Tanglaw ng Lahi from Ateneo de Manila (1979).
 National Artist for Literature (1973)
(August 5, 1908 – February 7, 1997)

“Art is a miraculous flirtation with Nothing!

Aiming for nothing, and landing on the Sun.”
― Doveglion: Collected Poems

Jose Garcia Villa is considered as one of the finest contemporary poets

regardless of race or language. Villa, who lived in Singalong, Manila, introduced
the reversed consonance rime scheme, including the comma poems that made
full use of the punctuation mark in an innovative, poetic way. The first of his poems
“Have Come, Am Here” received 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. He used Doveglion (Dove, Eagle, Lion) as pen name, the very characters he attributed to himself,
and the same ones explored by e.e. cummings in the poem he wrote for Villa (Doveglion, Adventures in Value). Villa is also
known for the tartness of his tongue.

Villa’s 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, 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.

Educational Background
 Secondary : University of the Philippines (UP) High School
 College : UP College of Medicine, University of Mexico, and Columbia University

Work Experience
 taught poetry for a while at the City College of New York, 1964-1973
 worked in the Philippine Mission to the U.N., 1954-1963 and became the vice consul in 1965
 teach professionals in his Greenwich Village residence

Achievements/Awards
 a collection of poetry was nominated for the Bollingen prize
 received the American academy of arts and Letter's Poetry Award
 the Shelley Memorial Award
 the Guggenheim, Bollingen, and Rockefeller fellowships for poetry
 received honorable in the Commonwealth Literary Awards, 1940
 first prize, UP Golden Jubilee Literary Contest,1958
 an honorary doctorate of literature, Far Eastern University, 1959
 Rizal Pro Patria Award, 1961
 Republic Cultural Heritage Award for poetry and short story, 1962
 honorary doctorate in literary form the UP, 1973
 On 12 June 1973, Villa was named National Artist in Literature

Contribution
 Philippine fiction critic
 made a selection of the best Philippine short stories in English as published in various periodicals in the country;
called his “Roll of Honor” these yearly selections initially appeared in the Philippines Herald, then in the
Philippines Free press, and eventually in the Graphic; inclusion in the list was deemed an honor and a
recognition that one had “arrived” in Philippine literature
 introduced his poetic innovations: the comma poems and reversed consonance
RONALD ALAN KELLY POE

• A Filipino actor, he was better known as Fernando Poe Jr. and colloquially known as FPJ.
• He was dubbed as "King of Philippine Movies (Da King)” for his long career as an action film star.
• President Macapagal-Arroyo declared him a National Artist of the Philippines for Film on May 23,
2006. President Benigno Aquino III confirmed the award on July 20, 2012.
• Fernando Poe Jr. was the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP)'s candidate for the 2004
presidential election. He accepted nomination in December 2003 and was to be the opposition
candidate in the Philippines' 2004 presidential election.
• Poe dropped out of college to work in the Philippine film industry as a messenger boy and was given
acting roles in subsequent years.
• Poe acted in a number of movies which depicted him as the champion of the poor and downtrodden.
He also directed nine movies, under the pseudonym Ronwaldo Reyes.
• He died at the age of 65 because of cerebral thrombosis with multiple organ failure.
• Eight years after his death, a monument to Poe was erected at the corner of Roxas Boulevard and
Arquiza Street.
• He established FPJ Productions in 1961 and later organized other film companies.
• He has starred in more than 250 movies in his entire acting career

Among are the movies he starred on:

• Anak ni Palaris (1955)

• Lo Waist Gang (1959)
• The Ravagers (1965)
• Mga Alabok ng Lupa (1967)
• Asedillo (1971)
• Durugin si Totoy Bato, Umpisahan Mo, Tatapusin Ko (1983)
• Muslim Magnum .357 (1987)
• Ang Panday (1980)
• Kahit Konting Pagtingin (1990)
• Dito sa Pitong Gatang (1992)
• Ang Syota Kong Balikbayan (1995)
• Ang Probinsyano (1997)
• Isusumbong Kita Sa Tatay Ko (1999)
• Pakners (2003)

