CECILIO R.

APOSTOL (1877-1938) Consummate Poet and Patriot One who grew out in a world that was fighting for its identity, Cecilio Apostol did his share in the struggle for freedom through his prose and poetry written in Spanish. He was born in Sta. Cruz, Manila on 22 November 1877 to Jose P. Apostol and Marcelina de los Reyes. Apostol finished his Bachiller en Artes from the Ateneo Municipal in 1894. He pursued a degree in law at the University of Santo Tomas. However, the revolution in 1896 interrupted his studies. One with natural giftedness in literature and arts in his youth, he wrote poems among them was like El Terror de los Mares Indicos which was first published in El Comercio in 1895. When the revolution broke out, he used his pen to express his sentiments. He joined the editorial staff of the newspaper, La Independencia, and used either Catulo or Isagani as pen names. He continued to write even after the revolution, working in various newspapers like La Fraternidad, La Democracia, La Patria, and El Renacimiento. He also continued his law studies and passed the bar examinations in 1908. Soon after, he was appointed assistant fiscal of Manila. As a lawyer, he used his spare time in poetry, painting, and linguistics. He learned several foreign languages, mostly by self-study, and translated Bonifacios Decalogue into French and the Ilocano epic Lam-ang into Spanish. Apostol had already earned a reputation as a poet. His Mi Raza won the first prize in the national literary contest sponsored by the Club International in 1902. His poetical masterpiece A Rizal (To Rizal) is unsurpassed for its patriotic fire. Professor Jaime C. de Veyra had published a compilation of the poems of Apostol under the title Pentelicas (Manila, 1941). Included in this collection are: Al Heroe Nacional, Mi Raza, A La Bandera, La Siesta, Sobre El Plinto (dedicated to Mabini), Paisaje Filipino, A Emilio Jacinto, Los Martires Anonimos de la Patria, and El Solo de la Independencia. Acclaimed in practically all Spanish-speaking countries, his poems, together with his biography, appeared in the World Anthology of Spanish Poetry by a Danish writer, Monsieur Carl Kjermeier, and in the world-famous Enciclopedia Espaa among other foreign books. Subsequently, Apostol was made a member of the Royal Academy of the Spanish Literature. Some of his poems have been translated into German. In 1935, this great poet-lawyer turned down the offer to become one of President Quezons legal advisers. Later he retired as Manilas assistant fiscal, leaving his job without claiming the customary retirement privileges. He had also worked in the law office of Don Vicente Francisco as a brief writer and legal researcher. On September 17, 1938, the great Filipino poet and lawyer died of cerebral hemorrhage in his home in Caloocan at the age of 61, leaving his wife Margarita San Jose and their six children. References: Manuel, E. Arsenio. Dictionary of Philippine Biography Volume 3. Quezon City: Filipiniana Publications, 1986. Zaide, Gregorio F. Great Filipinos in History. Manila: Verde Bookstore, 1970.