A Survey of Philippine Literature by Cristobal Zarco, May 3, 2015

In general, the default condition for much of Philippine literature is obscurity.

To learn more about a country and people, a good place to start is their literature. The

most loved books of a people are like a lens with which to understand them. With respect

to the seven thousand islands, what books are these? Filipinos do not usually think of

themselves as a particularly literary people. For those living abroad, literature is

secondary to food, television, or music when it comes to reminding them of their

homeland. In general, the default condition for much of Philippine literature is obscurity.

At home or abroad, Filipinos are more likely to be interested in global pop culture,

whether from the United States or more recently, South Korea.

This is unfortunate considering the range and depth of Philippine literature. The

Philippines is unique for having important works in many languages. These might be

grouped into four - Philippine literature in Spanish, Tagalog, English, and other

Philippine languages. It might seem that these different bodies of work correspond only

with a period of colonial domination, but this is misleading. Philippine authors made

these languages their own, adding a distinct voice to them that was unique to our

archipelago.
A Survey of Philippine Literature by Cristobal Zarco, May 3, 2015

The most politically important body of Philippine literature is that which was written in

Spanish. The Propaganda movement, which included Jose Rizal agitated for

independence in the 1880’s and 1890’s, writing exclusively in Spanish. Rizal’s two most

important novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Flibusterismo were written in Spanish as well.

However, during the American colonial period, Spanish was gradually replaced over the

next few decades by English. Even if Rizal was celebrated as a national hero, his writing

was almost never read in the original Spanish. Noli and Fili have been taught to

generations of schoolchildren, but always in translation. Rizal was not the only major

writer in Spanish. Important contemporaries were Marcelo H. del Pilar and Graciano

Lopez Jaena. A generation after Rizal came Claro M. Recto, a nationalist lawyer and

author, who championed independence from the United States. Recto also wrote

primarily in Spanish on a wide range of topics. While all of these figures are honored and

celebrated in the Philippines, not much attention is paid to what they wrote, let alone

what language they used. Sadly, the old quip about the classics is very applicable to

Philippine writing in Spanish - praised by all, read by few.

A Survey of Philippine Literature by Cristobal Zarco, May 3, 2015

Tagalog is the oldest literary language of the archipelago and now, the most widespread.

The earliest major work in Tagalog was Francisco Balagtas’ Florante at Laura, an epic

poem published in 1838. Florante at Laura is still taught in schools across the country as

the epitome of literary Tagalog. For purposes of comparison, Balagtas wrote at roughly

the same time as Edgar Allen Poe and a few decades before Charles Dickens. While

important, Florante at Laura can be difficult for modern Tagalog speakers to understand,

let alone those learning the language. Thankfully, there have been many authors since

Balagtas who have continued to write in Tagalog. Andres Bonifacio, founder of the

Katipunan, also wrote in Tagalog, notably the poem Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa, roughly

translated as Love for Native Land. Since then, Tagalog literature has continued to grow.

Some modern authors include Ceres S.C. Alabado, writer of Kangkong 1896, a look at

the Revolution from a young boy’s perspective, and Lualhati Bautista, author of Dekada

Setenta and Bata, Bata… Pa'no Ka Ginawa?. Dekada follows a middle-class family

through the martial law years, and Bata is about the struggles of a single mother. Both

were turned into full length films starring Vilma Santos. Today, the largest venue for

Tagalog literature is the internet, with many aspiring writers publishing their work online.

A few of these become successful enough to get film adaptations, among them being

Diary ng Panget and She’s Dating the Gangster, films released in 2014 that began as

online novels. While Tagalog may have changed considerably since the days of

Balagtas, it is now a truly national language that has a large and thriving literature.
A Survey of Philippine Literature by Cristobal Zarco, May 3, 2015

English remains the language of the Philippine elite. Though there was considerable

resistance to English in the first part of the 20th century, Philippine writers mastered it

quickly. Paz Marquez-Benitez wrote the first short story in English in 1925, entitled Dead

Stars. However, it was not until after WW2 (Second World War) that English became

language of choice for authors. The largest names in 20th century Philippine literature

wrote in English, namely, Nick Joaquin, F. Sionil Jose, Jose Garcia Villa, and others.

Perhaps the most important writer in English was Nick Joaquin, whose career spanned

from the start of WW2 to the post-Marcos era. Nick Joaquin wrote dozens of short

stories, two novels, hundreds of journalistic features, political commentary, historical

analysis, biographies, plays, and much more, all in English. He was honored as a

National Artist for Literature in 1976. Nick Joaquin attempted to create genuinely

Philippine voice in English, going as far as trying to translate Tagalog expressions into

English. Among his more notable works are the play A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino

and the short story May Day Eve. In our new century, there have been many authors

who have continued to write in English. An internationally awarded contemporary writer

in English is Miguel Syjuco, author of the 2010 book Illustrado.

A Survey of Philippine Literature by Cristobal Zarco, May 3, 2015

Literature in other Philippine languages may be the hardest genre to appreciate but is

often the most sentimentally or personally important. For the roughly two thirds of

Filipinos who do not speak Tagalog as their native language, not many books are written

in their languages. The situation varies depending on the language, as some regional

languages are larger and have more reach than others. Visayan languages with more

speakers, like Cebuano and Hiligaynon, are large enough to have their own TV and radio

stations. But in general, most Philippine languages are in the shadow of English and

Tagalog. Still, there are some important works that can be found in these other

languages. The Bible has been translated into every major Philippine language –

whether Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Pangasinense, Kapampangan, Waray, Hiligaynon,

Kinaray-a, and others. YouTube is also a goldmine for finding songs, comedy skits,

amateur films, and all manner of material in these languages. The value of this material

is more educational than literary. Most Filipinos born abroad have a difficult enough time

learning Tagalog, let alone the regional language that their parents might speak. But

these materials have the potential to teach them how.

A Survey of Philippine Literature by Cristobal Zarco, May 3, 2015

The Philippines has a very rich but fragmented literary tradition. Indeed, because of the

number of languages in the islands, it has been difficult for a single book or novel to

have an effect nationwide. Class also plays a role, as the educated elite and the masses

rarely speak the same language. Regardless, over the past two centuries, our authors

have created a literature distinctly our own. What remains for us to do today is to

appreciate it and contribute to it. In the 21 st century diaspora era, Filipinos have reached

more parts of the globe than ever before.  Europe, North America, the Middle East, and

the rest of Asia are familiar places in the mind of the OFW. With such global reach, the

wealth of languages in our literary tradition should be strength, not a weakness. We have

a rich literary tradition, one that should not be ignored, and one that we should contribute

to.