An Art Walk to Remember in UP Diliman

By: Lindsey Fabella

One sunny afternoon a few weeks ago, I found myself staring at this woman.  She was a native beauty with a quiet elegance about her.  Garbed in what is locally known as a Tagalog saya, she furtively kneels in front of a humble stove, tending to a small flame that is heating up what could only be dinner in a clay pot.  The subtle glow of the fire reflected on her face gives her a sense of tenderness and envelops the hut in a feeling of simplicity and warmth.  Then and there, I knew that I was standing face to face with a masterpiece.  A painting like this (Woman Cooking in the Kitchen, 1959) by a classical master like Fernando Amorsolo is priceless - it’s the kind of work that would usually entail shelling out a reasonable sum and travelling quite some distance to get to see in person, or so I thought.  That is why it was with some disbelief that when I looked outside the glass windows where this opus was, I could still see the academic oval.  As I regained a sense of awareness of where I was, it slowly occurred to me that I was still in UP Diliman. 

As a Philippine Arts graduate from UP Manila, I am no stranger to gazing at paintings, sculpture, installations, and other works of art of this kind.  Only that in my four years as an art student, having the pleasure of seeing masterpieces always came with a price (both literally and figuratively).  Whether it be private spaces like the Ayala Museum or the Lopez Museum, or government owned places like the CCP galleries, the Metropolitan Museum of Manila or the National Museum, one always had to go out of one’s way and spend some money for art.  That is why when I (now a UP Diliman student) decided to take a walk around campus one afternoon and found out that one can see an authentic Amorsolo, as well as other equally great pieces, in neatly tucked and conveniently located art spaces within the campus; I felt that I just had to share this discovery.  So, whether you’re an art junky or simply curious, here are some of the best places to get in touch with your artistic side within UP Diliman.

#1 GT-Toyota Asian Cultural Museum

            Newest among the galleries on campus, this was built as part of the UP GT-Toyota Cultural Center.  The museum is housed on the first floor of the Hall of Wisdom right beside the UP Asian Center and Via Mare and is accessible by any jeepney that passes by the Romulo Hall.  As I entered its premises, I immediately noticed that its modern architectural and interior design made me feel like I was in the Ayala Museum.  Going to the latter place, however, will set you back at least 250 pesos on entrance tickets alone.  Entrance to the Toyota Asian Cultural Museum, however, only entails a few seconds of scribbling your name on their guestbook.

Its gallery is a temporary exhibition space made up of four distinct but interconnected rooms which can be used for four different exhibits at the same time.  The current exhibit “Re-imagining the Nation: Vintage Photographs from the Asian Center Collection” features blown-up old photographs that reveal our country’s former stable diplomatic relations with nearby Asian countries like China, Japan, Singapore, and Vietnam .  As I was going through the exhibit, I could not help but smile while I thought about the irony (in light of the recent political conflicts we have had with China) of one of the photos showing how former President Marcos and his First Lady were warmly welcoming Chinese diplomats to the Philippine islands.  A timely topic to discuss, if you ask me - maybe we should be reminded more often of our former, more amicable relationship with our neighbours. For those interested, the show will run up to June 30, 2012 and it is open on Mondays-Saturdays, 8:00am-5:00pm. 

#2 Bulwagan ng Dangal

This is a place you might want to check out the next time you happen to borrow a book from the Main Library. The museum is located on the basement of the Gonzales Hall, which up until June 2009, remained unused.  Renovated and refurbished, it now serves as a temporary exhibit space that showcase art works either done by UP artists or are about the institution itself.  Its setting places it within walking distance of the heavily student populated College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, College of Arts and Letters, and the College of Engineering.

I was not allowed inside the gallery when I visited as they were in the process of setting up its next exhibit entitled, “The University of the Philippines: An Educational Heritage Site”, which will be opened to the public on the 6^th of May, 2012.  However, I still recommend seeing this place once it has re-opened as some of the artists that will be featured in its next show are visual arts titans like National Artist and former CFA Dean Jose Joya and other former deans and faculty members of the CFA.  Entrance to the Bulwagan won’t cost a thing; one only needs to present a valid UP ID.

#3 Vargas Museum

            This is, by far, the largest museum in campus, with four floors of various permanent and temporary exhibit spaces teeming with masterpieces from all forms and genres. It all began when distinguished alumnus and first ever Executive Secretary Jose B. Vargas donated his art collection to his alma mater in 1978.  From then on, it would be generally known as the official museum of UP Diliman.

