The Literary Forms in the Philippines

Christine F. Godinez-Ortega

The diversity and richness of Philippine literature evolved side by side with the
country’s history. This can best be appreciated in the context of the country’s
pre-colonial cultural traditions and the socio-political histories of its colonial and
contemporary traditions.
The average Filipino’s unfamiliarity with his indigenous literature was largely
due to what has been impressed upon him: that his country was “discovered”
and, hence, Philippine “history” started only in 1521.
So successful were the efforts of colonialists to blot out the memory of the
country’s largely oral past that present-day Filipino writers, artists and journalists
are trying to correct this inequity by recognizing the country’s wealth of ethnic
traditions and disseminating them in schools and in the mass media.
The rousings of nationalistic pride in the 1960s and 1970s also helped bring
about this change of attitude among a new breed of Filipinos concerned about
the “Filipino identity.”
Pre-Colonial Times
Owing to the works of our own archaeologists, ethnologists and
anthropologists, we are able to know more and better judge information about
our pre-colonial times set against a bulk of material about early Filipinos as
recorded by Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and other chroniclers of the past.
Pre-colonial inhabitants of our islands showcase a rich past through their folk
speeches, folk songs, folk narratives and indigenous rituals and mimetic dances
that affirm our ties with our Southeast Asian neighbors.
The most seminal of these folk speeches is the riddle which is tigmo in
Cebuano, bugtong in Tagalog,paktakon in Ilongo and patototdon in Bicol. Central
to the riddle is the talinghaga or metaphor because it “reveals subtle
resemblances between two unlike objects” and one’s power of observation and
wit are put to the test. While some riddles are ingenious, others verge on the
obscene or are sex-related:
Gaddang:
Gongonan nu usin y amam If you pull your daddy’s penis
Maggirawa pay sila y inam. Your mommy’s vagina, too,
(Campana) screams. (Bell)
The proverbs or aphorisms express norms or codes of behavior, community
beliefs or they instill values by offering nuggets of wisdom in short, rhyming
verse.
The extended form, tanaga, a mono-riming heptasyllabic quatrain
expressing insights and lessons on life is “more emotionally charged than the
terse proverb and thus has affinities with the folk lyric.” Some examples are
the basahanon or extended didactic sayings from Bukidnon and
the daraida and daragilon from Panay.
The folk song, a form of folk lyric which expresses the hopes and aspirations,
the people’s lifestyles as well as their loves. These are often repetitive and
sonorous, didactic and naive as in the children’s songs or Ida-
ida(Maguindanao), tulang pambata (Tagalog) or cansiones para abbing (Ibanag).
A few examples are the lullabyes or Ili-ili (Ilongo); love songs like
the panawagon and balitao (Ilongo);harana or serenade (Cebuano);
the bayok (Maranao); the seven-syllable per line poem, ambahan of the
Mangyans that are about human relationships, social entertainment and also
serve as a tool for teaching the young; work songs that depict the livelihood of
the people often sung to go with the movement of workers such as
the kalusan (Ivatan), soliranin (Tagalog rowing song) or the mambayu, a Kalinga
rice-pounding song; the verbal jousts/games like the duplo popular during wakes.
Other folk songs are the drinking songs sung during carousals like the tagay
(Cebuano and Waray); dirges and lamentations extolling the deeds of the dead
like the kanogon (Cebuano) or the Annako (Bontoc).
A type of narrative song or kissa among the Tausug of Mindanao, the parang
sabil, uses for its subject matter the exploits of historical and legendary heroes.
It tells of a Muslim hero who seeks death at the hands of non-Muslims.
The folk narratives, i.e. epics and folk tales are varied, exotic and magical.
They explain how the world was created, how certain animals possess certain
characteristics, why some places have waterfalls, volcanoes, mountains, flora or
fauna and, in the case of legends, an explanation of the origins of things. Fables
are about animals and these teach moral lessons.
Our country’s epics are considered ethno-epics because unlike, say,
Germany’s Niebelunginlied, our epics are not national for they are “histories” of
varied groups that consider themselves “nations.”
The epics come in various
names: Guman (Subanon); Darangen (Maranao); Hudhud (Ifugao);
andUlahingan (Manobo). These epics revolve around supernatural events or
heroic deeds and they embody or validate the beliefs and customs and ideals of
a community. These are sung or chanted to the accompaniment of indigenous
musical instruments and dancing performed during harvests, weddings or
funerals by chanters. The chanters who were taught by their ancestors are
considered “treasures” and/or repositories of wisdom in their communities.
Examples of these epics are the Lam-
ang (Ilocano); Hinilawod (Sulod); Kudaman (Palawan); Darangen(Maranao); Ulahi
ngan (Livunganen-Arumanen Manobo); Mangovayt Buhong na Langit (The
Maiden of the Buhong Sky from Tuwaang–Manobo); Ag Tobig neg
Keboklagan (Subanon); and Tudbulol (T’boli).
