Philippine Literature during the American Colonial Period

· Essential Question:

What is the most important contribution of American to our literature and culture?

On April 11, 1899, an agreement was signed by John Hay, the US Secretary of State,
after the Spanish–American War. In this agreement, Spain surrendered the
remaining Spanish empire, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the
United States, which also involved a payment of 20 million dollars to Spain.

Education was first headed by American soldiers. In 1901, around 600 teachers who
arrived onboard the ship USS Thomas replaced the soldiers. These teachers were
called Thomasites. Public education was made free, and the medium of instruction
used was English. This created a new educated middle class in the country.
Alongside the use of English in education, Filipinos also learned American models of
thought, culture, and ways of life.

Other newspapers and magazines helped boost the use of the English language in
the Philippines. Some of these were the Manila Times, Manila Daily Bulletin, Cable
News, the Independent, Philippines Free Press, Philippine Review, the Philippine
Herald, the Manila Tribune, and Graphic, among others.

Famous short stories in English emerged like “Dead Stars” by Paz Marquez-Benitez
and“Footnote to Youth” by José Garcia Villa. These short stories showcased the
writers’ distinct styles that were not like the styles used by American writers.

Dead Stars is a short story of an over thirty years old bachelor, Alfredo
Salazar who was about to get married to his fiancée, Esperanza. His love and
passion for his fiancée started getting fade as he was attracted to another woman
named Julia Salas. As Alfredo knew that his family will disapprove his desire of
having another woman, he unwantedly married with Esperanza and started his own
family. Later, after eight years, Alfredo went on a business trip to Julia’s place. In his
visit to Julia, to his surprise, he recognized that he no more feel attracted to her
anymore. He compared his love for her as dead stars, his memory of a long
way to get a girl he thought he loved.

Filipino Author during the American Colonization: Aurelio Tolentino

One of the prolific writers during the American colonial period was Aurelio Tolentino
(October 13, 1867–July 5, 1915).

Tolentino obtained a bachelor of arts degree at Colegio de San Juan de Letran and
took up law at the University of Santo Tomas. He stopped schooling when his father
died.

He helped in the printing and distribution of the newspaper La Solidaridad.

He became known as the Father of Tagalog Drama for his play Kahapon, Ngayon, at
Bukas.

He also founded El Parnaso Filipino, a school that promotes Tagalog literature.

Philippine Literature during the Japanese Occupation

During World War II, the Philippines was occupied by the Japanese from 1941 to
1945. The occupation of the Philippines began when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in
Hawaii on December 7, 1941.

During the war between Japan and the United States, President Manuel L. Quezon
and Douglas MacArthur fled to the United States. But before leaving, MacArthur left
a promise to the Filipino people, “I shall return,” which is popular up to this day.
Douglas MacArthur came back to Leyte in 1944

The Fall of Bataan and the Death March (April 09, 1942), which killed thousands of
Filipinos and Americans, was the result of the final major battles of the Japanese
invasion. Japanese rule in the Philippines came after they subdued all Philippine and
American military forces in the country.

Victory over Japan Day (1945) was declared after Japan surrendered to the United
States on August 15, 1945. After this was the inauguration of the First Philippine
Republic on July 04, 1946.

English plays during this period were translated into Filipino or the vernacular. Plays
were also one of the more popular forms of entertainment because the Japanese
banned American films.

During the Japanese colonial period, there was only a limited number of Filipino
literature in English that was written and published. However, Philippine literature in
general flourished in this period.

Without Seeing the Dawn, a novel written by Stevan Javellana, was published in the
United States in 1947. It depicts the experiences of Filipinos during the war between
the Americans and the Japanese. This novel was later on adapted into a movie
entitled Santiago!, directed by Lino Brocka, which stars Fernando Poe Jr. and Hilda
Coronel.

Among the most gruesome stories during the war were those about comfort
women, and among them was María Rosa Henson or Nana Rosa as she was fondly
known. She wrote an autobiography, Comfort Woman: Slave of Destiny, which was
published in 1996.

Some famous Filipino writers who lived during this period were Bienvenido Santos,
Manuel Arguilla, Marcelo Agana, Jr., and Nick Joaquin.

