KUDYAPI

BUNKAKA
LITGIT
PASYOK
BUKTOT
SULIBAW
LANTOY
The balitaw is the song traditionally associated with the Visayas region in the same way
the kundiman andkumintang are associated with ancient Tagalog music.
The music of the balitaw is usually written in 3/4 time. It is also danced to, although it originally was
something that was merely sung. This folk air has a more developed form called balitao
romansada. The traditional instrument used to accompany the balitaw was a three-string coconut-
shell guitar; later, a harp was adopted as the instrument of choice because more chords could be
played on it. When performed today in modern rendition, a five-string guitar is used.
The balitaw is a debate or dialogue song in which a young woman and a young man compete to
see who is better at improvising romantic verses. These verses are sometimes memorized in
advance. Using song to disguise the intimate sentiments of courtship reduces the embarrassment
involved in meeting potential mates.
These witty exchanges of balitaw used to be a prelude to courtship and marriage, but this tradition
had faded away by the 1930's and is no longer observed in contemporary Visayan society, although
the songs are still performed for the sake of performance. Pedro Alfafara was the famous singer
who popularized the balitaw as a performance song before the outbreak of World War II.