Slobodan Milosević, a former President of Serbia, once said that “The loss of

national identity is the greatest defeat a nation can know, and it is inevitable under
colonialism.” As Filipinos, we are well aware that we have been colonized for
centuries. Philippines’ culture has been the incorporation of culture of colonizing
countries in addition to ours. From architecture, traditions, and literature, our identity
as a nation changed over the years of being colonized. Our form of writing changed,
as pre-colonial Philippines was using Baybayin as a writing system, which altered
when we were introduced to the alphabet, which we still use today. But how do these
factors impact the nation's identity? What role does literature have in shaping a
nation's identity?

Philippine Literature is not just about the narrative of historical periods, it is also
the struggles, defeats, and victories of the country portrayed in interactive art from
past up to present. Among the numerous Philippine Literature, Noli Me Tángere and
El Filibusterismo are one of the most widely-known, which are even included in
Philippines’ education curriculum (Paciente, 2020). These eye-opening novels are
written by the national hero himself, Dr. Jose Rizal. Both works, set in the Philippines
during the Spanish colonial era, attempt to enlighten and bring Filipinos closer to the
truth. These writings sparked the nationalism of oppressed Filipinos and exposed the
cruelty and abuse of the Spaniards, resulting in the 1896 Philippine Revolution. All of
these are undeniable proof of how influential literature is and its impact on society.

Rizal also recognized the importance of embracing Tagalog, which is evident

when he attempted to write a novel in Tagalog entitled Makamisa. But later on
switched to Spanish as he view it as inappropriate to write in two languages as it
would sound like sermon of the friars. He also planned to study local languages such
as Bisayan and Mangyan and publish a dictionary of Philippine languages. Rizal
values native languages as it is the backbone of the country's identity. Which makes
sense since one of his most well-known quotes is “Ang hindi marunong magmahal
sa sariling wika, masahol pa sa hayop o malansang isda.” He also urged Filipinos in
Europe to not only read literatures about Philippines but to read literatures written by
Filipino authors because he believes that Philippine Literature cannot be written by a
single author but by a community of writers who can write truthfully. This relates to
the function of language in literature, since the language used is what composes and
provides identity to a national literature.
 Moreover, when we say Philippine Literature, it is not only about historical
literatures but literatures that are continuously being created in present times.
Philippine literature withstood time and periods and has evolved through
generations. These literary works rooted from all regions reflecting their culture,
society and lifestyle. (Cruz, 2018) As Rizal stated, a nation's literature is not only
what it was, but also what it has - and may become. National literature is literally the
journal of a one nation. It is the events that have occurred, are occurring, and will
occur. Literature is composed by writers based on their own experiences, the
environment and culture in which they live, events that have happened or are
happening, inspirations from literary works that they have read, and many other
factors. And these literatures are the identity of a nation, for what these literatures tell
are what the nation experienced.

It is true that our national literature is wobbling. Unsteady yet progressing. But
just like what the article said, the formation of the country is a never-ending process,
as literary works keep on blooming and the topics to write about are unending.
National literature must stay in a state of constant change since this is when it is
most free and creative. It needs to be open and welcoming because that is the only
circumstance to enable an author to truthfully write. Because when a literature
truthfully tell a story, it shapes the identity of the nation in its most genuine form, as
literature tells the story of one nation.

REFERENCES

Cruz, K. (2018, May 25). Introduction to Philippine literature. 21st Century Literature from
the Philippines and the World. Retrieved January 17, 2023, from
https://21stcenturylitph.wordpress.com/introduction-to-philippine-literature/

Milosević, S. (n.d.). Top 13 quotes by Slobodan Milosević: A-Z quotes. AZ Quotes. Retrieved
January 17, 2023, from https://www.azquotes.com/author/20389-Slobodan_Milosevic

Paciente, D. R. (2020, March 17). Dr. Jose Rizal's "The social cancer" and "Reign of greed".
Owlcation. Retrieved January 17, 2023, from https://owlcation.com/humanities/noli-
me-tangere-and-el-filibusterismo