Press Release

CCP celebrates 86th death anniversary of Jose Corazon de Jesus

25 April 2018, City of Pasay – The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) announced today
the production of “Pagbabalik-Tanaw sa Unang Hari ng Balagtasan” to celebrate the 86th death
anniversary of Jose Corazon De Jesus on May 26, 2018 at the Huseng Batute Theater starting at
1:30 p.m. The theater, a black box intended for experimental performances, was named after the
Filipino poet’s pen name Huseng Batute. The event is free and open to the public.

Batute, born on November 22, 1894 in Sta. Cruz, Manila to Dr. Vicente De Jesus and Susana
Pangilinan, wrote his Buhay-Maynila column in verse at the Taliba newspaper for 10 years. His
poems were published in six (6) books, namely, Mga Dahong Ginto, Gloria, Mga Itinapon ng
Kapalaran, Sa Dakong Silangan, Ilaw sa Kapitbahay, and Maruming Basahan. He also penned
lyrics for songs, most of which are Kundiman or the traditional Filipino love songs. He translated
the song “Nuestra Patria” to “Bayan Ko” considered as the second (unofficial) national anthem
of the country.

Aside from writing poetry and lyrics, Batute likewise excelled in performing in the Balagtasan.
The Balagtasan, named after Francisco Balagtas who wrote Florante at Laura and Orosman at
Zafira, is a Filipino literary form of debate where rhymed verses are created in spontaneity under
topics that range from Philippine politics to culture. Batute received numerous recognitions for
the Balagtasan. He won the title Hari ng Balagtasan in 1926 and again in 1929 where he beat his
closest contender, Florentino Collantes.

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“The Center is honoring Jose Corazon de Jesus or Huseng Batute through this event because his
works exemplify artistic excellence, cultural values, Filipino aesthetics and our national identity.
These are embodied in our performance pledge to attain a humanistic global society,” said
Arsenio J. Lizaso, president and board member of the CCP. “In this digital age, we would like to
introduce the millennials to traditional poetry, the Balagtasan, and the Kundiman music which
are the precursors of Spoken Word, the rap battles, and the modern Filipino love songs,” Lizaso
added.

“Pagbabalik-Tanaw sa Unang Hari ng Balagtasan,” done in cooperation with the Provincial

Government of Bulacan, has two segments: (1) Forum where invited speakers would discuss the
works of Batute and their relevance to the current period; and (2) Pagtatanghal where ten of
Batute’s works would be performed. Bulacan Governor Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado is one of the
speakers in the Forum.

The works of Batute to be performed consist of five poems including sections from the first-ever
Balagtasan held at the Instituto de Mujeres in Tondo, Manila on April 6, 1924 and five songs
which he provided lyrics to. The Philippine Opera Company (POC), rappers Beware and
Negatibo, veteran actors John Arcilla, Ronnie Lazaro, Lou Veloso, ventriloquist Ony Carcamo,
and traditional mambabalagtas from Bulacan are among the performers in the Pagtatanghal
segment.

Multi-awarded writer and performance artist Vim Nadera and Louise O. Lopez are the hosts of
the event.

The event is spearheaded by the CCP Office of the President and implemented through its
Intertextual Division. For more details on the “Pagbabalik-Tanaw sa Unang Hari ng Balagtasan”
event, please contact Kimberly Lim at 551-5959, (0919) 317-5708, or
ccpintertextualdivision@gmail.com.