Biography
Jesús "Batikuling" Balmori was a Filipino Spanish language journalist, playwright, and poet.
Biography
Jesús Balmori was born in Ermita, Manila on 10 January 1887. He studied at the Collegio de San Juan de Letrán and the University of Santo Tomás, where he excelled in Literature. He was married to Dolores Rodríguez. Joaquín Balmori, a pioneer labor leader of the foremost organiser of Labour unions in their Philippines, was his brother.
In his early years, Balmori was already gathering literary honors and prizes for poetry. In a Rizal Day contest, his three poems, each bearing a different pen name, won the first, second, third prizes. Later, he figured in friendly poetical jousts, known as Balagtasan (in reference to Tagalog poet Francisco Balagtás), with other well-known poets in Spanish of his time, notably Manuel Bernabé of Parañaque and the Ilonggo Flavio Zaragosa Cano, emerging triumphant each time.
Before the war, under the pseudonym "Batikuling", Balmori wrote a column called "Vida Manileña" for Vanguardia, a daily afternoon newspaper. It was a trenchant critique of society’s power elite, showcasing his gift for irony and satirical humor, as well as serious verses. After the war, he wrote a similar column, "Vida Filipina", for the Voz de Manila. However, the number of Spanish-speaking readers was already diminishing by that time.
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