Introduction to the

21st Century
Literature from
the Philippines
and the World

ANABELLE D. VILLARINO,LPT
Subject Teacher
 What is
Literature?
Literature is...

• Is a body of written works.

• Originated from oral
traditions.
• Are imaginative works.
• Deals with stories and poetry.
• The content depends on the
author.
 Three Points
of Literature
Literature
portrays Authors
human interpret
experience. It is an art
these human
form and a
experiences.
style of
expression.
The
Literary
Periods
 BC-1564
The
PRE-COLONIAL
Period
 Page 1
The evolution of Philippine

literature depended on the influences

of colonization and the spirit of the

age.

The first Filipino alphabet called

BAYBAYIN was replaced by the

Roman alphabet.
 Indigenous Philippine literature was based on

traditions and customs of a particular area of the

country.

Philippines is an archipelago country, consisting

several islands, (7,107 islands to be exact), and each

of those islands has its specifications of cultures and

traditions, bearing different set of native literature.

 Ancient literatures were written on the

perishable materials like dried leaves,

bamboo cylinder, and bark of the trees.

Literatures were handed down to us

through the word of mouth.

Forms
ORAL FOLK SONGS FOLK TALES
LITERATURE A. Lullabies A. Myths
B. Drinking
A. Riddles B. Legends
Songs
B. Proverbs C. Fables
C. Love
Songs D. Epics
D. Songs of
Death
E. Religious
Songs
RIDDLES (MGA BUGTONG)
• These are statements that contain
superficial words, but they function
figuratively and as metaphors, and
are in the form of questions.
• These are questions that demand
deeper answers.
• Deals with everyday life.
• It usually has mundane things as
answers.
• This is used in the past as a form of
game in small or large gatherings.
PROVERBS (MGA SALAWIKAIN)
• These are statements that
are considered as wise.
• These are usually given by
parents or elders of the
community.
• There is belief that
experience is the best
teacher.
FOLK SONGS
• These are folk lyrics that are usually
chanted.
• These usually contain ideas on
aspirations, hopes, everyday life and
expressions of love for loved ones.
• It is bounded by the learning of good
morals.
• It is easy to understand because it is
straightforward and not figurative in
nature.
Forms
LULLABIES
these is locally known as the Hele. These are sung
to put to sleep babies. The content varies, but
usually, parents sing these with ideas on how hard
life is and how they hope that their child will not
experience the hardships of life.

DRINKING SONGS
these are locally known as Tagay and are sung
during drinking sessions.
Forms
LOVE SONGS
to many Filipinos, these are known as the Harana. It can also
be called Courtship Songs and are used by young men to
capture the heart of the girl that they love.
RELIGIOUS SONGS
are songs or chants that are usually given during
exorcisms and thanksgiving during good harvest.

SONGS OF DEATH
are lamentations that contain the roll of good deeds that
the dead has usually done to immortaliz his or her good
image.
Folk tales (Mga kwentong bayan)
• These are stories of native Filipinos.
• These deal with the power of naturepersonified,
their submission to a deityusually Bathala- and
how this deity is responsible for the blessings and
calamities.
• These also tackle about irresponsibility, lust,
stupidity, deception, and fallibility that
eventually leads to the instilling of good morals.
Usual Themes
• Ceremonies needed to appease the
deities.
• Pre and Post apocalypse
• Life and Death
• Gods and Goddesses
• Heroes and Heroines
• Supernatural beings
• Animals
Forms
• Myths- these tackle the natural to
strange occurences of the earth and how
things were created with an aim to give
an explanation to things.
-There is Bathala for the Tagalogs and
the Gueurang for the Bikolanos. -
Paradise is known as Maca, while Hell is
Kasanaaan
Forms
Legends Fables Epics
through legends, the are short or brief
natives uderstood stories that cater
are very lengthy
mysteries around the children of the narratives that are
them. These stories based on oral
native Filipinos and
usually come with a traditions. These
are usually
moral lesson that
bounded by good contain
give credit to
manners and right encounters of
supernatural
conduct. These fighters,
powers,
supernatural stories use animals stereotypical
occurences, and as characters that
princes or heroes
other out-ofthis- represent a
that save a damsel
world native particular value or
characteristic. in distress.
imagination.
 1521-1898
The Spanish
Period
The Spanish Period
•The start of the Philippine's more
colorful history took place in March 6,
1521 when Ferdinand Magellan docked
on the shores of Homonhon.