Filipino Author during the Japanese Occupation: Manuel Arguilla

  One of the famous Filipino writers in English during the commonwealth period
and the Japanese occupation was Manuel Arguilla.
 He was born in Bauang, La Union on June 17, 1911.
 He finished an education degree in 1933 at the University of the Philippines
and became a member and president of the UP Writers Club and editor of the
Literary Apprentice.
 His short story “How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife” won first prize in
the Commonwealth Literary Contest in 1940.
 In 1944, Arguilla was one of the guerillas who were beheaded by the
Japanese government after a mock trial. His body, along with those of other
guerilla members who were executed that time, was no longer found.

 Have you heard about a provinciano whose girlfriend is from the city? How do
you think will this man present his loved one to his family in a barrio whose
culture and traditions are different from hers?
 How will the man’s family react to this situation?

The story explains some ways on what is the meaning of true love and
how this true love can be shown. Values are also included in the story or
attitudes that each character possessed like the obedience of Baldo, being
supportive of Maria, being responsible of Leon and the hardworking
Labang.

Philippine Literature in the Postwar and Contemporary Period

Postwar Philippine Literature (1945–1970)

Postwar poetry and fiction was dominated by the writers in English educated and
trained in writers’ workshops in the United States or England.

Most of these writers returned to the Philippines to teach. With their credentials and
solid reputations, they influenced the form and direction of the next generation of
writers mainly in accordance with the dominant tenets of the formalist New Critics
of America and England.

Characteristics of Philippine Postwar Literature

Romanticism

This is a literary, artistic, and philosophical movement originating in the

18th century, emphasis on the imagination and emotions, and marked especially in
English literature, an exaltation of the primitive and the common man, an
appreciation of external nature, an interest in the remote, melancholy, and the use
in poetry of older verse forms.

Nationalism

This means exalting one’s nation above all others and placing primary
emphasis on the promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other
nations or supranational groups.

Independence

This is the quality or state of having freedom from being controlled by others.

Nature

In Philippine postwar literature, natural scenery is praised and described.

Expression of feelings

The characters in Philippine postwar literature were portrayed as being able to

express their feelings through their thoughts, words, and actions.

Philippine Literature during Martial Law

1. Protest literature - sometimes called as revolutionary literature

Refers to works that express distaste, disagreement, or transgression to the present

government, applicable to the current political, social, and/or economic conditions
of the country when the works were written

A notable example was Lualhati Bautista’s Dekada ’70.

Social Realism in Protest Literature

Works that aimed to effect social change through portraying the truths of society,
everyday happenings, current events, and interaction and disparity of social classes
are classified as depicting social realism.

The poet Amado Hernandez, who was also a union leader and social activist, also
wrote novels advocating social change. Luha ng Buwaya (1963) deals with the
struggle between the oppressed peasantry and the class of politically powerful
landlords. Mga Ibong Mandaragit (1969) deals with the domination of Filipinos by
American industry.

2. Proletarian literature

refers to literary works written by working-class authors about the working class.
According to Salvador P. Lopez, it is “the interpretation of the experience of the
working class in a world that has been rendered doubly dynamic by its struggle.”

“We or They” by Hernando Ocampo depicting hungry peasants looting a rice

warehouse and getting killed by the guards

3. Prison literature

refers to literary works produced by authors who are confined in a secluded area
such as a prison cell. During martial law, the government arrested not only political
and media dissidents but also writers and scholars such as Bienvenido Lumbera,
Ninotchka Rosca, Ricardo Lee, and Jose Ma. Sison, among others.

Some examples of prison literature include Pintig Sa Malamig na Bakal: Poems and
Letters from Philippine Prisons (1979) and Mila Aguilar’s Why Cage Pigeons? (1984)

4. Circumvention literature

refers to literary works that express social and political transgression through
metaphors, allegories, symbolisms,

Some examples of circumvention literature include Jose “Pete” Lacaba’s Sister

Stella L. (1984) and Bayan Ko: Kapit sa Patalim (1985). Author, playwright, and film
critic Nicanor Tiongson, in his lecture entitled, “Hindi Ka Nag-iisa: Voices of Protest
in Literature, Theater and Film” (1983-1986) borrowed a theater term from
Bienvenido Lumbera. He said the “literature of circumvention” prevalent from 1972
to 1983 was the artists’ way of “talking about and speaking the truth.”

