Kabilin sa Sugbuanong katitikan

CEBU, Philippines - Mallgoers experienced a renewed interest in Cebu literary heritage through "Kabilin sa Sugbuanong katitikan" last February 25 at the Ayala Center Cebu in line with the 75th Cebu City Charter Day anniversary.

February is also National Arts Month which intensified the relevance of the event organized by the Cebuano Studies Center of the University of San Carlos with the help of all those passionate about the "spoken art" in the vernacular.

Long before the development of radio programs as well as TV shows, there was the balitaw and the kulilising hari, aside from the stage play, as forms of entertainment.

Florida Jacaban, Bonifacio Ursal Jr. and Ruben Ursal (guitarist) of the Department of Education opened the show with a presentation of the Cebuano balitaw.

The balitaw is basically a song-and-dance verse debate between a man and a woman usually on love and courtship, domestic and social life, but may also be on almost any subject.

According to Dr. Erlinda Kintanar-Alburo, Commission on History and Culture commissioner, a typical balitaw follows the conventional structure of: introduction or greetings to the audience and to each other, the main action where the boy proposes and the girl plays hard to get, and acceptance or rejection of the suit.

This was followed by a "stylized version" of the balitaw rendered by University of the Philippines Cebu professors Lilia Tio, Fred Montano, and Naty Estillore (as guitarist). The characters did the singing, the dancing, and exchanging of verses in a stylized fashion, as in the lilting vocal delivery.

Meanwhile, students of a Cebuano Literature class of USC presented how the kulilising hari is carried out. Jonathan Kevin Lim acted as kulilising hari with Marianne Blanche Olanda (babaye), Charles Dominic Sanchez (lalaki), Francis Luis Torres (laing lalaki), Karlene Meniano (prokurador), Chyrlene Cebuano (makasasala), Frances Leah Madeja (berdugo), and Rhea Jourjette Burdeos (abogado).

This paper's chairman, Dr. Jose "Dodong" R. Gullas, once emphasized this form of art in an article dubbed "Kinaiyang Sugbuanon: Kulilising Hari." He mentioned that it is a cultural practice expressive of the value of sympathetic fellowship with the bereaved family. Another is smooth interpersonal relationship, and love and appreciation of our native language and practices.

Dr. Alburo described spontaneous versifying as highly valued in this dramatic form. It is a variant of the Tagalog "duplo" performed at funeral wakes.

Further, Bathalan-ong Halad sa Dagang (Bathalad) writers Genica Mijares, Erik Tuban, Kareen Bughaw, and Dexter Sy gave audience a glimpse of how men woo their women in the old days. Through the "pamalaye," men offer verses to express their intention in asking for the hand of their beloved from the girl's parents.  (FREEMAN)