<figure class="image-550">
<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-28/imagined-jose-de-la-cruz.webp" alt="A black-and-white pencil sketch imagining the face of an elderly 18th-century Filipino intellectual, José de la Cruz (Huseng Sisiw), wearing a traditional Barong Tagalog." loading="lazy" />
<figcaption>
An artist's interpretation of José de la Cruz, the mentor of Francisco Balagtas. Because he lived during the late 1700s and early 1800s, no authentic photographs or contemporary paintings of him are known to exist.
</figcaption>
</figure>

<h2>
Birth and background
</h2>
<p>
José de la Cruz was born on <time datetime="1746-12-21">December 21, 1746</time> in <a href="/articles/3255/tondo-manila-from-ancient-kingdom-to-urban-icon" class="news_link">Tondo, Manila</a>, then part of the Spanish-controlled Captaincy General of the Philippines. Coming from a poor family, he could not pursue formal schooling, but educated himself through constant reading and exposure to religious and instructional texts.
</p>
<p>
Despite these economic limitations, he eventually learned to read the Katon at Cartilla (Spanish primers) and the Doctrina Christiana, as well as basic Philosophy, Canon Law, and Theology, reflecting both his intellectual curiosity and the catechetical environment of Spanish Manila.
</p>


<h2>
Self-education and languages
</h2>
<p>
An oft-cited anecdote tells how, at about eight years old, he impressed two Spanish Jesuits who asked for directions while he was bathing in a nearby river; he answered them in Spanish, a language he had learned on his own by reading. The priests were reportedly so struck by his intelligence and courtesy that they stayed to converse with him rather than continue to their original destination.
</p>
<p>
Over time, De la Cruz gained command not only of Tagalog and Spanish but also of Latin and Greek, a rare accomplishment for a poor indio of his era. This multilingual ability later informed the breadth of his writing, which drew on religious, historical, and classical themes.
</p>

<h2>
Poet, dramatist, and "Huseng Sisiw"
</h2>
<p>
By his teens, De la Cruz was already recognized in his community for his gift with words, his mature command of Tagalog, and his ability to compose verses that "awakened the hearts and souls" of his listeners. He wrote songs, ballads, and comedias (stage plays) in Tagalog, and became one of the earliest prominent Tagalog writers under Spanish rule.
</p>
<p>
He acquired the nickname "Huseng Sisiw" ("José the Chick") because those who asked him to compose love poems would pay him with live chicks (sisiw) rather than money. The moniker stuck in literary circles, and he became better known by this palayaw than by his legal name.
</p>


Huseng Sisiw: Tagalog Poet Who Mentored Balagtas

Born in Tondo on December 21, 1746, Huseng Sisiw became the King of Tagalog Poets and the mentor of Balagtas, author of Florante at Laura.

December 21, 1746: Jose de la Cruz, mentor of Francisco Balagtas, was born in Tondo, Manila