Francisco "Balagtas" Baltazar: A Life in Poetry and Adversity

Francisco Balagtas y de la Cruz, commonly known as Francisco Balagtas, Kiko also as Francisco Baltazar. He was born on April 2, 1788 in Barrio Panginay, Bigaa, Bulacan. His parents were Juana dela Cruz and Juan Baltazar and his siblings were Felipe, Concha and Nicolasa. He stayed most of his life in different towns and cities. This included Tondo whose house stood on the sea side of the road now known as Bilbao. While he was in Tondo he felt the pulse of first love when he met Magdalena Ana Ramos. This led him to become a poet. At the age of 11, he left Manila, to find work and study. He first entered the school, Parokyal in Bigaa where he was taught about religion. Donya Trinidad became Francisco Balagtas' assistant so that he could continue his college at the Colegio de San Jose in Manila. Then, he studied at Colegio de San Juan de Letran and Father Mariano Pilapil became his teacher.

Balagtas learned to write poetry from José de la Cruz (Huseng Sisiw), one of the most famous poets of Tondo, in return for chicks. It was De la Cruz himself who personally challenged Balagtas to improve his writing. Francisco Balagtas moved to Pandacan, Manila in 1835 where he met Maria Asuncion Rivera, his muse whom he called "Selya" in his famous poem Florante at Laura. His courtship of Selya, a wealthy woman, led to a rivalry with Mariano Kapule, who had him imprisoned to prevent him from seeing her. While in jail, Balagtas wrote Florante at Laura on rice paper for Selya. Kapule married Selya despite her lack of affection for him.

Baltazar's Most Famous Work:

Florante at Laura

He wrote his poems in the Tagalog language, during an age when Filipino writing was predominantly written in Spanish. He moved to Balanga, Bataan, in 1840 where he served as the assistant to the justice of the peace. 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 the future chief justice to the Supreme Court of the Philippines Chief Justice Arellano. They had eleven children, but only four survived to adulthood. On November 21, 1849, Governor General Narciso Clavería y Zaldua issued a decree that every Filipino native had to adopt a surname. In 1856, he was appointed as the major lieutenant, but soon after was convicted and sent to prison again in Bataan under the accusation that he ordered Alferez Lucas' housemaid's head to be shaved.

No original manuscript in Balagtas' handwriting of any of his works has survived to the present day. This is due mainly to two great fires that razed Udyong (now Balagtas in Orion, Bataan) and destroyed much of the poet's works.[4][5] The most notable of his works, Florante at Laura or Pinagdaanang Buhay ni Florante at Laura sa Kaharian ng Albanya has been published in numerous editions from its original publication in 1838. The oldest extant edition of the Florante is believed to be the 1861 edition[6] published in Manila, while a handwritten manuscript written down by Apolinario Mabini exists and is in the possession of the Philippine National Library.

Other Notable Works:

 

La India Elegante y el Negrito Amante: A short play in one act.

Orosman at Zafira: A comedy in three acts

 

 

Pook na Sinilangan ni Balagtas Monument in Panginay, Balagtas, Bulacan

 

New Balagtas Municipal Hall

An elementary school was erected in honor of Balagtas, the Francisco Balagtas Elementary School (FBES), located along Alvarez Street in Santa Cruz, Manila. There is also a plaza and park (Plaza Balagtas) erected in Pandacan, Manila, while most of the streets were named after various Florante at Laura characters in honor of Francisco Balagtas. His birthplace, Bigaa, Bulacan, was renamed to Balagtas, Bulacan, in his memory. A museum, historical marker, monument and elementary school has been placed in his birthplace at Panginay, Balagtas, Bulacan. The former Folk Arts Theater in Manila was renamed to Tanghalang Francisco Balagtas to honor Balagtas. Mercurian crater was also named after him. The barangay of Udyong in Orion, Bataan, was also renamed Balagtas.

Balagtas was released in 1838, becoming a clerk in 1840. He later married Juana Tiambeng in 1842 and had eleven children with her. He held positions of authority in Bataan. He was imprisoned again in Balanga, Bataan, for allegedly cutting a maid's hair, gaining his freedom in 1861. He continued writing plays, songs, and poems until his death from pneumonia on February 20, 1862, at age 73. Before his death, he cautioned his wife "Don't let any of our children become poets. It would be better to cut off their fingers than to make poetry their vocation.". It is believed that Balagtas's life experiences shaped him into a successful poet.


Reference:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Balagtas