Baytan's Cartographies of Desire

Baytan’s Cartographies of Desire

by Ralph Semino Galán


The Queen Sings the Blues, Poems 1992-2002 (Pasig City: Anvil Publishing, Inc., 2007, 102 pages), Ronald Baytan’s long-anticipated first volume of poetry, charts the beautiful but bleak landscape of homosexual love and lust, queer desire’s many blissful fruitions and equally numerous frustrations. The 47 poems comprising the compendium map out, as the sequencing seems to suggest, the metamorphosis of a Chinese-Filipino’s gay imaginary from a fairy tale princess to the proverbial queen of the world, a fact that is later confirmed in the illuminating exegetic essay written by the author himself which serves as the tome’s postscript.

Divided into six sections, the collection also immortalizes the queer spaces --- gay bars and bathhouses, cafés and discotheques, backrooms and motel suites, weekend resorts and performance venues --- in Metro Manila and its environs, which are also subject to mutations and permutations. For these liminal places existing in the outermost limits of spatial legitimacy have a temporal if not seasonal dimension, making them vulnerable (and thus valuable to those who will mourn their eventual closure) to the whims of the very same habitués whose epicurean predilection are perversely protean or even mercurial, to say the least.

Cine Café (the topic of discussion in the poem “Seafood” which is dedicated to this fledgling critic) typifies a Filipino queer space in the Metropolis that has undergone not a few transformations due to its former clientele’s lack of loyalty, and the fact that high culture is difficult to market while casual sex (often anonymous) sells like hotcakes. Conceptualized as a venue for the screening of art films, as well as an alternative setting for poetry readings and photo exhibits, Cine Café has then degenerated into a popular blue bar complete with a video room featuring pornographic movies and a shadowy backroom where anything and everything goes in the lascivious dark.

This does not really come (pun intended) as a complete surprise, for as Aaron Betsky articulates in his book Queer Space: Architecture and Same-Sex Desire, “The purpose of queer space is again ultimately sex: the making of a space either for that peculiar definition of the self as an engine of sexuality or for the act of sex itself.”

But I have sashayed too far on the rarefied catwalk of queer theory. So before I get carried away with my critical ruminations, allow me to accompany the poet-persona in his imaginary high heels (Note: There is a black stiletto beside each page number, not to mention a blue one on the front cover.) as he initially makes tentative forays into the better-lit avenues of gay love until he finally delves deeper into the darker alleys of homosexual desire.

The first part of the book titled “He who sleeps in my lap” contains lyrical verses that shimmer like shantung silk for the sheer strength of the persona’s unbridled faith that true love exists, and that failure in passionate connection is but the obverse side of the same romantic coin. The innocent persona in these poems believes in the workings of destiny (“Crossroad” and “Star-crossed”) in determining the beginning and the end of the affair. Nevertheless, being a true-blue romantic, hope springs eternal in his homosexual heart “that when he wakes up/ I shall be his dream.//” [“He who sleeps in my lap”].

In “Procrastinations” and “The Queen Sings the Blues”, the second and third sections respectively, the persona becomes more daring as he explores the steamier if not seamier side of the homosexual landscape. Aside from Cine Café where one encounters “spent phalluses/ That have shed copious tears/ In rooms filled with longing.//,” Baytan also commemorates the other queer spaces that have shaped his Otherness. But most of these remarkable gay landmarks are gone, like “Giraffe” (“Saints in drag abound/ Here, and men/ Await their first taste/ Of brotherly love.//) and “Blue” (It’s drag night once more./ Same old Shirley, Whitney, Tina,/ And Mariah in boas and sequins/ Belting about love, love, love./”).

The fourth section, “A Cycle for Rodney,” textualizes the persona’s gay (but not necessarily happy) relationship with a foreign national, which is emblematic of postmodern love affairs, interracial or otherwise. The five poems trace the trajectory of the homosexual liaison, from its hopeful birthing (“Bless me, Mama,/ Because like you, I know// Love has found me.//” [“Beginnings”]) to its inevitable demise (“You thought Love is forever./ And now all you have/ Is the parting/ Kiss, the last handshake,…” [“Endings”]).

