Salvador Ponce Lopez (May 27, 1911 – October 18, 1993), born in Currimao, Ilocos Norte, was a Filipino writer, journalist, educator, diplomat and statesman. He studied at the University of the Philippines (UP) and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1931 and a Master of Arts degree in Philosophy in 1933. At UP, he was drama critic for the Philippine Collegian and member of Upsilon Sigma Phi. From 1933 to 1936, Lopez taught literature and journalism at the University of Manila. He also became a daily columnist and magazine editor of the Philippine Herald until World War II. In 1940, Lopez's essay "Literature and Society" won the Commonwealth Literary Awards. His essay posited that art must have substance and that poet

José García Villa José García Villa (August 5, 1908 – February 7, 1997) was a Filipino poet, literary critic, short story writer, and painter. He was awarded the National Artist of the Philippines title for literature in 1973, as well as the Guggenheim Fello ...

's adherence to "art for art's sake" is decadent. The essay provoked debates, the discussion centering on proletarian literature, i.e., engaged or committed literature versus the orientation of literature as an art for the sake of art itself. He was appointed by President

Diosdado Macapagal Diosdado Pangan Macapagal Sr. (; September 28, 1910 – April 21, 1997) was a Filipino lawyer, poet and politician who served as the ninth president of the Philippines, serving from 1961 to 1965, and the sixth vice president, serving from 19 ...

as Secretary of Foreign Affairs and then became ambassador to the United Nations for six years before being reassigned to France for seven years. He would also serve as Chairperson of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. Lopez was the president of the University of the Philippines from 1969 to 1975. He established a system of democratic consultation wherein decisions such as promotions and appointments were made through greater participation by faculty and administrative personnel; he also reorganized UP into the UP System. It was during Lopez's presidency that UP students were politically radicalized, launching mass protests against the Marcos regime right from the so-called " First Quarter Storm" in 1970 to the " Diliman commune" in 1971. During the latter, Lopez called on all UP students, faculty, and employees to defend the university and its autonomy from Marcos's militarization, as the military sought to occupy the campus in search of alleged leftists, activists, and other opponents of the regime. Due to his defense of UP's autonomy and democracy, many considered him a progressive and a militant member of the UP academe.

References

Media Museum Who's Who in Print Journalism - Salvador P. Lopez
Retrieved September 29, 2005. * Quindoza-Santiago, Dr. Lilia
Philippine Literature during the American Period
Retrieved September 29, 2005. * Godinez-Ortega, Christine F

Retrieved September 29, 2005. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez, Salvador Ponce 1911 births 1993 deaths Filipino educators Filipino writers People from Ilocos Norte University of the Philippines alumni Secretaries of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines University of the Philippines Permanent Representatives of the Philippines to the United Nations Ambassadors of the Philippines to France Macapagal administration cabinet members Presidents of universities and colleges in the Philippines