hunas--
nagdaeum rang buesa
sa pagtaas kang blood pressure
**Melchor F. Cichon
May 25, 2018
Friday, May 25, 2018
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Mga Hueobaton sa Lingwahe
Gaeapad ring bentana ag gadaeum ring matungkad kon dagaya ring haeubtan nga hambae. –Melchor F. Cichon, May 22, 2018
***
Ro kaeaparon kang kalibutan gadepende sa kaeaparon ag kadaeumon kang lingwahe. –Melchor F. Cichon, May 22, 2018
***
Ro kaeaparon kang kalibutan gadepende sa kaeaparon ag kadaeumon kang lingwahe. –Melchor F. Cichon, May 22, 2018
Monday, May 21, 2018
Aklanon Tongue Twisters by Melchor F. Cichon
Aklanon Tongue Twisters
by Melchor F. Cichon
as of May 21, 2018
Eumugad ro
unga pagkakita it gawilwil nga dila it paka.--Melchor F. Cichon
Euwag-euwagon ro eangkuga agod indi magdukot sa kaeaha. Melchor F. Cichon
Gabuyot sa
gabueabod nga higot si Arnold.--Melchor F. Cichon, June 10, 2011
Hadaean ro
tamban sa pagwinarang, hasigpaw ni Juan.--Melchor F. Cichon
Gaeaea ro
nina ni Juana halin pa kaina nga aga-aga.--Melchor F. Cichon, June 10, 2011
Gaeubid sa
ubod it niyog ro magkae nga utod ra ikog.-- Melchor F. Cichon
Gakabit-kabit
ro kuyapnit sa binit it kabinit.--Melchor F. Cichon
Gindam-usan
it eanggaw ro unga nga bingaw.--Melchor F. Cichon
Gin-eungi
ni Joey nga bungi ro kiwi nga liog it bangag.-- Melchor F. Cichon
Ginhigup
ro eunok sa tinug-on nga sang baylok.-- Melchor F. Cichon
Ginkuhit
ni Agnes ro tambis ni Paris.--Melchor F. Cichon
Ginpanghueasan
si Kulas sa pagtanum it matimgas nga eamigas sa mamaea nga eanas igto sa
Takas.-- Melchor F. Cichon
Ginpanghueasan si Kulas sa pagtanum it matimgas nga eamigas sa
mamaea nga eanas igto
sa Takas. Melchor F. Cichon
Ginputos
it eamay ro patay nga kaeampay sa puea nga baeay.-- Melchor F. Cichon
Gintuhil
ni Nanay ro kaeampay nga gakapay-kapay nga maeapit sa busay.- -Melchor F. Cichon
Maeaymay eon ro humay nga
ginbun-ag ni Nanay. Melchor F. Cichon,
May 21, 2018
Hakibot ro
maeueot nga buktot nga nagabalikutot sa saeog ni Dimot.--Melchor F.Cichon
Sinampit
ni Pitpit nga makulit si Ambeth nga mamunit samtang gaung-ong sa kawit sa
binit.--Melchor F. Cichon
Naeunok si Iskog pag-eag-ok it eunok. Melchor F. Cichon
Nagakatunaw
ro baeangaw sa baeanaw.— -Melchor F. Cichon
Nagbakae
it kueon si Manong sa Dungon. -- Melchor F. Cichon
Nagbinalintong
ro hurong sa sueod it kueon.--Melchor F. Cichon
Nagdaeausdos
ro mga puea nga sapatos sa kilid it hunos-hunos.--Melchor F. Cichon
Nagdueoeom
ro mga bituon pagwahig ku madamoe nga gae-um.--Melchor F. Cichon
Nagkaeaeaeunot
ro eanot sa idaeum it niyog.—-Melchor F. Cichon
Nag-eubid it eanot si Yoyo sa ang euyo. Melchor F. Cichon
Nagwinarang ro anwang sa paeay nga aeangyon.--Melchor F. Cichon
Nahueog sa
botong nga saeog ro linaga nga daehog.-—Melchor F. Cichon
Pag-abot
it kaeaaw gintambakan it dueaw.--Melchor F. Cichon
Paghunas,
ro matimgas nga eamigas gintanum sa eanas ni Kulas.--Melchor F. Cichon
Puguhon eon ro binuead nga eambong sa bueoearan agod indi
mag-agtu.— Melchor F. Cichon
Ro anwang
nga nag-eugaeog sa eugan-eugan hay naghangeab it daehog sa daean.--Melchor F.
