Ka Amado V. Hernandez:
Communist, labor leader, poet, novelist and journalist

Basahin ang artikulong ito sa Pilipino

The 100th birth anniversary of Ka Amado V. Hernandez was celebrated on September 13. He was an outstanding communist, journalist, poet and novelist. He was a great hero and leader of the labor movement in the country.

Ka Amado was born in Tondo, Manila in 1903. He became the editor of the newspaper Mabuhay at the age of 32. He also became the editor of the newspapers Pilipino, Sampagita, Weekly and Mabuhay Extra.

Ka Amado joined the guerrilla forces in the Sierra Madre when World War II broke out. After the war, Ka Amado, together with Cipriano Cid (a writer, lawyer and labor leader), formed the Philippine Newspaper League (PNL)�a union of journalists�in 1945. That same year, the Congress of Labor Organizations (CLO), the largest and most militant federation of labor unions from 1945-1951, was established. Ka Amado organized the CLO together with Mariano Balgos, Guillermo Capadocia, Pedro Castro, Feixberto Olalia and Cipriano Cid.

Ka Amado was elected as one of the vice presidents of the CLO in 1945 and served as its president from 1947 until his capture by the military in 1951. He effectively led the federation by advancing the struggles and the welfare of workers and by fighting US imperialism.

The Roxas and Quirino regimes supressed the workers' newly formed solidarity and struggle. In a widespread campaign against militant unionism by the reactionary state, Ka Amado was one of the labor leaders arrested and charged with rebellion. From January 26, 1951, Ka Amado was held incommunicado for five months at Camp Murphy (now Camp Aguinaldo) before being charged with "rebellion complexed with other crimes." He was sentenced to a prison term of five years and six months.

His unjust imprisonment failed to suppress Ka Amado's his class-conscious writing. It was in the prison where Ka Amado said that "the living had ceased to live" that he penned two of what is regarded as his greatest masterpieces�"Isang Dipang Langit" (A Patch of Sky) and "Panata sa Kalayaan" (Pledge to Freedom).

Ka Amado was temporarily released in 1956. After a six-year court battle, the Supreme Court dismissed the case against him on May 31, 1964. The decision came to be known as the "Hernandez Doctrine."

Ka Amado continued to write after his release. He became editor of Taliba (1962-1967) and the progressive newspapers Makabayan and Ang Masa (1969-1970).

He wrote different literary forms-novels, plays, short stories, essays, poetry and reportage. Ibong Mandaragit (Bird of Prey, 1969) and Luha ng Buwaya (Crocodile Tears, 1963) are among his noted novels. They were products of his experiences in prison.

His works not only related the events of his time, but also reflected the intense desire of the oppressed and exploited classes for genuine freedom and democracy. Said Ka Amado in "Bartolina": "Sa aking piita'y hindi pumupurol ang lumang panulat,/ bawat isang titik, may tunog ng punlo at talim ng tabak." ["In my prison, an old pen never goes blunt/ every letter written bears the sound of a bullet and a cutlass' sharp edge."]

Ka Amado received numerous awards as proof of his excellence in writing. He was given the Commonwealth Award (1939 and 1940) for Kayumanggi, a collection of poems. The National Press Club awarded him a Certificate of Merit (1958) for 25 years of service in the field of journalism. He also won acclaim for the poem "Isang Dipang Langit" in receiving the Cultural Heritage Award. Like his wife Honorata "Ka Atang" de la Rama�the Queen of Filipino Zarzuelas�Ka Amado was bestowed the National Artist Award posthumously.

As a member of the old Party, Ka Amado was among those who helped launch the First Rectification Campaign against the errors of the Lava and Taruc leadership, and the reestablishment of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) on December 26, 1968.

On September 13, at the initiative and direction of the Amado V. Hernandez Resource Center, a memorial night for Ka Amado was held where his poems were read and patriotic songs were sung.

For being a militant artist and organizer of the toiling masses, Ka Amado continues to be an inspiration to communist writers.

21 September 2003
English Edition

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