            It currently houses three temporary exhibitions: “Tagalog at Taga-ilog” by Roberto M.A. Robles – comprised of several sculptural installations paying homage to the river life of the Tagalogs; “Revisiting Modernity: Architecture of the New Society” – which is a set of blown-up photographs of government buildings (CCP, Manila Film Center, and the likes) built during the Marcos era that represented what is loosely dubbed as modern Filipino architecture; and “A&L: The parallel (lives) museum” – a collection of artefacts from the lives of two influential art patrons.

On the other hand, its permanent collection boasts of an exquisite collection of works ranging from the classical like Fernando Amorsolo, to the moderns such as HR Ocampo, Victorio Edades and Nena Saguil.  The kinds of art belonging to this permanent exhibit – paintings, sculptures, video installations, photography, among others – are of National Museum calibre and should be visited at least once during a UP Diliman student’s stay in this campus.  The 20 peso entrance fee is still a money saver, as I found out, considering that the other places where I could see works done by national artists would set me back at least 100 pesos for round trip fare alone.  In fact, if you there on a Wednesday, you don’t have to pay anything at all! You could even take your friends and family on a tour here even if they are not enrolled in UP for a measly 30 peso entrance cost for each person.

            On a different note, there is also a deeper, more important reason why you should visit these places.  As the famous French artist Edgar Degas once said, art is not what you see, but what you make others see.  These art spaces show how much the UP community values both the production and preservation of art and heritage, be it in the national or school context.   So the next time you find yourself wandering around campus with time in your hands, I suggest you visit these three equally remarkable museums.  Maybe just like what Degas suggested, we would be able to see as well.

A Look at the Tagalog and Taga-ilog

By: Harlev Cabbadu 

I was field with empty silence the moment I set foot inside the Vargas Museum and check out their current exhibit. Understanding the concept of the “Tagalog and Taga-ilog”, was not easy. If only I were allowed to maintain an indifference to it, I surely would. That experience was like one of those that made me say: “Sana din a lang ako pumunta.” Luck, however, was not on my side. It was too late for me to replace the topic of my expository article which, after all, I chose.

Roberto M.A. Robles installed three different sets of sculptures entitled The Obelisk, The ensemble of Slabs, and A Sculptural Proposition. The sets of sculptures are all painted in white – which initially seemed to nondescript for someone like me who only gets fascinated by artworks whose presence is made obvious by its bright colors. Despite my initial interest, I mustered enough will to continue to peruse, however, insincere the exhibit. It was a good thing they give me a pamphlet at the entrance, otherwise I would have immediately left the museum, wasting an entrance fee of 20 pesos. It was a great thing that I held it with me while I was following the flow of the exhibit. It was in my reading of the gallery notes that the blandness slowly turned into a sense of subtlety. It got me into thinking about the art works presented before me, and to a certain extent help me come to an understanding, however shallow, about what message the artist is trying to convey.

 The work, Sculptural Proposition, is little hidden from one’s view upon one’s entrance into the gallery as it is confined in the farthest corner of the room. The composition is made up of five sculptures of various household items, each placed beside one another. It represents the culture of the natives who live near the river, the Taga-ilogs. On the walls behind them, the sunlight casts shadows of these figures that change as time passes by. This could be taken to mean that in relation to the Tagalogs and their culture, moving to a new geographical residence means leaving a part of their way of life – forcing them to adapt to that of a new setting.

The Ensemble of Slabs – seen before the proposition – is arranged like ripples, each taller slab alternate with a shorter one. In the exhibit, it connotes resistance to inequality, like the ripples almost appear stagnant. This inequality among the Taga-ilogs is stemmed in migration. Thinking that progress lies in moving to a new place, they leave their localities to settle elsewhere. They do this dreaming of a more “civilized” way of life. These changes are also reflected in their Tagalog language.

Those who migrated are considered superiors as they are thought to be more civilized. To resist the inferiority associated to being left in their locality, those who are left would also have to migrate and become as civilized as those who left before they did.

The artist proposes that this trend of migration will eventually lead the disintegration of their society. The Obelisk represents the possibility of the nonexistence of the society’s culture. It is a monument that only stands as a reminder of the previous culture f the Taga-ilog. The Tagalog language is fundmental to their culture. Hence, the obelisk’s base deductively represents the language Taglog.

