Biography of Alejandro G.

Abadilla
 Was commonly known as AGA
 regarded as "Father of Modern Tagalog Poetry", was born in Rosario, Cavite.
 His major breakthrough in Philippine poetry was when he wrote his poem "Ako ang
Daigdig" (I am the world) in 1955.
 His contributions to Philippine literature, extends to the essay, short fiction and the novel.
 In 1932, he started his regular listing and evaluation of published poems in "Talaang
Bughaw".
 His published novels include: "Sing-ganda Ng Buhay" (As beautiful as life)
(1947); "Pagkamulat Ni Magdalena" (Magdalene's awakening) in 1958, co-authored
with Elpidio Capulong).
 As critic, he edited "Parnasong Tagalog", where he collected for the first time in one
book the major poems of Tagalog poets from the 1800s to the 1940s, and "Mga
Kuwentong Ginto" (1936), with Clodualdo del Mundo Sr., Ang Maikling Kathang
Tagalog (1954), with Federico Sebastian and A. D. G. Mariano, and Maikling Katha ng
20 Pangunahing Awtor (1957), with Ponciano B. P. Pineda, anthologies on the art of the
short story.
 Notably, he led the organization of Kapisanang Panitikan, composed of young writer in
1935 and edited a magazine called Panitikan.
 He received the Republic Cultural Heritage Award in 1966 for his contribution to
Philippine Literature.
 He died on August 26, 1969 at the age of 63.

Biography of Lope K. Santos

 Was born in Pasig as Lope Santos y Canseco to Ladislao Santos, a native of Pasig and
Victorina Canseco, a native of San Mateo.
 Santos was a Tagalog language writer and former senator of the Philippines.
 He is best known for his 1906 socialist novel, Banaag at Sikat and his contributions for
the development of Filipino grammar and Tagalog orthography
 Banaag at Sikat is considered as the first socialist-oriented book in the Philippines which
expounded principles of socialism and seek labor reforms from the government. The book
was later made an inspiration for the assembly of the 1932 Socialist Party of the
Philippines.
 In early 1910s, he started his campaign on promoting a "national language for the
Philippines" through organized lectures, cultural societies which he founded all over the
country, and headed the department of national language in various leading universities.
 Mang Openg, as he was fondly called by his friends, was elected governor of Rizal
province in 1910, served until 1913.
 He was the primary author of Philippine Legislature Act No. 2946 which enacted
November 30 of every year as Bonifacio Day, honoring Andres Bonifacio. He
 championed the cause of labor with his introduction of several measures designed to better
the workers’ working conditions.
 In 1940, Santos published the first grammar book of the Filipino language, Balarila ng
Wikang Pambansa (Grammar of the National Language) which was commissioned by
the Surian ng Wikang Pambansa.
 The next year, he was appointed by President Manuel L. Quezon as director
of Surian until 1946. When the Philippines became a member of the United Nations he
was selected to translate the 1935 Constitution for UNESCO.
 He was also appointed to assist for the translation of inaugural addresses of presidents
Jose P. Laurel and Manuel A. Roxas.
 He was married to Simeona Salazar on February 10, 1900. They were blessed with five
children.
 He died on May 1, 1963 at the age of 86.