Cichon, June 10, 2011
Ro baboy ni Bugoy hinaboy it buybuy maeapit sa haboe. Melchor F. Cichon
Ro baeay ni Nanay may sungay.— Melchor
F. Cichon
Ro baye nga may habok sa liog nahueog sa saeog nga gabok. Melchor F. Cichon
Ro dap-ong
sa may ambueong ginpaeong it hilong.--Melchor F. Cichon
Ro dueaw
nag-eutaw sa Melchor F. Cichon nga manabaw.—Melchor F. Cichon
Ro eamang nagkamang sa gantangan.—
Melchor F. Cichon
Ro eanot gin-eubid ni Ismid.— Melchor
F. Cichon
Ro eubid gin-eubid sa bulid.— Melchor
F. Cichon
Ro
gahapay-hapay nga paeay gin-ani kaina ni Nanay agod makapahuway.--Melchor F.
Cichon
Ro humay
ni Nanay ginputos sa eamay.--Melchor F. Cichon
Ro ibid gingaid sa amaeanhig.— Melchor
F. Cichon
Ro ibid gingaid sa banglid.— Melchor
F. Cichon
Ro
kaumangon nagaduhong sa dap-ong ni Manong Itsong.--Melchor F. Cichon
Sa baybay
ro humay ni nanay ginputos it eamay.-- Melchor F. Cichon
Si Ambeth
nga makulit hasingit ra buli sa bunit.--Melchor F. Cichon
Si Mayor
nga buaya binomba sa facebook kaina.--Melchor F. Cichon
Sungayon ro bangungon sa kueon. –Maeara
Sunday, May 20, 2018
Saturday, May 19, 2018
Ay, Sus!
Ay, Sus!
ni Melchor F. Cichon.
May 19, 2018
ni Melchor F. Cichon.
May 19, 2018
Gahiyum-hiyum ako
Sa kada uli ko sa Lezo.
Owa't eabot nga nagadueotdutan
Ro mga pasahero,
Nagainundag-undag pa ro jeep pag-abot sa Lezo.
Indi man abi maghalin ro jeep sa terminal it Kalibo
Kon indi sardinas ro mga pasahero.
Gahiyum-hiyum ako sa kada uli ko sa Lezo
Ay ginakaayad eon ro karsada halin sa Numancia paagto it Lezo..
Haeos one-way eon lang ngani
Ay habuldozer eon ro katunga it karsada
Ag ro karatula nagabaeakang sa karsada:
"Drive slowly
Men and Equipment
Are working."
Pero siin ro "Men"?
Siin ro "Equipment"?
Owa man!
Owa gid ako't hakit-an!
Maski anino eon lang.
Basi sa pilang adlaw
Gabunga eon ro saging sa ruyon nga karsada.
A, basi gin-untat bangod sa eleksyon.
O basi natueon it bueaeakaw ro budget!
Kabay pa
Nga ginapatubo pa ra.
Sa kada uli ko sa Lezo.
Owa't eabot nga nagadueotdutan
Ro mga pasahero,
Nagainundag-undag pa ro jeep pag-abot sa Lezo.
Indi man abi maghalin ro jeep sa terminal it Kalibo
Kon indi sardinas ro mga pasahero.
Gahiyum-hiyum ako sa kada uli ko sa Lezo
Ay ginakaayad eon ro karsada halin sa Numancia paagto it Lezo..
Haeos one-way eon lang ngani
Ay habuldozer eon ro katunga it karsada
Ag ro karatula nagabaeakang sa karsada:
"Drive slowly
Men and Equipment
Are working."
Pero siin ro "Men"?
Siin ro "Equipment"?
Owa man!
Owa gid ako't hakit-an!
Maski anino eon lang.
Basi sa pilang adlaw
Gabunga eon ro saging sa ruyon nga karsada.
A, basi gin-untat bangod sa eleksyon.
O basi natueon it bueaeakaw ro budget!
Kabay pa
Nga ginapatubo pa ra.
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Why Do I Write in Aklanon?
Why Do
I Write in Aklanon?
By Melchor
F. Cichon
Revised:
May 20, 2018
WHY do I write in Aklanon?
This is a simple question, but it took me some
hours to compile my reasons why indeed I write in Aklanon.
Before I proceed, allow me to explain that I am
not lifting my own chair. Instead I just wish to share how I started writing Aklanon
poetry and the benefits that I have gained out of this endeavor. This might
encourage you to write in Aklanon.
I started writing poetry when I
was studying in U.P. Diliman in the early 1960s as a result of my frequent
library visits. By then I told myself that someday my name would be included in
the UP Main Library Catalog. Years later, my dream was fulfilled. And not only
in the UP Main Library Catalog but also at the Philippine National Library
Catalog and at the US Library of Congress. Here is a screen shot of the
bibliographical entries at the US Library of Congress online catalog.
