Philippine Literature

Under the Spanish Colonial Period

(1565 – 1872)

MARY ANN P. ALETIN

Instructor

Lesson Two
Spanish Colonial Literature

By the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

to understand how Literature started during the Spanish Period.
trace the development of Philippine literature during the Spanish period;
discuss the influences of Spanish colonization to the Philippine literary forms;
appreciate several literary pieces from selected ethnic groups and regions.

Explore

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The Spanish period in Philippine literature ushered a new era in Philippine
literature. It paved the way for a greater collection of literary
genres, literary specimens and literary criticisms. Spanish
colonization of the Philippines started in 1565 during the time
of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, the first Spanish governor-
general in the Philippines. Literature started to flourish during
his time. The spurt continued unabated until the Cavite
Revolt in 1872.The Spanish period likewise witnessed
dramatic changes in the lifestyle of the Filipinos ranging from the daily routines to the
very thoughts that they have in their minds. In short, the Spanish period permeated into
almost all aspect of Filipinos’ lives.
In those times, there were many changes that happened to the lives of the
Filipinos. They patronized the Catholic religion. They changed their names and was
baptized. The structure of their homes changed. They had stone houses, beautiful
furniture’s, piano and kitchen utensils. They also had many means of transportation like
carriage, train and ship or steamboat. They also learned to celebrate fiestas as a tribute
to saints, Cardinal and the governor. As a form of entertainment, they had horse race,
cock fights and theatre.
These changes pave way in the organization of the group of the so-called “may-
kaya” or well-off families who owns chattels & haciendas. There were also Filipinos who
were able to study and enroll in courses like medicine, law, agriculture, and in
education. And they were able to graduate in these courses in the Philippines because
at that time there were already many school & universities.
 The old Baybayin was replaced with the Spanish (Roman) alphabet called the
abecederio. The teaching of the Christian Doctrine
became the basis of religious practices. The Spanish
language traditionally called Castillan which became the
literary language during this time, lent many of its words to
our present-day Filipino language. Some of these words
include: plato, cuchara, la mesa, cubiertos, calesa, platito,
casa fuego, and a lot more.
European legends and traditions brought here
became assimilated in our awits, corridos, and moro-moros. Ancient literary types were
collected and translated to Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilokano, Waray and other major dialects.
Many grammar books were printed in different tongues like Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilokano,
etc. The periodicals and other reading materials during these times carry a religious
tone.

SPANISH INFLUENCES ON PHILIPPINE LITERATURE

Because the Philippines was colonized for a long time by the Spaniards, it cannot
be denied that they had a great influence in the literature of the Philippines.
1. The first Filipino alphabet called Alibata was replaced by the Roman alphabet.
2. The teaching of the Christian Doctrine became the basis of religious practices.
3. The Spanish language which became the literary language during that time lent
many of its words to our language.
4. European legends and traditions brought here became assimilated in our songs,
corridos, and moro-moros.
5. Ancient literature was collected and translated to Tagalog and other dialects.
6. Many grammar books were printed in Filipino like the Tagalog, Ilocano, and
Visayan.
7. Our periodicals during these times gained a religious tone.

PROSE DURING THE SPANISH PERIOD

The prose works of the Spanish Period consisted mostly of didactic pieces and
translations of religious writings in foreign languages.
The most important piece of didactic literature of this period is: Urbana and Feliza
written by Fr. Modesto de Castro. Published in 1855, it took the form of the epistolary
novel with the full title of “Pagsusulatan ng Dalauang Binibini na si Urbana at si Feliza
na Nagtuturo ng Mabuting Caugalian.” This book is about the exchange of letters
between two ladies named Urbana and Felisa; and through these letters Fr. Modesto de
Castro made known the desirable behavior that everyone-young and old, women and
men-should observe in dealing with other people well. It is thought by many that the
ideal conduct described in this book should be emulated by Filipinos and should not be
cause for embarrassment even in these days. Filipinos do not need an Emily Post to
teach them good manners because we already have Father de Castro who left behind
golden rules which Filipinos ought to follow not only then but even now and, in the time,
to come. (Philippine Studies vol. 47, no. 1 (1999): pg. 5)

