''Balagtasan'' is a Filipino form of

debate Debate is a process that involves formal discourse, discussion, and oral addresses on a particular topic or collection of topics, often with a moderator and an audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for opposing viewpoints. Historica ...

done

in verse Poetry (from the Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literary art that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, literal or surface-level meanings. Any particular ...

. Derived from the name of

Francisco Balagtas Francisco Balagtas y de la Cruz (April 2, 1788 – February 20, 1862), commonly known as Francisco Balagtas and also as Francisco Baltazar, was a Filipino poet and litterateur of the Tagalog language during the Spanish rule of the Philippines. ...

also known as the Prince of Balagtasan, this art presents a type of literature in which thoughts or reasoning are expressed through speech. The first balagtasan took place in the Philippines on April 6, 1924, created by groups of writers to commemorate the birth of Francisco Balagtas. They made the first balagtasan with three sets of poets presenting a scripted defense. They based the form on earlier types of debates that also used poetic elements such as ''karagatan'', ''huwego de prenda'' and, ''duplo''. Balagtasan is participated by two or more protagonists who engages in a

on a selected subject. Each protagonist expresses their views

and with

rhyming A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds (usually the exact same phonemes) in the final stressed syllables and any following syllables of two or more words. Most often, this kind of rhyming (''perfect rhyming'') is consciously used for a musica ...

. Refutations shall also be done in the same manner. A judge, known as the ''lakandiwa'' if male or ''lakambini'' if female, will decide the winner of the balagtasan. The judge shall also announce the winner in verse and with rhyming. The participants are also expected to impress before a watching audience. This is enlightened by the expression of poetic arguments but it can also provide

entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and Interest (emotion), interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but it is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have deve ...

through humor, extraordinary wit, and quasi-theatrical and dramatic expression.

References

External links

Balagtasan (justa poética) / Jesús Balmori y Manuel Bernabé
Philippine poetry Debate types {{poetry-stub