The Literary Forms in Philippine Literature

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); and Ulahingan
(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); Ulahingan (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). 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.

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's David 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. 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.

Cononical cultures and works of Philippine National artists in Literature

Edith L.Tiempo

She is a poet, fictionist, teacher and literary critic. She is one of the finest Filipino writers in
English whose works are characterized by a remarkable fusion of style and substance, of craftsmanship
and insight. Born on April 22, 1919 in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, her poems are intricate verbal
transfigurations of significant experiences as revealed, in two of her much anthologized pieces, “The
Little Marmoset” and “Bonsai”. As fictionist, Tiempo is as morally profound. Her language has been
marked as “descriptive but unburdened by scrupulous detailing.” She is an influential tradition in
Philippine literature in English. Together with her late husband, Edilberto K. Tiempo, she founded and
directed the Silliman National Writers Workshop in Dumaguete City, which has produced some of the
country’s best writers. Tiempo’s published works include the novel A Blade of Fern (1978), The Native
Coast (1979), and The Alien Corn (1992); the poetry collections, The Tracks of Babylon and Other
Poems (1966), and The Charmer’s Box and Other Poems(1993); and the short story collection Abide,
Joshua, and Other Stories (1964).

Bienvenido Lumbera

is a poet, librettist, and scholar. As a poet, he introduced to Tagalog literature what is now known as
Bagay poetry, a landmark aesthetic tendency that has helped to change the vernacular poetic tradition. He
is the author of the following works: Likhang Dila, Likhang Diwa (poems in Filipino and English), 1993;
Balaybay, Mga Tulang Lunot at Manibalang, 2002; Sa Sariling Bayan, Apat na Dulang May Musika,
2004; “Agunyas sa Hacienda Luisita,” Pakikiramay, 2004. As a librettist for the Tales of the Manuvu and
Rama Hari, he pioneered the creative fusion of fine arts and popular imagination. As a scholar, his major
books include the following: Tagalog Poetry, 1570-1898: Tradition and Influences in its Development;
Philippine Literature: A History and Anthology, Revaluation: Essays on Philippine Literature, Writing the
Nation/Pag-akda ng Bansa.

Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzalez

better known as N.V.M. Gonzalez, fictionist, essayist, poet, and teacher, articulated the Filipino spirit in
rural, urban landscapes. Among the many recognitions, he won the First Commonwealth Literary Contest
in 1940, received the Republic Cultural Heritage Award in 1960 and the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining in
1990. The awards attest to his triumph in appropriating the English language to express, reflect and shape
Philippine culture and Philippine sensibility. He became U.P.’s International-Writer-In-Residence and a
member of the Board of Advisers of the U.P. Creative Writing Center. In 1987, U.P. conferred on him the
Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, its highest academic recognition.

Major works of N.V.M Gonzalez include the following: The Winds of April, Seven Hills Away, Children
of the Ash-Covered Loam and Other Stories, The Bamboo Dancers, Look Stranger, on this Island Now,
Mindoro and Beyond: Twenty -One Stories, The Bread of Salt and Other Stories, Work on the Mountain,
The Novel of Justice: Selected Essays 1968-1994, A Grammar of Dreams and Other Stories.

Virgilio S. Almario

also known as Rio Alma, is a poet, literary historian and critic, who has revived and reinvented traditional
Filipino poetic forms, even as he championed modernist poetics. In 34 years, he has published 12 books
of poetry, which include the seminal Makinasyon and Peregrinasyon, and the landmark trilogy
Doktrinang Anakpawis, Mga Retrato at Rekwerdo and Muli, Sa Kandungan ng Lupa. In these works, his
poetic voice soared from the lyrical to the satirical to the epic, from the dramatic to the incantatory, in his
often severe examination of the self, and the society. He has also redefined how the Filipino poetry is
viewed and paved the way for the discussion of the same in his 10 books of criticisms and anthologies,
among which are Ang Makata sa Panahon ng Makina, Balagtasismo versus Modernismo,Walong Dekada
ng Makabagong Tula Pilipino, Mutyang Dilim and Barlaan at Josaphat. Many Filipino writers have come
under his wing in the literary workshops he founded –the Galian sa Arte at Tula (GAT) and the Linangan
sa Imahen, Retorika at Anyo (LIRA). He has also long been involved with children’s literature through
the Aklat Adarna series, published by his Children’s Communication Center. He has been a constant
presence as well in national writing workshops and galvanizes member writers as chairman emeritus of
the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL). He headed the National Commission for Culture and
the Arts as Executive Director, (from 1998 to 2001) ably steering the Commission towards its goals. But
more than anything else, what Almario accomplished was that he put a face to the Filipino writer in the
country, one strong face determinedly wielding a pen into untruths, hypocrisy, injustice, among others.
Cirilo F. Bautista

