The Filipinas Institute of Translation, Inc. (FIT)
announces the second week winners of “Katext Mo Sa
Katotohanan” (Your Text Mate For Truth) text poetry
writing contest.

Chaired by National Artist for Literature Virgilio S.
Almario, the judges who include Vim Nadera, and Joey
Baquiran chose the Gervacio poem for its amusing yet
rueful take on the widespread Filipino practice of
buying pirated and cloned products.

Payreted ang dvd ko,
iPhone ay gawa ng Tsino;
pero maniwala kayo,
hanap pa rin ay totoo.
-German Gervacio

By using the sms vocabulary, acrostics, and most of
all humor, the other winning poems evade the didactic
tendencies of most of the entries. By doing so, these
texting poets are modernizing the traditional and
strict mode of the dalit (quatrain of monorhyming
eight syllabic lines).

May A-B-Z-T-E-F-G
Sa alpabeto ni Neri,
Walang I-O-U-P-S-G
Kung RP sa ‘yo’y 1-4-3.
-Mario C. Lamar

N-apakasinungaling mo
E-hemplo ka ng demonyo
R-imarim kami sa iyo
I-siwalat ang totoo.
-Tata Raul Funilas

Bata ni Ma'm iwas-pusoy;
Bakit takot sa Senado?
Matulad ba kay Pinokyo
At humaba rin ang ilong?
-Fernando Gonzalez

Di bubukol kung di ukol.
Pero ang mga komisyon
Sa kontrata'y bumubukol
Sa bulsa ng mga baboy.
-Alexander Martin Remollino

Thousands of texters sent entries via sms cellphone
technology from as far away as Hongkong and Guam.
Hundreds more opted to use the email.

FIT encourages more texters to join this contest which
has a very contemporary theme—the value of telling the
truth. Non-winning entries from previous weeks do not
qualify anymore for consideration for the current
week. The contest skips the Holy Week and will resume
by March 24 until April 4, 2008.

Contestants can text their poems at 0915-7832810. Or
email them at dalitext@yahoo.com. Poems must strictly
follow the dalit rhyme and meter. Cut-off time is at
5pm every Friday. Weekly winners gets a prize of
P2,000.00 Consolation prize winners will receive
certificates. For details, call 9221830 or email at
mentioned address.