Onofre A. Abellanosa, Dramatist-Poet of Cebu City

Onofre was born on June 11, 1913 in Pardo, Cebu City. A member of the great Abellanosa clan of Pardo. His father was Baldomero Abellanosa, also a writer and a musician. His mother was Cirila Abasalo.

One of the works of Onofre, “Kolilising Hari, Haring Gangis”, is now preserved in microfilm at the Cornell University Library, New York University. His work in 1956, “Karaang Talamdan sa mga Damgo” is also at the National Library of the Philippines.

Onofre’s siblings are also literary giants--Victorino (elder, born on December 23, 1903, playwright of Ninoy and King Solomon, staged in Cebu, Bohol, Leyte and Negros), Jose and Miguel.

Onofre also contributed to Ramon D. Abellanosa’s “Pilipinhon”, a magazine that saw print from 1957 to 1961. It had Jose Ma. Del Mar, Napoleon Dejoras and Ivar T. Gica as associates.

The dramas written by Onofre were the following: “Miranda” which was written in 1930 and played in Pardo in the same year and Opon (now Lapulapu City) in 1932. His father, Baldomero, composed the music of the play.

Another was “Gahum sa Latigo” with Nicolas V. Pacifico written in 1967. The Kolilising Hari written in 1967 is a collection of the verses used in a popular folk game in which participants match wits in verse.

The collection of riddles and kolilisi verses of Onofre was made into a book by Cecilio dela Riarte and published by Nicholas Pacifico Publications.

Onofre wrote an article that was published in “Bisaya” on February 9, 1949 entitled “Kinabuhi sa usa ka magbabalak”.

National Artist Prof. Resil B. Mojares wrote about the Abellanosa brothers in a book entitled “Cebuano Literature” with the sub-title “A Survey and Bio-Bibliography with Finding List” written in 1975, published by the University of San Carlos.

Onofre married Maria Villena Pacres. They were blessed with 10 children--Themistocles, Mansueto, Andres, Franklin, Paz, Editha, Onofre Jr., Edgar, Desiree and Rico.