To which he was hailed as the Best Actor in Famas Awards for Mga Alabok ng Lupa (1967), Asedillo
(1971), Durugin si Totoy Bato, Umpisahan Mo, Tatapusin Ko (1983), and Muslim Magnum .357 (1987)
ISHMAEL BERNAL

Born: September 30, 1938 Died: June 2, 1996 Parents: Elena Bernal and Pacifico Ledesma Educaton:
Primary: Burgos Elementary School Secondary: Mapa High School College: University of the Philippines
(Bachelor of Arts degree in English)

Ishmael Bernal was a Filipino film, stage and television director, actor and screenwriter. Noted for his
melodramas, Bernal’s work particularly centers on Filipino reality, feminism, and moral issues. Hailed
as the “genius of Philippine cinema.” After graduation, he worked with Lamberto Avellana's
documentary outfit before proceeding to France where he earned his Licentiate in French Literature and
Philosophy at the University of Aix-enProvence. He received his Diploma in Film Directing in 1970 at
the Film Institute of India in Poona under the Colombo plan scholarship. He was also a board member
of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines and the Directors Guild of the Philippines, Inc. Bernal is a
tireless and committed educator. He taught film direction to film students of the University of the
Philippines and Polytechnic University of the Philippines. He has conducted film and theater workshops
and directed plays for school-based theater groups.

WORKS & CONTRIBUTIONS Film:

Pagdating sa Dulo
El Vibora
Lahing Pilipino
Tisoy Pabling Working Girls I & II Nunal sa Tubig Himala Television Shows: (Directed) Ang
Makulay na Daigdig ni Nora Metro Magazine Isip Pinoy Dear Teacher (Starred) Kamatayan Sa
Isang Anyo Ng Rosas Bacchae

