A Summary of Stevan Javellana's Without Seeing the Dawn (The Lost Ones)

Set in a small farming village called Manhayang, Sta. Barbara, somewhere in Negros. Like most rural baranggays,
the hardworking and closely-knit village folk there had simple needs, simple wants, and simple dreams. They were
living their own simple lives when the violence of war reached their place and brought death to their village, their
homes and their hearts.

Here revolves the story of Ricardo "Carding" Suerte, son of Juan Suerte. An industrious, strong and sometimes
quick-tempered young man, he aspired to marry Lucia, the daughter of the teniente del barrio. Though his father
thought he was not yet prepared and had wished to send him to school, he gave his blessing to the decision of his
son. He consented to asking Lucia’s hand from her parents in the traditional pamamanhikan, accompanied by the
village’s best orator and the godmother of the lass. After agreeing to the conditions of the village chief, the marriage
was set. Tatay Juan gathered up almost all of his hard-earned savings for the dowry and expenses for the wedding
feast. In the meantime, Carding excitedly built their house despite the advice of the elderly- that building one’s house
in May will bring misfortune to its inhabitants.

And so it came to pass that after the grand wedding and the feast that followed- which was even attended by their
representate- the newlyweds lived happily on the land entrusted to Tatay Juan by Don Diego, but not for long.
Misfortune struck early when their first child was stillborn. A more difficult trial came when Lucing disgraced herself,
her family and her husband by having an affair with Luis, the son of their landlord. Caught naked, he was beaten up
by the strong, angry husband whose honor and pride were hurt. The couple patched things up, but the land that
Carding and Juan Suerte had been tilling for a very long time was given to another tenant.

With no land to till, the pair tried their luck in the city. There, in Iloilo, Carding met Rosing and Nestong. The latter was
his fellow stevedore and union member, and the former, a prostitute besotted with him, and also the reason why his
wife left him and returned to their barrio. Soon, Carding followed Lucing with news that the representante entrusted
them with land to till in Badlan. Lucing too, had news for her husband: she was again pregnant.

They moved to Badlan and worked harder than ever. They were blessed not only by a promise of a bountiful harvest,
but also with a healthy son they named Crisostomo. Sadly, their landlord sold the land, and they were given time to
harvest what they sowed. Misfortune was like a shadow though. A great flood destroyed everything that they had-
harvest and carabao as well.

Wanting to own their own piece of land, they were convinced to move to Mindanao, but Carding was drafted for
military service. When he returned, he found his wife heavy with another child. At first, the truth was kept from him.
What he knew was that his father and his son died of some illness. But later it was revealed that the Japanese
soldiers who attacked their village killed his father and son and raped his wife. He was enraged when he learned the
truth. As his neighbors, relatives and friends in barrio Manhayang were tortured, raped and massacred by the
Japanese soldiers, Carding too became an executioner to his enemies, and not even his friend nor the brother of his
mother-in-law were spared. He also almost killed the child that his wife had just delivered, were it not born dead. For
that, Lucing was so enraged that she sent him away.

The Japanese ordered everyone to enter a collective barrio or else be considered guerrilla supporters and be shot.
But the villagers of Manhayang also refused to be considered enemies of their own sons, and so they decided to
evacuate in barrios farther away. However, Lucing was hesitant to go. She was waiting to see her husband despite
everything, knowing that he will be leading the suicide attack to the Japanese garrison. When they did see each
other, Carding asked for her forgiveness and left her what cash he had as he bade her farewell. In the end, Lucing
refused to flee for she knew that she was still his wife, duty-bound to receive the corpse of her beloved husband.
Introduction to Philippine Literature

By Katrina Melissa Cruz

Philippine literature withstood time and periods and has evolved through generations. For every
period that passed, different genres appeared, and these literary works rooted from all regions
reflecting their culture, society and lifestyle.

The early stages of Filipino Literature consist of the Pre-Spanish period, the Spanish period and
the Propaganda and Revolutionary Periods. In the Pre-Spanish period, literature was in oral form
as technology of printing wasn’t available yet. Works such as epics, legends, folklore,
salawikain, bugtong, sawikain, songs such as the Oyayi or Hele are passed on from generations
to generations and they are still well-known up to this day as they are being taught in schools.
Philippine Literature changed during the Spanish Period. It was centered on Christian faith. Pre-
Spanish literary types continued to develop; however, there was a gradual shift of interest from
nature and natural phenomena to the lives of the saints, hymns, miracles and invocations based
on the teachings of the Catholic Church. The works during this time are imitative of the Spanish
theme, forms, and traditions. The corrido, awit, dalit, cenaculo, moro-moro, duplo and
karagatan, and zarzuela are reflective of the said characteristics. Religious matters were in prose
as novenas and prayer books, biographies of the saints, tales and novels. The Filipinos were able
to retain their native traditions and poems in the field of poetry reflected as lyrical folksongs and
riddles. Some examples of songs are Bahay Kubo, kundiman, and tapat. Francisco Baltazar also
was popular during this time because of his “Florante at Laura”. Events such as the exposure of
the Filipinos to Europe’s liberal idealism, the opening of the Suez Canal, the Spanish Revolution
in 1868, and the martyrdom of Gomburza led to Filipino nationalism. This gave birth to two
movements during this time – the Propaganda movement and the Revolutionary movement. The
Propaganda movement was reformatory in objective and its members are college students mostly
based in Spain. The primary propagandists were Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. del Pilar, and Graciano
Lopez-Jaena. The exposure of the evils of the Spanish rule in the Philippines was because of
Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo and has paved the way to a revolution against
Spain. Del Pilar’s essays and editorials in Diariong Tagalog which he founded with Lopez-
Jaena’s articles in La Solidaridad which he was an editor reflected nationalism that was
dominant at this time.

