 He was given the name "Huseng Sisiw" (José the Chick) because if ever someone asks him to write a poem about love, he wants live chicks ("sisiw" in Tagalog) to be given to him as a payment.In addition, his dietary preferences involved eating younger livestock, those that have not yet reached adulthood, even in vegetables and roasted pig.He was also the mentor of Francisco Balagtas, a poet who would later be known as the "Father of Tagalog Literature" in poetry.