Image courtesy of Antonio Ma-at
Beyond Words: Dr. Doc PenPen and the Vision That Changed the Face of Poetry and Turned Words, Images, and Cultures into a Universal Language
Edited by Iris Calif
International author and poet, dancer, journalist, editor, translator of poetry, embracing poetry from around the world
“There are people who leave their mark on history not because they continue existing traditions, but because they create a legacy the world has never known before: Dr. Doc PenPen” (Philippines)
There are creators who write poetry, and there are creators who seek to change the very definition of what poetry is. Dr. Epifanio R. Tongohan (MD), known in the literary world by his pen name Doc PenPen Bugtong Takipsilim, belongs to the second category.
A physician by profession, a poet by calling, and a cultural innovator, Doc PenPen combines the world of medicine and science with poetry, imagination, and visual creation. His path connects analytical precision with creative freedom, between local Filipino identity and an international literary vision. For decades, he has worked to expand the boundaries of poetry, particularly through his work in Visual Poetry and through the establishment of the international literary movement Pentasi
B World Friendship Poetry.
His influence is no longer limited to the Philippines. Poets, artists, educators, researchers, and cultural institutions around the world recognize his unique contribution. For him, a poem is not merely a text placed on a page. It can be an image, a symbol, a structure, movement, sensation, and experience , a creation in which the word and space meet.
Above all, poetry is for him a bridge: a bridge between people, between cultures, and between worlds.
From Medicine to a Literary Calling
Doc PenPen’s journey into the world of literature began precisely in the world of science and medicine. In 1979, he completed his bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology at the University of Santo Tomas. In 1984, he completed his Doctor of Medicine degree at the University of the East – Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center. He later returned to the University of Santo Tomas for advanced training in Anatomic Pathology.
His scientific training gave him a way of thinking based on observation, analysis, structure, and the search for meaning. Yet alongside his scientific thinking, a creative world developed within him that sought to break through the boundaries of the familiar. Medicine became his profession, while literature became his life’s calling.
For him, poetry is not merely a means of personal expression. It is a way to convey ideas, stimulate thought, connect people, and encourage creativity. He seeks to demonstrate that a poetic experience can be created not only through the meaning of words, but also through form, image, rhythm, sign, and space.
Pentasi B--Poetry as a Force That Connects Peoples
This vision received practical expression with the establishment of Pentasi B World Friendship Poetry, an international literary movement dedicated to promoting friendship, peace, creativity, and cultural understanding through poetry and art.
Over the years, Pentasi B has developed into a global community connecting poets, artists, educators, and supporters of culture from many countries. International festivals, conferences, exhibitions, joint publications, and literary exchanges have transformed the movement into a space for encounters among creators from different cultures. At the heart of its activities lies a simple yet far-reaching belief: literature has the power to unite humanity.
Doc PenPen encouraged poets not only to publish their works, but also to bring to the stage the culture from which they came, their stories, traditions, identities, and hopes. Thus, within his vision, poetry became more than a personal art form; it became a space for dialogue among peoples.
Visual Poetry: When the Word Becomes an Image
One of Doc PenPen’s central and unique contributions is his work in the field of visual poetry.
Unlike the traditional perception of a poem as a linear text, visual poetry asks the reader not only to read the poem, but also to see it.
The placement of words on the page, their shape, the spaces between them, the symbols, and the relationships among the graphic elements all become part of the work. The word is no longer merely a unit of meaning, it is also a form, a sign, and an image.
Through this exploration, Doc PenPen developed the Pentasi B Telepathic 5M Framework, a concept that seeks to further expand the experience of poetry and the relationship between creator and reader.
The 5Ms refer to five dimensions: Multilingual, Multimodal, Multiangular, Multisensory, and Multidimensional.
Multilingualism enables poetry to operate across different languages and systems of signs; Multimodality combines text with image, form, and symbol; Multiangularity allows for different points of view; Multisensory engages the imagination and the senses; and Multidimensionality seeks to take poetry beyond the textual plane.
Within this framework, the reader is no longer a passive observer. The reader becomes a participant in the creation of meaning. Each reading may reveal another layer, and every observation may lead to a new interpretation.
Works such as “The Hard Truth,” “Ground (ZE(____)RO)Found,”! In My Time,” “Guilty I Am,” and “‘S of (Child Emptiness)” have attracted literary and academic interest precisely because of their open, mysterious, and multilayered nature.
From Artistic Innovation to Academic Discourse
Doc PenPen’s ideas have also received attention in comparative studies submitted to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) by Hon. Jose Laderas Santos. His ideas were later discussed in various literary and academic forums as part of the discourse on the future of Filipino poetry and world poetry.
His artistic experiments challenged conventional definitions of literary creation. Researchers and literary figures have described his approach as innovative, abstract, imaginative, and revolutionary.
