Philippine literature in English, as a direct result of American colonization of the country, could

not escape being imitative of American models of writing especially during its period of
apprenticeship.

TYPES OF LITERARY PIECES

1. Poetry- it is the art of rhythmical composition, written or spoken, for exciting pleasure by
beautiful, imaginative, or elevated thoughts. The poetry written by early poets manifested
studied attempts at versification. Poetry in all languages continued to flourish in all regions of
the country during the American period. The Tagalogs, hailing Francisco F. Balagtas as the
nation’s foremost poet invented the balagtasan in his honor. The balagtasan is a debate in
verse, a poetical joust done almost spontaneously between protagonists who debate over the
pros and cons of an issue. The first balagtasan was held in March 1924 at the Instituto de
Mujeres, with Jose Corazon de Jesus and Florentino Collantes as rivals, bubuyog (bee) and
paru-paro (butterfly) aiming for the love of kampupot (jasmine). It was during this balagtasan
that Jose Corazon de Jesus, known as Huseng Batute, emerged triumphant to become the first
king of the Balagtasan. Jose Corazon de Jesus was the finest master of the genre. He was later
followed by balagtas sistas, Emilio Mar Antonio and Crescenciano Marquez, who also became
King of the Balagtasan in their own time.

Example:

● "Ang Pangginggera" by Lope K. Santos - "Ang Pangginggera" chronicles the life of a

woman who was ruined due to her addiction to gambling "panggingge." Panggingge is
now the ancestor of tong-its, sakla, and poker, and is a favorite gambling game, such as
Santo Cristo in Binondo in the 1900s. attracting form and habit. But when her first child
died, the woman mourned and to alleviate her grief, her sister -in -law invited her to play
raffle. In time, the woman was tempted to try to play chess, gamble, and indulge in vices
unexpectedly.

The transformation of the woman will start at home to gambling. At home, she will be
careless with her husband and her husband will also be addicted to cockfighting. In
gambling, the woman will transform from the novice consensus of the opponents to
becoming a skilled shuffler and gambler. Gambling (gambling and cockfighting) is the
obstacle that will separate the couple so that they can only meet at home every night.
When the woman became pregnant again and found it difficult to move to another place,
she dragged her friends and gambled at her own house. When the house of the woman
and her husband became gambling, the barriers between the family and the
entertainment -eager audience were erased. This is where the breakdown of the marital
relationship began.

Even a pregnant woman was not deterred from fighting her vice. She stopped for a while
after giving birth, but then continued gambling. Her second child was sucking on
gambling, and the formerly shy woman became sloppy and thick -faced. Sadly, a woman
spends more time in nursing than caring for a child or dealing with a husband. Moreover,
the woman refused to listen even to her father -in -law's advice, and the father -in -law
was scolded as if he had neglected to respect ancient customs.

Because he was beautiful and young, the war also became a source of quarrel between
the Police and Lalaki (who is also a gambler). The Police will be the fixture of the war,
and will be the protector of gambling, and will eventually be removed from service for
wrongdoing. The Police will also be the cause of gossip about the war in the whole
village, and tarnish the reputation. The time will come when the warlords will get
pregnant again, and the suspected culprit will be the Police. The warlord and her
husband separated when he pretended to be a lover and caught the wife who was going
crazy with the Police. The woman was forced to go home to the parent's house, and take
her child with her.

But the narrative does not end here. Her father accepted the war, gave birth for the third
time, and life was in jeopardy. Her father and father-in-law will help the couple get back
together. That happened, and the couple had a new life. The woman made a living as a
seamstress, while her husband worked as a workshop manager until he rose to
prominence. The couple saved up, bought things, built a home, bought land, and even
hired a maid. Meanwhile, the life of the warlord's sister -in -law also changed. The sister
-in -law gave up gambling, and even married a rich man, even if the sister -in -law looked
ugly.

