Philippine Literature is divided into

various dimensions based on its literary

history.

Traveling Through Literary Time...

Pre – Colonial Period ( -- BC to 1564)

Characteristics

1. Based on oral traditions

2. Crude on ideology and phraseology

Task 2 A Riddle is Worth a Thousand Words

 Try to answer the following riddles.

1. Pitakilla sang hari, kung bukaron gani indi na mauli.

______________________

2. Dalawang balon, hindi malingon.

______________________

3. Ate mo, ate ko, ate ng lahat ng tao.

___________________________

 Why do you think Filipinos are fond of riddles? Cite 3 reasons.

1. ______________________________
2. ______________________________
3. ______________________________

Riddles or Bugtong is a Filipino game of wits. It is made up of one or more

measure lines with rhymes and may consist of 4 to 12 syllables. It involves
reference to one or more images that symbolize the characteristics of an unknown
object to be guessed.
Bugtong has its counterparts in every region. In Cebu it is called Tigmo,
Paktakon in Ilonggo, and Patotdon in Bicol.
  Now that you have an idea of what a bugtong is. Find a pair and
come up with 3 riddles. Write 1 riddle in Hiligaynon, 1 in Tagalog, and 1 in English.
____________ ____________ ____________
____________ ____________ ____________
____________ ____________ ____________

 Using the riddles made, play a riddle game with your classmates.
The pair with the most number of guesses are declared as the winner and will be
known as Bugtungan Masters.

Task 3 We Are What We Say

 Filipinos are known to be gentle-speaking people. We do not speak

bluntly but rather we are very selective with our words. The situation below shows
how Filipinos are very creative in expressing their thoughts. If you were in the
situation below, what would you say to the daughter?

A mother, together with her daughter goes to the market to buy a kilo of
rice. Upon reaching the store, she saw that the prices of the rice had gone
up again. Instead of buying her usual rice, she opted for a cheaper one. She
then told her daughter, “NFA rice lang muna tayo ngayon, next week pa ang
sweldo, eh. Habang maikli ang kumot, magtiis kang mamaluktot.”
Upon hearing this, the vendor then recited,
“Magsipag ng mabuti
Sa araw man o gabi
Hindi mamumulubi
Magbubuhay na hari.”

 In the selection above, what is the meaning of the underlined sentence?

the italicized stanza?
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________

“Habang maikli ang kumot, magtiis kang mamaluktot” is an example of a Proverb

or Salawikain. Salawikain are wise sayings that contain a metaphor used to teach a
food for thought. According to Professor Damiana Eugenio, Philippine proverbs are
classified into 6 groups based on the subject matter. These are:

1. Proverbs expressing a general attitude towards life and the laws that govern
life;
2. Ethical proverbs recommending certain virtues and condemning certain vice;
3. Proverbs expressing a system of values;
4. Proverbs expressing general truths and observations about life and human
nature;
5. Humorous proverbs and
6. Miscellaneous proverbs

However, tanaga is a form of poem having four line with 7 syllables each. It
follows an A-A-A-A rhyming pattern. The theme of the poem is more emotionally
charged as compared to verse proverbs and thus has the affinities with the folk lyric.

 Answer the following questions with your pair and share them to class.
i. What are the various salawikain that your parents or grandparents
always tell you?
ii. How did these salawikain apply to your life now?
iii. If you were to make your own salawikain or tanaga, what would it be?

TASK 4 SONGS SPEAK LOUDER THAN MERE WORDS

 Songs are a part of the lives of Filipinos. May it be in mourning,

happiness, festive, or love, songs are being sung by people in all the regions of the
country. What is your favorite song by a local artist? Draw the image formed upon
listening to your favorite song.
  Listen as your teacher plays the Visayan folksong, “Ili-ili Tulog Anay”.

Ili-ili tulog anay,

Wala diri imong nanay.
Kadto tienda bakal papay.
Ili-ili tulog anay.

 Answer the following questions.

1. What is the song all about?
____________________________________________________
2. Who do you think is singing the song?

