José Zabala-Santos facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
José Zabala Santos
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| Born | July 20, 1911 Calumpit, Bulacan, Insular Government of the Philippine Islands, U.S.
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| Died | September 7, 1985 (aged 74) Manila, Philippines
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| Nationality |  Philippines |
| Other names | Mang Pepe |
| Occupation | Cartoonist |
José Zabala-Santos (born July 20, 1911 – died September 7, 1985) was a super talented Filipino cartoonist. People called him "Mang Pepe" (which means "Mister Pepe" in Tagalog) or just "Zabala." He was one of the first and most important cartoonists in the Philippines. In the 1950s, he became very popular because of his fun characters like Popoy, Sianong Sano, and Lukas Malakas. Zabala is known as one of the "respected names" in Filipino cartoons and comics.
Contents
Biography
José Zabala-Santos was born in Calumpit, Bulacan, Philippines, in 1911. But he grew up in Malabon, Rizal. His mom was a painter, and she taught him how to draw when he was little.
Learning to Draw
Zabala went to college at the School of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines. There, he met Francisco Reyes, another famous Filipino comics artist. But Zabala left school when he was only 16 years old. One reason was that the school didn't teach cartooning. Instead, he decided to take a cartooning course from the United States through mail (called correspondence learning). He earned a diploma from this course.
His Career as a Cartoonist
Zabala officially started his cartooning career in 1932. He got his start thanks to Amado V. Hernandez, who was the editor of Sampaguita magazine. During this time, he created his first characters: Titina, Lukas Malakas, and Popoy.
After Sampaguita magazine closed, Zabala moved to Liwayway Publications. In 1935, he created a new cartoon character named Sianong Sano for the Tagalog-language magazine Liwayway. His character Lukas Malakas also became very popular through Liwayway.
Zabala was the original creator of a cartoon page called Slice of Life, which showed everyday situations. His version was called Lifestyle. Later, another famous cartoonist, Larry Alcala (who was one of Zabala's students), made Slice of Life even more popular.
Zabala stopped cartooning for a short time in 1941 when World War II began. From 1942 to 1948, he worked for an advertising company called Manalang Advertising Agency. This is where he became interested in animation. After the war, Zabala joined Halakhak Komiks. There, he created Pinoy, a cartoon character similar to his earlier Popoy. He also drew covers for comic books while working at Halakhak Komiks.
After Martial Law in the Philippines was declared in 1972, Zabala retired from comics. He started working for the Philippine Manufacturing Company (PMC), which is now known as Procter & Gamble, in 1949. In 1955, Zabala worked on an animation project called Juan Tamad ("Lazy John") with Francisco Reyes. While at PMC, Zabala made a six-minute animated short film for one of the company's products.
In 1970, Zabala retired from the Philippine Manufacturing Company. He then joined the advertising agency of Francisco Reyes, another pioneer in Filipino comics. In 1978, Zabala worked with his nephew, Nonoy Marcelo, who was also a cartoonist. They worked together on Tadhana ("Fate"), a full-length animated film.
His Passing
José Zabala-Santos passed away in 1985 when he was 74 years old.
Awards and Recognition
Zabala received many honors and awards for his amazing work in the Philippine comics and magazine industry. Some of his awards include:
- The Komiks Operation Brotherhood (KOMOPEB) Life Achievement Award (1984).
- The 4th Gintong Parangal ng Malabon's Gawad ng Katangian (1984).
After he passed away, the Animation Council of the Philippines, Inc. (ACPI) gave him a Lifetime Achievement Award. This award was given during the Animahenasyon Pinoy Animation Festival in 2009.
See also
- Filipino cartoon and animation
- Tony Velasquez
- Vicente Manansala
- Francisco Coching
- Larry Alcala
