1.
Philippines and Philippine
Literature in English

2.
Did you know…?
• The Philippines is the only country in the world whose flag is
hoisted upside down when the country is at war.
• The Philippines is the world’s largest supplier of nurses
• “boonies” or “boondocks” is based on bundok
• In the Philippines, it is considered rude to open gifts
immediately after they are given.

3.
The Jeepney
“King of the Road”
Proudly Pinoy

4.
Proudly Pinoy
Pearl of Lao Tzu or Pearl
of Allah
The world’s largest pearl

5.
Proudly Pinoy
The Yo-yo
a hunting weapon;
name means “come
back” in Ilocano

6.
Proudly Pinoy
Reticulated Python
(Python reticulatus)
Word’s longest
snake

7.
Did you know..?
Erythromycin, an
antibiotic, was invented
by Dr. Abelardo Aguilar.

8.
Did you know..?
Philippines is
world’s texting
capital.
(and world’s selfie
capital too!)

9.
Did you know..?
Santelmo or St. Elmo’s
Fire, an urban legend,
is really an electrical
field.
There has also been
sighting in the Alps
and Himalayas.

10.
Did you know..?
Aswang
A mythical female vampire-
like figure in Filipino
folklore who eats unborn
children has been the
subject of at least one
American horror film and
was featured in an episode
of the CW television
hit Supernatural called
“Fresh Meat."
.

11.
Did you know..?
Cory Aquino was the
first Filipina to be
featured in Time
Magazine.
Her favorite color is red,
not yellow.

12.
Philippine Literature
• Literature associated with the Philippines
• Written in Spanish, English, Filipino or in any other indigenous
language
• Includes the legends of prehistory and colonial legacy of the
Philippines
• Some of the most notable literature is written during Spanish period

13.
Philippine Literature in English
• Started with the coming of the Americans
• 1900: English as medium of instruction in public schools
• American soldiers – first teachers
• August 1901: Thomasites arrived (500 American teachers, on board
USAT Thomas)
• 1908: primary and intermediate grades were using English
Note: Thomasites formalized and strengthened Philippine education

14.
Period of Re-Orientation (1900-1910)
Not much literary work were produced because writers were still
adjusting to:
• the idea of democracy
• the new phraseology of the English language
• standards of the English literary style

15.
Period of Re-Orientation (1900-1910) :
Periodicals
El Renacimiento
• Founded in Manila by Rafael
Palma in 1901
Philippine Free Press
• Established in Manila by R.
McCollough Dick and D. Theo
Rogers

16.
Period of Re-Orientation (1900-1910) :
Poetry
1907: Sursum Corda, written by Justo Juliano, was published in El
Renacimiento
- First work to be published in English
- means “lift up your hearts” or “hearts lifted”
1909: My Mother and Air Castles, by Jan F. Salazar were also
published
To My Lady In Laoag, by Proceso Sebastian

17.
Period of Imitation (1910 – 1925)
• 1919: the UP College Folio published the literary compositions of the
first Filipino writers in English. They were the pioneers in short story
writing.
• Filipino writers imitated heavily American and British models which
resulted in a stilted, artificial and unnatural style, lacking vitality and
spontaneity.
• Short stories, novels and essays in English came to exist in this period.
• Writers of this folio included Fernando Maramag (the best editorial
writer of this period) Juan F. Salazar, Jose M. Hernandez, Vicente del
Fierro, and Francisco M. Africa and Victoriano Yamzon. They pioneered
in English poetry.

18.
Period of Imitation (1910 – 1925)
Essay
Noted essayists: Carlos P. Romulo, Jorge C. Bocobo, Mauro Mendez, and
Vicente Hilario
- truly scholarly characterized by sobriety, substance and structure. They
excelled in the serious essay, especially the editorial type.
Informal Essay
Ignacio Manlapaz, Godefredo Rivera, Federico Mangahas, Francisco B.
Icasiano, Salvador P. Lopez, Jose Lansang and Amando G. Dayrit
-introduced the informal essay, criticism and the journalistic column. They
spiced their work with humor, wit and satire.