____________________________________________________
3. When do you think this song is being sung?
____________________________________________________

Enlightenment.

According to Leones, Philippine folk song is the result of the culture of the
Philippines which is highly influenced by history and the blending of foreign persuasions
and its indigenous civilization. They are literally the songs of the people.

It is a form of folk lyric which expresses the hopes and the aspirations, the
people’s lifestyles as well as their loves. These are often repetitive and sonorous.

Task 5 Our Tales Tell Who We Are

 We all have stories to tell. Stories about our experiences, about your
friend’s experience, and about other people’s experiences, are some of the stories that
we sometimes are dying to share. Our ancestors tell stories that have survived up to
this generation. They show how our ancestors have lived and even their beliefs. Read
the excerpt below.

Thousands of years ago, there was no land, sun, moon, or stars, and the world was only
a great sea of water, above which stretched the sky. The water was the kingdom of the god
Maguayan, and the sky was ruled by the great god, Kaptan.

Maguayan had a daughter called Lidagat, the sea, and Kaptan had a son known as
Lihangin, the wind. The gods agreed to the marriage of their children, so the sea became the
bride of the wind.
 A daughter and three sons were born to them. The sons were called Likalibutan, Liadlao,
and Libulan, and the daughter received the name of Lisuga.

Likalibutan had a body of rock and was strong and brave; Liadlao was formed of gold
and was always happy; Libulan was made of copper and was weak and timid; and the beautiful
Lisuga had a body of pure silver and was sweet and gentle. Their parents were very fond of
them.

After a time Lihangin died and left the control of the winds to his eldest son Likalibutan.
The faithful wife Lidagat soon followed her husband, and the children, now grown up, were left
without father or mother. However, their grandfathers, Kaptan and Maguayan, took care of them
and guarded them from all evil.

After some time, Likalibutan, proud of his power over the winds, resolved to gain more
power, and asked his brothers to join him in an attack on Kaptan in the sky above. They refused
at first, but when Likalibutan became angry with them, the amiable Liadlao, not wishing to offend
his brother, agreed to help. Then together they included the timid Libulan to join in the plan.
When all was ready, the three brothers rushed at the sky, but they could not beat down the
gates of steel that guarded the entrance. Likalibutan let loose the strongest winds and blew the
bars in every direction. The brothers rushed in to the opening, but were met by the angry god
Kaptan. So terrible did he look that they turned and ran in terror, but Kaptan, furious at the
destruction of his gates, sent three bolts of lightning after them.

The first struck the copper Libulan and melted him into a ball. The second struck the
golden Liadlao and he too was melted. The third bolt struck Likalibutan and his rocky body
broke into many pieces and fell into the sea. So huge was he that parts of his body struck out
above the water and became what is known as land.

In the meantime, the gentle Lisuga had missed her brothers and started to look for them.
She went toward the sky, but as she approached the broken gates, Kaptan, blind with rage,
struck her too with lightning, and her silver body broke into thousands of pieces. Kaptan came
down from the sky and tore the sea apart, calling on Maguayan to come to him and accusing
him of ordering the attack on the sky. Soon Maguayan appeared and answered that he knew
nothing of the plot as he had been asleep deep in the sea. After some time, he succeeded in
calming the gentle and beautiful Lisuga, but even with their powers, they could not restore the
dead back to life. However, they gave to each body a beautiful light that will shine forever.

And so it was the golden Liadlao who became the sun and the copper Libulan, the
moon, while Lisuga’s pieces of silver were turned into the stars of heaven. To wicked
Likalibutan, the gods gave no light, but resolved to make his body support a new race of people.

 With a pair, discuss the following questions:

1. Who were the rulers of the sky and the sea kingdom?
2. Who became the bride of the wind?
3. Who were the children of Lihangin and Lidagat? What were their
characteristics?
 4. What do you think was the reason why the children attacked the sky
kingdom?
5. Did Kaptan show remorse to his actions?
6. If you were Kaptan, what would you have done?

