Philippine Literature During The

PANITIKANG FILIPINO
Philippine
Literature During
the Third Republic
Group III
Context
A WAR RIDDEN COUNTRY
On 4 July 1946, the Philippines was granted

independence by the United States, but the
devastation wrought by World War II—the loss
of a hundred thousand lives during the
“Liberation of Manila” and the destruction of an
estimated 1.2 billion US dollars' worth of
property, including historic buildings—was not
to be erased by a proclamation.
Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

World War II changed
Philippine literature in two
ways
1
Literary works, both oral and written, that
sought to deal with the trauma and the
atrocities brought about by the war emerged.
Cordillera people tend to be triumphalists,
while Tagalogs, Cebuanos, and Kapangpangans
leaned heavily on the dehumanizing
repercussions of war to their everyday lives.

World War II changed
Philippine literature in two
ways
2
The Japanese restricted publications,
consequently diminishing literary activity,
especially outside Manila. They discouraged
writing in English making Tagalog and
Niponggo the official languages. This led to a
hefty production of literary works centered
around the Tagalog dialect.

Postwar Literature
It was the Ramon Roces line of magazines—
Liwayway (Tagalog), Bisaya (Cebuano), Hiligaynon
(Ilonggo), and Bannawag (Ilocano)—that provided
space for Philippine writings in the native languages
after the war.
Other regional languages would fall behind in terms

of publications. Bikol and Kampapangan writings
shared the same fate when both of their respective
publications ceased to exist. Nonetheless, literary
production in the various Philippine languages
persisted.

The Return of Americans
The return of the Americans in 1945 meant the reestablishment of English
literary works in the country. Filipino writers produced work that showed
the facility with which they had appropriated the forms and language of
English.
The country's resigned dependence to US due to the financial need for

reconstruction and rehabilitation of the war-torn islands amplified the
assimilation of English literary works.

The Opposition
The Hukbalahap movement, short for Hukbo ng Bayan Laban

sa Hapon, constituted an alternative force that reckoned the
American interest. They organized Pambansang Kaisahan ng
Magbubukid as a way to participate in mainstream politics.
But the union was later banned by the Americans which led
them to ally with the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas. The
Huks transformed from being the Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa
Hapon to the Hukbong Mapagpalaya ng Bayan or HMB.

Huk
Literature
ACTIONS INTO PAGES
The Huks political activism led to a literary subgenre.
Theirpresence—and the concerns that it represented
—may be seen in short stories like “Mibalic a Paraiso”
(Paradise Regained) by Canuto D. Tolentino and the
poem "Ing Pamana” (The Legacy) by Jose M. Gallardo.
The strife between HMB and the Philippine military

brought about by the postwar anti-communistic rivalry
between United States and the Soviet Union.This
produced a series of literature revolving around the
topic. Isang Dipang Langit (A Stretch of Sky) by Amado
V. Hernandez is an example.

The Rise of
Social Realism
Social realism began to be apparent within various
literary works as novelists grappled with the
imperatives of defining society and clarifying its
directions. Social reforms were discussed in Tagalog
works, labor problems in Iloilo, upper class immorality
in Cebu, and the like.
The theme of social justice continued to permeate

the literary scene, conforming the works of various
writers from all over the country

Pessimism
SLOW DISAPPERANCE OF LIGHT
After the Huk movement's capture, this, along with Ramon Magsaysay's
presidential disillusionment and the realities of Cold War brought a sense
of social pessimism among Filipino intellectuals. Such pessimism is
revealed in works like Kerima Polotan’s novel The Hand of the Enemy, s
Andres Cristobal Cruz’s Ang Tundo Man May Langit Din (Tondo Has a
Heaven Too), 1959-60, and Edgardo M. Reyes’s Sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag (In
the Claws of Neon Lights), 1967-68.

