A TITAN of Philippine literature, National Artist Cirilo Bautista, died this morning at the age of 76.

His death was announced by the official Facebook page of the De La Salle University’s literature department, where he taught and held the rank of a full professor.

The former literary editor of the Varsitarian obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in literature in UST in 1963 and St. Louis University in Baguio City, respectively.

In 1990, Bautista received his doctorate in language and literature from the La Salle.

He taught literature and creative writing in UST from 1969 to 1970.

Bautista, who was named National Artist for Literature in 2014, received nine Carlos Palanca awards for his works such as The Cave and Other Poems, 1968; The Archipelago, 1970; Ritual, 1971; The Man Who Made a Covenant with the Wind, 1975; Charts, 1973; Telex Moon, 1975; Crossworks, 1979; and Philippine Poetics: The Past Eight Years, 1981.

“The works and achievements of Cirilo Bautista as a poet, fictionist, and essayist have greatly contributed to the development of the country’s literary arts and has strengthened the Filipino’s sense of nationalism,” according to Proclamation No. 809.

His works titled “The Archipelago,” “Sugat ng Salita,” “Sunlight on Broken Stones,” “The Trilogy of Saint Lazarus” and “Tinik sa Dila” received National Book Award from the Manila Critics Circle.

Bautista was inducted to the Palanca Hall of Fame in 1995. He was conferred the Makata ng Taon award in 1993, Gawad Manuel L. Quezon in 1996 and Gawad Balagtas by the Unyon ng mga Manunulat ng Pilipinas in 1997.

In 2013, Bautista received the Gawad Dangal ng Lahi from the Palanca Foundation and Achievement Award from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. He received the Gawad CCP para sa Sining from the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 2012.

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