The Spanish Colonial Tradition
While it is true that Spain subjugated the Philippines for more mundane
reasons, this former European power contributed much in the shaping and
recording of our literature. Religion and institutions that represented European
civilization enriched the languages in the lowlands, introduced theater which we
would come to know as komedya, the sinakulo, the sarswela, the playlets and
the drama. Spain also brought to the country, though at a much later time,
liberal ideas and an internationalism that influenced our own Filipino
intellectuals and writers for them to understand the meanings of “liberty and
freedom.”
Literature in this period may be classified as religious prose and poetry and
secular prose and poetry.
Religious lyrics written by ladino poets or those versed in both Spanish and
Tagalog were included in early catechism and were used to teach Filipinos the
Spanish language. Fernando Bagonbanta’s “Salamat nang walang hanga/gracias
de sin sempiternas” (Unending thanks) is a fine example that is found in
the Memorial de la vida cristiana en lengua tagala (Guidelines for the Christian
life in the Tagalog language) published in 1605.
Another form of religious lyrics are the meditative verses like
the dalit appended to novenas and catechisms. It has no fixed meter nor rime
scheme although a number are written in octosyllabic quatrains and have a
solemn tone and spiritual subject matter.
But among the religious poetry of the day, it is the pasyon in octosyllabic
quintillas that became entrenched in the Filipino’s commemoration of Christ’s
agony and resurrection at Calvary. Gaspar Aquino de Belen’s “Ang Mahal na
Passion ni Jesu Christong Panginoon natin na tola” (Holy Passion of Our Lord
Jesus Christ in Verse) put out in 1704 is the country’s earliest known pasyon.
Other known pasyons chanted during the Lenten season are in Ilocano,
Pangasinan, Ibanag, Cebuano, Bicol, Ilongo and Waray.
Aside from religious poetry, there were various kinds of prose narratives
written to prescribe proper decorum. Like the pasyon, these prose narratives
were also used for proselitization. Some forms are: dialogo(dialogue), Manual de
Urbanidad (conduct book); ejemplo (exemplum) and tratado (tratado). The most
well-known are Modesto de Castro’s “Pagsusulatan ng Dalawang Binibini na si
Urbana at si Feliza” (Correspondence between the Two Maidens Urbana and
Feliza) in 1864 and Joaquin Tuason’s “Ang Bagong Robinson” (The New Robinson)
in 1879, an adaptation of Daniel Defoe’s novel.
Secular works appeared alongside historical and economic changes, the
emergence of an opulent class and the middle class who could avail of a
European education. This Filipino elite could now read printed works that used to
be the exclusive domain of the missionaries.
The most notable of the secular lyrics followed the conventions of a romantic
tradition: the languishing but loyal lover, the elusive, often heartless beloved, the
rival. The leading poets were Jose Corazon de Jesus (Huseng Sisiw) and Francisco
Balagtas. Some secular poets who wrote in this same tradition were Leona
Florentino, Jacinto Kawili, Isabelo de los Reyes and Rafael Gandioco.
Another popular secular poetry is the metrical romance, the awit and korido
in Tagalog. The awit is set in dodecasyllabic quatrains while the korido is in
octosyllabic quatrains. These are colorful tales of chivalry from European sources
made for singing and chanting such as Gonzalo de Cordoba (Gonzalo of Cordoba)
and Ibong Adarna (Adarna Bird). There are numerous metrical romances in
Tagalog, Bicol, Ilongo, Pampango, Ilocano and in Pangasinan. The awit as a
popular poetic genre reached new heights in Balagtas’ “Florante at Laura” (ca.
1838-1861), the most famous of the country’s metrical romances.
Again, the winds of change began to blow in 19th century Philippines.
Filipino intellectuals educated in Europe called ilustrados began to write about
the downside of colonization. This, coupled with the simmering calls for reforms
by the masses gathered a formidable force of writers like Jose Rizal, Marcelo H.
del Pilar, Mariano Ponce, Emilio Jacinto and Andres Bonifacio.
This led to the formation of the Propaganda Movement where prose works
such as the political essays and Rizal’s two political novels, Noli Me Tangere and
the El filibusterismo helped usher in the Philippine revolution resulting in the
downfall of the Spanish regime, and, at the same time planted the seeds of a
national consciousness among Filipinos.
But if Rizal’s novels are political, the novel Ninay (1885) by Pedro Paterno is
largely cultural and is considered the first Filipino novel. Although
Paterno’s Ninay gave impetus to other novelists like Jesus Balmori and Antonio M.
Abad to continue writing in Spanish, this did not flourish.