Biography of Carlos P. Romulo

 Was an author and the foremost diplomat of the Philippines. He was the only Filipino
journalist to win the Pulitzer Prize and the first Asian to serve as president of the UN
General Assembly (1949).
 Rómulo became editor in chief of TVT Publications in 1931 and publisher and editor of
the Philippines Herald (1933-1941).
 In 1941 Rómulo received the coveted Pulitzer Prize for a series of pioneering articles on
the Southeast Asian political situation in which he recorded his extensive travels in China,
Burma, Thailand, Indochina, Indonesia, and elsewhere.
 Rómulo's prolific pen is attested to by his books, such as I Saw the Fall of the
Philippines(1942), Mother America (1943), My Brother Americans (1945), I See the
Philippines Rise (1946), Crusade in Asia (1955), The Magsaysay Story (1956), I Walk
with Heroes (1961), and Identity and Change (1965)
 Romulo's autobiography, with Beth Day Romulo, is Forty Years: A Third World Soldier
at the UN (1986).
 His other books also are informative, since most of them are autobiographical in some
sense. Full-length works on him are Grace S. Youkey (pseudonym: Cornelia
Spencer), Romulo: Voice of Freedom (1953); Romulo figures prominently in Manuel Luis
Quezon, The Good Fight (1946); Teodoro A. Agoncillo, The Fateful Years: Japan's
Adventure in the Philippines, 1941-45 (2 vols., 1965).

Biography of Jose Corazon de Jesus,

a noted Filipino poet who used Tagalog poetry to express the Filipinos' desire for
independence during the American occupation, was born in Sta. Cruz. Manila.
 During the early years of the American regime, De Jesus worked as a journalist for the
revolutionary newspapers Independence, The Brotherhood, The Union, Renaissance
and Democracy.
 He later joined the Nacionalista Party which wanted the independence of the Philippines
from the United States.
 He received his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1920. Having been busy writing column for
the Tagalog newspaper Taliba, De Jesus had no chance of practicing his legal
profession.
 In his column “Buhay Maynila” (Manila Life) under the pseudonym Huseng Batute, he
satirized society under the American colonizers and espoused independence for the
Philippines.
 De Jesus's works also appeared in several magazines and newspapers, notably Ang
Democracia, Taliba, Liwayway, El Debate and Sampagita, in addition to his articles
that have appeared in various anthologies and textbooks from grade school to college.
 De Jesus was also known as “King of Balagtasan” as he was acclaimed winner of the
showdown on debate in 1925.
 One of his famous works, the Tagalog poem Bayan Ko (My Country, 1929) was used as
lyrics for a patriotic song that became popular during the dictatorial regime of the late
President Ferdinand Marcos in the 1980s.9 He wrote the Punong Kahoy in 1932.
 Jesus died on May 26, 1932, and was buried in Manila's North Cemetery.

Biography of Jose Garcia Villa

 He used the penname Doveglion (derived from "Dove, Eagle, Lion"), based on the
characters he derived from himself
 was a Filipino poet, literary critic, short story writer, and painter. He was awarded
the National Artist of the Philippines title for literature in 1973, as well as the
Guggenheim Fellowship in creative writing by Conrad Aiken.
 He is known to have introduced the "reversed consonance rime scheme" in writing
poetry, as well as the extensive use of punctuation marks—especially commas, which
made him known as the Comma Poet
 A short biography prepared by the Foreign Service Institute said Villa was first interested
in painting but turned to writing after reading Sherwood Anderson's "Winesburg,
Ohio."
 He published his series of erotic poems, "Man Songs"
 In 1929, with the P1,000 he won as a prize from the Philippines Free Press for his
"Mir-i-Nisa," adjudged the best short story that year (1929)
 Here is a partial list of his published books: Philippine Short Stories, best 25 stories of
1928 (1929), Footnote to Youth, short stories (1933), Many Voices, Poems (1941), Have
Come Am Here, poems ((1941), Selected Poems and New (1942), A Doveglion Book of
Philippine Poetry (1962)
  Through the sponsorship of Conrad Aiken, noted American poet and critic, Villa was
granted the Guggenheim Fellowship in creative writing. He was also awarded $1,000
for "outstanding work in American literature."
 He won first prize in poetry at the UP Golden Jubilee Literary Contests (1958) and
was conferred the degree Doctor of Literature, honoris causa, by FEU (1959); the Pro
Patria Award for literature (1961); Heritage Awards for literature, for poetry and short
stories (1962); and National Artist Award for Literature (1973).

