Juan Crisostomo Soto was a renowned Kapampangan poet, dramatist, journalist and revolutionary from Pampanga province. He was influential in developing Kapampangan literature and helped establish newspapers that promoted the language. Soto also actively participated in the Philippine revolution against Spanish colonial rule, holding leadership positions in the Katipunan underground movement and later fighting alongside revolutionary forces.

2. “Pampango” refers to the people who speak the
Pampango language or inhabit the
province of Pampanga. The name of the province
was coined by the early Spanish
conquerors from “pangpang” or “pangpangan”
which means riverbank.
“Kapampangan” literally means “region of, or
people inhabiting riverbanks.”
Pampango is the Spanish version of “Pampanga.”

3. Pampanga Province
Located in Central Luzon
Capital City:
San Fernando, Pampanga
• The name “La Pampanga”
was given by spaniards
who found the early
natives living near the
river bank

4. Pampanga Province
Located in Central Luzon
Borders:
• Zambales and bataan in
west
• Tarlac and Nueva Ecija in
north
• Bulacan in South East

5. Pampanga Province
The province is home of 2
Philippine Air Bases
• Basa Air base in
Floridabalanca
• U.S. Clark Air Base in
Angeles City

6. Pampanga Province
• The inhabitants of
Pampanga are generally
referred to
Kapampangans,
Pampango or
Pampangueños

7. Pampanga Province
• The Province of
Pampanga is the
Culinary Capital of the
Philippines

8. Pampanga Province
• Kapampangan ranks
seventh among 8 majors
languages in Philippines

9. Pampanga Province
Crissotan – A debate in
verse and was named in
Honor of Juan Crisostomo
Soto

10. Full Name:
Juan Crisóstomo Caballa
Soto
A.K.A.:
Crissot “The Father of
Pampango Literature”
Born : January 27, 1867
Died: July 12, 1918
Father: Santiago Soto
Mother: Marciana CaballaJUAN CRISOSTOMO SOTO

11. Family Background:
Soto married twice. By his first
wife Julia Amaida, who died in
1903, he had six children. He
remarried on 24 January 1910,
this time to Rosario Palma,
with whom he had four
children.
Soto’s maternal grandfather,
Sixto Caballa, was also a local
poet who participated in
poetical debates known as
karagatan. The debate is now
called Crissotan in Soto's
honor.
JUAN CRISOSTOMO SOTO

12. He was a:
• Poet
• Dramatist
• Journalist
• Newspaperman
JUAN CRISOSTOMO SOTO

13. JUAN CRISOSTOMO SOTO
Other Information:
After graduating, Soto enrolled
in the Colegio de San Juan de
Letrán and studied philosophy,
Latin and theology. However, his
passion for poetry and theatrical
plays prohibited him from
finishing with a degree. He went
back to Bacolor before the
school year was over and wrote
a Pampango version of the
Shakespeare play, Romeo and
Juliet. His version was entitled
“Ing Pamaquisawa ning Mete”
(“The Marriage of the Dead”).

14. JUAN CRISOSTOMO SOTO
Soto’s first attempt in
producing a play failed. Yet, he
did not go back to college as
he fell in love with the girl who
played Juliet in his play. His
father did not approve of the
relationship and instead he
was wed to Julia Almaida in
1891. His next works were all
Pampango adaptations from
Spanish plays, namely: Ing
Marino, Ding Mipalsinta
Teruel, Fausto and I Neron
Ampon Ding Gladiadores.

15. JUAN CRISOSTOMO SOTO
As Revolutionary:
It was Francisco Makabulos that
introduced Soto to the Katipunan.
Once in the organization, the poet
worked with Maximino Hizón in
building the organization’s chapter
in Pampanga. Later on, he enlisted
himself as a volunteer in the
Spanish government’s forces to be
able to score arms and
ammunitions for the revolutionary
movement. When the Spanish
government learned about his
secret mission and his safety was
compromised, he left his chapter
and joined the Katipunero force
organized by Tomas Mascardo.

16. JUAN CRISOSTOMO SOTO
As Revolutionary:
Soto was active during the second
stage of the Revolution and was shot
twice in action, first in Porac then in
Floridablanca. He was promoted to
captain for his heroic work.
Meanwhile, he contributed his writing
skills to the revolutionary paper La
Independencia when the said
periodical was set up in San Fernando.
He joined the guerilla forces at the
time the Americans finally took over
Pampanga but he was captured by
American soldiers while visiting some
relatives in Bacolor and was
imprisoned in a convent in Guagua. It
was during his imprisonment that he
wrote Sigalut.

17. JUAN CRISOSTOMO SOTO
As Revolutionary:
After being released from prison,
Soto continued to write plays while
also writing for the periodicals El
Liberal and La Publicidad. The
playwright helped Luther Parker in
writing An English-Spanish-
Pampango Dictionary together with
Modesto Joaquin. In 1906, he
edited the Pampango publication
Ing Imangabiran, where his only
novel, Lidia, appeared serially. The
said serial was published in book
form but all of its copies were
burned. The wealthy woman who
bought all of the copies was
believed to be the same woman
being referred to in the novel.

18. JUAN CRISOSTOMO SOTO
As Revolutionary:
After Ing Imangabiran’s publication
ended, he found himself editing the
paper Ing Balen. Later on, he became
editor of Ing Alipatpat, the publication
he founded together with Pascual
Gozún and Félix Galura. The paper’s
first issue appeared on 3 November
1917. It was in this publication that his
Pampango translation of José Rizal’s
Noli Me Tangere appeared. However,
the playwright died a year later, so the
paper ceased publishing, leaving the
translated work unfinished.
Soto used the pen names Crissot, Rubí,
Natis Balén, Lacan Batbat, Vitaliano in
his verses and Julio Septiembre in his
articles.

19. JUAN CRISOSTOMO SOTO
List of literacy work:
Most of Soto’s works have
remained unpublished and most of
those that were preserved were
written during the American period.