Balagtasan is a verse-based discussion in the Philippines. The phrase is taken from Francisco Balagtas' surname. Filipino authors and poets utilized the balagtasan to communicate the most progressive and current political ideals of the period, as well as to remark on current social concerns. Today, it is still used for similar purposes. The balagtasan began during the Spanish era in the Philippines. At that time, literature was popular among the educated class. Poets and authors would often use their works to criticize government officials or other topics of interest. These poems were usually written in rhyme and consisted of 14 lines each. One such poet was Francisco Balagtas. He was a lawyer by profession but had also served as an officer under Spain's military governor. His poems focused on politics and social issues such as poverty, corruption, and injustice. Many of his poems are still widely read today, especially those that comment on current events. After the Spaniards arrived in the Philippines, they promoted the indigenous language over Latin because it was believed that this would make the country more independent. However, after a few decades, many people started to forget the original language and instead learned Spanish. This made it difficult for authors to express themselves freely without worrying about whether others understood what they were saying. So, they started writing in English instead.