"There’s an Alligator!": An Approach to the Study of the Poem A la Laguna de Bay by Fernando Canon

Perseverance is the key to understanding Fernando Canon, a man who participated in the most important events of Philippine history at the turn of the 20th century. He was an Ilustrado who fought with the Katipunan revolution; helped Rizal distribute his novel Noli me tangere in the Philippines in 1887; acted as a member of the Malolos Congress; taught in 1908 at the School of Engineering and Architecture; served as Secretary of the University of the Philippines’ Conservatory of Music upon its foundation in 1916; and wrote and published essays and poetry. When he was almost 60 years old, he fulfilled his childhood promise to his friend, José Rizal, and published this narrative poem A la Laguna de Bay in 1921.