NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY,INC

Laoag City, Ilocos Norte

UNIT II: HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF

PHILIPPINE LITERATURE

At the end of this unit topic, you will be able to:

a. identify the different literary types during the Pre-Spanish

and Spanish Period;
b. relate important concepts to express experiences; and
c. write reflection showing appreciation of various literary
works from different regions.

Literature is a term used to describe written or spoken material. Broadly speaking,

"literature" is used to describe anything from creative writing to more technical or
scientific works, but the term is most commonly used to refer to works of the creative
imagination, including works of poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction.

Philippine literature had evolved much before colonization. It is full of legends and
tales of colonial legacy. Mexican and Spanish dominance over the land and the people,
over varying periods of time, witnessed the incorporation of English, Spanish, Filipino
and native languages, to express ideology and opinion. Literature in
the Philippines developed much later than in most other countries. Evidence reveals the
use of a script called Baybayin that flourished in 1521. Baybayin was used to write
about legends, in Luzon, during Spaniard domination.

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expl re!
HISTORY OF PHILIPPINE LITERATURE
Philippine literature is a reflection of what the Philippines had passed through all these
years, for it can’t be denied that this is very much related to history. It is a reflection of those
who colonized the country and had so much influenced it.

The literature of the Philippines is predominantly a reflection of the influence of the

Spaniards on the indigenous culture and traditions. The people of Manila and native groups
within the Philippines used to write on bamboo and the arecaceae palm. They used knives for
inscribing the ancient Tagalog script. The literature thus preserved was limited to the seventeen
basic symbols of the language. With just three vowels and consonantal symbols that had
predetermined, inherent sound, the literature handed down was in a 'raw' state and needed to
be developed.
The Tagalog language script that was used initially to preserve and hand down literature
was limited to a diacritical mark or 'kudlit' that further modified pronunciation and writing. The
dot, line or arrow head was either placed above or below the symbol. The literature thus
preserved has played a very important role in the public schooling arena and the rise of the
educated class. 'Ilustrados' such as José Rizal and Pedro Paterno contributed to important
Spanish literary work in the Philippines and subsequently, Philippine Classical Literature. The
cultural elite penned a number of historical documents. Literature in the Philippines also
includes various national anthems, revolutionary propaganda and nationalist articles. Most of
the literature of the land was initially in the Spanish language and the contributions were
profound writings by Marcelo H. Del Pilar and Claro M. Recto, among a host of others.
Philippine literature was preserved well through private publications like 'Plaridel' and the first
Spanish newspaper 'El Boletín de Cebú' and 'Flora Sentino', by Orlando Agnes.

Literature in the Philippines was developed and preserved by native Filipino

intellectuals. Isidro Marfori, Enrique Fernandez Lumba, CecilioApostol, Fernando Ma.
Guerrero, JesúsBalmori, Flavio Zaragoza Cano and Francisco Zaragoza played a major role in
the preservation of the stories handed down in time. Writers such as Castrillo, Fernandez,
Rivera, Licsi and Estrada also spent a major part of their lives in the documentation of 'by-
word-of-mouth' hand-downs. Columns and articles in newspapers such as El Renacimiento, La
Vanguardia, El Pueblo de Iloilo, La Democracia and El Tiempo and magazines such as
'Independent' and 'Philippine Review' kept the legacies alive in Spanish and English.

Many of the world's best short stories are native to the Philippines. When the Filipino

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writers began using the English language for artistic expression, they took the original works
of the Philippines to the west. The folk tales and epics were, in time, put into written word
along with poems and chants that were the legacies of the ethnolinguistic groups. Literary work
now available includes articles on Spanish conquest, native cultural heritage, pre-colonial
literature and traditional narratives. Another very interesting segment of Philippine literature
includes inspiring speeches and songs. This segment has effectively maintained the mystifying
characteristic of Philippine epics and folk tales. The narratives and descriptions of various
magical characters, mythical objects and supernatural are surreal, distinctly adhering to the
ideologies and customs of the natives.

Ethno-epics such as Biagni Lam-ang or the Life of Lam-ang, Agyu or Olahing, Sandayo
of Subanon, Aliguyon, the Hudhud and LabawDonggon are great examples of assimilated
styles and language variations. Today, Philippine literature reflects national issues through
political prose, essay

Timeline on the different literary works/pieces in the different eras/period of

Philippine Literature:
PRE-SPANISH PERIOD
Early Times – 1564
The first period of the Philippine literary history is the longest. Long time before the Spaniards
and other foreigners landed on Philippine shores, our forefathers already had their own literature
stamped in the history of our race. These literary types were used for practical reasons and as
form of entertainment. Moreover, said literary pieces were written on perishable things like
woods or leaves, several were on stone, thus, more of it were passed on through the
mouth/tongue or called “salin-dila” . They were nomads that they would transfer from one place
to another, for f food, shelter and clothing. Here are some examples of their pieces:
BURBURTIA / RIDDLES (bugtong) – battle of wits among participants. It is called Tigmo
in Cebu, Paktakon in Ilonggo and Patotdon in Bicol.
PAGASASAO/ PROVERBS (salawikain)– wise sayings that contain a metaphor used
to teach as a food for thought.
TANAGA– one stanza poems consisted usually of four lines with seven syllables, all
lines rhyming.
DUNG-AW - is a lamentation for the dead.
DALLOT- A Chant for Entreatment or pamanhikan.
FOLK SONGS – one of the oldest forms of Philippine literature that emerged in the Pre-
Spanish period.

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a. Duwaya- this is known as oyayi or hele (lullaby) used in making the baby asleep
b. Ambahan(Mangyan) –about human relationships and social entertainment
c. Kalusan(Ivatan) – worksongs
d. Tagay(Cebuano and Waray) – drinking song
e. Kanogan(Cebuano) – song of lamentation for the dead

FOLK TALES MYTHS– explain how the world was created, how certain animals possess
certain characteristics, why some places have waterfalls, volcanoes, mountains, flora and fauna
LEGENDS – explain the origin of things.
FABLES – used animal characters and allegory
FANTASY STORIES – deal with underworld characters such as tiyanak, aswang, kapre and
so on.
EPICS– these are narratives of sustained length based on oral tradition revolving around
supernatural events orheroic deeds. Ex: Biag ni Lam-ang (Ilocano), Hinilawod (Panay), Kudaman
(Palawan), Darangen (Maranao)
FOLK TALES– made up of stories about life, adventure, love, horror and humor where one can
derive lessons about life.

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