NCR AUTHORS

1..Lualhati Bautista
Lualhati Torres Bautista (born Manila, Philippines December 2, 1945) is one of
the foremost Filipino female novelists in the history of contemporary Philippine
Literature. Her novels include Dekada '70, Bata, Bata, Pa'no Ka Ginawa?,
and ‘GAPÔ.

Biography
Bautista was born in Tondo, Manila, Philippines on December 2, 1945 to
Esteban Bautista and Gloria Torres. She graduated from Emilio Jacinto
Elementary School in 1958, and from Torres High School in 1962. She was a
journalism student at the Lyceum of the Philippines, but dropped out even
before she finished her freshman year.Despite a lack of formal training,
Bautista as the writer became known for her honest realism, courageous
exploration of Philippine women's issues, and her compelling female
protagonists, who confront difficult situations at home and in the workplace
with uncommon grit and strength.
Works as novelist
Lualhati garnered several Palanca Awards (1980, 1983 and 1984) for her
novels ‘GAPÔ, Dekada '70 and Bata, Bata… Pa’no Ka Ginawa? exposing
injustices and chronicling women activism during the Marcos era.GAPÔ,
published in 1980, is the story of a man coming to grips with life as
an Amerasian. It is a multi-layered scrutiny of the politics behind US bases in
the Philippines, seen from ordinary citizens living in Olongapo City point of
view.Dekada '70 is the story of a family caught in the middle of the tumultuous
decade of the 1970s. It details how a middle class family struggled and faced
the changes that empowered Filipinos to rise against the Marcos government.
These series of events happened after the bombing of Plaza Miranda, the
suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, the proclamation of martial law and
the random arrests of political prisoners. The oppressive nature of the Marcos
regime, which made the people become more radical, and the shaping of the
decade were all witnessed by the female protagonist, Amanda Bartolome, a
mother of five boys.Bata, Bata… Pa'no Ka Ginawa?, literally, "Child, Child…
How Were You Made?", narrates the life of Lea, a working mother and a social
activist, who has two children. The novel begun with an introductory chapter
about the graduation day from kindergarten of Maya, Lea’s daughter. A
program and a celebration were held. In the beginning, everything in Lea’s life
were going smoothly – her life in connection with her children, with friends of
the opposite gender, and with her volunteer work for a human rights
organization. But Lea’s children were both growing-up – and Lea could see
their gradual transformation. There were the changes in their ways and
personalities: Maya’s curiosity was becoming more obvious every day, while
Ojie was crossing the boundaries from boyhood to teenage to adulthood. In the
end, all three, and especially Lea, have to confront Philippine society’s view of
single motherhood; and the novel itself brazens out to the questions of how it is
to be a mother, and how a mother executes this role through modern-day
concepts of parenthood.
Works
Short fiction collectionsBuwan, Buwan, Hulugan Mo Ako ng Sundang:
Dalawang Dekada ng Maiikling Kuwento
 Sakada

