Politicians urged to try ‘balagtasan’ during sorties

MANILA, Philippines – Tired of the routine and boring speeches of candidates on stage? Try sprucing up the campaign sorties with “balagtasan,” including the use of verse to introduce candidates.

This is the suggestion of National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario, who believes that the balagtasan, where two or more persons debate on a particular subject through poetry, can be a fresh, catchy alternative to boring campaign speeches.

Aside from the usual singers, dancers and comedians hired to provide a break from speeches, Almario said candidates could add the balagtasan to their routine.

Almario, chairman of the Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino, said that he would encourage politicians and their political parties to revive the old Filipino way of verbal jousting.

“I think this will click, especially in the provinces,” he said.

He also encouraged politicians to consider hiring local poets in the areas where they will hold sorties to give a patula or poetic-style of introducing themselves to the crowd.

“In fact, I have seen politicians who were given a patula way of introduction. There could be politicians who prefer a literary way of promoting themselves. They could hire the local poets in the provinces,” Almario added.

Meanwhile, Almario said he is looking and would vote for candidates who would champion the cause of promoting literature and knowledge in the country.

He believed that the voting public should understand the importance of literature in creating the people’s identity as Filipinos. 

While there might be more urgent issues, Almario said that literature should also be given the same importance.

His call for candidates to include the promotion of literature in their platforms was announced yesterday during the press launch for the celebration of the Second National Literature Month in April.

Almario, National Commission for Culture and the Arts officer-in-charge executive director Adelina Suemith and National Book Development Board (NBDB) chairperson Flor Marie Sta. Romana Cruz said they have scheduled several literary and cultural events next month.

The theme for this year’s celebration is “Alab ng Panitikan.”

One of the activities is the youth camp at the Orion Elementary School in the Bataan town where the Tagalog poet Francisco Baltazar, known as Balagtas, lived a significant part of his life.