Born in Palasinan, Cabiao, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, he was educated at the University of the East where he studied AB Filipino.
Even then, he was already seeking others who shared the same interest in language, by spending most of his time with poet-friends such as Virgilio S. Almario and Teo Antonio at the University of the East.
He co-authored and edited Manlilikha, an anthology of poems, considered by some critics as a monumental achievement in modern Filipino poetry in the 1960s.
He served as a consultant for literature at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and country editor of Tenggara, a literary journal of Southeast Asia published in Malaysia.
He was a recipient of 'Poet of the Year' award from SWP and Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas from UMPIL (Writers Union of the Philippines).