It would be nice if the poem ended here. But the woman will be addicted to cock again,
while her husband will be addicted to cockfighting. Any livelihood they have built will
collapse, and the worst, the husband will have a hook, while the war will fall to the
seduction of the mirong Man. The Man is the one who will be able to conceive of
Pangginggera's pregnancy, and steal the jewelry she is hiding. In time, Pangginggera
will neglect his home, and will become a scapegoat even in raising children.

The structure of the poem has another branch. The maid would get pregnant because
her boyfriend was harassing her. The man will leave his own family, almost pimp his
daughter to make money, and hurt his wife when she has nothing to give. Lalaki will also
be involved in the case for embezzlement of money, theft of Pangginggera's jewelry, and
will be sought by law enforcement. The case will also be filed against Pangginggera's
husband, because he squandered the money and benefits allocated to the workers.
Pangginggera's two children are being bullied. Her sister -in -law, parents, and neighbors
cursed her for neglecting her children. The most extreme death of his son was when he
climbed a tree, suddenly fell, and stabbed the stomach of the pickaxe, causing the child
to die.

“Ang Pangginggera” has changed a lot. It deviates from the usual twelve syllables per
verse and four verses per stanza with the end matching singular (aaaa, bbbb, etc) as in
Francisco Balagtas. The scale is used in the poem 12/12/6/12/612, and the match will
 decrease which can be said to be a combination of singular and word match. Such an
experiment was not fashionable then, and it was very difficult to do especially in a long
narrative poem that was almost twice the length of Florante and Laura. Apart from the
match and size, “Ang Pangginggera” enriched the Tagalog language back then, because
Santos showed that Tagalog was growing and that even slang words not found in songs
and choruses were involved. The realistic approach to the subject is also a positive point
and ends with songs and chorus purely king and queen derived from any country far
from the Philippines.

● "Ako ang Daigdig" by Alejandro J. Abadilla- Ito ay isang tula na isinulat ni Alejandro
Abadilla na nagpapahayag ng sandamakmak na maaaring maging kahulugan ng tulang
ito. ‘Ako ang Daigdig’ ay nagbigay ng daan tungo sa modernisasyon ng estruktura ng
tula. Sa pagbasa ko sa tulang ‘Ako ang Daigdig’ ay nakabuo ng dalawang maaaring
maging kahulugan ng mga salitang inilimbag ni Alejandro Abadilla: pag-aaklas sa
tradisyunal na sukat at tugma ng isang tula at ang pag-aaklas laban sa mga mananakop
sa bansang Pilipinas.

1.) Pag-aaklas sa Estrukturang Patula

Mula pa man sa matandang panitikan ay nakaugalian na ng mga Pilipino
ang pagbigkas ng tula na may sukat at tugma. Ngunit ang tulang ‘Ako ang
Daigdig’ ni Alejandro Abadilla ay nagbukas ng maraming pinto tungo sa masining
at malayang tula. Nilabag nito ang nakasanayang porma ng isang tula. Ipinakita
ng tulang ito na maaaring walang sukat at tugma ang isang tula at maaaring
maging malaya ang mga Pilipino sa pagsulat ng diwang gusto nating malaman
ng mga tao.

2.) Pag-aaklas Laban sa Mananakop ng Ating Bansa

- Paminsan-minsan ay nakakaligtaan natin ang mensaheng nakabaon

sa isang tula at nahuhuli lamang ang ating atensyon sa porma at mga salitang
ginamit nito. Ang ‘Ako ang Daigdig’, para sa akin, ay tila nagpapahiwatig sa mga
Pilipino na bumangon at huwag magpapa-api sa mga dayuhang sumakop sa
bansa. Sa linyang ‘Ako ang tula ng daigdig’, sinasabi ni Abadilla na bawat isa sa
ating, bilang tao, ay may karapatan sa sarili nating buhay, na tayo ang bumubuo
sa daigdig, tayo ang sariling nating mga boses.Sa pamagat pa lamang ay
nagpapakita na ito ng pagiging masigasig ng awtor na ipaglaban ang kalayaan
hindi lamang ng panitikan kundi ng ating mga sarili. Bawat isa sa atin ay ang
daigdig na nagpapa-ikot nito. Kalian man ay hindi dapat tayo matakot na isigaw
ang dapat ay nararapat sa atin.
2. Short story - brief fictional prose narrative that is shorter than a novel and that usually deals
with only a few characters. The short story is usually concerned with a single effect conveyed in
only one or a few significant episodes or scenes. The form encourages economy of setting,
concise narrative, and the omission of a complex plot; character is disclosed in action and
dramatic encounter but is seldom fully developed. Despite its relatively limited scope, though, a
short story is often judged by its ability to provide a “complete” or satisfying treatment of its
characters and subject.

