Pre-colonization period

In the ancient Visayas, being beautiful could be as simple as having a flat forehead
and nose. But since humans are not usually born with these features, the Visayans
used a device called tangad to achieve them.

There was plenty of gold in the islands during the pre-colonial times that it used to be
part of our ancestors’ everyday attire.

Clothing in pre-colonial Philippines reflected one’s social standing and, in the case of
men, how many enemies they had killed.

Our ancient warship was three times faster than a Spanish galleon.

Our ancestors made the most of what they have and came up with an amazing marine
architecture. The Visayan warship karakoa was the result of such ingenuity.

Back then, there were no doctors or priests whom our ancestors could turn to when
things went awry. The only hope they had was a spirit medium or shaman who
could directly communicate with the spirits or gods. They were known in the Visayas
as babaylan, while the Tagalogs called them catalonan (katulunan).

It’s not easy to be a slave in the ancient Philippines. When a warrior died, for example,
a slave was traditionally tied and buried beneath his body. If one was killed violently or
if someone from the ruling class died (say, a datu), human sacrifices were almost
always required.

It was considered a disgrace for a woman to have many children.

There’s no such thing as “family planning” in the pre-colonial Philippines. Everything

they did was based on existing customs and beliefs, one of which was that having many
children was not desirable and even a disgrace.

Although menarche (first menstruation) is memorable for a lot of women today, rarely
does it become a cause for celebration. In the precolonial era, however, this transition
was seen as a crucial period in womanhood, so much so that all girls were required to
go through an intricate rite of passage.

You’re not supposed to call our ancient script “alibata” because it’s a misnomer. The
word (from ‘Alif-bata,’ the first letters of the Arabic script) was actually invented by Paul
Versoza who thought our earliest writing system was of Arabic origins.
The thing is, the baybayin (which is the correct term) is believed to be one of the
indigenous alphabets in Asia that originated from the Sanskrit of ancient India.

The pre-colonial Filipinos were divided into four:

 There was the ruling datu class

 The wealthy warrior class called maharlika
 The timawa or freemen
 The most ‘unfortunate’ of them all–the alipin or uripon class.

Literature

The oral literature of the precolonial Filipinos bore the marks of the community. The
subject was invariably the common experience of the people constituting the village-food-
gathering, creature and objects of nature, work in the home, field, forest or sea, caring
for children, etc. This is evident in the most common forms of oral literature like the
riddle, the proverbs and the song, which always seem to assume that the audience is
familiar with the situations, activities and objects mentioned in the course of expressing
a thought or emotion. The language of oral literature, unless the piece was part of the
cultural heritage of the community like the epic, was the language of daily life. At this
phase of literary development, any member of the community was a potential poet, singer
or storyteller as long as he knew the language and had been attentive to the conventions
and the forms.
 Japanese Period

 Between 1941-1945, Philippine Literature was interrupted in its development when

we were again conquered by another foreign country, Japan

 Philippine Literature in English came to a halt.

 Except for the Tribune, and the Philippine Review, Pillars, Free Philippines, and
Filipina, almost all newspaper in English were stopped by the Japanese.

 Victoria Abelardo has described Filipino writing during the Japanese occupation as
being pessimistic and bitter.

 There were some efforts at escapist literature, but in general, the literary output
was mirror and insignificant. Because of strict censorship, few literary works were
printed during the war years.

 So, Filipino literature was given a break during this period. Filipino literature also
experienced renewed attention because writers in English turned to writhing in
Filipino.

CONTRIBUTION:

 Japanese were able to influence and encourage the Filipino in developing the
vernacular literature.

 Today, the most notable Japanese influence on Filipino culture has been in
technology, such as karaoke, videoke, cameras, etc.

EXAMPLES OF PHILIPPINE LITERATURE DURING JAPANESE PEROD:

 Haiku, unrhymed poetic form consisting of 17 syllables arranged in three lines of

5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively. The haiku first emerged in Japanese literature
during the 17th century, as a terse reaction to elaborate poetic traditions, though
it did not become known by the name haiku until the 19th century.

 Tanka is a thirty-one-syllable poem, traditionally written in a single unbroken line.

A form of waka, Japanese song or verse, tanka translates as "short song," and is
better known in its five-line, 5/7/5/7/7 syllable count form.
TRIVIA AND FACTS:

 The Japanese censored Filipino writers' works strictly.

 There was minimal freedom of speech and of the press.

 The Japanese banned most English newspapers.

 Theaters were used ton show English play translated into Filipino.

 The weekly Liwayway was placed under strict surveillance until it was managed by
Japanese named Ishiwara.

 Most writers and authors were lead to either underground or write in tagalog.

 The only Filipino writers who could write were those who were living in the United
States.
 American Period

 1898 - United forces of American and Filipino soldiers won the war against the
Spanish rule.

• 1901 - The Military government was replaced by a Civilian government.

• 1935 - A Presidential election was held that gave us Manuel Quezon as our second
president.

Thomasites- a large group of American teachers who were sent here in the Philippines
to provide education. They were named after the ship that they came on, called
Thomas.

The writings of the Filipinos during this period clearly depicted their love of country and
their longings of independence.

Three groups of writers contributed to Philippine Literature during this period:

 Spanish writers- wrote about nationalism.

 Tagalog writers- continued in their lamentations on the conditions of the

country and their attempts to arouse love for one’s native tongue.

 English writers- imitated the themes and methods of the American.

Newspapers during American Period:

 El Grito del Pueblo (The Call of the Nation) -established by Pascual Poblete
in 1900.

 El Renaciemento (The Rebirth) -founded by Rafael Palma in 1900.

 El Nuevo Dia (The New Day) -established by Sergio Osmeňa in 1901.

Plays written during American Period:

 Kahapon, Ngayon, at Bukas (Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow) by: Aurelio

Tolentino

 Tanikalang Ginto by Juan Abad

 Malaya by Thomas Remigio

 Walang Sugat by Severino Reyes