MODULE 1: POETRY: THE FILIPINO POEM

MODULE
DURATION: 12 days DATE: JANUARY 4-9 & 11-16, 2021

DESCRIPTION:
In this first module in the 21st century literature courseware, you should be able to identify the
geographic, linguistic, and ethnic dimensions of Philippine literary history from precolonial to the
contemporary making through still and visual audio exhibit.

OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the course, you should be able to:
● Identify the geographic, linguistic, and ethnic dimensions of Philippine literary history from
precolonial to modem. EN12Lit-la-21
● Appreciate the application of imagery in the text provided, paying particular attention to the
regional origins of the poem.
● Respond critically to the poem and articulate this response through a still visual and audio
exhibit.

LECTURE: A LONG HISTORY OF POETRY

(Read and analyze the reading material attached to this module. It serves as your guide on your
learning process. It is found on pages 1-4)
Filipinos are no strangers to poetry; it has been part of Filipino culture ever since pre-Hispanic times.
The awit or song existed in many forms and were used for varied purposes. Aside from songs, the
two major pre-Hispanic forms were the bugtong or riddle and the salawikain or proverb. The bugtong
was a riddle that used talinghaga or a metaphor that actually helped convey the answer to the riddle.
The sawikain or salawikain were proverbs used to express pieces of wisdom or beliefs important to
Filipino society. These forms were all done in verse or metrical writing. The major pre-Hispanic poetic
form, however, was the epiko or epic. Epics were long, episodic, chanted poems telling stories,
normally about legendary heroes and their adventures, often contending with, and also being aided
by, supernatural creatures and spirits. These were chanted at feasts and rituals, often to inspire and
entertain those who listened. Thus, these stories were seen as important parts of the cultures and
beliefs of these societies. While there have been epics preserved and transcribed, there are still
many out there that remain only in the memory of the storytellers and have yet to be written down.
Regions and Regional Culture

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SUBJECT: C-ENG 3 (21st CENTURY LITERATURE)
TEACHER: JESSA JOYCE B. DIVINA
The Philippines has a unique cultural landscape, one shaped by a myriad of languages and traditions
determined by their geographical and linguistic regions. Filipino culture is not just one linear
development, but is composed of many developments within specific ethnic traditions that comprise
the colorful tapestry we call the Filipino nation.
As discussed by National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera, the reason for a very Manila-centric view of
Philippine culture and cultural development has to do with the fact that Manila remains the center of
power in the Philippines. While Manila is definitely still the "center" of the country, it cannot be denied
that the larger territory of the country lies outside this center, in the "periphery," as it were, of national
consciousness. The periphery's effect on the "center" is inevitable as these various regions do
interact, therefore exerting some form of influence over Manila as well.
Lumbera further stated that "as it turns out literary, musical, visual, and theater arts away from the
primate city (Manila) form a considerable part of the culture of the Filipino. Now it has become all too
clear that the question of a national identity for the Filipino cannot be discussed, much less resolved,
only within the narrow confines of the Center. And so the need to 'decenterr Our exploration into
Philippine literature, therefore, will be a de-centered one, exploring regional writing to see not only
how it differs from what is normally seen in Manila, but also how it contributes to Philippine culture
through its unique voice and style.
To the advantage and detriment of Bikolanos, a good number of them are multilingual and are
normally proficient not only in Bikol, their regional language, but also in English and Filipino.

Prominent writers such as screenwriter Ricky Lee and poet Marne Kilates are both natives of Bikol,
yet are not known as Bikolano writers. It is also sad that there are very few Pre-Hispanic Bikol works
that have been collected and published. What has been left behind, however, are some forms which
still exist today.
There are still the proverbs, riddles, and sayings that have remained in use, such as "An matakot sa
doron/ Daing aanihon" and 'Those afraid of locusts/ Will not harvest anything:' There is also the
tradition of tigsikan or a game of creating witty, versified in verse) extemporaneous toasts during a
round of drinking.
Bikol writers have adopted forms of literature for their own enjoyment however. There are many
corridos and religious works coming from the press owned by Mariano Perfecto. These eventually led
to the creation and enjoyment of other forms of entertainment such as the comedia and the zarzuela,
in the 1800s and early 1900s. There works in Bikol during this time, as there were Bikol based
publications, and so the production of poems and fiction grew. Literary production continued via
varied publications until the 1960s when the last Bikol magazine ceased production. Production then
slowed, but did not completely stop.
It has since proceeded slowly, but persistently, owing to the renewed interest of schools and writers
who have since embraced the task of building on their literary achievements and are writing new
works such as the text we have for this module.

About Mayon Volcano

Mayon Volcano is renowned around the world for its nearly perfect shape. It is also one of the most
active volcanoes in the world and erupts regularly. Provinces near Mount Mayon are already very
accustomed to evacuating periodically because of the eruptions. Despite the constant threat of
danger, however, the volcano remains one the most popular tourist destinations in the Philippines.

Like many locations in the Philippines, Mount Mayon has a fascinating legend that tells the story of its
creation. The Legend of Daragang Magayon" is a romantic and exciting story that tells how the
volcano came to be. To read the poem Mayon by Kristian Sendon Cordero, click the link VSmart
School_21st Century Literature_Module 1 02 below. To learn more about Mt Mayon, you may also
log on to https:/www.youtube.com/watch? v=Cxivh21cRg.