Example:

● Dead Stars by Paz Marquez Benitez - The story of the short story Dead Stars revolves
around a man, Alfred Salazar, and his affairs. Alfred Salazar believes in true love and
optimism to discover ecstasy in its stir. Esperanza is the first woman he falls in love with.

The families of both of them are acquainted with each other and hence they start a
loving relationship. Both get engaged after three years of their relationship. Alfredo is a
lawyer who has strong desires and wants warmth and compassion, however, Esperanza
is an impassioned woman having strong will and principles. Alfredo’s love for her soon
fades away when he meets Julia. Julia, now, becomes a new object of his desire.

Julia Salas is sister in law of the Judge, who is a friend of Alfredo’s father. Julia is an
optimistic and enthusiastic person having her own dreams and desires.

When Alfredo comes across her, he is strongly attracted to her. On his visit to her with
his father, he engages himself in conversation with her and is attracted to her charm.
Even he is so passionate that he doesn’t disclose his engagement to Esperanza.

So as to avoid the discovery of his fiancée, he keeps secrets from Esperanza too. His
eyes are doomed when he learns about Julia’s return to his native town. With the fear of
losing her, Alfredo decides to declare his true feeling for Julia.

When the Church’s function ends, Alfredo goes to meet her, though his fiancé is waiting
for him. When he reaches there, he learns that Julia has already known about his
engagement to Esperanza. She wishes him for his marriage and leaves him.

On his return home, he gets a double blow. He finds Esperanza talking to her friend
about loyalty and faithfulness. Alfredo senses a desire to communicate. He supports the
reason for craving and choice over dishonesty.

Esperanza soon confesses that she knew about his affair with Julia. In pursuit of his lust
and heart’s content, she encourages him to cancel the wedding. However, the wedding
goes ahead as scheduled and Alfred surrenders to reason.
 Near Julia’s native town, Alfred, after eight years, is sent to some work duty. On his visit,
he feels nostalgic and cannot resist his lust for Julia and soon finds an excuse to meet
her.

Julia is still single that forces Alfred to dream about starting a new life with her; however,
he soon realizes that everything is not the same as it were before. Moreover, Julia has
also changed lost something.

THEMES IN DEAD STARS

FORBIDDEN LOVE:
Dead Stars expresses the subject of forbidden love. Forbidden love is only apparent and
curses and disturbs the person until a person realizes his or her faults.

RESPONSIBILITY:
Responsibility is another underlying theme of the story. Alfred is engaged to his beloved
to get married, yet, he distracts himself with another woman Julia. He forgets his
responsibility towards his to-be wife, even after eight years he still thinks of Julia until he
realizes that Julia has changed herself.

3. Novels - an invented prose narrative of considerable length and a certain complexity that
deals imaginatively with human experience, usually through a connected sequence of events
involving a group of persons in a specific setting. Within its broad framework, the genre of the
novel has encompassed an extensive range of types and styles: picaresque, epistolary, Gothic,
romantic, realist, historical—to name only some of the more important ones. The novel is a
genre of fiction, and fiction may be defined as the art or craft of contriving, through the written
word, representations of human life that instruct or divert or both. The various forms that fiction
may take are best seen less as a number of separate categories than as a continuum or, more
accurately, a cline, with some such brief form as the anecdote at one end of the scale and the
longest conceivable novel at the other. When any piece of fiction is long enough to constitute a
whole book, as opposed to a mere part of a book, then it may be said to have achieved
novelhood.