AWARDS GROUP CATEGORY MOVIE Gawad Urian Award Best Direction Dalawang Pugad, Isang Ibon
(1977) Gawad Urian Award Best Direction Broken Marriage (1983) Gawad Urian Award Best Direction
Hinugot sa Langit (1985) Gawad Urian Award Best Direction Pahiram ng Isang Umaga (1989) Gawad
Urian Award Best Screenplay City After Dark (1980) Gawad Urian Award Best Film of the Decade Nunal
sa Tubig (1976) Gawad Urian Award Best Film of the Decade Pagdating sa Dulo (1971) Chicago
International Film Festival Bronze Hugo Himala (1982) FAMAS award Best Screenplay Pagdating sa Dulo
(1971) Metro Manila Film Festival Best Director Himala (1982) Star Awards for Movies Movie Director of
the Year Pahiram ng Isang Umaga (1989) Young Critics Circle, Philippines Best Film Waiting (1994)
CIRILO BAUTISTA
He came from a poor family with uneducated parents, but this doesn’t stop him from
reading and getting immersed into literature. He read any available content he could grasp that
time like cheap magazines and newspapers; he even went to public libraries to read various
materials in literature. His dedication and passion was seen as early as he was in elementary as
he liked to listen to words that come to life and hearing people talk. With these as a child, he
didn’t even realize or remember that he was poor. He also gained academic awards in his
elementary years like the first honorable mention and later gained Valedictorian when he was in
high school.
He took AB English in the University of Santo Tomas, seeing it as his only option considering
his passion. Through his growth in this part of his life, he decided that he wanted to write. He
also joined a journalism club with the position of literary editor. He also enjoyed the act of
“decoding” the meaning of verbose prose especially in Rizal’s works
After graduating, he didn’t know what to do. He has than taken the task to teach English at St.
Louis University to survive and provide for his family. In this period, he has taken a Master’s
Degree in Literature. He submitted works to different magazines and was overjoyed when his
work was then published to the Liwayway magazine which is one of the literature he has read
as a child. He then transferred to De La Salle University for a new teaching job. He also
received a fellowship grant at the international writing program at the University of Iowa where
he was awarded an honorary degree after completing the program. After writing more and
working with various prominent people, he has taken his Doctor of Arts in Language and
Literature in the same university and received the highest teaching position.
Even after creating and writing a lot of works, he didn’t stop just yet and used most of the time in
his hands for his new creations through the years. Through the years, he still concludes that he
likes literature and writing like he did when he was a kid.
CONTRIBUTIONS:
1. National Free Press (w/ Nick Joaqin as the editor)
2. Worked for President Marcos at the Presidential Institute for Special Studies
3. Wrote poems about Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino’s assassination with Krip Yuson, Jimmy Banad,
and Ricardo de Ungria (Memoriam-a collection of poems about Aquino’s death)
4. Virtue of the Executive Order #98 on his contribution to the development of creative writing in
Mindanao and serving as role model among young writers
WORK
1. The Cave and Other Poems (first book)
2. The Archipelago
3. Charts
4. Talex Moon
5. Sugat ng Salita
6. Kirot ng Kataga
7. Sunlight on Broken Stones
8. Galaw ng Asoge
9. Words and Battlefields: A Theoria On The Poem
10. Breaking Signs
11.Th Estrella D. Alfon Anthloogy (Volume I-Short Storie
Baña, Zaldrix Janssen M.
Stem – 5
Cesar Legaspi(1917-1994)
National Artist for Visual Art
❖ a Filipino National ❖ Man and Woman(1945)
LIFE
Artist in painting born
form his parents, Manuel
Legaspi and Rosario
Torrente in Tondo,
Manila.
❖ He is remembered for his
singular achievement of
refining cubism in the ❖
Philippine context.
❖ His early (1940s–1960s)
works, alongside those of
peer, Hernando Ocampo
are described as
depictions of anguish and
dehumanization of
beggars and laborers in
the city
❖ Chiaroscuro, in which
❖ Legaspi belonged to the
so-called “Thirteen
Moderns” and later, the
“Neo-realists”.
❖ Legaspi made use of the
❖ The Survivor,
geometric fragmentation
technique, weaving social
comment and juxtaposing
the mythical and modern
into his overlapping,
interacting forms with
disturbing power and
intensity
❖ Legaspi espoused the
WORKS
also entitled Beggars, in CONTRIBUTION
cause of modem art from
an expressionist idiom its early years and
involving distortion, nurtured it with his fellow
shows a couple in rags pioneering modernists,
amidst the skeletons of
buildings which we ❖ He won first prize for
broken like surrealist Stairway to Heaven in the
sculpture Manila club Art Exhibition
Gadgets (1947), done in in 1949.
two versions, reflects the
increasing importance of ❖ His Symphony won an
machines in the post-war honorable mention
industrialization period, award in the Manila
as well as what he Grand Opera House
perceived was the Exhibition in 1950.
insidious threat of
human metamorphosing ❖ He received the Patnubay
into machine. ng Sining at Kalinagan
award from the City of
rocks and stone Manila in 1972.
quarries become his
central image and symbol ❖ He received the Gawad
and in which structure is CCP para sa Sining award
the predominant concern. from the Cultural Center
of the Philippines in 1990.
heroic
canvases, convey the
❖ He was proclaimed
surging, straining
National Artist in painting
movements of human
in 1990.
beings in aspiration,
struggle, and triumph ❖ His distinctive style and
daring themes contributed
significantly to the advent
and eventual acceptance
of modern art in the
Philippines.
 Federico Aguilar y Alcuaz
National Artist for Visual Arts (2009)
Federico Aguilar y Alcuaz, who signed his works as Aguilar Alcuaz was an artist of voluminous output.
He is known mainly for his gestural paintings in acrylic and oil, as well as sketches in ink, watercolor
and pencil. He was also a sculptor of note and has rendered abstract and figurative works in ceramics,
tapestries and even in relief sculptures made of paper and mixed media, which he simply calls
“Alcuazaics.” The preference to use his maternal name was more for practical reasons; Alcuaz was
rarer than the name Aguilar, and thus ensured better recall; it was also simpler to drop the customary
y between the two names.
Alcuaz belongs to the second generation of Filipino modernists after the fabled Thirteen Moderns,
credited along with Jose Joya, Constancio Bernardo, Fernando Zobel and Arturo Luz, for building a
significant body of abstract art from the arguably more tentative efforts of their predecessors. Alcuaz
went to the UP College of Fine Arts in Diliman while also taking up his pre-law course at San Beda
College. Napoleon Abueva, Jose Joya and Juvenal Sanso were also in school with him at that time,
studying under Fernando Amorsolo, Guillermo Tolentino, Irineo Miranda, Constancio Bernardo and
Toribio Herrera. He would go on to win prizes at UP and at the national Shell Art competition, and
embarked on several solo exhibits after graduating from San Beda
Alcuaz would go on in 1955 to obtain a law degree at the Ateneo de Manila in Padre Faura, Manila in
deference to his father’s wishes, but after mounting an exhibit at the legendary Philippine Art Gallery,
he received a fellowship from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Spain and proceeded to study at the
Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid, where other Filipino expatriates like Juan Luna,
Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo, Fernando Amorsolo, Fabian dela Rosa and Jose Ma. Asuncion received a
similar classical training.
WORKS:
• Untitled (Alcuaz ’81)
• oil on canvas • Cubist Forms
19.25 x 15.25 in. • oil on canvas
• Red, Green, Black and Brown 18 x 20.75 in.
• oil on canvas • 1985
21.25 x 17.75 in.
• Composition in Red and
• 1979 Green
• Lemons, Pears, Still Life and Landscape • oil on canvas
• oil on canvas 19.25 x 15.25 in.
36 x 29 in.
• 1973
• Blue, Black and White
•
 Edith L. Tiempo
-poet, fictionist, teacher and literary critic