The Revolutionary movement took over as the propagandists failed to get much reforms. This
was of course more violent, and it demands complete independence from Spain. The Katipunan
was founded by Andres Bonifacio who was inspired by Rizal’s novels. The articles written in
tagalog (which was a form of revolution) was published in the Kalayaan, the newspaper of the
society. The literature at that time was more propagandistic than literary as the situation and
events at that time needed such purpose for liberation.

The three periods mentioned are the core of our history and literature. History has a very
important role in literature as literature not only reflects facts with aesthetic language but more
importantly, it displays the ideas and feelings of the people living at that time. Not only does
literature exhibit history but so as the hope that people have. It shows what they hope for the
nation, or for themselves, may it be about nationalism, love, or other aspects going on in life. As
the Philippines underwent a lot of history, as well as changes, literature also evolved. In the
similar case as the first three periods, literary genres also evolve depending on the influence,
state and the condition that our country is in. From epics to folksongs, to the cenaculo and Noli
Me Tangere, to Tagalog and English short stories, essays, poetry, to the Palanca Awards entries,
drama and film, to Wattpad and blogs – these are all reflective of the history, evolution, and
developments or mishaps of the Filipino nation. Each period has its own distinct genre and
unique artists that everyone remembers.

21st century literature per se, is anything that was written and published in the year 2000s. It is a
bit too early to give a definite and elaborate description of the 21st century literature in the
Philippines and the world. It is possible, however, to approach contemporary literature as a
reaction to and dialogue with existing forms of expressive culture. As we engage in technology
more and more, we create and discover more existing forms of expressive culture as well. We
have a wide range of resources through the internet and this gave opportunities to people,
especially the youth, to begin writing and expressing their thoughts, ideas, and feelings. A
perfect example would be WattPad. It became popular to the Filipino youth in 2006.

The idea is to create an e-book reading application, as e-books are becoming in demand during
that time, however, the founders thought that it would be time consuming to maintain their own
catalog, so they decided to let the community decide what they want to read, and they can also
upload their works and content into the application. This had made it possible for the youth to
read more and to start creating their own compositions.

It has become a network.

Here are more examples of literary genres in the 21st century Philippine literature:

Creative nonfiction

It’s a rich mix of flavors, ideas, and techniques, some of which are newly invented and others as
old as writing itself. Creative nonfiction can be an essay, a journal article, a research paper, a
memoir, or a poem; it can be personal or not, or it can be all of these.

Some of the creative nonfiction in the Philippines are:

1. “The Cardinal’s Sins, the General’s Cross, the Martyr’s Testimony, and Other Affirmations” by
Gregorio C. Brillantes
2. “Manananggal Terrorizes Manila and Other Stories” by Jessica Zafra
3. “Sapay Koma” by Jhoanna Lynn Cruz

Hyper poetry

Hypertext poetry and hypertext fiction are new genres of literature that use the computer screen
as medium, rather than the printed page. The literary works rely on the qualities unique to a
digital environment, such as linked World Wide Web pages or effects such as sound and
movement. Hypertext “poetry” can consist of words, although not necessarily organized into
lines and stanzas, as well as, sounds, visual images, movement or other special effects. Although
the poem may be dazzling with sounds, perhaps of a lawnmower, while the words “mowing,”
“stop,” “Sunday,” and “morning” float across your computer screen in pseudo-three-dimensional
letters, one will have been hard pressed to identify the use of any formal poetics.

Mobile phone text tula

A cell phone novel, or mobile phone novel is a literary work originally written on a cellular
phone via text messaging. This type of literature originated in Japan, where it has become a
popular literary genre. However, its popularity has also spread to other countries internationally,
especially to China, United States, Germany, and South Africa. Chapters usually consist of about
70-100 words each due to character limitations on cell phones.

Chick lit

This is genre fiction, which “consists of heroin-centered narratives that focus on the trials and
tribulations of their individual protagonists”. The genre often addresses issues of modern
womanhood – from romantic relationships to female friendships to matters in the workplace – in
humorous and lighthearted ways.

Some of the chick lit in the Philippines are:

1. Spotlight New Adult by Mina V. Esguerra

2. Tall Story by Candy Gourlay
3. All’s Fair in Blog and War by Chrissie Peria

Speculative fiction

It covers all stories from fantasy to science fiction to slipstream to magic realism to urban fantasy
— so on and so forth. In other words (or in other worlds), it encompasses all the stories that are
removed from the reality that we are currently living in. As the introduction states, “speculative
fiction is a type of story that deals with observations of the human condition but offers the
experience through a different lens…and challenges us to see what tomorrow could be like or
what the mythic past of our imagination actually is.”