Examples:
● "Filipino Rebel" by Maximo Kalaw - This chapter examines the relationships among
imperial assimilation, independence politics, and the heterosexual erotics of Philippine
nationalism in Maximo M. Kalaw's work. In particular, his novel The Filipino Rebel
enables Kalaw to present the clashes of ideas, the conflict of beliefs, and the quarrel of
philosophies during the early colonial period. The Filipino Rebel's engagement with the
politics of independence seeks to recover what it deems the lost revolutionary spirit of
1899 by suggesting the male offspring of characters Juanito and Josefa as the
nationalist promise of an independent future. The chapter argues that Kalaw's political
science texts are predominantly oriented toward a U.S. readership, while his novel
 attempts to address and constitute what he names in the dedication, “Ang Bagong
Katipunan.” His reorientation to the homeland in this novel aims to rouse nationalist
effect by recurring to heterosexual eroticism and reproductive futurity.

● "His Native Soil" by Juan C. Laya - This novel tells of a Filipino repatriate who, having
been educated abroad, finds himself a stranger in his hometown. This essay recovers a
once celebrated but now forgotten Filipino novel in English, Juan Cabreros Laya’s His
Native Soil (1941), which marked the emergence of realism during the Philippine
Commonwealth’s slow, decade-long transition to independence from the United States.
Whereas the novel was originally praised as a landmark text in Philippine literature in
English, His Native Soil was later dismissed by postwar critics as an imitative, formally
flawed, and stylistically inferior work. Taking up Roberto Schwarz’s challenge to advance
a reading practice that takes into account the difference between literature and social
structure in the colonial periphery, I argue that rather than viewing His Native Soil’s
improbabilities of plot and tonal dissonances as artistic flaws, they are more
meaningfully read as the author’s attempt to adapt the realist protocols of the
bildungsroman to capture the double-edged nature of independence: the adoption of a
trade policy that would economically bind together the Philippines and the United States
and that would render political freedom impossible for Filipinos unless relations of
colonial dependency were to be continued after independence.

● "How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife” by Manuel Arguilla - Leon and his
wife Maria are about to return to Leon’s village after getting married. They had met in the
city and Maria has never lived in a village. They are greeted by Baldo, Leon’s younger
sibling, as their horse carriage stops outside the village.

Baldo welcomes the new member of the family. He is impressed by her beauty and soft
feature. He observes her nice fragrance and radiant smile. He ties their bull, named
Labang, to the cart and Leon hauls their trunk on it.

Baldo encourages Maria to touch Labang’s hair and horns. She is awestruck at Labang’s
strength and horns. Leon helps her on the cart and she sits on a bale of husk. They start
their journey and Leon has the reins.

After going a little further, Baldo takes the reins and takes a sudden route change into
the rocky road of Waig and surrounding fields. Leon enquiries about the change of route
and Baldo assure him that he is only following their father’s orders.

Baldo and Leon both question Maria about her views about their village, fields and rocky
roads. She is enthralled by the natural beauty and simple lifestyle. She condemns the
sheer number of vehicles and noise in the city.

She loves the starry and clear skies over the lush fields. She and Leon even start to sing
a song that Leon was taught by his father about the sowed fields under clear skies. They
 meet a couple of people after coming out of the fields but not many as most people
avoid using the fields after dark.

They finally reach their house and are welcomed by Leon’s mother and sister. They are
smiling and excited. Leon enquiries about his father who is in his room struggling with
leg pain (injured in the revolution).

Baldo goes to tie Labang and when he returns he finds Maria talking and crying with his
mother and sister. His hears his father’s call and goes to meet him.

His father questions about Maria’s conduct and her behaviour throughout their journey to
the house. It was test designed to see if she can adjust and accept the life of the village
and make it her home.

Baldo reassures him about her live for Leon and commitment to their marriage. He
confirms his observation that Maria was ready to embrace their house as her home.

