Alejandro Roces
Encyclopedia
Alejandro Reyes Roces was a Filipino author, essayist, dramatist and a National Artist
of the Philippines
for literature. He served as Secretary of Education
from 1961 to 1965, during the term of Philippine President
Diosdado Macapagal
.
Noted for his short stories,the Manila-born Roces was married to Irene Yorston Viola (granddaughter of Maximo Viola, with whom he has a daughter named Elizabeth Roces-Pedrosa. Anding attended elementary and high school at the Ateneo de Manila University
, before moving to the Arizona State University
for his tertiary education. He graduated with a B.A. in Fine Arts and, not long after, attained his M.A. from Far Eastern University
back in the Philippines. He has since received honorary doctorates from Tokyo University, Baguio's St. Louis University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, and the Ateneo de Manila University. Roces was a captain in the Marking’s Guerilla during World War II
and a columnist in Philippine dailies such as the Manila Chronicle and the Manila Times
. He was previously President of the Manila Bulletin and of the CAP College Foundation.
In 2001, Roces was appointed as Chairman of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). Roces also became a member of the Board of Trustees of GSIS (Government Service Insurance System) and maintained a column in the Philippine Star called Roses and Thorns.
Something to Crow About, on the other hand, is a collection of Roces’ short stories. The book has been recently brought to life by a critically acclaimed play of the same title; the staged version of Something to Crow About is the first Filipino zarzuela in English. This modern zarzuela tells the story of a poor cockfighter named Kiko who, to his wife's chagrin, pays more attention to the roosters than to her. Later in the story, a conflict ensues between Kiko’s brother Leandro and Golem, the son of a wealthy and powerful man, over the affections of a beautiful woman named Luningning. The resolution? A cockfight, of course. Something to Crow About won the Aliw Award for Best Musical and Best Director for a Musical Production. It also had a run off-Broadway at the La Mama Theater
in New York.
Through the years, Roces has won numerous awards, including the Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award, the Diwa ng Lahi Award, the Tanging Parangal of the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining, and the Rizal Pro Patria Award. He was finally bestowed the honor as National Artist of Literature on the 25th of June 2003.
When once asked for a piece of advice on becoming a famous literary figure Roces said, "You cannot be a great writer; first, you have to be a good person".
National Artist of the Philippines
A National Artist of the Philippines is a title given to a Filipino who has been given the highest recognition for having made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts...
of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
for literature. He served as Secretary of Education
Department of Education (Philippines)
The Department of Education , is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the management and governing of the Philippine system of basic education. It is the chief formulator of Philippine educational policy and is responsible for the Philippine primary and secondary...
from 1961 to 1965, during the term of Philippine President
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
Diosdado Macapagal
Diosdado Macapagal
Diosdado Pangan Macapagal was the ninth President of the Philippines, serving from 1961 to 1965, and the sixth Vice President, serving from 1957 to 1961. He also served as a member of the House of Representatives, and headed the Constitutional Convention of 1970...
.
Noted for his short stories,the Manila-born Roces was married to Irene Yorston Viola (granddaughter of Maximo Viola, with whom he has a daughter named Elizabeth Roces-Pedrosa. Anding attended elementary and high school at the Ateneo de Manila University
Ateneo de Manila University
The Ateneo de Manila University is a private teaching and research university run by the Society of Jesus in the Philippines. It began in 1859 when the City of Manila handed control of the Escuela Municipal de Manila in Intramuros, Manila, to the Jesuits...
, before moving to the Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
for his tertiary education. He graduated with a B.A. in Fine Arts and, not long after, attained his M.A. from Far Eastern University
Far Eastern University
Far Eastern University in the University Belt area, West Sampaloc, City of Manila, is a nonsectarian, private university in the Philippines. Created by the merger of Far Eastern College and the Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance, FEU became a university in 1934 under the guidance of...
back in the Philippines. He has since received honorary doctorates from Tokyo University, Baguio's St. Louis University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, and the Ateneo de Manila University. Roces was a captain in the Marking’s Guerilla during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and a columnist in Philippine dailies such as the Manila Chronicle and the Manila Times
Manila Times
The Manila Times is the oldest existing English language newspaper in the Philippines. It is published daily by The Manila Times Publishing Corp. with editorial and administrative offices at 371 A...