-one of the finest Filipino writers in English whose works are characterized by a remarkable fusion
of style and substance, of craftsmanship and insight
- born on April 22, 1919 in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya.
-her poems are intricate verbal transfigurations of significant experiences as revealed, in two of
her much anthologized pieces, “The Little Marmoset” and “Bonsai”
-As fictionist, Tiempo was as morally profound. Her language has been marked as “descriptive
but unburdened by scrupulous detailing.” She was an influential tradition in Philippine literature
in English. Together with her late husband, Edilberto K. Tiempo, she founded and directed the
Silliman National Writers Workshop in Dumaguete City, which has produced some of the
country’s best writers.
- died on August 21, 2011

Works
Novels
• A Blade of Fern (1978)
• His Native Coast (1979)
• The Alien Corn (1992)
• One, Tilting Leaves (1995)
• The Builder (2004)
• The Jumong (2006)
Short story collections
• Abide, Joshua, and Other Stories (1964)
Poetry collection
• The Tracks of Babylon and Other Poems (1966)
• The Charmer’s Box and Other Poet (1993)
• Marginal Annotations and Other Poems

Contributions
• National Artist Award for Literature (1999)
• Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature
• Cultural Center of the Philippines (1979, First Prize in Novel)
• Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas (1988)
• Mother of Philippine Literature
Eddie S. Romero

(July 7, 1924 – May 28, 2013)

Eddie Romero, who initially used the screen name 'Enrique Moreno' early in his directing career,
was born July 7 1924 in Dumaguete City. He is the son of Pilar Cinco, a school teacher, and José
E. Romero, a former congressman, Secretary of Education, and Philippine Ambassador to
London. He was married to Carolina Gonzales, with whom he had three children, including film
director Joey Romero; actress Chanda Romero is also a niece. He studied at Dumaguete
Elementary School, Ateneo de Manila, University of the Philippines (UP) High School, and
Siliman University High School in Dumaguete City. He earned his bachelor's degree in UP,
completed the associate in arts (pre-law) program at Siliman University, and was conferred the
honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, by the Foundation University in Dumaguete City. A
leader in the industry, Romero has served as deputy director of the Film Academy of the
Philippines (FAP), and Chair of the Sub-Committee on the Arts of the National Commission on
Culture and the Arts (NCCA). Romero's major influences were Gerardo de Leon and Yasujirô
Ozu, a Japanese director. He observed production trends, film techniques and the work of noted
directors in the United States and Europe.

