Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

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Bea Cuadra

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1774919766099composites 2 (1) (12).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Filipinos honor literary legacy of Francisco Balagtas on his 238th birth anniversary. <em>KWF/Facebook</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The Liwasang Balagtas in Pandacan, Manila became a focal point of national remembrance Tuesday morning, March 31, as cultural advocates and historians gathered to mark the 238th birth anniversary of Francisco &quot;Balagtas&quot; Baltazar.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/justlovekids/articles-news/not-all-heroes-wear-capes-stories-of-filipino-hero-artists-21711">Not all Heroes Wear Capes: Stories of Filipino Hero Artists<br/></a></div><p>Led by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF), the commemorative event featured a traditional wreath-laying ceremony and a public lecture aimed at revisiting the poet’s role in the formation of the Filipino identity.</p><p>Historians believe that after he penned Florante at Laura, his influence remains a cornerstone of Philippine literature and revolutionary history.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>MAKATA LANG?</strong></div><div><br/></div><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:560px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2038767709903811013&amp;lang=en&amp;maxWidth=560px&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2026-03-31T01%3A48%3A33.739487%3A1e4cc6a1-c9fc-42aa-a903-fc3016c0f956%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=d0b9e687840584e354fb6aaa00edb2e8d673d22c&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:528px;height:297px;display:block;flex-grow:1" data-tweet-id="2038767709903811013"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><p>Historian Xiao Chua shared his take on Balagtas’ heroism.</p><p>&quot;Well, una sa lahat, &#x27;yong kaarawan ni Francisco Balagtas, bakit nga ba siya national hero? Isa sa national heroes natin, eh makata lang naman siya, &#x27;di ba?&quot; Chua noted during the event. </p><p>&quot;Pero tandaan natin na &#x27;yong kabayanihan, iba-iba ang porma niyan. At ang isang porma ng kabayanihan ay ang pag-represent—&#x27;yong pagkakakatawan sa kaugalian natin at sa mga aspirasyon natin, o sa mga pangarap natin. Ginawa ni Balagtas &#x27;yon sa Florante at Laura.&quot;</p><p>Chua noted that Balagtas delivered a message of resistance that resonated deeply with the masses, while the KWF said that Balagtas’ work is more relevant than ever.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>LITERATURE AS LENS</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Roy Rene Cagalingan, a senior language researcher at the KWF, explained that literature provides a necessary &quot;lens&quot; through which modern Filipinos can view contemporary societal issues.</p><p>&quot;Ngayon kasi, &#x27;no? Hindi lang salamin ng panitikan kundi nagbibigay ito ng lente—&#x27;yung sinulat ng mga bayaning manunulat natin katulad ni Francisco Balagtas,&quot; Cagalingan said. </p><p>&quot;Nagbibigay sa atin ng mga iba&#x27;t ibang perspektiba para maharap din at mapagnilayan &#x27;yung mga isyu. Kaya sa pagbabasa ng panitikan, pwede tayong makatuklas ng mga ibang paraan para makalagpas doon sa ating mga problema at mga isyu natin sa lipunan.&quot;</p><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WZO-cPevQjU?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>Historians believe that after Francisco Balagtas penned Florante at Laura, his influence remains a cornerstone of Philippine literature and revolutionary history.</p>

Historians believe that after Francisco Balagtas penned Florante at Laura, his influence remains a cornerstone of Philippine literature and revolutionary history.

Filipinos honor literary legacy of Francisco Balagtas on his 238th birth anniversary

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Filipinos honor literary legacy of Francisco Balagtas on his 238th birth anniversary

Bea Cuadra,

ABS-CBN News

Published March 31, 2026 09:52 AM PHT

Read More:

Francisco Balagtas

Xiao Chua

History

KWF

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