Plaza Rizal was drenched in poetic verses on life and love under the cloudy night sky of February 26 as it served as the venue of this year’s Balut, Beer, ug Balak (BBB).

Organized by Kaliwat ni Karyapa (KaKâ) with the Center for Culture and Arts Development (CCAD), the fifth edition of the literary endeavor was witnessed by a number of Boholanos as well as some foreign visitors who happened to be at the venue during the open mic poetry reading session.  Throughout the night, members of KaKâ and the audience, including students from Bohol Island State University, Holy Name University, and PMI Colleges Bohol, took center stage to render poetry pieces and songs.

A PMI student who goes by the name of Gerald Anderson gamely shared his balak which made the crowd laugh and smile.

Bohol Local Development Foundation President, Rappler Enterprise Mover Awardee, and Boholano literary luminary Nestor Pestelos graced the night and read beautiful poetry to the public.  Cultural impresario Marianito Luspo, BACH Council President Vida Tirol – de Juan, KasingSining’s Gardy Labad, former LifestyleBohol editor Liza Macalandag, Ludwig Quirog, as well as Paul and John Vistal were also in attendance.

Rappler Enterprise Mover and Boholano literary luminary Nelson Pestelos reads poetry to the audience

Despite the rain (bagyo), the audience and performers remained enthusiastic and were not, in any way, bitter to the gloomy sky despite bitterness a recurring theme in most of the shared pieces.  This could be attributed to the fame of hugot lines, witticisms intended to convey the sentiments of a heart scorned and left.  Juan Miguel Severo, one of the Philippines well-known spoken poetry artists, garnered much attention after his hugot-filled pieces like Ito Na Ang Huling Tulang Isusulat Ko Para Sayo at Mga Basang Unan gained so much attention, especially to millenials.   As John Vistal explains it via Facebook, “with all the poems about jilted or unrequited love that night, bitterness might as well have been a running theme.”

I, as the second act of the night, performed a hugot-filled piece titled Commuter Hugot Lines. I've drawn inspiration from my experience as a commuter and connected it to the pains of falling and being in love.  You can read the piece here.

The second act of the night, your blogger his delivered his (unintentionally) funny and hugot-filled piece Commuter Hugot Lines which he dedicated to all the commutes and loves. Photo by Atty. John Titus Vistal.

A video of my (awkward) performance is available below. :)




Despite the “bagyo” and the bitterness of the pieces, Balut, Beer, ug Balak 5 turned out to be a simple yet wonderful night to celebrate the beauty of words woven to create poetry — both for print or spoken word.  BBB 5 was more than just the usual Bs and those are the ones that added much more beauty to that great night.

Members of KaKâ are all smiles after the successful BBB 5. It was indeed a wonderful night.

For those like me who loves and appreciates the creative expression of the human soul and is free from the clutches of any romantic relationship, the month of February is not one that would unleash bitterness and resentments over lost love or the lack of love, whichever applies.  In fact, February is a month-long celebration of the arts, being declared as National Arts Month by virtue of Proclamation No. 683 signed by the late President Cory Aquino in 1991.

The banner and theme of this year's National Arts Month celebration. Photo from the NCCA Facebook Page

Spearheaded by the Bohol Arts and Cultural Heritage (BACH) Council in partnership with the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Center for Culture and Arts Development (CCAD) of the Provincial Government of Bohol, the BOHOL SANDUGO Foundation, KASING SINING and the Diocese of Tagbilaran, the National Arts Month celebration in the province commenced last February 5 at the Bohol Cultural Center.