Uldarico A. Alviola

Uldarico Aguilar Alviola Sr. (born July 4, 1883 and died April 29, 1966) was a Filipino Visayan civil servant, novelist, and editor from Cebu, Philippines. While he wrote in English and Spanish, his published works in Cebuano language earned him the title, "Dean of Cebuano Writers."

Uldarico A. Alviola
BornJuly 4, 1883
Cebu City, Philippines
DiedApril 29, 1966
Occupation
  • Politician
  • Writer
  • Editor
Children
  • Virtud
  • Manuel
  • Marciano
  • Lourdes
  • Victor
  • Uldarico Jr
  • Rosario
  • Teresita
  • Corazon
  • Filomena
  • Socorro

Early life

He was born in Barangay San Roque, Cebu City, Philippines on July 4, 1883. Little is known about his wife, although she was described to have the maiden surname of Calsas. Their family had 11 children namely Corazon, Filomena, Lourdes, Manuel, Marciano, Rosario, Socorro, Teresita, Uldarico Jr, Victor, and Virtud,.[1]

Starting his writing career at the age of 19, he wrote under the pseudonyms Artagnan, Alvi, Sikatuna, M. Anabell,[2] and arguably, Felix Gerardo, author of Justicia Social.[3] He witnessed firsthand the imperial conflicts, from Spanish colonization to the American occupation and then later to Japanese invasion, at an age old enough to understand what was going on.[3]

Career

A Cebuano speaker educated in Spanish, Uldarico Alviola Sr. edited several bilingual publications (Spanish and Cebuano) such as El Nacionalista, El Precursor, and Respectador. He was also the editor of the Vicente Sotto-owned, periodical Ang Suga when it first saw print in 1901.

Additionally, he was a pioneering and acclaimed[4] novelist and fiction writer. He wrote Felicitas that was published in 1912.[5][6] It was the second Cebuano novel, the first being Juan Villagonzalo's Walay Igsoon (Without a Brother).[7] Critic Erlinda Alburo described the novel as a flat, poorly written novel; nonetheless, it exhibited elements of medieval mortality play.[3] It was also characterized with a didactic tone.[8][9]

Additionally, his English works were also published in The Cebu Advertiser, Vicente Rama-owned periodical Progress, The Star, and the Philippine Free Press.[2]

Political career

As a civil servant, Alviola worked as a municipal treasurer of the town of Oslob, Cebu.[10] He also served in various capacities in the government including being the Secretary of the Provincial Council, Deputy Governor of Cebu, and Secretary of the then Municipality of Cebu, now the Cebu City Council.[4]

Award

In 1962, he received the major lifetime award,[3] the LUDABI award from Lubas sa Dagang Bisaya, a leading national organization for writers in Cebuano language, for his contributions to Cebuano culture.[2] He died on April 29, 1966.[3][11]

Historical commemoration
  • A distinguished lexicographer,[2][12] he is credited to have coined the words, "bugnong lugaynon" (electorate battle), a translation to the English word election, although other alternative, equally plausible etymologies exist.[12]
  • The Alviola Street in Barangay Tinago is in his honor.[4]

References
  1. Oaminal, Clarence Paul (July 27, 2015). "Uldarico Alviola Str., Cebu City (Part II)". www.pressreader.com. Retrieved 2018-12-29.
  2. "Uldarico Alviola". Cebuano Studies Center. 2015-04-09. Retrieved 2018-12-29.
  3. Lifshey, Adam (14 September 2012). The Magellan Fallacy: Globalization and the Emergence of Asian and African Literature in Spanish. University of Michigan Press. p. 138. ISBN 978-0-472-11847-2. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  4. Oaminal, Clarence Paul (August 26, 2013). "Alviola Street, Cebu City". www.pressreader.com. The Freeman. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  5. Redfox, Gajeel. "Contemporary Arts in Visayas" – via www.academia.edu. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. ""Cebuano" comes from the root word "Cebu"" (PDF). National Library of the Philippines. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  7. Alburo, Erlinda K. (2007). "History and the Prewar Cebuano Novel" (PDF). www.philippinestudies.net. Philippine Studies, Ateneo de Manila University. pp. 479–508. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  8. Alburo, Erlinda K. (April 14, 2015). "Cebuano Literature in the Philippines". National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  9. "NOVEL" (PDF). National Library of the Philippines. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  10. Acosta, Emma Montecillo (1977). A subject guide to the ordinances enacted by the City Council of Cebu, 1945-1975. Cebu City Council, University of San Carlos. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  11. Oaminal, Clarence Paul (August 31, 2017). ""Ang Suga" editors and staff (Part 1) | The Freeman". philstar.com. The Freeman. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  12. McCoy, Alfred W. (January 2009). An Anarchy of Families: State and Family in the Philippines. Univ of Wisconsin Press. p. 338. ISBN 978-0-299-22984-9. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
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