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Lope K. Santos, Father of the Philippine National Language and Grammar

Lope K. Santos is a Filipino poet, novelist, essayist, critic, and politician. He was born on September 25, 1879 in Pasig City as Lope Santos y Canseco. His father, Ladislao Santos, is a publisher and a native of Pasig. His mother, on the other hand, is Victoria Canseco, a native of San Mateo. As a nationalist, he changed the first letter of his middle name from C to K to show his patriotism for our country. Santos was best known for his socialist novel "Banaag at Sikat," published in 1906, as well as his contributions to the development of Filipino grammar and Tagalog orthography.

Lope K. Santos was a prolific writer. His poetry alone would fill ten volumes, his other novels, ten more, and his essays, Including those written in Spanish, may be another ten. Some of his poems were signed with different pen names, one of which was Anak-Bayan.

Until now, "Banaag at Sikat," remains to be a powerful commentary on Filipino society that touched on the themes of class struggle and social injustice, love and idealism, and nationalism.

Another notable work of Santos, the "Balarila ng Wikang Pambansa" (Grammar of the National Language), mainly covers teaching the proper usage of the Tagalog language in speech and writing. It was the first grammar book of the Filipino language in history and was commissioned to him by the Surian ng Wikang Pambansa in 1940.

Aside from being a well-polished writer, he was also known for being an honest politician. After being appointed as a Senator of the 5th Philippine Legislature, he made recommendations for the election of provincial governors Instead of appointing them. He was also the primary author of Philippine Legislature Act No. 2946, which enacted November 30 of every year as Bonifacio Day to honor Andres Bonifacio.

Through his perseverance, beauty of mind, and years of experience, he published many forms of literature that roused the patriotic side within the soul and hearts of Filipinos. Through his works, he made a mark on the importance of the Filipino language and the worth of every Filipino.