Philippine Literature:

Revisiting the
Glorious Era
Part 2
 Philippine literature is the
body of works, both oral and
written, that Filipinos,
whether native, naturalized,
or foreign born, have
created about the
What is experience of people living in
or relating to Philippine
Philippine society. It is composed or
Literature? written in one of the
Philippines languages, in
Spanish, in English and in
Chinese as well.
Philippine literature is
literature associated with the
Philippines from prehistory,
through its colonial legacies,
and on to the present. Pre-
Hispanic Philippine literature
was actually epics passed on
from generation to
generation, originally
through an oral tradition.

A product, a reflection of and reaction to the period,

place and people who produced it. (Barabar. et., 1989,
p.5)

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 ♥ To appreciate our literary heritage;
♥ For us to realize our literary limitations
conditioned by certain historical factors
so we can take steps to overcome them;
Reasons for ♥ To understand that we have a great and
Studying noble tradition which can served as
Philippine means to assimilate other cultures and;
Literature
♥ To show that as Filipinos who truly love
and take pride in our own culture, we
have to manifest our deep concern for
our own literature and this we can do by
studying the literatures of our country.

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 TIMELINES IN PHILIPPINE LITERATURES:
SOME HIGHLIGHTS
1. Philippine literatures in English is phenomenological since the
inception of English in our culture;
2. Philippine literatures is about four hundred years old.
3. Timelines may not be necessary to the study of literature, but
since literature and history are inescapably related it has
become facilitative to map up system which will aid us in
delineating certain time boundaries. In addition, Balabar, et al.,
(1989) posits that “Philippine literature is as old as its country’s
history”

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 Timelines in Philippine Literatures

 Pre – Colonial Period

 Spanish Regime
 Nationalistic Period
 United States Colonial Rule
 Japanese Occupation
 Contemporary Period
 Post EDSA Literature

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 1.
PRE – COLONIAL
PERIOD
(B.C to 1564)
The literary outputs of this period cannot be called substantial because
much of it was oral .

• Riddles - gives an enigma or puzzle; can be a question with a quick witty

answer. It can be just a sentence that makes you have a sudden
realization.
Examples:
“Three eyes have I, all in a row; when the red one opens, all freeze.”
The answer is TRAFFIC LIGHT.
“What is so fragile that when you say its name you break it?”
The answer is SILENCE.
“I have a tail, and I have a head, but i have no body. I am NOT a snake.
What am I?”
A COIN.
• Proverbs - wise saying or “salawikain”; a short saying that is widely used to
express an obvious truth

Examples:

“In every cloud there is a silver lining”

“The more you give, the more you will receive”

• Songs (Folk Songs) - were also very much part of pre-colonial literature and
the people’s daily life

Examples:

Magtanim ay di Biro

Ili – Ili Tulog Anay

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• Mimetic dances - often accompanied these songs and rituals and were the
precursor of the drama form
Examples:
Sayaw sa Bangko

Tinikling

In prose, pre-colonial literature had myths, tales, fables, legends, and

fantastic stories. The most significant and the longest form of pre-colonial
poetry was the fold epic (narratives of sustained length based on oral
tradition, revolving around supernatural events or heroic deeds, in the form
of verse, which is either chanted or sung, with a certain seriousness of
purpose, embodying or validating the beliefs, customs, ideals or life – values
of the people.) Popular Epics are Biag ni Lam-ang, Hinilawod, Bantugan,
Indarapatra at Sulayman.

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 2.
THE SPANISH
REGIME
(1565-1863)
 The literary scene during this era was focused on religious themes due
to the Christianization of the Philippines by the Spaniards.

• Took on a religious Character

• Christianization of the Philippines
• Introduced the first printing press
• Doctrina Christiana – the first published book, 1593
• Poems in Spanish and Tagalog were written by “Ladinos” who were well-
versed in both languages
Example: Gregoria de Jesus (wife of Andress Bonifacio)
• Pasyon – The most popular form of religious literature; A long time
narrative poem about the passion and deadth of Christ
Example: Ang Mahal na Pasyon ni Jesu Cristong Panginoon Natin –
Gaspar Aquilino de Belen’s well known pasyon.
• Sinakulo / Cenaculo - A dramatization of the pasyon; A play on the passion
and death of Christ; from palm Sunday to easter Sunday (Holy Week)

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 ◦ Grammar Books
Catechisms /Dictionary

Literary
Outputs

Confession
Manuals

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Thank you!