21st CENTURY LITERATURE FROM THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD

VARIOUS DIMENSIONS OF PHILIPPINE LITERARY HISTORY FROM PRE-COLONIAL TO

CONTEMPORARY

PHILIPPINE LITERATURE DURING THE PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to identify the characteristics of precolonial literature of the
Philippines.

What texts are considered precolonial literature?

The precolonial literature includes all literature produced before the Spanish colonization like chants,
proverbs, songs, and folk narratives. These were all passed down from generation to generation by word of
mouth.

Philippine folk narratives are varied and distinct. They depict the people’s livelihood, customs, and traditions.

1. Folktale – This is a characteristically anonymous, timeless, and placeless tale circulated orally among
a people.
2. Fable – This features animal characters or inanimate objects that behave like people.
3. Legend – This is presented as history but is unlikely to be true.
4. Myth – This is told to explain a belief, a practice, or a natural phenomenon.
5. Epic – This narrative poem celebrates the adventures and achievements of a hero.

Folktales

 Folktales about Juan are very popular. Some emphasize certain virtues, and some serve as warning
about behavior. Also, some are for the reader’s amusement.

Example 1:
Juan Gathers Guavas (A Tagalog Folktale)

One day several neighbors came to Juan’s home to visit. His father wanted to give the guests something to eat,
so he sent Juan to get some ripe guavas for them.

Full of mischief, Juan decided to play a joke on his father’s guests. He went to get the guavas and ate all of
them while thinking of a good joke. Then he saw a wasp’s nest hung nearby. With some difficulty he managed
to take it down and put it into a tight basket. He hastened home and gave the basket to his father. Quickly he
left the room where the guests were and closed the door and fastened it.

As soon as Juan’s father opened the basket, the wasps flew over the room. With the door locked, the people
fought to get out of the windows. After a while Juan opened the door. When he saw the swollen faces of the
people, he cried.

“What fine, rich guavas you must have had! They have made you all so fat!”

Example 2:
Juan Pusong and His Father’s Cows (A Visayan Folktale)

One day Juan Pusong's father put his cows out to pasture. Juan slipped away from home and took the cows
into the forest and tied them there. When his father found out that the cows were missing, he looked around for
them. While looking, he ran into his son.

“Where did you come from?” he asked.

“I just came from school, Father. How about you, where are you going?”

“I am looking for our cows.”

“You don’t say!" said Juan.

By that time, everybody knew about Juan’s power as a seer. So, he took a little book from his pocket and
looked into it. He said, “Our cows are tied together in the forest.” So, his father went to the forest and found the
cows.
Later on, people would discover that Juan could not read even his own name. Consequently, his father beat
him for the trick he had played on him.

Fable

 The monkey is a common animal character in Philippine fables. It is often depicted as a cunning
animal.

Example:
The Monkey and the Crocodile (A Tagalog Fable)

One day, a monkey saw a tall macopa tree laden with ripe fruits, which stood by a wide river. It was hungry, so
it climbed the tree and ate all of the fruits. When it climbed down, it could find no means by which to cross the
river. Then it saw a young crocodile who had just woken up from its siesta. It said to the crocodile in a friendly
way, “My dear crocodile, will you do me a favor?”

The crocodile was greatly surprised by the monkey’s amicable salutation. So, it answered humbly, “Oh, yes! If
there is anything I can do for you, I shall be glad to do it.” The monkey then told the crocodile that it wanted to
get to the other side of the river. Then the crocodile said, “I’ll take you there with all my heart. Just sit on my
back, and we’ll go at once.”

The monkey sat firmly on the crocodile’s back, and they began to move. In a short while they reached the
middle of the stream. Then the crocodile began to laugh aloud. “You foolish monkey!” it said, “I’ll eat your liver
and kidneys, for I’m very hungry.” The monkey became nervous. Trying to conceal its anxiety, it said, “I’m very
glad that you mentioned the matter. I thought myself that you might be hungry, so I have prepared my liver and
kidneys for your dinner. Unfortunately, in our haste to depart, I left them hanging on the macopa tree. Let us
return, and I’ll get them for you.”

