Philippine National Artists

in Literature and their

Literary works

Leo Dioneda, LPT

National Artists for Literature
• The order of the highest state honor is conferred
on individuals deemed as having done much for
their artistic field.
• Deserving individuals must have been
recommended by both the Cultural Center and
the National Commission on Culture and the Arts
prior to receiving the award.
• Such people are then titled, by virtue of a
Presidential Proclamation, as National
Artist (Filipino: Gawad Pambansang Alagad ng
Sining, "National Servant of the Arts Award"),
and are inducted into the Order.
10 National Artists for Literature
1. Francisco Arcellana
2. Virgilio S. Almario
3. N. V. M. Gonzalez
4. Nick Joaquín
5. F. Sioníl José
6. Bienvenido Lumbera
7. Alejándro R. Roces
8. Carlos P. Rómulo
9. Edith L. Tiempo
10.José García Villa
• He was awarded the  Jose Garcia
National Artist of the Phi
lippines Villa
 title for literature in
1973.
• One of his notable
works is the short story
Footnote to Youth.
• He is known for the
extensive use of
punctuation marks—
especially commas,
which made him known
as the Comma Poet.
• He used the
penname Doveglion(der
ived from "Dove, Eagle
, Lion"), based on the
characters he derived
from himself.
SUMMARY :
•  It was a story of a boy named Dodong who was only 17 years of age
when he decides to marry his love one and it was Teang. Dodong, 
love Teang so much that he could not wait for the right age to settle
down in a relationship that is hard to escape. It's the "marriage". At the
age of 17 Dodong and Teang got married without thinking of the risk
being in an uneasy part of life. They just follow what they feel. They
don't think what would happen in their future. 

•          After of several months of living they got a child. Teang realized
how hard being a young parent. There are responsibilities that  they
need to work hand in hand.  Her regret of she had done and think,
what would be my life if i marry my other suitors instead of dodong?
Can I have the same life as of now? She regrets so much of!! 
       
•         Until one day, when their son grow. He follows the footsteps of
his parents. He wants to marry also at the age of 17. He told his
parents what his plans. Dodong have nothing to do but explain how
hard and how risky to be in "marriage "at the young age.. But like
Dodong before, his son also wants to pursue what he wants. 
ANALYSIS
• Footnote to youth is the title of the story. It is said that it is
a footnote to youth because it is a brief reminder for the
Filipinos especially the youth of what a real life could be
today.
•  It also indicates the sources or the causes why youth
act this way. 
• It furthermore adds comment, whether it is a positive or
negative, on today’s generation.
•   It gives a warning for those apathetic youth that ones
committed mistake because of their stubbornness. 
• The predominant element on this story is the setting. The
setting has a great impact because the story definitely
empathizes the situations of a Filipino person and it
is appealing for us because we are at the poverty line.
•  The setting and the characters are most likely the same
setting as today generation.   
REFLECTION
•   Even if your in love to someone, you have to think not once, not
twice but in a million times  of the consequences that might
happen if you decide to marry at the very young age. Life is
beautiful  yet difficult if you are not ready to face all
consequences, if you do not have enough weapons to fight for
the trials that you might encounter. Marrying is not easy, because
there are a lot of hardship like in life. As parents,  you have to
exert more effort to have  a better life so don't make a decision
that would make your life complicated especially if you are
young.                                                                                                    
    