English Affinity
Unlike its counterparts in the local languages, most English writing gravitated towards urban and
middle-class experience. This is mostly because of the class background of the writers, but still, the
diversity was not ignored. Various social aspects were explored which created a rich mosaic of
Philippine life.
A key factor in the persistence of American influence was the institution of the Fulbright program in
1946 and the admission of Filipinos into the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. The Fulbright program allowed
Filipinos to study in American universities and transfer American knowledge and technics to the
Philippines.

Literary Americanization
The New Criticism, the Anglo-American version of Formalism,
discouraged sociopolitical commentary and drew attention instead to
the craft of writing. This aesthetic would be brought to the Philippines
and be entrenched in Philippine universities after Fulbright scholars
and Iowa Workshop fellows returned to teach and establish writing
workshops.
The surge of Americanized writing craftsmanship would soon

permeate the local literature. University-educated writers would
experiment with plotless stories, stream of consciousness,
introspective writing, and even social criticism. Filipino writers slowly
reassembled Hemingway, Joyce, and Faulkner.This style alienated
readers which led to a decline in sales.

An Artistic Revolution
The opening of Liwayway to younger, university-educated writers by having a section called "Bagong Dugo"
welcomed the new age literature the resembles modern, Western influences. Filipino writers offered an
alternative to popular fiction that tended to be idealist and escapist in character.
Old norms were challenged as evident in Tagalog poetry where revolts against rhyme and meter were
apparent. The divide between balagtasismo and malayang taludturan, as well as the newer form malikwatas
"malikmatang kawatasan" offered diversity to the typical poetry scene, a product of modern provocation to
established rules.

Scholastic Manifestations
Schools became the breeding ground for new styles and a hotbed for debates about literature.
Campus publications like the Varsitarian of the University of Santo Tomas, the Dawn of the University of
the East, and the Quezonian of the Manuel L. Quezon University published fiction and poetry in Tagalog
that were not given space in the popular magazines. University-based writing workshops would also be
established in the early 1960s, institutionalizing patronage and mentorship among writers. The most
important of these workshops was the Summer Writers Workshop, based at Silliman University,
established in 1962 and modeled after the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Moderated by Edith and Edilberto
Tiempo, who had been writing fellows at Iowa, it was the crystallization of a sensibility that placed utmost
importance on craft.

Regional Dissemination
With English and Tagalog literature established and gaining institutional or academic validation, writers of the
many regional languages formed organizations to encourage regional language writing. The Cebuano writers
established the Cebuano Writers Organization and Lubas sa Dagang Bisaya or Ludabi. In Iloko, Gimong dagiti
Mannurat nga Ilocano and Kutibeng and Gunglo Dagiti Mannurat nga Ilocano was established. Kapampangan
writers had Agumanding Talasulat Capampangan or AGTACA. These organizations would hold contests and
publish anthologies that would highlight the best writing in the regional languages and push their respective
literatures toward a more modern aesthetics.

The Retraction
The 1960s also saw the rise of nationalism among young writers. It was in part initiated by the Filipino First policy
of the Garcia administration in the late 1950s. The Filipino First policy sparked the debate on nationalism and
would cast a diff erent light on American influence, which had hitherto been seen positively. “Filipinization”
became a catchphrase that would embody the desires of the Filipinos.
The deepening social and political crises in the years immediately preceding the declaration of martial law on 21
September 1972 transformed a generation of intellectuals so that writers who, only a few years earlier, had
cultivated Western values of angst and ennui came to be politically radicalized. Writers began to ease away from
the New Criticism that the Silliman Writers Workshop espoused, reclaiming a more nationalist tradition that
would set up the seismic changes in the late 1960s.

Philippine Literature During The

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Philippine Literature During The

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Philippine Literature During The

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

PANITIKANG FILIPINO

On 4 July 1946, the Philippines was granted

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

Other regional languages would fall behind in terms

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

The country's resigned dependence to US due to the financial need for

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

The Hukbalahap movement, short for Hukbo ng Bayan Laban

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

The strife between HMB and the Philippine military

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

The theme of social justice continued to permeate

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

The surge of Americanized writing craftsmanship would soon

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

You might also like