PRINTED BOOKS
1. Doctrina Cristiana (Christian doctrine) was the first book printed in the Philippines
1593. It was printed using the process called xylography imported from Spain. It was
written by Fr. Juan de Placencia and Fr. Domingo Nieva, written both in Spanish and
Tagalog. It contains 87 pages and the three original copies were stored in Vatican,
Madrid Museum and the Library of US Congress. It contains the basic catechetical
teachings such as:
 Pater Noster
 Ave Maria
 Sampung Utos ng Diyos
 Regina Caeli
 Seven Mortal Sins
 Apostles’ Creed
 The Commandments of the Catholic Church
2. Nuestra Señora Del Rosario (Our Lady of the Rosary) was the second book
printed in the Philippines written by Fr. Blancas de San Jose in 1602. It was printed
at UST Press with the help of Juan de Vera, a Chinese mestizo. It contains:
 Biographies of the Saints
 Novenas
 Questions and Answers about Roman Catholicism
3. Barlaan at Josaphat (Barlaan and Josphat) was a Biblical story, the third book
printed in the Philippines and was translated into Tagalog by Fr. Antonio de Borja
from the original Greek written by San Juan Damaseño. It is the first Tagalog novel
published in the Philippines with 556 pages. Fr. Agustin Mejia translated it into the
Ilokano version.
4. Urbana at Felisa (Urbana and Felisa) is a book written by Fr. Modesto de Castro,
dubbed as the “The Father of Classic Tagalog Prose”. It is a correspondence story
between two sisters that has influenced greatly the behavior of people in society. It
outlines how the good manners and right conduct of individuals in their dealings with
other people.
5. Ang Pasyon is a book about the life & sufferings of Jesus Christ. It is read during
Holy Week with four versions written in Tagalog and each version were all written
according to the names of the writers namely Version de Pilapil (Mariano Pilapil),
Version de Belen (Gaspar Aquino de Belen), Version de la Merced (Aniceto de la
Merced), and Version de Guia (Luis de Guia). The most popular was Version de
Pilapil.

OTHER PROSE COMPOSITIONS

1. Arte y Reglas de la Lengua Tagala (Arts and Rules of the Tagalog Language) is a
book written by Fr. Blancas de San Jose with the help of Tomas Pinpin, a ladino and
a Tagalog man-of-letters in 1610.
2. Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala (Vocabulary of the Tagalog Language) was the
first Tagalog dictionary written by Fr. Pedro de San Buenaventura in 1613.
3. Compendio de la Lengua Tagala (A Dictionary of the Tagalog Language) was
written by Fr. Gaspar de San Agustin in 1703.
4. Vocabulario de la Lengua Pampango (Vocabulary of the Kapampangan Language)
was the first book in Kapampangan written by Fr. Diego Bergano in 1732.
5. Vocabulario de la Lengua Bisaya (Vocabulary of the Visayan Language) was
deemed as the best language book in Bisayan by Mateo Sanchez in 1711.
6. Arte de la Lengua Iloka (Art of Ilokano Language) was the first Ilokano grammar
book written by Fr. Francisco Lopez.
7. Arte de la Lengua Bicolana (Art of the Bicol Language) was the first book in Bicol
language written by Fr. Marcos Lisboa in 1754.

POETRY
Just like the prose written during the Spanish period, the poetry composed during
the Spanish period were primarily used to spread Christianity. In almost all parts of the
archipelago, the Christianity doctrine was propagated using the sword and the cross.
The old and ancient poetic samples are either burned or destroyed by the friars.
The arrival of xylography and typography printing equipment triggered the faster
and easier means of communicating one’s thought through poetry. Some Filipino
versifiers adopted the new language (Spanish) while others maintained their local
tongue in writing poetry. As time went by, some natives began learning the Spanish
languages and became well-versed. These natives who became experts in speaking
and writing Spanish language are called ladinos. Each poetic work was commonly
written in two tongues, Spanish and Tagalog.

FILIPINO POETS
 1. Fernando Bagongbanta was a native of Abucay Bataan who assisted
Blancas de San Jose in printing Artes Y Reglas de la Lengua Tagala. His
well-known work is the poem entitled “Salamat nang walang Hanggan”.
2. Tomas Pinpin was a contemporary of Bagongbanta was known as the
“Prince of Filipino Printers” because he was the first Indio to own a printing
press. He was the co-author of Fr. Blancas de San Jose in the book “Librong
pag-aaralan ng mga Tagalog sa Uikang Castila.”
3. Pedro Suarez Osorio comes from Ermita, Manila and wrote the book entitled
“Explicacion de la Doctrina Lengua Tagala.”
4. Felipe De Jesus was a native of San Miguel, Bulacan who possess a tender
feeling when he wrote “Ybong Camunti sa Palad.”

