More literary gems of Carcar
The 4th and 5th Carcar Lecture Series held on June 1 and July 6 at the Audio Visual Room of St. Catherine’s College respectively unearthed more gems of Carcar’s literary heritage. Featured writers in the 4th Carcar Lecture Series were Brigido B. Alfar and Galileo Varga and in the 5th Lecture Series were Vicente A. Alcover and Vicente B. Alcoseba.
Brigido B. Alfar was a teacher, writer (Bag-ong Kusog), editor of Southern Quarterly Review, Mindanaw-Bisaya Magazine, and translator. Paper presenter Haidee K. Palapar featured Brigido Alfar as Romantic through and through and she took a cursory look at the poetry of Bribal (the pen name of Alfar). From the sample poems of Alfar, I find interesting “Dagat sa Siquijor” where he describes it as,
“ah, luyo ning katahoman naa ang kagahapon,
Nagtali sa mga adlaw nga ikaw nagmapintas;
Naglumpayat ang imong mga balod
Sa pagkusokuso sa mga barko ug sakayan
Nga mitadlas kanimo sa dakong kaisog.
Bribal’s idealization of poverty is illustrated in the poem “Ang Kutsero” where he says in the last stanza,
Ang iyang kinabuhi timawa tupad sa kahimtang
Sa daghang sumasakay nga timgas ang saput;
Apan hamili ang mga kinidlap sa iyang dungog
Kay siya nabuhi sa tinuloan sa singot.
His background as a teacher and editor reinforces the functions that necessitate the utilization of one’s role to impart positive values. He had the tendency to use literature as “instrument for social reform.”
“Mga Tugon ni Liling”: Galileo Varga’s Conduct Literature was shared by presenter Rapahel Dean B. Polinar. Varga wrote for Ang Suga and was the right hand of Vicente Sotto. He wrote poetry, short stories, plays which he also directed, and contributed to Bag-ong Kusog and Bisaya. He studied law at UP and became mayor of Carcar in the late 1950’s. During his administration he erected the monument of Leon Kilat which stands at the foot of the hill in the heart of the Poblacion leading to the municipio, the iglesia, colegio and other historical structures of Carcar. Why conduct literature? He wants the readers to behave in new ways. Like Manding Karya, he also gave advice but Varga used verse and monologue to address the problems of the times.
Polinar used “Tugon” which means “leksiyon nga maani sa manan-aw kay kini man kuno ang mosantop sa kaisipan sa tawo ug madala sa ila. Ang pagkatawa ug pagpahilak mahimo kuno mahibilin sa tablado.” Among the tugons are respect, persistency, determination and letting go. Liling wrote during the American occupation. It was the time when success is achieved by gaining merit and be able to prove oneself.
The 5th Carcar Lecture Series featured Vicente A. Alcover and Vicente B. Alcoseba. Chester Miparanum presented his study on Alcover “Ang Bahandi ni Inting”. Alcover was a teacher, a town councilor, debater and orator, writer for Bag-ong Kusog and Bisaya. Like the other writers of his time, he was particular with the refinement of language and had a concern for correctness. Refinement of language was a popular preoccupation as writers debated problems of vocabulary and such principles of poetry as sukod (meter), ugtik or kudlit (accentuation), and bagay (rhyme). However, the concern for correctness and harmony (kananoy), combines with romantic notions of the Poet (magbabalak), also locked Cebuano poetry into a “poetic” mode that had its limits. He was influenced by Romanticism idealizing the woman he loves most..
“Mga Bikil ug Paghusay: Examination of Conscience in Vicente Alcoseba’s Zarzuela” was an animated presentation by Beejay Villaflores which solicited an animated interaction from the audience. Alcoseba studied law in Hongkong and became a Justice of Peace in Moalboal. He was a writer and an advocate of Cebuano Art. Primarily he was a dramatist and wrote 20 plays including zarzuelas. He contributed poems to Ang Suga, Bagong Kusog, The Freeman, Bisaya and others. He wrote the unpublished “Ang Kamatayon ni Leon Kilat.” While studying in Hongkong he wrote in Spanish despite the prominence of English. “Apan sa iya nang paghiuli sa Sugbu gianod siya sa sulog, human sa Kagubot, nga mao ang paglutaw sa atong lumad nga halaman kun kultura. Ang mga imprinta ug ang entablado nahimong hungawanan sa pinulongang Binisaya” describes D. Estabaya. As a historical figure, his biggest work is the writing of the manuscript on “Ang Kamatayon ni Leon Kilat” which describes the gruesome death of Leon Kilat that took place in the house where his family lived. The zarzuela took over the linambay in Carcar in the 1930’s. Alcoseba’s zarzuelas were among those popularly staged. All the original musical scoring were all made by Brigido Lakandazon another prominent Carcaranon musician. Zarzuelistas engaged in criticism of customs and manners, an activity made pressing by the problems spawned under the dramatic cultural collision brought about by the American Occupation. The didactic messages in his zarzuelas are expressed through the characters’ soliloquy, dialogues, and songs. Alcoseba is a character in the plays where he is the peacemaker.
Kudos again to the USC Cebuano Studies Center led by Dr. Hope Yu and the Dept. of literature for the enriching lectures series.
