Colonialism and Filipino Professors (continuation)

Prof Almario's second part of the lecture dealt with "Balagtasan." Balagtasan is a verbal joust in which two participants debate each other on a particular topic. A moderator controls the flow of the debate and asks the crowd to declare the winner by acclamation. The moderator is called a "Lakandiwa" which is a word invented in the 20th century. Lakan is a title of respect and means "noble". Diwa refers to "spirit." Lakandiwa means a man of wisdom.

Balagtasan is a short form of poetry typically lasting about an hour. The participants are required to memorize long passages of poetry that supports their stance. The participants are masters of poetry's rhyme and meter, have a flair for the dramatic, and must understand the nature of entertaining the people.

The first Balagtasan had several participants. The pair that showed the most promise were Jose Corazon de Jesus and Florante Collantes. The two were so promising that balagtasan events were held in which both poets were the main attraction. In October 18, 1925, an event was held to determine who was the king of balagtasan. The topic was "Ang dalagang Pilipina, Nuon o Ngayon (The Filipina Woman, Yesteryear or Now?)." De Jesus won the event by public acclamation and was pronounced Hari ng Balagtasan.

Balagtasan served political and social functions. The events enhanced the roles of poets as seekers of the truth. Balagtasan crystallized for the common man his opinions on controversial issues. Topics that were discussed are in the form of "Which is better: _______ or ______?"

Heart or the mind?
Literature or the sciences?
Mother or the father?
Fishing or farming?
Coalition or non-coalition? (refers to the efforts of Quezon to unite the various political factions in the Philippiens)
Independence through revolution or through reform and peace?
Uncle Sam versus Juan de la Cruz?
Should foreign investors be allowed or not?

If one examines the topic, it shows a simplification of the nature of debate. How can one compare between the merits of a father or a mother? Heart or the mind? Fishing or farming. The debate is focused on simplification. The debate allows for a show in which participants go through the process of debate, but the participants are really arguing about the nature of the ant when they are about to be trampled by the elephants rampaging across the land. This is a nature of control by colonization. Let debate happen, just make sure that the debate is simpleminded.

Finally, the death of balagtasan occurred with the emergence of the electronic media. With radio, balagtasan became a weekly event. Prof Almario suggested that radio debased the balagtasan because people who were not really good were allowed to become scriptwriters. The poets of the 60's and 70's rebelled against the balagtasan because of bad scripts in the radio.

Professor Almario closed with this tanaga about a night in a cabaret. A cabaret in the Philippines refers to a place where you buy the opportunity of dancing with a hostess.

Sabi ko, "Maganda ka."
Sabi mo, "Hindi mura."
Sabi ko, "Gusto kita."
Sabi mo, "Bayad muna."