 Kung Mahawi Man ang Ulap

 Bulaklak sa City Jail

 Kadenang Bulaklak

 The Maricris Sioson Story

 Nena

 Bata, Bata...Pa'no Ka Ginawa?: The Screenplay

 Dekada '70

 Ang Tondo ay May Langit din – Khonde

 
2.Linda Ty Casper
Linda Ty Casper is a Filipino writer who has published over fifteen books,
including the historical novel DreamEden and the political novels Awaiting
Trespass, Wings of Stone, A Small Party in a Garden, and Fortress in the Plaza.
She has also published three collections of short stories which present a cross-
section of Filipino society.[1]
n 1992, Tides and Near Occasions of Love won the Philippine PEN short story
prize; another at the UNESCO International Writers' Day, London; and
the SEAWrite Award in Bangkok "Triptych for a Ruined Altar" was in the Roll of
Honor of The Best American Short Stories, 1977.[2]
Her novel Awaiting Trespass which is about the politically sensitive theme
of torture by the Marcos regime was published by Readers
International of London. This work gained her major critical attention in
the United States for the first time, and in Britain the novel was chosen as one
of the five best works of fiction by a woman writer published in 1985-86
Biography
Born as Belinda Ty in Malabon, Philippines in 1931. She spent the World War
II years with her grandmother while her father worked in the Philippine
National Railways, and her mother in the Bureau of Public Schools. Her
grandmother told her innumerable of stories about the Filipino’s struggle for
independence, that later became the topics of her novels. Linda Ty Casper
graduated valedictorian in the University of the Philippines, and later earned
her Master's degree in Harvard University for International Law.
In 1956, she married Leonard Casper, a professor emeritus of Boston
College who is also a critic of Philippine Literature. They have two daughters
and reside in Massachusetts.
Published worksThe Transparent Sun (short stories), Peso Books, 1963
 The Peninsulares (historical novel), Bookmark 1964

 The Secret Runner (short stories), Florentino/National Book, 1974

 The Three-Cornered Sun (historical novel), New Day, 1974

 Dread Empire (novella), Hong Kong, Heinemann, 1980

 Hazards of Distance (novella), New Day, 1981

 Fortress in the Plaza (novella), New Day, 1985

 Awaiting Trespass (novella), London, Readers International, 1985

 3.Ingrid Chua-Go
Ingrid Chua-Go is a Filipino- Chinese fashion and lifestyle blogger based
in Manila, Philippines. She is known for her fashion blog The Bag Hag Diaries
and her society blog, Manila Social Diary. She blogs for The Huffington Post-UK
and writes columns for the both the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Look
Magazine. She has also contributed fashion week photographs for online
retailer Luisa Via Roma and Harrods of London. She co-owns Accessory Lab, a
jewelry store specializing in crystals and semi-precious jewelry.
Biography
Ingrid Chua-Go is the daughter of Benjamin Chua, Jr. and Pacita Ong Chua.
When she was a child, her mother gave her a Tomy typewriter, which sparked
her fascination with writing.[1] This interest was further stimulated by her
father during the summers that they would spend in San Francisco. He would
assign her books to read over the vacation and required her to write book
reports on each one. This developed her writing proficiency at an early age and
she considers her father a great influence on her chosen profession.
Career
After graduating from Saint Mary's College with a bachelor's degree in
communication arts,[1] Chua-Go worked in broadcast news in Hong Kong,
before becoming the managing editor of Metro Weddings Magazine, a top bridal
publication in the Philippines.[2][3] After she left Metro Weddings in 2007, she
started blogging full time.
Fashion and society blogger Ingrid Chua-Go posing in a black evening dress.
The Bag Hag Diaries[edit source
In 2005, Ingrid Chua-Go started a personal blog to answer a personal question
of whether she should buy either a Louis Vuitton bag or a couch for her home.
The blog’s main purpose was for her friends to help her decide, but after a
number of responses from both friends and other readers, it evolved into The
Bag Hag Diaries where bag enthusiasts come to for information regarding the
newest trends in bag fashion.[4] The blog has gathered an international
following in the world of fashion in Europe, Asia, and the United States. [1]
The Bag Hag Diaries features Chua-Go's commentaries on the latest bag
fashions, trends, and styles. Since its inception, it has expanded to include
other fashion items like clothes, footwear, and accessories to appeal to a
diverse array of interests and readers. The blog also includes some of her
collaborations with different fashion houses, institutions, and personalities.
4.Gilda Cordero-Fernando
Gilda Cordero-Fernando is a multiawarded writer, publisher and cultural icon
from the Philippines. She was born in Manila, has a B.A. from St. Theresa's
College-Manila, and an M.A. from the Ateneo de Manila University.
Gilda Cordero-Fernando was born on June 4, 1932.
Cordero-Fernando has two landmark collection of short stories: The Butcher,
The Baker and The Candlestick Maker (1962) and A Wilderness of
Sweets (1973). These books have been compiled and reissued later as Story
Collection (1994). Another book, Philippine Food and Life, was published in
1992. Together with Alfredo Roces, Cordero-Fernando worked on Filipino
Heritage, a 10-volume study on Philippine history and culture published
by Lahing Pilipino in 1978. Afterwards, she founded GCF Books which
published a dozen titles that deal with various aspects of Philippine culture
and society. Cordero-Fernando has also worn numerous other hats as a visual
artist, fashion designer, playwright, art curator and producer. In February
2000, she produced a hugely successful extravaganza entitled Luna: An
Aswang Romance.....
5. Jessica Hagedorn
jessica Tarahata Hagedorn (born 1949) is an American playwright, writer,
poet, and multimedia performance artist.
Biography
Hagedorn was born in Manila to a Scots-Irish-French-Filipino mother and a
Filipino-Spanish father with one Chinese ancestor. [1] Moving to San
Francisco in 1963, Hagedorn received her education at the American
Conservatory Theater training program. To further pursue playwriting and
music, she moved to New York in 1978.
Joseph Papp produced her first play Mango Tango in 1978. Hagedorn's other
productions include Tenement Lover, Holy Food, and Teenytown. Her mixed
media style often incorporates song, poetry, images, and spoken dialogue.
In 1985, 1986, and 1988, she received MacDowell Colony fellowships, which
helped enable her to write the novel Dogeaters, which illuminates many
different aspects of Filipino experience, focusing on the influence of America
through radio, television, and movie theaters. She shows the complexities of
the love-hate relationship many Filipinos in diaspora feel toward their past.
After its publication in 1990, her novel earned a 1990 National Book
Award nomination and an American Book Award. In 1998 La Jolla
Playhouse produced a stage adaptation.
She lives in New York City with her younger daughter.
Bibliography
Hagedorn in San Francisco, California 1975
 Chiquita Banana. Third World Women (3rd World Communications, 1972)

