Vicente Hermosa Garces, also known as Vicente Garces and Nyor Inting, was a Filipino Visayan politician, writer, and poet. His famous written works in Cebuano were published in Visayan newspaper, ''

Bag-ong Kusog ''Bag-ong Kusog'' (''New Force'') was a periodical in the Cebuano language that was in circulation before World War II. Established in 1915 in Cebu, Philippines, with its bilingual predecessor, ''Nueva Fuerza,'' it was published every Friday unt ...

''. He also served as mayor in the then municipality of Talisay, Cebu, Philippines from 1925 to 1937.

Early life and education

Vicente H. Garces was to parents Agapito Garces and Teodora Hermosa born on December 18, 1887. The family used to reside in the district of Parian, Cebu City. He attended school at the Colegio de San Carlos, and then proceeded to take a

law degree A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers. But while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not confer a license themselves. A legal license is gra ...

at the Lyceum de Manila. At age 18, he married Resureccion Bangoy who was fondly called Lola Eccion and bore 13 children namely Alfreda, Agapito, Asteria, Clarita, Jesusa, Jose, Mariano, Pilar, Resureccion, Sincletica, Teodora, Vicente, and Virginio. Upon his marriage, he settled in Talisay, Cebu with his wife and children. The Garces Ancestral house is still extant on Jose Rizal Street in Talisay. The house was built in 1955 and was one of the tallest structures in the Poblacion.

Literary career

Garces wrote for the

Vicente Rama Vicente Rama (June 6, 1887 – December 24, 1956) was a Filipino Visayan legislator, publisher, and writer from Cebu, Philippines. Recognized as the Father of Cebu City, he authored the bill for its cityhood which was approved into law by Octobe ...

-owned Visayan newspaper, ''

'', using the pseudonyms ''Garvi'' and ''Kampisaw,'' after the name of a bird. His earliest published works included ''Kaniya Gibuhat ang Iyang Nabuhat (To Whom it was Done What's Done)'', ''Mahinuklogogng Paglubong ni Alicia (The Sorrowful Burial of Alice)'', and ''May Katarongan kang Imo Akong Hikalimtan (You Have Reason To Forget Me)''. He was regarded as one of the pioneers in Cebuano short story genre and his story, ''Mahinuklogogng Paglubong ni Alicia (The Sorrowful Burial of Alice)'', is considered part of the regional literary canon. He organized ''Dilang Bisaya'' (DILBIS), a literary group established 1963, and became its first president.

Political career

Garces was the local leader in Talisay of the political party, ''Partido Democrata.'' The party included

and Vicente Sotto, both of whom were his

colleagues Collegiality is the relationship between colleagues. A colleague is a fellow member of the same profession. Colleagues are those explicitly united in a common purpose and respect each other's abilities to work toward that purpose. A colleague is ...

in journalism. In 1925, he ran in the election and won as mayor in the then municipality of Talisay. He served from 1925 to 1931. On September 5, 1971, he died at the age of 83.

Historical commemoration

* Garces was named as one of the pre-war Cebuano writers in the short story genre by the National Library of the Philippines. *The Cebu provincial government cited his published work, ''Mahinuklugong Paglubong ni Alicia,'' as one of the notable works in the Cebuano literary canon. *The Cebuano Studies Center of the University of San Carlos included him in the list of pre- World War II published Cebuano authors. * Vicente H. Garces Street was named after him. Located in Barangay Poblacion, it is one of the major thoroughfares in Talisay City, passing through Talisay City College (formerly the municipal hall) and the parish church, Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Therese of Avila.

External links

Vicente Garces on Cebuano Studies Center

References