As the title suggests, the fifth part features poetic “retellings” of Chinese legends and tales about the homosexual persona as a faithful lover and/or beloved as he appears in the Middle Kingdom’s history and lore: “The Cut Sleeve,” “Mizi Xia, Jade,” “Long Yang,” “Pan Zhang,” “Ruiji,” “Ruiji, Mother of Chengxin,” “Quan,” “Qinshu,” and “Emperor Wu, Confession.”

Baytan’s affirmative action in showing these heartwarming examples of gay love countervails his initial statement in his exegetic essay that homosexual romance does not last forever. The poems, in his own words, “emphasize love’s endurance and the joys of finding the One. I decided to retell the Chinese legends and tales... to show contemporary readers positive models of same-sex love in the old Chinese world. The men in the narratives may not have heard of the word “gay” nor saw themselves as “homosexual”… yet the power of the bonds between these men should suffice to tell the reader that love is possible.”

In “Crossing Borders,” the sixth and closing section, the wizened but world-weary persona reexamines his sensual and sexual experiences, making him realize in the process some life lessons with regards to homosexual love and lust. He comprehends for instance in “Distance (ii)” that the body has a language and a memory of its own: “And so I learn/ The body is not transient/ Nor forgetful;” and in “Threshold” that “desire/ Is a habit, a calling of flesh/ And spirit to repeat/ Presences…”

But the most powerful piece of this final cluster, if only because it is the most confessional and thus presumably the most honest as well, must be the last poem which derives its inspiration from the verses of both Louise Glück (“The Sensual World”) and Pablo Neruda (“XX: Tonight I Can Write”). Unabashedly titled “La Puta del Mundo,” the poem perfectly capture’s the persona’s eternal search for love through lovemaking and the resultant disillusionment that goes with it when the beloved decides to leave: “Why should it matter then if I could not/ Keep them or count them? I have lost// Faith in the possibility of encounters,/ In the meeting of lost halves.//”

Baytan’s lush lyrics, both in its luxuriant and lustful sense, plot the emotional arc of the Chinese-Filipino’s homosexual heart as it swings like a pendulum between desire and despair, love and longing, sex and solitude.

48th Dumaguete National Writers Workshop

Call for Submission of Manuscripts to the 48th Dumaguete National Writers Workshop

The Dumaguete National Writers Workshop is now accepting applications for the 48th National Writers’ Workshop to be held May 4-15, 2009 in Dumaguete City.

This Writers Workshop is offering fifteen fellowships to promising young writers who would like a chance to hone their craft and refine their style. Fellows will be provided housing, a modest stipend, and a subsidy to partially defray costs of their transportation.

To be considered, applicants should submit manuscripts in English on or before March 27, 2009 (seven to ten poems; or three to five short stories; or three to five creative non-fiction essays).

Manuscripts should be submitted in hard copy and on CD, preferably in MS Word, together with a resume, a recommendation letter from a literature professor or a writer of national standing, a certification that the works are original, and two 2X2 ID pictures.

Send all applications or requests for information to Department of English and Literature, attention Prof. A.G. Soluta, Chair, Silliman University, 6200 Dumaguete City.

PHILSTAGE’s Gawad Buhay! nominees bared...

PHILSTAGE’s Gawad Buhay! nominees bared, CCP awards rites set on February 18

Ballet Philippines’ productions of New Beginnings and Coppelia romped off with seven major nominations in the fourth quarter citations list released by the jury of the 2008 Gawad Buhay! The PHILSTAGE Awards for the Performing Arts.

New Beginnings earned the jury’s nod for outstanding dance production, ensemble performance, choreography (Max Luna III and Alan Hineline), and set design (Gino Gonzales). Coppelia was cited for ensemble performance and set design (Mio Infante).

Tanghalang Pilipino’s Ang Mga Gerilya ng Powell Street earned citations for ensemble performance, male lead performance (Joe Gruta and Dido dela Paz) and featured performance (Mailes Kanapi).

