Bituin: A Poem Dedicated to the Filipino Frontliners by Carlo Hornilla

 About the Artist

    The writer, Carlo Bonn Felix Hornilla, is a spoken word poetry artist, most commonly known for his lovelorn, bitter stories in the YouTube channel "Ampalaya Monologues", in which one of them have garnered millions of views. He grew up and lives in Lipa, Batangas and has been involved in monologue writing as he joined a group of theater actors as their monologue writer.  He learned a lot of Batanguenyo words from the elders in his village, and says that the Batanguenyo dialect has a lot of colorful words that make it entertaining to be used in speaking. He also cited that a famous Batanguenyo actor, Leo Martinez, is known for his humorous dialect that comes out as flirty and funny. He uses the dialect in his spoken word poetry, combined with his relatable love speeches and is able to communicate messages which is well-received by the audience.

BITUIN, narrated by Kathryn Bernardo and written by Carlo Hornilla

     The poem titled "Bituin" is narrated by Kathryn Bernardo and written by Carlo Hornilla as part of the tribute ad of the supplement glutathione brand "Met Tathione". It is dedicated to the Filipino Frontliners who risked their lives to protect the people from the COVID-19 virus. The videos shows medical workers, military and police officers, which have been maintaining the safety of the citizens. The lines of the poem gratifies them and wishes for their safety as they work in the frontlines, exposed to the virus. 

    Here is the script of the poem:

Pag-ibig ang pananatiling paglilingkod nang tapat

Sa pagsapit ng dilim na kaylalim at kaylawak

Ang nagsisilbing pag-asa ay ang liwanag ninyong hawak.

Tila ang bawat isa’y mga talang,

hindi man namin tuluyang mahawakan at mayakap,

Natatanaw namin ang inyong pagkislap.

Panalangin naming hindi kayo mapundi.

Hinihintay namin ang inyong pag-uwi.

kayo ang payong na hindi tumitiklop.

Kayo ang sinasandalang dingding.

Kayo ang bubong na kumukupkop.

Kayong piniling mawalay sa mga mahal sa buhay.

Nais naming sumaludo. Nais naming pumalakpak.

Kayong mga nag-aalay ng buhay,

Kayo ang aming mga BITUIN.

The Voice Behind the Poem

       The narrator, Kathryn Bernardo is a well-known actress in the Philippines, as a part of the famous KathNiel love team, and is also known for her kindness and charity works. During the time of pandemic, she has been providing relief to people along with her celebrity partner Daniel Padilla, while being away from the public eye. She has provided relief goods, and medical supplies to health workers and struggling Filipinos without posting it to social media sites, showing a genuine act of kindness without receiving anything in return. The love team said that even though that they are not active in social media platforms, their fans can see them back on national television once the pandemic restrictions are over.

  

Sources:

cacaroot. (2020, May 4). Kathryn Bernardo wants to keep her COVID-19 relief efforts from the public eye. LionhearTV. https://www.lionheartv.net/2020/05/kathryn-bernardo-wants-to-keep-her-covid-19-relief-efforts-from-the-public-eye/

Lino, C. (2020, April 22). WATCH: Kathryn Bernardo recites poem dedicated to COVID-19 frontliners. INQUIRER.net. https://entertainment.inquirer.net/372429/watch-kathryn-bernardo-recites-poem-dedicated-to-covid-19-frontliners

Manalo, E. (2018, August 3). Carlo Hornilla | Spoken word poetry artist | Lipa city | WOWBatangas.com - Ang official website Ng Batangueño. WOWBatangas.com. https://www.wowbatangas.com/features/arts-and-culture/carlo-hornilla-spoken-poetry-artist-lipa-city/

The Web Magazine. (2020, April 23). #Frontliners #OurHeroes BITUIN narrated by Kathryn Bernardo written by Carlo Hornilla. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5rPfvRHOx4