Highlights of Philippine

Literature & Philippine

Events

Before the conquest

22,000

B.C. man inhabits tabon

caves for almost 40,000 years
25,000 Negritos from the Asian
mainland people of the Philippines
1 B.C. ancient Filipinos build rice
terraces
960 Chinese trades flow in the
Philippines
15th C spread of islam in the
southern Philippines

Pre-Colonial Literatures
Early

Filipino literature represents

ethnic groups heritage
Early literature is created by ordinary
folks to express tradition, belief and
custom of those times.
Folk literature has a religious or
sacred character ritualistic verses
Early literature
-oral
- written

Ancient

folks used native syllabry

and wrote on fragile materials.
Songs and dances were part of their
religious and social rituals.
Mimetic dances often accompanied
the songs and rituals ad were the
originators of drama form
Riddles, proverbs, aphorism (saying),
maxims, ballads, folk lyrics, myths,
legends, fables, tales, and epics
were some of the literary types

Spanish period
Spanish Colonial Tradition (15651863)
Nationalistic Period (1864-1896)
1521- Rediscovery of the
Philippines. Ferdinand Magellan
reaches the Philippines
1543 Ruy Lopez de Villalobos
names Philippines after the king

1571

Adalantado Miguel Lopez

de Legaspi proclaims Manila as
the capital of the Philippines.
1593 Dominicans put out
Doctrina Cristiana, the first
printed book
1602 Fr. Francisco de San
Joseph, introduces printing by
typography
1610 Tomas Pinpin, ladino or
bilingual, publishes his Spanish
grammar for the use of Tagalogs

1871

Cavite mutiny
1887 Noli Me Tangere is published
1888- El Filibusterismo is published
1892- Andres Bonifacio founds
KATIPUNAN
1893 zarzuela is introduced
1896 the cry of Pugad lawin. The
Philippine revolution breaks out
1899 Antonio Luna publishes La
indepenencia, spanish
revolutionary literature

Essential Features of Spanish

Literature
Literature

was used as a tool for religious

conquest.
Baybayin, the first Filipino alphabet was
replaced by Roman writing
Spanish language became the literary
language
The friars produced a variety of religious
manuals, grammar books, and dictionaries in
the vernacular

Spanish

missionaries utilized
the stage to propagate the
Christian religion.
Literature was predominantly
religious and moral in
character and tone.
Nationalistic period saw the
growth of reformist and
revolutionary literatures.

The

rich young Filipinos studied liberal

arts in Europe. They introduced the
reformist literature.
There was a shift in the used of
language from Spanish to Filipino.
Realism emerged in Philippine writing
through Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo.
Lyric, narrative, corrido, pasyon, duplo,
karagatan, comedia, moro-moro,
cenaculo, zarzuela, carillo, biographies
of saints and doctrines were the
famous literary types

United States Colonial

Rule

Period of Apprenticeship (1910-1930)

Period of emergence (1920-1945)
1898 the American congress declares a
state of war between the US and Spain.
1898 Philippine Independence is declared

1898-1899

Jose Palma writes

filipinas, a poem which became
the text of the Lupang Hinirang.
1898 First Philippine Republic,
E. Aguinaldo
1899 the Filipino American
war breaks out.
1900 Pres.Mackinley issues a
directive to the Philippine
Commission on making English
the official medium of instruction
in public schools

1901-

American passes the antinationalist laws Sedition of law

which imposes death penalty on
anyone who advocates
independence or separation from
the US even by peaceful means.
1901 Training of teachers.
Philippine Normal School is
established.
1902 Filipinos armed
resistance against the American
ends

1903

Zarzuela, dominates the

stage
1907 Philippine Free Press,
early periodical is published.
1908 University of the
Philippines is founded
1921 the birth of Philippine
novel in English Zolio Galangs A
Child of Sorrow
1925 Dead Stars, first short
story in English is published

1932

Commonwealth Literary
Contest award first prize How
my Brother Leon brought home a
wife
1935 Commonwealth president
is elected M.L. Quezon
1937 Pres proclaims Pilipino
based on the Tagalog dialect as
the national language of the
Philippines

Essential Features of American

Literature
English,

Spanish, and the

vernaculars flourished during the
period.

Period

of Orientation (18981910): American rule introduced

significant changes such as the
orientation to the democratic way
of life and new literary standards,

Period

of Apprenticeship (1910-1930):
Filipino writers imitated English and
American writers
Period of Emergence (1920-1945):
(a) writings were influenced by western
literary trends such as romanticism and
realism
(b) Short story flourished in quality and
quantity
(c) clash between Salvador P. Lopez and
Jose Garcia Villa over the social function of art
and art for arts sake
(d) The beginning of journalistic and critical
writing

Period

of Maturity and Originality

(1945-1960)
(a) Writers enjoyed political
independence
(b) The writers have mastered
English
(c) The influence of surrealism and
existentialism were evident in
some of the English fiction.

