Contemporary Boholano Literature, How Are You?

--Socorro Anne P. Revilla

Distinguished guests, esteemed writers, fellow teachers, friends…how

are you? There are certainly different responses to this simple question in as

much as there are different personalities that this venue contains.

Nevertheless, I would like to express my happiness to have been given this

privilege to stand before a group of intellectuals so that we explore together

the answer to the question “How is our Boholano Contemporary Literature?”

Bohol is known to the world through the lush Chocolate Hills, unique

tarsier, incomparable beaches and other various sights that only this island

province can offer. Being the seat of the renowned “Sandugo” festival, it

also has a rich historical and cultural heritage since it is one of the earliest

Spanish settlements in the country (NCAA, 2003).

This affluence of culture is handed down from generation to

generation through the structures like the Capitol building fronting St.

Joseph’s Cathedral, stone churches in Baclayon, Loon and Alburquerque and

the Spanish-inspired houses which until now stand to attest time and history,

the successes and the struggles the province has gone through.

Aside from these edifices, Boholano culture is also woven in the

literary pieces written by Boholanos themselves. Hornedo (2004) confirms

that literature is one of the primary institutions that transmit the culture of

the society through generations. Indeed, literature, specifically poetry, keeps

immemorial many of the country’s early practices (Tiempo, 1993). Hence,

Boholano writers serve as the province’s keepers of the memories,

“guardians of the legacy or healers of the soul” (Evasco, 1999).

This function of the poet becomes more evident when natives writing

within their own cultural and social milieu use their language. Jose (2006)

contends that the continuity in our literary tradition lies in our vernaculars.

As such, many Boholano poets write verses in their own tongue. Inoc

(2002) notes that there are 229 titles of poetry writings gathered from 34

Boholano poets. Sadly, only a few of them saw print so Boholanos fail to

enjoy them.

On the other hand, in the present-day literary community more and

more writers carved their niches as these Boholano artists write both in Bol-

anong Binisaya and in English, publish and win recognition from award-

giving bodies. For the purpose of this discussion, I have chosen three

Boholano poets and their respective works in their mother tongue.

The first poet is Noel P. Tuazon. (look at the powerpoint) An AB Literature graduate, Roy (as he is fondly called among friends) has been writing various literary genres like short stories and poems in both Bol-anong Binisaya and Filipino. This Boholano third placer for Maikling Kuwento-Cebuano category in the Don Carlos Palanca Sr. Memorial Award continues to produce works not only in fiction but also in poetry. In fact, his works made it to the Komisyon ng Wika GAWAD in 2007 and 2008. This disciple of Dr. Leo Deriada has won Bathalad Mindanao (poetry category) in 2009, the Homelife Annual Poetry Competition twice (second prize in

1998, first prize in 1999, both in the Filipino category). His works have been published in Graphic, Free Press and Homelife magazines.

BAKI ni Noel P. Tuazon

Sa mga higayong sama niini:maglagasak ang bunok-uwansa mga dahon ug mohapyod ang kabugnaw sa amihan,madungog ko na usab ang hudyaka sa mga baki:magsauy-saoy, magsungogsa akong pag-inusara.Unsaon, mibiya kang wala ganimagpahibawo kung mobalik pa.Di man nako tuyuon,ang ilang awit manuktoksa akong kasingkasing,mosuhot sa balatian, ug hilantanang galamhan sa kamingaw.Bisag kada gabii kongnangandoy nga hulipanang sauy-saoy nilang hudyakasa kainit sa ato unyang katawa,ayaw kog ingna nga kutloonko na usab ang lain pang gabiinga ikaw handumong moabot?

Ugma, dakpon kog kan-onang tanang mga baki.

In this literary piece, the voice tells of a beautiful friendship. The

following lines (12-19) prove the wonderful memories that the friends

shared.

Ang ilang awit manuktok

Sa akong kasingkasing,Mosuhot sa balatian, ug hilantanAng galamhan sa kamingaw.Bisag kada gabii kongNangandoy nga hulipanAng sauy-saoy nilang hudyakaSa kainit sa ato unyang katawa,

Unfortunately, this friendship is short-lived because one left. In

Bohol, it is common among professionals to try their luck outside the

province. The addressee might have left in order to work or to find his or

her fortune outside Bohol but he did not have the chance to talk with and tell

the one who was left behind. This reveals the adventurous nature of the

Boholanos. Putong (1965) quotes Geraldo (1958) who says that Boholanos

are pioneering. They are not afraid of difficulties. Instead, they consider the

challenges as “calculated risks” and are part of their every day lives. So now

the speaker, missing his friend away from him, is reminded of their fond

memories through the croak of the frogs. As these little creatures continue

with their joyful noise, the persona seems impatient of his friend’s return so

he utters a striking last couplet : Ugma, dakpon kog kan-on/ Ang tanang

mga baki. Possibly, the beauty of their friendship is now overtaken by

yearning so he would rather keep the memories and go on with his own life

with or without his very dear friend.