Other Filipino writers published the essay and short fiction in Spanish in La
Vanguardia, El Debate,Renacimiento Filipino, and Nueva Era. The more notable
essayists and fictionists were Claro M. Recto, Teodoro M. Kalaw, Epifanio de los
Reyes, Vicente Sotto, Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, Rafael Palma, Enrique Laygo
(Caretas or Masks, 1925) and Balmori who mastered the prosa romantica or
romantic prose.
But the introduction of English as medium of instruction in the Philippines
hastened the demise of Spanish so that by the 1930s, English writing had
overtaken Spanish writing. During the language’s death throes, however, writing
in the romantic tradition, from the awit and korido, would continue in the novels
of Magdalena Jalandoni. But patriotic writing continued under the new
colonialists. These appeared in the vernacular poems and modern adaptations of
works during the Spanish period and which further maintained the Spanish
tradition.
The American Colonial Period
A new set of colonizers brought about new changes in Philippine literature.
New literary forms such as free verse [in poetry], the modern short story and the
critical essay were introduced. American influence was deeply entrenched with
the firm establishment of English as the medium of instruction in all schools and
with literary modernism that highlighted the writer’s individuality and cultivated
consciousness of craft, sometimes at the expense of social consciousness.
The poet, and later, National Artist for Literature, Jose Garcia Villa used free
verse and espoused the dictum, “Art for art’s sake” to the chagrin of other
writers more concerned with the utilitarian aspect of literature. Another maverick
in poetry who used free verse and talked about illicit love in her poetry was
Angela Manalang Gloria, a woman poet described as ahead of her time. Despite
the threat of censorship by the new dispensation, more writers turned up
“seditious works” and popular writing in the native languages bloomed through
the weekly outlets like Liwayway and Bisaya.
The Balagtas tradition persisted until the poet Alejandro G. Abadilla
advocated modernism in poetry. Abadilla later influenced young poets who wrote
modern verses in the 1960s such as Virgilio S. Almario, Pedro I. Ricarte and
Rolando S. Tinio.
While the early Filipino poets grappled with the verities of the new language,
Filipinos seemed to have taken easily to the modern short story as published in
the Philippines Free Press, the College Folio and Philippines Herald. Paz Marquez
Benitez’s “Dead Stars” published in 1925 was the first successful short story in
English written by a Filipino. Later on, Arturo B. Rotor and Manuel E. Arguilla
showed exceptional skills with the short story.
Alongside this development, writers in the vernaculars continued to write in
the provinces. Others like Lope K. Santos, Valeriano Hernandez Peña and Patricio
Mariano were writing minimal narratives similar to the early Tagalog short fiction
called dali or pasingaw (sketch).
The romantic tradition was fused with American pop culture or European
influences in the adaptations of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan by F. P. Boquecosa
who also penned Ang Palad ni Pepe after Charles Dicken’sDavid Copperfield even
as the realist tradition was kept alive in the novels by Lope K. Santos and
Faustino Aguilar, among others.
It should be noted that if there was a dearth of the Filipino novel in English,
the novel in the vernaculars continued to be written and serialized in weekly
magazines like Liwayway, Bisaya, Hiligaynon and Bannawag.
The essay in English became a potent medium from the 1920’s to the
present. Some leading essayists were journalists like Carlos P. Romulo, Jorge
Bocobo, Pura Santillan Castrence, etc. who wrote formal to humorous to informal
essays for the delectation by Filipinos.
Among those who wrote criticism developed during the American period
were Ignacio Manlapaz, Leopoldo Yabes and I.V. Mallari. But it was Salvador P.
Lopez’s criticism that grabbed attention when he won the Commonwealth Literay
Award for the essay in 1940 with his “Literature and Society.” This essay posited
that art must have substance and that Villa’s adherence to “Art for Art’s Sake” is
decadent.
The last throes of American colonialism saw the flourishing of Philippine
literature in English at the same time, with the introduction of the New Critical
aesthetics, made writers pay close attention to craft and “indirectly engendered
a disparaging attitude” towards vernacular writings — a tension that would recur
in the contemporary period.
The Contemporary Period
The flowering of Philippine literature in the various languages continue
especially with the appearance of new publications after the Martial Law years
and the resurgence of committed literature in the 1960s and the 1970s.
 Filipino writers continue to write poetry, short stories, novellas, novels and
essays whether these are socially committed, gender/ethnic related or are
personal in intention or not.
Of course the Filipino writer has become more conscious of his art with the
proliferation of writers workshops here and abroad and the bulk of literature
available to him via the mass media including the internet. The various literary
awards such as the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, the
Philippines Free Press, Philippine Graphic, Home Life and Panorama literary
awards encourage him to compete with his peers and hope that his creative
efforts will be rewarded in the long run.
With the new requirement by the Commission on Higher Education of
teaching of Philippine Literature in all tertiary schools in the country emphasizing
the teaching of the vernacular literature or literatures of the regions, the
audience for Filipino writers is virtually assured. And, perhaps, a national
literature finding its niche among the literatures of the world will not be far
behind.