Yet perhaps the central innovation lies not only in the way the work looks, but in the question it poses to the reader: Must poetry remain within the boundaries of the word?
Doc PenPen offers another answer. For him, poetry can be a place where the word, the image, the sensation, the memory, and the imagination coexist.
“Father of Visual Poetry” and International Recognition
Over the years, Doc PenPen has received growing recognition for his contribution to the development of visual poetry and to the creation of a literary language that combines word, image, sign, and experience.
In 2011, he was recognized with the title “Father of Philippine Visual Poetry” during a literary gathering held in the city of Antipolo in the Philippines.
On November 15, 2013, his work received further recognition during the historic Pentasi B Forum and the World Friendship Poetry Celebration, organized and sponsored by the National Library of the Philippines, in the Marble Hall of the National Museum of the Filipino People.
One of the central figures who supported the event was former National Library Director Antonio M. Santos. After reviewing the literary work of Doc PenPen, he said: “This book must go beyond the world of libraries... this brilliant, sharp-minded, and extraordinary man should be the future National Artist, already now!”
Recognition of him continued to spread beyond the Philippines. Poetry and literary organizations in China, India, Canada, Turkey, Italy, Ghana, Morocco, Uzbekistan, and other countries recognized his contribution through invitations to conferences, collaborative projects, participation in international events, and the granting of honors.
During an international poetry gathering held in India, at Ramoji Film City, he was given the title Kavita Chakravarti, King of Visual Poetry, in recognition of his contribution to the development of the field and to the promotion of cultural exchange among creators around the world.
In 2017, following his recognition as Driisya Chakravarty, he was presented at the Office of the Prime Minister of India with a handwritten tribute poem by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. The gesture symbolized international appreciation for his work and his contribution to promoting literary and cultural dia
logue among peoples.
A certificate awarding Dr. Duc Pen-Pen the title “Father of Visual Poetry,” issued by the National Library of the Philippines, under the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
Certificate courtesy of Antonio Ma-at
A Vision Beyond Titles and Awards
Despite the recognition, titles, and awards, Doc PenPen emphasizes that these are not the ultimate goal. For him, the important achievement is the ability to use literature to create change in the world.
His vision is to position the Philippines as the “Heart of Poetry of the World” and to transform poetry into a tool for peace, understanding, education, and friendship among peoples. Through literary festivals, educational initiatives, artistic collaborations, and international partnerships, he seeks to encourage Filipino creators to believe that their country can be a leading voice on the global literary stage.
This is a vision that is not satisfied with recognition of a single artist. It seeks to create a cultural foundation in which poets from different countries can meet, get to know one another, and create together.
A Legacy Beyond the Boundaries of Time
Over the years, literary figures, poets, creators, and supporters of culture have expressed their appreciation for his contribution. His work has sparked discussion regarding his candidacy for the Order of National Artist for Literature. His supporters point to two major achievements: his pioneering role in the development of visual poetry and its transformation into a form of expression with international significance, and the establishment of Pentasi B World Friendship Poetry as a movement connecting poets, artists, and cultural figures from different countries.
The Municipality of Tanay, Rizal Province, also expressed official support for this recognition through a special municipal resolution.
The recognition received further support in an interview conducted on March 30, 2026, during the second FAMAS Prestige Awards ceremony at the Manila Hotel. Edwin M. Cordevilla, former undersecretary in the administration of Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., lifetime achievement awardee and award-winning world poet, publicly expressed support for broader national recognition of Doc PenPen and said: “Doc PenPen has made Filipino poetry accessible to everyone... It is time for Doc PenPen to be a National Artist.”
Yet ultimately, a legacy is not measured only by titles. It is measured by the impact it leaves on people.
Through his books, international collaborations, and activities promoting literature as a force that connects human beings, Doc PenPen continues to enrich Filipino and global literary culture.
Perhaps his true legacy is not found in the number of awards, certificates, or titles, but in the poets, artists, students, and cultural figures who have found inspiration in his work. He has shown that innovation sometimes begins with the courage to challenge the familiar, and that poetry can change and expand without losing its depth and soul.
For many around the world, Doc PenPen will be remembered as the father of visual poetry; for others, as the founder of an international literary movement seeking to change the way we understand poetry; and for the Philippines — as a symbol of the ability of imagination, perseverance, and faith in the power of human creativity to create a legacy that transcends borders.
And perhaps this is also the deepest message emerging from his work: in a world where people speak different languages, poetry can create another language, a language of images, emotions, curiosity, and encounter.
Ultimately, poetry is not merely words. Poetry is a force that connects worlds, an encounter between souls, and a bridge crossing languages, borders, and cultures, a space where heart
s beat together.
Iris Calif
Photo by Yehoram Galil
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