. He was previously President of the Manila Bulletin and of the CAP College Foundation.
In 2001, Roces was appointed as Chairman of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). Roces also became a member of the Board of Trustees of GSIS (Government Service Insurance System) and maintained a column in the Philippine Star called Roses and Thorns.
Literary works
During his freshman year in the University of Arizona, Roces won Best Short Story for We Filipinos are Mild Drinkers. Another of his stories, My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken, was listed as Martha Foley’s Best American Stories among the most distinctive for years 1948 and 1951. Roces did not only focus on short stories alone, as he also published books such as Of Cocks and Kites (1959), Fiesta (1980), and Something to Crow About (2005). Of Cocks and Kites earned him the reputation as the country's best writer of humorous stories. It also contained the widely anthologized piece “My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken”. Fiesta, is a book of essays, featuring folk festivals such as Ermita's Bota Flores, Aklan's Ati-atihan, and Naga's Peñafrancia.Something to Crow About, on the other hand, is a collection of Roces’ short stories. The book has been recently brought to life by a critically acclaimed play of the same title; the staged version of Something to Crow About is the first Filipino zarzuela in English. This modern zarzuela tells the story of a poor cockfighter named Kiko who, to his wife's chagrin, pays more attention to the roosters than to her. Later in the story, a conflict ensues between Kiko’s brother Leandro and Golem, the son of a wealthy and powerful man, over the affections of a beautiful woman named Luningning. The resolution? A cockfight, of course. Something to Crow About won the Aliw Award for Best Musical and Best Director for a Musical Production. It also had a run off-Broadway at the La Mama Theater
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club is an off-off Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, and named in reference to her. Located on Manhattan's Lower East Side, the theatre grew out of Stewart's tiny basement boutique for her fashion designs; the boutique's space acted as a theatre for...
in New York.
Through the years, Roces has won numerous awards, including the Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award, the Diwa ng Lahi Award, the Tanging Parangal of the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining, and the Rizal Pro Patria Award. He was finally bestowed the honor as National Artist of Literature on the 25th of June 2003.
When once asked for a piece of advice on becoming a famous literary figure Roces said, "You cannot be a great writer; first, you have to be a good person".
Awards & Honors
- National Artist Award for Literature, Republic of the Philippines – 2003
- The Rizal Pro Patria Award, Republic of the Philippines
- Grand Cross for Distinguished Service with Star and Epaulement of the Order for Distinguished Service of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Orden de Isabel la Catolica, Spain
- Gran Cruz la Orden del Merito Civil, Spain
- Orden de la Aguila Azteca, Mexico
- Tanda Kehormatan Bintang Mahaputera, Republic of Indonesia
- Grand Maitre de L’Ordre National, Republic of Malagasy
- Order of the White Elephant, Kingdom of Thailand
- Order of the Brilliant Star, China
- One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines, chosen by the Junior Chamber of Commerce for distinction in Journalism
- Awarded, Patnubay ng Kalinangan (Vanguard of Culture), City of Manila – 1988
- Outstanding Journalist of the Year - Confederation of Filipino Veterans Journalism
- Granted the Conde de Foxa Award for El Llegado and La Campana de Baler at the Certamen Cine Documental Ibero-Americano y Filipino, Bilbao, Spain
- Awarded, Diwa ng Lahi (Spirit of the Race), City of Manila – 1988
- Special Plaque of Appreciation - Consulate General of the Philippines and the Filipino Community of Guam
- Appointed Honorary Ambassador-at-Large for Guam - 1998
