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21st Century Literature from the

Philippines and the World
LAS 2, Week 2, Q1

Topic:
Representative texts and authors from each region

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Representative texts and authors from each region

Learning Competency(ies)
Writing a close analysis and critical interpretation of literary texts
and doing an adaptation of these require from the learner the
ability to identify:
b. representative texts and authors from each region (e.g.
engage in oral history research with focus on key
personalities from the students’ region/province/town)

I. CONCEPT NOTES:

Literature defined as an all-compassing term. From written works, to

the canon, the written texts meant to last in books, to the text meant
to be shared through oral tradition, these are all part of the art from
known as literature. A literary work’s function is also varied. A story
could inform us about and explain to us human issues. A poem could
describe and express our deepest emotions. A paly could represent to
us an ordinary day in our lives in an extraordinary way.

Literature could also serve as our history in such a way that it

preserves our culture and traditions in its pages. It lets us see
ourselves from a detached perspective and provoke us to think about
us- the people, places, things and issues that we have. It could mirror
our life or give us a juxtaposition of our humanity. We are presented
with historical facts- products of years of research- and is given the
task to perceive it and hold it as part of our consciousness. However,
through literature we are also being demanded to speculate and take
action in valuing the treasure that history has created for us.

Thus, it is just seemingly necessary to celebrate and acknowledge the

contributions of local authors to the development of regional literary
traditions. These regional authors or writers not only help in the
development of regional literature but also help preserve our rich
history, culture and tradition which are translated through literature.
They create stories based on the culture and environment of that
certain region that in turn boost the value and popularity of the region,
advertising and popularizing the culture and the region.

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Thus, the learning concept of these learning activity sheet is divided
into three lessons namely: Lesson 1: Luzon- Michael de Lara Co:
Kundiman (poem); Lesson 2: Visayas- Adonis Dorado Dili: Tanang
Matagak Mahagbong (balak); and Ricardo M. de Ungria: Two Poems
(poem).

Luzon

The rich history, culture and traditions of people in Luzon are

translated in the country’s literature. New forms of themes merge
with the old and the existence of 21st century type of literature such
as blogs from essays, text tula from poetry and flash fiction from
short stories. Contemporary themes also unite with old traditions
and values such as close family ties and migration of workers,
Filipino steadfastness and resilience, and the widespread
spirituality and region of the island: Catholicism. Undeniably,
literature mirrors how people cope with the challenges and
advancement as well as ties the bond between traditions and
modernity.

Representative Author and Text from the Region: Luzon

Michael de Lara Co was born on 1983 and graduated with a degree

in BS Environmental Science at Ateneo de Manila University. He
has attended several national writers’ workshops to polish his
writing skills. He is a recipient of numerous local and international
awards which include a runner-up for the Meritage Press Holiday
Poetry Prize in 2006 and back-to-back first prizes in the Don Carlos
Palanca Memorial Awards for Poetry in English (2007) and Poetry in
Filipino (2008) and again a first prize winner in Don Carlos Palanca
Memorial Awards for Poetry in Filipino in 2013 and 2014.

Co’s poetry is decidedly Filipino in scope, vision and heart. Writing

of the pre-colonial and the colonial experiences, the poet pieces
together the dream of a nation from all its broken materials. Co’s
project has made him one of the strongest contemporary Filipino
poets.

Mikael de Lara Co’s poetry and translations have garnered

numerous accolades in the Philippines, among them four Palanca
awards, two Maningning Miclat awards, and two nominations for
the National Book Award. He staffed for former Philippine President
Benigno S. Aquino III, and currently heads the corporate
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communications division for a renewable energy company. He
remains an active volunteer and advocate for public sector reform,
climate justice, human rights, data privacy, and truth-telling.

Literary Work

Hands For A Fistful Of Sand is one of Mikael Co’s greatest works

and it would be safe to say that it is one of his contributions to
society. This form of art gives rise to the new age of writing. The well
thought of images and underlying messages written in this
collection are helpful in influencing and synthesizing a new breed
of writing and genre in our culture. Mikael Co and Hands For A
Fistful Of Sand and his other works are definitely something us
Filipinos should be proud of.

The sample poem below titled Kundiman is part of his award-

winning collection Hands for a Fistful of Sand.

Kundiman (An Excerpt) By Mikael de Lara Co

I ate alone. I grew old. I grew older.

I said hold in my own language
again and again, hawak, kapit,
tahan na, uwi na. Then strained
to hear all the engines in this city
droning in A minor. A knife
scraped against marble. A stick
rattled towards stillness. A minor.
All the lullabies ever hummed
coming together to vibrate
in the saddest of frequencies.
Your keys dangled by the sink.
Somewhere a chord is diminished to static. Kundiman means
the opposite of if ever.