Philippine Literature Post-EDSA Revolution (1986–1995)

The year 1986 is the beginning of a new scene in the unfolding narrative of
contemporary Philippine Literature.

It saw the fall of the dictatorship that President Marcos set up on September 21,
1972, when he placed the Philippines under martial rule, initiating a regime that did
not only suppress the writers’ right to free expression but also created conditions
that made collaboration and co-optation convenient choices for artists struggling for
recognition and survival.

Vernacular Literature using the daily speech of common people, which also became
a source of regional literary histories

Gay and women writings, including male authors writing about women, and gay and
feminist discourses developed

Creative writing centers after EDSA may be grouped into two:

● Academic institutions included creative writing as part of their curricular

offerings. Students of literature are also allowed to connect with other creative
writers/critics/professors. Such academic institutions include the Silliman University,
the University of the Philippines, the Ateneo de Manila University, De la Salle
University, and San Carlos University in Cebu.

● Writers’ organizations that periodically sponsor symposia on writing and/or set

up workshops for its members and other interested parties include UMPIL (Unyon ng
mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas), PANULAT (Pambansang Unyon ng mga Manunulat),
Panday-Lipi, GAT (Galian sa Arte at Tula), KATHA (Pangkat ng Kabataang
Kuwentista), LIRA (Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika at Anyo), GUMIL (Gunglo Dagiti
Mannurat nga Ilokano), and LUDABI (Lubas sa Dagang Binisaya).

21st Century Philippine Literature (2001–Present)

From conservative plots, literary works nowadays are gender sensitive, exploring
the plurality of culture and challenging social normativities.

Technology plays an important role. From blogs, stories are materialized and turned
into books; such is the case for Bob Ong, a popular anonymous writer who uses this
pseudonym.

Bob Ong is the pseudonym of a contemporary Filipino author known for using
conversational writing technique to create humorous and reflective depictions of
Philippine life. The author's actual name and identity is unknown.

• Stories uploaded via Wattpad not only materialize into books but are also adapted
into movies.
• Women, lesbian, and gay writings continue to flourish.
• Artists write both in English and in Filipino
• Oral poetry is revived through poetry readings or open mic readings, giving it a
modern twist.

Life and works of BienvenidoLumbera

Bienvenido Lumbera (April 11,1932-present)

Lipa, Batangas

Graduated from UST

Received PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Indiana

Was imprisoned in January 1974 under Martial Law and was released in December
that year.

Bienvenido Lumbera, as a poet, introduced Bagay poetry, a landmark aesthetic

tendency that has helped change the vernacular poetic tradition.

In 1953, Manual Viray arranged his poem “Frigid Moon” to appear in the Sunday
Magazine of the Manila Chronicle. It was his first published book.
 He has long been a socially engaged writer and academic, and an ardent advocate
of Filipino as national and literary language.

He created famous musical plays such as the Tales of the Manuvu, Rama Hari, and
Hibik at Himagsik nina Victoria Laktaw.

His other works include:

“A Eulogy of Roaches” - This analogous poem depicts the roaches of the

general public. It shows that people would do anything to survive.

“Agunyas sa Hacienda Luisita” - This is a poem that commemorates the

massacre of farmers in Tarlac.

“Ang Ating Bagong Panatang Makabayan” - It sardonically condemns

corruption and was pledged by protestors in2008.

“Ang Paggunita sa Pamamaslang” - This is a poem about the massacre

executed by the Ampatuan Family in 2009.

“Ka Bel” - Lumbera wrote this poem for Crispin “Ka Bel” Beltarn, urging for his
freedom in 2006. It is about Ka Bel's life and struggles.

“The Yaya's Lullaby” - This poem is written for all the mothers who work as
“yayas” and take care of the children of others just to support the needs of their
own kids.

Promulgate – to declare or put into operation

Russet – reddish brown; cockroach color

Sluggard – a habitually lazy or inactive person

Eviction – to legally expel a person from a dwelling

Dearth – lack, shortage

Annals – chronicles, esp yearly ones