FILIPINO

LITERATURE
Danilo C. Siquig, Jr.

1
Introduction
to Philippine
Pre-Colonial
Literature
1
 WHAT IS LITERATURE?

It is a body of work, either

written, oral, or visual,
containing imaginative language
that realistically portrays
thought, emotions, and
experiences of the human
condition.
 DEFINITION OF TERMS
 Pre-colonial
-period of time before
colonization of a region or
territory
 Philippine Literature
-the literature associated with the
Philippines and includes the legends of
prehistory, and the colonial legacy of the
Philippines
 Pre-colonial Philippine Literature
-the literature of formative past of the
various groups ofpeople who inhabited the
archipelago
-a literature of varying human interest
 CLASSIFICATIONS
:

Pre-colonial Philippine literature

may be classified into :

floating or oral
written literature
WHY DO WE NEED TO STUDY PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE?

to traceour rich

heritage of ideas which
downwere to handed
us from
forefathers
our
tobetter
appreciate cultural our
heritage
to understand that we have
noble traditions which can
serve as the means to
assimilate other cultures
 CHARACTERISTICS OF
PRE-COLONIAL PHILIPPINE LITERATURE

songs, dance and the drama

probably developed simultaneously
most of the pre-colonial dramas
were held in the sambahan or
places of worship
various subjects including love,
war, legends, the memory of the
deceased, and war heroes were
dealt with using narratives
 stories are communally owned
 COMMON THEMES OF PRE-COLONIAL TEXTS

geography/  religion
physical  human
environments activities
 ideals  human
the
experiences in
socialand behaviors
nature
economic
organization of
people
8
 PRE-COLONIAL TEXTS
POETRY  hiliraw (war songs)
 bugtong (riddle)  uyayi and hele
 sabi (maxim) (lullabies)
 sawikain (saying)  epiko (epics)
 talindaw (boat songs) PROSE NARRATIVES
 diyuna (song of revelry) Folk tales or
kumintang (war song folk narratives
which evolved into a love  mito (myth)
song)  alamat
(legend)
 pabula (fables)
9
 Riddle (Bugtong)
Made up of one or more measured lines with
rhymes and may consist of 4 to 12 syllables
Showcase the Filipino wit, literary talent, and
keen observation of the surroundings
Involves reference to one or two images that
symbolize the characteristics of an unknown object
that is to be guessed

10
 Example

Ate mo, ate ko, Ate ng lahat ng tao.(My sister, your

sister, everyone's sister)
 Atis (Sugar Apple)

11
 Salawikain &
Sawikain
Epigrams/maxims/proverbs

Short poems that have been customarily been used

and served as laws or rules on good behavior by
our ancestors
Allegories or parables that impart lessons for
the young
Often expressing a single idea, that is usually
satirical and had a witty ending
Maxims- rhyming couplets (5,6,8 syllables)
12
 Salawikain &
Sawikain
Example of salawikain
 Ang matapat na kaibigan, tunay na maaasahan. - - -You
will know a true friend in time of need.

13
Ex of Sawikain
 kumukulo ang dugo
"blood is boiling" = is very angry
 isulat sa tubig
"write on water" = forget about it

Ex of Maxims
 Pag hindi ukol,
Hindi
bubukol.
-means
What is not
intended for
one will not
 Bulong (chants)
Used in witchcraft or
enchantments

Sa hinaba-haba ng
prusisyon Sa simbahan din
pala ang tuloy

Hele hele
Bago
kyeme
 Halimbawa (for example):

Tabi, tabi po, Ingkong Makikiraan po lamang.