Convinced that the monkey was telling the truth, the crocodile turned around and swam back to the direction of
the macopa tree. When they got near the riverbank, the monkey nimbly jumped up onto the land and
scampered up the tree. The crocodile came to realize what happened and said, “I am a fool.”

Legend

 There are different Filipino legends of the great flood. The story of Bukidnon, for instance, tells that a
huge crab caused the water to rise by going into the sea. On the other hand, the Igorot story tells that
the sons of Lumawig the Great Spirit caused the flood.

Example 1:
The Flood Story (A Legend of Bukidnon)

A long time ago there was a very big crab which crawled into the sea. When it went in, it crowded the water out
so that it ran all over the earth and covered all the land.

Now about one moon before the flood happened, a wise man had told the people that they must build a large
raft. They did as he commanded and cut many large trees until they had enough to make three layers. These
they bound tightly together; when it was done, they fastened the raft with a long rattan cord to a big pole in the
earth.

Soon after the raft was done, the flood came. White water poured out of the hills, and the sea rose and covered
even the highest mountains. The people and animals on the raft were safe, but all the others drowned.

Soon the waters went down, and the raft was again on the ground. It was near their old home, for the rattan
cord had held.

The people on the raft together with the animals were the only ones left on the whole earth.

Example 2:
The Flood Story (A Legend of the Igorot)

Once upon a time, the world was flat, and there were no mountains. There lived two sons of Lumawig, the
Great Spirit. The brothers were fond of hunting; since no mountains had formed, there was no good place to
catch wild pig and deer. The older brother said, “Let us cause water to flow over all the world and cover it, and
then mountains will rise up.”
So, the brothers caused water to flow over all the earth. When it was covered, they took the head-basket of the
town and set it for a trap. They were very much pleased when they went to look at their trap, for they had
caught not only many wild pigs and deer but also many people.

Lumawig looked down from his place in the sky and saw that his sons had flooded the earth. However, there
was just one spot which was not covered. All the people in the world had been drowned except a brother and a
sister who lived in Pokis.

Then Lumawig descended, and he called to the boy and girl, saying, “Oh, you are still alive.”

“Yes,” answered the boy, “we are still alive, but we are very cold.”

So, Lumawig commanded his dog and deer to get fire for the boy and girl. The dog and the deer swam quickly
away. Lumawig waited a long time, but the dog and the deer did not return. All the time the boy and girl were
growing colder.

Finally, Lumawig himself went after the dog and the deer. When he reached them, he said, “Why are you so
long in bringing the fire to Pokis? Get ready and come quickly while I watch you, for the boy and girl are very
cold.”

Then the dog and the deer took the fire and started to swim through the flood. When they had gone only a little
way, the fire was put out.

Lumawig commanded the dog and the deer to get more fire, and they did so. However, they swam only a little
way again when that of the deer went out. That of the dog would have been extinguished also had not Lumawig
gone quickly to him and taken it.

As soon as Lumawig reached Pokis, he built a big fire which warmed the brother and sister. The water
evaporated so that the world was as it was before, except that now there were mountains. The brother and
sister married and had children, and thus there came to be many people on the earth.

Myth

 There are Philippine versions of the creation myth. The Igorot’s story tells that Lumawig the Great Spirit
created people. On the other hand, the Tagalog story tells that the first man and woman came from a
bamboo.

Example 1:
The Creation (An Igorot Myth)

In the beginning, there were no people on the earth. Lumawig, the Great Spirit, came down from the sky and
cut many reeds. He divided the reeds into pairs which he placed in different parts of the world, and then he said
to them, “You must speak.” Immediately the reeds became people, and in each place was a man and a woman
who could talk. However, the language of each couple differed from that of the others.

Then Lumawig commanded each man and woman to marry, which they did. By and by there were many
children, all speaking the same language as their parents. The children married and had many children of their
own. In this way, there came to be many people on the earth.

Now Lumawig saw that there were several things which the people on the earth needed to use, so he set to
work to supply them. He created salt and told the inhabitants of one place to boil it down and sell it to their
neighbors. However, the people could not understand the directions. The next time he visited them, they had
not touched the salt. So, he took the salt away from them and gave it to the people of a place called Mayinit.

The people of Mayinit did as Lumawig directed. Because of their obedience, he told them that they should
always be owners of the salt and that the other peoples must buy of them.

