John Wayne O.

Reoligio
STEM 12 – OPTIMISTIC ONYX
Region 1:
Leona Florentina
(19 April 1849 - 4 October 1884) was a Filipina poet in the Spanish and Ilocano languages. She is considered
as the "mother of Philippine women's literature" and the "bridge from oral to literary tradition". Born to a
wealthy and prominent family in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Florentino was baptized under the Christian name Leona
Josefa Florentina. She began to write her first verses in Ilocano at a young age. Despite her potential, she was
not allowed to receive a university education because of her gender. Florentino was instead tutored by her
mother, and then a series of private teachers. An educated Ilocano priest taught her advanced Spanish and
encouraged her to develop her voice in poetry. Florentino married a politician named Elías de los Reyes at the
age of 14. They had five children together. Their son Isabelo de los Reyes later became a Filipino writer,
activist and senator. Due to the protofeminist nature of her writings, Florentino was shunned by her husband
and son; she lived alone in exile and separately from her family. She died at the age of 35.

Pagbating Biro
Lantang hasmin ang makakatulad,
Pag byente-otso na ang iyong edad,
Kaya tunay lamang at karapat-dapat,
Ang pagtanda mo'y ikabagabag.

Dahil anuman ang iyong gawin,

Di na pweden pang pigilin,
Lalo pa't paghakbang mo'y medyo alanganin,
At nawawala na ang tikas na angkin.

Kaya nga ngayon pa ma'y iyo nang iwasan,

Ang landas ng kapos-kapalaran,
Ipagparangyaan ang iyng kariktan,
Sa kabila ng papalapit na katandaan.

Sapagkat lalo ka pang didilag

Sa pagtatakal mo ng alak,
Marami ang sa iyo'y ninanakawan
Ni G na may katarayan.

Pamalagiing masigla ang iyong isipan,

Tingnan mo nga kung maglambingan
Sina D at M ang mga hukluban,
Parang mga tuging sa imbudo'y naggigitgitan.

Siya, siya, kung ganyan ang ikikilos mo,

Walang duda, baka sakaling kamtin mo
Ang ikapitong sakramento
Na idudulog ni Don Domongo!
Region 2:
Emmanuel Agapito Flores Lacaba
Popularly known as Eman Lacaba, was a Filipino writer, poet, essayist, playwright, fictionist, scriptwriter,
songwriter and activist and he is considered as the only poet warrior of the Philippines.
Lacaba wrote the lyrics of "Awit ni Kuala", the song sung by Lolita Rodriguez in the classic Lino Brocka
masterpiece 'Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang '. He also composed new revolutionary lyrics in Cebuano for some
well-known folk songs. Lacaba was killed on March 18, 1976 in Tucaan Balaag, Asuncion, Davao de Norte he
was set to go back shortly to the city for a new assignment that would have used his writing skills, and had even
agreed to write a script for Lino Brocka once he got back there. He was 27 years old.

Pateros Blues

All I the brat of eight the brat of Death forty my father died my mother’s clan
itched to write were elegies. One for the mostly impoverished principalia marched
the bitch among three dogs at home
I stroked the most: the summer evening toast

of all Pateros mongreldom. The next through bridges’ throats & intestines of streets
town’s camp of soldiers drowned her crisper bones to the home of white! where black veils
with coconut wine. Another for my great blindfolded aunts. Uncles squinted: shut their eyes.
great etcetera grandfather Quim At the coffin halfway through the niche I stared

Suy the merchant later known as Don as at the duckling of balut: dark
Lorenzo Quiogue of whom the waterlilies of as the spirit possessing pale virgins: as Death
tres siglos obstructed most recall. my foster father my second name my other side

Nevertheless he must have himself my favorite word my great etcetera Death.

forgot the cry of the ducks & the Pasig’s swell

& the profit & the loss who had
taken a Christian martyr’s name: Saint
Lorenzo who roasted by the Romans quipped

one side of him was cooked. “Come & eat. Then turn
me on the other side.” Lorenzo too
Saint Martha’s & the river’s thin & gray
dancer: whose heart at eighty flying fell

with food hurled by sterile women on

a crocodile! the crocodile. When
Region 3:
Francisco Balagtas
(April 2, 1788 – February 20, 1862),[1] commonly known as Francisco Balagtas and also as Francisco Baltasar,
was a prominent Filipino poet during the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is widely considered
one of the greatest Filipino literary laureates for his impact on Filipino literature. The famous epic Florante at
Laura is regarded as his defining work. The commonly misspelled surname Baltasar as Baltazar sometimes
misconstrued as a pen name, was a legal surname Balagtas adopted after the 1849 edict of Governor-General
Narciso Claveria y Zaldua, which mandated that the native population adopt standard Spanish surnames instead
of native ones. His surname is also sometimes given as "Balagtas Baltasar" when instead he used one or the
other but not both at the same time. But Balagtas resented the Spanish rule and so spelled his adopted surname
with an S instead of Z. Thus, his legal surname was really Baltasar, and not Baltazar. The Philippines has
released currency honoring Kiko Balagtas and his chosen spelling of Baltasar on the 10 centavo coin.