Each of them represents a part of what once the Tagalog way of life. Together, painted in white - a color that make a little impurity stand out - to stress impermanence and salience, they represent what the Tagalog way of life has been.

 Although the exhibit contains a brief story, it consumed me a great amount of time before I understood it. I did not even understand it purely by itself; a pamphlet and my classmate were both indispensible companies to say that one-fifth of my “baon” was not purely went to waste. I paid to get the pamphlet for my topic and for the opportunity to converse with my classmate about it. I lack the thoughtfulness that the exhibit demands.

Tapping what’s Within – UP Diliman Summer Workshops

By: Dyandell Mendoza

Summer has once again arrived. With the regular school load out of the way, this is the perfect time for every student to be creative and discover their artistic side. While many may be enthusiastic about the thought of getting in touch with their inner artist, they often get stumped by a big question - How?  Luckily for the UP Diliman student, various summer workshops can answer that question.  What is a summer workshop anyway? Well, it is an educational seminar emphasizing interaction and exchange of information among a usually small number of participants. It aims to unlock and develop a person’s (possibly hidden) abilities and talents. In UP Diliman, different workshops are offered to nurture the core values of discipline, time management, intuitive, visionary, camaraderie, leadership and individualistic of those who are willing to take advantage of this chance.

These programs is a way by which UP can reach outside the campus as it is open to the general public. Most also don't impose an age limit. In in most cases, UP professors and students are the ones who will facilitate the program. In each program, they will have three skill levels: basic, if you are starting from scratch, intermediate, if you want to improve your skills and advanced,if you want somewhat close becoming a professional.

College of Fine Arts

Are you a budding Amorsolo or Manansala? Either way, the College of Fine Arts has workshops that can help bring out your inner visual artist.  They offer acrylic, oil, and water color painting programs. In these workshops, they will teach you the different techniques on how to paint – which materials to use, how to use your brushes, right blending of colors, and different perspectives.  They also have drawing and photography workshops. All sessions are conducted within the UP Diliman campus.

The art of creating is a joyous, exciting process, and they try to provide the room, space, and materials for that to happen.Even if you feel that you have yet to possess the necessary visual arts skill to produce an opus, the CFA workshops can still help you discover your inner creativity. Who knows? It might just be a matter of uncovering something that is already there.

Dulaang UP

The Dulaang UP is the official performing group of the University of the Philippines. They have acting, directing, stage movement, voice, makeup workshops. Workshop materials and culminating recitals are inclusive in the registration fee.  All classes will be facilitated by graduates of Theater in UP.

These clinics provide opportunities for emerging and established artists to interact and share tips and experiences with one another.  If you’re more of a thespian, then the Dulaang UP classes are definitely for you.

College of Human Kinetics (CHK)

          The College of Human Kinetics also hosts summer recreational programs. They have dance, sports, mind and body and martial arts program. If you’re into dancing, you can choose from any of the following genres that they offer: ballet, belly dance, hawaiian, hip-hop, rhythmic gymnastics, and zumba.  For sports, they have badminton, basketball, floorball, soccer, tennis and volleyball. They also offer martial arts classes in arnis, judo, karate, uay Thai, taekwondo and capoeira. Finally, for those who want to enhance the mind and body well-being, they have Pilates and Yoga.  All the sessions are held in various facilities within the CHK complex.

UP Film Institute (UPFI)

If you’re looking for film arts workshops, then the UP Film Institute (UPFI) is the place to go to.  They have scriptwriting, directing, as well as cinematography.  Topics that will be covered include story structure, character development, plot, and format – all of which are the basic foundation for all forms of filmmaking. They also offer Photoshop lessons where they teach you the craft of editing – effects, approaches, and animation.

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Applying in these summer workshops is very easy. You just need to inquire for more information through their numbers or email, by checking their websites or going directly to their respective colleges. Then prepare the requirements necessary. But take note, one need to inquire ahead of time as there are classes that only admit a limited number of people like those workshops in Fine arts and Dulaang UP. Lastly, you need to pay the necessary fee. These workshops range from P4000 to P7000. Although some of these clinics are quite pricey, the learning and experience that you’ll get from them will definitely is worth your money. 

From one-day workshops to a month long programs, these workshops offer creativity boosting, community building, and an extraordinary opportunities to everyone.  But out of limitations comes creativity.. Summer is just half way through. It is not yet too late to look for opportunities. You can still make the most out of your vacation.

