“We hope this historic Baraptasan is the first in a regular, perhaps annual, tournament showcasing the talents of young adults from all around the country not only in the arts but also in debate”
THE Cultural Center of the Philippines scored big in the literary and arts scene with its Kanto Kultura: Baraptasan 2024 last April 6, featuring rap artists from across the country.
Winning the grand prize of P300,000 was the group ‘Bagong Koronadal Advocates’ comprising Jon Van Esmael T. Lapu, Angel Faith P. Leal, and Philip Jay P. Leaño of Koronadal City, South Cotabato.
The trio performed an innovative blend of rap, beatboxing, dance, song, verse, and debate to explore the pros and cons of social media, one of the contest’s three topics.
I fully agree with the judges’ decision as this group clearly showed mastery of different techniques as well as creativity and critical thinking to deliver a performance that was not only interesting and attractive but also mind-opening in their tackling of not only social media but current issues and events.
The second prize of P200,000 was awarded to ‘Ang Mga Supling ni Angela’ with members Jan Carl B. Campit, Francis B. Balingbing, and Kirschen Xyvrl I. Balajadia of Tabaco City, Albay.
The third prize of P100,000 was awarded to two groups: ‘DMD’ with John Dave P. Rosimo, Marielle Lou C. Bernardo, and Reynaldo S. Bernardo of Makati City, and ‘Harayasista Group’ with John Earnest M. Evidor, Anynel L. Garino, and James Son E. De la Cruz of Labo, Camarines Norte.
Each of the 10 competing groups had three members: one ‘lakandiwa’ or moderator, and two debaters or ‘mambabaraptas’ who each take either the pro or the con side. This format follows the traditional balagtasan (verbal joust) form.
The competition judges were culture and arts personalities Teo Antonio, James Marasigan Capistrano, Michelle Nikki Junia, Stanley Saludo, and Dolores Zorrilla. Also present were National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario and various CCP officials.
CCP conceived the Baraptasan contest as part of its Kanto Kultura initiative.
This program seeks to interest young people in traditional art forms by combining them with fresh and trendy takes, said CCP Board of Trustees chairman Dr Jaime C. Laya in his opening remarks at the event at the Rizal Park Open-Air auditorium.
The Baraptasan, he added, commemorates the 100th anniversary of the staging of the first balagtasan tilt in honor of 19th-century poet and litterateur Francisco Balagtas (also known as Baltazar).
As I explained in a previous column, the balagtasan “is a form of debate conducted in extemporaneous rhymed verse and thus presents reasoning and argumentation through speech.”
In his speech at the event, Almario traced the history of the first balagtasan across various sources.
He said it came about after a group of poets planned a different way of celebrating the ‘Araw ni Balagtas’ which was usually marked by poetry readings in Bulacan or Bataan, depending on the availability of funds.
They held it at the Instituto de Mujeres, a school in Tondo, Manila, on April 6, 1924. Why not on April 2, Balagtas’ birthday?
The simple reason for this decision, Almario said, was because April 2 was a workday and the 6th was not, just as it was this year.
He also recounted who the contestants were, the judges, and other information that brought to life the events of the first balagtasan.
Other performances at the Baraptasan were displays of regional forms of debate-in-verse, including the ‘crissotan’ from Pampanga, balagtasan from Camarines Norte, and ‘bukanegan’ from Ilocos; dance performances from the Nocturnal Dance Company; and rap battle demos.
The term ‘crissotan’ comes from the name Crisostomo Sotto, acknowledged the Father of Kapampangan literature.
The performance by the group Akkap, Inc. (Akademyang Kapampangan) with Romeo Rodriguez as lakandiwa, Francisco Guinto as ‘sukat ng negatibo,’ and Sergio Calayag as ‘sukat ng positibo’ showed the audience how to conduct the traditional balagtasan form.
We hope this historic Baraptasan is the first in a regular, perhaps annual, tournament showcasing the talents of young adults from all around the country not only in the arts but also in debate.
Congratulations to the CCP and everyone involved on their successful staging of this event.
The Facebook Live recording, including Almario’s interesting talk on the first balagtasan, is free to watch on the CCP Intertextual Division FB page. * * * * *
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