Full-blooded Valenzuelano from Barangay Coloong, Joselito, won the prestigious award as the “Makata ng Taon 2013” with his poem “Sa Madadaling Salita” as the winning piece.

 

The Talaang Ginto: Makata ng Taon is an annual poem writing contest established by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino in connection with the celebration of Araw ni Balagtas every 2^nd day of April.  It is deemed as the most exalted poem writing contest in the country.

 

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The piece towards success

Inside a poet’s head is a realm of undiscovered worlds and formidable ideas, which we may not easily comprehend on a superficial perspective, waiting to be painted through words.

 

And once you were highly regarded into a more definite standing, say as, the “Poet of the Year,” you know that the person concocted a striking masterpiece with a stamp of literary timelessness.  And that is the poem “Sa Madadaling Salita.”

 

Joey, as he is fondly called by family and friends, dedicated it to his deceased father.  The idea has stuck with him for a very long time and he had written it on the course of three intensive days. “Even if I’m doing something, half of my functioning neurons will still be hooked on what I’m writing,” he shared.

 

And in the beginning…there were words

Joey started writing way back in high school.  He was enthusiastically competing to numerous writing contests.  He also wrote love letters, not primarily for himself, but for his friends, and even enemies.

 

And way before the advent of text messaging and social networking, there are the old ways of communication -– the snail mail. And he also took this with much gusto, joining the “pen pal craze” back then. “I wrote to five female pen pals…simultaneously.  That’s why I had written so much,” he shares ending it with a mischievous smile.

 

But it was during his first year college that he had immersed in the art of making solid stanzas with meanings that need to be decoded. The craft of poetry, which eventually lead him to his hard-earned award today.

 

 

Daily grind in between crumpled papers

Real poets do not clamor putting it as a job description.  For Joey, writing has always been in between juggled roles, not a sole function.  If you check his resume, his occupation is a professor at the University of Santo Tomas.  Along with being a doting father to two beautiful daughters and a loving husband.

 

You might say he is loaded with work so how does he find time in jotting those dynamic thoughts itching to be silenced with a pen and paper?

 

“Well if you treat writing like having your day by day cup of Joe, the answer is basically to find time. It doesn’t fall on a rigorous plan like the usual daily time records which needs to be very specific – I treat writing as a routine,” he said.

 

 

Defining own writing

If Edgar Allan Poe dwells too much on the dark world filled with macabre, Joey said that he doesn’t settle for one particular theme. Although most of the time, it was always anchored on history without him being conscious about it. His primary influences on finding his own voice in writing comes from two heavy names in the industry described in his own words as: “A certain Jerry (Gracio) and a certain Rio (Virgilio Almario).”

 

Other than poetry, he is a versatile writer who also dabbles into screenplays and stories for literary journals and anthologies.  He is also a contributing travel writer for Balikbayan Magazine.

 

 

Jotting down the stanzas

Every single being breathing can be a writer. It can even be considered as a universal talent. Although, it varies per person whether they want to fully give that raw talent into full form. Take it from the newly-crowned master himself, “Motivation is to write more. To be read. Not necessarily to have accolades. Or to gain likes on Facebook. These are merely bonuses,” he pointed out.

 

He also stated that reading voraciously sparks the ignition plugs for a wide laboratory of ideas. And the formula to be better lies on these: “Constantly write. Constantly read. Let others who you knew well give read and give honest opinion to your work. They will be your circle of critics.”

 

 

Winning formula

Though for the record, he isn’t a neophyte to the “Makata ng Taon” contest. For the past decade, he kept on joining and managed to be awarded with honorable mentions.  But this year proves to be an amazing one as he snagged the coveted first place.

 

He advises those who would want to join the contest to read intensively the progression of winning poems, stressing on the word “read” as he thinks it is the most important factor to gain inspiration in writing.  “Not just for the contest, but in writing life as a whole,” he emphasized.

 

 

Famous not-so-last words

“Hindi palayuan sa narating ang buhay. Palaliman ito ng bakas na iiwan para masundan.” (It is not about who reach the farthest.  Life is about leaving a deeper mark as an inspiration to follow suit.)

 

 

By Eunice G. Francisco