When I started writing poetry,
I wrote in English, then in Tagalog, then in Aklanon. Now I write in English,
Filipino, Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a, and Aklanon.
I wrote in
English because I really wanted to improve my skills in English. It has been my
problem on how to communicate effectively in English. Because of that I read
books on English grammar, like the one by Jean Edades, “English for Filipinos.”
Together with a friend, we studied the English grammar and did actual writing
in English. To test the effectivity of my English, I wrote short letters to the
editors of the Philippine Collegian, The Manila
Times, Sunday Times Magazine, and other national magazines. Some of my
letters were published.
I also read newspaper editorials to know how famous
writers develop their ideas aside from updating myself on important issues that
envelop our country. I also like to read biographies and other reading materials
that deal on our socio-cultural and environmental issues. That is probably one
reason why most of my poems deal on social
realism. Later when I wrote my first book of poem, I entitled it as Ham-at
Madueom Ro Gabii, Inay? Majority of my poems here deal on our
socio-cultural and environmental problems. But when I write my haiga on Filipino women, I praise
them to the highest heavens.
Here is one of my haiga:
Then I tried writing poetry in
English, mostly about love. Unfortunately, many of my earlier poems are no
longer with me.
But since I did not have any
formal training on poetry writing, I thought that the best way to write poetry
was to translate Tagalog poems into English or English poems into Tagalog or Aklanon
to see how poets write their poems. So I translated the works of Teo Baylen, a Tagalog
poet laureate from Cavite and that of Amado V. Hernandez and Robert Frost. I
remember the first poem that I translated from the works of Teo Baylen was his
Tagalog poem, Talaba, which was
eventually published in his book Kalabaw
ag Buffalo.
Little by little, I learned
some poetry writing techniques.
Then I tried writing in Tagalog
as it was much easier for me to express myself in Tagalog than in English.
In the early 1980s, Dr. Leoncio
Deriada came to the University of the Philippines in Iloilo (UPI), now UP
Visayas (UPV). We cannot deny that majority of today’s creative writers in
Western Visayas have been taught by him. And that’s the reason why we consider
Dr. Deriada as the Father of Western Visayas Literature.
When he learned that I was
writing poetry, he asked me to show him some of my “masterpieces”. When he saw
my works, he advised me to throw them away and write new ones. He advised me to
have a one-on-one poetry session with him. And we did. Later he told me to
attend creative writing workshops along with other aspiring Western Visayan
writers. At first by him, later by other noted Filipino writers including Edith
Tiempo and Cirilo Bautista. I became a writing fellow at Silliman University,
and in Iligan, Baguio, Mt. Makiling, etc. From these workshops, my writing
skill was greatly improved.
It was also through Dr.
Deriada’s encouragement that I write more Aklanon poems because it would be
much easier for me to convey my ideas if I write in Aklanon, my mother tongue. I accepted his challenge. He would tell me
that nobody else would write our literature but by ourselves, Aklanons. Later,
more Aklanon writers were trained by him. We held the first poetry workshop in
Aklan in the house of Tay Roman de la Cruz in Kalibo in the late 1980’s. Tay
Roman was a poet, a short story writer, a journalist, a preacher, a publisher.
He authored the 919-page five language dictionary (Panay island). Later Tatay
Roman de la Cruz started writing poems in Aklanon. The famous Dominador Ilio was
also influenced by Dr. Deriada to write in Aklanon after he served as a
panelist in our succeeding poetry workshops in Kalibo. Before this, both Tatay
Roman and Mr. Ilio were writing poetry in English. The result of these
workshops was the publication of Ani
Aklanon published by the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Much later,
our poems were anthologized in Mantala, Patubas,
among others.
Here is how Dr. Deriada literary
twisted my nick just so I would know how to write poems in Aklanon:
“In my
various workshops in Iloilo, Cichon had been there listening to the things I
was telling Kinaray-a writers to challenge them. Cichon - and Barrios - took
the challenge and soon the Aklan issue of Ani,
which I edited with Cichon, et al., was published by the CCP and launched in
Kalibo in early 1993. Cichon, who was by then writing in English and
Tagalog-based Filipino, turned out to be the leading poet in his language and
has the distinction of being the first Aklanon ever to publish a book of poems
in his own language. Eventually, Cichon and Barrios won writing grants from the
CCP.”
Before that, of course, I was
already writing in Aklanon. In fact, my poem “Inay” was the first and only
Aklanon poem ever published in the Philippine
Collegian. Here is the poem:
Inay
Inay, matuod nga may diploma eon
ako
Peru ibis ag dayok man pirmi rang suea.