Architectural Heritage? More fun in UP Diliman!

By: Angelina Limpin

As I recently found out, being a cross-registrant entails a lot of new experiences, acquiantances, not to mention sights to see. Being unfamiliar with the UP Diliman landscape, one time, I decided to go sight seeing around campus.  The moments that followed stuck with me – I was captivated by the splendor of Diliman’s vast architectural heritage.  A curiosity to learn more about these buildings has been with me ever since. 

So that was what prompted me to invite Hershe Gaela, a UP College of Architecture graduate from batch 2011, on a walking tour around the campus to find out what she thought were the top three buildings in UP Diliman.  Before we began, she told me that she will explaining the basic construction process, purpose, historical significance and innovativeness of each structure that she will be choosing as these will be the basis of her preferences.  With that, we began our sightseeing.

The “Bells of Diliman” known as Carillon is third on our list. She chose this for its stable foundation and system of vertical lines supporting the structure. The tower was built under the supervision of National Artist for Architecture Juan F. Nakpil, a UP alumnus. According to Nakpil himself, the Carillon should serve as an emotional and spiritual link between the students, faculty, and alumni of the succeeding generation. It is a landmark - a time-keeper marking the beginning and end of the day - and a memorial to the collective ideals of the U.P. Alumni, living or otherwise. He also added, “It will be a voice speaking to us from the midst of our campus – not from a distance.”

She then invited me to view two buildings that are on opposite sides of the academic oval. - the famous Palma Hall (College of Social Sciences and Philosophy) known today as the “AS” and the Melchor Hall (College of Engineering).  These two landed on the second spot of our list.  Gaela explained to me that if you remove the foliage in between those two structures, you will realize that they are mirror-images of one another, specifically designed to be similar in structure and volume. Both of them follow an asymmetrical design and is sectioned into two wings divided by a central lobby. Both were conceptualized by the first campus architect, Cesar Homero Rosales Concio. These two were among the the first four buildings built in the UP Diliman campus.

Gaela explains that she is particularly fond of these buildings’ long, horizontal form incorporated with Filipino elements. The standards of the mid-twentieth century architecture of Europe and the United States were also in their design. According to Gaela, this is why the doors in these buildings are larger than the usual door size used in other UP buildings – the average height and built of Caucasians are more than that of Filipinos. The wooden floors in some rooms help control temperature as they absorb less heat than concrete. This, combined with its well-ventilated design,provides comfortable spaces for students who frequent these colleges.

Finally, Gaela asked me if I have ever seen a UFO around campus.  When I said no, she asked me if I wanted to see one.  Of course, I said that I did.  She then lead me to a place near the Shopping Center where I did see a structure that resembled a flying saucer.  According to her, that building – the unconventional yet captivating Church of the Holy Sacrifice - was on the top of our list.  It was the first circular church (with the altar in its center) with a thin-shelled concrete dome ever to be built in the Philippines. The dome of the church is supported by pillars located at the sides of the church. There are no other supports that would otherwise block the view of the space inside - one can actually see the entirety of its interior from any point in it. Its unique design allows for natural lighting and ventilation to flow from the surrounding gardens outside.

The group that made this structure a reality was nothing short of an artistic dream team.  Its design and layout was done by the late National Artist for Architecture, Leandro Locsin. The religious paintings and sculptures that fill the interior of the church were done by several well known national artists.  The floor which is known as the “River of Life” was designed by Arturo Luz; the Stations of the Cross Murals by Vicente Manansala; while Napoleon Abueva made the “Ang Kukok” – the double-sided crucifix altar base. Its rich architectural and artistic background earned the Church of the Holy Sacrifice recognition as a National Historical Landmark and a Cultural Treasure by the National Museum and National Historical Institute respectively. NHI chairman Ambeth R. Ocampo lauded the church as a “masterpiece of Filipino artistry and ingenuity.” At that point, I was more than happy to agree with Gaela that the church should be number on on our list of architecturally supreme buildings in UP Diliman.

