21ST CENTURY
before 1542
LITERATURE
1 SEMESTER
THE PHILIPPINES
● BASIC FACTS
● The republic of the
Philippines is a sovereign
state in archipelagic
Southeast Asia, with 7,641
LITERATURE 101
islands
● The republic of the
Philippines is composed of
Luzon, Visayas, and
Mindanao island groups
● According to Britannica
Encyclopedia, “Philippine
society is a unique blend of
diversity and homogeneity”.
Although geographically part
of Southeast Asia, the
country is strongly Euro-
American
● HISTORICAL TIMELINE
● Despite its history, the
Philippines has been subject
to a number of foreign
invasions. These invasions
have shaped the Filipino
people’s history, culture,
traditions, and beliefs.
● The origin of Philippine
literature can only be traced
by exploring its evolution
from pre-colonial up to the
present. Thus, studying the
past becomes imperative in
understanding the literature
of the present.
● PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD:
● SPANISH COLONIAL
PERIOD: 1565
● AMERICAN COLONIAL
PERIOD: 1898
● JAPANESE COLONIAL
PERIOD: 1942
● MARTIAL LAW PERIOD:
1972
● TWO MAJOR FORMS OF
LITERATURE
1. POETRY - this literary type is
usually written in lines and is
characterized by having the
element of rhythm, sound,
imagery, and form. Its main
purpose is to express
feelings, thoughts, and ideas.
2. PROSE - in contrast to
poetry, this literary piece
applies in a natural flow of
speech and grammatical
structures which are mainly
consisting of complete
sentences arranged logically
and sequentially in a
paragraph form.
● OTHER LITERARY CONCERNS
➔ GENRE - is the classification
of literary work by its form,
content, and style.
➢ Poetry
➢ Fiction
➢ Non-fiction
➢ Drama
➔ FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE -
refers to language that uses
words in ways that deviate
from their literal
 interpretation to achieve a
more complex or powerful
effect.
➔ THEME - is a universal idea,
lesson, or message explored
throughout a work of
literature.
➔ TRADITIONS - refers to the
specific traits of literary
works that define a
generation or period in
history.
PHILIPPINE HISTORY
● PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD (900 - 1565)
➔ Literary works are mostly of
oral traditions due to the
unavailability of printing
materials
➔ Story -telling was used to
explain phenomena and to
teach wisdom.
ADDITIONAL
➔ Ancient people of the
Philippines are fond of
writing poems. All of their
rites and ceremonies always
had a poetry recited. All of
the women enjoyed being
equal status with men in their
society. They can even lead
their respective places and
territories. Meaning, they
have freedom to do what
they want.
➔ Pre-colonial Filipinos had
various forms of poetry,
including the ambahan
(seven-syllable lines), the
tanaga (four lines with seven
syllables each), and the
duplo ( a form of debate
poetry)
➔ The Philippines has its own
script known as BAYBAYIN,
which was used to write
various indigenous
languages. While it was not
as extensively recorded as
other scripts in Southeast
Asia, some inscriptions and
documents written in
Baybayin have been
discovered.
➔ Oral Literatures: Much of the
pre-colonial literature in the
Philippines was transmitted
orally. This included epics,
myths, legends, and folktales
passed down from
generation to generation
through oral storytelling.
Notable examples include
the “HUDHUD” and “ALIM”
epics of Ifugao people
➔ THEMES: life, its blessings,
consequences, ideas from
birth-death, spiritual,
cosmological, moral tales.
● SPANISH COLONIAL PERIOD (1565
- 1898)
➔ The focus of literature
centered on the Christian
faith because of the arrival
of the spaniards. (awit,
corido, pasyon, senakulo)
➔ Eventually, Filipino heroes
published literary works
which explored the themes of
nationalism, oppression, and
corruption.
● AMERICAN COLONIAL PERIOD
➔ Because of free public
education, Filipinos were
able to explore all forms of
 literature as influenced by
the Americans.
➔ During this period, short
stories written in english
were the most prevalent
literary form
● JAPANESE COLONIAL PERIOD
➔ English works were
prohibited by Japanese
authorities. Thus, authors
transitioned to writing in
Filipino. They were also
forbidden to write anything
against the government.
However, the japanese still
influenced the Filipinos with
some of their writing
traditions (HAIKU, TANKA)
● MARTIAL LAW PERIOD
➔ One of the most
unforgettable and
controversial periods during
the post-colonial era is
martial law during the
Marcos Sr regime.
➔ THEMES: oppressions,
human rights abuses
DECLARATION OF MARTIAL LAW
FERDINAND MARCOS SR
➔ 10TH PRESIDENT OF THE
PHILIPPINES
➔ born : September 11, 1917 in Ilocos
Norte
➔ died <3: September 28, 1989 in
Hawaii, U.S.
➔ spouse: Imelda Marcos
➔ children: Imee Marcos, Ferdinand
Marcos Jr., Irene Marcos-Araneta
➔ The first one to declare Martial Law
in the Philippines (last na din
syempre)
➔ “When Marcos declared Martial Law
in the Philippines, specific events
that he cited to justify his decisions
were: (1) the Communist insurgency,
(2) the ambush of his Minister of
Defense Juan Ponce-Enrile outside
the Wack-Wack subdivision.
* However, a contrasting account came
from Oscar Lopez, who lived along Nostre
Dame Street, Wack Wack Village, stating
that he HE HEARD A LOT OF SHOOTING
and that when he went out to see what was
happening, he saw an empty car riddled
with bullets. Lopez’s driver, who happened
to see the incident, narrated that “there
was a car that came and stopped beside
a meralco post. Some people got out of
the car, and then there was another car
that came by beside it and started
riddling it with bullets to make it look like
it was ambushed.”
* Moreover, a retired Philippine
Constabulary-Integrated National Police
(PC-INP) general, Ramon Montano, who
investigates the ambush believes it was
fake
* JUAN PONCE ENRILE admitted that the
ambush was staged.
* ALMONTE AND MELCHOR’s study “while
martial law may accelerate development, in
the end the Philippines would become a
political archipelago, while debilitation,
factionalized politics.
* SEPTEMBER 21, 1972 - the actual document
for implementation of martial law had been
signed.
* SEPTEMBER 23, 1972 - martial law was
officially announced.

