SOUTHERNSIDE MONTESSORI SCHOOL

Camella Homes IV, Poblacion, Muntinlupa City

NOTES 4:

Literary Texts from Regions in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao Written

in Different Genres
The Philippines has a unique cultural landscape, one shaped by a myriad of languages and
traditions determined by their geographical and linguistic regions. There are so many different
cultures in the country, and they are all considered Filipino. These many regional cultures,
however, do all come together to create the colorful tapestry that we call Filipino culture.

Literary Texts from Regions in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao

 Luzon: Genres of Urban Writing

"As society and technology change, so does literacy"

Luzon is considered as the most populous island in the Philippines with the population of
48,520,774 in the year 2010 according to National Statistics Office’s (NSO) and almost half of
the ethnic groups are found in Luzon with the percentage of 48%. The major languages of these
ethnic groups are Tagalog, Ilocano, Kaapampangan, Bicolano, and Pangasinense.

It is not that surprising that many or most of the Filipino people choose to live in Luzon as it is
the focus of trade and industry and considered to be a political center of the country because of
Metro Manila. And to address the needs for education of Luzon, the greatest number of schools,
institutions and universities are found here, making it the highlight of literacy in the country.
However, there must be a further improvement of new technologies such as internet to fully
address this situation.

One of the biggest technological advancements of the twentieth century is the invention of
Internet which connects the people from different parts of our archipelago in many ways like
social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram not only for entertainment but
also for social awareness. In these ways, writers from other region able to experiment with other
forms for expressing their literary skills. Examples of these are the web log or the blog, online
novels, and the famous mobile phone text tula , pioneered by Frank Rivera.

As of 2014 the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines (IMMAP) recorded
that there are 38 million Internet users in the Philippines of estimated 100 million Filipinos in
2015. Another important feature of IMMAP’s report is that two-thirds of Filipino Internet users
are below 30 years old. After all, functional internet literacy is a necessary skill today especially
for the millennials who should be able to compere intellectually with people of other nation.
Hopefully, the citizen of the Philippines should be responsible and discipline enough in using
Internet.

E-book is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both,
readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices.

 Visayas: Hybrid Modes in Local Color

One of the longest known epics in the world is the ethno-epic “Hinilawod” of the ancient people
of sulod in Central Panay, the only epic record in the Visayas. Recorded in the 1950s by
anthropologist F. Landa Jocano who hails from the province of IloIlo, HINILAWOD is more than
53,000 lines long and takes thirty hours to recite. Segments of the epic have been adapted at
festival (the Hirinugyaw – Suguidanonay in Calinog, Central Panay).

During the Spanish colonial period when natives were indigenizing the pasyon and koridolcorrido
(metrical romances), Spanish and native aspiring writers were also looking to the available
literary models at that time.

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The first literary works in Visayas, the immensely popular Lagda sa pagca maligdon sa tauong
Bisaya (1734) and another Cebuano work, Fr. Blas Cavada de Castro’s Ang Suga nga Magadan-
ag sa napayupo sa Cangingitan sa Sala (1879), combine into one books several
dialogues,maxims,tales,meditation,and ajemplos (pananglitan).

A new set of economic and social conditions prepared the ground not just for the revolution at
the end of the century “Spanish rule 19th” but also the rise of the vernacular writing in the
Visayas. Relative prosperity in Iloilo, Negros, and Cebu Where large haciendas grew export
crops like sugar helped create a middle class who could send to Manila or Abroad to Study.

Philippines only changing colonial master rather than gaining long terms independence, the
liberal atmosphere that Filipino-led movement helped create led to the burst of provincial
journalism and native language writing. It also helped that the Spanish language was already
losing favor, and the English language had not yet taken root at this time of early American
colonial period.

The golden age of vernacular literature in the 20th Century would not have been possible
without the rise of provincial journalism.

Before the turns of century, the dominance and pro-Spanish periodical was already being
eclipsed by native language paper El Porvenir de Visaya (1884-1989) of Iloilo and El Bolitin de
Cebu. The creation of the native language periodicals continued., in Cebu, Iloilo. Serialized
fiction that dramatized popular sentiments become such a hit especially in 1930s that periodical
heavily dependent on them for sales.

The first Visayan Novel, Hiligaynon Angel M. Magahum’s Benjamin (1907), was one such hybrid
that combined the Spanish-era ex emplum (novel of manners) and the modern chronicle (short
historical account).

Nicolas Rafols in his Novel Ang Puluhan (1919) attempted to present a semi-fictionalized
chronicle of actual events in Cebu, the abuses of the Philippine Constabulary.

 Mindanao: Literatures of Conflict (Filipino Muslim Literature)

The Mindanao has its hidden literature that everybody doesn’t know. Their literature is a diverse
culture which displays the features and culture of the Muslim people in the Philippines. Mindanao
has thirty-three ethno-linguistic groups, which thirteen of them are Islamized; nineteen are
Lumads and third and fourth are Christian settlers. It was then the Americans colonize the
region, and the lands of the Lumads and Muslims have been taken by the colonialist, so they had
lost a large area of their ancestral lands. The land ownership comes from Muslim is Tawhid which
means “oneness” or unity.

