Filipino Poetry
Cebuano, Hiligaynon, and Tagalog

DALITEXT was made more timely, relevant, and controversial by the sudden turn of events known as ”The Oakwood Mutiny”! (A bloddy coup attempt against the present government) The following year, in 2004, CLA did a similar contest but I suggested three liners (with seven syllables each)as known as DIONATEXT! Again, it was the National Arts Month, and we wanted to pay tribute to parents. And coming from a pro-sagrada familia country, getting 40,000 dionas a month was not surprising. But what was astounding was we received entries from as far as Qatar, Kuwait, Riyadh, Bahrain, and Hongkong. National Artist for Literature, Dean Virgilio S. Almario of the UP College of Arts, could not help but comment as the chair of the Board of Judges: “This project democratizes literature. From the dionas, we can read between the lines family values among Filipinos. That even amidst crisis, we can still find time to show concern for our loved ones.” Some of the best testimonies are as follows:

This year (please specify year) has been witnessing disasters, natural and man-made, so NCCA saw it fit to use poetry as a means to entertain and educate people. This was the reason for TEXTSAWIKAIN’s existence. Unlike its three predecessors, sawikain or salawikain or proverb was boxed in two lines with eight syllables. Such limitation freed the images and imaginations of each of the so-called didactic poets:

Si Narsiso ay natakot
Nang mapatitig sa ilog.
Noel T. Fortun

Lunting puno, hanging lantay,Gregorio M. Rodillo

Naghihilod ba si Lam-ang
Sa pasig kaya masangsang?
April Jade Imson

Apitong akasya’t nara
Huwag ilagay sa bulsa!
Ferdinand Bajado

Pag Piedras Platas wala na;
Magdadalit ang Adarna.
Rene Ayala

Handog Niya’ng paraiso,
Huwag mong gawing disyerto.
Ferdinand Bajado

"Nilalambat ko'y salinas,
Huli'y lata ng sardinas."
Rolando P. Yape

Sirang payaw sa Banawe
Sumugat kay Idyanale.
Remigio Alvarez Alva

While TEXTSAWIKAIN was implemented in the whole archipelago, there were other simultaneous competitions in the regions.

TEXTIGMO for the Cebuanos (or texting a two-liner with equal number of syllables) that was conducted in Cebu and Davao . And the following won awards in the Visayas:

Mga mata maoy gipislat, ang agtang maoy nilurat
(Mga mata ang pinipisak, ang noo ang lumiliwanag.)

Answer: cellphone
Betsy Ferolino

In Mindanao, two poets shared one first prize:

Kung mugawas iyang sirad-an, kung muabot iyang ablihan.
(Pag lalabas, ito’y kanyang sinasarhan , pag darating, ito’y kanyang binubuksan.)

Answer: door
Dexter Murillo

Kon giinitan ka, lisoa sya/ kay bugnawng hangin iyang ibuga.
(Kapag naiinitan ka ito’y pihitin, at magbubuga ito ng malamig na hangin.)

Answer: aircon
Raul G. Moldez

In Iloilo, on the other hand, TEXTPAKTAKON was for the Ilonggos (or texting a riddle with three or four lines that may or may not rhyme) and here are the winning entries:

Tarheta ko nga plastic
Subra pa sa magic
Ibag-id lang nakun
Bayad tanan nga balaklun.

(Tarheta kong plastic
Sobra pa sa madyik
Ikaskas ko lamang
Binili ko’y nababayaran.)

Answer: credit card
Marcel Milliam

Telegrama sang reyna
Mabaton insigida
Kun ikaw magsabat sa iya
Tagpiso kada padala.

(Telegrama ng reyna
Mabilis agad na nakuha
Kung sasagutin mo siya
Piso bawat padala.)

Answer: text message
Marcel Milliam

Wala nagapakilimos
Pero ginadahuan kwarta
Indi siya hari
Pero may trono sia
.

(Hindi siya namamalimos
Pero inaabutan ng pera
Hindi siya hari
Pero may trono siya.)

Answer: jeepney driver
Resurreccion Hidalgo

Indi hayop, indi tawo
Wara’t baba, wara’t ulo
Pero may bibig nga naganganga
Kon mangagat, gapabilin ang unto.

(Hindi hayop, hindi tao,
Walang baba, walang ulo,
Pero may nakangangang bibig
Kung mangagat, ngipi’y kumakapit.)

Answer: stapler
Genevieve Asenjo

Umido nga bombilya
Gina-tangisan sang kusinera.

(Pundidong bumbilya
Iniiyakan ng kusinera.)

Answer: sibuyas Bombay
Bryan Mari Argos

Through the SMS, more or less, we were able to introduce the Indigenous to the Contemporary. TEXTANAGA et al. succeeded in marrying not merely Then and Now but the Arts and Sciences too.

A Celebration of Filipino Poetry