Francisco Baltazar (who wrote as Francisco Balagtas) was acclaimed as the “Prince of Tagalog poets.” Some biographers of our day call him “the King of Tagalog poets.” He was born on April 2, 1788 and rose to greatness in the 19th century writing in Tagalog when most intellectuals wrote in Spanish.

His impact on Philippine culture and literature is such that even among today’s composers and writers of Tagalog rap music his most famous verses are quoted or alluded to.