19.
Period of Imitation (1910 – 1925)
Novel
Zoilo Galang
• Author of A Child of Sorrow
• First novel in English
• Published 1921

20.
Period of Imitation
(1910 – 1925) :
Short Stories
Paz Marquez Benitez
- Author of Dead Stars, stood out
as a model of perfection in
character delineation, local
color, plot and message. Other
short stories published during
this time were but poor
imitations of their foreign
models.
- Published in 1920s

21.
Period of Imitation (1910 – 1925)
Philippine Collegian – replaced the UP College Folio
Newspapers and periodicals also saw print during this time like the
Bulletin, the Philippines Herald (1920), the Philippine Review, the
Independent, Rising Philippines and Citizens, and the Philippine
Education Magazine 1924.

22.
Period of Self-Discovery and Growth (1925-
1941)
• Filipino writers had acquired the mastery of English writing
• competently wrote on a lot of subjects although the old-time
favorites of love and youth persisted
• Poetry produced during this time was original, spontaneous,
competently written and even socially conscious.

23.
Period of Self-Discovery and Growth (1925-
1941)
Poetry
Noteworthy names in this field include Marcelo de Gracia Concepcion,
Jose Garcia Villa, Angela Manalang Gloria, Abelardo Subido, Trinidad
Tarrosa Subido and Rafael Zulueta da Costa.
They turned our not only love poems but patriotic, religious,
descriptive and reflective poems as well. They wrote in free verse, in
odes and sonnets and in other types.

24.
Period of Self-
Discovery and Growth
(1925-1941)
Jose Garcia Villa
- author of Footnote to Youth, published in
1933 and Mir-in-isa
- known as the Comma Poet
- used the penname Doveglion (derived from
dove, eagle, lion)
- He was awarded the National Artist of the
Philippines title for literature in 1973

25.
Period of Self-Discovery and Growth (1925-
1941)
Short Story
Probably because of the incentives provided by publications like the
Philippine Free Press, The Graphic, The Philippine Magazine and college
publications like the UP Literary Apprentice, poetry and the short story
flourished during these times.
1930-1940 - the Golden Era of Filipino writing in English
Characteristics:
There were still remnants of Spanish influence in the use of expressions that
were florid, sentimental, exaggerated and bombastic. The influence of the
Western culture also was already evident.

26.
Period of Self-Discovery and Growth (1925-
1941)
Essay
Essays during this period improved with the years in quality and quantity, in
content, subject and style.
a. Political, social reflective essays: Federico Mangahas, Salvador P. Lopez, Pura S.
Castrence, Vicente Albano Pacis, Ariston Estrada and Jose A. Lansang.
b. Critical essays were espoused by Salvador P. Lopez, I.V. Mallari, Ignacio
Manlapaz, Jose Garcia Villa, Arturo B. Rotor, and Leopoldo Y. Yabes. An example
of this is Maximo V. Soliven’s THEY CALLED IT BROTHERHOOD.
c. Personal or Familiar essays were written by F.B. Icasiano (Mang Kiko), Alfredo E.
Litiatco, Solomon V. Arnaldo, Amando G. Dayrit and Consuelo Gar (Catuca).

27.
Period of Self-Discovery and Growth (1925-
1941)
Salvador P. Lopez
Author of LITERATURE AND
SOCIETY (1940)
a collection of critical
reflections and serious essays
and which won first prize in the
Commonwealth Literary
Contest of 1940.
Camilo Osias
Author of THE FILIPINO WAY OF LIFE
(1940)
a series of essays on the Filipino way of
life as drawn from history, folkways,
philosophy and psychology of the
Philippines

28.
Period of Self-Discovery and Growth (1925-
1941)
1941: F.B. Icasiano (Mang Kiko) was reprints of the best of Icasiano’s essays in the
Sunday Times Magazine under the column From My Nipa Hut. It is an essay of the
common “tao” and is written with humor and sympathy.
August 16, 1941: Carlos P. Romulo had an editorial printed in the Philippines
Herald. Entitled I AM A FILIPINO, it was reprinted in his book MY BROTHER
AMERICANS in 1945 in New York by Doubleday & Co.
Other essayist include Ignacio Manlapaz, Vicente Albano Pacis, I.V. Mallari, Jose M.
Fernandez, Leopoldo Y. Yabes, Isidro L. Ritizos, Pura Santillan.
The Philippine Writer’s League put out a collection of essays called Literature Under
the Commonwealth. Amando G. Dayrit with his column Good Morning Judge led
others like Leon Ma. Guerrero, Salvador P. Lopez, Vicente Albano Pacis, Jose A.
Lansang and Federico Mangahas.

