Philippine Literature During The

PAN ITIKAN G FILI
PIN O
Philippine
Literature During
the Third Republic
Group
III
Context
A WAR RIDDEN COUNTRY
On 4 July 1946, the Philippines was granted

independence by the United States, but the
devastation wrought by World War II—the
loss of a hundred thousand lives during
the “Liberation of Manila” and the
destruction of an estimated 1.2 billion US
dollars' worth of property, including
historic buildings—was not to be erased by
a proclamation.
Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

World Wa r II changed
Philippine literature in two
ways
1
Literary works, both oral and written, that
sought to deal with the trauma and the
atrocities brought about by the war
emerged. Cordillera people tend to be
triumphalists, while Tagalogs, Cebuanos,
and Kapangpangans leaned heavily on the
dehumanizing repercussions of war to
their everyday lives.

World War II changed
Philippine literature in two
ways
2
The Japanese restricted publications,
consequently diminishing literary
activity, especially outside Manila. They
discouraged writing in English making
Tagalog and Niponggo the official
languages. This led to a hefty
production of literary works centered
around the Tagalog dialect.

Postwar Literature
It was the Ramon Roces line of magazines—
Liwayway (Tagalog), Bisaya (Cebuano),
Hiligaynon (Ilonggo), and Bannawag (Ilocano)—
that provided space for Philippine writings in the
native languages after the war.
Other regional languages would fall behind in

terms of publications. Bikol and Kampapangan
writings shared the same fate when both of their
respective publications ceased to exist.
Nonetheless, literary production in the various
Philippine languages persisted.

T h e Return of Americans
The return of the Americans in 1945 meant the reestablishment of
English literary works in the country. Filipino writers produced work that
showed the facility with which they had appropriated the forms and
language of English.
The country's resigned dependence to US due to the financial need

for reconstruction and rehabilitation of the war-torn islands amplified
the assimilation of English literary works.

T h e Opposition
The Hukbalahap movement, short for Hukbo ng Bayan

Laban sa Hapon, constituted an alternative force that
reckoned the American interest. They organized
Pambansang Kaisahan ng Magbubukid as a way to
participate in mainstream politics.
But the union was later banned by the Americans which
led them to ally with the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas.
The Huks transformed from being the Hukbo ng Bayan
Laban sa Hapon to the Hukbong Mapagpalaya ng Bayan
or HMB.
Huk
L iterature
ACTIONS INTO PAGES
The Huks political activism led to a literary subgenre.
Theirpresence—and the concerns that it
represented
—may be seen in short stories like “Mibalic a
Paraiso” (Paradise Regained) by Canuto D. Tolentino
and the poem "Ing Pamana” (The Legacy) by Jose M.
Gallardo.
The strife between HMB and the Philippine military

brought about by the postwar anti-communistic
rivalry between United States and the Soviet
Union.This produced a series of literature revolving
around the
topic. Isang Dipang Langit (A Stretch of Sky) by
Amado
V. Hernandez is an example.
T h e Rise of
Social Realism
Social realism began to be apparent within various
literary works as novelists grappled with the
imperatives of defining society and clarifying its
directions. Social reforms were discussed in Tagalog
works, labor problems in Iloilo, upper class
immorality in Cebu, and the like.
The theme of social justice continued to

permeate the literary scene, conforming the
works of various writers from all over the country

Pessimism
SLOW DISAPPERANCE OF LIGHT
After the Huk movement's capture, this, along with Ramon Magsaysay's
presidential disillusionment and the realities of Cold War brought a sense
of social pessimism among Filipino intellectuals. Such pessimism is
revealed in works like Kerima Polotan’s novel The Hand of the Enemy, s
Andres Cristobal Cruz’s Ang Tundo Man May Langit Din (Tondo Has a
Heaven Too), 1959-60, and Edgardo M. Reyes’s Sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag
(In the Claws of Neon Lights), 1967-68.

