A Folklore Reimagined: Promoting Philippine Mythology To Children Ages 8-12 Through

A Re-Illustration of Rene O. Villanueva's "Kung Bakit Umuulan"

Submitted by:

Bustria, Sofia Jhoi

Gapuz, Fatima Niña B.

Lara, Martin Philip B.

Submitted to:

Ma. Victoria Mortel-Flores

 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Statement of the Problem

This study focuses on two main sectors: the re-illustration of Kung Bakit Umuulan by

Rene O. Villanueva and its marketability in the industry of children’s books. The primary aim of

this study is to promote the abundant literature of Philippine Mythology.

The study aims to answer the following questions:

1. Why is there a need to re-illustrate this book?

2. What is it about the book’s illustration that was working then but not now?

3. What art style is appropriate for the book?

4. What are the factors considered when buying children’s books?

Objectives of the Study

The objective of the research is to study the position of Philippine Mythology amongst

the trend in children’s books of Generation Z.

The objectives of this study are as follows:

1. To re-illustrate a children’s book that can appeal to the target market

 2. To promote the rich literature of Philippine Mythology

3.

Significance of the Study

The result of the study will merit the following:

1. For the children’s book industry - The research will generate knowledge about

Children’s Literature and the importance of keeping the tradition of storytelling to

children alive.

2. For book illustrators - The research contains information about what illustrators

should value and take into consideration when illustrating pictures to be

consumed by children. It highlights the importance of their role as storytellers and

what is the right direction they should use in order to be able to tell the stories

more effectively.

3. For students in the field of Arts and Design - The research will benefit students

who wish to gain knowledge and further research about Children’s Literature

illustrations. The research provides them with information as well as consolidated

references that may be useful for their own research.

Scope and Limitation

The study will aim to re-illustrate Rene O. Villanueva’s story “Kung Bakit Umuulan”.

The variables are limited only to the children’s books industry and its market. The re-illustration
of the children’s book shall target children ages 8-12 years old. The study will be conducted

from February 2021 and is expected to be completed in June 2021.

The study will not change the story of the myth.

Research Methodology

Definition of Terms

Illustration - A picture or image that is used to decorate or clarify a text.

LCYA - Literature for Children and Young Adults

Target Market - a group of people that a company specifically caters and panders to.

CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

The study’s review of related literature focuses on the story of Kung Bakit Umuulan, the

folktale that inspired its conception, the history of Philippine folklore, as well as a background of

the author, their past works, and the current market.

About the Author

Renato O. Villanueva, more commonly known as “Rene O. Villanueva”, born September

22, 1954, was a Filipino playwright and author. He was a multi-awarded children’s story writer

and has been given the title “The Father of Modern Children’s Literature in the Philippines

(Inigo, 2016). Most of the stories Rene O. Villanueva has written in the field of Children’s

Literature tackles the subjects of myths, legends, lives of heroes and historical events.

Aside from being a writer, Villanueva is also involved in TV Program production for children. In

1999, Villanueva attended a seminar on Media Proliferation: How can Broadcasters Best Serve

the Public Interest? In which he presented his paper TV Programming: Serving the Young.

Villanueva (1999) argued “Children must be, at all times, the focus of our best efforts.

Their best interest must always be our overriding goal”. This further solidifies his dedication to

not just Children’s Literature but to the Filipino youth as a whole.

Target Market

Literature is one way to integrate one’s culture and to pass it on to children. Storytelling

builds children’s ethics and helps them shape their own values (Eder, 2010). It gives them basic

education and teaches them the basics of distinguishing what is right and wrong by the lessons

they encounter in the stories read to them.

“A picture is worth more than a thousand words”. In order for children to fully appreciate

stories, Children’s Literature heavily relies on illustrations. Children, who have limited

vocabularies, use pictures and illustrations to grasp the concept of reading a book by learning the
story through pictures (Karaman, 2012). Because of this, the illustrations must be simple and

should be interpreted easily. When illustrating a children’s book, the illustrator must be mindful

of the color, form, meaning and design to convey the message of the story more effectively.

Importance of Retelling Myths to Children

Myths from a culture tells more than just stories. It is an integral part of sharing the

identity of a community to have a deeper understanding of its values (Cajete, 2017). For

children, having the knowledge about the myths of their own community helps them understand

and reclaim their own cultural identity.

Pre-Colonial Religion in the Philippines

Before the arrival of Christianity, the Filipinos already have an established system of beliefs that

vary among indigenous tribes. The pre-Hispanic religion of Filipinos consisted of an assortment

of gods, spirits, creatures and deities (Miller, n.d.). Some of these groups have committed to

believing in one Supreme Being (Bathala) as creator of all things, while others

worshipped multiple deities (Clark, 2016). Animism was also practiced as sacrifices are often

performed to please entities that our ancestors believed to be guarding the natural landscapes like

rivers and mountains (Strom, 2018).

Why is it important to study Philippine mythology? According to Eugenio (1942) “Myths

account for the origin of the world, of mankind, of death, or for the characteristics of birds,

animals, geographical features, and the phenomena of nature.” (pp. 155-156). While it can be

complex, Philippine Mythology is a part of the country’s folklore which covers conventional

knowledge rooted in our society, such as beliefs, customs, and arts to name a few (An Ultimate

Guide To Philippine Mythology’s Legendary Deities, 2019).

Tungkung Langit and Alunsina

The story of Kung Bakit Umuulan is a retelling of a Panay-Visayan creation myth called

“Tungkung Langit and Alunsina”. According to Clark (2016), Tungkung Langit and Alunsina is

the other Visayan creation story aside from the more familiar Visayan origin myth about Kaptan

and Maguayan. This story was discovered by Dr. Felipe Landa Jocano, a Filipino

anthropologist, in 1955 in the island of Panay (Clark, 2016). What prompted this discovery was

the lack of local mythology in the course material during his time in university, to which he

travelled to Central Panay and collected indigenous literature in various forms such as stories,

songs, proverbs and riddles (Jocano, 2019).

Who exactly are the deities in the story? To the Suludnon people of Panay, Tungkung

Langit is their version of an all-powerful creator who formed the world and created order out of

primordial chaos while Alunsina, who was also a prominent goddess in their assemblage of gods,

was called the ‘virgin goddess’ and was described as lazy and selfish (Clark, 2016).

Storytelling impact in the Philippines

Storytelling has always been an important piece in a lot of cultures throughout our

history, it was found as a way to spread information to others in the world before written history.

However, as we have evolved as a species so too does storytelling, what was once a way to

convey the daily events in the lives of our prehistoric ancestors has now become a medium of

expression. In the context of the Philippines, the hardships and tribulations that the people have

experienced are a prime target for subjects in stories. Works like Noli me Tangere and Dekada
70’ encapsulate the pain that the people went through and strive to inform the masses about these

events as a way to release the emotions in a cathartic way.

An example of these experiences inspiring storytelling is the stories told by IDPs, people

who were driven away from their point of origin by conflict. Storytelling is a part of their

tradition, and it provides them a medium with which to share their experiences as well as inform

others of occurrences to keep them up to date (Fuertes,2012). The experience of storytelling was

cathartic to them, as it allowed them to heal and be introspective of their various hardships as

well as their new identity after leaving their homes behind. This provides us an idea of how

much stories affect and impact the lives of the Filipino people. .

Influence of illustrations on children

Augmented reality for storytelling

Storytelling type for preschool comprehension

 Chapter 5

APPENDICES
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