Their conversation is disturbed as the new couple enters to meet with the father. Baldo
leaves the room giving them some space with the head of the family.

● "Bulalakaw ng Pag-asa" by Ismael Amado - Bulalakaw ng Pag-asa is the only novel

written by Amado. Poet and National Artist Virgilio Almario and art and literary scholar
Soledad S. Reyes stated that "Bulalakaw" contributed to the protest tradition of Filipino
literature with its radical and anti-imperialist tone. After Amado finished writing the novel
in 1909, he decided not to publish it because of the political climate at the time. Arrest of
suspected rebels and critics of the American colonial government was prevalent
following the implementation of the Sedition Law and the Flag Law. The novel was only
published in 1918, when political views were more accepted in literature and when
romantic stories bloomed.

Gerardo has Stag, an American, arrested for harassing Julio in the town of Libis. At
court, Gerardo meets Kapitan Memo, who was Stag’s partner-in-crime when they were
still in the province of Tarlac. Kapitan Memo double-crossed Stag; so to pay him back,
he looks for a way to save the American from imprisonment. However, justice prevails
and Stag was incarcerated. However, Stag manages to escape, much to Gerardo’s
disappointment.

Subplots:

While in court, Kapitan Memo's wife reveals that her husband raped her and killed her
father. Upholding the law and justice, Gerardo has the Kapitan stripped of his position
and power. The captain vows to get revenge against Gerardo for destroying his name.
 Meanwhile, Gerardo meets and falls in love with Elena, an educated, un-Americanized
woman with strong Filipino values. While speaking to a group of youth who are active in
school activities, Gerardo is interrupted by a man dressed in a demon costume who
invites him for a private talk. It turns out that the man is Kapitan Memo, who has been
planning to exact his revenge by killing him. Fortunately, Gerardo’s best friend Florante
comes to the rescue. Kapitan Memo disappears into the darkness. Gerardo and Florante
then see a fast-moving carriage with Kapitan Memo's brother Juancho holding Elena
hostage. When the carriage stops, Gerardo rescues Elena, while Florante engages
Juancho in a fight. Florante is stabbed. Upon seeing what happens, Gerardo lunges at
Juancho and pushes him down the river where he drowns.

Severly injured, Florante is dying. Before he dies, he tells his mother to put him in a
casket with the flag of the Philippines wrapped around it. The people of Libis are terrified
since it is prohibited, but Florante’s mother insists. At the funeral, the police disturb the
wake and its American lieutenant tramples on Florante’s body, angering Faure. He tries
to protect the casket but is arrested. Gerardo attacks the prison and frees Faura. He
then kills the lieutenant who sneers at the Philippine flag.

4. Zarzuela- is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung
scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular songs, as well as dance. The etymology of
the name is uncertain, but some propose it may derive from the name of a royal hunting lodge,
the Palace of Zarzuela, near Madrid, where that type of entertainment was allegedly first
presented to the court. The palace in turn was named after brambles (zarzas), which grew
there, and so the festivities held within the walls became known as "Zarzuelas". Zarzuela
spread to the Spanish dominions, and many Spanish-speaking countries – notably Cuba –
developed their own traditions. There is also a strong tradition in the Philippines where it is also
known as sarswela/sarsuela.[2] Other regional and linguistic variants in Spain include the
Basque zartzuela and the Catalan sarsuela.

Examples:

● "Tanikalang Ginto" by Juan Abad - In this seditious play, you can see the hidden
message about love for the country. It is being said that this play is a type that can live
over and over again to remind us of the suffering of our the Filipinos at the hands of the
Americans. Even today, even if we have our own government, we are still living behind
the shadow of the Americans. Because of this, the play is considered not only a
recollection of the past, but still it has a vital role in present. It seems like a reminder of
mistakes from the past that should not be repeated today.