Pumanaw ako nga owa mag-eaong
Bangud nga indi ko matiis nga Makita kang
Gatangis kakon.
Peru ibis ag dayok man pirmi rang suea.
Pumanaw ako nga owa mag-eaong
Bangud nga indi ko matiis nga Makita kang
Gatangis kakon.
Inay, kon manggaranon eang ako,
Eukaton ko ro atong eanas,
Patindugan kita’t bungalow,
Bakean kita’t kolord TV ag Hi-Fi.
Eukaton ko ro atong eanas,
Patindugan kita’t bungalow,
Bakean kita’t kolord TV ag Hi-Fi.
Ugaling, Inay
Hasta makaron
Istambay man ako gihapon
Ay owa kuno ako’t diputadong maninoy.
Hasta makaron
Istambay man ako gihapon
Ay owa kuno ako’t diputadong maninoy.
Source: Philippine
Collegian, October 4, 1973, p. 3
When I transferred to UP in
Iloilo in 1977, I wrote a poem in Aklanon. This was published in Pagbutlak, the official student
publication of UP in Iloilo. That
was also the first Aklanon poem ever published in that school organ. The first
and only Aklanon poem ever published in the Philippine Panorama (March 27, 1994, p. 29) was written by me, entitled Ham-at
Madueom Ro Gabii Inay?
There are other reasons why I
write in Aklanon.
Aklanon as a language is still
developing like any other languages, although it has no standard orthography and
grammar. Although we have three dictionaries that provide Aklanon words, I
noticed that there are some words printed in newspapers and in the internet
that are spelled in different ways like onga
and unga; kon and kun;
tagipusuon and
tagipusoon. There are also some deviations like ingko or mingko,paris or kamana,pero or piru, etc.
But I usually consult the “A
Study of the Aklanon Dialect” Vol. 2 dictionary by Vicente Salas Reyes, et al.,
1969, if I am not sure of the spelling.
As I continue writing poems in
Aklanon, my Aklanon vocabulary has been expanding. This is probably one reason
why some professionals and students consult me regarding their
researches/assignments on Aklanon language and literature. At times, I am being
asked on Aklanon history and culture. By the way, I together with Dr. John
Barrios and Engr. Dominador Ilio wrote a book on the Katipunan of Aklan.
And I also enrich Aklanon
language by incorporating words from other languages into my Aklanon works.
Example, cocoon has no direct translation into Aklanon, except that it is a
house of a worm. But the Tagalog has, so I used higad when I translated the
haiku of Rogelio G. Mangahas. Another word which I used is ham-at, from ham-an
it. Now this word is well-known especially when I published the book “Ham-at
Madueom Ro Gabii, Inay?” I also used tinaipan, the Hiligaynon word for horizon.
We do not have one word equivalent for that.
To help myself in writing poems
with rhymes, I compiled Aklanon words that have the same rhyming scheme. This
compilation is found in my blog, https://aklanonrhymingdictio.blogspot.com/.
Aside from this, I published two anthologies of poems written by Aklanons,
including a poem that was written before the Spaniards came to the Philippines.
Later I realized that I was not
only writing for myself. Some people have noticed my literary works, especially
Dr. Deriada. When I published my first book of poems, “Ham-at Madueom Ro
Gabii,” he recommended me to the Gawad Pampansang Alagad ni Balagtas. Eventually,
I became the first Aklanon to receive such a prestigious national lifetime
achievement award. Consequently, I received an award from the Aklan Province as
one of the Outstanding Aklanons in the field of culture and arts in 2011, and
my hometown, Lezo, awarded me a
Certificate of Recognition for having been selected as an Outstanding Aklanon
in the field of culture and arts. My only regret is that, I did not even
receive a formal letter from our mayor informing me that I would receive a
Certificate of Recognition from my own hometown. I learned it only through the word of mouth. I
did not attend the ceremony.
In a way, not only Aklanons
have been reading my literary works but also other people, especially so when I
set up the website, Aklanon Literature (http://geocities.com/aklanonliterature)
where I featured selected poems
written by Aklanons. Unfortunately, this portal is no longer existing. But
before, it folded up, I had transferred all my posts to my other site: Aklanon
Literature Archive (https://aklanonlitarchive.blogspot.com/).