is a poet, fictionist and essayist with exceptional achievements and significant contributions to the
development of the country’s literary arts. He is acknowledged by peers and critics, and the nation at
large as the foremost writer of his generation. Throughout his career that spans more than four decades,
he has established a reputation for fine and profound artistry; his books, lectures, poetry readings and
creative writing workshops continue to influence his peers and generations of young writers. As a way of
bringing poetry and fiction closer to the people who otherwise would not have the opportunity to develop
their creative talent, Bautista has been holding regular funded and unfunded workshops throughout the
country. In his campus lecture circuits, Bautista has updated students and student-writers on literary
developments and techniques. As a teacher of literature, Bautista has realized that the classroom is an
important training ground for Filipino writers. In De La Salle University, he was instrumental in the
formation of the Bienvenido Santos Creative Writing Center. He was also the moving spirit behind the
founding of the Philippine Literary Arts Council in 1981, the Iligan National Writers Workshop in 1993,
and the Baguio Writers Group. Thus, Bautista continues to contribute to the development of Philippine
literature: as a writer, through his significant body of works; as a teacher, through his discovery and
encouragement of young writers in workshops and lectures; and as a critic, through his essays that
provide insights into the craft of writing and correctives to misconceptions about art. Major works:
Summer Suns (1963), Words and Battlefields (1998), The Trilogy of Saint Lazarus (2001), Galaw ng
Asoge (2003).

Nick Joaquin

is regarded by many as the most distinguished Filipino writer in English writing so variedly and so well
about so many aspects of the Filipino. Nick Joaquin has also enriched the English language with critics
coining “Joaquinesque” to describe his baroque Spanish-flavored English or his reinventions of English
based on Filipinisms. Aside from his handling of language, Bienvenido Lumbera writes that Nick
Joaquin’s significance in Philippine literature involves his exploration of the Philippine colonial past
under Spain and his probing into the psychology of social changes as seen by the young, as exemplified in
stories such as Doña Jeronima, Candido’s Apocalypse and The Order of Melchizedek. Nick Joaquin has
written plays, novels, poems, short stories and essays including reportage and journalism. As a journalist,
Nick Joaquin uses the nome de guerre Quijano de Manila but whether he is writing literature or
journalism, fellow National Artist Francisco Arcellana opines that “it is always of the highest skill and
quality”. Among his voluminous works are The Woman Who Had Two Navels, A Portrait of the Artist as
Filipino, Manila, My Manila: A History for the Young, The Ballad of the Five Battles, Rizal in Saga,
Almanac for Manileños, Cave and Shadows. Nick Joaquin died April 29, 2004.

F. Sionil Jose’s writings since the late 60s, when taken collectively can best be described as epic. Its
sheer volume puts him on the forefront of Philippine writing in English. But ultimately, it is the consistent
espousal of the aspirations of the Filipino–for national sovereignty and social justice–that guarantees the
value of his oeuvre. In the five-novel masterpiece, the Rosales saga, consisting of The Pretenders, Tree,
My Brother, My Executioner, Mass, and Po-on, he captures the sweep of Philippine history while
simultaneously narrating the lives of generations of the Samsons whose personal lives intertwine with the
social struggles of the nation. Because of their international appeal, his works, including his many short
stories, have been published and translated into various languages.

F. Sionil Jose is also a publisher, lecturer on cultural issues, and the founder of the Philippine
chapter of the international organization PEN. He was bestowed the CCP Centennial Honors for the Arts
in 1999; the Outstanding Fulbrighters Award for Literature in 1988; and the Ramon Magsaysay Award
for Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts in 1980.

