PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD – started during 1521

In general, the following were commonly practiced:

✔ Early Filipinos heavily believed on spirits and supernatural entities (animism).
✔ Economic and political dimensions involved trading, marriage, feasting, and alliance.
✔ Philippine literature during the pre-colonial era is mostly based on oral traditions passed down from
generation to generation.
✔ The first Filipino alphabet, called ALIBATA
✔ The ancient pre-colonial form of writing is called Baybayin which was often cited in the work of
Pedro Chirino, was later on approved as the National Writing System of the Philippines through
House Bill No. 1022.
✔ In terms of government, Filipinos were ruled by chieftains of different barangay.

Types of Pre-colonial Literature

1. Folk Tales. These are stories which can be characterized as anonymous, timeless, and placeless
tales circulated orally among a group of people.
2. Legends. These are a form of prose which deal with the origin of a thing, location or name.
3. Myths. Unlike legends where the characters have realistic human qualities, the characters here
usually have supernatural powers where the main purpose is to provide explanation about the
existence of something or someone.
4. Epics. These pertain to a type of a long narrative poem mainly focusing on the heroic
achievements and deeds of the main character.
5. Folk Songs. These can be considered as the oldest forms of Philippine literature that mirror the
culture which expresses hopes, aspirations, lifestyles, and emotions of early Filipinos. Some
examples are kundiman, kumintang, oyayi or hele and some drinking songs.
6. Proverbs. A brief expressions that serve as a norm which are commonly uttered by elders based
on their everyday experiences to encourage positive behaviors among young people.
7. Riddles. A question or statement intentionally phrased so as to require ingenuity in ascertaining its
answer or meaning. Typically presented as a game.

SPANISH COLONIAL PERIOD

- discovery of the Philippines in 1521 during Ferdinand Magellan's exploration marks
the beginning of the colonial period.

✔ Early Spanish Period can be categorized as either religious or secular.

✔ Spanish was introduced as the medium of communication and later shifted to Tagalog
when a sense of nationalism arose during the revolutionary period.
✔ Folk songs still existed.
✔ Drama as another type of literary genre, as well as metrical tales based on European
origin
✔ In 1889, the La Solidaridad, an underground newspaper, became the mouthpiece of the
Reform Movement.
✔ Books the book written by Fr. Juan de Placencia and Fr. Domingo Nieva entitled
"Doctrina Cristiana" (The Christian Doctrine) was first printed.
✔ Recreational Plays These were mostly poetic in nature and intended to be performed
during the Spanish era. Cenaculo, Carillo, Zarzuela, Moro-Moro, Balagtasan, Duplo, and
Karagatan are among the examples.
✔ Novels These are fictitious prose usually lengthy and complex in nature. Pedro Paterno's
work entitled "Ninay" is the first novel published by a Filipino author.
✔ Newspapers. Diaryong Tagalog (1882), a Spanish-Tagalog newspaper, published bulk of Filipino
writings.
✔ Francisco Baltazar was hailed as the "Master of Traditional Tagalog Poetry". His well-
known literary work, Florante at Laura, is regarded as the most famous metrical romance
of the country.
✔ Pedro Paterno was the first Filipino who wrote poetry collection in Spanish entitled
Sampaguitas y poesias varias. His novel in Spanish Ninay was considered to be the first
Filipino novel.
 ✔ Jose Rizal 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 the founder of the Katipunan, wrote the poem “Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang
Lupa”
✔ Leona Florentino known as the “Mother of Philippine Women’s Literature,” was a poet in
both Ilocano and Spanish.

AMERICAN COLONIAL PERIOD

✔ The literary production during the American Period was inspired by the developments in
education and culture.
✔ Knowledge and information became accessible to all Filipinos because of the free public
education.
✔ Short stories were the most prevalent literary form.
✔ With the new knowledge of English language, many writers started to gain recognition
both locally and internationally like Jose Garcia Villa who earned the International title,
“Poet of the Century"
✔ The surrender of first Philippine President Emilio Aguinaldo in 1901 signified the end of the
military struggle for independence.
✔ Aguinaldo promised allegiance to America but still continued to be very vocal of achieving
independence for the Philippines.
✔ In 1935, Aguinaldo was soundly defeated by Manuel L. Quezon as the first President of the
Commonwealth.
✔ Filipino writers were into all forms of literature during the period of apprenticeship but
most of their works were critiqued as an imitation of English and American models.
✔ The existence of American literary works and periodicals as well as the coming of
American teachers encouraged many aspiring Filipino writers to use the English language.
✔ A new type of literature began when American system of education and English language
were introduced.
✔ At the beginning, most of the literary works written in English were considered imitative in
nature, but then later on evolved to a new variety of subjects, styles, and conventions of
writing.
✔ Common theme in plays was all about nationalism.
✔ The first short story written in English is entitled "Dead Stars" by Paz Marquez Benitez.
✔ Juan C. Laya. He won first prize for his novel "His Native Soil" in the First Commonwealth
Literary Awards in 1940.
✔ Zoilo M. Galang. His work entitled "A Child of Sorrow" in 1921 is considered as the first
Filipino novel in English.