Ballet Manila’s Tatlong Kuwento ni Lola Basyang was cited for costume design.

Gawad Buhay! is the first industry awards conferred for outstanding achievements in the performing arts by member-companies of the Philippine Legitimate Stage Artists Group, Inc. (PHILSTAGE). The PHILSTAGE Board of Directors is composed of Tanghalang Pilipino’s Fernando Josef, president; PETA's Melvin Lee, vice president; Ballet Philippines’ Sandy Hontiveros, secretary; Repertory Philippines Gidget Tolentino, treasurer; Actors Actors’ Leonardo Lim, Ballet Manila's Susan Macuja, Gantimpala Theater Foundation’s Tony Espejo, Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit’s Mitch Valdes, TRUMPET's Joel Reyes as Board Members, and PHILSTAGE Executive Director Elmar Beltran Ingles.

While PHILSTAGE administers the awards, the final recipients will be chosen by an independent Jury Panel selected by the PHILSTAGE Board of Directors from a roster of critics, performing artists, cultural researchers and scholars, and the general public.

The public is invited to watch the final awards rites to be held at the CCP Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (Little Theater) at 7:30 p.m. on February 18, 2009. Invited to present the awards are the country’s foremost theater personalities.
Below is the complete list of nominees:

Outstanding Production of a Play: Ang Bayot, ang Meranao, at ang Habal-Habal sa Isang Nakababagot na Paghihintay sa Kanto ng Lanao del Norte (Tanghalang Pilipino/Virgin Labfest 4); Batang Rizal (PETA); Ellas Inocentes (Tanghalang Pilipino/Virgin Labfest 4); Golden Child (Tanghalang Pilipino); Hamlet (Repertory Philippines); Ang Kalungkutan ng Reyna (Tanghalang Pilipino/Virgin Labfest 4); Kudeta (Tanghalang Pilipino); and Three Sisters, A Noh Play (Tanghalang Pilipino/Virgin Labfest 4).

Outstanding Musical Production: Altar Boyz (Repertory Philippines); and Skin Deep (PETA).

Outstanding Dance Production: La Revolucion Filipina(Ballet Philippines); Latin Heat (Ballet Philippines); and New Beginnings (Ballet Philippines).

Outstanding Stage Direction: Loy Arcenas (Golden Child); Chari Arrespacochaga (Altar Boyz); Nor Domingo (Skin Deep); Jose Estrella (Three Sisters), Floy Quintos (Ang Kalungkutan ng Reyna); Floy Quintos (Kudeta); Tuqxs Rutaquio (Ellas Inocentes), and Dudz Teraña (Batang Rizal).

Outstanding Original Choreography: Bam Damian (Latin Heat); Alan Hineline (New Beginnings); Agnes Locsin (La Revolucion Filipina); Alden Lugnasin (Latin Heat); Max Luna III (New Beginnings); and Jason Zamora (Altar Boyz)

Outstanding Original Play: Christine Bellen (Batang Rizal); Rogelio Braga (Ang Bayot, ang Meranao, at ang Habal-Habal sa Isang Nakababagot na Paghihintay sa Kanto ng Lanao del Norte), Layeta Bucoy (Ellas Inocentes ); and Floy Quintos (Ang Kalungkutan ng Reytna)

Outstanding Ensemble Performance: Altar Boyz (Repertory Philippines), Ang Bayot, ang Meranao, at ang Habal-Habal sa Isang Nakababagot na Paghihintay sa Kanto ng Lanao del Norte (Tanghalang Pilipino/Virgin Labfest 4); Ang Mge Gerilya ng Powell Street (Tanghalang Pilipino); Batang Rizal (PETA); Coppelia (Ballet Philippines); Ellas Inocentes (Tanghalang Pilipino/Virgin Labfest 4); Golden Child (Tanghalang Pilipino); Hamlet (Repertory Philippines); Kudeta (Tanghalang Pilipino); La Revolucion Filipina (Ballet Philippines); Latin Heat (Ballet Philippines); Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang (PETA); New Beginnings (Ballet Philippines); and
Skin Deep (PETA)

Outstanding Male Lead Performance in a Play: Arthur Acuna (Golden Child); Jose Mari Avellana (Tuesdays with Morrie); Dido de la Paz (Ang Mga Gerilya ng Powell Street); Joe Gruta (Ang Mga Gerilya ng Powell Street); Mario O'Hara (Kudeta); Joey Paras and Arnold Reyes (Ang Bayot, angMeranao, at ang Habal-Habal sa IsangNakababagot na Paghihintay sa Kanto ng Lanao del Norte); and Jonathan Tadioan (Pamantasang Hirang).

