Famous Filipino Writers

Jose Rizal was a Filipino polymath and nationalist. An ophthalmologist by profession, Rizal turned towards writing and inspired the Philippine Revolution through his writings. The revolution eventually led to Philippine independence and Rizal became a national hero. His life has inspired several biographical films and TV series.

Marcelo H. del Pilar was a Filipino lawyer, writer, freemason, and journalist. Along with Graciano López Jaena and José Rizal, Del Pilar became known in Spain as the leaders of the Reform Movement. He is considered the Father of Philippine Journalism for his 66 editorials and 150 essays. He is also regarded as the Father of Philippine Masonry.

Jessica Seinfeld, wife of comedian Jerry Seinfeld, is best known for her first cookbook, Deceptively Delicious, which became a New York Times bestseller. She also owns the charity GOOD+ Foundation, which helps the needy in New York, and the culinary website Do it Delicious, which teaches cooking to beginners.

Nick Joaquin was a Filipino journalist and writer. He is best remembered for his novels and short stories written in the English language. Counted among the most prominent Filipino writers of all time, Nick Joaquin was the recipient of many prestigious awards such as the National Artist Award and Ramon Magsaysay Award for Literature.

Carlos P. Romulo was a Filipino statesman, diplomat, journalist, soldier, and author. He is best remembered for his service as the Minister of Foreign Affairs on three occasions between 1950 and 1984. Among several other important posts, he also held the office of the Secretary of Education from 1965 to 1967. Romulo was the recipient of numerous honors and awards.

Amado V. Hernandez was a Filipino labor leader and writer. He is best remembered for his participation in the communist movement, for which he was arrested and imprisoned. Amado V. Hernandez criticized the social injustices in the Philippines through his writings and often included his experiences as a labor leader and as a guerrilla in his socio-political novels.

Lino Brocka was a Filipino film director best remembered for co-founding Concerned Artists of the Philippines and the Free the Artist Movement. Considered one of the most significant and influential filmmakers in Philippine cinema's history, Lino Brocka is credited with directing landmark films like Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang, Bayan Ko: Kapit sa Patalim, and Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag.

Lualhati Bautista is a Filipina writer, political critic, liberal activist, and novelist. Apart from writing novels and short stories, Bautista also writes screenplays. In 1984, Lualhati Bautista was honored at the Metro Manila Film Festival with the Best Story and Best Screenplay awards for her work in a drama film titled Bulaklak sa City Jail.

Former Philippine senator and Senate Minority Leader Claro Mayo Recto is remembered as a nationalist. He was a major figure of the Filipino-first movement and was against American neo-colonialism. A jurist, he had also been the Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines.

Jose Garcia Villa was a Filipino poet, short story writer, literary critic, and painter. Nicknamed the Comma Poet, Villa is credited with introducing and popularizing the extensive usage of punctuation marks, especially commas, in poems. Over the course of his career, José García Villa received several honors and awards, including the Order of National Artists of the Philippines.

Lav Diaz is a Filipino independent filmmaker best known for making several of the longest narrative films of all time. Widely regarded as one of the most important members of the slow cinema movement, Lav Diaz is also counted among the most critically acclaimed Filipino filmmakers of his generation.

Jessica Tarahata Hagedorn is an American writer, playwright, multimedia performance artist, and poet. Born and brought up in the Philippines, Hagedorn moved to the USA in her early teens and started writing novels like Dogeaters, which won the American Book Award. Apart from writing novels and poems, Jessica Tarahata Hagedorn also writes screenplays.   

Gilbert Luis R. Centina III was a Filipino-American Roman Catholic poet who won critical appreciation for his poetry books, novels, and a book of literary criticism. Apart from English, Centina also wrote in two Philippine languages and in Spanish. Over the course of his career, Gilbert Luis R. Centina III won several prestigious awards, including the Catholic Authors Award.