Google Doodle fetes ‘Lola Basyang’ on his 161st birthday

MANILA, Philippines — Google paid tribute to Filipino author and playwright Severino Reyes who celebrated his 161st birthday on Friday, February 11.

Google’s homepage featured a doodle of Reyes, with “Lola Basyang”—his pen name when he wrote for Liwayway, a popular Tagalog magazine—reading and telling stories on the side.

Reyes died in 1942.

“Today’s Doodle celebrates the 161st birthday of Filipino author and playwright Severino Reyes. Widely regarded as the ‘Father of Filipino Drama,’ Reyes is not only internationally renowned for his famous zarzuelas, Spanish-influenced works of dramatic musical theater, but also for his now-classic collection of Tagalog stories,” Google said.

“His stories, full of seemingly ancient wisdom, became such an integral part of Philippine society that the name Lola Basyang is still used today to describe a grandmother who loves telling stories,” it added.

Reyes was born in Manila and later founded the Gran Compania de Zarzuela, a theater group devoted to expanding zarzuela across the Philippines.

“Here’s to a storyteller who lifted the curtain on a new form of Filipino expression!” Google said.

/MUF