I heard that the students in De
La Salle University, UP Diliman, UP Visayas, and other academic institutions in
Panay discuss some of my works in their classes. Someone from the University of
Santo Tomas wrote me saying that she was writing a term paper on my Aklanon
poems. In 2017, Dr. Sharon Concepcion Masula, of Aklan State University-Ibajay
Campus analyzed 35 of my poems for her PhD dissertation in Manuel L. Quezon
University. This yar, 2018, three other Aklanon graduate students had graduated
with my Aklanon poems for their master's degree theses. Last year, some of my
poems on women were staged at the Aklanon Catholic College entitled Babaye,
Base sa mga Binaeaybay ni Melchor F. Cichon. It was directed by Mr.
Rommel Constantino of the said college. One of my poems is included in the book
Philippine
Literature (Focus: The Literature of Western Visayas) by Libertad
Bayotas-Chua of the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos, Bacolod City and
in the monumental anthology, Sansiglong Mahigit ng Makabagong Tula sa
Filipinas edited by the National Artist in Literature Virgilio S.
Almario. I am the only Aklanon in this anthology. Some other poets included in this collection
are Cecilio Apostol, Jose Corazon de Jesus,
Lope K. Santos, Jose Garcia Villa and others. Another significant
anthology where my poems and my short story are included is the Sa
Atong Dila; introduction to Visayas Literature edited by no less than
Merlie M. Alunan. If you happen to teach Aklanon Literature, this book can
provide sufficient and high quality materials because one chapter of this book
is devoted to selected Aklanon Literature particularly luwa, proverbs,riddles,
folk songs, poems, short stories all in Aklanon with English translation.
Through my writings, I have gained some friends
not only in my province but also outside. Two of them are Dr. Sharon C. Masula
of Aklan State University-Ibajay Campus and the other lady, Sharon R. Gungon
of New Washington. As a result, I gained some cooperation with other
writers. And perhaps if not because of my Aklanon works, Prof. Tomas Talledo
would not have invited me to attend a conference on why people write in their
native tongues. The conference was held on May 9, 2008 at UP Visayas, Iloilo
City campus. Or probably, I should not have been invited to attend as a fellow
to a literary workshop in U.P. Visayas Cebu College, Cebu City, if I were not
writing poems in Aklanon. And if I were
not writing poems and stories in Aklanon, I would not be here too.
And perhaps through my example,
some Aklanons have tried writing in Aklanon. Now we see some Aklanon poems on
the Internet. One book, “Haiku, Luwa and Other Poems by Aklanons,” was
published in 2004 as a result of my online poetry workshop who stayed in the
United States of America, Canada, Switzerland, and other places here and
abroad. Since 1993, I have been teaching poetry writing, among Aklanons either
one-on-one or in group both online and off-line, and mostly free of charge.
As I have been saying, I am a
librarian by day and a writer by night. I told myself that if I can write one
poem a day, that would be 365 poems for one year. Of course, I cannot write a
poem a day. But out of these activities,
I have been involved in the publication of the following books:
Ani, Aklanon.
Co-editor. Cultural Center of the
Philippines, Manila, 1993.
Ham-at Madueom Ro Gabii?
a collection of my award winning poems in Aklanon with Filipino translation.
Privately printed at Macar Enterprises, Kalibo, Aklan. 1999.
Bigkas Binalaybay: Kritisismo at
Antolohiya, co-editor with John Barrios, Jonathan P. Jurilla,
and J. I. E. Teodoro. Iloilo City, Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Visayas-Sentro ng
Wikang Pilipinas, 2008.
The 32 Best Aklanon Poets.
Editor. Alta Tierra Publications, Lezo,
Aklan. 2009.
When I Fall in Love;
haiku, luwa, tongue twisters and other poems by Mila S. dela Rosa. Editor. Alta Tierra
Publications, Lezo, Aklan. 2010.
Matimgas nga Paeanoblion;
anthology of poems written by Aklanons. Editor. Alta Tierra Publications, Lezo, Aklan. 2011.
Maiden; a collection of haiga on
Filipino women. Author. Alta Tierra Publications, Lezo, Aklan. 2012.
Siniad-siad nga kaeangitan (strips
of heavens); a collection of Akeanon poems. Author.
Libro Agustino, University of San Agustin, Iloilo City, 2012.
Ham-at Madueom ro Gabii?; a
collection of Aklanon poems with Filipino translation. Author. 2nd
ed. Kasingkasing Press, Guimaras, 2015.
Mga Pabula ni Aesop sa Akeanon;
ginsueat it uman ni Melchor F. Cichon. Author. Kasingkasing
Press, 2016.
Mga bueawanon nga hueobaton sa
Akeanon; ginpili ag ginbaeay nanday Melchor F. Cichon, Rita
Hilda Tabanera-Feliciano ag Pamela Joy Esmeralda Mindanao. Kasingkasing Press,
2016.
Eangit;
flash fiction. Author. Kasingkasing Press, 2017.