Ano ang Tanaga? Ano ang Haiku?

 sinaunang anyo ng maikling tulang
Tagalog, binubuo ng apat na taludtod
na tugmaan, may sukat na pitóng
pantig ang bawat taludtod, at
nagpapahayag ng isang buong diwa
 Ang tanaga ay tulang Tagalog na
palasak na bago pa dumating ang mga
Kastila. Ito ay may mataas na uri.
Binubuo ito ng apat na taludturan na
may pituhang pantig. Ang tanaga ay
nahahawig sa haiku at muling naging
palasak ang mga tanaga noong
panahon ng Hapon. Ang tanaga ay
itinuturing na malayang tula at sagana
sa talinghaga.
Halimbawa ng Tanaga:
 Ito ay salitang Hapon na tumutukoy sa
isang uri ng maikling tula.
 Ang haiku ay tulang binubuo ng
labinpitong pantig, na may tatlong
taludturan; na ang unang taludtod ay
may limang pantig, sa ikalawa ay may
pitong pantig, at ang ikatlong taludtod ay
may limang pantig. Ito’y nagtataglay ng
talinghaga
HALIMBAWA NG HAIKU
Ulilang damo
Sa tahimik na ilog
Halika, sinta!

Totoong sinungaling, — Gonzalo Flores

At talagang malihim,
Pipi kung kausapin,
Walang kibo’y matabil,
Ang isa sa kaaway,
Na marami ang bilang,
Ang iyong pangilangan,
Ayan… katabi mo lang!

— Ildefonso Santos

Ano ang Ambahan?

 isang katutubong tula na nililikha ng mga Mangyan, partikular ang mga Hanunuo at
Buhid na matatagpuan sa mga bayan ng Bulalacao at Mansalay sa Oriental Mindoro at
San Jose naman sa Occidental Mindoro.
  Ang mga grupong ito ng mga Mangyan ay may sariling sistema ng pagsulat na
ginagamit na nila bago pa man dumating ang mga Kastila.
 Ang ambahan ay may sukat na pitong pantig sa bawat taludtod maliban sa unang
taludtod na maaaring higit o kulang sa pitong pantig dahil may mga pagkakataong ang
nagsasalita ay maaaring may mahaba o maigsing pangalan.
 Ang unang linya sa ambahan ang nagpapakilala sa kung sino ang nagsasalita. Binibigkas
itong parang isang engkantasyon ngunit walang nakatakdang i o kasabay na anumang
instrumento.
 Ang sukat na pitong pantig sa bawat taludtod ngn ambahan o sukat na gansal, ay
karaniwang matatagpuan sa mga katutubong tulang Tagalog tulad ng tanaga, ullalim ng
mga Kalinga sa norte, at sa epikong Ulahingan ng Mindanao (p. xiv).
 Isahang tugma ang kailanan ng tugmang Ambahan. Mahalagang katangian ng ambahan
ang tugma na ang karaniwang ginagamit ay ang an dahil ito ang karaniwang panlapi para
sa mga pandiwa sa wika ng Hanunuo.
 Ngunit meron din naman silang a, ak, ag, ang, as, aw, ay. Pag nagsimula ito sa tugmang
an, an ang tugma hanggang sa dulo.

Kawayan sa Marigit Bayong kong lalalain

Pag tanaw ko, palapit Lagi kong sasakbitin!
Labong pa siyang kay liit O liyag, aking hirang
Nang daanan ko pabalik Kanina nang lumisan
Siksikan mga tinik Galing sa 'king dingdingan
Mainam nang pang-sahig! Palay na inanihan
Buli sa may kaingin Akin lang iniwanan
Noong s'ya pa'y musmusin Hinangad kong katuwang
Hindi ko pinapansin Di basta palay lamang
Nang gumulang, pagsapit Sa lakad sa ilog man
Tanggi ko ang lumain Maging sa kaparangan
Sariwa kong kukunin Kaakbay ko saan man
Kaabay sa higaan!