21st Century Literature of the Philippines and the World

PERIODS OF PHILIPPINE LITERATURE

PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD (Early Times – 1564)

The first period of the Philippine literary history is the longest. Long time before the Spaniards and
other foreigners landed on Philippine shores, our forefathers already had their own literature
stamped in the history of our race.

RIDDLES (bugtong) – battle of wits among participants. It is called Tigmo in Cebu, Paktakon in
Ilonggo and Patotdon in Bicol.

PROVERBS (salawikain) – wise sayings that contain a metaphor used to teach as a food for
thought.
TANAGA – one stanza poems consisted usually of four lines with seven syllables, all lines rhyming.
FOLK SONGS – one of the oldest forms of Philippine literature that emerged in the Pre-Spanish
period.

1. Hele or oyayi -lullaby

2. Ambahan (Mangyan) –about human relationships and social entertainment
3. Kalusan (Ivatan) – work songs
4. Tagay (Cebuano and Waray) – drinking song
5. Kanogan (Cebuano) – song of lamentation for the dead

FOLK TALES MYTHS – explain how the world was created, how certain characteristics, why some
places have waterfalls, volcanoes, mountains, flora and fauna

LEGENDS – explain the origin of things.

FABLES – used animal characters and allegory

FANTASY STORIES – deal with underworld characters such as tiyanak, aswang, kapre and so on.

EPICS – these are narratives of sustained length based on oral tradition revolving around
supernatural events or heroic deeds. Ex: Biag ni Lam-ang (Ilocano), Hinilawod (Panay),
Kudaman (Palawan), Darangen (Maranao)

FOLK TALES – made up of stories about life, adventure, love, horror and humor where one can
derive lessons about life.

SPANISH COLONIZATION PERIOD (1565-1863)

Spanish occupied Philipp ine s in early 15 t h century. The Spanish colonizat io n period has two
distinct classifications – religious and secular.

RELIGIOUS LITERATURE – religious lyrics written by Ladino poets or those versed in both Spanish
and Tagalog were included in early catechism.

1. Pasyon – long narrative poem about the passion and death of Christ.
1704 – Mahal Na Pasion ni Jesu Cristo,
2. Senakulo – dramatization of the pasyon, it shows the passion and death of Christ.

SECULAR LITERATURE – non-religious literature

1. Awit – colorful tales of chivalry made for singing and chanting. Ex: Ibong Adarna
2. Korido – metrical tale written in octosyllabic quatrains. Ex: Florante and Laura by
Francisco Baltazar
3. Prose Narratives - written to prescribe proper decorum.
1879 – Modesto de Castro’s “Pagsusulatan ng Dalawang Binibini na si Urbana at si Feliza”
and Joaquin Tuason’s “Ang Bagong Robinson”

Spanish Colonization Period also has oral and written literature.

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ORAL LITERATURE – songs, religious drama, drama

SONGS – a composition for voice and voices performed by singing.

Kundiman – is a Filipino love song traditionally sung by a man wooing the woman of his dreams.

1. Leron Leron Sinta – this song depicts humbleness.

2. Sarung banggi – a Kundiman which means “one night” or “one evening” in Bicol.

RELIGIOUS DRAMA – setting forth events recorded in the Bible or moral lessons to be drawn from
religious teaching.
Panunuluyan – a Philippine Christmas dramatic ritual.

DRAMA –enacted in front of live audiences. It is also known as play.

Why Woman Wash the Dishes – this is filled with humor and antiques.

WRITTEN LITERATURE – short stories and poetry

SHORT STORIES – a brief work of literature
POETRY –an imaginative awareness of experience expressed through meaning, sound, and
rhythmic language.
1838 – Florante at Laura –about the love and determination.

NOTABLE FILIPINOS DURING THE SPANISH COLONIZATION PERIOD

JOSE DELA CRUZ (1746-1829) – he was the foremost exponent of the komedya during his time.