•The Filipinos were then called

“Ladinos”, meaning they were
latinized.
T h e S p a n i s h P e r io d
•Filipinos were called two things. One is
the “Taga-Bayan”, while the other is the
“Taga-bukid” or “Taga-bundok”.

•A person who is a Taga-bayan is

considered urbane and civilized and were
in easy range of the church and state.
T h e S p a n i s h P e r io d
•A person who is a Taga-bundok or
Taga-bukid is called a Bruto Salvage
(Savage Brute) or Indio and were the
ones who lived far from the center of
the Spanish power.
Forms
1. Religious Literature
a. Pasyon b. Senakulo c. Komedya

2. Secular or Non-Religious Literature

a. Awit b. Korido c. Prose Narratives

3. Propaganda Literature
4. Revolutionary Literature
R e l ig i o us Literature

Revolves around the life and

the death of Jesus Christ.
F o r m s o f R e lig io us Literature:

Pasyon- it is about the passion

(journey and suffering) and the death
of Jesus
Christ.

Senakulo- it is the re-enactment of

the Pasyon.
F o r m s o f R e lig io us Literature:

Komedya- it depicts the European society

through love and fame, but can also
be a narrative about a journey, just like
Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. It is
also considered religous, because it
usually depicts the battle between the
Christians and the Saracens or the Moros.
S e c u l a r o r N on -
R e l i g i o us Literature

•Revolves around
tales of valiance and
adventure.
F o r m s o f Se c ula r o r N o n -
R e l i g i o us Literature:

Awit- these are tales of chivalry where

a knight saves a princess. Florante at
Laura is a good example.

Korido- is a metrical tale or a tale that

follows the struture of a poem.
F o r m s o f Se c ula r o r N o n -
R e l i g i o us Literature:

Prose Narratives- are easy to

understand instructional materials
that in a literary light that teaches
Filipinos on proper decorum.
Pagsusulatan ng Dalawang Binibini na
si Urbana at Feliza (1864) is a good
example.
P r o p a g a n d a Literature

• These were in the forms of satires,

editorials, and news articles that aimed to
attack the Spanish Rule.

• The propaganda trinity is composed of

Dr. Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. Del Pilar, and
Graciano Lopez Jaena
Filipino w rit e r s i n S p a n i s h b e c a m e
c o n s c i o u s for t h e s e a r c h for f r e e d o m
a. Pasyon Dapat Ipag-alab ng Puso by
Marcelo H. del Pilar expressed his
rebellious writing style was identified.

b. Pascual Poblete’s Patnubay sa

Binyagan associated Filipinos’ struggle
for independence with Jesus’ life.
Filipino w rit e r s i n S p a n i s h b e c a m e
c o n s c i o u s for t h e s e a r c h for f r e e d o m

c. Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and

El Filibusterismo made very
powerful contributions among the
Filipinos the introduction of
rejecting Spanish rule. He also
influenced the succeeding writers.
Filipino w rit e r s i n S p a n i s h b e c a m e
c o n s c i o u s for t h e s e a r c h for f r e e d o m

d. The narrative poems Awit

and Corrido talked about world
of royals, warriors and lovers
(the basic concept in Florante
at Laura).
Filipino w rit e r s i n S p a n i s h b e c a m e
c o n s c i o u s for t h e s e a r c h for f r e e d o m

e. Komedya. Francisco Baltazar’s

Florante at Laura embodied the
concept of colonization and
oppression which gave voice to their
revolutionary action towards
freedom.
 1900-1 9 4 2
T h e AMERICAN
Period
T h e A m e r i c a n P e r io d
• The Philippines had a great leap in
Education and Culture.

• The use of English alongside

Filipino was practiced.

• The Philippines Public School

system was introduced.
T h e A m e r i c a n P e r io d
• Free public instruction was given to
the Filipinos.

• The literature during the American

period was considered as imitative of
American model. Instead of asking the
students to write originals, students
ended up following the form of
American poets.
T h e A m e r i c a n P e r io d

Short story writers in English like

Manuel Arguilla in his “A Son is
Born,” was one of the foundations
of the Philippine literature, not in
Tagalog or in Spanish, but during
this time, in English. Poetry in
English was also founded.
T h e A m e r i c a n P e r io d

Sarzuela was overpowered by

English drama.