Enlightenment

The selection above is an excerpt from the Visayan Creation story. This
type of story is called a folk tale or myth. Folk tales or myths are stories that explain
how the world was created. It also explains how certain animals possess certain
characteristics, or why some places have waterfalls, volcanoes, mountains, flora or
fauna. These stories mostly involve the presence of deities

There are many myths coming from various places in the Philippines.
What are the myths that you know?

Legends on the other hand are stories that explains the origin of things.
They do not have the presence of deities in their stories but they do give a moral lesson
to be learned.
 In groups of 8, list down the Philippine legends that you are familiar with.
Choose one legend and present it to class. You may choose from the following modes
of presentations:
a. Skit
b. Shadow Play
c. Film
d. Storytelling
e. Interpretative Dance/Musical

 Watch a short video clip of the story, “Si Amomongo at si Iput-Iput (The
Gorilla and the Firefly)” from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqS0xFItrH0 .Read the
story if video is unavailable.

Si Amomongo at si Iput-Iput

(A Visayan Fable)

Isang gabi, naglalakad si Iput-Iput, (ang alitaptap) patungo sa bahay ng kanyang

kaibigan.Nang mapadaan siya sa tapat ng bahay ni Amomongo (ang gorilya), tinanong
siya nito.

“Hoy, Iput-Iput,bakit lagi kang may dala-dalang ilaw?”

Sumagot si Iput-Iput. “Dahil natatakot ako sa mga lamok.”

 “Ah, duwag ka pala,” ang pang-uuyam ni Amomongo.

“Hindi ako duwag!” , ang nagagalit na sagot ni Iput-Iput.

“Kung hindi ka duwag, e bakit lagi kang may dala-dalang ilaw?”, ang pang-aasar
ni Amomongo.

“Nagdadala ako ng ilaw para kapag nilapitan ako ng mga lamok at kakagatin ay
makikita ko sila kaagad at nang sa gayo’y maipagtanggol ko ang aking sarili.”, ang
tugon ni Iput-Iput.

Tumawa nang malakas si Amomongo. Kinabukasan, maaga utong gumising at

ipinamalita sa lahat ng kapitbahay na kaya daw laging may dalang ilaw si Iput-Iput ay
dahil duwag ito. Kaagad na kumalat sa buong bayan ang balita.

Nang mabalitaan ito ni Iput-Iput, nagalit siya. Dali-dali siyang lumipad patungo sa
bahay ni Amomongo. Gabi noon at natutulog na ang gorilya, ngunit itinapat niya ang
kanyang ilaw sa mukha nito hanggang sa ito ay magising.

“Hoy, gorilya, bakit ipinamamalita mong duwag ako? Upang mapatunayan ko

sa’yong hindi ako duwag, hinahamon kita sa isang labanan. Magkita tayo sa sa plasa
sa susunod na Linggo ng hapon.”

Pupunga-pungas na nagtanong ang gorilya. “Mayroon ka bang mga kasama?”

“Wala!”, ang sigaw ni Iput-Iput. “Pupunta akong mag-isa.”

Nangiti si Amomongo sa tinuran ni Iput-Iput. Dili’t isang maliit na insekto ang

humahamon sa kanya ng away.

Nagpatuloy ang alitaptap. “Hihintayin kita sa plasa sa susunod na Linggo sa

ganap na ikaanim ng hapon!”

“Magsama ka ng mga kakampi mo dahil magsasama ako ng libu-libong gorilya

na mas malalaki pa sa akin.” Sinabi ito ni Amomongo upang takutin ang alitaptap, na sa
pakiwari niya ay nasisiraan ng ulo.

Ngunit sumagot si Iput-Iput: “Hindi ko kailangan ng kakampi. Darating akong

mag-isa! Paalam!”

Dumating ang araw ng Linggo. Bago pa mag-ikaanim ng hapon ay nagtipon na

ang mga dambuhalang gorilya sa plasa ngunit nadatnan na nila ang alitaptap na
naghihintay sa kanila.