Then Lumawig went to the people of Bontoc and told them to get clay and make pots. They got the clay, but
they did not understand the molding; the jars were not well shaped. Because of their failure, Lumawig told them
that they would always have to buy their jars, and he removed the pottery to Samoki.

Lumawig told the people of Samoki what to do, and they did just as he said. Their jars were well shaped and
beautiful. Then Lumawig saw that they were fit owners of the pottery, and he told them that they should always
make many jars to sell.

In this way, Lumawig taught the people and brought to them all the things which they now have.
Example 2:
The Creation (A Tagalog Myth)

When the world first began there was no land. There were only the sea and the sky, and between them was a
kite. One day the bird which had nowhere to light grew tired of flying about, so she stirred up the sea until it
threw its waters against the sky. The sky, in order to restrain the sea, showered upon it many islands until it
could no longer rise, but ran back and forth. Then the sky ordered the kite to alight on one of the islands to
build its nest, and to leave the sea and the sky in peace.

Now at this time the land breeze and the sea breeze were married, and they had a bamboo as their child. One
day when the bamboo was floating about on the water, it struck the feet of the kite which was on the beach.
The bird, angry that anything should strike it, pecked at the bamboo. Out of one section came a man and from
the other a woman.

The earthquake called on all the birds and fish to see what should be done with the man and the woman, and it
was decided that they should marry. Many children were born to the couple, and from them came all the
different races of people.

After a while the parents grew very tired of having so many idle and useless children around. They wished to
be rid of them, but they knew of no place to send them to. Time went on, and the children became so
numerous that the parents enjoyed no peace. One day, in desperation, the father seized a stick and began
beating them on all sides.

The beating frightened the children so much that they fled in different directions. Some seek hidden rooms in
the house. Some concealed themselves in the walls. Some ran outside, while others hid in the fireplace.
Several fled to the sea.

Now it happened that those who went into the hidden rooms of the house later became the chiefs of the
islands; and those who concealed themselves in the walls became slaves. Those who ran outside were free
men; and those who hid in the fireplace became negroes; while those who fled to the sea were gone many
years, and when their children came back they were the white people.

Epic

 The Philippine epics are sung or chanted in episodes. They feature supernatural characters and reflect
the society where they originated. Also, there are different versions of a story.

Examples:
Biag ni Lam-ang

This Ilocano epic tells the adventures of Lam-ang, a man with supernatural powers. He goes to war at nine-
months-old and seeks the killers of his father. He embarks on a quest with his animal friends and meets his
future wife, Innes Kanoyan. He is swallowed by a fish and resurrected from death by his animal friends.

Hinilawod

This epic is of the Sulod, a group of people living in the mountains of central Panay. It tells the story of three
very strong men, namely, Labaw Donggon, Humadapnon, and Dumalapdap. They are the sons of Datu
Paubari, the ruler of Halawod, and the goddess Alunsina. The exploits of each son concerns beautiful women
that he wants to have as a wife.

Darangan

This Maranao epic depicts the adventures of a brave warrior named Bantugan. He owns a magical sword
protected by a spirit. After a battle, he rests and accidentally falls into the water. A crocodile finds him and
brings him to the enemies. He fights, regains his strength, and wins the war.

The precolonial literature of the Philippines includes all literature produced before the Spanish colonization. It
includes chants, proverbs, songs, spells, and different folk narratives like folk tales, fables, legends, myths, and
epics that were all passed down from generation to generation through the word of mouth.

PHILIPPINE LITERATURE DURING THE SPANISH COLONIAL PERIOD

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

  name some literary works published during the Spanish Colonial Period, and
 analyze some literary works.

What literary works were published during the Spanish occupation of the Philippines?
What do those works reflect about the life of Filipinos during this period in history?

Notes on the Spanish Colonial Period (1521–1898)

 Expeditions to the Philippines were sent by Spain in the 16th century. In their conquest, the Spaniards
brought Christianity with them. The clergy made a great impact on faith, education, and government.
 Through the Manila-Acapulco trade (1565–1815), liberal ideas entered the country. Also, the trade gave
rise to a wealthier middle class. Children in middle class families could then be sent to Europe to get an
education. Upon their return, they brought European ideals of liberty and freedom with them. Such
ideals would then give rise to Filipino nationalism.

