(Gibatbat ni sa Forum sa Mindanawon Writing katong 16 September 2016 sa Central Mindanao University, Musuan, Bukidnon.)
To tell you the truth, I don’t have the wisdom and know-how to discuss the topic because “Mindanawon Writing” is so vast. However, what I can share is a part of Mindanao that I’m more familiar with which is Cagayan de Oro because I was born and raised there as well as my affair with Binisaya. Ever since I wore diapers, I was trained to speak English. I also studied in a school where English and Filipino are absolute, though the latter language and I never seem to get along.
Other than English, I was more familiar with Binisaya because of my mother, though, I was not that well-versed back then. Words like “nihit,” “suliyaw,” “handuraw,” “alimyon,” “tim-os,” ug uban pa were far from my vocabulary back then. I was more attuned with words and expressions that implied some degree of profanity such as “ataya ka,” “yawa,” “loslos,” o “nawong nga giligsan og pison.” My favorite was “mamords.” English was pretty dominant in my life especially in elementary. Ayha ra ko na-conscious sa akong enistoryahan pagka-high school diin gikantsawan ko sa akong mga ka-klase kay “English Spakaner” ra kaayo ko. But now, when some of my batchmates read my poems in Binisaya, gadugoay ang ilang ilong—hmph, mirisi! I learned to speak the language later in my high school and wrote the language after my first creative writing workshop in 3rd year college, where I took my third course AB-English, diin gi-comment sa akong maestra ang akong attempt sa short story.
Although the language was written in English, my imagination kuno was “bisdak.” Sa tinuod lang, I didn’t know what she meant by that. But if I look back, siguro akong imahinasyon ang iyang gipasabot. Nga inig basa sa papel kay mora kunog bata nga pisot. Nagngisi samtang ga-ihi atubangan sa daghang tawo. O kanang batan-on nga wa-tuyo-i nakasulod sa ladies rest room. Nga abtik ang pag-sorry-sorry pero inig sil-ip, gi-ulanan dayon og pipila ka laparo. O kanang ulitawo nga nag-inusarag maoy kay gi-awayan sa iyang uyab, nga gawas pa sa gipatikan og sagpa ug balikas, gipakapinan pag tsiki-nini.
Apan dili lang puros gitik-gitik ang gadagan sa akong utok. Dili gyod malikayan nga inig lantaw sa palibot, mamatikdan gyod ang pipila ka libaong sa dalan nga ayha ra ayuhon ting-eleksyon. O kadtong mga batang latagaw nga galaray-laray sa Divisoria diin tibuok adlaw gapangilkil og sinsilyo aron lang makahithit og uska botilyang rugby nga giputosan pag Happy Meal nga selopin. Dili pod malikay nga makasuwat pod ko bahin sa mga tawo nga naanod sa ilang kamingaw, gaataw-ataw didto sa mga suok dapit sa dalan Capistrano ug Tiano diin gakipatkipat ang mga suga sa kalingaw, diin gakidhat ang mga agda sa temporaryang pantasya.
Gasuwat pod ko bahin sa mga imahe nga sagad lang masaksiha diha sa daman ug kangitngit, diin madunggan ang mga kanaas nga nakapalisang sa kalag. Nga inig suwat ug han-ay sa papel, makita unya ang nawong sa kamatuoran taliwala sa kaguliyang. Kining matang sa panghunahuna nga matod pa nilang Dr. Marquis de Quintolimbo (Erik Tuban) ug F. Cielo Agonorio (Cheeno Borden) maoy pananglitan sa uska movement nga makalupig pa sa Zumba ug Pak Ganern—Kini ang “PasModern”—Pasmo nga modern. I write almost about anything. But that “anything” is something that personally haunts or disturbs me, and nothing haunts me more than the place I grew up in.
The promise of progress and modernity nga gipasigarbo sa Kagayan is something that disturbs me. Tsada gyod ang Kagayan. And when I say tsada, I’m not referring to its contextual similarity to the word “nindot,” but to its origin, which is patsada or façade. It may not seem grave, but this façade of modernity hides many truths about Cagayan de Oro and its people. Two of which is that the people are mostly indifferent to the richness of its local arts and history, and tolerant to local graft and corruption. Yet this façade was washed away when Sendong came and broke the dike that held the river. Even the satellite footage that is displayed in XU Museo de Oro shown how brown and muddy the river was, an indication of erosion due to the illegal mining and deforestation between Bukidnon and Northern Mindanao. The disaster took place in December, and it was the most silent December in Cagayan. Out of that disaster birthed a poem that echoed the kind of disturbance that seemed to resonate in the city.