APO ON THE WALL

BERNARD JULIAN “BJ” PATINO
➔ A member of davao writer’s guild
➔ Photojournalist of mindanao news
and information cooperative center
➔ MA literature and cultural studies,
1997, ateneo de manila university
➔ Faculty member of the english
department at ateneo
➔ Assistant professor at the UP
diliman
➔ Research interest: indigenous
studies, visual culture.
➔ The persona in the poem is a little THE SAFE HOUSE
boy or child
→ SAFE HOUSE is a dwelling or
➔ The speaker’s child is not allowed to
building whose conventional
enter the room
appearance makes it a safe or
➔ because there are dangerous items
inconspicuous place for hiding,
found inside it. In addition , it also
taking refuge, or carrying on
symbolizes the secretive
clandestine activities.
government during the martial law
→ The central character in the story is
period.
only five years old
➔ “Apo” is the master of the child’s
→ The people coming in and out of the
father. Represents former president
house were strangers.
Marcos sr.
→ These people pretended to have
birthday parties to conceal their
secret meeting against the
government
→ The fat chinese man wearing a cap
described by the girl was MAO
ZEDONG, a former president in
china and the leader of chinese
communist party.
→ The red book is about COMMUNISM
that covers social classes, revolution,
and ideology of communism
→ The mother left in distress because
she did not want to get involved any
longer with the plans of revolt
against the government.
→ The military discovered there was a
rebellion being planned in their
house
 → The now grown up girl locked the thailand, and the slovak
door of her house to protect herself republic
from further harm.

SANDRA NICOLE ROLDAN PRELUDES

⇢ A PhD candidate at the royal
melbourne institue of
technology university
⇢ Assistant professor at the UP
diliman where she teaches
creative writing and
literature
⇢ Currently working on essay
and story collections, and
collaborating on an oral
history project with fellow
martial law babies
Nenita tolerated her husband’s affairs with
⇢ Lives in quezon city with her
other women. But Because she loved him so
husband and two dogs
much, she never complained about his
infidelity. Moreover, she still took care of her
husband who was,at that time, having a
LENGUA PARA DIABLO
heart problem caused by alcohol. Nenita’ s
→ The protagonist in the story is
friend, who was a herbalista, had just the
named Nenita, a 12 year old girl
right concoction for her husband’ s ailment.
whose dream is to become a
Even the doctors confirmed that her
successful cook
husband’s healing was progressing.
→ “Devil ate my words” the father had
However, when her husband was getting
no longer had anything to say
better, it was reported that he went to
because he is unemployed and it
Manila with the judge ’ s widow while using
disappoints the mother. Expression
money his family had sent them for his
to calm his wife. It means that he is
continued medication. After knowing about
not capable of fulfilling or doing the
the alleged affair between her husband and
things that he has promised before.
the judge ’ s widow, Nenita continued to
→ Devil represents unemployment and
give him a herbal brew. This time, it was a
poverty
different tea that contained dried purple
→ Nenita doesn't actually understand
leaves from Mt. Banahaw. These leaves
her father’s expression as she also
made her feel secured every now and then
shows problems with what the father
is trying to say.
Nenita noticed that her husband spent more
and more time alone in the toilet. Moreover,
MERLINA BOBIS
she also monitored her husband’S labored
⇢ She grew up in albay,
breathing and hi sheart's irregular beating
philippines
every night. Apparently, the herbal tea she
⇢ At the age of ten, she began
had been giving him lately was already
writing poetry
affecting her husband’s health. The day of
⇢ She is a writer and a
the judge ’ s ninth death anniversary finally
performer
came. That same day, Nenita firstly
⇢ Her plays have been
attended to the needs of her grandson to
produced/played on stage
send him off for the city in the morning.
and radio in australia,
Then, in the afternoon,she had fallen asleep
philippines, france, china,
and dreamt about attending Willie
Revillame ’ s afternoon show, where she was
kissed, hugged, and soothed with words of
condolences by the host.

Nenita woke up from her siesta dream and

thought that her husband was there in front
of her, throwing curse words at her, even
though she knew that he was at the judge ’ s
death anniversary party at the Municipal
Hall. Nenita was picking herbs outside her
home for a medicinal brew.She noticed that
everything went quiet when she heard her
husband’ s singing voice coming from the
Municipal Hall. Andatthree o ’ clock in the
afternoon, her husband, while singing a
Spanish song in the party, collapsed on a
chair and died. From That moment,
everything went quiet again for Nenita She
Went back to her house

DARYLL DELGADO
⇢ She holds degrees in
journalism and comparative
from the UP diliman
⇢ Taught in the UP de manila
⇢ Heads the research and
stakeholder engagement
programs for southeast asia
and write global reports on
labor issues

NARRATIVE TECHNIQUES
⇢ FORESHADOWING - use to
hint at or indicate something
that will happen later in the
story. Can be directly or
indirectly shown in the story
⇢ CHEKHOV’s GUN - every
element in a story must be
necessary.
⇢ RED HERRING - to divert
attention. To throw off
readers and lead them to
false conclusion