29.
Period of Self-Discovery and Growth (1925-
1941)
Biography 1925-1941
1935: I.P. Caballero and Marcelo de Gracia Concepcion wrote about QUEZON.
1938: THE GREAT MALAYAN won a prize in the national contest sponsored by the
Commonwealth of the Philippines. This was written by Carlos Quirino, the most famous
biographer of the period. He also wrote Quezon, the Man of Destiny.
1940: I.V. Mallari’s The Birth of Discontent revealed the sensitive touch of a writer who in
simple language was able to reveal his profound thoughts and feelings.
History
Not much about history has been written by Filipino writers.
1937, with regard to literary history, we can cite Teofilo del Castillo’s The Brief History of
the Philippine Islands.

30.
Period of Self-Discovery and Growth (1925-
1941)
PUBLICATIONS
The Philippine Free Press provided the first incentives to Filipino writers
in English by offering prizes to worthwhile contributions. Other
publications followed suit.
THE DRAMA (1925-1941)
Drama during this period did not reach the heights attained by the
novel or the short story. The UP provided the incentives when they
introduced playwriting as a course and established the UP Little
Theater.

31.
The Japanese Occupation (1941-1945)
• Writings that came out were journalistic in nature
• Writers felt suppressed
• Spirit of nationalism seeped into the works but not much was
produced during this time.
• Majority of the writers waited for a better climate to publish their
works.

32.
The Japanese Occupation
(1941-1945)
Carlos P. Romulo
- co-founder of the Boy Scouts of the
Philippines, a general in the US Army and
the Philippine Army
- Won the Pulitzer Prize for his bestsellers
“I Saw The Fall Of The Philippines”, “I See
The Philippines Rise” and “My Brother
Americans”
- was nominated for Nobel Peace Prize in
1952 “for his contribution in international
cooperation, in particular on questions on
undeveloped areas, and as president
for UN’s 4th General Assembly"
- named one of the Philippines' National
Artists in Literature (1982)

33.
Rebirth of Freedom (1945 – to present)
• Longer pieces were being written by writers during this period
• Many writers in English were recognized abroad

34.
Rebirth of Freedom (1945 – to present)
Kerima Polotan Tuvera
- pseudonym Patricia S. Torres
- Author of The Hand of the
Enemy, a novel, which win the
Stonehill Award
- penned the only officially
approved biography of the First
Lady Imelda Marcos, Imelda
Romualdez Marcos: a biography
of the First Lady of the
Philippines

35.
Stevan Javellana
- An Ilonggo literary gem
- Author of Without Seeing the
Dawn, a novel, which tells the
grim experiences of Filipinos, in
general, and the Ilonggos, in
particular, during World War II
- Without Seeing the Dawn, also
known as The Lost Ones, is his
only novel
- Also known as Esteban Javellana
Rebirth of Freedom (1945 – to present)

36.
Literary Awards in the Philippines
Palanca Awards or Don Carlos Palanca Memorial
Awards for Literature
The Manila Standard called it the "Pulitzer Prize" of the
Philippines in prestige.
entries to the Palanca competition have to be
previously unpublished pieces in their manuscript form.
The Palanca Awards, organized by the Carlos Palanca
Foundation, is one of the Philippines' longest-running
awards programs
The Palanca Awards was established in 1950 to inspire
and recognize Filipino writers, including poets,
playwrights and screenwriters, and writers for children.