 Pet Food & Tropical Apparitions (Momo's Press, 1975)

 Dangerous Music (Momo's Press, 1975)

 Mango Tango (Y'Bird Magazine January 1, 1977)

 Dogeaters (Penguin Books, 1990)

 Danger and Beauty (Penguin Books, 1993)

 Charlie Chan is Dead: An Anthology of Contemporary Asian American

Fiction (editor) (Penguin Books, 1993)

6.Nick Joaquin
Nicomedes Márquez Joaquín (May 4, 1917 – April 29, 2004) was
a Filipino writer, historian and journalist, best known for his short
stories and novels in the English language. He also wrote using the pen
name Quijano de Manila. Joaquin was conferred the rank and title of National
Artist of the Philippines for Literature.
He is considered[by whom?] one of the most important Filipino writers in English,
and the third most important overall, after José Rizal and Claro M. Recto.
Biography
Joaquín was born in Paco, Manila, one of ten children of Leocadio Joaquín, a
colonel under General Emilio Aguinaldo in the 1896 Revolution, and Salome
Márquez, a teacher of English and Spanish. After being read poems and stories
by his mother, the boy Joaquín read widely in his father's library and at the
National Library of the Philippines. By then, his father had become a
successful lawyer after the revolution. From reading, Joaquín became
interested in writing.
At age 17, Joaquín had his first piece published, in the literary section of the
pre-World War II Tribune, where he worked as a proofreader. It was accepted by
the writer and editor Serafín Lanot. After Joaquín won a nationwide essay
competition to honor La Naval de Manila, sponsored by the Dominican Order,
the University of Santo Tomas awarded him an honorary Associate in Arts
(A.A.). They also awarded him a scholarship to St. Albert's Convent, the
Dominican monastery in Hong Kong.
Career
After returning to the Philippines, Joaquín joined the Philippines Free Press,
starting as a proofreader. Soon he attracted notice for his poems, stories and
plays, as well as his journalism under the pen name Quijano de Manila. His
journalism was both intellectual and provocative, an unknown genre in the
Philippines at that time, and he raised the level of reportage in the country.
Works
 May Day Eve (1947)

