Sabayang Pagbigkas 2025
Pagpupugay ng mga Wikang Pilipino
Inter-school Competition
Banyuhay Aotearoa is bringing back Sabayang Pagbigkas this year to commemorate and celebrate Buwan ng Wika (Filipino Language Month) in 2025.
We have two (2) categories and prizes to award the deserving teams who will be able to showcase their knowledge and mastery of a Filipino language or two!
Did you know that the Philippines has over 130 distinct languages?
This year, we are celebrating the many languages that are still used in the Philippines and within Filipino communities in the diaspora.
What is Sabayang Pagbigkas?
Sabayang Pagbigkas is the recitation of a poem performed in unison by a group of people or choir. The poem comes to life through the tone, strength or power of the performance which may also be enhanced with the use of costumes and props, and the addition of choreography.
Performance Piece
This year’s official contest piece is “Ang Laya ay Hindi Layaw” (Freedom is Not Comfort) by Virgilio Almario, a National Artist of the Philippines.
𝗔𝗡𝗚 𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗔̀ 𝗔𝗬 𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗜 𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗔𝗪
Tula ni Rio Alma (Virgilio Almario)
Ang layà ay hindi layaw.
Para itong binhi ng halamang
Katutubò at banal
At tungkulin nating itanim sa dibdib
Alagaan, diligin sa wastong pag-ibig,
Para magsupling,
Mag-ugat nang malalim,
Lumusog, tumatág, mamukadkad,
At magbunga ng gantimpalang nararapat
Sa nagtanim at naghirap.
Ang layà ay hindi layaw;
Tungkulin ito habang-búhay
At dapat ipagsanggalang
Laban sa salot, maniniil, at lapastangan.
Dapat din itong ipagtanggol
Sa baluktot at korupsiyon,
At sa buktot na adhika ng mayaman at marunong
Para ito ay angkinin o ikulong.
Dangal ito na kapag nawaglit,
Walâng ibáng maaaring ipalít.
Contest Mechanics
Sabayang Pagbigkas Online Video Contest ‘25 is open to all primary, intermediate, and secondary schools throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.
Categories
This year’s categories are:
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Paaralang Elementarya (Primary School, includes Intermediate) - Y1 to Y8.
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Paaralang Sekondarya (Secondary or High School) - Y9 - Y13.
Group Size and Composition
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Participating teams should have a Minimum of 10, and a Maximum of 20 members.
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Teams can be a mix of students from different year levels as long as they’re all still within the scope of the category.
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i.e. Paaralang Elementarya entries can only have members from years 1 to 8, and Paaralang Sekondarya entries can only have members from years 9 to 13.
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There should be at least one member who has no Filipino heritage (non-Filipino) in each participating team.
Limitations
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All participants must currently reside in Aoteaora New Zealand.
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None of the participants should be related by consanguinity to any of the Trustees of Banyuhay Aotearoa.
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No participant should belong to more than one group. Joining multiple groups will be cause for disqualification.
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Each group is allowed one entry only. Multiple entries will be cause for disqualification
Expressions of Interest
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Register online to express your interest to join Sabayang Pagbigkas Online Video Contest ‘25.
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All participating teams MUST represent a school.
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Deadline of registration is 31st of May, 2025.
Performance/Video Requirements
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All entries must be in video format, preferably in .MP4 or .MOV
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Must be at least 1080p resolution
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The video must be in landscape orientation (not portrait)
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Entries must be one seamless single-shot video. No stitching of multiple video clips.
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Limit your video edits to improving lighting, colour and sound quality. Do not add any video or sound effects to your entry.
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Do not use or add any background music to your entry.
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Memorisation of the piece is also not required. Reading aids can be used.
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Costumes, props, and choreography are highly encouraged. Costumes must be age-appropriate
Take the extra challenge to earn bonus points!
This year, we are celebrating the many languages that are still used in the Philippines and within Filipino communities in the diaspora today. In case you didn’t know, the Philippines has over 130+ distinct languages.
Here’s how you can earn an extra 10 points for your team, while celebrating the robust and diverse Filipino languages:
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Translate (or get help translating) the SECOND stanza of the poem into one of these Filipino languages:
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Ilocano
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Kapampangan
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Bicolano
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Cebuano
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Waray
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Ilonggo
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Tausug
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Chavacano
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Surigaonon
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If you choose to take this challenge, your group only needs to perform the second stanza once, but in a different Filipino language that your group has chosen.
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For example, if you chose to translate the second stanza in Ilocano, your performance will look like this:
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First Stanza: Original Tagalog Text
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Second Stanza: Translated Ilocano Text
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Record your performance so you are speaking the original Tagalog text for the first stanza, then the translated text for the second stanza.
Criteria for Judging
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Delivery (voice quality, correct pronunciation, proper diction, cohesion of group performance) - 30 points
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Mastery (overall readiness of the group performance) - 25 points
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Video & Audio Quality - 20 points
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Choreography (gestures, movements, and emotive actions) - 15 points
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Costumes & Props - 5 points
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Public Votes/Audience Impact - 5 points - Based on reactions to the video entry post on the Banyuhay Aotearoa FB page and Youtube Channel
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Bonus Points (if performing the second stanza in a different Filipino language) - 10 points
Prizes
The winning team under each category will be named Sabayang Pagbigkas Champions and will win for their school the following cash prizes:
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Paaralang Elementarya Champion - NZD 1,000
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Paaralang Sekondarya Champion - NZD 1,000
IMPORTANT! In the event that any of the categories receives less than 3 entries, Banyuhay Aotearoa reserves the right to merge all entries into one category and will only award one team the title of overall Champion.
Expressions of Interest
We are now accepting expressions of interest for Sabayang Pagbigkas 2025! Complete the form below to confirm your school’s participation to this year’s online video contest.
Deadline of Video Submissions
Ready to submit your entry?
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All entries must be submitted online no later than 11:59pm on the 31st of July.
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All entries will be showcased on our FB page and Youtube channel for the whole month of August.
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The contest champions will be announced on the 4th of September via a Live online presentation.
Sponsor Acknowledgments
This project will not be possible without the support of our generous sponsors and donors!
BRONZE SPONSOR
For partnership & sponsorship enquiries, send us an email at mabuhay@banyuhayaotearoa.org.