At  age  seven,  he  was  enrolled  in  a  public  school in his hometown.  He finished his high school  in  1908.    He  was  15  when  he  entered  the  Philippine  Normal  School.  However,  at  the insistence of his father, he transferred to the University of the Philippines. At UP he started writing for the school organ.  A brilliant student, he later became its editor-in-chief.  Among his equally brilliant classmates, were Pilar Hidalgo-Lim and Jose Hilario.

Together, they managed the school newspaper. At age 21, he was named principal of the Instituto de Manila, a prestigious school for gifted and well-off students.    Later,  he  became  an  English  professor  at UP. 

Some of his achievements include being an editor of The Manila Tribune, Rising Philippines, The Philippines Herald, and the National Weekly. He was also the chief of the publications division of the Department of Justice. He was also the technical assistant to Manuel L. Quezon and later on became President of the Philippine Senate. 

He died on October 23, 1936.

In his honor, a marker was installed in his hometown on January 21, 1983.  One of his works is "The Rural Maid" which is a lyric poem that follows the structure of a sonnet.