Amado V. Hernandez
poet, playwright, and novelist, is among the Filipino writers who practiced “committed art”. In his view,
the function of the writer is to act as the conscience of society and to affirm the greatness of the human
spirit in the face of inequity and oppression. Hernandez’s contribution to the development of Tagalog
prose is considerable — he stripped Tagalog of its ornate character and wrote in prose closer to the
colloquial than the “official” style permitted. His novel Mga Ibong Mandaragit, first written by
Hernandez while in prison, is the first Filipino socio-political novel that exposes the ills of the society as
evident in the agrarian problems of the 50s. Hernandez’s other works include Bayang Malaya, Isang
Dipang Langit, Luha ng Buwaya, Amado V. Hernandez: Tudla at Tudling: Katipunan ng mga
Nalathalang Tula 1921-1970, Langaw sa Isang Basong Gatas at Iba Pang Kuwento ni Amado V.
Hernandez, Magkabilang Mukha ng Isang Bagol at Iba Pang Akda ni Amado V. Hernandez.

Prize-winning writer Lazaro A. Francisco developed the social realist tradition in Philippine fiction. His
eleven novels, now acknowledged classics of Philippine literature, embodies the author’s commitment to
nationalism. Amadis Ma. Guerrero wrote, “Francisco championed the cause of the common man,
specifically the oppressed peasants. His novels exposed the evils of the tenancy system, the exploitation
of farmers by unscrupulous landlords, and foreign domination.” Teodoro Valencia also observed, “His
pen dignifies the Filipino and accents all the positives about the Filipino way of life. His writings have
contributed much to the formation of a Filipino nationalism.” Literary historian and critic Bienvenido
Lumbera also wrote, “When the history of the Filipino novel is written, Francisco is likely to occupy an
eminent place in it. Already in Tagalog literature, he ranks among the finest novelists since the beginning
of the 20th century. In addition to a deft hand at characterization, Francisco has a supple prose style
responsive to the subtlest nuances of ideas and the sternest stuff of passions.” Francisco gained
prominence as a writer not only for his social conscience but also for his “masterful handling of the
Tagalog language” and “supple prose style”. With his literary output in Tagalog, he contributed to the
enrichment of the Filipino language and literature for which he is a staunch advocate. He put up an arm to
his advocacy of Tagalog as a national language by establishing the Kapatiran ng mga Alagad ng Wikang
Pilipino (KAWIKA) in 1958. His reputation as the “Master of the Tagalog Novel” is backed up by
numerous awards he received for his meritorious novels in particular, and for his contribution to
Philippine literature and culture in general. His masterpiece novels—Ama, Bayang Nagpatiwakal,
Maganda Pa Ang Daigdig and Daluyong—affirm his eminent place in Philippine literature. In 1997, he
was honored by the University of the Philippines with a special convocation, where he was cited as the
“foremost Filipino novelist of his generation” and “champion of the Filipino writer’s struggle for national
identity.”

“You cannot be a great writer; first, you have to be a good person” Alejandro Roces, is a short story
writer and essayist, and considered as the country’s best writer of comic short stories. He is known for his
widely anthologized “My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken.” In his innumerable newspaper columns, he has
always focused on the neglected aspects of the Filipino cultural heritage. His works have been published
in various international magazines and has received national and international awards. Ever the champion
of Filipino culture, Roces brought to public attention the aesthetics of the country’s fiestas. He was
instrumental in popularizing several local fiestas, notably, Moriones and Ati-atihan. He personally led the
campaign to change the country’s Independence Day from July 4 to June 12, and caused the change of
language from English to Filipino in the country’s stamps, currency and passports, and recovered Jose
Rizal’s manuscripts when they were stolen from the National Archives. His unflinching love of country
led him to become a guerilla during the Second World War, to defy martial law and to found the major
opposition party under the dictatorship. His works have been published in various international magazines
and received numerous national and international awards, including several decorations from various
governments.

Carlos P. Romulo‘s multifaceted career spanned 50 years of public service as educator, soldier,
university president, journalist and diplomat. It is common knowledge that he was the first Asian
president of the United Nations General Assembly, then Philippine Ambassador to Washington, D.C., and
later minister of foreign affairs. Essentially though, Romulo was very much into writing: he was a
reporter at 16, a newspaper editor by the age of 20, and a publisher at 32. He was the only Asian to win
America’s coveted Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for a series of articles predicting the outbreak of World
War II. Romulo, in all, wrote and published 18 books, a range of literary works which included The
United (novel), I Walked with Heroes (autobiography), I Saw the Fall of the Philippines, Mother
America, I See the Philippines Rise (war-time memoirs). His other books include his memoirs of his
many years’ affiliations with United Nations (UN), Forty Years: A Third World Soldier at the UN, and
The Philippine Presidents, his oral history of his experiences serving all the Philippine presidents.