“Maya- maya, tumunog ang kampana ng simbahan bilang hudyat ng oras ng

orasyon o pagdarasal. Iminungkahi ni Iput-Iput sa mga gorilya ma magdasal muna sila.
Pagkatapos magdasal, agad sinabi ni Iput-Iput na nakahanda na siya. Inutusan ni
Amomongo ang kanyang mga kasama na humanay. Pumuwesto siya sa una bilang
pagpapakilalang siya ang pinuno ng
mga ito.

Dagling lumipad si Iput-Iput sa ilong ni Amomongo at inilawan niya ito. Hinampas

ng kasunod na gorilya si Iput-Iput ngunit kaagad itong nakaalis kaya ang tinamaan ng
gorilya ay ang ilong ni Amomongo na halos ikamatay nito. Dumapo si Iput-Iput sa ilong
ng pangalawang gorilya. Hinampas ng pangatlong gorilya si Iput-Iput ngunit kaagad
itong nakalipad, kaya ang nahampas niya ay ang ilong ng pangalawa na ikinamatay
nito. Muli, inilawan ni Iput-Iput ang ilong ng pangatlong gorilya. Hinampas ng ikaapat na
gorilya si Iput-Iput na kaagad na kalipad.

Muli, namatay ang pangatlong gorilya dahil sa lakas ng pagkakahampas ng

ikaapat na unggoy sa ilong nito. Nagpatuloy ang ganitong pangyayari hanggang si
Amomongo na lamang ang natirang buhay na gorilya na halos hindi makagulapay dahil
sa tinamong sakit. Nagmakaawa ito kay Iput-Iput na patawarin na siya, at huwag
patayin. Pinatawad naman siya ni Iput-Iput, ngunit simula ng hapong iyon, nagkaroon
na ng malaking takot ang mga gorilya sa mga alitaptap.

This is Just to Check…

Now answer the following questions.

1. What did the amomongo notice about the firefly?

2. What was the firefly watching out for?
3. What made the firefly angry?
4. How did the amomongo lose to the firefly?
5. How would you describe the amomongo? The firefly?
6. How can you relate the proverb, “Walang malaking nakakpuwing” to the
story?
7. If you were the firefly, would you forgive the amomongo?

 The story, “Si Amomongo at si Iput-Iput” is an example of a fable. A Fable

or Pabula is an allegorical type of story which makes use of animals, plants, forces of
nature, and inanimate objects as characters. It aims to provide a moral lesson at the
end.

Fables make use of any object in our surroundings. Given any two objects
that you can see around you, create a dialogue with those objects as characters. Work
with a pair. Prepare to present your dialogue in class.
Task 6 Take Out the Salt

In the series entitled, “Supernatural”, salt is one of the most frequent weapon in
warding off evil creatures. May it be demons, or simply unworldly creatures, the
Philippines is rich in tales and stories on this matter. These type of stories are called
Fantasy Stories. They deal with underworld characters such as the “tiyanak”, “aswang”,
“kapre”, and others.

Read the following stories taken from the anthology by the Philippine Folklore
Society.

A house full of vampires (contributed by Immaculada B. Blancaflor, 32, from Santa,

Ilocos Sur, who collected it from Teofista Bumagat, 19, a housemaid from Dueñas, Iloilo)

There was a soldier who got lost in Dueñas, a barrio in Iloilo. Because he knew
someone there named Sario, he decided to go to Sario’s house. “Sario, Sario, this is your
soldier friend Ruben. May I sleep here for the night?” He was let in and led into the only room in
Sario’s house. He noticed that there were many people in the house. “I did not know you had
many visitors, it is very embarrassing,” said the soldier. “They are friends of my mother, and by
and by they will leave,” answered Sario. When Ruben was asleep, he was suddenly awakened
by a peculiar smell. He heard movements in the room and then he felt something touching him.
He saw that it was a big bat. He pulled out his bolo and shouted, “You devil, I will kill you.” Then
he called Sario. When Sario came into the room, the bat and the smell disappeared. Sario left
the room. After a while, Ruben again felt something touching his body. It felt like the tip of sharp
needle. He shouted and brought out his bolo. Sario came to the room again and said, “Mother,
don’t fool around here.” Ruben got scared and decided to leave the house. The moon was full
and bright as he came out of his room. Bu its light he saw bodies in the sala, cut through the
waist with no heads. He hurriedly took salt and sprinkled it on the cut bodies. Then Ruben left
the house. He decided to spend the rest of the night in another house and there he learned that
the mother of Sario was the head of the aswang in Barrio Dueñas, and it was in Sario’s house
that the aswang periodically met. (Translated from Tagalog text)
A viscera sucking mother-in-law (contributed by Corazon Manuel, 30, from
Bangued, Abra, who collected it from Francisco Alforque, 60, a farmer from Naga, Cebu City)

