Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
NINETEENTH CONGRES S
First Regular Session
HOUSE B|LLNo.   4952
RECEIVED
h^TSEP   1  9  2022
*     TIME;
Introduced by:  REP. SALVADOR A. PLEYTO, SR.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Francisco  Santiago  was  born  on  January  29,   1889  in  Santa  Maria,  Bulacan  to
musically  minded peasant parents,  Felipe  Santiago  and  Maria  Santiago.  In  1908,  his  rust
composition, P%rj.Ja, was dedicated to the fust Carnival Queen, Pura Villanueva, who later
married the distinguished scholar Teodoro Kalaw.
HestudiedattheUniversityofthePhilippinesqu)ConservatoryofMusic,obtaining
a degree in Piano in 1921, and a degree in Science and Composition in  1922. He went to the
United  States  to  pursue  further  education.  He  fast  obtained  his  master's  degree  at  the
AmericanConservatoryofMusicinJune1923,andfmallyaDoctoratedegreeattheChicago
MusicalSchoolinAugust1924.HeisthefirstFilipinomusiciantoattainadoctoratedegree.
He  became the  director of the UP  Conservatory of Music  in  1930,  after the  entire
music  faculty  and  students  of the  conservatory protested  for the  removal  of the previous
director,AlexanderLippay,forallegedharassmentofstudentsandmusicians.Santiagoisthe
firstFilipinodirectoroftheConservatory.
In  1934,  the  President  of the  university,  Jorge  Bocobo,  launched  a  committee  to
collect  and  document  folk  songs  of the  Philippines.  Francisco  Santiago  was  named  the
chairman of the  committee.  Pat of this  committee were  Dancer Francisca Reyes-Aquino,
who  notated  numerous  folk  dances  and  compiling  them  in  several  books,  and  Composer
Antonino    Buenaventura,    who    transcribed    numerous    folk    music,    including    those
accompanying the dances recorded by Reyes-Aquino.
In  193711939 Santiago would compose his masterpiece -the  ''ragri./og" Symphony
in D Major.  It is  one of the  first Filipino classical works to  feature Philippine instruments
such as the gangsa and sulibaw.
During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines the University of the Philippines
was closed doun by the invading Japanese forces. In 1942, Francisco Santiago became music
director of the newly established avow Pfrz./;.;Zzpj.#es Syxpfrony Orcdesfro - created to replace
the Manila  Symphony Orchestra who refused to play under the Japanese rule.  In  1943  he
suffered a heart attack and his hand and ann were later paralyzed in an illness.


OnFebruary5,1945,duringtheLjberationofManila,whilethefandlywasescaping
their  neighborhood  due  to  constant  bombing,  a  cat  full  of Santiago's  compositions  and
manuscripts caught fne near the buning Quiapo Church. The family eventually escaped the
shelling,butmostofSantiago'scompositionsweredestroyed
This  bill  seeks to  commemorate and celebrate the  life  of Francisco  Santiago,  who,
truly is, our pride and inspiration in Santa Maria, Bulacan..Hence, its immediate passage is
earnestly sought.


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
NINETEENTH CONGRES S
First Regular Session
HOUSEBILLNo.    4952
Introduced by:  REP. SALVADOR A. PLEYTO, SR.
ANACTDECLARINGEVERY29thDAYOFJANUARYASFRANCISCO
sANTIAGoDAy,AspEclALNON-woRKINGHOLIDAyINT]un
MUNICIPALITYOFSANTARARIA,PROVINCEOFBULACANINHONOROF
THE LIFE AND MUSIC 0F FRANCISC0 SANTIAGO
Baesst:#b;ecfdbytheSerrateandtheHouseOfRepresentativesOfthePhilippinesinCongress
assembled:
SECTION  1.    January  29  of every  year  is  hereby  declared  a  special  non-working
holidayintheMunicipalityofSantaMaria,Bulacantocelebrateandhonorthelifeandmusic
of Francisco Santiago.
SEC. 2 The Municipal Government of Santa Maria, Bulacan shall plan and implement
appropriateceremoniesfortheannualobservanceoftheFranciscoSantiagoday.
SEC. 3. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official
Gazette of in newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,