Outstanding Female Lead Performance in a Play: Lovely Balili (Ellas Inocentes); Liesl Batucan (Golden Child); Shamaine Centenera Buencamino (Ang Kalungkutan ng Reyna); Tina Chilip (Golden Child); Jenessa Roque (Ellas Inocentes); and Irma Adlawan Marasigan (Golden Child)

Outstanding Male Lead Performance in a Musical: Red Concepcion (Altar Boyz); Juliene Mendoza (EJ: Ang Pinagdaanang Buhay nina Evelio Javier at Edgar Jopson); Jett Pangan (EJ: Ang Pinagdaanang Buhay nina Evelio Javier at Edgar Jopson); and Robert Seña (Skin Deep)

Outstanding Female Lead Performance in a Musical: Isay Alvarez (Skin Deep); May Bayot (Skin Deep); and Gail Guanlao Billones (Skin Deep);
Outstanding Male Lead Performance in a Dance Production: Biag Gaongen (La Revolucion Filipina); and Biag Gaongen (Latin Heat)

Outstanding Female Lead Performance in a Dance Production: Lisa Macuja Elizalde (Le Corsaire)

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical: No citation
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play: Riki Benedicto (Kudeta); Bong Cabrera (Kudeta); Willy Casero (Batang Rizal); Nor Domingo (Tosca); Mailes Kanapi (Ang Mga Gerilya ng Powell Street); Raffy Tejada (Tosca) and Cris Villonco (Hamlet);
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Dance Production: Camille Ordinario-Joson (Latin Heat)

Outstanding Original Libretto: Vincent De Jesus (Batang Rizal); and Vincent De Jesus (Skin Deep)

Outstanding Translation/Adaptation: George de Jesus III (Kudeta); and Dennis Marasigan (Golden Child)

Outstanding Musical Direction: Vincent De Jesus (Batang Rizal); and Jojo Malferrari (Altar Boyz)

Outstanding Set Design: Loy Arcenas (Golden Child); Mel Bernardo (Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang); Gino Gonzales (New Beginnings); Mio Infante (Coppelia); Mio Infante (La Revolucion Filipina); Tuxqs Rutaquio (Kudeta)

Outstanding Costume Design: Ron Alfonso (Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang); Faust Peneyra (Hamlet); Gino Gonzales (Golden Child); Jonathan Janolo (Tatlong Kuwento ni Lola Basyang); and Victor Ursabia (La Revolucion Filipina)

Outstanding Lighting Design: Katsch Catoy (La Revolucion Filipina); Martin Esteva (Hamlet); Dennis Marasigan (Kudeta); and Barbi Tan-Tiongco (Golden Child)

Outstanding Sound Design: Janice Dee (Kudeta); Jethro Joaquin (EJ: Ang Pinagdaanang Buhay nina Evelio Javier at Edgar Jopson); Jethro Joaquin (Hamlet); Shima Takesi (Tosca); and Gidget Tolentino (Altar Boyz); and J. Victor Villareal (Golden Child)

2009 Maningning Miclat Poetry Competition

CALL FOR ENTRIES TO THE 2009 MANINGNING MICLAT POETRY COMPETITION

The Maningning Miclat Art Foundation is calling on young poets aged 28 and below to submit their entry to the 2009 Maningning Miclat Trilingual Poetry Competition.

The Poetry Competition consists of 3 divisions - Filipino, English and Chinese. An entry must consist of at least eight (8) but not more than fifteen (15) poems. Authors may join all the divisions but can submit only one (1) entry in every division. All entries should be original in every language and not a translation of another entry.