The second poet is the well-acclaimed Marjorie Evasco who traces

her roots to Maribojoc, Bohol. (see the powerpoint) Evasco has received

several Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards, National Book Awards from

the Manila Critics’ Circle, Arinday (Siliman University), Gintong Aklat

(Book Development Association of the Philippines) and Philippines Free

Press prizes for her poems and essays. Her poems have appeared in many

important anthologies including Luna Caledonia and Six Women Poets. She

has been published extensively in Asia, Europe and North America. She has

also received various international fellowships.

Evaso’s prize-winning poetry books are: Dreamweavers: Selected

Poems 1976-1986 (1987) and Ochre Tones: Poems in English and Cebuano

(1999). Evasco was a founding member of two organizations espousing the

cause of women writers: Writers Involved in Creating Cultural Alternatives

(WICCA) and Women in Literary Arts (WILA).

BABAYENG TALABON ni Marjorie Evasco

Nagsugyot kining dalit nga sugilanonGikan sa daang nasud sa imong inahanNga mobukhad gikan sa likod sa akong mga dalungganAng mga puting pako sa talabon.

Ang tubig may-ong sa pagkahablon sa panumduman:Kaniadto, namati ang usa ka bata sa iyang amahanNagtawag sa mga talabon didto sa lunhawng basakan.

Sa kalinaw sa panganinaw,Ako nahimong babayeng talabon,Nagsalirap og seda gikan sa mga balhibo,Nagkidlap-kidlap sama sa tubig,Didto sa asul nga luok.

Motugpa ako sa baybayon karong kilum-kilumUg itiklop ang akong lawas didto Sa sakuban sa pagbinugtong.Niwang na sa akong pagtukaw,Nagdamgo ako’g kahayagNanakop ug kilabSa asugiSa tubig.

Ug hilomNa usabAko Karon.

The beauty of childhood and how this contributes to the maturity of an

individual is illustrated in the poem “Babayeng Talabon”. This piece

recounts the transformation of an innocent child to a brave woman that is not

afraid to explore the heights. Despite the altitude she has reached in her

flight, the later part of the poem provides a detail of rest and homecoming.

As what has been mentioned, Boholanos are naturally adventurous that they

migrate to other provinces in search of greener pastures. Thus, they take

their own flights, too. But no matter which part of the globe they are

brought, they always remember their beloved Bohol during special

occasions like birthdays of parents, Christmas holidays and most especially

fiestas (Putong, 1965). This is also their way of renewing bonds with their

relatives and friends.

Somehow, the child in this poem is the woman who has grown and

like a bird has explored the heights. Despite the fun and attractiveness of

soaring, this individual—a woman can also get tired so she seeks her past for

refuge.

The third poet is Clovis Nazareno. (look at the powerpoint) He is also

a fiction writer. He started writing poetry while in University of the

Philippines, Diliman in 1979 under the guidance of teachers like Philippine

National Artist for Literature Francisco Arcellana, Gemino Abad,

Alejandrino Hufana and Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio. His two chapbooks, For

My Friends and In Search of Simeon Lugo (1983 and 1985 respectively),

show his rootedness in the Boholano culture as well as the breadth of his

poetic vision. Clovis has won several Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for

Literature, namely: Horns of the World and Other Poems (1988, 3 rd place,

under the pen name Dodong); Fear in the World and Other Poems (1989, 3rd

place, under the pen name Ondoy) and The Link Immemorial (1994, 1st

place, under the pen name Araceli). He was a Philippine delegate to the

1996 Association of Southeast Asian Nations fiction-writing workshop in

Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Thailand.

BALAK-DAGAT NA USAB

ni Clovis L. Nazareno

Daghang balak ang misulayPagsulti sa iyang tingog,Apan kalisod pagtagik sa huniSa iyang kalapdon.