From my grandparents I have heard many stories about aswang. Among many, I heard
this story: There was a family in a small village known as having all the blood of aswang. There
was a beautiful lady in this family and many wanted to court her. There was a man from another
village who had seen the lady and wanted to marry her. But many people advised him not to
marry her. After their marriage, the young couple lived with the family of the girl. Not long after
their marriage, the man noticed something. At first the man did not pay attention to this. But
there was a time when he saw his mother-in-law bowing down through the floor, and at midnight
the mother-in-law flew. The mother-in-law was already so old that her life was very much
conditioned between life and death. If her package of being an aswang could not be given to
somebody, the dying mother would suffer much. So the wife of the man received the package,
and the husband also noted the same event had happened to his wife. At midnight she was
always out looking for her victim. And in the following morning, the whole town were puzzled
over what had been the cause of the people’s death. (Translated from Cebu-Visayan text)
 Do you have similar stories from the selection read? Share them to class.

 After reading the selection, how was the “aswang” describe. Refer to the table
below.

Characteristics of an Aswang
A House Full of Vampires A Viscera Sucking Mother in Law

 “The real monsters are in our heads” How would you interpret this statement?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

Task 7 Heroes are Made; Not Born

How would you describe a hero? Write your descriptions on the space provided.

____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
 The Philippines has their own version of heroes. They are called heroes because
of the following characteristics:

1. A hero is a “Larger than life Person” who embodies the highest ideals of his
culture.
2. A hero usually undertakes a journey or a quest to achieve something of great
value for themselves or for the society.
3. A hero lives on after death.
4. A hero is not a superman with magical powers but a regular human
(sometime part god/part human) whose aspirations and accomplishments set
him/her apart.
5. A hero overcomes great obstacles/opponents but maintains humanity.
6. A hero experiences typical human emotions/feelings, yet is able to master
and control these human traits to a greater degree than a typical person.
7. A hero connects with lesser humans in order to succeed.

Read the excerpt from the tale of Labaw Donggon, one of the heroes of Western
Visayas.

Labaw Donggon, the eldest of the three, asked his mother to prepare his magic cape, hat, belt
and kampilan (sword) for he heard of a place called Handug where a beautiful maiden named
Angoy Ginbitinan lived.

The journey took several days. He walked across plains and valleys, climbed up mountains until
he reached the mouth of the Halawod river. When he finally met the maiden’s father and asked
for her hand in marriage, the father asked him to fight the monster Manalintad as part of his
dowry. He went off to confront the monster and with the help of his magic belt Labaw Donggon
killed the monster and to prove his feat he brought to Angoy Ginbitinan’s father the monster’s
tail.

After the wedding, Labaw Donggon proceeded home with his new bride. Along the way they
met a group of young men who told him that they were on their way to Tarambang Burok to win
the hand of Abyang Durunuun, sister of Sumpoy, the lord of the underworld and whose beauty
was legendary.

Labaw Donggon and his bride continued on their journey home. The moment they arrived home
Labaw Donggon told his mother to take care of his wife because he is taking another quest, this
time he was going to Tarambang Burok.
Before he can get to the place he has to pass a ridge guarded by a giant named Sikay
Padalogdog who has a hundred arms. The giant would not allow Labaw Donggon to go through
without a fight. However, Sikay Padalogdog was no match to Labaw Donggon’s prowess and
skill in fighting so he gave up and allowed him to continue.