• Life is enjoyable if  we do not make things complicated , We just
 need to enjoy  in taking steps towards our wonderful  journey.
Make a right decision, Do not enter the kingdom of  marriage at a
very young age and without a stable job to avoid regrets. Always
remember, that God sets a right time for everything 
Carlos P.
Romulo
• Carlos P. Romulo was a Filipino
diplomat, statesman, journalist,
and soldier. He was born on
January 14, 1898 in Intramuros,
Manila and grew up in Camiling,
Tarlac.
• "I am a Filipino" is one of the
many essays written by Carlos
P. Romulo. It was published in
The Philippines Herald in
August 1941.
• He was conferred as National
Artist for Literature in 1982.
• He died on December 15,
1985.
Francisco Arcellana
• Francisco Arcellana is a
Filipino teacher and a
contemporary writer. He is
one of the prominent
Filipino fictionists in
English.
• Some of his well-known
literary works are the short
stories "The Man Who
Would Be Poe," "Death in
a Factory," "A Clown
Remembers," "The Mats,"
and "Lina."
• In 1990, he was awarded
as the National Artist for
Literature.
The Mats Synopsis:
• Mr. Angeles wrote a letter to his family. It is written in his letter that he brought
mats for his wife and to his children. The children were very excited because they
know that these are not just an ordinary mat but it is a very special one just like
what their mother has. When Mr. Angeles came back from his trip from south,
they ate dinner together. They shared stories and experiences; as usual dinner is
a long affair. After finishing dinner, Mr. Angeles presented the mats to his family
and gave each and every family member a mat and said "You are not to use
these mats until you go to the University." But then, Nana Emilia saw something.
She saw that there are several mats unfolded so he then asked her husband Mr.
Angeles. Then he suddenly stopped talking and said “Yes, Emilia there are three
more mats to unfold. The others who aren't here..." Nana Emilia caught her
breath; there was a swift constriction in her throat; her face paled and she could
not say anything. The conversation of the children died when their father showed
the remaining mats. They knew the names but somehow the name, the letters
spelling the name, seemed strange to them. Nana Emilia founded her voice and it
sounds hurt and frightened. Mr. Angeles begins to cry and they began to throw
back words and in the end the remaining mats are unfolded in silence and The
names which were with infinite slowness revealed, seemed strange and stranger
still; the colors not bright but deathly dull; the separate letters, spelling out the
names of the dead among them, did not seem to glow or shine with a festive
sheen as did the other living names.
Interpretation / Anaysis:
• The title of the short story is “The mats” because it is the whole focus of the
story itself. The Mats has a strong attachment to the family and it tells an
untold story. The main characters are Mr. Jaime Angeles and Nana Emilia.
They are the parents of 11 children. The story revolves on the mat. There
are some hidden messages in the story that are not discussed in the end.
They left a thought hanging. Just like Nana Emilia’s reaction to the mats. It
seems that there is a hidden conflict between the two, Nana Emilia and Mr.
Angeles. It is like Mr. Angeles is blaming Nana Emilia for what happened to
their children. That he uses those mats just so his voices shall be heard
because as you can see in the beginning Nana Emilia’s reaction is epic. It’s
like she’s not happy to see those mats. She begins to silent when she saw
those Mats.
• The meaning or message of the story tackles about Filipinos who have a
strong family ties. Filipinos really care too much about family. That even
some family members are dead they still give or find time just to remember
them and it seems like they’re alive even though they’re not.
"Children of the Ash-Covered Loam" is
a short story that depicts Filipino family
practices and beliefs in a rural setting.

a. Setting

• The story is set in a provincial place where

kaingin is a common practice.
b. Plot
Exposition
• The story begins one sunny afternoon when Tarang’s father arrives with a pig to
be taken care of by Tarang, a seven-year-old boy.
Rising Action
• Tia Orang, an old midwife, sees Tarang and tells him to inform his mother of her
passing by.
Climax
• Tatay and Nanay, Tarang’s parents, together with their neighbors are all set for
performing religious rites after kaingin (burning of trees). They believe that these
practices will take away all evil spirits and will give them a bountiful harvest.
Tatay lays the pullet’s neck and lets the streaks of blood drop on the ash-
covered loam.
Falling Action
• After the clearing of the land, Tia Orang visits the family and performs hilot on
Nanay and tells her that she is ready to bear a child. She also shares stories of
evil ones and spirits.
Conclusion
• Tarang, half-awake, hears the noise outside, gets up, and accidentally strikes a
tree stump with his big toe. The hurt does not concern him, for he is more
interested in seeing how life emerge from the land as the rice grains peek
through the dirt.
c. Theme