 Prose and Poems (1952)

 The Woman Who had Two Navels (1961)

 La Naval de Manila and Other Essays (1964)

 A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino (1966)

 Tropical Gothic (1972)

 A Question of Heroes (1977)

 Jeseph Estrada and Other Sketches (1977)

 Nora Aunor & Other Profiles (1977)

 Ronnie Poe & Other Silhouettes (1977)

 Reportage on Lovers (1977)

 Reportage on Crime (1977)
 Amalia Fuentes & Other Etchings (1977)

 Gloria Diaz & Other Delineations (1977)

 Doveglion & Other Cameos (1977)

 Language of the Streets and Other Essays (1977)

 Manila: Sin City and Other Chronicles (1977)

 Tropical Baroque (1979),

 Pop Stories for Groovy Kids (1979)

 Reportage on the Marcoses (1979)

 Language of the Street and Other Essays (1980)

 The Ballad of the Five Battles (1981)

 Reportage on Politics (1981)

7.Alejandro Roces
Alejandro Reyes Roces (13 July 1924 – 23 May 2011) was a Filipino author,
essayist, dramatist and a National Artist of the Philippines for literature. He
served as Secretary of Education from 1961 to 1965, during the term
of Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal.
 
Noted for his short stories, the Manila-born Roces was married to Irene Yorston
Viola (granddaughter of Maximo Viola), with whom he had a daughter,
Elizabeth Roces-Pedrosa. Anding attended elementary and high school at
the Ateneo de Manila University, before moving to the Arizona State
University for his tertiary education. He graduated with a B.A. in Fine Arts and,
not long after, attained his M.A. from Far Eastern University back in the
Philippines.[1] He has since received honorary doctorates from Tokyo University,
Baguio's St. Louis University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, and the
Ateneo de Manila University. Roces was a captain in the Marking’s Guerilla
during World War II and a columnist in Philippine dailies such as the Manila
Chronicle and the Manila Times. He was previously President of the Manila
Bulletin and of the CAP College Foundation.
In 2001, Roces was appointed as Chairman of the Movie and Television Review
and Classification Board (MTRCB). Roces also became a member of the Board
of Trustees of GSIS (Government Service Insurance System) and maintained a
column in the Philippine Star called Roses and Thorns.
Literary works
During his freshman year in the University of Arizona, Roces won Best Short
Story for We Filipinos are Mild Drinkers. Another of his stories, My Brother’s
Peculiar Chicken, was listed as Martha Foley’s Best American Stories among
the most distinctive for years 1948 and 1951. Roces did not only focus on short
stories alone, as he also published books such as Of Cocks and Kites (1959),
Fiesta (1980), and Something to Crow About (2005). Of Cocks and Kites earned
him the reputation as the country's best writer of humorous stories. It also
contained the widely anthologized piece “My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken”.
Fiesta, is 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, on the other hand, is a collection of Roces’ short
stories. The book has been recently brought to life by a critically acclaimed play
of the same title; the staged version of Something to Crow About is the first
Filipino zarzuela in English. This modern zarzuela tells the story of a poor
cockfighter named Kiko who, to his wife's chagrin, pays more attention to the
roosters than to her. Later in the story, a conflict ensues between Kiko’s
brother Leandro and Golem, the son of a wealthy and powerful man, over the
affections of a beautiful woman named Luningning. The resolution? A
cockfight, of course. Something to Crow About won the Aliw Award for Best
Musical and Best Director for a Musical Production. It also had a run off-
Broadway at the La Mama Theater in New York.
When once asked for a piece of advice on becoming a famous literary figure
Roces said, "You cannot be a great writer; first, you have to be a good person
8.Bienvenido Santos
 Bienvenido N. Santos (1911–1996) was a Filipino-American fiction, poetry
and nonfiction writer. He was born and raised in Tondo, Manila. His family
roots are originally from Lubao, Pampanga, Philippines. He lived in the United
States for many years where he is widely credited as a pioneering Asian-
American writer.
Biography
Santos received his bachelor of arts degree from the University of the
Philippines where he first studied creative writing under Paz Marquez Benitez.
In 1941, Santos was a government pensionado (scholar) to the United States at
the University of Illinois, Columbia University, and Harvard University.
During World War II, he served with the Philippine government in exile under
President Manuel L. Quezon in Washington, D.C., together with the
playwright Severino Montano and Philippine National Artist Jose Garcia Villa.
In 1967, he returned to the United States to become a teacher and university
administrator. He received a Rockefeller fellowship at the Writers Workshop of
the University of Iowa where he later taught as a Fulbright exchange professor.
Santos has also received a Guggenheim Foundation fellowship, a Republic
Cultural Heritage Award in Literature as well as several Palanca Awards for his
short stories. Scent of Apples won a 1980 American Book Award from
the Before Columbus Foundation.
Santos received an honorary doctorate degrees in humanities and letters from
the University of the Philippines, and Bicol University (Legazpi City, Albay) in
1981. He was also a Professor of Creative Writing and Distinguished Writer in
Residence at the Wichita State University from 1973 to 1982, at which time the
university awarded him an honorary doctorate degree in humane letters. After
his retirement, Santos became Visiting Writer and Artist at De La Salle
University in Manila; the university honored Santos by renaming its creative
writing center after him.
 
