Carlo Hornilla: Adik Sa Bato
Carlo Hornilla, a spoken word artist from Batangas, is known for Ampalaya Chronicles (2020). His piece Adik Sa Bato initially presents itself as a romantic poem about obsession and unreciprocated love.
However, the word BATO (drugs) serves as an allegory for the speaker’s almost addictive love for someone. Throughout the poem, Hornilla blends corny lines and hugots with a comedic, lighthearted tone.
Dahil kung masakit na nga ang magmahal ng isang tao na hindi ka gusto, baby,
Mas masakit mamatay sa isang bayang walang pakialam sayo.
Why must this be adopted?
Misjudgment, Violence, and Desensitization
At the end of the poetry, the speaker, misjudged as drug user, alludes the nation desensitized to violence during the extra judicial killings from the drug war.
Adapting 'Adik sa Bato' into a photo-comic is crucial in shedding light on the horrors of the drug war and the widespread extrajudicial killings in the Philippines.
By combining poetry with photography and mixed media, it invites audiences to not only read or hear but see and feel the weight of the injustice.