Visayas

Literature allows us to see and examine the rich history of places

and the diverse nature and experiences of people. According to
Judith Caesar an English professor at the American University of
Sharaj, reading narratives allow us to understand people since
literature prompts us to critique and anlayze these gives us room to
have deeper view of issues and situations. Philippine literature
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presents varying aspects of a Filipino. It tells and shares the
triumphs and downfalls of Filipinos, the traditions and innovations
in lifestyle, and the molding and cracking of the nation’s history.
Visayas is home of many cultural heritages and breathtaking
landscapes and it houses some of the attractive and most
anticipated religious and cultural festivals in the country. Ati-
atihan, Dinagyang, Sinulog, Pintados, Higantes and Maskara are
some of the known and crowd-drawing festivals in Visayas The
Filipino identity has developed through time because of the many
literary work it produced.

Despite all these, one Filipino characteristic has always stood out-
Resiliency. Thus, the writer from Visayas, Adonis Durado did not
lose hope in writing poetry in Sinugbuanong Bisaya. He stood in
what he believes. He finds it more meaningful to write in his own
mother tongue.

Representative Author and Text from the Region: Visayas

Adonis Durado

Adonis Durado was born on August 25, 1975 in Cebu City,

Philippines. He is a famous Cebuano poet, and at the same time, an
illustrator and graphic designer. He graduated with a degree in Fine
Arts in the University of San Carlos, Philippines.

With wit as sharp as Arya Stark’s Needle, Adonis Durado has

rightfully mastered the art of evoking emotion through a short stack
of carefully constructed phrases. His words are biting in a jocular
sense, but always with an afterthought — a soul, perhaps his.
Career-wise, Adonis is an internationally awarded graphic artist
and illustrator and has helped in launching and redesigning many
magazines and newspapers in Europe, Middle East, Africa,
including SunStar Cebu and SunStar Weekend. But he has always
bears a passion for poetry, more specifically, the balak.
It was during college when Adonis realized he had an inkling for
poetry that he started to write seriously. He chose Cebuano as the
language for his poems since for him, he has the mastery of the
language, more so than English or Tagalog. “For me, it’s intrinsically
onomatopoeic. I also find it adaptable and easy to bend,” he said.

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Adonis has received many accolades for his poetry over the years,
including an Emmanuel Lacaba Prize for Cebuano Poetry awarded
by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. To date,
Adonis has four Cebuano poetry books to his name: Dili Tanan
Matagak Mahagbong (2008), Minugbo Alang sa Mugbo og Kalipay
(2009), Lisay sa Bugan (2016), and, launched last August 9,
Pahinungod sa Di Hintungdan.
“Each book pursues various themes or conceits. If ever there’s
similarity, perhaps readers will notice that I have been very constant
in my approach to poetry — I experiment and exploit various poetic
techniques,” he said.
Experiment and exploit he does with his fourth poetry book
Pahinungod sa Di Hintungdan, which contains four chapters, each
containing 15 poems.
“For the Faithless” is about ars poetica or the art of poetry; “For the
Speechless” is about language; “For the Humorless” is about
humor; and “For the Worthless” is about life’s meaning, irony and
paradox.
Looking at each chapter of Adonis’ newest book, it contains four
things that the writer has often written about: the art of poetry,
language, humor and life itself. These are things that has given him
inspiration, themes that have driven him to write snippets of words
— powerful words.
“Someone said that poetry is the language of the soul. Well, I
subscribe to that,” he said.
And that he does. With more books to come from Adonis Durado —
two are in the pipeline, he said — there is more of his soul for him
to bare to the world. His pending new adventure to the US for a
graduate study at the Ohio University would probably arouse
motivation for new poetry from him. There is no stopping a man as
passionate as he is for his craft.

Article: Adonis Durado: A peek at a poet’s soul by By Deneb R. Batucan

Literary Work

"Durado’s poetry glories in the richness of folk and popular speech

– earthy and playful, reckless and disciplined, vulgar and sly, comic
and (as in all good comics) subversive. But it is also poetry that is
vitally current and global. The poem below titled, ‘Dili Tanan
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Matagak Mahagbong’ is one of the most exciting poems written in
the country, in Cebuano-Visayan language.

