Nick Joaquin

Nicomedes Mrquez Joaqun (May 4, 1917 April 29, 2004) was a Filipino writer,
historian and journalist, best known for his short stories and novels in the English
language. He also wrote using the pen name Quijano de Manila. Joaqun was
conferred the rank and title of National Artist of the Philippines for Literature.

He is considered one of the most important Filipino writers in English, and the third
most important overall, after Jos Rizal and Claro M. Recto.

Joaqun deeply admired Jos Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines, paying him
tribute in such books as The Storyteller's New Medium Rizal in Saga, The
Complete Poems and Plays of Jose Rizal, and A Question of Heroes: Essays in
Criticism on Ten Key Figures of Philippine History. He translated the hero's
valedictory poem, in the original Spanish Mi Ultimo Adios, as "Land That I Love,
Farewell!" He is also the composer of the Far Eastern University school hymn.

Joaqun represented the Philippines at the International PEN Congress in Tokyo in

1957, and was appointed as a member of the Motion Pictures commission under
presidents Diosdado Macapagal and Ferdinand E. Marcos.

After being honored as National Artist, Joaquin used his position to work for
intellectual freedom in society. He secured the release of imprisoned writer Jos F.
Lacaba. At a ceremony on Mount Makiling attended by First Lady Imelda Marcos,
Joaqun delivered an invocation to Mariang Makiling, the mountain's mythical
maiden. Joaqun touched on the importance of freedom and the artist. After that,
Joaqun was excluded by the Marcos regime as a speaker at important cultural
events.

Joaqun died of cardiac arrest in the early morning of April 29, 2004, at his home
in San Juan, Metro Manila. He was then editor of Philippine Graphic magazine, where
he worked with Juan P. Dayang, the magazine's first publisher. Joaqun was also
publisher of its sister publication, Mirror Weekly, a womens magazine, and wrote
the column Small Beer for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, an opinion tabloid.

Lucio D. San Pedro

Lucio D. San Pedro (February 11, 1913 March 31, 2002) was a Filipino composer
and teacher.
Lucio came from a family with musical roots and he began his career early. When he
was still in his late teens, he succeeded his deceased grandfather as the local
church organist. By then, he had already composed songs, hymns and two complete
masses for voices and orchestra. After studying with several prominent musicians in
the Philippines, he took advanced composition training with Bernard Wagenaar of
the Netherlands. He also studied harmony and orchestration under Vittorio
Giannini and took classes at Juilliard in 1947.

His other vocation was teaching. He has taught at the Ateneo de Manila University,
virtually all the major music conservatories in Manila, and at the College of Music of
the University of the Philippines, Diliman, where he retired as a full professor in
1978. He later received the title Professor Emeritus from the University in 1979. He
also became a faculty member of the Centro Escolar University Conservatory of
Music in Manila.

Lucio died of cardiac arrest on March 31, 2002 in Quezon City, at the age of 89