Last April 2 was the 225th birth anniversary of Francisco “Balagtas” Baltazar. Activities were drawn up to drum up interest and pay tribute to the life of the great poet. Pandacan in Manila became festive once again as writers, artists, cultural workers, and lovers of the word welcomed another year of birthing for this poet whose masterpiece Florante at Laura and other works continue to dazzle and influence. But do we really know Balagtas?
Sure, we already have an image of him. With sprigs of laurel adorning his ears, eyes deep set in contemplation, the poet comes alive during the “timed” awakening of nationalistic pride during Buwan ng Wika. He is included in the curriculum and students get to read (labor through?) his obra maestra F&L. But where does the road to knowing lead once we stop there? Where is he in our collective consciousness with our other heroes, past and present?
The time is ripe now for a re-evaluation of Balagtas. More than a great poet, he was a rebel, a native voice shouting hysterical naked in the Tagalog streets at dawn (to borrow from Ginsberg). Exploring his apat na himagsik (four revolts) namely: 1. Revolt against the oppressive government; 2. Revolt against religious fanaticism; 3. Revolt against wrong values; and 4. Revolt against low kind of literature, will reveal a subversive and revolutionary individual who used his talent and fertile imagination to reveal the ills of Philippine society. Moving through the formative years of our independence, the respect and veneration for his writing in Tagalog were even instrumental to the establishment of Filipino as the national language.
And he lives amidst the spunk of modern-day Balagtaseros battling it out on Fliptop or out in the streets where rap battles are waged. His creative soul wafts among the spaces of theaters showcasing his works. He works with the practitioners of the Craft; he is also in spirit with the common man who uses his own language to get through the daily grind. He is on our tongue. Balagtas is with us.
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