Dili Tanan Matagak Mahagbong

Adonis Gesta Durado

Pananglit mangalibang ang galupad nga panon

Sa langgam luyo sa libon nga panganod,
unsa kahay mahitabo ngadto sa ilang mga iti?
Motaguktok kaha kini og tibuok kung ugaling

Matungod sa atong atup? O mokalit og kahanaw,

Sama sa bulalakaw, mangapulpog sa dili pa
Makaabot sa gasawo tang mga kamot?
Di man tingali ang tanang matagak ba mahagbong;

Dili tanang mahulog adunay padulngan -

Nga ang mga butang nga nakabuhi sa atong kamot
(O natagak gikan sa wanang) adunay tugpahan.
Swerti lang tingali ang tawng gaparasyut

Kay mitugpa sa atup. Swerti lang ang nabugto

Nga tabanog kay nasangit sa poste sa iskina;
Ang nangapunggak nga mga bunga sa mangga
Ang taligsik ba ron sa uwan nga nasawod

Sa mga basiyong lata - ug kining tanan,

Gumikan pa niining balaod sa pisika.
Apan, diin man kuno minglagapak ang imong katawa
Dihang lanog mong gipalukso sa karaang atabay?

Hain tugpa ang mga ngalan, pulong nga nakasaknit?

(Kini, sama sa pangutana sa mga bata kung diin
Dad-a sa hangin - kung wa man gani lamya
Sa bakunawa - ang mga nakabuhi nilang balon.)

Ug kinsa say nasayod, nga ang nahiplos mong singsing

Nga milayat kaniadto sa lawod, kay hangtud karon,
Gapadayon lang gihapon sa iyang pagka-unlod?
Gani, buot kong hunahunaon karon, nga ang mga kalag

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 Niadtong managtratong gahikog sa pangpang,
Kay naungot ug galutaw lang gihapon sa wanang.

Mindanao

Literature defined as an all-compassing term. From written works,

to the canon, the written texts meant to last in books, to the text
meant to be shared through oral tradition, these are all part of the
art from known as literature. A literary work’s function is also
varied. A story could inform us about and explain to us human
issues. A poem could describe and express our deepest emotions. A
paly could represent to us an ordinary day in our lives in an
extraordinary way. Literature could also serve as our history in such
away that it preserves our culture and traditions in its pages. It lets
us see ourselves from a detached perspective and provoke us to
think about us- the people, places, things and issues that we have.
It could mirror our life or give us a juxtaposition of our humanity.

We are presented with historical facts- products of years of

research- and is given the task to perceive it and hold it as part of
our consciousness. However, through literature we are also being
demanded to speculate and take action in valuing the treasure that
history has created for us

The Literature in Mindanao embraces both oral and written from its
Moro influence. These include religious and folk literature such as
legends, epic, folktales, proverbs and riddles, and poetry in the form
or courtship rituals and ballads. Modern Mindanao has also
embraced forms like blog, creative nonfiction, free verse poetry,
flash fiction and speculative literature as seen in their prominent
literary journals, “Dagmay.”

Themes about the struggle of the people against the people in the
north of the country, and the effects these bring to the civilian
populace are very popular in Mindanao’s speculative literature.
Personal cries, as well as prayers for hope are often the topics of
blogs by both renowned and budding Mindanaoan writers.

Nevertheless, stories that go back to the roots of the Mindanao

culture in hope of stressing the importance of peace and harmony
amidst diversity, also linger in the writings of modern Mindanao.

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 Representative Author and Text from the Region: Mindanao

Ricardo M. de Ungria

Ricardo M. de Ungria was born in Manila but moved to Davao which

he considered as his home for the past two decades. He earned his
A.B. Literature from the De La Salle University, and later obtained
an M.F.A. in the Creative Arts from the Washington University in
Missouri, U.S.A in 1990.

He is a founding member of the Philippine Literary Arts Council,

which published Caracoa, the first and only poetry journal in the
Philippines in the eighties. In 1999 he founded the Davao Writers
Guild that that publishes a literary journal called Dagmay and
features literary works in various languages by mostly young
writers in the Davao region. Ricardo has served as Chancellor of the
University of the Philippines in Mindanao for two terms (2001-
2007) and as Commissioner for the Arts at the National Commission
for Culture and the Arts (2008-11).

Ungria has published eight books of poetry and edited a number of

anthologies, for which he has won eight National Book Awards.
Through a Fulbright Grant, he received his MFA in Creative Writing
from Washington University in St. Louis in 1989. He has received
writing grants from the Hawthornden International Retreat for
Writers and Bellagio Study and Conference Center. Recently he was
writing fellow at the Hong Kong Baptist University and the Sun yat-
Sen University in Guangzhou. He is a founding member of the
Philippine Literary Arts Council, which published the first and only
poetry journal in the Philippines in the eighties, and the Davao
Writers Guild that holds annual readings in the schools and malls
in the city and publishes a literary journal called Dagmay in a local
paper that features literary works in various languages by young
writers in the Davao region and in Mindanao.