JAPANESE COLONIAL PERIOD (1942-1945)

✔ Japan invaded the Philippines on December 8, 1941 which was strongly opposed by the
Guerillas.
✔ Captured soldiers and American deportees were forced to have "Death March" to a prison
camp where they walked for 100 kilometers from Mariveles, Bataan to San Fernando,
Pampanga. An estimated 10,000 prisoners died here.
✔ Aguinaldo cooperated with the Japanese to end Filipino and American opposition.
✔ Japanese colonizers failed to gain the trust of Filipinos.

✔ The resurgence of World War II forced former President Manuel L. Quezon and Vice-
President Sergio Osmeña Sr. to immediately leave the Philippines and sought residence in
the United States as the Commonwealth government was suddenly in exile.
 ✔ There was a great tension between the two major groups: HUKBALAHAP (unified guerilla
army against Japanese invasion) and KALIBAPI (political party approved by the Japanese).
✔ Jose P. Laurel was appointed as the President of the Philippines under the Japanese-
sponsored Republic.
✔ In 1942, Mc Arthur escaped but promised to return which he did in 1944. The US victory in
the battle of Leyte gulf signaled the beginning of Philippine liberation from the Japanese.

Dimensions of Philippine Literature

✔ All forms of writings were censored during this time because there was no freedom of
speech and of the press.
✔ Only those who were living in the United States such as Carlos P. Romulo and Manuel L.
Quezon could write freely.
✔ The use of English language was stopped in almost all publications and only Tagalog and
the vernaculars were permitted.
✔ Few literary works were printed and mostly considered as pessimistic and bitter according
to the author Victoria Abelardo.
✔ Another type of poetry that emerged is the Haiku consisting of three lines with 5-7-5
syllables or 17 syllabic poetry in all.
✔ Tagalog short stories flourished and some of the best works were compiled by the
Liwayway magazine editors in Ang Pinakamabuting Maikling Kathang Pilipino ng 1943.
Some notable stories were “Lupang Tinubuan” by Narciso G. Reyes, “Uhaw ang Tigang na
Lupa” by Liwayway Arceo, “Nayon at Dagatdagatan” by N. V.M. Gonzalez, and “Suyuan sa
Tubigan” by Macario Pineda.
✔ Opera and classical music gained popularity.
✔ Among the other types of literature emerged were essay (e.g. "Literature and Society" by
Salvador P. Lopez) and autobiography (e.g. "The Good Fight" by Manuel Quezon).

Some Notable Writers

✔ Carlos P. Romulo. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his notable works such as "I Saw the Fall
of the Philippines", "I See the Philippines Rise", "Mother America", and "My Brother
Americans".
✔ Narciso Reyes. He won first prize with his short story "Lupang Tinubuan".

The three most influential foreign invaders to the types of literature produced during
colonial periods are Spanish, American, and Japanese wherein the common themes and
subject mostly tackle about oppression, religion, freedom, or anything that reflects the
experiences of Filipino people under the colonizers.

POST-COLONIAL PERIOD (1945-present) AFTER THE WAR

✔ In 1944, Sergio S. Osmeña, Sr. assumed the presidency upon the death of Manuel L.
Quezon while the Philippine Commonwealth government was in exile in the U.S.
✔ Manuel A. Roxas defeated Sergio S. Osmeña, Sr. as the President in April 1946 for the
Independent Second Republic of the Philippines.
✔ Elpidio R. Quirino assumed the remaining term of Roxas when the latter died of a heart
attack in 1948.
✔ In 1953, Ramon F. Magsaysay was elected as the new president but died in an airplane
crash on March 16, 1957.
✔ Magsaysay's position was assumed by Carlos P. Garcia who was re-elected and served
until 1961.
 ✔ Diosdado P. Macapagal became the President after Carlos P. Garcia. He changed the
date of Philippine Independence from July 4, 1946 (Liberation from America) to June 12,
1896 (Liberation from Spanish by the revolutionists). He also recognized the presidency of
Jose P. Laurel.

