What are the Literary Genres in the Philippines?

The multiplicity of Philippine literature progressed alongside its rich

history. Its themes are rooted in the context of the Philippine’s pre-
colonial cultural traditions and the socio-political histories of its colonial
and contemporary ways. However, some Filipinos encounter unfamiliarity
with the literature of the past essentially due to what has been taught
upon us, that our country was ‘discovered’ and, hence, Philippine ‘history’
began in March 1521.

The Pre-colonial Period

The Pre-colonial Filipinos demonstrated rich-lived experiences orally

expressed in their folk speeches, songs, narratives, and indigenous rituals
and mimetic dances. These are passed down from generation to
generation. The most common of these are:
a. Riddles – These are mystifying statements or questions phrased and
rhymed to require ingenuity in determining its answer. These are
presented as a game and considered as forms of entertainment during
the earlier times. Talinghaga or metaphor is dominant in any riddles as it
discloses subtle comparisons between unlike things, thus, wit and
observation are required in this mental exercise.

For the Visayans, these are called tigmo, for the Tagalogs, bugtong.
For the Ilongos, paktakon and for the Bicolanos, atototdon. Here are the
examples:

Tigmo
Baboy sa lasang (A wild pig in the forest,)
Ang tunok puro lansang. (Is covered with spikes)
Answer: Nangka (Jackfruit)

Paktakon
Ano nga tuboran Masulog sa tag-init, (What spring flow in summer)
Ginabubsan kong tag-ulan?. (and run dry on rainy days?)
Answer: Balhas (Sweat)

b. Proverbs - These are called sawikain or salawikain in Tagalog or sarsarita in

Ilocano. Philippine proverbs are wise sayings that prescribe codes of
behavior, mirror societal norms, traditions, and beliefs and impart
lessons in brief, rhyming verse. Read the examples below:

Ilocano on Guilt Hiligaynon on Suffering

Ti agutak, (He who cackles) Kon indi ikaw mag-antos (If you don’t
sacrifice)
Isut nagitlog. (laid the egg.) Indi ka gid magsantos.( You can’t be a saint.)
c. Songs – These are forms of folk lyric speak volumes of the typical
rural lives and reflect people’s aspirations and lifestyles. Here are
some song categories of our ancestors:
Folk Songs Lullaby Serenade
(Awit ng (Oyayi) (Harana)
Bayan)
i. Folk Songs (Awit ng Bayan) – These are songs with lines
often described as repetitive, didactic, and sonorous. The
following are examples of famous Filipino folk songs:

Magtanim ay di Biro Dandansoy

(Tagalog Folk Song) (Visayan Folk Song)
Magtanim ay di biro Dandansoy, bayaan ta
Maghapong nakayuko ikaw Pauli ako sa payag
Di man lang makaupo Ugaling kung ikaw hidlawon
Di man lang makatayo Ang payag imo lang
lantawon.
Braso ko’y namamanhid
Baywang ko’y nangangawit. Dandansoy, kung
Binti ko’y namimitig imo apason
Sa pagkababad sa tubig. Bisan tubig di magbalon
Ugaling kung ikaw uhawon
Sa umaga, paggising Sa dalan magbubon-bubon.
Ang lahat, iisipin
Kung saan may patanim Kumbento, diin ang cura?
May masarap na pagkain Munisipyo, diin justicia?
Yari si dansoy makiha.
Halina, halina, mga kaliyag, Makiha sa pag-higugma
Tayo’y magsipag-unat-
unat. Magpanibago tayo ng Ang panyo mo kag panyo
lakas Para sa araw ng ko Dal-a diri kay tambihon
bukas (Bisig ko’y ko Ugaling kung magkasilo
namamanhid Baywang ko’y Bana ta ikaw, asawa mo
nangangawit. Binti ko’y ako.
namimintig
Sa pagkababad sa tubig.)