Works
 
 Villa Magdalena (1965)

 The Praying Man (1982)

 The Man Who (Thought He) Looked Like Robert Taylor (1983)

 What the Hell for You Left Your Heart in San Francisco? (1987)

9.Gémino H. Abad
The poet and literary critic Gémino H. Abad was born on February 5, 1939 in
Sta. Ana, Manila. 
At present, he is a University Professor Emeritus at the University of
thePhilippines. His current writing and research include “Upon Our Own
Ground”, a two- volume historical anthology of short stories in English, 1956-
1972, with critical introduction; “Our Scene So Fair”, a book of critical essays
on the poetry in English since 1905 to the mid- 50s, and; “Where No Words
break”, a volume of his own poems.
His parents are the noted novelist, playwright and essayist in Sugbuanon and
Spanish, Antonio M. Abad, who was at one time Chair of the Department of
Spanish in UP, and Jesusa H. Abad, professor of Spanish in UP. He is married
to Mercedes A. Rivera, with whom he has five children.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, magna cum
laude, from UP on 1963, and has been teaching English literature and creative
writing since then in the UP Department of English and Comparative
Literature, even after his retirement in 2004. He earned his Master’s degree
with honors, 1966, and Ph.D in English, at the University of Chicago under a
Rockefeller Fellowship Grant. In 1993, he was appointed University Professor
in Literature, the highest academic rank at the University of the Philippines.
In UP, he served as Secretary of the University and the Board of Regents from
1977- 1982; as Vice- President for Academic Affairs, 1987- 1990, and; as
Director of Likhaan: the UP Creative Writing Center, 1995- 1998. He was the
first holder of the Carlos P. Romulo Professional Chair in Literature from 1982-
1983, and received the UP Outstanding Faculty Award for 1985- 1986. He was
also holder of the Irwin Chair for Literature at the Ateneo de Manila University,
1993. He received the Chancellor’s Award as Best Office Administrator in 1998
for his management of the UP Creative Writing Center as its Director.
He was a Fellow at the Cambridge Seminar, Trinity College, University of
Cambridge, 1988; a Fellow in the International Writers Program, University of
Iowa, 1990; a Visiting Professor at the Center for Philippine Studies, University
of Hawai’i at Manoa, 1991; a Fellow at the Oxford Conference on Teaching
Literature Overseas, Corpus Christi College, 1995, and; Exchange Professor in
Literature at St. Norbert College Wisconsin, 1998, and at Singapore
Management University, 2003; represented the Philippines in the
3rd “Mediterranea International Festival of Literature and the Arts” in Rome,
July 2006.
Abad is also a member of the UP Writers Club and founding member of the
Philippine Literary Arts Council (PLAC), which puts out the Caracoa (since
1982)- the only poetry journal in English in Asia. He has served as director and
member of the teaching staff in numerous Writers Workshops in UP, Siliman/
Dumaguete, MSU- IIT, and San Carlos University/ Cornelio Gaigao Workshop.
He is a judge in various literary contests such as the Carlos Palanca Memorial
Awards, Graphic, Free Press, NVM Gonzales Fiction Awards, and Maningning
Miclat Literary Awards. He is a speaker/ paper reader in various writers’
national conferences and various international conferences of scholars.
He was a columnist in The Manila Chronicle, a weekly column called
“Exchange”, with NVM Gonzales, Sylvia Ventura and Luning Bonifacio Ira; The
Evening Paper, a weekly column “Coming through”, with NVM Gonzales and
Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo; Musa: The Philippine Literature Magazine, a monthly
column called “Vates: Our Poets Speak”, and; Flip, a monthly column “Poet’s
Clearing”.
He is cited in The Oxford Companion to the English Language, 1992, as among
“poets of note”. He is also included in the Encyclopedia of Post- Colonial
Literatures in English, ed. Eugene Benson and L. W. Conolly (London:
Routledge, 1994) and the CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art (IX: Philippine
Literature, 1994).
His awards include the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature: first
prize for poetry in English, 1976 (The Space Between); second prize, 1980
(Counterclockwise); first prize, 1983 (The Outer Clearing), The CCP Award for
Poetry: second prize, 1973 (In Another Light), Manila Critics Circle National
Book Award for poetry, 1988 (Poems and Parables); for anthology, 1989 (Man
of Earth), 1993 (A Native Clearing), 1999 (A Habit of Shores); for personal
