Reference No: KLL-FO-ACAD-000 | Effectivity Date: August 3, 2020 | Revisions No.

: 00

VISION MISSION
A center of human development committed to the pursuit of wisdom, truth, Establish and maintain an academic environment promoting the pursuit of
justice, pride, dignity, and local/global competitiveness via a quality but excellence and the total development of its students as human beings,
affordable education for all qualified clients. with fear of God and love of country and fellowmen.

GOALS
Kolehiyo ng Lungsod ng Lipa aims to:
1. foster the spiritual, intellectual, social, moral, and creative life of its client via affordable but quality tertiary education;
2. provide the clients with reach and substantial, relevant, wide range of academic disciplines, expose them to varied curricular and co-curricular
experiences which nurture and enhance their personal dedications and commitments to social, moral, cultural, and economic transformations.
3. work with the government and the community and the pursuit of achieving national developmental goals; and
4. develop deserving and qualified clients with different skills of life existence and prepare them for local and global competitiveness

DISCLAIMER: The contents of this module including the clip arts, cartoons, and photos were lifted from
different sources including but not limited to books, pdf files and websites. The credits and copyright of the
materials are given to its respective rightful authors and creators. More so, this module has been
conceptualized and localized for the purpose of the educational distance learning of Kolehiyo ng Lungsod
ng Lipa College of Communication Arts. In no way does this module should be reproduced, sold and used
for commercial purposes and by other academic institutions.

Lesson 1
Philippine Literature- Pre-Spanish Era

Historical background of Pre-Spanish Period

Welcome back my Philippine Literature students! This topic
about Pre-Spanish Period is a very exciting one because it will
bring us back to the time when our ancestors are still enjoying
the blessings of freedom to carve their own destiny under the
heavens. The days when they are but free to move elsewhere,
free to explore their environs, free to discourse with their fellow
freemen and free to chart their own lives.

Our forefathers already have a body of literature even before

the arrival of the Spaniards. They have customs and traditions comparable to other parts of the globe. They
have their own system of writing, alphabet, and other nuance of a working body of literature. They are
trading with the neighboring countries of Japan, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, and Arabia. In short, they
are not savage nor uncivilized as maliciously declared by some friars during the Spanish colonization.

Our many languages are related to the Malaya-Polynesian Family of Languages spoken in vast areas
covering mainland Southeast Asia, East Timor, Polynesia, Micronesia and South Pacific Islands. We have
our own system of writing called Baybayin consisting of 3 vowels and 14 consonants. Baybayin came
from the word “baybay” which means “spelling”. The image below shows the Baybayin characters and the
corresponding sound represented.

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The three vowels are “a”, “e-i”, and “o-u”. The first character has only one pronunciation, while the second
and third, has two, depending on the thought and meaning presented. The fourteen consonants include [b,
k, d, g, h, l, m, n, ng, p, s, t, w, y]. The pronunciation of these is varied too. Add vowels and you will change
some scripts. Remove vowels and add crosses below. You can use it freely.

Now, going back to our Philippine literary pieces during the Pre-Spanish period. Majority of these are in oral
traditions. Our ancestors love to communicate as evidenced by a great deal of surviving records. Their
written accounts are not inferior too. They used leaves, barks of trees, bamboo cylinders, dried muds and
jars as stationery. Their pen would be any pointed metal, stick, knife and others used to engrave and imprint
their message. However, the exposure to elements destroyed a great majority of these works. The invading
Spaniards destroyed and burned them too, thinking that these were works of the devil. One interesting
artifact that endured the test of longevity is the Laguna Copperplate Inscription.

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Pre-Spanish Prose
1. Legends. Pre-Spanish legends are fictitious narratives which explain the origin of things, places, or
names. The early Filipino customs are also depicted in them as it entertains the people during
gatherings and occasions.

A. Examples include “The Legend of the Tagalog” of the Tagalogs and

B. “The Legend of the Philippine Archipelago” of the Visayans. We will study the Legend of the
Tagalog and the legend Why the Sea is Salty, both Ilokano and Tagalog versions.

2. Folktales. Folktales are stories made up about life, adventures, love, horror and humor where one
can derive lessons about life. Long before Literature was committed to writing, tales and other similar
forms were narrated. These tales are classified into Myths, fables, and legends. Some were told in
verse: others in prose. Practically every Philippine linguistic group created fantastic stories for itself.
Some attempted to clarify the origin of their land, the fruit trees, the peculiar form and behavior of
the birds and fishes, insects and others.