Japanese Occupation
1941

Dec.7 Japan leads an attack on

Pearl Harbor
1941 Japanese authorities push the use
of Tagalog as national language
1942 April the fall of Bataan: Death
March
1943 October 14 proclamation of a
Japanese sponsored Philippine Republic
with Jose P. Laurel as president
1944 (August 15) Liberation of
Philippines from Japan

Essential Features of Japanese

Literature
Japanese

authorities pushed the use of

Tagalog
Tagalog short story became popular
The literary activity as publication were
suspended or restricted
The Japanese promoted a cultural
reorientation away from American
influence
There was strict prohibition of the
Japanese regarding any writing in English

The

local theater became popular for

entertainment and it was used by
Filipino to expose the political, social
and economic conditions of the time
Strict prohibitions imposed by the
Japanese in writing and publishing of
work in English
Light slapstick comedies were staged
to attack the integrity of the
Japanese authorities
A great period for the Tagalog theater

Liberation or Postwar
Period
1941

Americans return
1942 inauguration of the Republic
of the Philippines after 48 years of
American colonial rule with Manuel
A. Roxas as president
1943 Without Seeing the Dawn,
first postwar novel by Stevan
Javellana, is published
1946 ( July 4) Philippines regains
its freedom

1946-1960
English

had been mastered by the

Filipino writers through their academic
training
The writers had better knowledge of
their craft and enjoyed political
independence
The writing and staging of Philippine
plays written in English became active
especially in 1954 when Carlos Palanca
Awards for Literature included one-act
play category prizes

The

literature in Tagalog was

rejuvenated
The political condition of the
country in the 60s led to the rise
of student activism

1948

Elpidio Quirino is elected as

president
1950 modern poetry is in full swing
1953 Ramon F. Magsaysay is
elected president
1957 Carlos P. Garcia becomes
president
1960 PETA (Philippine Educational
Theater Association) is founded by
Cecille Guidote
1961 Diosdado Macapagal is
elected president

1965

Sen. Ferdinand E. Marcos

is elected president of the
Philippines
1969 Marcos is re-elected for
another 4 years. The coming of
the vocal playwrights based in
universities, plays in streets,
strikes and protest march
1972 rise of the radical and
militant student activism. Marcos
declares martial law that resulted
to New Society

1970-1972 (Rise of Nationalism

and Student Activism)
Nationalism

was emphasized by
young and aspiring writers
Revolutionary form of literature
attacked the ills of the society
Campus newspapers played an
important role in attacking the ills
of the society and politics
It was an age of Realism for
Philippine theater

Period of the New Society

The

period of martial law begun

in 1972 and was officially lifted in
1981
The imposition of martial law
resulted in New Society: a
concept in Social Transformation
New critical theories such as
Formalism and Post-Structuralism
became popular
Provided a venue in reviving

Martial

law years marked the

repression and curtailment of
human rights including press
freedom
Bilingual education was initiated
by the Board of National
Education

1981-1985 (3rd Republic)

1981

the third Republic is freed from

martial rule
Recurrence of activism with the
assimilation of Senator Ninoy Aquino
The legendary EDSA Revolution or
People Power
Creative writing is part of the curricular
writings offered by academic institutions
Interest in writing bibliography (English
and Filipino

1983

Benigno S. Aquino, opposition leader, is

gunned down upon arrival in Manila
1986 Feb 7 a snap presidential election is held
with Marcos and Corazon Conjuangco Aquino in
contention.
1986 Feb.22-25 a four-day revolution
manifests the peoples massive popular desire for
change.
1986 Feb 25 Marcos is deposed by massive
show of people power. Cory Aquino takes her
oath of office as President of the Republic. She
restores democratic institutions in the country.
Marcos leaves the country.
1986 Aquino appoints Constitutional
Commission to draft a new constitution which
replaces the Freedom Constitution

1987

Ratification of the 1987

constitution of the Philippines
1990 the collection and study of
regional literatures has gained
motivation in contemporary times
1992 Fidel V. Ramos is elected
President of the Republic
1992 May 11 the National
Commission for Culture and the Arts
(NCCA) is created by law, superseding
the Presidential Commission on Culture
and the Arts which was established in
1987

1998

Joseph Ejercito Estrada

takes his oath of office as
President
2001 Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
takes her oath of office after the
second people power

Essential Features of
Contemporary/Modern Period Literature

Before the Declaration of Martial

Law
Literature
was used as an
expression of rebellious emotion
to urge social reforms.
Philippine writing in vernacular
became popular.
Through literary criticism, the
writers had the opportunity to
publish their studies and literary

New

criticism; post-structuralism,
post me-modernism continued to
surface in the approach to
literature.
Emergence of other literary
criticisms like feminism, gay, and
lesbian writing emerged
Continues to reflect on social,
political realities