Aside
from these books, my poems, flash fictions, and feature articles have been appearing
in Liwayway, in Aklan Reporter, Panay News, and in Almanaque,.
Probably
because of my online and off-line poetry writing workshops among Aklanons, the
various literary awards that I received and my publications, my colleagues have called me as the Father of
Aklanon Literature. Our Aklanon elder writers did not conduct poetry workshop.
They just published their creative works, but they did not share their literary
skills through creative writing workshops among Aklanons.
My other reason for writing in
Aklanon is to prove that there is a distinct Aklanon literature, not a subgroup
of Hiligaynon literature. For many years some people have thought that there is
only one literature in Western Visayas and that is Hiligaynon Literature until
we the present writers have advocated that Aklanon literature is not a subgroup
of Hiligaynon literature, but parallel to it. In the book by Lucila
Hosillos, Hiligaynon Literature: Text and Context (1992), she included the
English translation of an Aklanon poem, “Haead Sa Adlaw Nga Kinamatyan Ku
Napueo Ag Siyam Sa Akean” by Peping Tansinko Manyas. This relates to the death
of the 19 Martyrs of Aklan.
Still other reason why I write
in Aklanon is to earn money, although very little, by being asked to translate
Aklanon poems, short stories and other works for their theses or researches. As
a resource person in various conferences, seminars and creative writing
workshops, And as a judge in various poetry contests. I did not only earn some
amount of money as a token, but I have been able to travel to diffirent places
free of charge and meet new friends. And through these gatherings, I have a
chance to meet famous Filipino writers like Virgilio Almario, Eugene Evasco, Dr.
Luis Gatmaitan, Hermie Beltran, and many more.
The latest creative writing workshop that I
have conducted was in New Washington Elementary School, New Washington, Aklan on
August 4, 2017 with more than 60 participants. On May 8, 2018, I was with 24
graduate students of the University of Antique discussing with them some
aspects of Aklanon language and introducing with them my Aklanon poems and
flash fictions.
Lastly, I write in Aklanon to expose the social
and environmental cancer that ferment in our country and, hopefully, prick the
consciousness of our leaders.
To me, poetry is a social responsibility. And to
be a poet is to become immortal.
While contemplating on why I
write in Aklanon, I cannot take away the problems and some suggestions that
should be tackled to uplift Aklanon Literature.
Here are some of the problems that I see:
Unlike the English and Filipino
writers, Aklanon writers encounter a lot of problems.
1.
Aklanons are not well familiar with the correct
spelling of even some common words. Is it kun or kon? Is it agud or agod? Is it
tagipo-soon or tagipusuon? Two main reasons for this problem are: 1. There is
no standard Aklanon dictionary. 2. The
absence or insufficient copies of Aklanon dictionaries.
At
the moment there are five dictionaries related to Aklanon language. Four of
these are:
Braulio,
Eleanor Perucho. Akean-Filipino leksicon, 1997-98. Kalibo, Aklan: Macar
Enterprises, 1999.
Dela
Cruz, Roman A. Five-language dictionary (Panay Island): English, agalog,
Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a, Aklanon. Kalibo,Aklan:
Rock Publishing, 2003.
Pastrana,
Theodore Acevedo. Mga magkahueogan ag buko’t makahueogan nga mga tinaga sa
Inakeanon (a thesaurus of Aklanon words). No place of publication, no
publisher. 2012.
Reyes,
Vicente Salas, et al. A Study of the Aklanon Dialect, vol two, Dictionary.
Kalibo, Aklan: Public Domain, 1969. (This is the first Aklanon dictionary.
Volume 1` of this is on Aklanon grammar)
What
is interesting in these dictionaries, among others, is the inconsistencies of
the spelling of some words. Here is a good example: (for their translation of
heart or puso in Akeanon)
tagipusoon
(Pastrana, page not stated but found in its Paaman part)
tagipuso-on
(Reyes, p. 362)
tagipusuon
(Braulio, p. 154, column 2)
tagipusuon
(dela Cruz, p. 342). Note: When Braulio was writing her Leksikon, her adviwer
was Mr. Roman A. dela Cruz)
Another
interesting thing about Aklanon language is how they are being used by some
Aklanon writers. They use prefixes as if they were separate words, hence we
sometimes read words like these: pag bakae, gin haboy, ka itum, nag paligos,
etc. These should have been pagbakae,
ginhaboy, kaitum, nagpaligos.
2. The second
problem is the lack of encouragement and financial support from school
administrators on the production and publication of Aklanon literary pieces.
When I say Aklanon literary pieces, I mean poems, stories, essays, etc. written
in Aklanon, not in Filipino nor in English.
