José Corazón de Jesús, also known by his pen name Huseng Batute, was a Filipino poet who used Tagalog poetry to express the Filipinos' desire for independence specially during the American occupation of the Philippines, a period that lasted from 1901 to 1946. He is best known for being the lyricist of the Filipino song Bayan Ko.
On March 28, 1924, De Jesús and other leading Tagalog writers met at Instituto de Mujeres (Women's Institute)in Tondo, Manila to discuss how to celebrate the birth anniversary of Tagalog poet Francisco Balagtas on April 2. They decided to hold a traditional duplo, or a dramatic debate in verse that was in its waning days in the 1920s. They changed the format of the duplo and renamed it balagtasan in honor of Balagtas.
There were three pairs of poets who participated in the first balagtasan on April 6, 1924 at the institution, but the audience were most impressed by De Jesús and another Filipino poet, Florentino Collantes.
The balagtasan was an instant hit and it later became a common feature in Manila's biggest and most expensive theaters until the 1950s. De Jesus and Collantes were pitted against each other in a contrived rivalry and a showdown was set for Oct. 18, 1925 at the Olympic Stadium. De Jesús was acclaimed winner of the showdown and was dubbed "Hari ng Balagtasan" (king of versified debate). He held the title until his death in 1932.
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