anthology, 2002 (A Makeshift Sun) and 2005 (In Ordinary Time), Asian
Publishers Catholic Authors Award, 1990, Free press Literary Awards: third
prize for the short story (Tarang), 1993; first prize for the short story (Introibo),
1997; first prize for the essay (A Day in One’s Life), 1997; second prize for the
poem (A Description), 2000, Gawad Pambansang Alagad  ni Balagtas, 1996,
for lifetime achievement in poetry and literary criticism, UP Alumni Association
Professional Award in Literature, 1997, Ellen F. Fajardo Foundation grant for
Excellence in teaching, 2000- 2001, Chancellor’s Award for Best Literary Work,
2002 (A Makeshift Sun), and Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan sa Larangan ng
Panitikan, Lungsod ng Maynila, 2004.
Some of his poetry, fiction, critical essays and short stories are Fugitive
Emphasis, State of Play, Orion’s Belt and Other Writings, Father and
Daughter, Getting Real: An Introduction to the Practice of Poetry and Who’s
Afraid of Ching Dadufalza?
He edited books like The Likhaan, The Likhaan Book of Poetry and Fiction, An
Edith Tempo Reader, 100 Love Poems: Philippine Love Poetry in English since
1905, Father Poems, Honoring Fathers: An International poetry Anthology,
NCAA Ubod Project, The NVM Gonzales Awards Stories and Supreme Court
Decisions as Literature. His edited textbooks are The Likhaan Anthology of
Philippine Literature in English from 1900 to the Present, Frequently Asked
Questions on Poetry, and Our People’s Story: Philippine Literature in English.
His syllabi-textbooks include Philippine Literature in English: Poetry, Fiction,
and Drama; Greek and roman Literature, and; Introduction to the Writing of
Poetry. His index is Index to Filipino Poetry in English, 1905 to 1950.  
This year 2009, Gemino Abad won the Feronia Prize in Rome, Italy.
10.Carmen Acosta
Carmen Acosta was born in Manila on February 1, 1904 and died on
September 13, 1986. She was the daughter of Godofredo B. Herrera, and
Paterna Santos. Her father was a journalist and served for a time as municipal
president (or mayor in modern usage) of Caloocan during the American colonial
rule. She was a University of the Philippines Bachelor of Philosophy graduate
and taught at theTorres High School in Manila.
A trilingual writer (Filipino, Spanish and English), Acosta soon left the teaching
profession to become a full time journalist. She became editor of the Filipino
weekly magazine Sampaguita, where she also published her essays, short
stories and novels. She also wrote for other publications such as Liwayway
magazine which honored her with a Short Story Writer of the Year Award" in c.
1952 for her story "Kandidata." She contributed essays in English to some
Philippine magazines, writing about relevant national issues of the day.
She became editor of Pagina Azul (Blue Page) the Spanish section of a
Philippine magazine. Here she published her short stories in Spanish. She was
also a radio playwright and her plays were aired over the government station
DZFM, then managed by Francisco "Koko" Trinidad.,
She first joined government service in the early 1940s working as a linguistic
researcher at the Institute if National Language (Surian ng Wikang Pambansa)
then headed by the Father of Tagalog Grammar, Lope K. Santos. She was the
first Administrator of the government agency which was later to be called the
Philippine Housing Authority.
She later joined the Department of Labor in various supervisory capacities. She
traveled extensively across the United States of America, observing the labor
conditions in that country. Later she also traveled
to France,Spain, Italy and Lebanon. In 1961 Herrera Acosta was appointed by
President Carlos P. Garcia as the first Director of the Bureau of Women and
Minors, an agency of the Department of Labor. As such, she helped in the
formulation of labor laws to improve the working conditions of female laborers.
A multi-awarded writer, Herrera Acosta's published books include "La Carta
Redentora y Otros Cuentos" (The Saving Letter and Other Stories) in Spanish;
and in Filipino, "Kandidata at iba pang mga Kuwento" (The Woman Candidate
and other Stories); "Dangal ng Pangalan at Iba pang Mga Dulang Panradyo" (An
Honorable Reputation and other Radio Plays); "Bulaklak ng Pag-ibig at Iba
pang Mga Tula" (Flower of Love and other Poems); and "Kahapon at Ngayon"
(Yesterday and Today), a book of essays.
She married Florinio Robles Acosta, a certified public accountant in 1940, and
had one child, Carmencita H. Acosta who like her, became a journalist.