Jose Garcia Villa is considered as one of the finest contemporary poets regardless of race or language.
Villa, who lived in Singalong, Manila, introduced the reversed consonance rime scheme, including the
comma poems that made full use of the punctuation mark in an innovative, poetic way. The first of his
poems “Have Come, Am Here” received critical recognition when it appeared in New York in 1942 that,
soon enough, honors and fellowships were heaped on him: Guggenheim, Bollingen, the American
Academy of Arts and Letters Awards. He used Doveglion (Dove, Eagle, Lion) as penname, the very
characters he attributed to himself, and the same ones explored by e.e. cummings in the poem he wrote
for Villa (Doveglion, Adventures in Value). Villa is also known for the tartness of his tongue. Villa’s
works have been collected into the following books: Footnote to Youth,Many Voices, Poems by
Doveglion, Poems 55, Poems in Praise of Love: The Best Love Poems of Jose Garcia Villa as Chosen By
Himself, Selected Stories,The Portable Villa, The Essential Villa, Mir-i-nisa, Storymasters 3: Selected
Stories from Footnote to Youth, 55 Poems: Selected and Translated into Tagalog by Hilario S. Francia.

Rolando S. Tinio, playwright, thespian, poet, teacher, critic and translator, marked his career with
prolific artistic productions. Tinio’s chief distinction is as a stage director whose original insights into the
scripts he handled brought forth productions notable for their visual impact and intellectual cogency.
Subsequently, after staging productions for the Ateneo Experimental Theater (its organizer and
administrator as well), he took on Teatro Pilipino. It was to Teatro Pilipino which he left a considerable
amount of work reviving traditional Filipino drama by re-staging old theater forms like the sarswela and
opening a treasure- house of contemporary Western drama. It was the excellence and beauty of his
practice that claimed for theater a place among the arts in the Philippines in the 1960s. Aside from his
collections of poetry (Sitsit sa Kuliglig, Dunung – Dunungan, Kristal na Uniberso, A Trick of Mirrors)
among his works were the following: film scripts for Now and Forever, Gamitin Mo Ako, Bayad Puri and
Milagros; sarswelas Ang Mestisa, Ako, Ang Kiri, Ana Maria; the komedya Orosman at Zafira; and
Larawan, the musical.

Francisco Arcellana, writer, poet, essayist, critic, journalist and teacher, is one of the most important
progenitors of the modern Filipino short story in English. He pioneered the development of the short story
as a lyrical prose-poetic form. For Arcellana, the pride of fiction is “that it is able to render truth, that is
able to present reality”. Arcellana kept alive the experimental tradition in fiction, and had been most
daring in exploring new literary forms to express the sensibility of the Filipino people. A brilliant
craftsman, his works are now an indispensable part of a tertiary- level-syllabi all over the country.
Arcellana’s published books are Selected Stories (1962), Poetry and Politics: The State of Original
Writing in English in the Philippines Today (1977), The Francisco Arcellana Sampler(1990). Some of his
short stories are Frankie, The Man Who Would Be Poe, Death in a Factory, Lina, A Clown Remembers,
Divided by Two, The Mats, and his poems being The Other Woman, This Being the Third Poem This
Poem is for Mathilda, To Touch You and I Touched Her, among others.

Levi Celerio is a prolific lyricist and composer for decades. He effortlessly translated/wrote anew the
lyrics to traditional melodies: “O Maliwanag Na Buwan” (Iloko), “Ako ay May Singsing” (Pampango),
“Alibangbang” (Visaya) among others. Born in Tondo, Celerio received his scholarship at the Academy
of Music in Manila that made it possible for him to join the Manila Symphony Orchestra, becoming its
youngest member. He made it to the Guinness Book of World Records as the only person able to make
music using just a leaf. A great number of his songs have been written for the local movies, which earned
for him the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Film Academy of the Philippines. Levi Celerio, more
importantly, has enriched the Philippine music for no less than two generations with a treasury of more
than 4,000 songs in an idiom that has proven to appeal to all social classes.

