Juan De Atayde
Don Juan de Atayde(1838-1896) was not a writer by profession. An officer of the Spanish infantry,
he devoted only his leisure moments to poetry. In this regard, he was following the footsteps of Don
Jose Vergara, the first Filipino poet to express his thoughts and sentiments in Spanish.
In 1882,Juan Atayde a Spaniard born in Manila founded the Circulo-Hispano-Filipino. Unfortunately,
the society did not stay long due to shortage of funds and also because of lack of confidence of the
members in Atayde.
The works of Don Juan de Atayde reveal the soul and feeling of a philosopher-poet.
Apolinario Mabini
Mabini wrote documents to instill the ideals of Revolution among the people. Among these
documents is “El Verdadero Decalogo” or “The True Decalogue”.
Mabini stressed in his writings that a revolution did not consist only of taking up arms
against the oppressors. He emphasized that people should also change their attitudes, their ways
of thinking, and their relations with one another. He stressed that a moral revolution or change
should take place in the hearts and minds of the people to ensure the birth of a new social order.
“The True Decalogue” is a guide for such change.
Jose Rizal
Jose Rizal wrote his best poetry when he was a political prisoner. His “Mi Ultimo Adios”
(“My Last Farewell”) was written on the eve of his execution. It is widely believed that Rizal
hid the poem from his jail guards by stuffing the manuscript into an alcohol lamp. He gave
this alcohol lamp to his sisters who came to see him just before he was led out of prison
for his execution.
Rizal wrote many other poems and stories but his “Mi Ultimo Adios”, together with his
novels Noli Me Tangere(The Social Cancer) and El Filibusterismo(The Reign of Greed) shows
that he was a literary giant. Many people believe that no man of letters in our country has
lived more beautifully, thought more nobly, and suffered more deeply than Jose Rizal.
Enrique K. Laygo
The author of “The Return”, Enrique K. Laygo, was born in June 1897 in Lipa,Batangas.
He received his formal education at the Ateneo de Manila University where he became known
for his literary prowess. Later, he took up law, but he never practiced it. Instead he became a journalist.
Laygo won the Zobel Prize in Literature in 1925 for an exquisite bundle of about twenty stories
really little poems which he titled Caretas. The book was translated to English by Alfredo S. Veloso
under the title Masks.
Flavio Zaragoza-Cano
Flavio Zaragoza-Cano was born Cabatuan, Iloilo in 1892. He received his Bachelor of Arts and
Letters from the Colegio de San Juan de Letran. In his early twenties, he was already well-known
as a poet-essayist. Eventually, he became a member of good standing in organizations like La
Academia Filipino, La Academia de la Lengua Catellana, and La Sociedad de Literatos de Artistas
Filipinas. In 1929, he was awarded the prize for poetry in Spanish. Soon after, he won a prize for
poetry offered by the First Commonwealth Literary Contest. His prize-winning poem titled “De
Mactan a Tirad” is a sustained poetic account of struggle of the Filipino to defend the honor and
freedom of their native land, starting from the battlefield of Mactan to the resistance at Tirad
Pass.
Marcelo de Garcia Concepcion
Marcelo de Garcia Concepcion is recognized as one of the finest poets. His poems are characterized
by freedom from the restrictions and rules of set verse patterns usually followed by the Filipino
writers of this period. Because of his long years of living in America, he gained a good command
of the English language. This gave him an advantage in his written works which show variety of
expression. His play on words gives original, simple images as well as artistry and descriptive
power.
His first volume of poetry titled Azucena was published in New York in 1925. Bamboo Flute
followed in 1932.
Arturo B. Rotor
Dr. Arturo B. Rotor received his degree in music while he was still studying to be a doctor at the
University of the Philippines. After graduating from medical school and receiving further training at
John Hopkins University in the United States, he taught at the UP College of Medicine. A man of various
interests, he discovered a blood red orchid at the Caraballo mountains, introduced Allergology as a
field of specialization in the country, and played a major role in the discovery of a particular liver
ailment.
He was still in high school when he won third prize in a short story writing contest sponsored by
the Philippine Free Press. Since then, he wrote several stories, among them, “Zita”, “At Last This
Fragrance”, and “Convicts’ Twilight”. “Dahong Palay” won first prize in the Sunday Tribune Magazine
Contest in 1927. In 1966, Rotor was awarded the Republic Heritage Award for Literature.
Francisco Benitez
Francisco Benitez of Pagsanjan, Laguna was a pioneer in education and administration. He founded
the College of Education in the University of the Philippines and was one of the first writers to acquire
proficiency in English. His essays have none of the weaknesses of the words of the first period, probably
because of his training in American schools. In 1910, he graduated from two American institutions of
learning Western Illinois State Normal School and Columbia University. A few years later, he returned
to Columbia University to work for his Master of Arts.
Carlos Bulosan
As a child, Carlos Bulosan helped out with the work on his parents’ farm in Pangasinan. In 1931, he
migrated to the United States.
Bulosan’s major literary work is America Is in the Heart, a moving portrait of the Filipino migrant in
America in the 1930’s. But the work that catapulted him to popularity and fame is The Laughter of My
Father, a collection of humorous short stories. The book was translated to several European languages
and transmitted worldwide through radio. With The Laughter of My Father, Bulosan became a celebra-
ted Filipino-American writer and by far, the finest Filipino humorist.