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

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

Works

Lacaba wrote the lyrics of "Awit ni Kuala", the song sung by Lolita Rodriguez in
the classic Lino Brocka masterpiece 'Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang '. He also
composed new revolutionary lyrics in Cebuano for some well-known folk songs.
 
2.FERNANDO M. MARAMAG
(1893-1936)
Poet and Journalist

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

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

In 1917, he became the editor of Rising Philippines, a daily read by almost

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

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

He died on October 23, 1936.

In his honor, a marker was installed in his hometown on January 21, 1983. 
3.Leona Florentino (April 19, 1849-October 4, 1884) was a Filipino poet in
the Spanish and Ilocano languages. She is considered as the "mother of
Philippine women's literature" and the "bridge from oral to literary tradition".
Born to a wealthy and prominent family in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Florentino began
to write her first verses in Ilocano at a young age. Despite her potential, she
was not allowed to receive a university education because of her gender.
Florentino was instead tutored by her mother, and then a series of private
teachers. An educated Ilocano priest taught her advanced Spanish and
encouraged her to develop her voice in poetry.
Florentino married a politician named Elias de los Reyes at the age of 14. They
had five children together. Their son Isabelo de los Reyes later became a
Filipino writer, activist and senator. Due to the feminist nature of her writings,
Florentino was shunned by her husband and son; she lived alone in exile and
separately from her family.She died at the age of 35.