As our walking tour came to an end, I turn to Ms. Gaela and told her about an epiphany I had during our campus exploration. Students in UP Diliman are very lucky as they are surrounded by monumental works of art every day - buildings that do not only serve a practical purpose but also serve as a testament to UP’s historical past and a bold predictionof its bright future.  However, most of us never really look at these buildings to consider anything beyond the classes that we need to attend in each of them.    As a cross-registered student who found a new sense of appreciation for Diliman’s buildings, I humbly suggest that next time you are  riding a jeepney or walking around campus, try to look around you. As renowned writer and scholar Jose Dalisay Jr. once said about the Carillon, “ It is something to remind us that some things never change - love, honor, idealism, the joy and the challenge of learning beneath the broad canopy of a university life." This I think, is not just for a specific structure, but for the relevance of the UP architecture as a whole. 

Keep Talent on Track

By: Harlev Cabaddu

When the searing sun-shine had just worn off on one summer day, I unexpectedly went to my friend’s house. The heavy black frame brimming broad lenses of her eyeglasses, the baggy black shirt she wears, and her hair - carelessly tailed - greeted me an aura of a writer. With a jest, she had overtaken the surprise I made for her as I was surprise to see her not upset. “Writer na writer ka na ah,” I retorted.

While we sauntered around, I blew one of my usual throw ups: "What were you doing just before I came." She spoke indifferently of her probe for her lost “Dantesque” work. “Dantesque? Hahaha. Was it somebody or just you?” and an amorphous grimace and a laugh evoked from me. I got a knock-out punch before I could say I was kidding. “So, what’s with Dante and your work,” followed after my minute-long recuperation.

In a deadpan tone, she started. Her high school-built confidence in poetry crushed like a smashed glass bottle when her professor remarked her high school poem “deaf”. Then poetry became not her writing form. “I suck at it,” she said pungently – the first time her emotion poured out.

It was distressing: the workshop to come. Her apathy pushed her procrastination and gave her only a day to make a poem.

Pen, paper, and cell-phone dictionary. One more helped her. Recalling the “deaf” spurred blast of craggy-sounding-words; words that abrade listener’s sense of smoothness in hearing, words that induce ear and tongue pains, words that are noise. In her cell-phone dictionary, she browsed through the [word] entries diligently, noted g, r, tr, ex, z, and v-containing words and selected astutely.

On the workshop, the listeners heard a poem that sounded like a heavy metal, like the trills of a bass guitar harshly persists. Reading it aloud produced a boastful stuttering effect. Despite her myriad attempts to efface that accidental ornament on practicing reading the poem, it always occurred. 

The fastidious UP CAL professor - stunned - said she liked it and hailed hers as resembling to Dante’s Inferno. Then the “woooh” chorus immediately supplanted the room.

Goose bumps wrapped over me hearing Dante’s Inferno. I said jocosely to her: "Ikaw na. Your talent gets better through time with more rigid training, with more time - with sleepless days and nights. Don’t hate it or give it someone, not to me, I don’t like it." I continued to laugh and jokingly called her genius and we proceeded to 7-11.  

The Town Speaks - DZUP

By: Lindsey Fabella

Before I found out about DZUP, I used to associate the AM band frequency with radio talk shows fondly listened to by grandfather every morning, with its serious news, husky voiced hosts, and its old music.  So it came to me as a surprise that when I visited the DZUP radio station, I was greeted with young welcoming faces, all engaged in their specific tasks at hand, making sure that the show that was currently on air will run smoothly.  With a newfound sense of curiosity, I decided to tune in to DZUP the next day.   As I listened to the hosts discuss the issue of education being the right of each child, I found myself getting more and more engrossed into what they were talking about.  Up to that moment, I have never really listened to any AM radio station for more than two minutes without turning the radio off or (if the radio isn’t mine) simply mentally tuning out.  Then and there, my conception of what AM radio should be was changing. My grandfather’s generation does not have a monopoly of AM radio after all. 

DZUP was introduced to the UP Diliman community in 2010.  However, DZUP 1602 is actually not new at all.  It has been around, albeit inconsistently, for the past half of UP’s 104 years.  It began as an experiment of the College of Engineering back in 1957.  During martial law, it earned a reputation for being an avenue for the expression of strong sentiments against the government.  It achieved infamy for playing tapes of former President Marcos’ passionate liaisons with Hollywood actress Dovie Beams.  The recordings infuriated him so much that DZUP equipment and facilities ended up being torn apart and destroyed by the military. Nowadays, it is housed in the College of Mass Communications complex, serving as a laboratory school for Broadcast Communications students, enabling them to learn the intricacies of broadcasting on the job.  “DZUP is important because it gives students from Mass Com the chance to apply the theories they learn in the classroom to the real world”, said Goño, a Journalism graduate.