Kay-pagkasawing-palad
Ng inianak sa hirap,
Ang bisig kung di iunat,
Di kumita ng pilak.

ii. Lullaby (Oyayi) – These are soothing songs often sung to put
babies to sleep. The following is an Ilocano lullaby with its
English translation:
 Maturug, duduayya Go to sleep, dear little
one Maturog kad tay bunga, Will my child please
sleep, Tay lalaki nga napigsa This strong boy
Ta inton dumakkel tay bunga, So when the child grows
big
Isunto aya tay mammati He will obey
Tay amon a ibaga me. Everything that we say.
iii. Serenade (Harana) – These are courtship songs used by young
men to capture the heart of the girl they love.

d. Chants (Bulong) – These are used to give respect, excuse, or apology

to unseen or other elemental spirits our ancestors believed in to deliver
them from danger or harm. Moreover, these are utilized in
enchantments and even in withcfraft. Read the examples below:

Tabi-tabi po, Ingkong, makikiraan po lamang

(Tagalog) Bari-bari po, Apo, umisbo la ting tao.
(Ilokano)
Ikaw ang nagnanakaw ng bigas ko
Lumuwa sana ang mata mo
Mamaga sana ang katawan mo
Patayin ka ng mga anito.

e. Epics – These are long narrative accounts of heroic exploits.

Examples of these are Darangen in Maranaw, Aliguyon at Hudhud in
Ifugao, Ibalon in Bicol.
f. Myths – These are symbolic narratives, usually of unknown origin and
at least partly traditional, that ostensibly relate actual events and are
especially associated with religious belief. Ancient Filipino myths
include The Story of Bathala, and Ang Pag-aaway ng Dagat at Langit.

g. Legends – These are stories that explain the origin of things and
phenomena in the surrounding world. Some of the most famous
legends are: The Legend of Maria Makiling, The Legend of Mayon, and The
Legend of Sampaguita.

h. Fables – These are brief stories for the children of the native Filipinos.
These talk about supernatural or extraordinary people and usually
follow in the form of narration that demonstrates a useful truth. These
stories use animals as characters to represent a particular attribute or
characteristic. One of the most orally narrated Filipino fables is Ang
Kuneho at ang Pagong.

i. Folk tales (Kwentong Bayan) – These are stories that deal with the
power of nature-personified, their submission to a deity (Bathala), and
how the deity is responsible for the blessings and the curses in the
form of calamities. These are often passed on from generation to
generation by word of mouth.
 After knowing the literary genres of the Pre-colonial Philippines, can
you cite local/ regional examples of riddles, proverbs, songs, epics, myths,
and folktales? Share it in class.
The Spanish Period

The Spanish colonizers ruled the country for over 300 years. They
used the cross to influence and impose their religion upon the natives. For
more than three centuries of colonization in the Philippines, not only was
our history as a nation altered but also our traditions, lifestyles, and belief
systems. This has immensely influenced our literature. A shift of interest
from writing about nature to writing about the Christian faith – of hymns,
saints, miracles, and the teaching of the church, took place. Most of the
writings were religious, secular, and at the latter part, propaganda and
revolutionary.
Religious matters were in the form of prose as prayer books,
novenas, biographies of saints, and the likes. Senakulo, a Filipino
dramatization of the life and times of Jesus Christ presented during the
Lent, was widely held. Pasyon, Philippine epic narrative of the life of Jesus
Christ, was written in stanzas with five lines of eight syllables each and
focused on his Passion, Death, and Resurrection. Dalit (psalm), a song
praising God or the Virgin Mary and containing a philosophy of life, also
became popular.
Secular or Non-religious literature also flourished. These are
prominently tales of valiance and adventure. They include the following:
a. Awit (Song)– These have measures of twelve syllables
(dodecasyllabic) and are slowly sung to the accompaniment of a
guitar or banduria. Francisco Baltazar’s Florante at Laura is the
best example for this.
b. Kurido (Corrido) - These are metrical romances and tales that
follow a structure of a poem. These have measures of eight
syllables (octosyllabic) and recited to a martial beat. More often,
these are tales of chivalry where a knight saves a princess. Ibong
Adarna is an example of this.
c. Karagatan - This is a poetic vehicle of a socio-religious nature
celebrated during the death of a person.
d. Duplo – This is a poetic joust in speaking and reasoning.
e. Prose Narratives – These are instructional materials that teach
Filipinos proper decorum. Pagsusulatan ng Dalawang Binibini na si
Urbana at Feliza (1864) is an example.
f. Sarswela – This is a type of drama that originated in Spain. It
includes singing and dancing on stage with lyrics alternatively
spoken and sung in operatic and popular styles.

The exposure of the Filipinos to Europe’s liberal idealism, the

martyrdom of GomBurZa, the Cavite Mutiny in 1872 and the Spanish
Revolution in 1868 led to Filipino consciousness (Martin, Guevarra, del
Campo, 2016). This gave birth to two crucial and historic movements
during this time – the Propaganda movement and the Revolutionary
movement which awakened nationalism. The Propaganda movement
 was reformatory in objective and its members were Jose Rizal, Marcelo H.
del Pilar, and Graciano Lopez-Jaena. They have published news, editorial,
and satires that attacked Spanish rule.