Labaw Donggon won the hand of Abyang Durunuun and also took her home. Before long he
went on another journey, this time it is to Gadlum to ask for the hand of Malitong Yawa
Sinagmaling Diwata who is the young bride of Saragnayan, the lord of darkness.

This trip required him to use his biday nga inagta (black boat) on which he sailed across the
seas for many months, went across the region of the clouds, and passed the land of stones until
finally he reached the shores of Tulogmatian which was the seaside fortress of Saragnayan.
The moment he set foot on the ground Saragnayan asked him, “Who are you and why are you
here?”

To which he answered, “I am Labaw Donggon, son of Datu Paubari and goddess Alunsina of
Halawod. I came for the beautiful Malitong Yawa Sinagmaling Diwata.”

Saragnayan laughed. He told Labaw Donggon that what he wished for was impossible to grant
because she was his wife. Labaw Donggon then challenged Saragnayan to a duel saying that
whoever wins will have her.

The challenge was accepted and they started fighting. Labaw Donggon submerged Saragnayan
under water for seven years, but when he let go of him, Saragnayan was still alive. The latter
uprooted a coconut tree and started beating Labaw Donggon with it. He survived the beating but
was not able to surpass the powers of Saragnayan’s pamlang (amulet) and eventually he gave
up and was imprisoned by Saragnayan beneath his house.

Back home Angoy Ginbitinan and Abyang Durunuun both delivered sons. Angoy Ginbitinan’s
child was named Aso Mangga and Abyang Durunuun’s son was called Abyang Baranugon.

Only a few days after they were born, Aso Mangga and Abyang Baranugon embarked to look
for their father. They rode their sailboats through the region of eternal darkness, passed the
region of the clouds and the land of stones, finally reaching Saragnayan’s home. Saragnayan
noticed that Abyang Baranugon’s umbilical cord have not yet been removed, he laughed and
told the child to go home to his mother.
Abyang Baranugon was slighted by the remarks and immediately challenged Saragnayan to a
duel. They fought and Abyang Baranugon defeated Saragnayan and won his father’s freedom.

 Are all the characters of a hero found in the tale? Complete the table below.

Characteristics Textual Evidence

“Larger than Life Person”

Undertakes a Quest/ Journey

Lives on After Death

Not a Superman with Magical Powers

but a Regular Human (sometime part
god/part human)

Overcomes Great Obstacles/Opponents

 Experience Typical Human Emotions

Connects with Lesser Humans to Succeed

 If you were to come up with your own superhero, what would he/she look
like? Draw your ideal hero and describe it 2-3 sentences his/her heroic characteristics.

Enrichment

Labaw Donggon is one of the three brothers in the epic of Western Visayas
entitled, Hinilawod. Hinilawod is the oldest and longest epic poem that originated in
Panay. The epic is sung for a period of three weeks with two hours interval at night.

An Epic is a narrative of sustained length based on oral tradition revolving

around supernatural events or heroic deeds (Manuel, ).
 Characteristics of an Epic

1. The hero is a great leader who is identified strongly with a particular group of
people or society.
2. The setting is broad and often includes the supernatural realm, especially the
land of the dead.
3. The hero does great deeds in battle or undertakes an extraordinary journey or
quest.
4. Sometimes gods or other supernatural or fantastic beings take part in the
action.
5. The story is told in heightened language.

iv. Epics – narratives of sustained length based on oral tradition revolving

around supernatural events or heroic deeds (Arsenio Manuel)
E.g.
a. Lam-ang (Ilocano)
b. Hinilawod (Panay)
c. Kudaman (Palawan)
d. Darangan (Maranao)

Spanish Colonization Period (1565 – 1863)

