Traditions and

Locations:
The Filipino
Poem
 1.
A Long History of
Poetry
 “
Filipinos are no strangers to
poetry; it has been part of
Filipino culture ever since
pre-Hispanic times.

3
 Awit or Song
The awit or song existed in many forms and
were used for varied purposes.

4
 Examples of “Awit”
➢ Uyayi – Lullaby
➢ Soliranin – For travelers
➢ Kumintang – for collective labor
➢ Maluway – courtship
➢ Kundiman – most familiar song about
courtship
➢ Pamamanhikan – a song of the bridegroom to
his bride as he asks for her hand in marriage.
5
 “
The two major pre-Hispanic
forms were the bugtong or
riffle and salawikain or
proverb.

6
 The bugtong
It was a riddle that used talinhaga or
metaphor that helped convey the answer to
the riddle.

7
Example of a “Bugtong”
Give me food, and I will live.
Give me water and I will die.
What am I?

Fire

8
 The sawikain or salawikain
These are proverbs used to express pieces of
wisdom or beliefs important to Filipino
society.

9
 Example of a “Sawikain”

Opportunity did not knock until I built a door.

10
 “
The major pre-Hispanic
poetric form was the epiko or
epic.

11
 Epics
These 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.

12
 Example of an “Epiko”

Biag ni Lam-Ang

Is an epic poem from the Ilocos Region of the

Philippines.

13
 Baybayin
Method of writing of the
Tagalog before the arrival
of the Spaniards.

14
 “
Poetry started to become
religious in nature. One
examples of this phenomenon
is the Pasyon

15
 Florante at Laura

It was also seen as a poem showcasing the abuses

and tyranny happening in the Philippines at the
time.

16
 “
Despite the efforts of the
Spanish clergy, traditional
Philippine Poetry never went
away.

17
 “
The arrival of the Americans
and their introduction of a
new educational system
again set off a series of
changes to Philippine Poetry.

18
 “
Filipinoes learned not only
the language but poetic styles
as well. Free Verse and New
Criticism became the
buzzwords of poets.

19
 2.
Bikol Literature
 “
To the advancement and
detriment of Bikolanos, a
good number of them are
multilingual and are
normally proficient not only
in Bikol but also in English
and Filipino.

21
 Tigsikan
A game of creative witty, versified in
extemporaneous toasts during a round of
drinking.

22
 Comedia and Zarzuela
Bicol-based publications in the 1800s and
early 1900s

23
 3.
Mayon Volcano
Mount Mayon 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.

25
Like many locations in the Philippines, Mount
Mayon has a fascinating legend that tells the
story of its creation. “The Legend of Daragang
Mayon” is a romantic and exciting story that tells
how the volcano came to be.

26
 4.
Regions and
Regional Culture
The Philippines has a unique cultural landscape,
one shaped by a myriad of languages and
traditions determined by their geographical and
linguistic regions.

28
 Filipino culture is composed of many
developments within specific ethnic traditions
that compromise the colorful tapestry we call
the Filipino nation.

29
 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.

30
 “As it turns out, literary, musical, visual, and
theatre arts away from the primate state (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 resolves, only
within the narrow confines of the center. And so
the need to ‘decenter.’”

31
 5.
MAYON
By Kristian Sendon
Cordero
pages 5-6 (Book)
 “
For more understanding,
read or watch the “Alamat
ng Mayon”

33