All entries should be submitted in four (4) copies, double spaced on 81/2 x 11 inches bond paper with one inch margin on all sides and with ARIAL or TIMES NEW ROMAN size 12 font. Entry should be submitted with pen name only. Real name and pen name should be submitted in a separate sealed envelop together with a biodata, copy of birth certificate and a notarized declaration of originality and authenticity of authorship of the entry.

Entries must be addressed to the Maningning Miclat Art Foundation, Inc. (MMAFI), 2nd Floor Mile Long Building, Amorsolo St., Legaspi Village, Makati City (Tel No. 816-7490 to 91) not later than 5:00 P.M. of April 15, 2009. Entries sent by mail should be postmarked/invoiced not later than April 1, 2009.

The Maningning Award, handed out yearly since 2003, honors China-born Maningning Miclat, a trilingual poet and writer, and a prize-winning visual artist. She won the Grand Prize in the non-representational category of the Art Association of the Philippines Art Competition in 1992. She celebrated her 28th birthday on April 15, 2000 by launching her trilingual book of poetry, “Voice from the Underworld” (Anvil Publishing, Inc., 2000). It is the first book of poetry in the world in Filipino, English and Chinese languages written solely by one author. Her life was cut short when she passed on in September of the same year.

The landmark book, which was chosen by the Manila Critics Circle as finalist in the 2000 National Book Awards, includes Maningning’s poems in Chinese. She was one of the world’s Top 39 women poets writing in Chinese. Some of the poems were anthologized in a book published in 1995 during the International Women’s Year held in Beijing .

The Maningning Miclat Art Foundation was founded in 2001 to carry on the artist/ poet’s legacy, encourage creativity, and support and award young outstanding poets and artists. Poetry competitions in Filipino, English and Chinese languages are held during odd numbered years while Painting competitions are held during even numbered years.

Maningning Miclat was co-author, if posthumously, of the book, Beyond the Great Wall: A Family Journal, which won a 2006 National Book Award for biography. The Manila Critics Circle citation reads: “From 1971 to 1986, the Miclat family lived in the People’s Republic of China and this gathering of essays from Mario, Alma, Banaue and the late Maningning Miclat flow together in a majestic yet personal recollection of a time and place between times and places. Beyond the Great Wall signifies the act of celebration through memory, and moving on through returning.”

Grand winners in the 3 divisions of the Poetry Competition will each receive P28,000.00 together with a Julie Lluch trophy and the special collector’s edition of the books “Voice from the Underworld,” “Beauty for Ashes: Remembering Maningning,” and “Beyond the Great Wall.”

For more information on the 2009 Maningning Miclat Art Competition, please email maningningfoundation@gmail.com or acmiclat2008@yahoo.com.

Visit www.maningning.com.

And for those with Facebook account, see Manigning Miclat Fan Page.

The Beauty of the Sea

The Beauty of the Sea


On a clear day like this,
the view of the sea
from the promontory
where you stand

is breathtaking,
its surface breaking
like a precious gem
into prisms of light.

So you scamper
to the beach below,
the sand crunching
beneath your feet

and scoop a cupful
of blue in your hands.
But already the humor
inside you changes,

since beauty betrays
always, making you sigh,
for once captured
it begins to slip through

your fingers, the way
water escapes your grip
no matter how long
or hard your try.

16th Iligan National Writers Workshop (INWW)

16th Iligan National Writers Workshop (INWW)


The National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA), the Mindanao Creative Writers Group, Inc., and the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology’s Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension (OVCRE) are accepting applications from writers to the 16th Iligan National Writers
Workshop (INWW) to be held on May 25-29, 2009 in Iligan City.


Sixteen (16) slots, five each from Luzon and Visayas and six from Mindanao are available for writing fellowships to the INWW. Of the slots for Mindanao, one (1) is for the Manuel T. Buenafe Writing Fellowship preferably for Muslim or Lumad applicants.

Applicants are required to submit five poems; or, one short story; or, for the novel, a summary and 2 chapters for this work-in-progress; and, a one-act play in Filipino, English or in Cebuano.