Philippine Literature during the Spanish Occupation

The Spanish missionaries taught the gospel through the native language, so they hired natives to translate
Spanish religious instructional materials. Eventually, the natives became fluent in Spanish and became known
as ladinos.

Ladinos mainly wrote devotional poetry. Two of them were Fernando Bagongbanta and Gaspar Aquino de
Belen. Bagongbanta wrote “Salamat nang walang hanga/gracias de sin sempiternas,” which appeared
in Memorial de la vida cristiana en lengua tagala (1605), a book containing basic Catholic doctrines. On the
other hand, de Belen wrote “Ang Mahal na Passion ni Jesu Christong Panginoon natin na tola” (1704), the
earliest version of pasyon.

Also, the native drama called the komedya or moro-moro was popular. It depicted the war between Christians
and Muslims, wherein the former always wins. The poet Jose de la Cruz (1746–1829) was a master of such art
form.

Native literature continued. Though the Spaniards destroyed the written literature in their effort to replace it with
their own, the oral tradition survived and flourished in areas beyond the reach of the Spaniards.

Francisco Baltazar (1788-1862), the master of traditional Tagalog poetry, became well-known for his
work Florante at Laura (1838–1861), the most famous metrical romance of the country.

Pedro Paterno (1857–1911) wrote Sampaguitas y poesias varias (1880), the first poetry collection in Spanish
by a Filipino; and the novel in Spanish Ninay (1885), considered to be the first Filipino novel.

Jose Rizal (1861–1896), a prominent ilustrado and the country’s national hero, is famous for the novels Noli
Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. These novels portray the corruption and abuse of the Spanish officials and
the clergy.

Andres Bonifacio (1863–1897), the founder of the Katipunan, wrote the poem “Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa.”
This poem appeared in the Kalayaan, the official newspaper of the Katipunan, in March 1896.

Leona Florentino (1849–1884), known as the “mother of Philippine women’s literature,” was a poet in both
Ilocano and Spanish. Twenty of her poems were preserved and exhibited in Europe. The poems were included
in the Encyclopedia International des Oeuvres des Femme in 1889.

Philippine Literature during the Spanish occupation was mostly influenced by Christianity as well as the
European ideals of liberty and freedom through trade. Filipino writers either wrote in Spanish or in their own
tongue or both.

Philippine Literature during the American and the Japanese Periods

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

 identify some Filipino writers who produced significant works of literature during the American and
Japanese Periods (1898–1945), and
 analyze a poem by the Filipino poet Fernando Maramag.

Who wrote during the American and Japanese Periods?

What kind of literary forms did they produce?
What were the usual themes in their works?
Notes on the American Occupation
(1898–1940)

 The US established a civil government in 1901. Free public education was introduced. Also, English
was the medium of instruction.
 In 1934, President Roosevelt signed a bill making the Philippines a commonwealth. On May 14, 1935
Manuel L. Quezon was elected president.

Literary Works Produced

The production of literary works in English is the direct result of the American colonization of the Philippines.
The first collection of poetry in English is Filipino Poetry (1924), edited by Rodolfo Dato. The short story “Dead
Stars” (1925) by Paz Marquez Benitez is considered as the first Filipino modern short story in English. A Child
of Sorrow (1921) by Zoilo M. Galang is the first Filipino novel in English. The novel His Native Soil (1940) by
Juan C. Laya won first prize in the First Commonwealth Literary Awards in 1940.

Filipino writers in English during the apprenticeship period (1900–1930) imitated American writing. The poet
Fernando Maramag writes in the Romantic tradition in his sonnet “Moonlight on Manila Bay” (1912). Filipino
fictionists copied Sherwood Anderson, William Saroyan, and Ernest Hemingway. Jose Garcia Villa used the
Anderson pattern. Manuel Arguilla and N. V. M. Gonzalez were influenced by Anderson and Hemingway.
Francisco Arcellana was influenced by Saroyan.

Notes on the Japanese Occupation

(1941–1945)

 On December 8, 1941, the Japanese attacked Manila.

