Sabrina Noella G.

Manulit
11 – STEM Wisdom

Emilio Mar Antonio

Emilio Mar Antonio was born on 11 December 1903 in Bambang,
Bulacan. He died on 13 May 1967 in Quiapo, Manila. He was a poet and a
fictionist. In 1941, he married Andrea Teodoro and they had six children,
one of whom is poet Teo Antonio. He was the administrator and mediator
of the balagtasan on radio sponsored by Compania Elizalde and wrote for
their newspaper, Taliba. He was a member of the editorial board of
Liwayway from 1946- 1949 and editor of Bulaklak from 1950-1965.
He wrote three novels in verse: Lakandupil, Nakaluping Dahon and Perlas
sa Putikan. He wrote Magat, Ama ng Lahing Kayumanggi, a novel, in
prose with Macario Pineda as co-atuhor. They were all published in
Liwayway. His Birang na May Luha was published in 1949.
He became popular as a balagtasan poet, who engaged Florentino
Collantes, Nemesio Caravana, and others in public debates in verse on
contemporary issues. His lyric poems Ang Nayon ko and Gagamba at
Alitaptap have been anthologized in Walong Dekada ng Makabagong
Tulang Pilipino, 1981.
In 1937, Mar Antonio won a gold medal in the annual choice by the Kapisanang Ilaw ng Bayan in Bulacan for
his poem, “Ang Nayon Ko.” He was proclaimed poet laureate by the Kapisanang Diwang Ginto for his poem,
“Ilaw.”, and by Liwayway in 1938. He also won in the first balagtasan to be aired on radio besting opponents
Fernando Monleon and Francisco Paño. The topic was Sino ang Higit na Dapat Mahalin: Ina, Asawa o Anak?
In 1951, he was proclaimed “Prince of Balagtasan” by the Kapisanan ng mga Makata at Mambibigkas, along
with Collantes as the “King of Balagtasan” after a heated poetic joust on the topic: Dapat bang Pairalin ang
Import Control sa Pilipinas?
After Collantes’ death in 1954, Antonio and Caravana fought over the coveted title in a poetic joust on the
topic, Alin ang lalong Mahalaga: Buhay Kahapon o Buhay Ngayon? He defended Antonio and he was crowned
as “King of Balagtasan” by the Taliba ng Inang Wika or TANIW headed by Lope K. Santos. ·
In 1938, he was crowned the first Hari ng Balagtasan not in a typical public joust but on radio, besting
opponents Fernando Monleon and Francisco Pano. In 1951, he and the veteran poet Florentino Collantes, also a
kababayan from Dampol, Pulilan, Bulacan, contended for the title Hari ng Balagtasan. Collantes emerged as the
winner, thus, Mar Antonio became the Prinsipe ng Balagtasan. Likewise, when Collantes died in 1954, Mar
Antonio and Nemesio Caravana fought over the coveted title. Lope Ka Santos, the head of Taliba ng Inang
Wika (TANIW), declared Mar Antonio as the new Hari ng Balagtasan.
Mar Antonio's memorabilia are among the permanent exhibits at the Marcelo H. del Pilar Shrine of the National
Historical Commission of the Philippines in Cupang, San Nicolas, Bulakan, Bulacan.

Some of his Literary Works:

 Lakandupil
 Nakaluping Dahon
 Perlas sa Putikan
  Ama ng Lahing
Venezia C. Garcia 11 – STEM wisdom

Francisco Balagtas
Francisco Balagtas y de la Cruz (April 2, 1788 – February 20, 1862), also
known as Francisco Baltazar, was a prominent Filipino poet, and is
widely considered as one of the greatest Filipino literary laureate for his
impact on Filipino literature. The famous epic, Florante at Laura, is
regarded as his defining work.
The name "Baltazar", sometimes misconstrued as a pen name, was a legal
surname Balagtas adopted after the 1849 edict of Governor-General
Narciso Claveria y Zaldua, which mandated that the native population
adopt standard Spanish surnames instead of native ones.
Francisco Balagtas was born on April 2, 1788 in Barrio Panginay, Bigaa,
Bulacan as the youngest of the four children of Juan Balagtas, a
blacksmith, and Juana de la Cruz. He studied in a parochial school in Bigaa and later in Manila. During his
childhood years. Francisco later worked as houseboy in Tondo, Manila.
The popular Filipino debate form Balagtasan is named after Balagtas.Balagtas learned to write poetry from José
de la Cruz (Huseng Sisiw), one of the most famous poets of Tondo, in return of chicks. It was de la Cruz
himself who personally challenged Balagtas to improve his writing. Balagtas swore he would overcome Huseng
Sisiw as he would not ask anything in return as a poet. (source: Talambuhay ng mga Bayani, for Grade 6
textbook)
In 1835, Balagtas moved to Pandacan, where he met María Asunción Rivera, who would effectively serve as
the muse for his future works. She is referenced in Florante at Laura as 'Celia' and 'MAR'.
Balagtas' affections for MAR were challenged by the influential Mariano Capule. Capule won the battle for
MAR when he used his wealth to get Balagtas imprisoned under the accusation that he ordered a servant girl's
head be shaved. It was here that he wrote Florante at Laura—In fact, the events of this poem were meant to
parallel his own situation.
He wrote his poems in Tagalog, during an age when Filipino writing was predominantly written in Spanish.
Balagtas published Florante at Laura upon his release in 1838. He moved to Balanga, Bataan in 1840 where he
served as the assistant to the Justice of peace and later, in 1856, as the Major Lieutenant. He was also appointed
as the translator of the court. He married Juana Tiambeng on July 22, 1842 in a ceremony officiated by Fr.
Cayetano Arellano, uncle of future Philippine Supreme Court Chief Justice Cayetano Arellano. They had eleven
children but only four survived to adulthood.
He died on February 20, 1862 at the age of 73. Upon his deathbed, he asked a favor that none of his children
become poets like him, who had suffered under his gift as well as under others. He even went as far as to tell
them it would be better to cut their hands off than let them be writers.
Balagtas is so greatly revered in the Philippines that the term for Filipino debate in extemporaneous verse is
named after him: Balagtasan.

Some of His Works

Orosmán at Zafira – a komedya (a Filipino theater form evolved from the Spanish comedia) in four parts
Don Nuño at Selinda – a komedya in three parts
Auredato at Astrome – a komedya in three parts
Clara Belmore – a komedya in three parts