INTRODUCTION TO PHIL IPPINE 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
Tagalogwhich 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.

Circumvention Literature
–
it was in the precious little space afforded, wittingly or not,by certain publications and
institutions sanctioned by the Martial Law Administration,that the so-
called “Literature o Circumvention began to appear”.

Famous Authors
Ponciano Pineda - is an Americanwriter, teacher, linguist, lawyer and activist duringMartial Law.
Ponciano Pineda is considered as the "Father of the Commission on
FilipinoLanguage".Anicento Silvestre
–
an activist, he won Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Poetry inFilipino because of his
works.Bienvenido Ramos
–
a Filipino poet who contributed to Liwayway, Ilang-ilang, and othermagazines with his
revolutionary poems.Jose Y. Dalisay Jr. - is a Filipino writer. He has won numerous awards and
prizes forfiction, poetry, drama, non-fiction and screenwriting, including 16 Palanca Awards. He
used the pen name “Butch Dalisay”.

Literary Styles and Themes

Themes of most poems dealt with patience, regard for native culture, customs and thebeauties
of nature and surrounding. And Filipinos faced the problems of exploitationand injustice, and
appropriated these realities as the only relevant materials for theirfiction.

Literary Examples
“Prometheus Unbound” appeared in Focus; “If a Poem Was A Just” (Prison Literature);“Days of
Disquiet” by Jose F. Lacaba; “An Underground Tale” by Benjamin Pimentel, Jr.
21
st
CENTURY LITERATURE

Historical Events
Bilingual education which was initiated by the Board of National Education as early as1958 and
continued up to present resulted in the deterioration of English in thedifferent levels of
education. The focus of education and culture was on problems ofnational identity, on re-
orientation, renewed vigor and a firm resolves to carry out plansand programs.The forms of
literature that led during this period were the essays,debates and poetry. The short stories, like
the novels and plays were no different instyle from those written before the onset
of activism.Comparing present-day conditions to life 40 years ago, nothing has changed much;
thesituation is even a lot worse than before for many Filipinos. The world is more cruel nowfor
the majority of Filipinos because of the promotion of material things (mall culture,high tech
gadgets, condo living) and the pressure to acquire things. Life was a lot simpler

then. However, the Philippine literature may have changed but Filipinos writerscontinue to show
dynamism and innovation.

Literary Works
Poetry
–
 Filipinos continued this work, although the topics might change and usuallyuses the free-
form.Fiction works - It can also be a literary work based on imagination rather than on fact,like a
novel or short story.Theses
-
this work has more than one important sense to it. It is the most important orfoundational idea of
an argument, presentation, or piece of writing
—
often used ineducation.Games
- it
is a form of literary art in which can be virtually and in reality. The participants,termed players,
make decisions in order to manage resources through game tokens inthe pursuit of a
goal.Comic - it is a medium used to express ideas by images, often combined with text orother
visual information. Cartooning and similar forms of illustration are the mostcommon image.

Famous Authors
Carlo J. Caparas - is a comic strip creator, writer, director and producer who becamesensational
known for his created local superheroes and comic book characters that arestill popular to
Filipinos until now.Mars Ravelo - is also a comic strip creator and writer who became
phenomenal in the
Philippines for his created superheroes such as “Darna” (a Filipino version of Wonder
Woman), Dyesabel (name of the Filipino mermaid/heroine), and many others.Gilda Olvidado - is
a popular Filipino novelist and writer, known for her extraordinarylove stories.Bob Ong - is
the pseudonym of an anonymous Filipino contemporary author known forusing conversational
Filipino to create humorous and reflective depictions of life as aFilipino.

Literary Styles and Themes

Contemporary writers often consciously draw inspiration and ideas from the writerswho have
come before them. As a result, many works of 21st literature grapple with theevents,
movements and literature of the past in order to make sense of the present.Additionally, the
technological advancements of the 21st century have led other writersto hypothetically write
about the future, usually to comment on the present and evokeintrospection.

Literary Examples

“Sinasamba Kita” and “Babangon Ako’t Dudurugin Kita” by Gilda Olvidado; “Panday” by
Carlo J. Caparas;
“
ABNKKBSNPLAko?!
” by Bob Ong; “Lumbay ng Dila” by Genevive L.
Asenjo.