 On January 2, 1942, Japanese occupied Manila. They set up a Council of State in the country and
started propaganda to remold the Filipinos.
 In October 1943 the Japanese declared the Philippines “independent.” On September 20, Jose P.
Laurel was elected president.
 MacArthur and his Allied forces returned to the country in 1944. They landed on Leyte on October 20,
and the biggest naval battle in history ensued.
 The Japanese surrendered formally on September 2, 1945.

Literary Works Produced

During the occupation, publications were censored by the military. Also, Tagalog was declared an official
language (together with Nihonggo). In effect, Philippine literature in English came to a halt. Some Filipino
writers then turned to writing in Filipino.

The Tagalog short story reached its maturity during the period. The best works were compiled by
the Liwayway magazine editors in Ang Pinakamabuting Maikling Kathang Pilipino ng 1943, which came out in
1944. It is a collection of stories that won a contest sponsored by the Japanese. The top four stories were
“Lupang Tinubuan” by Narciso G. Reyes, “Uhaw ang Tigang na Lupa” by Liwayway Arceo, “Nayon at Dagat-
dagatan” by N. V. M. Gonzalez, and “Suyuan sa Tubigan” by Macario Pineda.

The American occupation of the Philippines spurred the writing of Filipinos in English. On the other hand, the
Japanese occupation censored literary works yet contributed to the maturity of the Tagalog short story.

Philippine Literature in the Postwar and Contemporary Period

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to identify postwar and contemporary literary authors and their
works and name their contributions to the development of literature in the Philippines.

What are the literary works published during the postwar and contemporary period in literature?

Postwar and Contemporary Literature

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to identify postwar and contemporary literary authors and their
works and name their contributions to the development of literature in the Philippines.

What are the literary works published during the postwar and contemporary period in literature?

Postwar and contemporary literature include all literary works written and published in the Philippines from
1946.
After World War II, the Philippines had to deal with the economy and the need for rehabilitation and
reconstruction of infrastructures. There was political, economic, and social confusion, as well as great poverty,
and these issues found their way into the short stories and novels during that time.

During the postwar period, Filipino writers got their inspiration from American teachers and were able to learn
their techniques, which also helped in mastering the English language.

Writers wrote fiction that focused on courageous deeds as well as the sacrifices and suffering in the lives of
Filipinos. It was also common for writers to write about the experiences of the Filipino people under the Spanish
and American rule and the Japanese Occupation. Other subjects and themes include:

 religious faith
 superstitions
 fantasy
 social problems
 poverty
 politics
 nationalism
 morality

Literary Works
Philippine literature flourished even more during the postwar and contemporary period. Writers were able to
produce short stories, novels, essays, and poems that continue to be read by Filipinos today.

Examples:
Some works written in the postwar and contemporary period are:

May Day Eve by Nick Joaquin, 1947

Waywaya by F. Sionil Jose, 1983
We Filipinos Are Mild Drinkers by Alejandro Roces, 1948
The Return by Edith L. Tiempo
History and Philippine Culture by Horacio de la Costa, 1965
Without Seeing the Dawn by Stevan Javellana, 1947

Explanation:
Nick Joaquin, a National Artist for Literature awardee, wrote articles under the name of Quijano de Manila. His
short story "May Day Eve," published in 1947, is about love in a patriarchal society. It also made use of magic
realism.

F. Sionil Jose, one of the most widely read Filipino writers in English, wrote the short story "Waywaya," which
is about pre-Hispanic society and the people’s struggle for moral order.

Alejandro Roces, a Filipino author, essayist, and dramatist, wrote the short story "We Filipinos Are Mild
Drinkers." This story focuses on the drinking habits and culture of Filipinos and Americans.

Edith L. Tiempo's poem "The Return" is a sentimental piece that talks about life in old age.

Horacio de la Costa wrote the essay "History and Philippine Culture," which emphasizes the importance of
understanding and presenting a nation’s culture.

Stevan Javellana wrote the first postwar Filipino novel in English, Without Seeing the Dawn. This novel
narrates what people experienced during World War II under the Japanese rule in the Philippines.

To be able to fully appreciate literature in the Philippines, as a reader and a critic, you must also be aware of
the country’s history, culture, society, and psyche (human spirit).