On March 28, 1924, de Jesús and other leading Tagalog writers met at a women's school in Tondo, Manila, under the auspices of Filipino educator Rosa Sevilla, to discuss how to celebrate the birth anniversary of Tagalog poet Francisco Balagtas on April 2.

De Jesús and Collantes were pitted against each other in a contrived rivalry and a showdown was set for October 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 was survived by his wife Asunción Lacdan de Jesús and children Teresa, José Jr., and Rogelio.

Many of his descendants now live in Canada, the United States as well as the Philippines, carrying on the family name of Aguila, as only his daughter Teresa, married and had children.