His works is rewarding aesthetically and intellectually. He proved

himself to be one of the leading contemporary Filipino poets. An
examination of de Ungria’s works clarifies that he does not base all
his poems on experience alone, but on the events his observant and
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genius eyes can see. His mastery to handle subject as subtle as love
marks the giant leap of Philippine poetry. He is the one who started
his theme in the country. A decent mind especially the
conservatives do not care to open the pages of his book, Nudes.
Sometimes, reading some of his poems does not prove to be fruitful
and enjoyable. His usage of different figurative languages is too
confusing, although this serves the purpose of making multiple
meaning in poetry.

Nevertheless, Ungria is passionate in poetry where he received

recognition from all over the world.

Literary Work

“The two poems here are my most recent productions, written when I
was winding up my commitments as bureaucrat and testing again
the much-missed pool of ink for living lines and resonant images. My
concerns here are countrified and rural, more natural and airier, and
unwilling to prove anything to the world out there of social media.”

The statement mentioned above is Ungria’s personal remark on his

poem titled, Two Poems.

Continuing Love
Ricardo M. de Ungria
(an excerpt )

Harder on the heart is

the going away than being gone.
Being gone has walked through walls
and changed the wine to water—and now
the wall can break itself down
to dust and spilled water
dry up without smoke.
Going away shrinks all windows and doors
to the size of the unspoken.
A life gathers into a face before us,
and starts to close its eyes.
In the dimming light
we stand as on a jolt
of tide-sucked sand,

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 our balance shifted,
our own face flush with the breath
slipped out of the one becalmed.
Then, the one thing left to do,
the only tender thing to do,
beyond the anger and consent,
moving to its own secret music and
not made smaller by pain,
is to climb up God’s tree
and nibble on her breath,
or get the broom and sweep
without thought
or excitation
the shadow rolled out
on the hospital floor
tile by square
white tile.

(Two Poems by Ricardo M. de Ungria 2012)

II. Learning Task:

A. Written Work

Test I : Directions: Read each statement carefully then encircle

the letter of the best answer.

1. I ate alone. I grew old. I grew older. Based from the line, what is
the tone in the poem “Kundiman”?
A. Bitterness B. Frustration C. Loneliness D. All of the above.

2. What is the meter of the poem?

A. Free verse B. Haiku C. Septet D. Sonnet

3. What feelings can reader infer from the last line of the poem?
A. Denial B. Longing C. Regrets D. Sorrow

4. What figure of speech is used in the title of Adonis Durado’s poem

“Dili Tanan Matagak Mahagbong”?
A. Anti-thesis B. Hyperbole C. Oxymoron D. Paradox

5. What figure of speech in revealed in the lines

Sama sa bulalakaw, mangapulpog sa dili pa makaabot sa
gasawo tang mga kamot?
A. Metaphor B. Simile C. Oxymoron D. Paradox

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6. What does the line dili tanang matagak mahagbong mean?
A. People who fail will fall to the ground.
B. Not all people who fall are totally hopeless.
C. Those who lost their dreams cannot get it back.
D. Some people who fall will be caught by the people around
them and they use their failure to rise again.

7. What do the imageries in the poem of Ricardo de Ungria paint?

A. Death B. Disaster C. Failure D. Tragedy

8. What does the first two lines of the poem, “Harder on the heart
is the going away than being gone” mean?
A. We must not dwell on what went wrong but focus on what
to do next.
B. People do not get what they truly deserve.
C. Life is unfair because life is fair for others.
D. When life gets tough, be tougher.

9. What figure of speech is used in the following lines of the poem,

“and now the wall can break itself down
to dust and spilled water
dry up without smoke.”
A. Oxymoron C. Personification
B. Alliteration c. Hyperbole

10. What does the title of the poem signify?

A. Giving people what they want or always accepting what they
do, at the expense of your own needs.
B. For love to continue, there must be mutual respect.
C. To be assertive—letting the other person know where you
stand so that together you can work out the best outcome for
the two of you together.
D. Love should come with no strings attached. It is a behavior,
rather than a feeling.

Test II: Directions: Based from the given literary texts above,
compare and contrast the literatures of the three regions in the
Philippines from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao using the venn
diagram.

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B. Performance Task: (100pts)
Directions: Read and analyze the representative text of the region
of your choice. Then explain thoroughly the theme or life’s morals
or values which you have learned from the regional text. Relate
these morals or values to the current situation the world is facing
right now. As we all know, themes uncover life’s varied
circumstances such as connection, love, friendship, intimacy,
caring, or belonging. So, from the theme derived from the literary
text read and analyzed, write a slogan and sketch a poster that
address the current problem and provide a better solution.