Some of the speculative fiction in the Philippines are:

1. Smaller and Smaller Circles by FH Batacan

2. Sink by Isabel Yap
3. The Secret Origin of Spin-Man by Andrew Drilon

Flash fiction

Flash fiction goes by many names, including microfiction, microstories, short-shorts, short short
stories, very short stories, sudden fiction, postcard fiction and nanofiction. While it can be
difficult to pinpoint an exact definition of flash fiction based on word count, consideration of
several of its features can help provide clarity, like its brevity, length, background and purpose.

Some of the flash fiction in the Philippines are:

1. 100 Kislap, by Abdon M. Balde Jr.

2. Karapote: Antolohia Dagiti 13 a Nasuerte A Sarita, by Ariel S. Tabag

Blog

A blog (shortening of “weblog”) is an online journal or informational website displaying

information in the reverse chronological order, with latest posts appearing first. It is a platform
where a writer or even a group of writers share their views on an individual subject.

Graphic novels

The ‘graphic novel’ has existed as an art form arguably from the time our species learned how to
paint. However, the term has only been in use since the 1960’s, and though it’s often a hotly
debated issue, it’s generally accepted that a graphic novel is a longer work or collection of works
presented in ‘comics’ style.

Some of the graphic novels in the Philippines are:

1. The Mythology Class (Nautilus comics) by Arnold Arre

2. Light (Anino comics) by Rob Cham
3. Sixty Six (Anino comics) by Russell Molina
4. Maktan 1521 by Tepai Pascual

Contemporary writers often consciously draw inspiration and ideas from the writers who have
come before them. As an outcome, many works of 21st literature deal with the events,
movements and literature of the past in order to make sense of the current times. In addition, the
technological developments of the 21st century have directed other writers to theoretically write
about the future, usually to comment on the present and suggest introspection.

There are various themes and topics that the contemporary literature addresses. One of which is
Identity. With increasing globalization, intersections of cultures and more vocal discussions of
women’s rights and LGBT rights, identity has become a common theme in 21st century
literature. In a world that is now able to exchange ideas more quickly than ever before via the
Internet and other technological advancements, people have relatively more freedom to draw
from multiple cultures and philosophies and question the concept of the self and its relation to
the body, brain and “soul.” Another theme is history and memory. Often contemporary literature
explores the notion of multiplicities of truth and acknowledges that history is filtered through
human perspective and experience. Another main theme is technology. Today, technology is
more integrated into people’s lives than ever before. Dreams of what technology could
potentially help people become and anxieties regarding the demise of humanity because of
technology can be seen in 21st century literature. Additionally, many 21st century works of
literature explore what it means when all of humanity’s experiences are filtered through
technology. These are just among many themes that 21st century literature covers. Among these
are of course, love, sex, family, religion, but approached in a different way. They are more
liberal and unfiltered in a sense, just like the world we live in. For this reason, the language and
tone that are commonly used doesn’t really follow a rule just like the traditional and classical
works, as long as it is able to express and convey the authenticity and the essence of the meaning
of the work and the identity of the characters. Examples of this would be the works of Bob Ong,
Ricky Lee, and Bebang Siy. The poems of Maria Cecilia dela Rosa are perfect examples of 21st
century literature as she conveys a different flavor and turn to her works.

The previous periods had already established canon writers and their works which, until now, are
being studied in schools and universities. As times change, people need to innovate and become
more aware of the present time and condition, as well as the events that recently directed us to be
at the current circumstances that we stand. Modernization, invention, expression and a wider
point of view are results of the arising awareness people have. Modern day Filipinos, as well as
the youth of today become more conscious of what’s happening, primarily because of easier
access to education and technology. Print, we might say, is gradually dying but our appetite for
information continues to grow and of course literature, along with technology still thrives. All of
this paved the way to the 21st century Literature, with various genres, themes and voices. The
Philippines continues to develop in many aspects and as a liberal and democratic country, we are
part of the worldwide innovation of ways on how to exchange and share ideas about the present
events which have much similarities in each country.

Since we are in the age of technology, we use them to impart and experience literature to make it
more interesting especially to the young ones. They grew up using technology as a primary
learning tool and for them to be more engaged in literature, technology such as the internet and
gadgets play a huge role for them in acquiring knowledge and information.

Literature continues to change with society and although we are in the 21st century and are
binded with technology, authors are still trying to address absolute human questions in new ways
and therefore, reconcile them with the ever-changing technology that surrounds us; hence, the
birth of the different 21st century literary genres.

In the new educational system that the Philippines is currently under which is the K+12 program,
students are also entitled to learn the new literary genres that we have in the 21st century. In this
guide, we will find the different characteristics of the 21st century literature in the Philippines
and their genres, along with their representative texts that tackles their relevance to our current
situation.