Literature in Mindanao especially the folk literature in cultural communities as in other Filipino
groups follow the oral tradition in that folktales, myths, legends, epics, poems, riddles and
proverbs are handed down by word of mouth from generation to generation. The epic “Blue
Blood of the Big Astana”, of Ibrahim A. Jubair, is a story which there is a twist of romance and
history. It also demonstrates the severe transformation that occurred when the Americans
started to combine the colony under their governance. Both the parents and the husband of the
princess, who Jafaar refers to us Dayang-Dayang meaning noblewoman are dispossessed of land
that has been theirs ever since Sulu had established itself as a sultanate an autonomous state.
The story reflects the life of the Muslims, which experienced loss of lands because the Americans
and the Government ushered a number of foreign business that includes illegal mining and
illegal logging which altered the regions landscape. Other than this, there are many more literary
forms from the different places in Mindanao. One of it is “Prince Batugan”, from Maranao, is an
epic story told in the great oral tradition of the Maranao tribe. It is a story about the great Prince
Bantugan, the greatest warrior of the kingdom of Bantugan. Other epics are; in Maguindanao,
Indarapatra at Solayman; and the Tausug, Parang Sabil hi Abdulla iban hi Isara, “The Flood
Story, “THEY SAY FILIPINA IS ANOTHER NAME FOR MAID”,“ANY WOMAN SPEAKS”,”DEAD
STARS” , and “Disquisition” .

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It is said that the cultural products of Mindanao are fast vanishing and the people themselves
are not aware of this. Literary preservation and development have seemingly taken the back
seat. Maybe because people are seemingly preoccupied to the considerations such as politics and
economics. While this is more important, the Filipino Muslim cultural communities must realize
the significance of their literature in their lives in that it helps preserve the richness and
uniqueness of their respective cultural identities.

Major Genres in the 21st Century

1. Poetry – is written by a poet in meter or in verse expressing various emotions which use a
lot of techniques like figures of speech. It heavily uses imagery, meter, and rhyme. It is
generally considered as the oldest of the arts. It is the most closely related to music. It
appeals to the senses and imagination. Poets combine words to create vivid pictures and to
express deep feelings.
2. Text Tula – is one of the most recent genres in Philippine Literature. It is a poetry genre
where entire poems are written and read in mobile phones. Though usually short due to the
necessity of the number of characters allowed in text messaging, the elements of poetry are
still present in this genre.
3. Chick Lit – also called Chick Literature. It is a fiction which addresses issues of modern
womanhood, often humorously and light-heartedly. Although it sometimes includes romantic
elements, chick lit is generally not considered a direct subcategory of the romance novels
because the heroine’s relationship with her family, or friends is often just a s important as
her romantic relationships.
Chick lit or chick literature is genre fiction, which "consists of heroine-centered narratives
that focus on the trials and tribulations of their individual protagonists". The genre often
addresses issues of modern womanhood – from romantic relationships to female friendships
to matters in the workplace – in humorous and lighthearted ways.
4. Short story – is a piece of prose fiction marked by relative shortness and density, organized
into a plot and with some kind of denouement at the end. The plot may be comic, tragic,
romantic, or satiric. It usually focuses on one important event in the lives of a small number
of central characters.
5. Speculative Fiction – is a broad umbrella category of narrative fiction referring to any
fiction story that includes elements, settings, and characters whose features are created out
of human imagination and speculation rather than based on attested reality and everyday
life.
 Fantasy – includes elements and beings from human cultural imagination.
 Science Fiction – features technologies that do not exist in real life.
 Horror – somewhat similar to fantasy, but focusing on terrifying, evil and often
powerful beings.
 Utopia – takes place in a highly desirable society, often presented as advanced,
happy, intelligent, or even perfect or problem-free.
 Dystopia - takes place in a highly undesirable society, often plagued with strict

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 control, violence, chaos, brainwashing, and other negative elements.
 Alternative History – focusing on historical events as if they happened in a different
way, and its implications on the present.
 Apocalyptic – takes place before and during a massive, worldwide disaster.
 Post-apocalyptic – focuses on groups of survivors after a massive, worldwide
disaster.
6. Essay – an analytic, interpretative, or critical literary composition usually much shorter and
less systematic and formal than a dissertation or thesis, and usually dealing with its subject
from a limited and often personal point of view.
7. Drama – is a composition in verse or prose intended to portray life or character, or to tell a
story usually involving conflicts and emotions through action and dialogue, and typically
designed for theatrical performance.
8. Creative Nonfiction – a literary work that can be an essay, journal article, a research
paper, a memoir, or a poem. It can be personal or not. The words “creative” and “nonfiction”
describe the form. The word creative refers to the use of literary craft, the techniques fiction
writers employ to present nonfiction. The word nonfiction refers to factually accurate prose
about real people and events –--- in a compelling, vivid, dramatic manner.
9. Hyper Poetry – also called hyperbole poetry. Includes the use of over-exaggeration for the
purpose of creating emphasis or being humorous but is not intended to be taken literally.
10. Flash Fiction – is a fictional work of extreme brevity. It includes the 6-Word Story,
twitterature (140-character stories), the dribble (50 words), the drabble (100 words), and
sudden fiction (740 words).

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