Adrian E. Cristobal (February 20, 1932 – December 22, 2007) was a Filipino writer who frequently touched on political and historical themes. Perhaps best known to the public for his "Breakfast Table"
newspaper column
A column is a recurring piece or article in a newspaper, magazine or other publication, where a writer expresses their own opinion in few columns allotted to them by the newspaper organisation. Columns are written by columnists.
What differe ...
, he was also a
Palanca Award
The Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, popularly known as the Palanca Awards, are a set of literary awards for Philippine writers. Usually referred to as the " Pulitzer Prize of the Philippines", it is the country's highest litera ...
-winning playwright, fictionist and essayist. He likewise held several positions in government during the administration of
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Ferdinand E. Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...
.
Upon his death from
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...
on December 22, 2007, a
Resolution
Resolution(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Resolution (debate), the statement which is debated in policy debate
* Resolution (law), a written motion adopted by a deliberative body
* New Year's resolution, a commitment that an individual mak ...
was proposed in the
Philippine Senate
The Senate of the Philippines (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Senado ng Pilipinas'', also ''Mataas na Kapulungan ng Pilipinas'' or "upper chamber") is the upper house of Congress of the Philippines, Congress of the bicameral legislature of the ...
[Authored by Senator ]Mar Roxas
Manuel "Mar" Araneta Roxas II (; born May 13, 1957) is a Filipino politician who served as a Senator of the Philippines. He is the grandson and namesake of former Philippine President Manuel Roxas. He served in the Cabinet of the Philippines as ...
. citing Cristobal as ''"a prolific journalist, a political satirist, a historical writer and lecturer, a well-respected columnist, a brilliant fictionist and essayist, a creative playwright, a literary genius and a hardworking publisher."''
[
]
Biography
Cristobal studied at the University of the East
The University of the East ( fil, Pamantasan ng Silangan), also known as UE, is a leading private university located in Manila, Philippines. Founded in 1946, business tycoon Lucio Tan acquired the university in 1990. UE was once labeled as the ...
, though he would drop out of college. By age 15, he had won literary prizes for his fiction, and by 17, his byline was appearing in the pages of the country's leading newspapers such as the '' Manila Chronicle''. As a young writer, he became affiliated with a group of fellow writers based in U.P. Diliman
, image = University of The Philippines seal.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = Official Logo of UP Diliman
, motto = Honor and Excellence
, established = February 12, 194 ...
known as the Ravens.
In the 1960 Palanca Awards, Cristobal garnered the Second Prize in the One-Act Play (English) category for his satirical play ''The Largest Crocodile in the World''. All copies of the play have reputedly been lost upon the initiative of the politician believed to have been depicted in the work.[ Cristobal again won the Second Prize in the 1983 Palanca Awards, this time in the essay category. Cristobal also authored two books on the national hero ]Andres Bonifacio
Andres or Andrés may refer to:
*Andres, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Will County, Illinois, US
*Andres, Pas-de-Calais, a commune in Pas-de-Calais, France
*Andres (name)
*Hurricane Andres
* "Andres" (song), a 1994 song by L7
See also ...
; ''The Tragedy of the Revolution'' and ''The Trial''. In 1962, Cristobal was contracted to write the screenplay of Gerardo de Leon
Gerardo may refer to:
People Given name
Gerardo is the Spanish, Portuguese and Italian form of the male given name Gerard.
* Gerardo Amarilla (born 1969), Uruguayan politician
* Gerardo Bonilla (born 1975), Puerto Rican-born professional race ...
's film adaptation of El Filibusterismo, for which he won a FAMAS
The FAMAS (''Fusil d'Assaut de la Manufacture d'Armes de Saint-Étienne'', "Assault Rifle from the Saint-Étienne Weapon Factory") is a bullpup assault rifle designed and manufactured in France by MAS in 1978, a year after the Austrian Ste ...
award for Best Screenplay.[ ]
Cristobal was among the intellectuals enticed by Ferdinand Marcos to join his administration. During martial law, he headed the speech-writing office of the Office of the President. He was later appointed as the Chairman of the Social Security System
Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...
and a member of the Board of Regents of the University of the Philippines.
After the ouster of Marcos in 1986, Cristobal joined the Philippine Daily Inquirer
The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' (''PDI''), or simply the ''Inquirer'', is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded bro ...
as a newspaper columnist. He left the Inquirer in 2000 to become the publisher of the Manila Times
''The Manila Times'' is the oldest extant English-language newspaper in the Philippines. It is published daily by The Manila Times Publishing Corp. (formerly La Vanguardia Publishing Corporation) with editorial and administrative offices at 2/F ...
.[ After a short stint with the Times, he joined the ]Manila Bulletin
The ''Manila Bulletin'' (), (also known as the ''Bulletin'' and previously known as the ''Manila Daily Bulletin'' from 1906 to September 23, 1972, and the ''Bulletin Today'' from November 22, 1972, to March 10, 1986) is the Philippines' largest ...
as an associate editor and columnist. He remained affiliated with the Bulletin, and was also the publisher of the Philippine Graphic magazine at the time of his death.[
Cristobal was an active member and organizer within the Philippine literary community. He founded the Unyon ng Mga Manunulat ng Pilipinas (UMPIL), a union of Filipino writers. As a member of the U.P. Board of Regents, he initiated efforts that led to the establishment of the U.P. Institute of Creative Writing.][
His daughter Celina, was publisher and editor-in-chief of a socio-political magazine, ''The Review'', in the late 1970s and was later lifestyle editor of the ''Manila Chronicle## in the 1990s. She was elected Vice-Chairman of UMPIL and presently sits as secretary-general.
In 2005, Cristobal's son, Adrian Jr., was appointed by President ]Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, House Deputy Spe ...
as the Director-General of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines.
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cristobal, Adrian
1932 births
2007 deaths
20th-century dramatists and playwrights
20th-century non-fiction writers
Deaths from lung cancer in the Philippines
English-language writers from the Philippines
Filipino columnists
Filipino dramatists and playwrights
Filipino non-fiction writers
Filipino writers
Manila Bulletin people
Palanca Award recipients
Philippine Daily Inquirer people
University of the East alumni
University of the Philippines Diliman alumni