List of Bios:
Amado Magcalas Yuzon
Poet Laureate, Professor, Entrepreneur and Congressman
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The young Amado MagcalasYuzon was born in Maquiapo, Guagua, Pampanga, Philippines on August 30, 1906 to the couple Felipe Yuzon and the former Isabel Magcalas. He had a brother named Felix M. Yuzon. Together with his only sibling, Felix, Amado M. Yuzon completed his primary and elementary education in public schools in his hometown. He graduated from general secondary education at Pampanga High School in the capital town of San Fernando in 1925. |
Among his successful high school classmates in a class of forty-one students were Dr. Clemente Calma, Distinguished PHS Alumnus Awardee in Medical Surgery; Nicomedes Isip, public school administrator and professor of education; Prudente Punsalang, public school administrator; Jose Tiongco, college professor; Gregorio Fernandez, movie actor and director and Silvestre Punsalan, lawyer, poet, writer, Philippine National Bank president, acting provincial governor and treasurer of the Liberal Party in the 1960s..
In recognition of Poet Laureate Amado M.Yuzon's outstanding accomplishments in the field of journalism and poetry, the Golden Jubilee Award for Literature was awarded by his high school Alma Mater, the Pampanga High School in connection with its Golden Jubilee Celebration in 1962.
Congressman Amado M. Yuzon's academic career was as excellent as his literary achievement. He had attained many academic degrees, including Master of Arts (summa cum laude); Master of Science in Business Administration (summa cum laude); Ll.M (cum laude), and Litt. D. which he completed in London, England. He had been a member of the Philippine Bar since 1939, and was former university professor at Far Eastern University and at Quezon College, the forerunner of Manuel L. Quezon University in the City of Manila, Philippines.
Internationally-known for his journalistic skills, Amado M. Yuzon edited "Ing Catuliran" (The Right) and "La Libertad" (Freedom) as well as a poetry magazine, Laurel Leaves that had an international circulation.
Poet Laureate Amado M. Yuzon's titles manifest his outstanding feats in poetry both in English and in the vernacular. He was the leading poet of Far Eastern University during his college days with the Poet Laureate title and won several first prizes in oratory and debate. He wrote a collection of narrative verses entitled "Salitang Paca-Versu" (1933) and has translated the great works of Shakespeare, Omar Khayyam, Tagore, Eurpides, Sophocles, Hugo, Sappho, Poe, Longfellow, Rizal and others. He gained international distinction with his inclusion in the 1956 "Who's Who in America". He is also included in International Who's Who in Poetry as well as in The Authors and Writers Who's Who both of London, England. He has written the Citizen's Poems, a government-approved reading material for public and private fourth grade to senior year in high school. The Central Luzon Affair named him most outstanding poet in 1957 and crowned him Poet Laureate of the Philippines in 1959. He wrote, declaimed and wrote poems in four Filipino and three European languages. He was honored as Most Outstanding Man of Letters of the Philippines in 1962 by the Press, Radio and Television Society of the Philippines.
As a native of Guagua, Pampanga, Congressman Amado M. Yuzon represented the 1st District of Pampanga in the Philippine Congress in 1946-49. He authored many bills which were passed into laws and benefited mostly the poor and the peasants.
Congressman Amado M. Yuzon was "First" in most of his significant accomplishments, to wit:
- First President for Life of the only World Poet Laureates Association
with memberships from eighty nations of the world.
- First and only poet from Asia to be proclaimed Honorary Continental
Poet Laureate of Asia in 1965 and in South America in 1966 by authority
of the Republic of Bolivia.
- The only living poet cited as "Sir Galahad of Parnassus"
by the World Society International in Illinois, USA and in India.
- The only world Poet crowned Honorary International Poet Laureate ten (10) times - in Colorado, Texas, South Dakota, New York, Liberia, Pakistan, Austria, Rome (twice) and England.
- First official Poet Laureate of Far Eastern University in 1934-1936.
- First Poet Laureate of a regional language to be made by Provincial Board Resolution as Poet Laureate and King of Crissotan for life. The Pampanga Provincial Board approved the resolution in 1963.
- First Poet Laureate of the Philippines who crowned Miss Philippines titleholders. The President of the Philippines designated him as Cultural Envoy in 1965.
- First and only verse-translator of the Iloko national epic - "Ti Panagbiag Ni Lam-Ang" into English - 1954.