37.
Literary Awards in the Philippines
Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas
The Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas is a prestigious award given
by the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL). The award is
given to literary works of different genres.
Literary works may be any of the following: fiction, essays, poetry,
criticism, drama, or screenplay. Works may be written in English,
Filipino, Cebuano, Tagalog, Ilokano and Hiligaynon.

38.
FOOTNOTE TO YOUTH by Jose Garcia Villa
Setting: in a rural area, with ricefields, simple living
Characters:
• Dodong – the main character; a farmer and a farmer’s son
- 17 years old, “had pimples on his face, the down on his upper lip was dark – these meant he was
no longer a boy.” “He felt insolent and big at the thought of being a man although he was by nature low in
stature”. He thinks he can do anything.
- in love and wanted to marry Teang
• Teang – “had small, brown face and small black eyes and straight glossy hair”
• Mother / Inay – mother of Dodong
-“walks with slow careful steps”; does all the housework alone
• Father / Tatay – father of Dodong; suffering from a diseased tooth, constantly sucking at it
• Lucio – another suitor of Teang, 6 years older than Dodong; married but childless
• Blas – Dodong’s eldest child among 7; wanted to marry, at 18, Tona
• Tona – the love interest of Blas

39.
FOOTNOTE TO YOUTH by Jose Garcia Villa
Theme:
In life, sometimes history repeats itself. It may appear in a different form or
manifestation but somehow it bears the same consequence. Life has
vicarious lessons. One must not make decisions in haste, out of impulse, in a
spur of a moment – especially when it comes to serious matters like
marriage.
Elders (like parents) should guide the children properly, not letting them do
whatever they want to do all the time nor not letting them do anything most
of the time. They should impart the proper lessons and teachings to their
children rather than letting the children go ahead on their plans blindly.
If you can stop something from happening again the second time, then do
something about it.

40.
LIKE THE MOLAVE by Rafael Zulueta de Costa
I. Not yet, Rizal, not yet. Sleep not in peace:
There are a thousand waters to be spanned;
There are a thousand mountains to be crossed;
There are a thousand crosses to be borne.
Our shoulders are not strong;
our sinews are grown flaccid with dependence,
smug with ease under another’s wing.
Rest not in peace; Not yet, Rizal, not yet.
The land has need of young blood-and,
what younger than your own,
Forever spilled in the great name of freedom,
Forever oblate on the altar of the free?
Not you alone, Rizal.
O souls and spirits of the martyred brave, arise!
Arise and scour the land!
Shed once again your willing blood!
Infuse the vibrant red
Into our thin anaemic veins;
Until we pick up your Promethean tools and,
strong,
Out of the depthless matrix of your of your faith
In us, and on the silent cliffs of freedom,
We carve for all time your marmoreal dream!
Until our people, seeing, are become
Like the molave, firm, resilent, staunch,
Rising on the hillside, unafraid,
Strong in its own fibre, yes, like the molave!

41.
LIKE THE MOLAVE by Rafael Zulueta de Costa
II. The youth of the land is a proud and noble
appellation,
The youth of the land is a panoramic poem,
The youth of the land is a book of paradoxes,
The youth of the land is a pat on one’s back,
The youth of the land is a huge canvas of spectral
colors,
The youth of the land is an epic tragedy-comedy,
The youth of the land is a crashing symphony,
The youth of the land is a child grown old in tears,
The youth of the land is an old man laughing through a
perpetual infancy;
A bastard child of a thousand dreams, masquerading
and dancing,
The youth of the land.
III. We, the Filipinos of today, are soft,
Easy-going, parasitic, frivolous,
Inconstant, indolent, inefficient.
Would you have me sugarcoat you?
I would be happier to shower praise upon
My countrymen…but let us be realists…
Let us strip ourselves
Youth of the land, you are a bitter pill to swallow.
This is a testament of the youth borne on the four
pacific winds;
This is a parable of seed four ways sown in stone;
This is a chip not only on the President’s shoulder:
The nation of our fathers shivers with longing
expectation.
Shall we, sons and daughters, brother youths of the
land,
Walk up new and forever knock the flirting chip off?
Or will the nation of our fathers be forever and
forever
Lighting candles in the wind?