TYPES OF POETRY
1. Hymns and Religious verses were adaptation of the ancient and Pre-Spanish
songs and hymns incorporated with Catholic dogma and rites and rituals. These
were:
a. Talindaw is a native verse sung by a leader during a ceremony usually during
a novena.
b. Pabinian is the choral response of the mass to the leader’s talindaw
c. Dalit kay Maria made up of 2 or 4 line verse sung much more seriously as an
invocation to the Virgin Mary.
2. Buhay is an extended and versified biography of European saints and some
personalities in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.
3. Awit is a song usually chanted which is usually comprised of dodecasyllabic (12)
verse fabricated from the writer’s imagination. The awit entitled Florante at Laura
was written by Francisco “Balagtas” Baltazar who was deemed as the “Prince of
Tagalog Poets.”
4. Corrido is a song which narrates a story usually comprised of octosyllabic (8)
verses about legends from European and other kingdoms. The corrido entitled
“Ibong Adarna” was written by Jose Corazon dela Cruz (Huseng Sisiw) was deemed
as the “King of Tagalog Poets.”
5. Ang Pasyon ni Kristo (The Passion of the Christ) is a book detailing the life and
sufferings of Jesus Christ read during Lent season. Chanters take 2-4 nights singing
Pasyon, and it has been translated into various dialects throughout the country.
Popular Tagalog translations include:
 Mariano Pilapil (Tondo)
 Gaspar Aquino de Belen (Batangas)
 Aniceto de la Merced (Bulacan)
  Luis de Guia (Bulacan)
6. Folksongs are song representatives of each ethnic group/region that manifests
artistic feelings of the Filipinos. They are usually the reflection of the feelings, ideas
and customs of the common people during the Spanish period. Some of the popular
folksongs per group/region include:
 Ilokano – Pamulinawen, Manang Biday
 Kapampangan – Atin Cu Pung Singsing
 Tagalog – Sit-sirit-sit, Leron-leron Sinta, Paru-parong Bukid
 Bicol – Sarong Banggi
 Bisaya – Dandansoy
 Waray – Tuba
 Leyte – Lawiswis kawayan
7. Spanish-Influenced Dramas are amalgamations of old, Pre-Spanish customs and
Christian practices. Carrying a religious tone, each dramatic work is performed of
celebrated with a symbolic Christian overtone. Some of these include:
 Tibag – means to excavate. This ritual was brought here by the Spaniard
to remind the people about the search of St. Helena for the cross on which
Jesus died
 Lagaylay - is a special occasion celebrated by the Pilareños of Pilar,
Sorsogon during Maytime to get together. As early as April, the
participating ladies are chosen and sometimes, mothers volunteer their
girls in order to fulfill a vow made during an illness or for a favor received.
In some parts of Bicol, a different presentation is made but the objective is
the same – praise, respect and offering of love to the Blessed Cross by St.
Helen on the mound she had dug in.
 Cenaculo - is a dramatic presentation to commemorate the passion and
death of Jesus Christ. It has two kinds:
1. Cantada, is a performance where the lines are sung/chanted in
verse like the Pasyon.
2. Hablada, is a performance where the lines are spoken in deliberate
manner in dignified theme.
 Panunuluyan – this is presented before 12:00 on Christmas eve. This is a
dramatic presentation of the search of the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph for
an inn in to deliver the baby Jesus.
 Salubong - is an Easter play that dramatizes the meeting of the Risen
Christ and His mother, Virgin Mary.
  Carillo - is (also known as shadow play) which is a dramatic
entertainment performed in moonless nights during town fiestas or on dark
nights after harvest.
 Zarzuela is a musical comedy or melodrama in three acts which deals
with man’s passions and emotions as well as social issues. This is usually
patronized and exclusive only for the rich and well-to-do families.
 Sainete is a short musical and exaggerated comedies performed for the
benefit of the people from the lower social classes. It was popular during
the 18th century.
 Moro-moro is a dramatic performance presented during town fiestas to
entertain people which depicts the struggles between Christian princes
and Moslem sultans. The outcome is always predictable with the defeat
and conversion of Moslem fighters into Christians.
 Panambitan is a chant of free verse by a bereaved person beside the
corpse of the dead. It is called Taghoy or Panaghoy in other places and
the Ilokanos call it “Dung-aw”.
 Karagatan is a poetic vehicle of a socio-religious discussions which is
performed/celebrated during the wake of a dead person. It is based on a
legend about a princess who dropped her ring in the middle of the ocean
for her suitors to dive a retrieve. Whoever is able to return the ring is
worthy to be chosen.
 Duplo is a poetic joust in speaking and reasoning with roles taken form
the Bible’s Proverbs and sayings and usually performed in the wake of a
dead person. It eventually replaced karagatan.

Answer the given questions below. (5 pts each)

1. What were the changes that happened in the lives of the Filipinos during the
Spanish colonization?
2. Cite the influences of the Spaniards in Philippine literature.
3. Which book was reputed to be the first to contribute in the literature in Philippine
archipelago during the Spanish era? Give a brief statement about what you know
of this book.
4. What are the things that we want to remember about the cenakulo? In what
manner do it help to you as a catholic?
 5. At present time, what do you think is the first objective of a person who is in
authority?

Evaluate

Activity No. 2: Music Presentation

Form a group with 5 members each. Choose your own groupmates or you can
have the same members in your previous activity. Collect or research folk songs from
the different regions in the Philippines and choose one which you may study and make
a video presentation. Use the given questions below as your guide in your music
presentation. Compile the videos in one file through google drive & submit it in canvas
or through my gmail account @: maletin10.gened@gmail.com. Deadline of
submission is on April 4, 2021.
This will serve as one of your major requirements for midterm.
References:
Aquino, Edna C. (2013). Literary Treasures of the Philippines. Malabon City: Mutya
Publishing House, Inc.
Doria, K. & Rotor, A. (2012). Humanities Today: An Experiential Approach. Quezon
City: C & E Publishing, Inc.
Santiago, Erlinda M. et al. (2010). Panitikang Filipino: Kasaysayan at Pang-unlad
Pangkolehiyo. Mandaluyong City: National Book Store.
Orlando M. Viar (2006). Treasures of Philippine Regional Literatures. Manila: Rex Book
Store, Inc.
http://www.philippinestudies.net/files/journals/1/articles/2604/public/2604-3668-1-PB.pdf
https://salirickandres.altervista.org/spanish-period/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI2i4pAxb_Y