NATIONAL ARTIST for Literature Virgilio Almario thinks that the tradition of pabasa (the chanting of the story of Jesus’ Passion, or pasyon) is as important as ever.
“Isa itong mainam na halimbawa ng literatura na kinalakihan ng mga Pilipino, anuman ang uri. Masaya ang karanasan (It’s a fine example of literature that Filipinos grow up with, no matter their background. It’s a joyous experience),” he said.
This month, the National Poetry Day Steering Committee, headed by Mr. Almario, presented the Pabasa sa QC, a competition among the departments of the Quezon City local government, held on April 11.
Here, contestants from within the local government unit participated in chanting parts of the pasyon, spanning the life, passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Held before Holy Week, the endeavor aimed to promote Filipino culture and poetry in the city.
“Noong araw, sa aming probinsya, araw-araw tuwing kuwaresma nagkakantahan na, at hindi pwedeng napapagod ang nagbabasa dahil hanggang Biyernes Santo kailangan tuloy-tuloy (Back then, in our province, every day during Lent there would be chanting the pasyon, and they couldn’t get tired because they had to do it all the way until Good Friday),” said Mr. Almario, speaking of his childhood experience with pabasa in his home province in Bulacan.
He explained that bringing the tradition to highly urbanized places like Quezon City keeps it from dying out. “Sa simula ng pagtira ko dito, may naririnig akong pabasa sa mga bahay (When I started living here, I used to hear pabasa from the houses). Recently, no more.”
STUDYING FOR THE CONTESTMost, if not all, of the 15 contestants had very little firsthand experience with the pabasa, but had some time to immerse themselves and study it for the competition. The competition consisted of two rounds: one where the participants chanted their favorite stanzas, and another where they were told which stanzas to interpret.
The competition concluded with three winners: Perla Balancio of the Department of Public Order and Safety clinched 3rd place, winning P2,000; Paul De Guzman won 2nd place and got P3,000; and Michaela Baskiñas of the Human Resources Department emerged as the champion, taking home P5,000.
According to Mr. Almario, the winner was chosen because of her “strong, distinctive voice.”
Ms. Baskiñas, originally from Caloocan, said afterwards that she has a background in choral singing and musical theater. “Passion ko talaga ang musika at pag-awit (My passion is really music and singing),” she said.
Her preparation involved getting pabasa recordings from Google and Spotify, and learning to follow along and imitate the method of chanting used. Her main realization was the “sheer dedication of devotees,” who are able to perform for up to 24 hours.
“Sa dami ng nangyayari sa buhay, nakakalimutan minsan magsimba. Parang naliligaw ako paminsan-minsan (With all the things happening in life, one forgets sometimes to go to church. I get lost in life sometimes), amidst all the chaos in this world,” Ms. Baskiñas said.
“I’m really thankful for this opportunity,” she added.
Mr. Almario explained that she and the other contestants, are proof that the pabasa need not be stuck in the old ways.
He told BusinessWorld in a Viber message: “Pwedeng mag-imbento ng awit o paraan ng pagbasa. Pwedeng pop ang tono (You can invent a different song or way of reciting. The tone can be pop).”
“The study of pasyon evolves with the current generation, whether they are religious or not.” — Brontë H. Lacsamana