A. Popular examples include “The Sun and the Wind” and

B. “The Boy who became a Stone” of the Tingguians.

Pre-Spanish Poetry
Ancient Filipino poetry is an extension of earlier cultures of Southeast Asia, the ancestral home of most
Filipino Malays. These early poems are comparatively few, and most hold little literary value. Products of a
formative age, they are nevertheless important as tangible evidence of the existence of an ancient Filipino
culture.

Ancient poetry sprang from sources close to the religious and political organizations of the ancient Filipinos.
It also arose from personal relationships and social institutions.

There were metrical accounts of native Filipino gods and their deeds.

Songs and verses filled early religious practices: to press devotion, to atone for sins, to minister to the sick,
and to bury the dead. Verses were composed also to pray for abundance and happiness: in the home, on
the farm, on the sea, and elsewhere. In like manner, it aired love and loyalty for the barangay and its rulers.

Love was a potent source of poetry. The home led also to the fabrication of verses dealing with courtship,
betrothal, and wedding. Balayang, according to Antonio de Morga in 1592, was a wedding ballad in
Batangas. Papuri (meaning praise) was known to the people in Tayabas (now Quezon Province).
Onseguep, bansal, and pagatin are Pangasinan terms referring to premarital and post-marital ceremonies.

1. Folksongs. Folksongs are the oldest forms of Philippine Literature that emerged which are composed
mostly of 12 syllables per line of four in a verse. These songs mirrored the culture of each group singing

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 specific song per occasion/celebration/activities. Listed below are some of these songs and the
corresponding occasion/celebration/activities.

A. Kundiman – Songs of Love/Serenading songs

B. Kumintang – War/Battle songs
C. Dalit – Worship songs
D. Oyayi/Hele – Lullaby songs
E. Diana/Danaya – Wedding songs
F. Soliraning – Laborer/Workmen songs
G. Talindaw – Fisher/Fishing songs
H. Tagumpay/Talindad - Songs of Victory
I. Kudanag- Accounts of Battle
J. Sambotan/Tagulaylay- Songs of hanging a captured enemy

2. Epics. Epics are long narrative poems in which a series of heroic achievements or events usually of a
hero involving supernatural forces/phenomena. Listed below are some of the epics celebrated among
the various groups in the country.

A. Biag ni Lam-ang – Ilokanos

B. Hudhod hi Aliguyon – Ifugaos
C. Alim – Ifugaos
D. Ibalon – Bicol
E. Handiong – Bicol
F. Hinilawod – Bicol
G. Maragtas – Visayan
H. Haraya – Visayan
I. Lagda – Visayan
J. Hari sa Bukid – Visayan
K. Kumintang – Tagalog
L. Bernardo Carpio – Tagalog
M. Parang Sabir – Moro
N. Darangan – Moro
O. Indarapatra at Sulayman – Moro
P. Dagoy – Tagbanua
Q. Sudsod – Tagnbanua
R. Tatuaang – Bagobo

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3. Epigrams. Epigrams are more commonly called Salawikain. These have been customarily used and
served as laws or rules on good behavior. These are like allegories or parables that impart lessons for
the youth consisting of couplets (2-lines) which usually have rhyming end-syllables. These lessons in
life that they wish to impart are usually implied. Popular examples include:

A. “Aaanhin pa ang damo, kung patay na ang kabayo.”

B. “Sa marunong umunawa, sukat ang ilang salita.”

4. Riddles. They are called “Bugtong” by the Tagalogs and “Burburtia” among the Ilokanos. These are
made up of one or two measured lines which may consist of 4 to 12 syllables. They are often used to
stir a thought-provoking questions. They are often used for entertainment purposes during gatherings
and celebrations. Each group/region features unique riddles. Some of which are:

A. Riddle: “Maliit pa si kumpare, umaakyat na sa torre.” Answer: Langgam (ant)

B. Riddle: “Isda ko sa Mariveles, nasa loob ang kaliskis.” Answer: Sili (bell pepper)

5. Chants. Chants are customarily called “Bulong” or “Pasintabi” by the Tagalogs and referred to
as “Bari-bari” by the Ilokanos. These are sometimes in witchcraft or enchantment often with an
accompanying “Anting-anting” (amulet or talisman). Examples are:

A. Among the Visayans: “Ikaw na nagnakaw ng mais ko, lumuwa sana ang mga mata mo, mamaga
sana ang kamay mo, parusahan ka ng mga anito.”
B. Among the Tagalogs: “Tabi-tabi po kayo, ako’y magbubuhos ng tubig at mainit ito, kung masaktan
ko kayo, pagpasensiyahan niyo na po.”

6. Sayings. Sayings are more commonly called Sawikain. They are used to emphasize lessons for the
youth and these lessons are explicitly stated. Examples are:

A. “Pag may itinanim, may aanihin.”

B. “Ang maglakad ng matulin, pag natinik ay malalim.”

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