"VISUAL ARTS"
1
BIOGRAPHY
Coching was born in Buting, Pasig, Rizal Province in the Philippines. He was the son of Gregorio Coching, a Filipino novelist in the Tagalog-language magazine Liwayway. Coching, acknowledged as the “Dean of Filipino Illustrators” and "King of Komiks". His illustrations and novels were products of that happy combination of fertile imagination, a love of storytelling, and fine draftsmanship. He synthesized images and stories informing Philippine folk and popular imagination of culture. His career spanned four decades.
​
Coching was unable to finish his studies in order to be an illustrator for Liwayway under the apprenticeship of Tony Velasquez. In 1934, at the age of fifteen, Coching created Bing Bigotilyo (Silahis Magazine). Coching had been influenced by Francisco Reyes, another pioneer in the Filipino comic book industry. In 1935, he created Marabini (an amazon warrior in Bahaghari Magazine). World War II interrupted Coching’s career in comics. He became a guerrillero (guerilla) for the Kamagong Unit of the Hunters-ROTC resistance organization.
HIS FAMOUS WORKS
After the Second World War, Coching created Hagibis, a Tarzan-like and Kulafu-like character in Liwayway Magazine. Other creations by Coching were Sabas, ang Barbaro (Sabas, the Barbarian, wherein the storyline was set during the Filipino revolution against Spain), Pedro Penduko, El Indio, Bertong Balutan, Don Cobarde, Ang Kaluluwa ni Dante (Dante's Soul), Pagano (Pagan), Haring Ulupong, Dumagit, Lapu-Lapu, Bulalakaw, Waldas, Talipandas, Palasig, Movie Fan, Anak ni Hagibis (a sequel to Hagibis), Gat Sibasib (another sequel to Hagibis), Satur, Dimasalang, Bella Bandida, El Vibora, Sa Ngalan ng Batas, and El Negro. El Negro (1974) was his last komiks novel.
PROCLAMATION
On June 20, 2014, pursuant to Proclamation No. 808, President Benigno S. Aquino III proclaimed him a National Artist for Visual Arts. The works and achievements of Francisco V. Coching has left a lasting influence on the succeeding generations of younger cartoonists and his comics as popular art has helped forge the practice and consciousness of Filipino as a national language.
DEATH
After 39 years in the komiks industry, Coching retired in 1973 at the age of 54. Coching was able to produce 53 komiks novels overall. He died at age of 79 on September 1, 1998.
