Bienvenido lumbera

National Artist for Literature and Far Eastern University (FEU) Alumnus, F. Sionil Jose, dies at 97, leaving behind a legacy that shaped Philippine literature. Most of his work dwells on the stories of the ordinary Filipino people, focusing on issues of poverty and social class divisions.

A writer for the ordinary Filipino

Deemed as one of the leading contemporary Filipino writers in English, Jose has left a permanent mark in Philippine literature—proving this by winning numerous accolades including the Ramon Magsaysay Award for journalism, literature, and creative communication arts in 1980. He later received the National Artist award in 2001.

With his goal to become a voice of seeing heroism in the ordinary Filipino, he participated in protesting the Martial Law. With pen and paper, he wrote the stories of political injustices during those tragic years thus writing “Mass,” the fifth and final installment of his infamous series, Rosales Saga. 

A man’s long search for justice and a moral order

Before being one of the most prolific writers of Philippine Contempo