Carlos Quirino, biographer, has the distinction of having written one of the earliest biographies of Jose
Rizal titled The Great Malayan. Quirino’s books and articles span the whole gamut of Philippine history
and culture–from Bonifacio’s trial to Aguinaldo’s biography, from Philippine cartography to culinary arts,
from cash crops to tycoons and president’s lives, among so many subjects. In 1997, Pres. Fidel Ramos
created historical literature as a new category in the National Artist Awards and Quirino was its first
recipient. He made a record earlier on when he became the very first Filipino correspondent for the
United Press Institute.His book Maps and Views of Old Manila is considered as the best book on the
subject. His other books include Quezon, Man of Destiny, Magsaysay of the Philippines, Lives of the
Philippine Presidents, Philippine Cartography, The History of Philippine Sugar Industry, Filipino
Heritage: The Making of a Nation, Filipinos at War: The Fight for Freedom from Mactan to EDSA

C.

Mars Ravelo (October 9, 1916 – September 12, 1988, Tanza,Cavite) was a Filipino graphic novelist who
created the characters Darna, Dyesebel, Captain Barbell, Lastikman, Bondying, Varga, Wanted: Perfect
Mother, Hiwaga, Maruja, Mariposa, Roberta, Rita, Buhay Pilipino, Jack and Jill, Flash Bomba, Tiny
Tony, and Dragonna among others.

Mars Ravel Laguna, officially known as the Province of Laguna (Filipino: Lalawigan ng Laguna ;
Spanish: Provincia de La Laguna), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in
Luzon. Its capital is Santa Cruz and the province is situated southeast of Metro Manila, south of the
province of Rizal, west of Quezon, north of Batangas and east of Cavite. Laguna hugs the southern shores
of Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the country. As of the 2015 census, the province's total population is
3,035,081.

Famous Writer and Literary Pieces

Dr. Jose Rizal

José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda,[7] popularly known as José Rizal (Spanish
pronunciation: [xoˈse riˈsal]; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896), was a Filipino nationalist and
polymath during the tail end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. An ophthalmologist by
profession, Rizal became a writer and a key member of the Filipino Propaganda Movement which
advocated political reforms for the colony under Spain.

Literary Pieces

Noli Me Tángere, El filibusterismo, Mi Ultimo Adiós, Kundiman (Tagalog)

Batangas, officially known as the Province of Batangas (Filipino: Lalawigan ng Batangas) is a province in
the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Its capital is the city of Batangas and is
bordered by the provinces of Cavite and Laguna to the north and Quezon to the east. Across the Verde
Island Passages to the south is the island of Mindoro and to the west lies the South China Sea. Poetically,
Batangas is often referred to by its ancient name Kumintáng.
The dialect of Tagalog spoken in the province closely resembles the Old Tagalog spoken before the
arrival of the Spanish. Hence, the Summer Institute of Linguistics [1] called this province the heartland of
the Tagalog language. A strong presence of the Tagalog culture is clearly visible to the present day.

Linguistically, Batangueños are also known for their unique affectation of often placing the particles eh or
ga (equivalent to the particle ba in Filipino), usually as a marker of stress on the sentence, at the end of
their spoken sentences or speech; for example: "Ay, oo, nga eh!" ("Aye, yes, indeed!"). Some even
prolong the particle 'eh' into 'ala eh', though it really has no meaning in itself.

Famous Writer and Literary Pieces

Bienvenido Lumbera is a Filipino poet, critic and dramatist. He is a National Artist of the Philippines and
a recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communications. He
won numerous literary awards, including the National Book Awards from the National Book Foundation,
and the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards.

Literary Pieces

Ka Bel, The Yaya’s Lullaby, Servant, Sadness, Magic, Eulogy of Roaches

Rizal, officially known as the Province of Rizal (Filipino: Lalawigan ng Rizal) is a province in the
Philippines located in the CALABARZON region, just 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) east of Manila. The
province is named after José Rizal, one of the main national heroes of the Philippines.

Famous Writers and Literary Pieces

Maestrio Lucio D. San Pedro (February 11, 1913 – March 31, 2002) was born on February 11, 1913 in
Angono, Rizal. He was a composer and a multi-talented musician. He was best known for his musical
composition Sa Ugoy ng Duyan and the symphonic poem Lahing Kayumanggi.

