Jesús Manuel Santiago

Jesús Manuel Santiago, better known as Jess Santiago, is a Filipino poet, songwriter, singer-composer, protest musician and translator.

Early life and family He was born in Obando, Bulacan, Philippines. He was married to Lilia Quindoza Santiago, a professor in Filipino literature at the University of the Philippines, and also an accomplished poet and writer. They have four children: Haya Pagasa, Halina Mandala, Balagtas Himig Bayan, and Daniw.

Santiago was also awarded the Mother Country Award by the Polytechnic University of the Philippines because of his role as a figurehead in the people's music movement in the Philippines. He was a member of the Galian sa Arte at Tula, Cultural Action Program of the Asian Cultural Forum on Development (ACFOD), Asia-Pacific Regional Consultation on People's Culture, and National Union of Writers in the Philippines (PANULAT). He had been composing and performing for 15 years. He also has a column Usapang Kanto (Street Corner Talk) on the pages of the Pinoy Weekly newspaper in the Philippines.