Fernando A. Buyser, the Aglipayan
Bishop Buyser was born on May 30, 1879 in Merida, Leyte. He was ordained as a priest of the Philippine Independent Church which used to be called the Aglipayan Church after its founder Bishop Gregorio Aglipay. He was a ship captain before he became a priest. He became a close associate of Don Vicente Yap Sotto, the Father of Cebuano Journalism, Language, and Literature. Sotto became close with Bishop Gregorio Aglipay and became the legal counsel of the church in numerous legal battles. Sotto was the benefactor of the Aglipayan Church movement in the Visayas, and it was he who supported the construction of the church built in 1902 coming from the profits of his stage play “Paghigugma sa Yutang Natawhan” (this became the first Cebuano stage play that Sotto wrote, directed, and produced). The church still stands along Mabini Street, Parian, Cebu City.
The first poem written by Bishop Buyser was published by Vicente Sotto’s Ang Suga in 1906, the first Cebuano newspaper. Buyser invented the “sonanoy” a sonnet form of writing. Buyser was among the writers featured and studied in what was called the “Bisayan Literature from Pre-Spanish times to 1917.” This was written by Encarnacion Gonzaga who did the thesis on Cebuano literature at the University of the Philippines in 1917.
Bishop Buyser came up with a publication of the Philippine Independent Church in 1904 called the “Yutang Natawhan.” In his book “Cebuano Literature,” National Artist Prof. Resil Mojares notes that the publication of Buyser came out at the same time, the Catholic periodical “Ang Romanhon” was also founded with Tomas Bagyo as editor.
Decades later another publication of the Philippine Independent Church was created by Bishop Buyser, this time he called it “Ang Salampati.” Its maiden issue came out in October 1921.
Among the many brilliant literary works of Bishop Buyser were: “Mga Damgo sa usa ka Pari” (Vicente Sotto made the introduction while he was in self-exile in Hong Kong), “Ang Bulawan ug ang Brillante,” “Ang Panimalus sa usa ka Aswang,” Kaagi nga masolub-on ni Maria Sumalinog,” “Dungog ug Kamatayon,” “Mga Sugilanong Karaan,” and “Mga Sugilanong Pilipinhon.”
Bishop Fernando A. Buyser died on November 18, 1946 in Timamana, Surigao.
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