Eddie Romero, is a screenwriter, film director and producer, is the quintessential Filipino
filmmaker whose life is devoted to the art and commerce of cinema spanning three generations of
filmmakers. His film “Ganito Kami Noon…Paano Kayo Ngayon?,” set at the turn of the century
during the revolution against the Spaniards and, later, the American colonizers, follows a naïve
peasant through his leap of faith to become a member of an imagined community. “Aguila”
situates a family’s story against the backdrop of the country’s history. “Kamakalawa” explores
the folkloric of prehistoric Philippines. “Banta ng Kahapon,” his ‘small’ political film, is set
against the turmoil of the late 1960s, tracing the connection of the underworld to the corrupt halls
of politics. His 13-part series of “Noli Me Tangere” brings the national hero’s polemic novel to
a new generation of viewers.
 Pablo Antonio, National Artist in Architecture
Life

Antonio was born in Binondo, Manila in 1901, orphaned by age of 12 and did part time job in daytime to
supplement his study at night. He studied architecture in Mapua Institute of Technology and later transfer to University of
London after securing scholarship from Ramon Arevalo, the engineer in charge in Legislative Building (now National
Museum of the Philippines where Antonio assist in the design and construction). He graduated in 1927 for only three years
of study (normal is 5 years).

Works

In 1933, he designed the Ideal Theater in Avenida, Rizal Avenue which is one of his major works that made him
prominent in architecture. The founder of Far Eastern University, Nicanor Reyes, deal with him to make several buildings in
the campus. The FEU campus is considered as the largest ensemble of surviving Art Deco architecture in Manila, and in
2005, it received an Honorable Mention citation from the UNESCO for the body's 2005 Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for
Culture Heritage Conservation.

Antonio's other major projects includes Manila Polo Club in 1950, Lyric Theater, Galaxy Theater, Life Theater, Scala
Theater, Ramon Roces Publications Building (now Guzman College of Science and Technology), Capitan Luis Gonzaga
Building, Boulevard-Alhambra apartments in 1937 (now Bel-Air) and White Cross Sanitarium in 1938.

In 1976, he was he was named National Artist of the Philippines, he was only the second architect so honored, after his
contemporary, Juan Nakpil.

Contributions

National Artist in Architecture (1976) pioneered modern Philippine Architecture. His architecture adapts the Art
Deco techniques which is dominant motif during his time. His design is based on simplicity and clean structural design. The
lines are clean and smooth, and where there are curves, these are made integral to the structure. He believes that function
come first before elegance. Antonio's design focus on the maximum use of natural light and cross ventilation, He strives to
make each building unique, avoiding obvious trademarks. Antonio himself has been quoted as stating that "buildings should
be planned with austerity in mind and its stability forever as the aim of true architecture, that buildings must be
progressive, simple in design but dignified, true to a purpose without resorting to an applied set of aesthetics and should
eternally recreate truth".
 Carlos “Botong” Francisco
(November 4, 1912 – March 31, 1969)
- was the second Filipino to receive the title of National Artist in Painting, after Fernando C. Amorsolo
- also known as the Poet of Angono, he single-handedly brought back the art of mural painting in the Philippines and
was its most distinguished painter in his time
- was on the forefront of modernist art in the country, and with Victorio C. Edades and Galo B. Ocampo became part
of “The Triumvirate” of modern art
- best known for his historical epics, and one of his favorite subjects is fisherfolk
- his images of women came from mythology, history, legend, customs and contemporary life

HIS LIFE
- on November 4, 1914, Francisco was born to Felipe Francisco and Maria Villaluz in Angono, Rizal
- was affectionately called “Botong” by his family and friends
- spent his college years at the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts and during those days, specifically
in 1959 he was the recipient of a Most Outstanding Alumnus award that gave an honour to his alma mater
- on the contrary, he did not finish his degree and was forced to work
- after the second world war, he became a professor at the University Of Santo Tomas School Of Architecture
and Fine Arts
- at the same time that he was doing work in cinema with Manuel Conde
- he worked as a scriptwriter for films such as “Genghis Khan,” “Putol na Kampilan,” and “Tatlong Labuyo”
- in addition, he designed costumes for films such as “Romeo at Julieta,” “Prinsipe Tenoso,” “Ibong Adarna,”
“Siete Infantes de Lara,” and the “Juan Tamad” series.
- he painted for the Manila Grand Opera House and the Clover Theater together with with Victorio Edades and
Fermin Sanchez
- he and Edades started mural-painting, and together they formed the Thirteen Moderns, a group of modernists,
in 1938
- they developed the Filipino imagery in their work, taking images from the customs and traditions of the people
- some of the murals they worked on as a triumvirate are Rising Philippines for the Capitol Theater, murals for
the Golden Gate Exposition, the State Theater, and the private residences of President Manuel Quezon, Ernesto
Rufino and Vicente Rufino
- his major masterpiece is the mural he did for the Bulwagang Katipunan of the Manila City Hall
- After Francisco’s death on March 31, 1969, what came to be known as the Botong Francisco School of Painting
grew, exemplifying lyricism and heroism