FRANCISO BALTAZAR (1788-1862) – he was popularly called Balagtas, he is the acknowledged

master of traditional Tagalog poetry.

NATIONALISTIC/ PROPAGANDA AND REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD (1864-1896)

Literary Forms under this period include propaganda literature and revolutionary literature.
PROPAGANDA LITERATURE – reformatory in objective.

1. POLITICAL ESSAYS – satires, editorials and news articles were written to attack and expose
the evils of Spanish rule.
i. 1882 – Diariong Tagalog
ii. 1888 – La Solidaridad
2. POLITICAL NOVELS
i. 1887 – Noli Me Tangere
ii. 1891 – El Filibusterismo

REVOLUTIONARY LITERATURE – more propagandistic than literary as it is more violent in nature

and demanded complete independence for the country.

1. POLITICAL ESSAYS – helped inflame the spirit of revolution

1896 – Kalayaan – was a newspaper of the Katipunan which means "independence and
solidarity” edited byEmilio Jacinto.
2. POETRY

1896 – Hibik ng Pilipinas – Andres Bonifacio

1896 – Liwanag at Dilim – Emilio Jacinto
1898 – True Decalogue – Apolinario Mabini

RIZALIST AGE (1896-1899)

1896 - Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo sparked the Revolution of 1896.

RIZAL AND HIS CONTEMPORARIES

JOSE RIZAL – National Hero of the Philippines.
a. 1896 – Mi Ultimo Adios – a poem written by Jose Rizal that was one of the last notes he wrote
before his death.

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MARCELO H. DEL PILAR – Popularly known as Plaridel, he was the editor and co-publisher of La
Solidaridad.
1888 – Dasalan at Tocsohan –a satire on the friars’ hypocrisy, licentiousness and greed sarcasm.

ANDRES BONIFACIO – He was the “Father of the Philippine Revolution”.

1896 – Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa –directed to the Filipinos in order to arouse their spirit of
nationalism and self-dependence.

AMERICAN COLONIZATION PERIOD (1901-1946)

Philippine literature in English, as a direct result of American colonization of the country, could
not escape being imitative of American models of writing especially during its period of
apprenticeship.

A. PERIOD OF APPRENTICESHIP (1910-1930)

1. TAGALOG NOVELS

1906 – Banaag at Sikat – by Lope K. Santos

2. ROMANTIC POETRY

Pag-ibig – by Jose Corazon de Jesus.

3. SHORT STORIES

i. 1925 – Dead Stars – by Paz Marquez Benitez.

ii. 1927 – The Small Key – by Paz Latorena
iii. 1933 – Footnote to Youth –by Jose Garcia Villa
iv. 1940 – We Filipinos are Mild Drinkers –by Alejandro Roces.

NOVEL
1930 – Childe of Sorrow –first novel in English by Zoilo Galang.

B. PERIOD OF EMERGENCE (1920-1930)

SHORT STORIES – most prevalent literary form.

Jose Garcia Villa – earned the international title “Poet of the Century”.

 During this period, writers were given the chance to write in newspapers. Some of these
newspapers were:
1902 – Ang Kaluwasan (Cebuano)
1903 – Muling Pagsilang (Tagalog)
1913 – Makinaugalingon (Ilonggo)
1908 – Nueva Era (Ilokano)

The best-known magazines that capitalized on short stories and poems were:
1922 – Liwayway (Tagalog)
1930 – Bisaya (Cebuano)
1934 – Hiligaynon (Ilonggo)
1934 – Bannawag (Ilokano)

JAPANESE COLONIZATION PERIOD (1946-1960)

A. WAR YEARS (1942-1944)

1943 – 25 Pinakamabuting Maikling Kathang Pilipino Suyuan sa Tubigan – Macario Pineda

i. Lupang Tinubuan – Narciso Reyes

ii. Uhaw ang Tigang na Lupa – Liwayway Arceo

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B. PERIOD OF MATURITY AND ORIGINALITY (1945-1960)

