Teo Antonio is a very important Filipino poet. He was born in Sampaloc, Manila

Sampaloc, Manila

Sampaloc is a district of Manila which is primarily a residential and educational center. Part of the Malacañang Palace is located in Sampaloc. The University of Santo Tomas, University of the East Manila are part of the University Belt to name a few, the famous Dangwa flower market at Dimasalang...

. He was educated at the University of Santo Tomas

University of Santo Tomas

The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines , is a private Roman Catholic university run by the Order of Preachers in Manila. Founded on April 28, 1611 by archbishop of Manila Miguel de Benavides, it has the oldest extant university charter in the...

 where he studied Fine Arts. Antonio is the son of Emilio Mar Antonio, hari ng balagtasan (King of Balagtasan—a Filipino form of poetic joust) during the 1950s.

Antonio garnered numerous Carlos Palanca

Palanca

Palanca may refer to:*Palanca Awards*Palanca, Angola a comune in Luanda Province, Angola*Palanca, a commune in Bacău County, Romania*Palanca, a village in Floreşti-Stoeneşti Commune, Giurgiu County, Romania...

 Memorial Awards for Poetry in 1973. 1975, 1976. 1986 and 1998. He also received top prizes during the Centennial Literary Contest for his epic poem Piping-Dilat in 1998 as well as Manila Critics' Circle National Book Awards in 1982, 1991 and 1992.