Tingali ang kamadanihonSa iyang pagpanghupaw,Ang iyang pag-uraraySa tawhanong baybayon,Ang kaisog sa iyang balodNga mohapak mosinggitSa pagbali-bali sa unos,Mao ang motulod sa kamotSulay pag-awitSa dakong asul nga kasulob-on.

In this piece, Balak-dagat Na Usab presents the comparison between

fishing and the equally difficult yet fulfilling activity—writing poems. The

lines give the readers a clear impression of the occupation of most

Boholanos. Having abundant water forms, they engage in fishing. Putong

(1965) proves that the people along the coast have relied on the resources of

the sea for livelihood. With their nets, traps, corrals, and hook and line, they

are able to fish enough marine resources. Though a bad weather and other

circumstances sometimes affect the catch, the hardworking fishermen do not

fail to undertake their daily toil as they see these risks as part of the business.

They also consider their success fulfilling once they manage to survive.

Jesuit Pedron Chirino, Spanish observer Miguel de Loarca and Recollect

historian Licinio Ruiz were only few of those who attested Boholanos’ valor

before, during and after colonial rule (NCAA, 2003). This only manifests

the heart of a Boholano—daring and beautiful.

It can be observed that the three poems written by the Boholano poets

have preserved their language. Even though known to write excellent works

in English and in Filipino, poets like Evasco, Nazareno and Tuazon prove to

be no strangers to their own tongue.

Though Bohol has, in a way, preserved its traditions, this does not

hold true to the poetic tradition since the abovementioned poets use free

verses and not the old idea of poems with exact meter, accentuation and

rhymes. So with the language used. The contemporary poems presented

have a combination of the lingua franca (colloquial or the borrowed ones)

and the purist language (pure, unadulterated Binisaya) contrary to the sole

purist language of traditional poems. Furthermore, the themes nostalgia, im-

portance of childhood in the transformation of an individual and the chal-

lenge of writing poetry are the threads that connect our experiences to the

rest of the world. Meaning, these emotions or experiences are not only felt

among Boholanos but also among people in the different parts of the globe.

Certainly, reading these literary artists whether from the regions or the

nation gives one of the younger generations a reflection of the past as well as

a guide for the future. Revel (2005) proves this when he states that

traditional societies where the singer of tales, a sage-poet-musician sings the

story of the deeds and the ordeals of a hero and heroine, thus, creating the

history of a tradition, a nucleus of social, political, religious and poetic

views so a moral code and an aesthetic natural perception lives. In the light

of those pieces, literature is also a potent force that can open one’s eyes to

the realities thereby allowing the audience to develop a perspective about

events that occur locally and globally. In this manner, people will be able to

understand certain events in their lives. Because of these notions about

literature, two writing workshops were held in Bohol on May 13-22, 1997

and January 27-30, 2000 respectively. These gave the seasoned as well as

the budding writer-members of Bahandi, Kaliwat ni Karyapa (KAKA) and

Society of Active Boholano Artists and Writers (SABAW) the avenue for

expression. Those events gave birth to “Salingsing sa Pulong”—a collection

of poems from the participants.

Considered by many as a complex genre, poetry is usually

experienced by those in the academe. The school supposedly becomes a

path where Boholano authors’ brilliance can be discussed and celebrated.

Cultural development is then shaped as the students understand better the

motivations of man as literature conveys human nature as well as presents a

human experience that is both universal and timeless (Uytico, 1999).

However, due to textbooks readily available for Literature teachers, majority

of the works of these Boholano writers remain in the folios. They are not

tackled in the classrooms despite the provision in CMO No. 59, Series of

1996 which is as follows:

Literature I must cover “The Literatures of the Philippines” and focus on literatures of all regions of the Philippines, whether written in native or foreign languages from the beginning of Philippine history to the present.

So when I taught Philippine Literature last year, I picked “Sa Imong

Pagsuroy sa Lasang,” one of the pieces written by Anthony Incon to be

discussed in the classroom. Hoping to elicit answers from my students, I

began raising questions about Incon’s roots or any stored knowledge about

him. I ended up answering my own questions because they really did not

have any idea who he is. This truth confronting our own writers might be

attributed to the loss of interest to read poetry among students and other

individuals as well as the absence of the material in the classroom.

In a local paper, Fernandez (2007) laments the fact that nobody seems

interested to read poetry anymore. He further states that poetry is rightness;

hence, it must be read so this world filled with escalated violence and

tension will be better. Chouraqui, France’s ambassador to the Philippines,

has warned the Filipinos of the pressure of modernity that threatens this

discrete and essential aspect of Philippine culture (Revel, 2005).