Even if Philippine literature was in

English, the preservation of the
content for Filipino experiences
was achieved.
Forms

1. Poetry- poetry under the

American rule still followed the
style of the old, but had contents
that ranged from free writing to
societal concerns under the
Americans.
Forms

2. Drama- was usually used in the

American period to degrade the
Spanish rule and to immortalize
the heroism of the men who
fought under the Katipunan.
Forms

3. Remake Novels- took up

Dr. Jose Rizal's portrayal of
social conditions by
colonial repression.
 1941-1 9 4 5
T h e JAPANESE
Period
 1946- 1 9 8 5
T h e REPUBLIC
T h e J a p a n e s e P e r io d

• The Philippine literature came into

a halt.

• The use of the English language

was forbidden, and the use of the
Filipino language was mandated
under the Japanese rule.
T h e J a p a n e s e P e r io d

• For some this was a problem,

but to most writers, it was a
blessing in disguise.

• Almost all news papers were

stopped except for some.
T h e J a p a n e s e P e r io d

• Filipino literature was given a

break during this period. Many
wrote plays, poems, short
stories, etc. Topics and themes
were often about life in the
provinces.
Forms

1. Poetry
- The common theme of most
poems during the Japanese
occupation was nationalism,
country, love, and life in the
barrios, faith, religion and the
arts.
Forms

2. Fiction

- The field of the short story

widened during the Japanese
Occupation. Many wrote short
stories.
Forms

3. Drama
- The drama experienced a lull during
the Japanese period because movie
houses showing American films were
closed. The big movie houses were just
made to show stage shows. Many of the
plays were reproductions of English
plays to Tagalog.
Forms
4. Newspapers
- Writings that came out during this period
were journalistic in nature. Writers felt
suppressed but slowly, the spirit of
nationalism started to seep into their
consciousness. While some continued to
write, the majority waited for a better
climate to publish their works.
Forms

5. Essays
-Essays were composed to
glorify the Filipinos and at the
same time to figuratively
attack the Japanese.
1946 to Present
The
Contemporary
Period
T h e C o n t e m p o r a r y P e r io d

This period started during the

rebirth of freedom in (1946-to
present). The Americans returned
in 1945. Filipinos rejoiced and
guerrillas that fled to the mountain
joined the liberating American
Army.
T h e C o n t e m p o r a r y P e r io d

On July 4, 1946, the Philippines

regained its freedom and the
Filipino flag waved joyously alone.
The chains were broken.
T h e State o f Literature
d u r i n g t h is P e r io d

The early post-liberation period

was marked by a kind of “struggle
of mind and spirit” posed by the
sudden emancipation from the
enemy, and the wild desire to see
print.
T h e State o f Literature
d u r i n g t h is P e r io d
a. Heart of The Islands (1947) – a collection of
poems by Manuel Viray
b. Philippines Cross Section (1950) – a
collection of prose and poetry by Maximo
Ramos and Florentino Valeros

c. Prose and Poems (1952) – by Nick Joaquin d.

Philippine Writing (1953) – by T.D. Agcaoili
T h e State o f Literature
d u r i n g t h is P e r io d
e. Philippine Havest – by Amador Daguio

f. Horizons Least (1967) – a collection of works by

the professors of UE, mostly in English (short
stories, essays, research papers, poem and drama)
by Artemio Patacsil and Silverio Baltazar. The
themes of most poems dealt with the usual love of
nature, and of social and political problems. Toribia
Maño’s poems showed deep emotional intensity.
T h e State o f Literature
d u r i n g t h is P e r io d
g. Who Spoke of Courage in His Sleep – by NVM
Gonzales

h. Speak Not, Speak Also – by Conrado V.

Pedroche

i. Other poets were Toribia Maño and Edith L.

Tiempo, Jose Garcia Villa’s Have Come, Am Here
has won acclaim both here and abroad
The New Filipino Literature during
this Period
Philippine literature in Tagalog
was revived during this period.
Most themes in the writings dealt
with Japanese brutalities, of the
poverty of life under the Japanese
government and the brave guerilla
exploits.
1970 to 1972
Period of
Activism
A. Period of Activism
Many young people became activists
to ask for changes in the
government. In the expression of
this desire for change, keen were the
writings of some youth who were
fired with nationalism in order to
emphasize the importance of their
petitions.
The Literary Revolution
The youth became completely rebellious
during this period. This was proven not only
in the bloody demonstrations and in the
sidewalk expressions but also in literature.
Campus newspapers showed rebellious
emotions. The once aristocratic writers
developed awareness for society. They held
pens and wrote on placards in red paint the
equivalent of the word MAKIBAKA (To dare!).
Writing During the Period of Activism

