PCG Nagoya celebrates Buwan ng Panitikan

As part of activities to promote Philippine culture, Consul and Acting Head of Post Fernando Beup led the regular flag ceremony on 07 April 2025 at the Philippine Consulate General in Nagoya and the reading of selected poetry from Florante at Laura, a masterpiece awit of Filipino literature by Francisco Baltazar Balagtas written in 1838 while in prison, dedicated to his first love, and loosely based on the author’s own biography under the themes of love, betrayal, justice and the struggle against tyranny.

Also commemorated was Balagtas’s 237th birth anniversary through a performance of Balagtasan, a poetic debate that revolved with the theme of "Yaman" (wealth) versus "Talino” (wisdom), encouraging the audience to reflect over which of the two is more valuable in life, proving the relevance and timelessness of Filipino literature of a bygone era even today in the everyday concerns of each Filipino wherever they may be.

Buwan ng Panitikan is annually celebrated in the Philippines by virtue of Proclamation No. 968 to promote and appreciate Filipino literature and cultural heritage. END