This year marks the 126th birth anniversary of José Corazón de Jesús. We know him better as Huseng Batute, whose translation into Filipino of the Spanish poem “Nuestra Patria” was set into music as “Bayan Ko” by Constancio C. de Guzman. De Jesus also wrote thousands of poetry for the Taliba newspaper and is known as the “First King of Balagtasan.” But what else should we know about one of our country’s most prolific writers?

It’s a question that the Cultural Center of The Philippines (CCP) seeks to answer by staging “Awit at Tula: Pagbabalik-Tanaw sa Unang Hari ng Balagtasan,” an online event that provides a retrospective on De Jesús’ life and important works. The event will be directed by Ricky Davao, with Dennis Marasigan, Ruben Reyes, Ohm David and Alice Gonzales as part of the artistic team.

The online event will also star respected names in the local entertainment industry, among them film and television stars John Arcilla, Michael V. and Epy Quizon. Theater actors Via Antonio, Sheila Valderrama-Martinez, Arman Ferrer, David Ezra and Lara Maigue, as well as premiere ventriloquist Ony Carcamo will also be part of the cast.

“Awit at Tula: Pagbabalik-Tanaw sa Unang Hari ng Balagtasan” will premiere on Nov. 22, at the CCP Office of the President Facebook page. The event will be streamed as a way of introducing younger audiences to the beauty and elegance of spoken word poetry.

Header photo courtesy of Cultural Center of the Philippines

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