Mrs. Adelita “Ina Lita” Bagcal visited Vigan City on March 25 to teach Ilocos Sur residents on the dallot oral tradition.

In the seminar titled “Dallot ni Ina Lita” convened by the National Museum of the Philippines–Ilocos, Ina Lita talked about the poetic form and advocated for its preservation.

In 2023, she was conferred a Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan for Ilokano Oral Traditions. Ilokano writer Joel Manuel took a video of her performing dallot and forwarded it to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). In 2021, representatives of the commission came to her house and interviewed her.

According to Mr. Edwin Antonio of the NCCA, the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan started in 1992, and awardees are chosen through a rigorous process. It is on the same level of prestige as the National Artist stature.

Mostly for happy occasions such as wedding or courtship, dallot originated from two words: daniw (poem) and pallot (cockfight), according to Bagcal. In weddings, it is an exchange of messages between the couple, although it is also performed by one chanter only. It is also performed during birthdays, community events, and betrothals, but not for funerals.

Doing panagdallot involves combining the contents of one’s mind and heart, articulating them into a poetic form of chanting or singing.

For Bagcal, she performs the dallot to greet her audience or attendees in an event. She may forget some of its definitions, but she will never forget how to perform it, having learned it at 15 years old. She conceptualizes her piece the night before the performance. She describes her performance as an instance where words flow freely from her mind and her heart, and she can perform it all throughout the day (“uray agmalmalem”).

Ina Lita ended her talk by encouraging the audience to cling to and treasure Ilokano culture: “Saantayo a liplipatan daytoy a kulturatayo. Uray no babbalasang, babbarokayo, saanyo nga ibain daytoy kulturatayo. Addaak latta ditoy no kasapulanyo ti tulong.”

Aimed at sharing knowledge and expertise to the public, the seminar was spearheaded by the National Museum of the Philippines–Ilocos. It was also part of the Women’s Month celebration.

It was attended by students and workers from STI College, the University of Northern Philippines, Ilocos Sur National High School, the Local Government Units of Vigan City and Candon City, and the Provincial Government of Ilocos Sur.

Article by Carl Vincent Quilpa and Jomarie Lopez. Photos by Wimbledon Bosque and Joelo Rodriguez.