Tingog nga Gaunos sa Sulod
Di na ko makadungog sa mga tingog
sa akong mga higala dinhi sa Burgos.
Di na ko makadungog ni Dodong
nga kanunay gaaghat kanakog laag.
Wala nang hagawhaw nilang Toto ug Imok
nga makatakod kanakog agak-ak.
Wa nang mga higayon nga magtigi mig
patag-asay og ihi (Kon itandi sa sulog
sa suba, dagayday ra among agas).
Di na ko makadungog sa mga tingog
nilang Yani ug Ai-ai nga nagtamudmod
nga di sila makakuyog dungan namo.
Sagad gabagutbot mi kay mora mig
gitanggong sa balay kon moulan.
Ug bisan tuod nga mora mig iro ug iring
sa paglalis, mosubang pod ang adlaw
nga kami makasinabtanay taman sa pagtuliyok
sa among utok, morag nalabyan og bagyo.
Apan sukad milabay si Sendong,
wala nay laing madunggan
gawas sa mga danguyngoy
sa ilang ginikanan, ang mga uwang
sa sakyanan, ug nangabilin nga tingog
sa akong higala nga galanog duyog
sa sulog. Hangtod karon, padayon ang haguros
sa akong kasubo. Way kataposan ang unos.
Months after the poem was published in Sun.Star CDO, I left for Cebu to find work. And it was my first time away from home. During the afterhours, I wrote poems with a recurring theme of desire and longing, which probably explains why most of my works that were published in Kabisdak revolve around the subject.
In 2014, I’ve returned to Cagayan de Oro and compiled these poems into a collection. I had the first edition printed in Bomba Press, but I added fifteen poems for a re-edition. Looking at them now, I like to believe that perhaps it was a result of homesickness. Since most of the poems would wax names of places in Cagayan. The title of the manuscript is Basâ-basa (Wet Read), a collection of 55 poems in Binisaya accompanied with a Filipino translation.
Regarding homesickness, one might presume that I felt at home living in Cebu because of the language and demography of audience. However, that wasn’t the case. I experienced the differences of the Binisaya in Cebu. While I will always cherish the camaraderie of the people whom I befriended, especially the writers and artists of Nomads, it wasn’t the same—lahi ra gyod! Although home was only a boat ride away, there was a sense of longing that I just couldn’t pin down. As corny as it sounds, I missed my family, friends, but most of all, I missed CDO and all the things I detest about it—Nindot lagi ang Cebu pero tsada gyod ang Kagayan. And when I returned to CDO, I found out that there was a group of young aspiring writers had formed poetry reading in different places in Cagayan de Oro. Mai Santillan and Abby James welcomed me in NAGMAC. I guess my life as a wannabee writer isn’t so solitary anymore. I finally came home. Naa lang koy gamay nga paambit alang sa mga estudyante nga gasuwat og Binisaya.
Continue reading and writing our language, and you’ll discover a lot of things sa atong pinulongan. Gawas sa malingaw kag suwat sa atong naandang pinulongan, makaplagan unya ninyo nga lahi atong brand of Binisaya dinhi sa Mindanao. Lahi ang lasa sa Iligan, lahi ang lasa sa Cagayan ug uban pang dapit sa Northern Mindanao, ug lahi pod ang lasa sa Davao. Indeed, this humble vocation can take you places. Busa padayon sa paghabhab sa mga obra nilang Marcello Geocallo, Gumer Rafanan, Anijun Mudan-Udan, Amelia Bojo, Raul Moldez, Rene Quimno, Macario Tiu, Satur Apoyon ug Don Pagusara. Samot tingali mo maglaway sa mga obra sa mga batan-ong dagang sama nilang Gratian Paul Tidor, Angelito Nambatac, Kim Escalona, Mai Santillan, Sums Paguia, Alton Dapanas, Paul Gumanao, Aaron Jalalon, John Bengan, ug uban pang mga hybrid kwaknit nga makaplagan sa Dagmay, Kabisdak ug Bisaya Magasin.
Gawas sa Binisaya, angay ta mong aghaton nga tilawon ang ubang pinulongan dinhi sa Mindanao. Alangan did-an ninyo ang kadaghang lasa nga gapasad sa dakong bangkete nga atong isla? Padayon sa pagbasa ug pagsuwat ug sa pulong pa ni Mike Obenieta, “Salamat-tagay!”
Mark Daposala was born and raised in Cagayan de Oro City. His works have been published in Bisaya Magasin and Kabisdak. He works as a faculty at Humanities and English Department of Capitol University. He’s a member of CDO writers bloc, Bathalad-Mindanao, and NAGMAC.