PHILIPPINES DURING THE MARTIAL LAW PERIOD

✔ Ferdinand E. Marcos took office for presidency in 1965 who got re-elected in 1969
making him the first to win two presidential terms.
✔ He declared Martial Law on September 21, 1972 and led the country into what he calls
"The New Society" against lawlessness which incited a lot of opposition.
✔ Marcos was forced to hold an election in 1978 and 1981 to stabilize the country's
chaotic condition where he won again.
✔ The death of Benigno Simeon "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. became the beginning of calling for
Marcos' removal.
✔ EDSA People Power Revolution (bloodless revolution) through the initiative of Maria
Corazon C. Aquino and her supporters erupted which marked a significant national event.
✔ Snap election was conducted in 1986 which seated Corazon Aquino- the widow of
Benigno Simeon "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. as the 11th President of the Philippines and ended the
21 years of what many claimed as the tyrant rule.
✔ Marcos went on exile in Hawaii, where he died on September 28, 1989.

PHILIPPINES AFTER THE MARTIAL LAW PERIOD (5TH REPUBLIC TO

PRESENT)
✔ The political and economic condition of the Philippines during Cory Aquino's administration
was described as chaotic.
✔ Monopolization of the agricultural industry took place after the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) forced the Philippines to pay its debt amounting to 27.2 billion dollars which they claimed
to be inherited from Marcos administration.
✔ Fidel V. Ramos (also known as "Centennial President") took office in 1992 where he
immediately worked on the country's recovery. He was awarded the Peace Award by UNESCO in
his effort to achieve a Peace Agreement with MILF.
✔ Film actor Joseph Ejercito Estrada won presidency with his pro-poor campaign in1998 but was
ousted in 2001 because of corruption and gambling issues.
✔ Maria Gloria Macapagal Arroyo assumed office in 1998, got re-elected, and served until 2010.
During her term, many impeachment complaints were filed against her due to corruption and
electoral sabotage where she got hospital arrest for her spinal surgery.
✔ Former Senator Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III (aka PNoy or Noynoy Aquino) seated as the next
president in 2010.
✔ Next to him is our current President- Rodrigo Roa Duterte who is both a lawyer and politician.

Dimensions of Philippine Literature

✔ Filipino writers began to develop new themes, styles, and techniques. The first notable work
that appeared right after the second world war under Japanese occupation in the Philippines is a
novel written by Macario Pineda entitled Ginto sa Makiling which was considered as a narrative of
the Philippines’ social, political, and moral aspects (Macansantos, et al, n.d.). It was noted for its
resemblance to the work of Rizal and more on the work of Balagtas in terms of plot and style.
✔ The rise of English writers began after exposure to American language and culture, although
there were still many Filipino writers observed using the vernaculars. Sarvia (n.d.) considers the
following factors contributory to the flourishing of Filipino literature: 1) establishment of the
University of the Philippines in 1908 where English was primarily used as the medium of
instruction, 2) the founding of the Philippine Writers’ Association in 1953, and 3) the
establishment of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Award in 1955 to name a few.

✔ According to Macansantos et al (n.d.), among the common literary themes in novels

and short stories were war experiences which can be seen in the works of Stevan
Javellana’s Without Seeing the Dawn (1947) and Edilberto Tiempo’s Watch in the Night
for the English category. While for Filipino literature that used the vernaculars, the works
of Lazaro Francisco were profoundly noted for his style associated to Rizal’s influence
such as Bayaning Nagpatiwakal (1932), Sugat sa Alaala (1950), Maganda pa ang Daigdig
(1956), and Daluyong (1962). The influence of both Spanish and American styles could
be observed in the work of Nick Joaquin where his flashback technique was highly
appreciated by critics. Some writers attempted to incorporate a taste of folk
tradition especially in poetry such as epic and other oral forms of literature which still existed like
Balagtasan. However, oral tradition became less popular as people became more interested in
short stories.

LITERATURE THEN AND NOW

The 21st century literature (sometimes called "contemporary literature") is viewed as the
literature of the new generation. Specifically, this refers to literary piece or diverse postmillennial
texts that have been produced since 2000 or 2001 up to the present. The shift from paper to the
screen first took place in this type of literature and the use of technology for human expression
such as e-book, blog, digi-fiction, etc. has been very common.

✔ CHARACTERISTICS OF 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE:

-written by contemporary authors within the last decade
-deals with current issues and themes
-reflects technological culture
-literature of emerging genres
-often breaks traditional writing

How the novel gave way to short stories as life became busier and more fast-paced after
the Industrial Revolution in the Western World would also explain the emergence of new genres
which complemented dependence on the internet and the gadgets required to access them. The
21st century learners were born with the computer already as part of the daily life essential.