The irreverence for the poor

reached its peak during this period
of the mass revolution. It was also
during this period that Bomba
films that discredit our ways as
Filipinos started to come out.
 1972-1980
Period of the
New Society
B. Period of the New Society
The period of the New Society started on
September 21, 1972. The Carlos Palanca
Awards continued to give annual awards.
Almost all themes in most writings dealt
with the development or progress of the
country –like the Green Revolution,
family planning, proper nutrition,
environment, drug addiction and
pollution.
B. Period of the New Society
The New Society tried to stop
pornography or those writings
giving bad influences on the
morals of the people. All school
newspapers were temporarily
stopped and so with school
organizations.
Filipino Poetry during the Period
of the New Society

Themes of most poems dealt with

patience, regard for native culture,
customs and the beauties of nature
and surroundings.
The Play under the New Society

The government led in reviving old

plays and dramas, like the Tagalog
Zarzuela, Cenaculo and the Embayoka
of the Muslims which were presented
in the rebuilt Metropolitan Theater, the
Folk Arts Theater and the Cultural
Center of the Philippines.
Radio a n d T e le v is io n

Radio continued to be patronized

during this period. The play series
like Si Matar, Dahlia, Ito Ang
Palad Ko, and Mr. Lonely were the
forms of recreation of those
without television.
Filipino F i l ms
A yearly Pista ng mga Pelikulang
Pilipino (Yearly Filipino Film
Festival) was held during this
time. During the festival which
lasted usually for a month, only
Filipino films were shown in all
theaters in Metro Manila.
Filipino F i lms
1. Maynila…Sa Mga Kuko Ng Liwanag written by Edgardo
Reyes and filmed under the direction of Lino Brocka. Bembol
Roco was the lead role.

2. Minsa’y Isang Gamu-Gamo, Nora Aunor was the

principal performer here.

3. Ganito Kami Noon…Paano Kayo Ngayon led by

Christopher de Leon and Gloria Diaz.

4. Insiang: by Hilda Koronel

5. Aguila: led by Fernando Poe Jr., Jay Ilagan and Christopher

de Leon
T h e Play u n d e r t h e N e w So c i e ty

The government led in reviving old

plays and dramas, like the Tagalog
Zarzuela, Cenaculo and the Embayoka
of the Muslims which were presented
in the rebuilt Metropolitan Theater, the
Folk Arts Theater and the Cultural
Center of the Philippines.
C o m i c s , M a g a zi n e s a n d o t h e r
Publications
In this period of the New Society,
newspapers donned new forms. News
on economic progress, discipline,
culture, tourism and the like were
favored more than the sensationalized
reporting of killings, rape and
robberies.
 1981-1985
Period of the
Third Republic
C. Period of the Third Republic

After ten years of military rule

and some changes in the life
of the Filipino which started
under the New Society,
Martial Rule was at last lifted
on January 2, 1981.
C. Period of the Third Republic
1. Filipino Poetry
• Poems during this period of the Third
Republic were romantic and
revolutionary. Writers wrote openly of
their criticism against the government.
The supplications of the people were
coached in fiery, colorful, violent,
profane and insulting language.
C. Period of the Third Republic

2. Filipino Songs
• Many Filipino songs dealt with
themes that were really true-to-life
like those of grief, poverty,
aspirations for freedom, love of
God, of country and of fellowmen.
Philippine Films during the Period

The yearly Festival of Filipino

Films continued to be held
during this period. The people’s
love for sex films also was
unabated. Below is the table of
the list of Philippine Films during
the Third Republic.
1986-Present
Rebirth of
Freedom
D. Rebirth of Freedom
History took another twist. Once more, the
Filipino people regained their
independence which they lost twenty
years ago. In the span of four days from
February 21-25, 1986, the so-called People
Power (Lakas ng Bayan) prevailed.
Together, the people barricaded the
streets petitioning the government for
changes and reforms.
Newspapers and other Publications

Newspapers which were once

branded crony newspapers
became instant opposition
papers overnight. This was true
of BULLETIN TODAY which
became the opposition paper.
Books
The Philippine revolution of 1986 and
the fire of its spirit that will carry the
Filipinos through another epoch in
Philippine history is still being
documented just as they have been in
the countless millions who
participated in body and spirit in its
realization.