MANUEL E. ARGUILLA (1911-1944) was an Ilocano who wrote in English. He was best known for his short story "How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife." which received first price in the Commonwealth Literary Contest in 1940. Most of his stories depict life in Barrio Nagrebcan, Bauang, La Union, where he was born in 1911. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Education in 1933 at the University of the Philippines. He became a member and later the president of the UP Writers' Club and editor of the Literary Apprentice. He married Lydia Villanueva, another talented writer, and they lived in Ermita, Manila. Arguilla taught creative writing at the University of Manila and worked in the Bureau of Public Welfare as managing editor of the Welfare Advocate until 1943; afterwards, he was elected to the Board of Censors. He secretly established a guerilla intelligence unit against the Japanese during World War II. In August 1944, Manuel Arguilla was captured and executed by the Japanese.