The exposure of the evils of the Spanish rule in the Philippines was
because of Rizal’s novels: Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo and has
paved the way to a revolution against Spain. Del Pilar’s essays and
editorials in Diariong Tagalog which he founded with Lopez-Jaena’s articles
in La Solidaridad (where he was an editor) reflected nationalism that was
dominant at this time. Lopez Jaena’s Fray Botod (1876) exposed how some
friars were greedy, immoral, and ambitious. Del Pilar’s Dasalan at Tocsohan
(Prayers and Jokes) was similar to that of a catechism but sarcastically
done against the Spanish priests.

Revolutionary literature also loomed with exposes that sparked

revolution and resistance among the Filipinos. Andres Bonifacio’s
Katungkulang Gagawin ng mga Anak ng Bayan (Obligations of our Countrymen)
outlined the obligations of Filipinos toward nationalism. Apolinario Mabini’s
essay titled El Desarollo y Caida de la Republica Filipina (The Rise and Fall of
Philippine Republic) highlighted the establishment of Philippine Republic
and its subsequent downfall due to disunity among the Filipinos. Emilio
Jacinto’s collection of essays called Liwanag at Dilim (Light and Darkness)
was on work, faith, freedom, government, and patriotism.

The American Period

The Philippines had a great leap in education and culture during the
American colonization. During their time in the country, public school
system was introduced and the usage of both English and Filipino was
practiced.

The literature during the American period was imitative of the form
of American writing. Forms of poetry still followed the old structure but
had contents that ranged from free writing and societal concerns under
the American regime. Some poems focused on non-traditional themes
such that of Jose Corazon de Jesus’ Mga Gintong Dahon (1920). This is a
collection poem that tackled themes on passion-slaying, grief- induced,
insanity and lover’s suicide. Drama also became popular as it was used to
degrade the Spanish rule and immortalized the heroism of Filipinos who
fought under the Katipunan. Remake novels also took up Dr. Jose Rizal’s
portrayal of social conditions under colonial repression.

Severino Reyes led the movement to supplant the komedya with a

new type of drama, the sarswela (adaptation of the Spanish zarzuela).
Sarswelas such as Juan Abad’s Tanikalang Guinto (1902), Juan Matapang
Cruz’s Hindi Ako Patay (1903), and Aurelio Tolentino’s Kahapon, Ngayon, at
Bukas (1903) allegorically presented the history of nationalist struggle.
The Japanese Period and the Republic

With the coming of the Japanese invaders, Philippine literature came

to a halt. The English language was banned and the Filipino language was
mandated under Japanese rule. For some, this seemed to be a problem
but for others it was a blessing in disguise. Filipino literature was given a
break in this period as many wrote plays, novels, poems, short stories
with themes circling on life in the province, the arts, nationalism, and the
likes. Many plays were reproduced from English to Tagalog.

Writing during the Japanese reign were journalistic in nature. People

felt suppressed but the spirit of nationalism slowly seeped into their
consciousness. Thus, essays were composed to glorify Filipinos and to
figuratively attack the Japanese.

21st Century Literature of the Philippines

All literary works written and published at the later part of the 21st
century (from 2001 onwards) are often characterized as gender sensitive,
technologically alluding, culturally pluralistic, operates on the extreme
reality or extreme fiction, and questions conventions and supposedly
absolute norms.

Just as technology advanced in the 21 st century, Filipinos have also

adapted, invented, and written some literary innovations far different from
before. Philippine literature, nowadays, deals with current themes on
technological culture and traces artistic representation of shared
experiences. These works are characterized as gender sensitive,
technologically alluding, culturally pluralistic, operates on the extreme
reality or extreme fiction, and questions conventions and supposedly
absolute norms. There are a lot of new forms from the basic genres of
literature; thus, proving how far the literature in the Philippines has gone
and how far it will go on from here.

