Rosauro C. Almario (30 August 1886 – 11 March 1933) was a prominent Filipino writer in the
Tagalog language
Tagalog (, ; ; '' Baybayin'': ) is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by the ethnic Tagalog people, who make up a quarter of the population of the Philippines, and as a second language by the majority. Its standardized form, ...
. He was a respected journalist, editor, nationalist, politician, newspaper manager, and a proponent of anti-graft practices. Almario's works revealed his inclination to nationalism, revolutionary ideas, tradition, and customs. He supported the development of writing literature using Tagalog and the other
languages of the Philippines
There are some 120 to 187 languages spoken in the Philippines, depending on the method of classification. Almost all are Malayo-Polynesian languages native to the archipelago. A number of Spanish-influenced creole varieties generally called C ...
. As a writer, Almario used pen names such as ''R.O. Noel'', ''Batang Simoun'', ''Matanglawin'', ''Ric A. Clarin'', ''Raxa Soliman'', ''Petronio'', and ''El Satirin''.
Family
Born in
Tondo, Manila
Tondo is a district located in Manila, Philippines. It is the largest in terms of area and population of Manila's sixteen districts, with a Census-estimated 631,313 people in 2015 and consists of two congressional districts. It is also the seco ...
, Almario was the third among nine children. He was the son of Estanislao Almario and Rosalia Cagne. Estanislao Almario was a ''cabeza de barangay'' (
barangay
A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...
captain or head of the barrio) who once served as a clerk in the Spanish military, while Rosalia Cagne was a
seamstress
A dressmaker, also known as a seamstress, is a person who makes custom clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and evening gowns. Dressmakers were historically known as mantua-makers, and are also known as a modiste or fabrician.
Nota ...
. Almario’s father died when Almario was only around ten years of age. He married Leonor de Ocampo, with whom Almario had five children, namely the twins Generoso and Amalia, Bonifacio, Liwayway, and Simoun. Generoso Almario was a lawyer and Simoun Almario had an executive position at a local radio station.
[
]
Education
He was taught by two teachers during his childhood. One was by the teacher known as "Maestro Sevilla". The other teacher was Eugenio de Lara. De Lara was a lawyer and a Tondo school supervisor who taught Almario elementary Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
. Almario studied the Spanish language
Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...
and the English language
English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...
at the Liceo de Manila
The Manila Central University also referred to by its acronym MCU, and formerly named as the ''Escuela de Farmacia del Liceo de Manila'') is a private, non-sectarian, stock basic and higher education institution located on EDSA, Caloocan, Phil ...
. He wanted to become a lawyer but was not able to complete his studies for the degree.[
]
Career
Political career
Almario worked for the Bazar Siglo XX, a place owned by Luis R. Yangco. After passing the second-grade civil service examination, Almario began working as a clerk at the Bureau of Education on 10 August 1904. By 6 July 1909, he started working for the Bureau of Prisons, and then moved to the Bureau of Posts on 18 January 1911. He became chief of the Office of the Mayor in Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
on 1 August 1918. In 1919, Almario became the assistant secretary of Mayor Justo Lukban
Justo Lukbán y Rilles (May 28, 1863 – September 2, 1927) was a Filipino physician and politician. Lukban was elected to the Philippine Assembly and was mayor of the capital Manila from 1917 until 1920.
Early life
Justo Lukban was born in L ...
. On 6 July 1920, Almario became the secretary of Mayor Ramon Fernandez. Apart from being Mayor Fernandez's secretary, Almario acted as the supervisor of Manila's reformatories, asylum
Asylum may refer to:
Types of asylum
* Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome
* Benevolent Asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute
* Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea
* ...
s, and playground
A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...
s. Both Fernandez and Almario resigned, as a sign of protest, upon the reinstatement of Governor-General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
Leonard Wood
Leonard Wood (October 9, 1860 – August 7, 1927) was a United States Army major general, physician, and public official. He served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Military Governor of Cuba, and Governor-General of the Philippi ...
to the secret service
A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For ...
of the City of Manila. He won a seat for the Municipal Board of Manila (now Manila City Council
The Manila City Council (Filipino: Sangguniang Panlungsod ng Maynila) or the city's legislature is composed of 38 councilors, with 36 councilors elected from Manila's six councilor districts (coextensive with the Legislative districts of Manila) ...
) in 1925. Although a known graft-buster, Almario was convicted for libel and was exiled to Lolomboy, Bulacan
Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan ( tl, Lalawigan ng Bulacan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on August 15, 1578, and part of the Metr ...
in February 1927. The case made him a popular figure among the masses. In 1928, he won the Municipal Board elections in Manila. In 1930, Almario became president of the Municipal Board of Manila.[
]
Literary career
Almario was the editor of ''Pagkakaisa'', a daily newspaper. He later became the general manager of the ''La Opinion'' newspaper. Among his works as a writer was the Tagalog-language essay ''Ano ang Ligaya sa Ibabaw ng Lupa?'' (What is Happiness on the Surface of the Earth?) written in 1907 and the award-winning Spanish-language essay ''Que Es Pueblo'' (What is Town). His novels included the titles ''Pinatatawad Kita'' ou are Forgiven(1910), ''Ang Mananayaw'' he Dancer
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
(1910), '' Mga Anak-Bukid'' hildren of the Farmlands(1911), ''Mga Dahong Luksa'' rieving Leaves(1912), and '' Nang Si Eba ay Likhain'' When Eve was Created">/nowiki>When Eve was Created">When_Eve_was_Created.html" ;"title="/nowiki>When Eve was Created">/nowiki>When Eve was Created/nowiki> (1913).[
There is a school in Tondo manila named after Him.
]
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Almario, Rosauro C
Filipino journalists
Filipino essayists
Tagalog-language writers
Spanish-language writers of the Philippines
Filipino novelists
Filipino editors
People from Tondo, Manila
Manila City Council members
Writers from Manila
1886 births
1933 deaths
Nacionalista Party politicians
20th-century novelists
20th-century essayists
20th-century journalists