• Death forms new life. Death and new

formations of life are recurring motifs in the
story. When a living thing dies, a new life
emerges. The story paints a cycle of life
and death for the family. The kaingin
practice and the killing of the pullet as a
ritual are some forms of deaths that the
family believes will bring new life like a
bountiful harvest and another child.
The Return by Edith Tiempo
1. If the dead years could shake their skinny 11. Of his past like dogs at dried bones
legs and run behind a hedge,
2. As once he had circled this house in thirty 12. And he would live in the whispers and
counts, locked heads.
3. He would go thru this door among these 13. Wheeling around and around and turning
old friends and they would not shun Him back was where he started:
and the tales he would tell,
14. The turn to the pasture, a swift streak
4. tales that would bear more than the spare
under a boy's running;
Testimony of willed wit and his grey hairs
15. The swing, up a few times and he had all
the earth he wanted;
5. He would enter among them, the fatted 16. The tower trees, and not so tall as he had
meat about his mouth, imagined;
6. As he told of how he had lived on strange 17. The rocking chair on the porch, you
boats on strange waters pushed it and it started rocking,
7. Of strange gems with lean sly winds, 18. Rocking, and abruptly stopped.
8. Of the times death went coughing like a
sick man on the motors, 19. He, too, stopped in the doorway,
chagrined.
20. He would go among them but he would
9. Their breaths would rise hot and pungent not tell, he could be smart,
as the lemon rinds 21. He, an old man cracking bones of his
10. In their cups and sniff at the odors embarrassment apart.
The Return
• Explanation:
• Old age is the subject of the given poem.
• This poem describes the life of an old man who loved to travel in his youth.
The phrases dead years, skinny legs, and thirty counts denote the physical
weakness and isolation that the old man feels.
• The old man wants to visit his friends to bond with them and share to them
his travel stories and experiences.
• Hopelessly, he sees only the things associated with old age: irritability and
illness, rocking chair, pasture, and the tower tree.

The themes or messages of the poem are:

• Time is irreversible, and memories can only be remembered and cherished.

• Old people face physical weakness and emotional challenges such as
feelings of isolation, sadness, and frustration.
• Old age is an inevitable period in human growth and development.
• Francisco Sionil Jose,
widely known as F. Sionil F. Sionil Jose
Jose, was born on
December 3, 1924 in
Rosales, Pangasinan.
• He was conferred as
National Artist for Literature
in 2001.
• He has also written several
short stories, including the
notable "The God Stealer".
It is a story about the
friendship of Philip Latak,
an Ifugao, and Sam
Christie, an American who
wanted to buy a bulol, a
sculpture of an Ifugao god.
The story depicts the
relationship and truths
about the colonizer and the
colony.
• In a nutshell, F. Sionil Jose’s "The God
Stealer" tells the story of Philip Latak and
Sam Christie. Philip was residing in the
city for years against his family’s wishes.
Sam, his colleague, was an American who
wanted a bulol, an Ifugao god sculpture,
as a souvenir before he gets back to
Boston. Philip stole his grandfather’s bulol
for Sam, as he felt indebted to repay
Sam’s kindness. Then Philip’s grandfather
died, and he no longer wanted to come
with Sam back in the city.
Explanation:

• The story tackles one of the many effects

of colonization, that is, losing one’s
identity. Philip represents the Philippines,
while Sam represents America. Philip’s
way of offering the bulol to Sam out of
gratitude shows how he tried to denounce
his roots by embracing a new one, thus
losing himself in the process.
Virgilio S. Almario,
• popularly known by his
pen name Rio Alma, is a
Filipino artist known for his
poetry and literary
criticism. He was
proclaimed National Artist
for Literature in 2003.
• From 1998 to 2001, he
served as executive
director of the National
Commission for Culture
and the Arts (NCCA).
• In 2013 he became the
chairman of the Komisyon
ng Wikang Filipino (KWF).
High Zoociety
Ni Rio Alma
15. Naghahari’t matitikas na oso’t agila,
1.Masdan ang tagak sa likod ng kalabaw,
16. Nagkikikil lang ng kuko’t pangil tuwing
2.Parang birheng-birheng manang umaga
3.Na di-madapuan ng langaw 17. Para isakmal sa karne’t isuob na barya
4.Sa ibabaw ng karosa patungong simbahan; 18. Kaya tumatambok ang tiyan at bulsa.

