Serapion Cuartel Torre (November 14, 1892 – December 17, 1941) was a Filipino

litterateur An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the nature of reality, especially the nature of society and proposed solutions for its normative problems. Coming from the world of culture, either ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

, zarzuela writer, and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

of the

Hiligaynon language Hiligaynon, also often referred to as Ilonggo or Binisayâ/Bisayâ nga Hiniligaynon/Inilonggo, is an Austronesian language family, Austronesian regional language spoken in the Philippines by about 9.1 million people, predominantly in Panay, Pan ...

. He is widely known as the "Father of Modern Hiligaynon Literature". Some of his popular works are ''Sayup nga Ikamatay'' (1915) and ''Dagta nga Makatinlo'' (1919) for zarzuelas, and ''Bus-og nga Bulawan'' (1928) and ''Mater Dolorosa'' (1931) for novels. He also served as Municipal President of Iloilo from 1923 to 1925. The plaza of

Mandurriao Mandurriao () is a Districts of Iloilo City, district in Iloilo City, Philippines. It is the second-largest district by geographical area as well as the third-most populous district, with 62,240 people in the 2020 census. Mandurriao is one of t ...

was named in his honor by virtue of Republic Act No. 1023, approved on June 12, 1954.

Early life and career

Torre was born on November 14, 1892, in

Mandurriao, Iloilo City Mandurriao () is a district in Iloilo City, Philippines. It is the second-largest district by geographical area as well as the third-most populous district, with 62,240 people in the 2020 census. Mandurriao is one of the major business distric ...

, to Victorino Torre and Isabel Cuartel. He attended Escuela Parroquial in Mandurriao, Iloilo Intermediate School, and Instituto de Molo. Torre completed his bachelor's degree at

Liceo de Manila Manila Central University (MCU), formerly known as the Escuela de Farmacia del Liceo de Manila, is a private, non-sectarian, stock basic and higher education institution located on EDSA, Caloocan, Philippines. It was founded in 1904 by Alejand ...

. Subsequently, he pursued dentistry at the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (UST; ), officially the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines or colloquially as ''Ustê'' (), is a Private university, private Catholic school, Catholic researc ...

but did not complete the course. Torre was initially married to Maria Melliza in 1915 and later to Ester Sison. Torre has four children together named Romeo Alberto Melliza-Torre, Ester Melliza-Torre, George Gregorio Sison-Torre, and Oscar Jose Torre. He served as Municipal President of Iloilo from 1923 to 1925. Prior to this, he held the position of Municipal Secretary from 1917 to 1921, served three terms as Iloilo Councilor, acted as secretary of the Provincial Board, and was a member of the 1st Constitutional Convention of the Philippines.

Death

Serapion Torre passed away on December 17, 1942, when the ship he was traveling on sank in

Mariveles, Bataan Mariveles, officially the Municipality of Mariveles (), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Bataan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 149,879 people making it ...

Legacy

In recognition of his contributions to the Hiligaynon language and public service, he was honored on June 12, 1954, through the enactment of Republic Act 1023. This Act designated the public plaza in the Iloilo City district of

as Serapion C. Torre Park.

Works

He wrote about social issues such as labor problems, corruption, and land seizures. Known for his flowery language and in-depth exploration of his subjects, he, along with Flavio Zaragoza Cano and Delfin Gumban, are referred to as the “Trinidad Poetica Ilonga.” They are recognized as masters of poetic jousting in Hiligaynon or

Balagtasan ''Balagtasan'' is a Filipino form of debate done in verse. Derived from the name of Francisco Balagtas also known as the Prince of Balagtasan, this art presents a type of literature in which thoughts or reasoning are expressed through speech. ...

Zarzuelas

* ''Sayup nga Ikamatay'' (A Deadly Mistake) in 1915 * ''Dagta nga Makatinlo'' (The Cleansing Dye) in 1919

Novels

* ''Bus-og nga Bulawan'' (Pure Gold) in 1928 * ''Mater Dolorosa'' in 1931 * ''Pagbalik sang Gugma'' (When Love Came Back) * ''Panaghuy sang Dughan'' (Scream of the Heart) * ''Katipan nga Nadula'' (The Lost Lover) * ''Gugma, Dungog kag Manggad'' (Love, Dignity, and Wealth) * ''Ganhaan sang Impierno'' (Gate of Hell) * ''Kalbaryo sang Isa ka Asawa'' (Calvary of a Husband) * ''Gab-ing Walang Kaagahon'' (Night Without Morning) * ''Dalitan nga Panublion'' (Cursed Inheritance) * ''Larawan nga Nadula'' (Missing Picture) * ''Duha ka Katipan'' (Two Lovers) * ''Sa Kaalabaab sang Daigon'' (In the Fire of a Song) * ''Marina'', ''Gugma nga Ginlimot'' (Forgotten Love) * ''Dugos kag Apdo'' (Pulút and Gall)

References

{{Reflist Torre, Serapion Torre, Serapion Hiligaynon people People from Iloilo Mayors of Iloilo City University of Santo Tomas alumni 19th-century Filipino poets Filipino male poets 19th-century male writers