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ABSTRACT

This study explores the signifiers of ecological consciousness gleaned from Erlinda
Alburos balak. The investigation includes ten of her published Cebuano poems; namely:
Unsay Nalawos (Which Has Wilted), Sa 58, Unsa Pay Molukso?(At 58, What
Else May Leap?), Diin Mo-agi ang Tubig (Where the Water Flows), Pahiyum sa
Kataw (Mermaids Smile), Sa Pagtungtong Nakog Singkwenta (Upon Reaching
the Age of Fifty), Bakuko, Balas, ug Ulahipan (Sand Beetle, Sand, and Centipede),
Amamaliw, Calamity Loan, Balik pa Ta sa Badian? (Are We Going Back to
Badian?), and Dula-dula sa Tungaw (Trifling with Tungaw). Specifically, it focuses
on the Cebuano-Visayan orthographic standardization, poetic structure, poetic language,
poetic vision, and their ecological consciousness.
This literary investigation utilizes critical discourse and descriptive content analysis,
established through Mimesis, Formalism, and Affectivism as framework for the
theoretical approach of Ecocriticism. It also includes a Cebuano-Visayan orthographic
standardization to strengthen the technicality of the language.
The analyses of the poetic structure, language, and vision show that Alburos poems
reveal local and universal concepts that mirror cultural attitudes, behaviors, ideologies,
and concerns towards ecology, articulating consciousness for the interconnectedness of
culture and nature.
The researcher recommends the following: the orthographic standardization of the
Cebuano-Visayan language in future studies related to Cebuano literature; a focus on
poetic structure to reveal the intricacies of the tangible aspects of contemporary Cebuano
balak; a close analysis of poetic language to enhance sensory experience and draw out the
enigmatic substance supported by the linguistic expression in balak; and the investigation
of ecological revelations in Cebuano poetry as cultural representations of local and
universal realities.