5.At ang mga dekadenteng gansa sa gilid ng 19. Samantala, matatalinong kuwago’y
lawa, naghihilik,
6.Maluluma ang mga donyang nakahilata 20. Malalaki nga ang mata’y lagi namang pikit,
7.Habang ibinibilad ang kuto at muta. 21. Marahil, bagong paraiso ang laman ng
panaginip.
8.Hayun ang mga maryakaprang paawit-awit,
22. Di tulad ng buwayang laging abala
9.Parang mga binibining umiikot ang puwit,
23. Sa paghanap ng kahit butiking mabiktima,
10.Sa bulwagang hitik sa masalapi’t makikisig;
24. Bundat na’y lagi pa ring nakanganga.

11.At ang mga burukratang unggoy 25. Pero higit na mag-ingat sa hunyango’t ahas
12.Sa tuktok ng mala-palasyong kahoy, 26. Na sa damuhan ay nagkalat;
13.Pulu-pulutong kung magpulong 27. Tuwing maghuhunos ng kulay at balat,
14.Kung paanong mas lalapad ang papel at
tumbong.
28. Pakay ay kay-hirap madalumat.
Essential Questions

• Why is it entitled High Zoociety?

• What is the message of the
poem?
• Why does the poet use animals in
his poem? What do these animals
represent?
Explanation:
• The poem "High Zoociety" is part of the collection Doktrinang
Anakpawis (1979). Published during the martial law years (1972–
1981), the poem and the rest of the collection are considered
committed poetry, that is, of social awareness and concern. The title
is a play on the term "High Society," which refers to the rich and
powerful.

• "High Zoociety" has eight stanzas following this pattern of number of

lines: 4-3-3-4-4-3-3-4. It uses what is called in Tagalog poetry as
"tugmang karaniwan," wherein the last word of each line has the
same sound. The second, fifth, and seventh stanzas use "tugmang
patinig," wherein the last words of the lines have the same vowel
sound. On the other hand, the rest of the stanzas use "tugmang
katinig," wherein the last words of the lines end in a consonant
preceded by the same vowel sound. However, the poem has no
regular meter.
Alejadro Reyes Roces
Alejandro R. Roces as a Filipino Writer
• Alejandro R. Roces was a Filipino literary writer. He was born on July 13,
1924.
• Alejandro R. Roces was known for his short story "We Filipinos Are Mild
Drinkers," a story about an American soldier in the Philippines who brags
about his drinking habits, but becomes overly drunk after drinking
lambanog offered by a Filipino farmer.
• His other literary works are "My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken," a story
which talks about two brothers who were arguing whether the chicken
they caught was a hen or a rooster; Something to Crow About, the first
Filipino zarzuela in English about a man named Kiko who earns a living
by means of cockfighting; and Fiesta, a collection of essays about
various Philippine festivals.
• Alejandro R. Roces was conferred as National Artist for Literature in
2003.
• He died on May 23, 2011.
Read the synopsis of “My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken”
below, one of Alejandro R. Roces’ notable works.

