METROBANK ARCHITECTURE COMPETITION 2013
Poem: BAKOD, BUBONG, BALAT (B3)
Our Fathers chopped some Bamboo poles,
And wove the Nipa to the Frame
The Floor they had were full of holes (slits)
Gentle winds course through the same
Centuries past, then Spanish masts
Were cast into our virgin seas
They built with wood and rock & quite fast
They colonized, with Manila as the key (City)
Americans came with tongues a-strange
Who taught us Civic Architecture
With their reign, our home became
Progressive as a land not like any other.
Then came the time that we be free
To find our own identity
We found the strength and heart to rise
And live our Golden Age to the skies.
Soon came a time of doom and deep unrest
A Dictator would put us to a test,
Yet our strength held on to this:
That peace pursued would be the best.
In this time of judging and reflection
We search for meaning and direction,
Our Asian friends are moving forward.
We should rise and our nation’s pride we guard.
Bakod, Bubong, Balat
Enlarge the space, enclose the lot
Pull the cover, lay the roof;
Invite the breeze [and] the sun go mute.
Bakod, Bubong, Balat
Reuse the rain, catch the wind,
Protect the blades, if there’s a lot.
Bring water up, when they spin.
Bakod, Bubong, Balat
Filter the walls on rainy days
Break it open when it’s hot
Keep view of the scenery for always.
Bakod, Bubong, Balat
Keep out the smog, bring in the plants
Chill on the living, cool on the pool
Dine on your table, view scenery=full.
Bakod, Bubong, Balat
Drape hanging vines, like curtains on trellis
They function like lungs, and lets us breath with
Their flowers in bloom with colorful palettes.
Bakod, Bubong, Balat
Without your columns engraved like native tattoos
with light permeating your wooden skin
With wood-plastic treads to your inner-lit chambers.
Your treasures abound in rich royal pleasures
Filipino, you are, to the core of your being;
diverse and unique, United by one roof –
Our History, that binds us together, our Past
Archian Speaks about Life & Relationships 