HIS WORK
- some of his major works include:
• 1945 – Kaingin
• 1948 – Fiesta
• 1953 – 50 Years of Philippine History, his first important mural, for the International Fair held in Manila
• 1954 – Life and Miracles of St. Dominic, for Santo Domingo Church
• 1956 – Stations of the Cross, for the Far Eastern University
• 1956 – The Invasion of Limahong
• 1957 – Mangingisda
• 1958 – Muslim Wedding
• 1962 – Bayanihan

HIS AWARDS
- among his awards are:
• 1964 – Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan, from the City of Manila
• 1948 – 1st Prize, First National Art Exhibition of the Art Association of the Philippines, for Kaingin
CARLOS QUIRINO

LIFE WORKS CONTRIBUTIONS

 He was born on January 14,  The first biography he wrote  Quirino’s books and articles
1910 at Manila, Metro was on President Manuel span the whole gamut of
Manila. Quezon, titled Man of Philippine history and
Destiny (1935) culture–from Bonifacio’s
 He obtained his journalism trial to Aguinaldo’s
degree from the University  His prizewinning biography, biography, from Philippine
of Wisconsin at Madison in The Great Malayan (1940), cartography to culinary
1931. was one of the earliest arts, from cash crops to
English-language tycoons and president’s
 He made a record earlier biographies on Jose Rizal. lives, among so many
on when he became the
subjects.
very first Filipino  Magsaysay and the
correspondent for the Philippines  His historical expertise led
United Press Institute. Fernando Zobel to task him
 Philippine Cartography
with overseeing the
 He spent some years
Damian Domingo: First creation of a diorama
working as an assistant to 

Eminent Filipino Painter exhibit, which would

his uncle, president Elpidio
eventually form the
Quirino, who also
 The History of the Philippine beginnings of the Ayala
supported his law studies
Sugar Industry Museum. Quirino became
until he passed the bar in
the museum’s first director
1940 Filipinos at War: The Fight for

in 1970.
Freedom from Mactan to
 He is best known for his early
EDSA  For his decades of
biography of Jose Rizal.
meticulous research and
 Filipino Heritage: The innumerable contributions
 He also wrote several works
Making of a Nation to the study of Philippine
the Philippine history and
biographies of President history, Quirino was
Manuel Quezon and the honored in 1997 as a
painter Damian Domingo. National Artist of the
Philippines in the newly-
 He died at the wheel of a created category of
fatal car accident on May Historical Literature.
20, 1999
Arturo R. Luz was born on Nov. 20, 1926, in Manila, Republic of the Phillipines. He studied
painting at the School of Fine Arts at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, the Art School of
the Brooklyn Museum in New York, and the Académie Grade Chaumière in Paris; he received
a diploma from the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland in 1994. He married artist
Tessie Ojeda Luz. His paintings are marked by meticulous simplicity and restraint, with subdued
colors and understated form. Luz himself described them as "semirepresentational,
semiabstract."

Works:
Luz began working with sculpture rather late. Like his painting, it is characterized by simplicity of
line and geometry of form. Although Figura II stands 6 feet high, most of Luz's sculptural pieces are
relatively small. He worked in Philippine hardwoods, marble, and metal and exhibited his sculptures chiefly
in Manila. His work has been described as sparse and spatial.
Luz was a founding director of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, and served in that position
from 1976 to 1986. He owned the Luz Gallery in Makati, Philippines. His work, which includes paintings,
sculpture, graphics and photographs, is in private and institutional collections.
In 1995, his work was on exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum. At that time, Filipino art critic Rod
Paras-Perz said, "The Luz retrospective is still one of the most significant and major shows ever attempted
on a contemporary artist."