English A f inity
Unlike its counterparts in the local languages, most English writing gravitated towards urban and
middle-class experience. This is mostly because of the class background of the writers, but still,
the diversity was not ignored. Various social aspects were explored which created a rich mosaic
of Philippine life.
A key factor in the persistence of American influence was the institution of the Fulbright program
in 1946 and the admission of Filipinos into the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. The Fulbright program
allowed Filipinos to study in American universities and transfer American knowledge and technics
to the Philippines.

Literary Americanization
The New Criticism, the Anglo-American version of Formalism,
discouraged sociopolitical commentary and drew attention instead
to the craft of writing. This aesthetic would be brought to the
Philippines and be entrenched in Philippine universities after
Fulbright scholars and Iowa Workshop fellows returned to teach
and establish writing workshops.
The surge of Americanized writing craftsmanship would soon

permeate the local literature. University-educated writers would
experiment with plotless stories, stream of consciousness,
introspective writing, and even social criticism. Filipino writers
slowly reassembled Hemingway, Joyce, and Faulkner.This style
alienated readers which led to a decline in sales.

A n Artistic Revolution
The opening of Liwayway to younger, university-educated writers by having a section called "Bagong
Dugo" welcomed the new age literature the resembles modern, Western influences. Filipino writers
offered an alternative to popular fiction that tended to be idealist and escapist in character.
Old norms were challenged as evident in Tagalog poetry where revolts against rhyme and meter were
apparent. The divide between balagtasismo and malayang taludturan, as well as the newer form
malikwatas "malikmatang kawatasan" offered diversity to the typical poetry scene, a product of modern
provocation to established rules.

Scholastic Manifestations
Schools became the breeding ground for new styles and a hotbed for debates about literature.
Campus publications like the Varsitarian of the University of Santo Tomas, the Dawn of the University
of the East, and the Quezonian of the Manuel L. Quezon University published fiction and poetry in
Tagalog that were not given space in the popular magazines. University-based writing workshops
would also be established in the early 1960s, institutionalizing patronage and mentorship among
writers. The most important of these workshops was the Summer Writers Workshop, based at
Silliman University, established in 1962 and modeled after the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Moderated by
Edith and Edilberto
Tiempo, who had been writing fellows at Iowa, it was the crystallization of a sensibility that placed
utmost importance on craft.

R egional D is em ination
With English and Tagalog literature established and gaining institutional or academic validation, writers of
the many regional languages formed organizations to encourage regional language writing. The Cebuano
writers established the Cebuano Writers Organization and Lubas sa Dagang Bisaya or Ludabi. In Iloko,
Gimong dagiti Mannurat nga Ilocano and Kutibeng and Gunglo Dagiti Mannurat nga Ilocano was
established. Kapampangan writers had Agumanding Talasulat Capampangan or AGTACA. These
organizations would hold contests and publish anthologies that would highlight the best writing in the
regional languages and push their respective literatures toward a more modern aesthetics.

T h e Retraction
The 1960s also saw the rise of nationalism among young writers. It was in part initiated by the Filipino First
policy of the Garcia administration in the late 1950s. The Filipino First policy sparked the debate on
nationalism and would cast a diff erent light on American influence, which had hitherto been seen positively.
“Filipinization” became a catchphrase that would embody the desires of the Filipinos.
The deepening social and political crises in the years immediately preceding the declaration of martial law on
21 September 1972 transformed a generation of intellectuals so that writers who, only a few years earlier,
had cultivated Western values of angst and ennui came to be politically radicalized. Writers began to ease
away from the New Criticism that the Silliman Writers Workshop espoused, reclaiming a more nationalist
tradition that would set up the seismic changes in the late 1960s.

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PAN ITIKAN G FILI

On 4 July 1946, the Philippines was granted

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

Other regional languages would fall behind in

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

The country's resigned dependence to US due to the financial need

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

The Hukbalahap movement, short for Hukbo ng Bayan

The strife between HMB and the Philippine military

The theme of social justice continued to

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

The surge of Americanized writing craftsmanship would soon

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

Philippine Literature During the Third Republic (1946-1972)

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