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SUBJECT: C-ENG 3 (21st CENTURY LITERATURE)
TEACHER: JESSA JOYCE B. DIVINA
About the Poem
A native of Bicol, Cordero writes with a certain level of familiarity with the Mayon Volcano. His poem
is a very rich one, carrying a very distinctive view of the volcano. The poem presents the volcano first
via allusion, referring to its myth, particularly to Pagtuga's arrow that killed Magayon. The death of
Magayon and her lover Panginoron in the poem becomes more than just an end but also a
beginning. The poem proceeds by using an image of death to imply possibility and life. Images play a
very significant role in this poem, as the volcano is described in many different ways. Images are not
only visual; they can present their sensory impressions using any of the five senses. These images
do more than just present sensory impressions to the reader, but go beyond that, expanding from
being merely descriptive to becoming figurative. The images vary widely, from having the lips of a
young child in the third stanza to having the lava of the volcano look like excrement or having the
same image look like betel nut juice (nganga) in the same stanza.

What becomes clear, by the last stanza, is that all the images tie in together. There is the impression
of beauty and danger, as the final image, that of a beautiful security guard waiting to frisk the viewer
of the volcano, becoming both warning and invitation at the same time.

About the Poet

A Volcanic Poet Kristian Sendon Cordero was once described by the poet Marne Kilates as the
"enfant terrible" of Bikol writing. The term enfant terrible (associated with the French poet Arthur
Rimbaud) usually refers to a person who is controversial, often by being innovative and questioning
of the establishment, both of which Cordero has done. Aside from making it to the mainstream and
venturing into independent publishing, he has also innovated by intelligently participating in critical
discourse in his region. He has multiple Palanca awards in poetry, fiction, and essay. Other than the
Palanca, he has won a host of other awards in poetry, such as the National Comission on Culture
and the Arts Writer's Prize for Bikol poetry in 2007, the 6th Madrigal Gonzales First Book Award, the
Maningning Miclat Poetry Prize in Filipino in 2009, the Premio Tomas Arejola Literary Prize, and the
Homelife Poetry Contest. Cordero is a well-anthologized poet and has published collections of his
own such as Canticos: Apat na Boses (UST Publishing House, 2013) and Labi (Ateneo de Manila
Press, 2013). He is also a filmmaker; his film Angustia was released in 2013. He has edited a
number of collections such as The Naga We Know, a collection of essays coedited with Paz
Verdadez Santos, and Sagurong, which he coedited with Santos as well.
Cordero is an educator, being an assistant professor at the Ateneo de Naga University. He writes a
column in the Bicol Mail. He is an active advocate for the growth of Bikol literature beyond its current
traditions.
Bikol Literature—A Tradition in Transition

Cordero's writing, both in terms of his poetics and his articles, points to a turn in the development of
Bikol literature. While its strong writing tradition was stymied under Spanish rule, it returned with a
critical attitude as can be seen in Bikol writer Mariano Perfecto's An Pagguiao kan mga Pastores can
Pagcamondag ni Jesus duman sa Portal sa Belen. This play presents the awakening of the
shepherds during the birth of Jesus and juxtaposes the irony of Catholic faithfulness of the Filipino
and the faithlessness of the Spaniards. Bikol writing also featured the corrido and the comedia, the
former being a metered romance and the latter being plays performed to local audiences. Typical of
the Bikol writer, the critical attitude manifested itself in the writing of protest comedias. Even during
the highly productive Commonwealth period when Bikol writing flourished, poems such as the
rawitdawit continued to showcase a Bicolano penchant for examining and criticizing society.
Nowadays, writers have continued the Bikolano critical attitude, and Cordero takes a step forward by
fixing a critical eye on Bicol itself. In a recent paper he delivered, he traced the movements of Bikol
Literature via translation, saying that the influence of the Catholic Church—given that there was a
prevalence of works translated into the Bicol language during the Spanish era—nonetheless also
points to a continuing tradition of literary production in the region. While the translations have

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SUBJECT: C-ENG 3 (21st CENTURY LITERATURE)
TEACHER: JESSA JOYCE B. DIVINA
become a key part of the literature of Bicol, he also contends that this is the reason for its continued
survival, even in the light of what has been seen as a "thin" literary production.

Regional Perspectives and Practices

This lesson explored regional literary practices via the poetry of Kristian Sendon Cordero. His poem
about Mt. Mayon used images to reveal a perspective about the volcano not often seen or written
about by other writers. In effect, we are able to experience the volcano once again from a different
set of eyes. His writing reflects a tradition of critical viewpoints held by writers of the region, which he
is also critical of. Lastly, his ability to present us with both positive and negative representations of
the volcano showcases his own negative capability, a trait that poets, according to Keats, should
possess. • Have you seen Mount Mayon up close? If yes, how did you react when you saw it for the
first time? If no, how would your reaction be? • What other events can have the same effect on us as
a volcanic eruption? Can you name some? • What other volcanoes in the Philippines do you know?
Research and take note of their histories.

Resources: https://storage.googleapis.com/vsmart-school/courses/content/42e62483-df31-459d-
9ef3-dd42b0d0ddb8/dar653GmB-s.pdf
AHA!: How active is the Mayon Volcano? Retrieved from
https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxivIi21cRg on 2019, 8 May. Mayon Volcano, WRITTEN BY: The
Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica retrieved from https:/www.britannica.com/place/Mayon-Volcano
on 2019, 8 May. Sanchez, et.al., 2019, 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World.
Vibal Group, Inc. Slides Carnival https:/www.slidescarnival.com/category/free-templates shutterstock
image_60357712

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SUBJECT: C-ENG 3 (21st CENTURY LITERATURE)
TEACHER: JESSA JOYCE B. DIVINA