Whether it is regional or
national literary landscape, the real problem is not really with the number of
literary practitioners—it is with the number of readers. This was discussed in Cirilo F. Bautista’s latest column in
the Philippine Panorama last Sunday, August 19, 2007. Because we cannot get
more Filipinos to pick-up literary titles by Filipino authors, we have lesser
incentives for our writers..
Truly, we do not even see authors
being featured on TV during primetime news. We are yet to see the Palanca Awards being featured in TV Patrol. Only Cecile Guidote-Alvarez’ NBN program made a run on the latest Talaang Ginto and Gawad Soc Rodrigo in Malacañang last April. We are
lucky here in Bicol because our local ABS-CBN, particularly the Bikol Espesyal: Oragon Na! would
sometime focus its lens on literary activities.
One big challenge is to write even without contests.
Writers ought to be given prizes because they are writing, and not write so that
they will be given prizes. The deadline for the Bikol division of Gawad Komisyon 2007 sponsored by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino has
recently been given indefinite extension due to lack of entries. Now the Bikol
writer needs to make-up for this neglect. We should look at the Tausug writers
who made a staggering turn-out of hundreds of entries.
Or perhaps the notion that we have more Bikol poets than fictionists or
essayists is correct. The Gawad opened only the short-fiction and essay category for the
Bikol division. And lets us also consider the upcoming Tagalog poetry anthology
by Cirilo F. Bautista to be launched
on August 30, 3pm at the
World
Trade
Center
. Bikolnons are
expected to take-up much space in the collection. No less than the assistant
editor himself, Allan Popa, is a
Bikolnon along with Carlo A. Arejola,
Jaime Jesus B. Borlagdan, Jose Jason L. Chancoco and Kristian S. Cordero; whose poems will
also see print in the said book.
Now if Filipinos do not like to buy books with a single
author, maybe his/her communal nature coupled with ‘pakyawan’ culture would
prefer an anthology. The more names, the better. Or perhaps publishing via the
literary sections of various magazines and newspapers would be the easiest way
to reach one’s audience via the so-called ‘literary bangketa’. A poem safely
tucked in the pages of Philippine
Panorama could fly as second-class mail and land in the magazine/newspaper
stands of
Mindanao
, and even crawl its way to
the front right there in Basilan or Jolo.
Let me reprint here my latest Bikol poem published in the August 12-18 issue of the Bikol Reporter (All Rights Reserved)
MINAPOON SA
PALIBOT AN PAGLALANG
Minapoon sa palibot an paglalang
Arog baga
kan
pagtaram kaning uran.
Dangogon ta: Ining paros nakurahaw
Nin emosyon
kan
panahon na dalisay.
Kan
mayo pang minaabot na dayuhan
Na nagsakop poon bukid astang
pampang.
Alagad an satong birtud minasanib.
Kan
an dila
kan
poeta minalangoy
Sa salog
kan
sadiri n’yang tataramon.
Kan
an langkaw kaning kalag asin dunong
Tinatangad bilang kusog nin
Oragon.
Alagad an satong birtud minasanib.
Kan
pigmukna ining nasyong Filipinas
Kan
kikilat na nagkilyab haling luwas.
Kinuryente an puso ta asin kalag.
An hawak ta asin isip
nagsiribwag.
Alagad an satong birtud minasanib.
Taong-lipod an poetang
nagdadangog
Sa pag-awit
kan
kadlagan asin bulod.
Kun an banwa sa dayuhan
minasulog,
An boses n’ya sa may Sulong
minaanod.
Talinghagang Ingles, Bikol o
Tagalog,
Sa papel man o sa bayle kaning
duros,
Minatadyok sa may s’yudad garo
pandok
Kan
santelmong dai dakop kaning kamot.
K
un kaya an satong birtud minasanib
Minapoon sa palibot an paglalang.
An pagsulit
kan
memorya
kan
kagabsan
Kan
poeta sarong ritwal na eternal.
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