Works
Her lyrical poetry in Spanish, and especially that in Ilocano, gained attention in
various international forums in Spain, Paris and St. Louis, Missouri. Her
literary contributions - particularly 22 preserved poems - were recognized when
she was included in the Encyclopedia Internationale des Oeuvres des
Femmes (International Encyclopedia of Women’s Works) in 1889. She is
believed to be the first Filipina to receive this international recognition, an
homage that occurred after her death at a young age.
 
4. Alfred Yuson
Born on 23 February 1945 in Manila . (Also known as Krip Yuson.) He has
authored 23 books, including novels, poetry collections, short fiction, essays,
and children's stories, apart from having edited various other titles. Yuson was
conferred the Southeast Asia Write Award (SEA Write) in 1992 in Bangkok, and
has been elevated to the Hall of Fame of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards
for Literature, the Philippines ‘ most prestigious literary distinction. He has
frequently represented the Philippines in Literary conferences, festivals and
reading tours in the United States, Japan, China, Finland, Scotland, Thailand,
Malaysia, United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Italy, Belgium,
the Netherlands, South Africa, and Columbia, and his works may be found in
many international anthologies.
Yuson is a founding member of the Philippine Literary Arts Council (PLAC),
Creative Writing Foundation, Inc. and Manila Critics Circle, and was Chairman
of Writers Union of the Philippines . His bibliography includes the potry
collections:Sea Serpent, (Monsoon Press, 1980), Trading in Mermaids (Anvil
Publishing, Inc., 1993), Mothers Like Elephants (Anvil Publishing, Inc.,
2000) Hairtrigger Loves: 50 Poems on Woman (University of the Philippines
Press, 2002), and the translation, Love's A Vice/ Bisyo ang Pag-ibig:
Translations into English of 60 Poems by mike L. Birgonia (National
Commission for Culture at the Arts, 2004). Yuson currently writes a literature
and culture column for The Philippines Star.He also teaches fiction and poetry
at Ateneo de Manila University, where he held the Henry Lee Irwin Professorial
Chair in Creative Writing. His two novels, The Great Philippine Jungle
Café and Voyeurs and Savages are studies of Philippine culture. Another
novel, The Music Child , was among five works short listed for the second
(2008) Man Asian Literary Prize.

5.Ado Vinuya was born in Manila in 1930. He studied in the University of

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

6.Norman Wilwayco, aside from being a multiple Palanca award winner (one
being the prestigious Grand Prize for the novel in 2002), plays bass for a rock
and roll band and designs multimedia web sites. He also writes for Filmless
Films. He previously wrote for the popular television show Batibot and has
contributed articles to Liwayway, Manila Times and Inquirer. He was a fellow of
the UP Writers Workshop and won the first prize in the Amado Hernandez
Award for Literature in 1999.
7.Gregorio Aglipay Cruz y Labayan (Latin: Gregorius Aglipay; 5 May 1860 – 1
September 1940) was a former Roman Catholic priest who became the first
Filipino Supreme Bishop of the Philippine Independent Church, a
Christian Protestant sect in the form of a national church in the country.

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

Aglipay was previously excommunicated by Archbishop of Manila Bernardino

Norzaleda y Villa on May 1899, upon the expressed permission of Pope Leo
XIII. Aglipay later joined the Freemason Order in May 1918. Aglipay later
married Pilar Jamias y Ver from Sarrat, Ilocos Norte in 1939 and then died one
year later. Followers of Aglipay through the Philippine Independent
Church colloquially sometimes refer to their membership as Aglipayans.
 
8.Naya S. Valdellon grew up in Manila, Philippines and has worked as a
magazine editorial assistant, freelance copy editor, content writer for a website
design company, and literature and writing composition teacher. She
graduated in 2002 with a BFA in Creative Writing from the Ateneo de Manila
University, where she was Associate Editor of Heights -- the university's official
literary publication. She was a fellow for poetry in English in the 38th UP
National Writers Workshop (2001) and the 41st Dumaguete National Writers
Workshop (2002).

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

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