NOTE: Your performance will be graded based on this scoring rubric:

Pts. Creativity/Originality Effort/Perserverance Craftsmanship/Skill Cooperation/Attitude

(x 8 pts.) (x 7 pts.) (x 5 pts.) (x 5 pts.)
4 The student explored The project was The artwork was The student willingly
several choices continued until it was beautiful and participated in
before Selecting one, complete as the patiently done; it was necessary preparation
generated many student could make it; as good as hard or work for classroom,
ideas, tried unusual gave it effort far work could make it. was sensitive to the
combinations or beyond that required. feelings and
changes, used knowledge of others,
problem-solving skills. exhibited a positive
attitude toward
assignment.

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3 The student tried a The student worked With a little more The student
few ideas before hard and completed effort, the work could participated
selecting one or the project, but with a have been enthusiastically,
based his/her work bit more effort it might outstanding; lacks performed more than
on someone else’s have been the finishing adequately, assisted
idea, made decision outstanding. touches. in preparation and
after referring to one cleanup.
source.
2 The student tried an The student finished The student showed The student was
idea but it lacked the project, but it could average apathetic toward the
originality, might have been improved craftsmanship; assignment,
have copied work, with more effort, adequate, but not as complained, assisted
substituted “symbols” chose an easy project good as it could in preparation and
for personal and did it indifferently. have been, a bit cleanup when asked.
expression. careless.
1 The student fulfilled The project was The student showed The student allowed
the requirements of completed with average others to do most of
the assignment, but minimum craftsmanship, lack his/her work,
gave no evidence of effort of pride in finished participated minimally,
trying anything work exhibited no interest
unusual in the project
0 The student showed The student did not The student showed The student did
no evidence of finish the work poor craftsmanship; almost nothing toward
original adequately evidence of laziness completing the
thought or lack of assignment, did
understanding minimum or no
amount of preparation
or cleanup, distracted
others.

Comments:______________________________________________________
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III. REFLECTION: (20pts)

Instructions: Complete the statement below
I have learned that
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 _________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
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With the knowledge and skills that I acquired from this lesson, I can
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References:
“Adonis Durado”, n.d. https://www.goodreads.com /author/show/13988134.
Adonis_Durado “Michael de Lara Co”, 5 Sept. 2018.
https://prezi.com/p/uurv6bf0pz_r/mikael-delara-co/ “Pamato”, 30 June 2016.
https://merliemalunan.wordpress.com /2016/06/30/pamato/#more-109 “Two
Poems by Ricardo M. de Ungria”, 21 Oct. 2012. http://cordite.org.au/chapbooks-
features/centrehold/two-poems-by-ricardo-m-de-ungria/ 21st Century Literature
from the Philippines and the World. 2017. Cronica Bookhaus.
https://prezi.com/p/uurv6bf0pz_r/mikael-de-lara-co/
https://hanzangeliquepedres.wordpress.com/2016/11/11/a-blog-by-hanz-
angelique-pedres https://www.scribd.com/document/397555509/Examples
https://www.academia.edu/36874699/Life_and_Works_of_Jose_Garcia_Villa
http://belleslouie.blogspot.com/2012/07/one-of-my-favorite-visayan-poems-
dili.html https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3416854.Ricardo_M_de_Ungria
http://cordite.org.au/chapbooks-features/centrehold/two-poems-by-ricardo-m-de-
ungria/ https://merliemalunan.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/pamato/#more-109
http://panitikan.ph/2014/06/06/mikael-de-lara-co/
https://21stcenturylitph.wordpress.com/introduction-to-
philippineliterature/#:~:text=21st%20century%20literature%20per%20se%2C%20is
%20anything%20that https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arturo_Tolentino#Early_career
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arturo_Tolentino
https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1997/06/06/republic-act-no-8293/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arturo_Tolentino#Early_career
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arturo_Tolentino

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 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adonis_Durado
https://21stcenturylitph.wordpress.com/introduction-to-
philippineliterature/#:~:text=21st%20century%20literature%20per%20se%2C%20is
%20anything%20that https://21stcenturylitph.wordpress.com/introduction-to-
world-literature/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adonis_Durado#Literature
https://21stcenturylitph.wordpress.com/introduction-to-
philippineliterature/#:~:text=21st%20century%20literature%20per%20se%2C%20is
%20anything%20thathhttps://

Compiled by:
Name of
JAMES MICHAEL Y. BERDIN
Teacher
Designation Master Teacher I
Name of School Babag National High School- Senior High
Name of
DepED-Division of Lapu-Lapu City
Division

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