Here is the last piece which I do not want you to miss. Coming from

Loboc, Anthony S. Incon is at his best when he writes poetry in the

vernacular or Bol-anong Bisaya. His pieces have been published in

Homelife Magazine and Sunstar Weekend magazine poetry page and in the

literary section of Homelife, as well as in In Time Passing, There Are Things

and Anthology of 100 Homelife Poets.

After publishing several poems in Cebuano, Incon was awarded a

writing fellowship in the 1998 Cornelio F. Faigao Writers’ Workshop. Then

he worked with Marjorie Evasco as informant in the LIHIP project retrieving

literary works of Cebuano writers in the Central Visayas. He finished his

engineering degree and was awarded the UST National Writers’ Workshop

held in Manila.

He spent some of his spare time hiking and most especially

communing with nature which became evident in his work. This made him

one of the most popular poets in Bohol.

SA IMONG PAGSUROY SA LASANGNi Anthony Incon

Hunong,Una ka mosulod sa lasangHuboa ang imong mga sandalyasAng mga lumot na ang Mosapnay sa imong mga tiil. Paghinay sa imong tunob Maipit unya ang mga duwendeNga nahinanok ilawom sa kabatuan.Ayaw paga-uyuga ang mga sanga sa kahoyKay matagak ang mga gangis nga nanaghagwa.

Inig abot nimo sa busay,Panabi-tabiKay basin ug magkaguliyang ang mga enkantadangMadanihon nga nanghamli.Ayaw pag-ubog sa tubigAng mga alimokon dili na modimdimSa katam-is sa nagbugwak nga tubod.Sunda na lamang ang mga dalanNga hinimo sa mga agtaAron dili mapusgay ang mga palasyo sa mga hulmigas.

PaghilomInig-abot nimo sa langubMatugaw unya ang yukog nga mirikoNga nagkuraw sa dugos nga pinabukaw.Sa imong pagpauliAyaw kutlua ang mga bulak nga namidpid sa dalanMatagak unya ang lumay sa ilang kaanyag.Hinuon, busga ang imong kaugalingonSa pagsud-ong sa pagsayaw-sayaw sa mga dahonNga maabi-abihong mialagad sa imong pagsuroy.

The poem “Sa Imong Pagsuroy sa Lasang” is a well-laden account of

the supernatural creatures Boholanos believe to inhabit the forest. In fact,

there have been many stories involving them. Putong (1965) cites that there

are many old people in Bohol who believe that there are two kinds of

dwellers on earth---the ordinary human beings that people see about them

and the unseen inhabitants who live in trees and caves but go about among

humans. The duwende, engkantada and the agta are some of these forms. It

is, though, noteworthy that the miriko or hermit sage is the central persona

of the poem. Here, he is portrayed “Nga nagkuraw sa dugos nga

pinabukaw” suggestive of him preparing this drink for anyone who might

need it for whatever healing purposes. True to this, many Boholanos still

cling to the counsel of this mysterious man called in a variety of names—

tambalan, miriko, sukdan, dangkoy or shaman. Considered as mediators

between the dili-ingon-nato (They Who Are Not Like Us) and human

beings, the tambalan is also requested to perform pagdiwata rituals in order

to appease the spirits. The farmers, for example, will only cultivate the land

after the ritual is done. Cautious of what the spirits can possibly do, house

builders also refer to the shaman. Some households prefer the healing ways

of the tambalan rather than those of the health professionals.

The poem suggests how both human beings and nature spirits can

dwell peacefully. Even with the difference of characteristics, they can

respect each other and in turn maintain the beauty of the place. In her own

analysis of the last part of Incon’s work, Evasco (2003) cites the hermit sage

who reminds everyone to continue regarding the spirits and make this

respect enduring. In this way, human beings will do their share in the

preservation of forests, caves and bodies of water that bear with them natural

beauty.

In so doing, there is a challenge among Boholano writers. Will you

be able to continue the task of the “miriko” stirring wonderful thoughts

through the beautiful, mysterious, enigmatic literary pieces with cultural

relevance despite the threats of the present time? To what extent will you be

able to preserve the forest---the literary tradition in Bohol?

Contemporary Boholano Literature

Free verses and not the old idea of poems with exact meter,

accentuation and rhymes

Combination of the lingua franca (colloquial or the borrowed ones)

and the purist language (pure, unadulterated Binisaya) contrary to the

sole purist language of traditional poems

Themes represent universality of experiences

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