18 August, 1926

TODAY IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY:

Larry Alcala, well-known editorial cartoonist and illustrator, was born in Daraga, Albay.

His first comic strip was a parody of superman entitled “Siopaoman” in the Filipino comic book Halakhak.

Alcala was one of the first to use Taglish as a medium of communication with his “Kalabog en Bosyo” in 1947. He, pioneered animated cartoons and TV commercials in the country. He was given the title “Dean of Filipino Cartoonists” in 1997, an achievement award for his lifetime dedication to the art of capturing humour in the character and everyday life of Filpinos.

He made over 500 cartoon characters, 20 comic strips, six movies, two murals, and 15,000 published pages in his 56 years of professional cartooning career.

Alcala died on June 24, 2002 at the age of 75.

(Ref: Philippines News Agency archives; Photo from www.philippinecomics.net)