Some literary genres which the computer and internet helped create are the
following:

Blog - This is also known as web log or a

website containing short articles
called posts that are changed
regularly. Some blogs are written by
one person containing their own
opinions, interests and experiences,
while others are written by many
 different people.
Chick Lit - This genre fiction addresses issues of
modern womanhood, often
humorously and light-heartedly. The
genre became popular in the late
1990s, with chick lit titles topping
best seller lists and the creation of
imprints devoted entirely to chick lit.
Creative Nonfiction - Also known as literary nonfiction or
narrative nonfiction, it is a genre of
writing that uses literary styles and
techniques to create factually
accurate narratives. Creative
nonfiction contrasts with other
nonfiction, such as technical writing
or journalism, which is also rooted in
accurate fact, but is not primarily
written in service to its craft. As a
genre, creative nonfiction is still
relatively young, and is only
beginning to be scrutinized with the
same critical analysis given to fiction
and poetry.

Flash Fiction - This is characterized with a style of

fictional literature or fiction of
extreme brevity. There is no widely
accepted definition of the length of
the category. Some self-described
markets for flash fiction impose caps
as low as three hundred words, while
others consider stories as long as a
thousand words to be flash fiction.
Hyperpoetry - It is a form of digital poetry that uses
links using hypertext mark-up. It is a
very visual form, and is related to
hypertext fiction and visual arts. The
links mean that a hypertext poem
has no set order, the poem moving or
being generated in response to the
links that the reader/user chooses. It
can either involve set words,
phrases, lines, etc. that are
presented in variable order but sit on
the page much as traditional poetry
does, or it can contain parts of the
poem that move and / or mutate.
Mobile Phone Text Tula - A particular example of this poem is
a tanaga, a type of Filipino poem,
consisting of four lines with seven
syllables each with the same rhyme
at the end of each line - that is to say
a 7-7-7-7 syllabic verse, with an
AABB rhyme scheme. The modern
Tanaga still uses the 7777 syllable
count, but rhymes range from dual
 rhyme forms: AABB, ABAB, ABBA; to
freestyle forms such as AAAB, BAAA,
or ABCD.
Speculative Fiction - This is an umbrella term
encompassing the more fantastical
fiction genres, specifically science
fiction, fantasy, horror, weird fiction,
supernatural fiction, superhero
fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction,
apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic
fiction, and alternate history in
literature as well as related static,
motion, and virtual arts.

To whom did early Filipinos heavily believed on…?

What is the first Filipino Alphabet?

What is the ancient pre-colonial form of writing?

In terms of government, Filipinos were ruled by ____________ of different barangay.

These are stories which can be characterized as anonymous, timeless, and placeless tales

circulated orally among a group of people.

These are a form of prose which deal with the origin of a thing, location or name.

The characters here usually have supernatural powers where the main purpose is to

provide explanation about the existence of something or someone.

These pertain to a type of a long narrative poem mainly focusing on the heroic

achievements and deeds of the main character.

These can be considered as the oldest forms of Philippine literature that mirror the culture

which expresses hopes, aspirations, lifestyles, and emotions of early Filipinos.

A brief expressions that serve as a norm which are commonly uttered by elders based on

their everyday experiences to encourage positive behaviors among young people.

A question or statement intentionally phrased so as to require ingenuity in ascertaining its

answer or meaning

What is most likely the theme of literary text during the Early Spanish Period?

What is the title of the first book printed in the Philippines?

Who is Master of Traditional Tagalog Poetry". His well-known literary work, Florante at

Laura?

What is the title of the first Filipino novel?

What are examples of recreational plays performed during Spanish era?

He was a prominent ilustrado and the country’s national hero.

The founder of the Katipunan, wrote the poem “Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa

Known as the “Mother of Philippine Women’s Literature,” was a poet in both Ilocano and

Spanish.

Short stories were the most prevalent literary form during what period?

Education and culture were inspired by the ___________

Known as the Poet of the Century during American Period

Who was first Philippine President in 1901 who surrendered to the Americans and signified

the end of the military struggle for independence?

Who was the first President of the Commonwealth who defeated Aguinaldo in 1935?

Filipino writers were encouraged to use ________ in writing literary pieces during American

Period.

What was the title of first short story written in English written by Paz Marquez Benitez?
Who won first prize for his novel "His Native Soil" in the First Commonwealth Literary

Awards in 1940?

What is the title of the first Filipino novel in English written by Zoilo M. Galang?

Who’s President who cooperated with the Japanese to end Filipino and American

opposition?

These group are unified by guerilla army against Japanese invasion

Another group of political party approved by the Japanese

Who was appointed as the President of the Philippines under the Japanese-sponsored

Republic?

What period where all forms of writings were censored during this time because there was

no freedom of speech and of the press?

The use of English language was stopped in almost all publications and only ________ and

the _________ were permitted.

What another type of poetry that emerged during Japanese Period, consisting of three

lines with 5-7-5 syllables or 17 syllabic poetry in all?

Tagalog literary pieces flourished during ____________

Who is the notable writer who wrote the following literary pieces: "I Saw the Fall of the

Philippines", "I See the Philippines Rise", "Mother America", and "My Brother Americans”.