Poetry in motion awaits Metro’s train riders
By Kenneth del Rosario
Inquirer
Last updated 04:16am (Mla time) 10/17/2007
MANILA, Philippines – Passengers of the Light Rail Transit Lines 1 and Line 2 are in for an entertaining and informative ride.
The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) has started putting up in its trains posters containing poems written in Spanish and Filipino and decorated with colorful pictures.
“Berso sa Metro (Verse in the Metro),” an innovative campaign which aims to encourage reading among Filipino commuters, was launched yesterday to strengthen the ties between the Philippines and Spain and to pay tribute to some of the best poets from the Philippines, Spain and other Latin American countries.
“Not only would this keep the passengers from getting bored, they would actually be learning something while in transit,” Jose Rodriguez, director of Instituto Cervantes de Manila (ICDM), told the Inquirer.
“With almost one million commuters riding the train every day, it provides a great opportunity for the reading campaign to reach as many people as possible,” Rodriguez said, adding that this is a “defining moment” in the history of educational campaigns.
The selection of poems include the work of Filipinos led by national hero Jose Rizal, Jesús Balmori, Claro M. Recto, José Palma, Evangelina Guerrero, Pacifico Victoriano and Fernando Maria Guerrero; Spanish poets Calderón de la Barca, Lope de Vega, García Lorca, Antonio Machado, Luis Cernuda, Luis Rosales, Miguel Hernández and Gil de Biedma; and Latin American writers Pablo Neruda and César Vallejo.
“Commuters would now have something to ponder on when they ride the LRT. Reading celebrated poems is a very worthwhile activity to do,” Mel Robles, LRTA administrator, told the Inquirer.
He said the reading campaign would run for about three months and could be extended depending on the response of the public.
For those who do not understand Spanish, a Filipino translation was posted alongside the Spanish version.
The campaign was organized by the LRTA, ICDM and the Committee for the Filipino-Spanish Friendship Day.
The ICDM is the cultural arm of the Spanish government that promotes and teaches the Spanish language and culture in the country. It is the largest Spanish teaching organization worldwide, operating in more than 70 countries in four continents.
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