The following are the most notable literary genres in the 21st century:
a. Drama- It is the genre of literature with stories composed of verse or
prose which is meant to be dramatically or theatrically performed. Its
emotions and conflicts are expressed through dialogue and movements
or actions.
b. Creative nonfiction – It is also known as literary nonfiction or narrative
nonfiction, is a genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques
to create factually accurate narratives.

c. Blog – It is a web log containing short articles called posts that can be
changed regularly. Some blogs are written by one person (called
blogger) containing his/her hobbies or interests, opinions, and
experiences, while others are written by many different people.
d. Poetry – It is a verse and rhythmic writing with imagery that evokes an
emotional response from the reader. Mina Roy defines poetry as “prose
bewitched”. If fiction is concerned with plot action, poetry is “life
distilled” through words and language. Poetry works via suggestion,
implication, and ambiguity rather than straightforward communication.
The art of poetry is rhythmical in composition, written or spoken.
Poetry is for entertaining and exciting pleasure by beautiful,
imaginative, or elevated thoughts.

i. Mobile phone Text tula - A particular example of this poem is a

tanaga, a type of Filipino poem, consisting of four lines with
seven syllables each with the same rhyme at the end of each
line - that is to say a 7-7-7-7 syllabic verse, with an AABB
rhyme scheme. The modern tanaga still uses the 7777 syllable
count, but rhymes range from dual rhyme forms: AABB, ABAB,
ABBA; to freestyle forms such as AAAB, BAAA, or ABCD.
Tanagas do not have titles traditionally because the tanaga
should speak for itself. However, moderns can opt to give
them titles. Text tula is often read on cellular phones.

ii. Hyperpoetry – It is a form of digital poetry that uses links using

hypertext mark-up. It is a very visual form, and is related to
hypertext fiction and visual arts. The links mean that a
hypertext poem has no set order, the poem moving or being
generated in response to the links that the reader/user
chooses. It can either involve set words, phrases, lines, etc.
that are presented in variable order but sit on the page much
as traditional poetry does, or it can contain parts of the poem
that move and
/ or mutate. It is usually found online. The earliest examples
date to no later than the mid-1980s.

iii. Spoken word poetry – It is a poem that has made its way into
the hearts and souls of thousands of Filipinos especially the
millennials. It is a type of poem performed or read in artistic
and emotive manner which can be accompanied by music or
presented in the streets or bars, even café shops. It is an oral
art that focuses on the aesthetics of word play such as
intonation and voice inflection. It is a "catchall" term that
includes any kind of poetry recited aloud, including poetry
readings, poetry slams, jazz poetry, and hip hop, and can
include comedy routines and prose monologues. The most
viewed YouTube Filipino spoken word artist is Juan Miguel
 Severo whose original poems have been performed in TV
dramas like On The Wings of Love.

e. Fiction - Fiction has genres that can be defined as narrative literary

works whose content is produced by the imagination and is not
necessarily based on fact. In fiction something is feigned, invented, or
imagined; a made-up story.
Examples are the following:

Short Story – This is brief fiction that can be read in one seating and is not able to
support any subplots.

Chick-Lit – This is a genre which addresses issues of modern womanhood, often

humorously and light-heartedly. The genre became popular in the late 1990s, with
chick-lit titles topping best seller lists and the creation of imprints devoted entirely
to chick-lit. Although it sometimes includes romantic elements, chick-lit is generally
not considered a direct subcategory of the romance novel genre, because the
heroine's relationship with her family or friends is often just as important as her
romantic relationships.

Flash fiction – This is a style of fictional literature or fiction of extreme brevity.

There is no widely accepted definition of the length of the category. Some self-
described markets for flash fiction impose caps as low as three hundred words,
while others consider stories as long as a thousand words to be flash fiction.
Realistic Fiction – It is a story that can actually happen and is true to real life.

Historical Fiction- It is a story with fictional characters and events in a historical

setting.
Horror – These are frightfully shocking, terrifying, or revolting stories.

Mystery – It deals with unraveling of secrets and solution of a crime.

Illustrated Novels – These are stories through text and illustrated images.
Graphic Novels – These are narratives in comic book formats.
Speculative Fiction – It is a term encompassing the more fantastical fiction
genres, specifically science fiction, fantasy, horror, weird fiction, supernatural
fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-
apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history in literature as well as related static,
motion, and virtual arts.

Science Fiction – It is a story based on impact of potential science, either actual or

imagined and is set in the future or on other planets.

Fantasy – It is the forming of mental images with strange or other worldly settings or
characters and invites suspension of reality.

Humor – It is the faculty of perceiving what is amusing or comical. It is fiction full of fun,
fancy, and excitement which meant to entertain. This genre of literature can actually be
seen and contained within all genres.