- First National Moderator of Peasants and Labor organizations - The Philippine United Peasants and Labor Organizations - 1948.
- First to advocate for the appointments of Poets Laureate and/or Poets in Residence in Senatorial Regions, Congressional Districts, Provinces. Cities and Municipalities, and also by language or dialect - (Rotary Speech in 1964 at Malolos, Bulacan which was distributed nationwide).
- First Acting National Commissioner of Culture - 1965-1966.
- First Filipino delegate to the Biennales Internnationales de Poesie in Knokke-le-Zoute, Belgium in 1965.
- First Filipino entry and member of the Editorial and Advisory Board of the British "Dictionary of International Biography, London, England, 1966.
- First Filipino, Asian and man to create world, regional, national, state, and language poet laureateships in the world.
- The first, the one and only Filipino, who represented as Foreign Chancellor, Consul Delegado, or Foreign Representative of international academies and universities - Republic of the Philippines, Spain, Mexico, Ecuador, Italy, California, Sweden, England, Pakistan and Hongkong.
- The first Filipino to become Ambassador of the Orthodox Catholic Church to the Philippines and the Orient, as appointed by Patriarch Claudius I.
- First unseated congressman-elect who was allowed to address the Congress and defend himself for 15 minutes.
- The first congressman to introduce the Magna Carta of Labor Bill after World War II, 1948.
- The first ex-congressman to make a presidential nomination speech with Secretary Sotero Baluyut for Senator Gil Puyat on the spot at the 1957 National Party Convention.
- The first Filipino to introduce Shakespearean joust (Balagtasan in English), Oxford style, at the Far Eastern University in 1934.
- The first to introduce the Philippines evening dress, black pants and barong Filipino, in Manila in 1934.
- The First Filipino to conduct a world translation contest of Dr. Jose P. Rizal's poem, "Postrer Adios," in 1966.
- First Filipino to be crowned "Poet Laureate of the World" in the Philippines, World Congress of Poets, August 30, 1969.
- First Filipino to write poetry covering more than six hundred years of Philippine history, exalting major heroes and historical landmarks in his book, "The Citizen's Poems".
- The first Filipino, the first Asian and first man to be recommended for the Nobel Prize award for Peace and Literature four times in the history of the Nobel Prizes.
- The first Filipino to invest four presidents (Carlos P. Garcia, Diosdado P. Macapagal and Ferdinand E. Marcos) with poet laureateships.
- The first to get a National Poetry Day Proclamation from then President Diosdado Macapagal, October 15, 1965.
- The first to get a World Poetry Week Proclamation - last week of August from Mayor Antonio J. Villegas of Manila, August 26, 1969.
- First Filipino who has proclaimed and crowned regional poets laureate in the country, including Mayor Villegas in Tagalog, Ambassador Proceso E. Sebastian of the North, Fr. Dr. Isidoro D. Dino of Ilokandia, Former Congressman Mauro Verzoza of the Cagayan Valley, Dr. Dominador S. La Madrid in English, Hon. Belarmino P. Navarro, Sergio Navarro, Jr., Jose Gallardo, Armando P. Baluyut in Pampanga.
As a successful business entrepreneur, Atty. Amado M. Yuzon served as the General Manager of the Mabuhay Products, Inc in 1962 and an executive or director of other commercial and industrial firms.
Congressman Amado M. Yuzon was married to the former Oliva A. Reyes,
daughter of Pablo Reyes and Teodora Almario Reyes of San Nicolas, Florida
Blanca, Pampanga, Philippines. Their marriage was blessed with three sons
who all became prominent in their respective professions. The eldest son,
Amado, Jr. is a Certified Public Accountant who was connected with the
Foreign Department of the Central Bank of the Philippines and later as
Chief Accountant of a big firm in Oakland, California. The second son,
Benjamin, is a mechanical engineer based in Hercules, California who also
followed the footsteps of his world-renowned father as a poet laureate
and president for life of the World Poet Laureates Association. The youngest
son, Romeo, graduated with honors from the University of the Philippines
and from Far Eastern University in Manila, Philippines. Romeo is an executive
of China Banking Corporation.
Congressman Amado M. Yuzon died on January 17, 1979 and he was buried
in their family plot in Guagua, Pampanga, Philippines (camiling@usc.edu
- 10/19/01).