3. Very few
literature teachers in Aklan discuss the literary works of Aklanons writers in
their classes.
4. There is a
lack of writing grants, annual literary competitions, a regular local literary
festival, publication grant, annual creative writing workshops or LGU recognition of their efforts in Aklan. If this is done, more Aklanons will
be encouraged to create more literary pieces not only in English, Filipino but
more particularly in Aklanon.
5. There is no
foundation or local government unit in Aklan that finances an annual
competitive free creative writing workshop to help train and develop
prospective Aklanon creative writers. Their outputs, after proper editing, can be
published.
6. I believe that
there are still a lot of uncollected oral literature in Aklan like luwa,
komposo, and epics.
7. Except for Dr.
Sharon Masula’s dissertation on my poems, and the three other Aklanon graduate
students who wrote their graduate theses on my poems, I still have to find
other studies on Aklanon literature. Hopefully, our researchers including our
theses writers will critically analyze our published literary works to help
improve the quality of our literary outputs. At the moment, this is what we
need. We are thankful that at the moment some of our Aklanon authors post their
literary works in the social media, allowing other people to read our literary
works. There are, however, some people who plagiarized.
9. Our academic
and non-academic libraries do not have funds to buy locally produced literary
works. Most often they just ask for free copies at the expense of the authors
for they too are not rich.
10. The Aklan
province has no literary arts council to develop, preserve, finance and
encourage Aklanon writers to write more in Aklanon. Perhaps, it is high time
that our provincial government creates a resolution requiring all colleges and
universities to deposit a copy of each theses, school organs,
journals/magazines being produced by them to the Provincial Library. This way,
more and more people will be able to read more Aklanon creative works.
11. Many of our
academic institutions libraries do not have copies of published books written
by Aklanons, including souvenir programs during town and provincial
anniversaries. It is high time that our
local official will look into this to upgrade our Aklaniana collection. We are
lucky that there are some Aklanon writers who share their creative works in the
internet. But there are some people who plagiarized our works. It happened to
me twice.
12. Our
provincial government, under the supervision of the provincial librarian,
should evaluate each municipal library in Aklan to determine their strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. And to update their Aklaniana
collections.
What is next for Aklanon writers?
From
the above statements, it is noticeable that Aklanon literature for children
like nursery rhymes, short stories, and novels are very scarce. In fact, so
far, there is no novel in Aklanon yet, although there are novels written by
Aklanons but they are either in Hiligaynon or in English. Perry Mangilaya, the
editor of Liwayway, is an Aklano who writes a novel but in Filipino. Likewise,
academic studies on Aklanon literature are very few. This writer hopes that
this gap will soon be filled up by the present and future Aklanon scholars.
It
seems too that Aklanon contemporary writers will still write poetry and short
stories. As for the contents, Aklanon poets and fiction writers will still be
writing poems, etc. with social relevance as they are still experiencing the
impact of poverty, injustices, corruption, environmental degradation, and many
other socio-cultural issues.
In
conclusion, Aklanon literature has a tradition to think of. Through the
centuries, Aklanons have been writing different types of literature: poems,
short stories, novels, riddles, songs, maxims, and legends, but generally these
are either in Filipino or in English. Through the internet Aklanon writers have
been exposed to world literature particularly the short poems like haiku and
tanka and fictions. This will surely bring the Aklanon literature to the Phillipine
literature mainstream.
Before, I say thank you, allow me to read these two poems.Si Ambong, Ati
Si Ambong,
Ati—maitum.
Kueong ra buhok,
gision ra eambong, gasiki.
Gakung-kong,
kung-kong ka maeupsi nga eapsag
Gapakalimos sa Jaro
Cathedral, sa J.M. Basa Street
Ay gintabog eon ra
pamilya sa eugta nga anay ginaayaman nanda’t haeo.
Si Ambong, Ati,
maitum, indi kantigo magbasa, indi kantigo magsueat
Maski ka anang
ngaean ay sa andang barangay owa’t eskuylahan.
Si Ambong, Ati, ginasinggit-singgitan,
ginadela-delaan
It mga unga kon
imaw mag-agi sa daean ay maitum.
Ginapahadlok it mga
nanay sa andang gatangis nga mga unga.
O sa mga unga nga
indi magtueog.
Kon fiesta,
ginataw-an si Ambong it salin nga suea
Ginasueod sa
plastic o sa bag-ong bukas nga lata.
Kon bukon ngani,
ginabagsakan it gate.
Agod makayupyop it
sigarilyo, gapamueot si Ambong it upos sa kalye.