- Awarded the Tanging Parangal ng CCP, Gawad CCP Para sa Sining – 1990
- Zobel Award for Literature , 1995
- Philippines S.E.A. Write Awardee – Thailand 1997
- CCP Centennial Honors for the Arts - Cultural Center of the Philippines
- Medal of Valor as World War II Veteran - Veterans Federation of the Philippines
- Recipient of Plaque of Recognition, The Royal and Pontifical, University of Santo Tomas (UST) - 1999
- Recipient of Green and Gold Artist Award, Far Eastern University (FEU) – 1994
- Recipient of Special Plaque of Recognition from the Consulate General of the Philippines to Guam
- Recipient Plaque of Appreciation from the Korea Art Culture Association of the Republic of Korea
- Recipient of Plaque of Recognition from the Filipino-American Service Group, Inc. – 2007
- Recipient of Mayor’s Commendation, City of Glendale, CA, USA – Given by Mayor Ara Njarian- 2007
- Recipient of the Certificate of Recognition given by the County of Santa Clara, CA, USA – 2007
- Recipient of Plaque of Appreciation, Philippine National BANK (PNB) – 2007
- Recipient of Plaque of Recognition, Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) – 2003
- Recipient of Outstanding Citizen Award, City of Makati, 1997
- Recipient of Plaque of Appreciation from the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) – 1994
- Recipient of Plaque of Appreciation from the Philippine Association of Management Accountants – 1997
- Recipient of Plaque of Appreciation from the League of Vice Governors of the Philippines – 1999
- Recipient of Plaque of Appreciation from the Philippine British Society – 2003
- Recipient of Plaque of Appreciation from the Consular Corps of the Philippines – 2006
- Recipient of Plaque of Gratitude from the Diwa Scholastic Press, Inc. – 2005
- Recipient of the Statuette of Fr. Theopiel Verbist, Founder of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, St. Louis University – 2004
- Recipient of the Maria Clara Legacy Award – 2006
- Recipient of the Maria Clara Legacy Award – 2013
Socio-Cultural-Civic Affiliations
- Trustee, Government Service Insurance System (GSIS)
- Chairman, College Assurance Plan Foundation
- Columnist, “Roses and Thorns” of The Philippine Star
- Chairman, Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), 2001
- President, Bagong Katipunan Foundation
- President, UNESCO Philippine Centre of the International Theatre Institute
- President, Bulletin Publishing Corporation
- Secretary of Education, Republic of the Philippines, 1961
- Dean of the Institute of Arts and Science, Far Eastern University
- Co-Founder of the Philippine PEN
- Board of Regents, University of the Philippines
- Chairman, Board of Trustees, Colegio San Agustin
- Chairman, Board of Regents, Pamantasan ng Lungsond ng Maynila
- Chairman, Board of Regents, St. Louis University, Baguio City
- Chairman, Board of Regents, St. Mary's University, Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
- Chair, United Way Philippines
- Chairman, UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines
- President, Cultural Nationalism of the Philippines
- Head, FEU Cultural Research Team
- President, Philippine International Friendship Organization
- President, Research Foundation in Philippine Anthropology and Archeology, Inc.
- Vice President, Art Association of the Philippines
- Vice President, Manila Symphony Society
- President, Philippine-Italian Association
- Chair, Philippine Selection Committee - Eisenhower Fellowship Inc.
- Member of the Board, Academia Filipina de la Lengua Española
- Member of the Board, Association for Philippine China Understanding
- Member of the Board, National Historical Commission of the Philippines
- Board of Authenticators, National Museum
- Member of the Board, TOYM Foundation
- Member of the Board, Casino Español de Manila
- Member of the Board, Philippine National Bank
- Member of the Board, Brent International School, Baguio
- Member of the Board, Yuchengco Museum
- First Chairman of the Board, PETA Theater
- First Chairman of the Board, Philippine Ballet Theater