● “Kahapon, Ngayon, at Bukas” by Aurelio Tolentino - It is an anti-imperialist play

attacking the new colonizers (at that time), the Americans, while not forgiving the old
ones – Mother Spain and Old China, who want to feast on the Philippines’ wealth.
 The play was shown at Teatro Libertad in Manila on May 14, 1903 and its focus is the
triumph of Inang Bayan (Motherland) over her tormentors, Haring Bata (Child King) who
is the symbol of the Old China; Halimaw (Monster), the symbol of the Spanish friars who
continued dominating the church and influencing local politics despite the mock battle in
Manila Bay; Dilat-na-Bulag (Eyes Open, yet Blind), the ever ‘royal’ Spain; and Bagong
Sibol (The Budding One), which is the new superpower of the capitalist world, the United
States of America.

Its main scene is the liberation of Taga-Ilog or Juan de la Cruz who is, at the play’s
beginning, shackled and in prison.

In that particular scene, he throws the American flag to the ground and tramples upon it
until it is torn, then he breaks the shackles and forces the jail open. At this point the rest
of the characters shout: “Long live Freedom! Long live the Motherland!”

According to Pampango blogger Alex R. Castro, who dabbles in history, when the actor
was about to do the act, “he froze for he saw a number of Americans in the audience.”
Because of this, Castro wrote in his blog (viewsfromthepampang.blogspot.com),
“Tolentino ascended the stage and did the act himself, to the horror of the Americans
who saw it as an act of sacrilege against their Stars and Stripes.”

Castro wrote that because of this, he was arrested. When the authorities turned to arrest
the other actors as well as those in the audience, Tolentino saved them by declaring
sole responsibility for the play as its writer and director.

Upon his admission of the crimes he was accused of, he was convicted of sedition,
rebellion, insurrection and conspiracy and was imprisoned. In 1912 he was pardoned by
then Governor-General W. Cameron Forbes and a US$7,000 fine was meted.

This was his second time in prison. The first was when Spanish authorities launched a
witch-hunt against suspected Katipuneros in 1898 and Tolentino failed to elude
authorities. He was imprisoned for nine months.

● "Hindi ako Patay" by Juan Matapang Cruz - “Hindi Aco Patay” (Iam Not Dead) a full-
length play drama simboliko written by Juan Matapang Cruz in 1903. First staged at the
Teatro Libertad in Singalong, Manila then at the Teatro Nueva Luna in Malabon. In 1981
staged at the Puerto Real Gardens in Intramuros Manila by the University of the
Philippines (UP) Repertory Company. Bonifacio Ilagan wrote a tagalog version from the
english translation preserved by Riggs found in Arthur Riggs, The Filipino Drama (1905)
Manila: Intramuros Administration, 1981. The play invited strong reactions from the
colonial authorities during its time. It was banned in mid-performance at Teatro Nueva
Luna in Malabon, and the troupe including the playwright's wife, was arrested and
imprisoned. In court, Cruz testified that he organized the Karangalan Dramatic
 Theartrical Company for the purpose of presenting the play which seems to have been
presented many times-even advertised under different names-and won enthusiastic
audiences.

● "Anak ng Dagat" by Patricio Mariano - His most popular zarzuela, "Anak ng Dagat",
staged at the Zorrilla Theater in 1921, was about the little girl rescued by a fisherman
and his wife.

● "Walang Sugat" by Severino Reyes - Walang Sugat, a drama set in Bulacan during
the Philippine revolution. Walang Sugat tackled the bravery and dedication of the
Katipuneros or the local revolutionary army of the Philippines during the later years of
Spanish occupation. This marked the beginning of the golden Age of Zarzuela in the
Philippines.