Florente at Laura (Buod)

Ang kuwento ng Florante at Laura ay nagsisimula sa isang madilim na gubat sa may dakong labas ng
bayang Albanya, malapit sa ilog Kositong na ang tubig ay makamandag. Dito naghihimutok ang nakataling
Florante na inusig ng masamang kapalaran. Ang mga gunita niya ay naglalaro sa palagay niya ay nagtaksil
na giliw na si Laura, sa kanyang nasawing ama, at kahabag-habag na kalagayan ng bayan niyang mahal. Sa
gubat ay nagkataong may naglalakad na isang Moro na nagngangalang Aladin. Narinig niya ang tinig ni
Florante at dali-dali niya itong tinunton. Dalawang leon ang handang sumakmal sa lalaking nakatali.
Pinatay ni Aladin ang dalawang mababangis na hayop at kanyang kinalagan at inalagaan si Florante
hanggang sa muling lumakas. Ikinuwento ni Florante ang kanyang buhay. Siya ay anak nina Duke Briseo at
Prinsesa Floresca. Muntik na siyang madagit ng buwitre at iniligtas siya ng kanyang pinsang si Menalipo
na taga-Epiro. Sinambilat ng isang halkon ang kwintas niyang diyamante.  Pinadala siya ng kanyang ama
sa Atena upang mag-aral sa ilalim ng gurong si Antenor. Natagpuan niya doon ang kanyang kababayang si
Adolfo na kanya ring lihim na kaaway. Iniligtas siya ni Menandro sa mga taga ni Adolfo nang minsang
magtanghal sila ng dula sa kanilang paaralan. Tapos ay nakatangap si Florante ng liham tungkol sa
pagkamatay ng sinisinta niyang ina. Pagkabalik niya sa Albanya kasama ang matalik niyang kaibigang si
Menandro, pinatay niya si Heneral Osmalik na kumubkob sa Krotona. Nagkaroon siya ng mga tagumpay sa
labimpitong kahariang di-pa-binyagan matapos niyang iligtas si Laura sa hukbo ni Aladin na umagaw sa
Albanya nang siya’y nakikipaglaban sa ibang bayan. Natalo din niya ang Turkong hukbo ni Miramolin at
iba pa. Nagwakas ang kanyang pagsasalaysay sa pandarayang ginawa sa kanya ni Adolfo matapos kunin
ang trono ng Albanya at agawin sa kanya si Laura. Nagpakilala ang Moro na siya’y si Aladin, kaaway na
mahigpit ng relihiyong Kristiyano at ng bayan ni Florante. Ang kanyang kapalaran ay sinlagim ng kay
Florante. Inagaw sa kanya ng kanyang amang si Sultan Ali-Adab ang kanyang kasintahang si Flerida.
Pagkatapos ng pagsasalaysay ay narinig nila ang dalawang tinig na nag-uusap. Tumayo ang dalawang
lalaki at nakita nila sina Laura at Flerida na nag-uusap. Si Flerida’y tumakas sa Persya upang hanapin si
Aladin at nang mapagawi siya sa may dakong gubat ay nasumpungan niya si Laura na ibig gahasain ni
Adolfo, pinana niya ito at naligtas si Laura sa kamay ng sukab. Ikinuwento ni Laura ang paghuhuwad ni
Adolfo sa lagda ng kanyang ama upang madakip si Florante. Isinalaysay niya ang pamimilit ni Adolfo sa
kanya at pagdadala sa gubat. Sa ganoon ay nabatid nina Florante at Aladin na ang kani-kanilang mga
katipan ay pawang tapat sa kanila. Sina Florante at Laura ay matagumpay na naghari sa Albanya at sina
Aladin at Flerida, pagkatapos na maging binyagan at pagkamatay ni Sultan Ali-Adab, ay naghari sa Persya.