Synopsis:
• Kiko and his brother found a peculiar chicken. They argued whether it was
a hen or a rooster. Kiko believed that it was a rooster, while his brother
thought otherwise. Kiko’s brother emphasized that it could not be a rooster
as the chicken has neither wattles nor comb. Their parents took turns in
looking at the chicken and had different thoughts about it; thus, they ended
up arguing like their children. Kiko and his brother asked the chieftain
about it, and he thought that it was a bird of a different kind. They also
asked Mr. Eduardo Cruz, someone who studied poultry raising, and he
suggested examining the insides of the chicken, to which Kiko refused.
They both agreed to bring the chicken to a cockpit and have it fight with a
rooster from Texas. However, the rooster performed a love dance around
the peculiar chicken. It turned out that the peculiar chicken was waiting for
a chance to attack. It stubbed its spur into the rooster, and won. Kiko’s
brother was convinced that the chicken was a rooster. However, when he
was holding the chicken, it suddenly quivered and laid an egg.
Bienvenido Lumbera
Bienvenido Lumbera
• Lumbera, who was called Beny when he was a young boy, was born in Lipa,
Batangas on April 11, 1932. His parents had passed away before he turned
five.
• Beny and his older sister were raised by Eusebia Teru, their paternal
grandmother.
• When Eusebia died, Beny came to live with his godparents, Enrique and
Amanda Lumbera.
• Beny showed natural aptitude for English. In sixth grade, his writing
impressed his teacher so much that she once asked him, in an accusatory
tone, if he did write his composition himself. In his third year in high school,
his teacher gave him difficult works of literature to read.
• Lumbera took a degree in journalism at the University of Santo Tomas in
1950 and graduated cum laude in 1954. A year before his graduation, his
first published work, the poem “Frigid Moon,” appeared in the Sunday
magazine of the Manila Chronicle.
• On a full scholarship granted by the Fulbright Committee, Lumbera obtained
his masters and doctorate degrees at Indiana University.
A Eulogy of Roaches
by Bienvenido Lumbera
• Blessed are the cockroaches.
• The roaches do not spin,
• In this country they are
• and neither do they weave.
• the citizens who last.
• But note the russet coat
• They need no police
• the sluggards wear: clothed
• to promulgate their peace
• at birth, roaches require
• because they tolerate
• no roachy charity.
• each other’s smell or greed.
• They settle where they wish
• Friends to dark and filth, • and have no rent to pay.
• they do not choose their meat. • Eviction is a word
• Although they neither sow • quite meaningless to them
• nor reap, a daily feast • who do not have to own
• is laid for them in rooms • their dingy crack of wall.
• and kitchens of their pick.
• Not knowing dearth or taxes, • Their annals may be short,
• they increase and multiply. • but when the simple poor
• Survival is assured • have starved to simple death,
• even the jobless roach; • roaches still circulate
• his opportunities • in cupboards of the rich,
• pile up where garbage grows.
• the strong, the wise, the dead.
• Dying is brief and cheap
• and thus cannot affright. • (Reproduced by
• A whiff of toxic mist, permission of National
• an agile heel, a stick Artist, Dr. Bienvenido S.
• —the swift descent of pain Lumbera.)
• is also final death.
Analysis
• This poem talks about the people who do
everything just to survive specifically the less
fortunate people or the poor in which he used
the metaphor "cockroaches". The author of this
poem, Bienvenido Lumbera was actually an
orphan. He probably felt empathy for the poor
people and so he wrote this poem. He used the
word "cockroach" to describe the poor since
many people are disgusted when they see a
cockroach which is most of the time the same
when people see poor people or beggars. These
bugs are also good in survival as the poem says,
a trait in which poor people also possess.
Nick Joaquin
Nicomedes "Nick" Márquez
Joaquín (May 4, 1917 – April 29,
2004) was a Filipino writer and
journalist best known for his 
short storiesand novels in the 
English language. He also wrote
using the pen name Quijano de
Manila. Joaquín was conferred
the rank and title of 
National Artist of the Philippines
 for Literature. He has been
considered one of the most
important Filipino writers, along
with José Rizaland 
Claro M. Recto. Unlike Rizal and
Recto, whose works were written
in Spanish, Joaquin's major
works were written in English
despite being a native Spanish
speaker.
Plot summary
• Set in the Filipino world of pre-World War II Intramuros of Old Manila in
October 1941, the play explores the many aspects of Philippine high society
by telling the story of the Marasigan sisters, Candida and Paula, and their
father, the painter Don Lorenzo Marasigan. Due to an artistic drought on
Don Lorenzo's part, the family has to make ends meet by relying on the
financial support provided by their brother Manolo and sister Pepang, who
were urging them to sell the house. Later on, they also had to take a
male boarder, in the person of Tony Javier. Don Lorenzo, who refused to
sell, donate, or even exhibit his self-portrait in public, was only content in
staying inside his room, a stubbornness that already took a period of one
year. The painting has attracted the attention and curiosity
of journalists such as a family friend named Bitoy Camacho, and other
obnoxious visitors pretending as art critics. When one of the daughters,
Paula, elopes with Tony, a journey of personal liberation is set in motion,
which ends with a restoration of family relations which had been strained
due to the neediness of the artist's family.The theme focuses on family
conflict and the amalgamation of old Filipino identity and cultural
character with the arrival of contemporary and Western ideals.