Quezon (Tagalog pronunciation: [ˈkɛson]) is a province of the Philippines in the Calabarzon region of
Luzon island. The province was named after Manuel L. Quezon, the second President of the Philippines,
and its capital is Lucena City.

Paz Márquez-Benítez

Born in 1894 in Lucena, Tayabas (now Quezon). Marquez – Benítez authored the first Filipino modern
English language short story, Dead Stars, published in the Philippine Herald in 1925.

Dead Stars, A Night in the Hills, Filipino Love Stories, Epikong Tagalog

Illustrated fiction is a hybrid narrative medium in which images and text work together to tell a story. It
can take various forms, including fiction written for adults or children, magazine fiction, comic strips, and
picture books. Story through text and illustrated images. Generally, 50% of the narrative is presented
without words. The reader must interpret the images in order to comprehend the complete story. Textual
portions are presented in traditional form. Some illustrated novels may contain no text at all.llustrated
novels span all genres

Digital Fiction is fiction that is written for and read from a computer and can be web- or app-based (for
tablets and smartphones) or accessed via CD-ROMs. Digital fictions are different to e-books, however.
Rather than existing as a digital version of a print novel, digital fictions are what are known as “born
digital” – that is, they would lose something of their aesthetic and/or structural form and meaning if they
were removed from the digital medium. For example, they may contain hyperlinks, moving images, mini-
games or sound effects. Further, unlike e-books in which the reader moves from one page to another in a
linear fashion, in many digital fictions, the reader has a role in constructing the narrative, either by
selecting hyperlinks or by controlling a character’s journey through the storyworld. Digital fictions
therefore require that the reader interacts with the narrative throughout the reading experience and include
texts such as hypertext fictions, Flash fictions and some video games. You can find analyses of various
different kinds of digital fictions in our most recent publicatio

A graphic novel A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using
comic form.• The term is employed in a broad manner, encompassing non-fiction works and thematically
linked short stories as well as fictional stories across a number of genres. It is a book made up of comics
content. Although the word "novel" normally refers to long fictional works, the term "graphic novel" is
applied broadly and includes fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work. It is distinguished from the term
"comic book", which is generally used for comics periodicals.

Manga (漫画 Manga) are comics created in Japan or by creators in the Japanese language, conforming to
a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century.They have a long and complex pre-history in earlier
Japanese art.The term manga (kanji: 漫画; hiragana: まんが; katakana: マンガ; About this sound listen
(help·info); English: /ˈmæŋɡə/ or /ˈmɑːŋɡə/) in Japan is a word used to refer to both comics and
cartooning. "Manga" as a term used outside Japan refers to comics originally published in Japan.

Doodle FictionHand scribed font and images.Doodle-Fiction A literary presentation where the author
incorporates doodle drawings and hand written graphics in place of traditional font. Drawings enhance
the story, often adding humorous elements that would be missing if the illustrations were omitted

Chick lit is modern fiction about the lives and romantic problems of young women, usually written by
young women. is genre fiction, which "consists of heroine-centered narratives that focus on the trials and
tribulations of their individual protagonists".The genre often addresses issues of modern womanhood –
from romantic relationships to female friendships to matters in the workplace – in humorous and
lighthearted ways.

Flash Fiction a style of literature in which stories are extremely short and often consist of less than 300
wordswhatever their length, pieces of flash fiction contain all the classic story elements we'd expect –
protagonists, conflicts, obstacles or complications, and their resolution. Flash fiction is a style of writing
which involves producing very short pieces of fictional literature. This is quite different to the concept of
a short story, which is usually several pages long and can notch up thousands of words. Works of flash
fiction, by contrast, can comprise as little as a single page or 250 word

Speculative fiction is an umbrella genre encompassing narrative fiction with supernatural or futuristic
elements. This includes, but is not limited to, science fiction, fantasy, superhero fiction, science fantasy,
horror, utopian and dystopian fiction, supernatural fiction as well as combinations thereof.

Spoken Word is poetry intended for onstage performance, rather than exclusively designed for the page.
It is a performance art that is word based. It is an oral art that focuses on the aesthetics of word play such
as intonation and voice inflection. It is a 'catchall' term which 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'.[1] Although spoken word can include any kind of poetry read aloud, it is different
from written poetry in that how it sounds is often one of the main components. Unlike written poetry it
has less to do with physical on the page aesthetics and more to do with phonaesthetics, or the aesthetics of
sound.