Recently, DZUP has been reborn to serve a different but equally important purpose.  With a revamped line-up of shows that reflect the concerns of students, it has carved a new niche in the consciousness of the community it serves.  “On an academic level, it pushes teachers and students alike to be critical because everything changes when we know that more people are listening to our conversations. For those who are not students or teachers of UP, DZUP's programming is still very helpful. There are programs about pets, about health, about the law, environment, music, etc. so there is something to learn for everybody”, said Intal, a Broadcast Communications graduate and former co-host of the show Tropang Rad’Yo.  DZUP also serves as a place of convergence where not only students and professors are able to work closely together, but also the different colleges of Diliman to produce radio shows that are relevant to its listeners.

However, a lot still needs to be done for DZUP.  Despite strong efforts to promote DZUP, many students still unaware of what it is all about, or worse, even the basic thing of how to access its frequency.  However, all is not lost.  With a roster of shows like “Go Teacher Go”, “Tropang Rad’Yo”, and many others, it continues to build a reputation of being a formidable upholder of academic freedom as well as a venue for discussion relevant to the UP Community.  “If we look at DZUP’s programming, it's really aimed at the people who are in UP. However, this does not necessarily exclude others, that’s why the station’s transmitter signal was improved”, explains Intal.  The vision for DZUP is for it to continue producing substantial radio shows that will cater to both the UP Community and the public as well.  Speaking of which, the addition of a new 5000 watt transmitter that can now send radio frequencies up to the Philcoa area, DZUP’s as the voice of the community continues to grow stronger.

BLKD: An Enigma to a New Battlefield

By: Angelina Limpin 

One of the most prevalent stereotypes people have towards UP students can be best described by the following comment from a friend of mine. “Hey, how’s our activist here? You doing good? Shouting and walking down the streets?” However, contrary to popular belief, resorting to the streets is not the only method by which UP students effectively take a stand. Most maroons, creative as they are, devise different tools for awakening a sense of idealism among their countrymen.  Take for example Allen Enriquez, more popularly known as the rapper BLKD (read as Balakid), when he stepped out into the world of rap and entered into the battle ground known as Fliptop.

“Hindi lang lupon ng mga porma ng sining ang hiphop. Ibalik natin ito sa ugat nitong pagiging cultural movement para sa pagsusulong ng pagbabagong panlipunan. Walang mali sa paglaban, may mali kaya lumaban.” Enriquez said in an interview.

His interest in rap battles started in 2006, through YouTube. “I started out as a fan,” BLKD recounts. “Pang-enjoy lang. Naghahanap lang ako ng pagkakatuwaan sa Internet.” He pursued rapping because it allows him to maximize the use of  lyrics that he wrote to make his voice heard.  It was in 2012 when he discovered the Filipino rap battle arena  Fliptop. His first attempts at competing there almost always resulted in failure and disappointment.  This was because he was more familiar with the American style rap battle wherein the emphasis is on the flow of the rhymes and the figures of speech used. In contrast, Fliptop battles focus more on the insults one opponent hurls against the other. However, Enriquez felt he had something to else offer, that’s why he continued competing.

Watching his youtube battles, one cannot help but be amazed by his quick wit, intelligence and sensibility.  He has a penchant for using almost unfathomable Filipino terms in most of his verbal jousts. He always has something profound to say – a talent he developed as a UP student and an activist.

Video links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7ozlOA4T0o

       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT5cMom4HfQ&feature=relmfu

 Through rap, he is able to point out social issues and raise awareness towards recognizing relevant social problems. However, people consider his expression of activism in his lyrics as a liability. Still, he tries to show that there is a meaningful end that he wants to achieve by his works.

From the perspective of Filipino literature, his entry into Fliptop may even help modernize the concept of the traditional Balagtasan. He is also paving the way for rappers to explore topics beyond the usual derogatory exchanges, especially nowadays when rap battles are also considered as a legitimate and creative avenue that allows people to understand the different issues in our society and present it in an interesting way  for the youth.

Despite what he has already achieved,  he still admits that Fliptop and rap in the Philippines still has a long way to go in terms of “unifying form and content”. This notwithstanding, his enthusiam on the prospects of “hip hop organizing” is still strong.