Poet and playwright Francisco Baltazar, also known as Francisco Balagtas, is said to have written the literature classic “Florante at Laura” while in prison in the 1830s. Written in Tagalog, his work was revered as a work of art and patriotism by Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio and Apolinario Mabini. The debate in verse, the balagtasan, was named after him. Schatzi Quodala, Inquirer Research
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