A. Palanca Awards for Literature - Established in 1950.

i. Jose Garcia Villa

ii. Nick Joaquin
iii. NVM Gonzales
iv. Bienvenido Santos
v. Gregorio Brillantes
vi. Gilda Cordero Fernardo

b. National Artist Awards - is an order bestowed on Filipinos who have made significant
contributions to the development of Philippine art.

i. Jose Garcia Villa

ii. Nick Joaquin

1946 – Ginto Sa Makiling – by Macario Pineda

1947 – Heart of the Islands – collection of poems by Manuel Viray

1950 – Philippines Cross Section – a collection of prose and poetry by Maximo Ramos and
Florentino Valeros

1952 – Prose and Poems – by Nick Joaquin

1953 – Philippine Writing – by. T.D. Agcaoili

REPUBLIC PERIOD (1960-1985)

1967 – Horizons Least – a collection of works by Artemio Patacsil and Silverio Baltazar

1969 – Mga Ibong Mandaragit – Amado V. Hernandez

1970s

The government took part in reviving old plays like the Cenaculo, the Zarzuela and the
Embayoka of the Muslims.

1972 – Kerima Polotan Tuvera’s novel The Hand of the Enemy

Radio and Television – Radio continued to be patronized during this period. The play series like SI
MATAR, DAHLIA, ITO AND PALAD KO, and MR. LONELY were the forms of recreation of those
without television.

Filipino Films - A yearly Pista ng mga Pelikulang Pilipino (Yearly Filipino Film Festival) was held
during this time.

i. Maynila...sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag – Bembol Roco was the lead role.
ii. Minsa’y Isang Gamu-Gamo; Nora Aunor was the principal performer here.
iii. Ganito Kami Noon...Paano Kayo Ngayon: led by Christopher de Leon and Gloria Diaz.
iv. Insiang: by Hilda Koronel

Aguila: led by Fernando Poe Jr., Jay Ilagan and Christopher de Leon
Comics, Magazines and other Publications - News on economic progress, discipline, culture,
tourism and the like were favored more than the sensationalized reporting of killings, rape and
robberies.
Filipino Poetry – Poems during this period were romantic and revolutionary.
Filipino Songs – Many Filipino songs dealt with themes that were really true-to-life like those of
grief, poverty, aspirations for freedom, love of God, of country and of fellowmen.

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CONTEMPORARY/ MODERN PERIOD (1986-PRESENT)

Things that were used and exercised during the Contemporary Period are:

i. Onomatopoeia – the use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or
actions they refer to.
ii. Messages in Poetry – the idea about life that a poet writes about is called the theme or
message of the poem.
iii. Free Verse – a poem that has no regular rhyme or rhythm.
iv. Cause and Effect Relationship
v. Using Adjectives – is a word that describes, limits, or points out a noun.
vi. Making Clear and Correct Comparison

1986 - The action of martial rule by President Ferdinand Marcos last September 21,1972 does not
only oppress the writers' right to free expression but also created conditions that made
collaboration and cooperation convenient choices for artists' struggling for recognition and
survival.

1997 – sa Ngalan Ng Ina, by prize-winning poet-critic Lilia Quindoza Santiago, is, to date, the
most comprehensive compilation of feminist writing in the Philippines.

1998 – Many are writing novels. As fictionist Rony Diaz noted as judge, he had to read 350 novel
entries for the Philippine centennial literary contest in 1998.

2000s

 Many novels in English seem to have been written for literary contests like Palanca and Asia
Man.

2010s

 The debate over textual and contextual criticism, balagtasismo and modernism, formalism
and historical criticism has persisted to this day in the academe. The more popular but banal
issue is called “literature (art) and propaganda.”

Overall, the character of the Philippine literary scene after "EDSA" maybe pinpointed be referring
to the theories that inform literary production, to the products issuing from the publishers, to the
dominant concerns demonstrated by the writers' output, and to the direction towards which
literary studies are tending.