5. Fiction - is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying people, events, or places
in imaginary ways that are not strictly based on history or fact. In its most narrow usage, fiction
applies to written narratives in prose and often specifically novels, as well as novellas and short
stories. More broadly, however, fiction has come to encompass imaginary narratives expressed
in any medium, including not just writings but also live theatrical performances, films, television
programs, radio dramas, comics, role-playing games, and video games. The creation of a work
of fiction implies the construction of an imaginary world. Typically, the fictionality of the work is
publicly acknowledged and the audience expects the work to deviate in some ways from the
real world rather than presenting only factually accurate portrayals or characters who are actual
people.[6] Because fiction is generally understood to not fully adhere to the real world, the
themes and context of a work, such as if and how it relates to real-world issues or events, are
open to interpretation. Characters and events within some fictional works may even exist in their
own context entirely separate from the known physical universe: an independent fictional
universe.

Examples:

● “Ako’y Isang Tinig” by Genoveva Edroza Matute -

Paglilinaw sa “Ako’y isang TINIG” ni GENOVEVA EDROZA-MATUTE

“ Ang katipunang ito ay isang pag-asa't isang pananalig. Isang pag-asa: na makapag-
abuloy, gaano man kaliit, sa Panitikang sarili na minamal-mahal na noon pa mang
panahong ito'y tinutunghan at minamaliit ng marami.”

Ito’y isang koleksyon ng mga Maikling Katha ni Matute na pinalooban ng mga Maikling
kwento at mga sanaysay kung kaya’t wala gaanong iba-iba ang mga panitikan na
nakapaloob sa nasabing AKLAT.

Mga akdang nakapaloob sa AKLAT na “Ako’y isang TINIG”

“Walong Taong Gulang”
 “Kwento ni Mabuti”
“Mga Sugat: Maging Matagal at Malalim”
“Paglalayag…sa Puso ng Isang Bata”
“Simula ng Isang Kahulugan”
…………………………………………………………………….
Kabuuang sariling KAALAMAN at repleksyon ng taga-ulat sa maikling katha:
Ang lahat ng mga akdang isinulat ni Genoveva Matute ay sumesentro sa kalagayan ng
mga Pilipino sa lahat ng sektor sa ating lipunan lalong lalo na sa EDUKASYON at ang
tinitiis na KAHIRAPAN sa ating bansa. Si Matute ay naging isang guro na may
pagmamahal sa kabataan at nais lamang niyang matugunan ng pansin ng pamahalaan
ang kalagayan ng kanyang kapwa mamamayang Pilipino upang maimulat sila sa
katotohanan na pangyayari sa lipunan.

● “Uhaw ang Tigang na Lupa” by Liwayway Arceo - The girl noticed some things in
her mother when she could not sleep, always sad when staring, breathing deeply and
sometimes with an accented sob. Her mother is not fussy and frugal when it comes to
talking. He rarely gets angry. His smiles are like raindrops in summer. The young heart
of a child can be likened to a parched land that is very thirsty. He always watched his
father's speech while typing, reading it, he watched the cigarette smoke, the thinking and
the continuation of writing. A few years ago their laundress had returned a small diary to
her mother and the next day there were already traces of tears in her mother’s eyes. It
became even sadder and quieter. One night his father came home drunk and
complained of chest and head pain. The father was bedridden for several days and his
mother did not leave him. The real illness of the father was not confessed to the son.
The son saw a velvet sheet on his father's table as his father arranged for him to fix it.
The picture in the picture is not of his mother. The photo has no signature and the only
thing stated is Because I forgot. The son also saw a stack of letters. The envelopes
contained his father's name and his office. The father asked for the letters but the son
refused. His father said his glory was in the cold of the earth. According to the father the
first heartbeat is not love all the time. The father's condition worsened and he often
fainted while the mother remained vigilant, silent, did not eat, did not take a nap and
continued to cry when no one saw him. The sick man spoke and said that he and his
loved ones could now go. He would destroy the tower where he was imprisoned in any
way. The mother burst into tears and it dripped into her husband's mouth. The sick man
opened his eyes and they stared at the mother. The mother held the father's hand when
he spoke again and said, "Tell me, I love you so that I can claim my happiness." The
mother bit her lip hard and said that her beloved would claim it. The mother kissed her
husband and at the same time his soul left. No more tears flowed from the mother's
eyes. The soul of the departed will surely rejoice.