Bautista, Cirilo F.
Doctor of Arts in Language and Literature 1991
DECEASED
2015
DLSAA Distinguished Lasallian Awardee
"for being our poet of pure and true strength, a National Artist writing verses and prose that capture all our challenges and triumphs as a people, and whose works heighten our awareness and appreciation of our greatness"
With a prolific body of work to his name, National Artist Cirilo F. Bautista has made a timeless and far-reaching impact not only in the literary world, but also on our collective consciousness as a nation. Being a Multi-Palanca awardee (among his many achievements), Bautista has gained international recognition for his unparalleled ability to articulate the complexity of the human condition with his work in fiction and poetry. He is famous for timeless works such as The Cave and Other Poems (1968), Charts (poetry, 1973), Sugat ng Salita (poetry, 1986), and Stories (1990). He has also inspired countless other writers and poets, having delivered lectures on literature across the nation as well as teaching at DLSU as a Professor Emeritus of Literature and University Fellow. To this day, Bautista continues to be a pillar in the literary community and was recently declared by President Benigno Aquino Ill as the National Artist for Literature in 2014.