Agod makasamit it
hamburger o juice sa pakite,
Ginapaeapitan ni
Ambong ro nagakaon maski sin-o nga anang maagyan.
Pag-abot it gabii,
maeugad si Ambong sa sidewalk o sa waiting shed
Kahulid ka anang
maeupsing eabsag—
Mayad eang kon may
karton nga banig ag owa’t baha o uean –
Agod magbaskug
euman ra tuhod sa pagpakalimos pagka-aga.
Si Ambong,
Ati—maitum. Ra ele-ele, ra hibi, ra pangamuyo
Indi mabatian, indi
mabatyagan it gobyerno sa siyudad it tawo.
Ra singgit it
tabang hay singgit sa Pluto.
Si Ambong, Ati–
maitum, indi makit-an it atong gobyerno.
Kon Dinagyang, sa
selebrasyon etsa pwera si Ambong.
Eutay kuno imaw sa mga
bisitang dumueo-ong.
Si Ambong, maitum,
ginatabog it blue guard
Bag-o pa man imaw
maka-eapak sa gate it Atrium ag SM Shoemart.
Kunta may Gloria
nga magbatak kay Ambong sa libtong it kaimueon
Agod sa ulihi ro
gobyerno may buwes nga masukot kay Ambong;
Agod sa ulihi
makabakae man imaw it Levis o barong;
Agod sa ulihi
makaeskuyla man sa U.P. ra mga inapo;
Agod sa ulihi owa
kana’t magtamay, owa’t magtabog
Kon imaw mag-agto
sa SM City ag sa Atrium.
Si Ambong,
Ati–Maitum. Apo ni Maniwantiwan.
Ag Filipino. Pares
kimo, pares kakon.
Kon ham-at owa imaw
sa listahan it mga Filipino nga dapat buligan?
Kon ham-at indi
imaw makasueod sa atong ugsaran?
Kon ham-at indi
naton imaw maagbayan?
Kon ham-at indi
imaw makadungan katon magkaon sa restauran?
Siyudad man baea ra’t
tawo, indi baea, banwa? Indi baea, banwa?
Ay, Pangabuhi
Gatindog
Ro tawong
Grasa
Sa atubang it sangka
Aquarium.
“Mayad pa ro
Gold Fish,
Maski indi
makakita it eangit,
Busog.
“Ako, makita
ko ro bilog
Nga
kaeangitan,
Pero
gaeaguok rang tiyan.”
References
Barrios, John E.,
Cichon, Melchor F., Jurilla, Jonathan P. and Teodoro, J. I. E., eds. Bigkas
Binalaybay; Kritisismo, antolohiya. Iloilo City: Sentro ng Wikang Filipino,
Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Visayas and Pambansang Komisyon para sa Kultura at mga
Sining, 2008. 171p.
Cichon, Melchor F.
Belle Nabor: A Filipino Haijin. Posted November 28, 2005.
http://www.akeanon.com/. Retrieved: April 16, 2006.
Cichon, Melchor F.
Dr. Leoncio P. Deriada: Masiglang Lider Sa Muling Pag-Uswag Ng Malikhaing
Panulat sa Western Visayas. Daluyan, the official publication of the Sentro Ng
Wikang Filipino, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, vol. 5,
No. 2, pp. 8-11, 1994.
De Juan, Alexander
C. Ang Pag-ahon Ng Nakasulat na Literaturang Aklanon. Daluyan, the official
publication of the Sentro Ng Wikang Filipino, University of the Philippines,
Diliman, Quezon City, vol. 5, No. 2, pp.15-16, 1994.
De la Cruz, Beato.
Contributions of the Aklan Mind to Philippine Literature. San Juan, Rizal:
Kalantiao Press, 1958. 97p.
Deriada, Leoncio.
Literature engineering in West Visayas. Forum, Opisyal na Pahayagan ng
Universidad ng Pilipinas, March 28, 2006.
http://www.up.edu.ph/forum/2000/03/28/litengg.html, retrieved: April 13, 2006.
Manyas, Peping
Tansinko. Tagiposuon Nga Hueowaran. Daeang Rizal, Kalibo, Capiz. 1926. 26p.
(Photo-copy)
Nabor, Fiorella I.
“An Inquiry into the Ancient Inakeanon Writing System,” Silliman Journal, Ist
Quarter, 1968, pp. 54-86 ((Photo-copy)
Reyes, Gabriel M.
Toning. Mandurriao, Iloilo, 1925. 35p. (Photo-copy)
Tente Undoy. Mga
Bilisad-n ni Tente Undoy. San Juan, Rizal, Kalantiaw Publications, Inc. 37p.
(Photo-copy)
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