For entries in Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a, Waray and Chavacano, translations in English are required. Please submit along with the application form two, 2X2 photos. The application form may be downloaded at www.msuiit.edu.ph (go to Department of Research-MMIDU). Please submit a hard copy and a CD with the manuscripts encoded in MS Word97. Unpublished works are preferred. Applicants must have attended at least one regional/local writers workshop, no exceptions.

Writing fellows will be given free board and lodging and a travel allowance. Applications must be postmarked on or before February 15, 2009. No applications or manuscripts will be accepted if sent after postmarked dates or by fax or e-mail.

Applicants are also advised to keep copies of their manuscripts since these will not be returned. Send all applications to the 16th INWW Director, Christine F. Godinez-Ortega c/o OVCRE, MSU-IIT, Iligan City. For more information contact Pat Cruz or Alice Bartolome or Cherly Adlawan, tels. (063) 3516131; or e-mail: patcruz@yahoo.com/cherlyadlawan@yahoo.com/aliciabartolome@yahoo.com.

BUHAY! : TANGHALAN AT BAYAN

PHILIPPINE LEGITIMATE STAGE ARTISTS GROUP, INC.



BUHAY! : TANGHALAN AT BAYAN – THE PHILSTAGE PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL



BUHAY! : TANGHALAN AT BAYAN, a theater festival that showcases works by PHILSTAGE member-companies focusing on various themes and expressions of the principles of good public governance and good citizenship, continues with performances in the cities of Pasig, Manila, and Pasay. All performances are presented free to the public.



On Sunday, December 7, 2008, 10:00 A.M., the Triumphant Peoples Evangilistic Theater Society (TRUMPETS) performs “PAMILYA MALETA”, a two-part musical drama about the social displacement of Filipino families whose members are caught in the global diaspora of Overseas Filipino Workers. Written by Itchell Lacsamana, Raquel Villavicencio and Roselyn Perez with stage and musical direction by Sweet Plantado-Tiongson, the production presents the struggles of the OFW’s as they pursue a better life – abusive foreign employers, death of loved ones, financial difficulties, loneliness and depression. Featuring the TRUMPETS Actors Ensemble, “PAMILYA MALETA” it will be performed at the Word Community, Pasig City



Tanghalang Pilipino, the resident theater company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, presents “PRAGRES” on Monday, December 8, 2008, 1:00 P.M. at the Far Eastern University Auditorium, Morayta St., Manila. A musical adaptation of the short story by National Artist for Literature F. Sionil Jose, “PRAGRES” is set during the Martial Law and shows the travails of a provincial senior clerk of a government agency as she seeks endorsement of her service promotion. As she encounters one bureaucrat after another, she drowns in incompetence and corruption. To be performed by the Tanghalang Pilipino Actors’ Company, the play was directed by Herbert Go from the adaptation by Dulaang Sipat Lawin.



Ballet Manila presents a special performance of “MGA KUWENTO NI LOLA BASYANG” on Saturday, December 13, 2008, 10:00 A.M., at the Aliw Theatre, CCP Complex, Pasay City. Based on the stories by Severino Reyes, the Ballet Manila production comprises three parts: Ang Prinsipe ng Mga Ibon (Choreographed by Osias Barroso, Music by National Artists as arranged by Mon Faustino), Ang Kapatid ng Tatlong Maria (Choreographed by Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, Music by Joey Ayala), and Ang Mahiwagang Biyulin (Choreographed by Tony Fabella, Music by Ryan Cayabyab)



As part of the Festival, the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) staged “BATANG RIZAL” at the PETA Theater Center in Quezon City on November 23, 2008.



On Saturday, December 13, a focused group conference-workshop will be conducted where selected students, teachers and public sector viewers of each production will be invited together with theater practitioners, public officials, and social critics for critical interaction and ventilation of informed opinions and ideas on various issues tackled in the productions. The proceedings of the conference-workshop will be published and disseminated among theater practitioners, opinion and policy makers.



For inquiries, please call or send SMS to 0916-591-8815 or 0929-4447888.