Characteristics

1. It has two distinct classifications : religious and secular

2. It introduced Spanish as the medium of communication

Literary Forms

1. Religious Literature – religious lyrics written by Latino poets or those versed in

both Spanish and Tagalog were included in early catechism and were used to
teach Filipinos the Spanish language
a. Pasyon – long narrative poem about the passion and death of Christ. The
most popular was “Ang Mahal na Passion ni Jesu Cristong Panginoon Natin”
by Aquino de Belen.
b. Senakulo – dramatization of the pasyon, it shows the passion and death of
Christ
2. Secular Literature (non-religious)
 a. Awit – colorful tales of chivalry made for singing and chanting . E.g. Ibong
Adarna
b. Korido – metrical tale written in octosyllabic quatrains E.g. Florante at Laura
c. Prose Narratives – written to prescribe proper decorum
i. Dialogo
ii. Manual de Urbanidad
iii. Ejemplo
iv. Tratado

e.g. Pagsusulatan ng Dalawang Binibini na si Urbana at si Feliza ( Modesto

de Castro)

Ang Bagong Robinson (Joaquin Tuason, 1879)

Nationalistic/ Propaganda and Revolutionary Period (1864 -1896)

Characteristics

1. Planted seeds of nationalism in Filipinos

2. Language shifted from Spanish to Tagalog
3. Addressed the masses instead of the “intelligentsia”

Literary Forms

1. Propaganda Literature – reformatory in objective

a. Political essays – satires, editorials and news articles were written to
attack and expose the evils of Spanish rule
i. Diariong Tagalog – founded by Marcelo del Pilar
ii. La Solidaridad – editor in chief is Graciano Lopez Jaena
iii. Political Novels – Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo by
Jose Rizal
2. Revolutionary Literature – more propagandistic than literary as it is more
violent in nature and demanded complete independence for the country
a. Political Essays – helped inflame the spirit of revolution
i. Kalayaan – newspaper of the society, edited by Emilio Jacinto
ii. Poetry True Decalogue – Apolinario Mabini
iii. Katapusang Hibik – Andres Bonifacio
iv. Liwanag at Dilim – Emilio Jacinto

American Colonial Period (1910 – 1945)

A. Period of Apprenticeship (1910 -1930)

1. Filipino writers imitated English and American models
 2. Poems – written were amateurish and mushy, which phrasing
and diction is awkward and artificial
3. Short Stories’
i. Dead Stars – Paz Marquez Benitez
ii. The Key – Paz Latorena
iii. Footnote to Youth – Jose Garcia Villa
4. Novels
i. Child of Sorrow – first novel in English by Zoilo
Galang
B. Period of Emergence (1920 -1930) – highly influenced by Western literary
trends like Romanticism and Realism
1. Short Stories – most prevalent literary form
i. Jose Garcia Villa – International title “Poet of the
Century”

Japanese Occupation (1942 – 1960)

A. War Years (1942 -1944)

1. Tagalog poets broke away from the Balagtas tradition and instead
wrote in simple language and free verse
2. Fiction prevailed over poetry
a. 25 Pinakamabuting Maikling Kathang Pilipino (1943) - compilation
of the short story contest by the military government
b. Suyuan sa Tubigan – Macario Pineda’
c. Lupang Tinubuan – Narciso Reyes
d. Uhaw ang Tigang na Lupa – Liwayway Arceo
B. Period of Maturity and Originality (1945 – 1960)
1. Bountiful harvest in poetry, fiction, drama and essay
2. Filipino writers mastered English and familiarized themselves with
diverse techniques
3. Literary Giants appeared
a. Palanca Awards for Literature
i. Jose Garcia Villa
ii. Nick Joaquin
iii. NVM Gonzales
iv. Bienvenido Santos
v. Gregorio Brillantes
vi. Gilda Cordero Fernando
b. National Artist Awards
i. Jose Garcia Villa
ii. Nick Joaquin
Contemporary / Modern Period (1960 – Present)

Characteristics

1. Martial Law – repressed and curtailed human rights, including freedom of the
press
2. Writers used symbolisms and allegories to drive home their message, at the face
of heavy censorship
3. Theater was used as a vehicle for protest
4. From the 80s onwards, writers continue to show dynamism and innovation