The Illustrious Son of Cabatuan in the Province of Iloilo, Philippines.
(By: DinggolAranetaDivinagracia- January 15, 2019)
"The old Municipality of Cabatuan in the Province of Iloilo, Philippines was founded in the year 1732. Many believed the name was derived from the Hiligaynon word "Kabatuhan" meaning full of stone or "bato". This 2nd class municipality situated at the heart of Panay island is about 24 kilometers away from the City of Iloilo.” --dinggol.d~~~
FLAVIO ZARAGOZA CANO was born on June 27, 1892 at Barrio Janipaan in Cabatuan to Sinforoso Casten Zaragoza and Agapita Montero Cano. He took his early schooling at Centro Escolar de Molo under the Salas brothers where his grades were “Sobresaliente” or Excellent. At age 14, he first showed his literary genius when he began writing poems and essays in both Hiligaynon and in Spanish.
After he obtained the Bachiller en Artes degree from the Instituto de Molo, where he was president of the Sociedad Recreativa Literencia; he taught for a while in the Escuela Parochial de Molo, administered by the Rev. Father Nicolas Valencia. Later, after helping in the political campaign for governorship in the 1906 elections of Don Manuel Locsin, his teacher who greatly influenced him, Flavio Zaragoza Cano decided to further his studies in Manila as a working student.
While in Manila, he produced articles and literary pieces (Spanish section) which he contributed to the popular newspapers in Manila, Visayas and Mindanao; and to the Philippine Republic in Hong Kong. His much inspired La Roca Eterna was published in Mexico.
In 1914, the Ilonggo Poet Flavio Zaragoza Cano married Josefa Francisco of Manila. Thereafter, they relocated to Albay in the Bicol Region where he established a printing press and a newspaper “Heraldo Bicolandia”. In the year 1916, the people of Albay, Albay, in recognition of his literary powers and journalistic achievements, elected him to their municipal council. In 1917, in order to help the working man, he organized the first labor union in the Bicol region.
As fate would have it, the bard from Cabatuan left Albay in 1919 and came back to Iloilo where he dedicated into full-time writing. He served in 1922 as Municipal Secretary for a year in his hometown of Cabatuan; then served in the same capacity for the municipality of Dumangas, Iloilo, from 1923 to 1927. After his stint in Dumangas, he became the private secretary of then Senator Jose Ma. Arroyo of Molo.
He received his earliest major public recognition as a Poet in 1926, when he was crowned as "Rey de Balagtas en Poesia en Dialecta Bisaya." The second honor came in May, 1938, when he was proclaimed "Poet Laureate" in Bacolod City. . In 1929 he gained national recognition when he won the Zobel Prize for Spanish poetry.
In 1940, Flavio Zaragoza Cano made a scene when he tore a P2,000 check in front of President Manuel Quezon, then stalked out of the August hall stunning the audience during the awarding ceremonies of the Commonwealth Literary Contest. Zaragoza's magnum opus, the book-length “De Mactan a Tirad” was adjudged second place in the contest, next to the entry of Jesus Balmori, a Tagalog.
Impartial critics as well as Zaragoza himself expected it to win the coveted prize. It was believed that Zaragoza was intentionally made the second-placer because he was a Visayan. During the ceremonies, he tore the check just after Quezon awarded it to him. The poet contended that his work was superior to that of Balmori in historical facts, in style, in beauty of expression and in eloquence.
I distinctly remember the bespectacled Don Flavio Zaragoza Cano, the famous Bard of Cabatuan, the great Ilonggo and Spanish literary genius during the twilight of his years. He was living at Victory Road along Quezon-Delgado Streets near our house in Iloilo City during the middle of 1960’s.
He almost always wore white attire with matching shoes and buri hat with a lighted cigar in his mouth. He always walked with his cane assisted by his caring wife Socorro “Tia Coroy” Araneta of Molo, an active officer of the Sta. Teresita Parish Catholic Women’s League (CWL) at Juan de Leon Street in Iloilo City. May their soul both rest in peace! ~~~
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