Rational Insanity
The binalaybay
'Binalaybay' is the Hiligaynon term for poem. Traditionally the binalaybay was written in metered form with terminal rhymes. With the advent of modernization, the binalaybay has metamorphosed into the combination of its classic form with contemporary issues. Hence, local writers have successfully preserved its literary form and at the same time crossed over to include new and more modern issues in their writing. The binalaybay as it is written now is a refreshing combination of contemporary ideas and the very familiar form that is a reflection of the craftiness and the creativity of traditional local writers.
Dr. Leo Deriada, a Palanca Hall of Famer and staunch advocate of writing in the local tongue, has influenced many a writer in Western Visayas. His constant tutelage of younger writers has allowed a more recent and more radical cross-over for the binalaybay of Hiligaynon Literature. Drawing from the Western Tradition of free verse, Dr. Leo Deriada encourages younger writers to give more attention to poetic language and devices in their craft. This has resulted to more vivid and striking imagery, more accurate metaphors, and a more evident clarity of purpose for later works of Hiligaynon poetry. Other than the marked improvement in the poetry of local writers, his advocacy has also expanded the binalaybay to now include free verse poetry in Hiligaynon, hence breaking down the limitations set by traditional Hiligaynon literature. However, Dr. Deriada still encourages young writers to remain faithful to the traditional literary forms of the region such as the loa and the paktakon and use these forms in their writing in as much as these do not become barriers for further creative expression. He believes that these traditional forms serve to enrich the cultural background of any piece and gives Hiligaynon literature its signature. Therefore, despite the leniency of acceptance for local modern poetry that transcends the traditional binalaybay in terms of versification, he has also carved out the standard by which Hiligaynon poetry should be set against; this standard begins with the tradition the writer is coming from. This, incidentally, holds true for any other writer in other regional languages. So, where is the binalaybay now, after its metamorphosis?
The binalaybay now has become a more general term, referring not only to Hiligaynon poetry that is written according to tradition, with meter, rhyme and all, but also to free verse Hiligaynon poetry. Now we have several award-winning poets like John Iremil Teodoro, Genevieve Asenjo, and Melchor Cichon who write free verse in the local tongue; to add to this, we also have a bumper crop of very promising writers who advocate the new Binalaybay (if I may call it such) like Rodelyn Pascial, Marcel Milliam, Emmanuel Lerona, and Dax Daquito. Their topics start from the very mundane to the very exotic; forms are varied starting from pedestrian styles, as Dr. Cirilo Bautista would put it, to the mildly traditional which would have discreet infusions of traditional Hiligaynon forms, to the stringently traditional.
Corazon Almirino and Merlie Alunan, both awarded and published writers in Cebuano understand the direction regional literature is going to; because of this they have steadfastly insisted on the presence of cultural assertion and traditional origin in every piece written in the local tongue. This is evident in most of the pieces of local writers. I would like to refer to a particular incident during the Iligan National Writer's Fellowship that would clearly demonstrate what these awarded writers meant by cultural assertion and traditional origin.
In that fellowship, there was a poem where the writer used the 'pantat' or cat fish to illustrate the poverty of a couple, then, going further in the poem, the writer used the 'bangus' to allude to the good fortune of the same couple; the line was 'ang pantatan mahimo na nga bangrusan' loosely translated, would be, 'the catfish farm will then become a bangus pond' as a consequence of the couple's good fortune. Those from Luzon readily reacted to the piece saying that the 'pantat' is faultily used to present the image of poverty because the 'pantat' is just as expensive as the 'bangus'. What those from Luzon don't know is that the region/province where the piece originates from is a region/province where seafood is so bountiful that the catfish is relegated to being a fish harvested from the mud swamps and canals, as opposed to the bangus which has to be grown in fish ponds. This demonstrates how cultural assertion in a piece combined with a keen sense for traditional origin can actually enrich regional literature.
The future of the binalaybay is bright. The regional writer's pool is teeming with talent, fingers are itching to get hold of a pen, minds are poised for a creative flourish and overflow, and hearts are all securely in the right advocacy. Let us, as regional writers, be the vanguards of our culture and tradition, no other will seek to enrich our own literature; a literary tradition that is by far, richer than any – Western Visayas, after all, is the heart of arts and culture.
Be rational; be insane…every once in a while!! TTFN!
I love you all! Byers!!!