Contributions:
Among his other significant paintings are Bagong Taon, Vendador de Flores, Skipping
Rope, Candle Vendors, Procession, Self-Portrait, Night Glows, Grand Finale, Cities of the Past, Imaginary
Landscapes. His mural painting Black and White is displayed in the lobby of the CCP’s Bulwagang Carlos
V. Francisco (Little Theater). His sculpture of a stainless steel cube is located in front of the Benguet Mining
Corporation Building in Pasig.
Among his achievements are three first prize awards at the Art Association of the Philippines
Annual Competition from the 1950’s to the 1960’s. In addition, he received several foreign scholarship
grants, including those from Spain in 1953, Italy in 1963, and the United States in 1963. He also joined
various exhibitions abroad, including the Philippine Cultural Exhibition held in New York in 1953, Arte de
America y España in 1963, the 11th Sao Paolo Biennale in 1971, the Tokyo International Print Biennale in
1974, and the 8th British International Print Biennale in 1984. Another distinction is a one-man exhibit he
held at the Museo de Arte Moderno in Mexico City in 1981.

Among his awards are:

• 1962 – 1st Prize, First International Art Salon in Saigon, Vietnam

• 1966 – Republic Cultural Heritage Award for Painting
• 1978 – Order of Chevalier des Arts et Lettres, by the French government (title was
promoted to “Officiel” in 1987)
• 1981 – Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award, from the City of Manila
• 1989 – Gawad CCP para sa Sining, from the Cultural Center of the Philippines

Luz’s major works include:

• 1946 - Lavandera
• 1953 - Awit
• 1959 - City
• 1960 – Anito Sculpture
• 1979 – Painted Steel
• 1997 – Bagong Taon
• 1997 – Man with Guitar
J. Elizande Navarro (1924 - 1999)

National artist, J. (Jeremias) Elizalde Navarro, was born in 1924 in Antique, Philippines. He came to
Manila when he won a one-year scholarship at the School of Fine Arts of the University of the Philippines.
He finished his degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts major in painting at the University of Santo Tomas in 1951.

J. Elizalde Navarro was given the National Artist award for Visual Arts in 1999. His career spans more
than 50 years of painting, sculpting and other forms of visual art. His watercolors and work on paper
are often overlooked given the wide scope of work that Navarro did. Hence, The Mercier Gallery of
Fine Arts chose to concentrate on this genre of the artist.

His first solo exhibit at the Philippine Art Gallery in 1954 consisted of woodcuts and construction pieces
of mixed media, using metal, wood and other found objects.

In 1957, he was invited by the Japanese Chapter of the Youth Association of Asia to visit Japan. This
visit exposed him to traditional Japanese art which greatly influenced him.

Contibutions
In 1967, he represented the Philippines at the Sao Paolo Biennale in Brazil in the category of sculpture.
In the early 1970’s he headed the creative department of the Design Center of the Philippines. He was
responsible for the Philippine exhibits in key cities around the world.

In 1989, he became the first Filipino artist to be represented at the Yayasan Dharma Seni Museum Neka
in Bali, Indonesia.

In 1995, he held his retrospective exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila. He continued to
paint and hold one man shows in Manila until his death in June 1999.

Navarro’s Works
• The Blue Silver Machine, 1953
• The Inscrutable East, 1991
• The Red Cross I
• The Unforgettable Visit to Manhattan, New York, 1954
• The Seasons Four, 1975
• The Barrier Now Cleaven, 1996
• The Japanese Moon, 1950
The Seasons
Four, 1975
ILDEFONSO P. SANTOS
(September 5, 1929 – January 29, 2014)

Life:

• popularly known simply as "IP Santos"

• son of Filipino poet Ildefonso Santos and Asuncion Paez

• graduated from the University of Santo Tomas in 1954 with a degree in the field of architecture

Contributions:

• The pioneer of landscape architecture in the Philippines

• he designs majestic parks and urban spaces

• Santos also became the first president of the Philippine Association of Landscape Architects

Works:

• Cultural Center of the Philippines

• Manila Hotel

• San Miguel Corporation Building

• Nayong Pilipino

• Rizal Park

• Loyola Memorial Park

• Tagaytay Highlands Golf and Country Club