 Kasabihan (saying)
Used in teasing or to comment on a
persons’ acutations
 “Catitibay ca tolos
Sacaling datnang agos
Aco’ I momonting lomot
Sa iyo’ I popolopot”
Nag-almusal mag-isa
Kaning lamig, tinapa;
Nahulog ang kutsara
Ikaw na sana, sinta
 Tanaga

A quatrain with seven syllables each with the

same rhyme at the end of each line
 No title
 7-7-7-7
 AABB
 Ex. “Tahak ng tingin,
tulak ng sulyap, yakap,
lapat ng titig sa balikat.
hatak pa, kindat,
hakat”
 Ambahan
traditional poetry of the Hanunoo Mangyans of
Oriental Mindoro which is normally inscribed on
bamboo using a pre-Colonial syllabic writing
system called the Surat Mangyan .
seven-syllable metric lines
can be composed of more than four lines
usually chanted
teaches lessons about life
recited by parents to educate their children, by the
youth to express their love, by the old to impart
experiences, or by the community in tribal
ceremonies
on some occasions like burial rites, the ambahan
is used for entertainment
Sugot nga maaw kunman
Tangdayan no ma-amban
Sabungan no manuywan
Impad las yami daywan
Hanggan buhok timbangan
Hanggan sa balod pangdan
Bugkat di way yamungan
Bilang dayi bunlagan
No kang tinaginduman
Kang magpahalimbaw-an
Ga bugtong ti bilugan
Ifugao – Hudhud hi Aliguyon
Ilocos – Biagni Lam-ang
Bicol - Ibalon
Mindanao – Darangan
Panay – Hinilawod
Bagobo - Tuwaang
Kalinga – Ulaliim
Manobo – Agyu or Olahing
Subanon - Sandayo
 Aliguyon
 the exploits of Aliguyon as he battles his arch-enemy, Pambukhayon
 Biagni Lam-Ang
 tells of the adventuresvof Lam-Ang who exhibits
extraordinary powers at a very early age.
 Ibalon
 the story of three Bicol heroes: Baltog, Handiong, Bantiong
 Hinilawod
 oldest and longest epic poem in Panay
 the exploits of three Sulodnon demigod
brothers, LabawDonggon, Humadapnon and Dumalapdap of
ancient Panay
 IBALON FESTIVAL

Hinilawod
a form of folk lyric which expresses the
people’s hopes, aspirations, and lifestyles
repetitive and sonorous, didactic and naive
traditional songs and melodies
inspired by the reaction of the people to
their environment
uyayi – lullaby
komintang – war song
kundiman – melancholic love song
harana – serenade
tagay – drinking song
mambayu – Kalinga rice-pounding song
subli – dance-ritual song of courtship
/marriage
Tagulaylay- songs of the dead
 MYTH
 myths form an important genre of folk literature
S explaining how the world
are sacred narrative
and man came to be in their present form
Philippine myths show that ancient Filipinos
believed in one supreme god and in a number of
lesser gods and goddesses

26
 MYTH
S
in the society in which they are told, myths are
considered to be truthful accounts of what happened in
the remote past
myths are the embodiment of dogma
main characters are not usually human beings, but
they often have human attributes; they are animals,
deities, cultural heroes, whose actions are set in an
earlier world.

27
PHILIPPINE MYTHS
Examples:
The Creation
(Luzon) The First
Clouds (Visayan)
How the World
Began
(Mindanao)
28
 CLASSIFICATIO
N
Filipino myths can be classified under the following
headings:
The Gods and the
Establishment Origin of
Creation of
of Natural Water
the World Order Features
Early Conception Origin of Land
Origin of Man
of the Universe Features
Relationship
The Great Flood between Gods Origin of Animals
and Men
Acquisition of
The Sun,
Culture/Origin Origin of Plants
Moon, and
of the Fire
Stars 29
 FIGURATIVE
LANGUAGE
• Literal language is when you say • Figurative language means you do
exactly what you mean. Here you not say exactly what you mean.
do not make any comparison and You do compare, exaggerate, and
you do not exaggerate or understate the situation.
understate any situation!

• Example: The grass looks like

• Example: Grass looks green spiky green hair!
 Metaphors
• Therefore, it is a comparison in which one thing/person is
said to be another. [There is no use of “like” or “as” in this
kind of comparison]

Origin of metaphor
French métaphore from Classical Latin metaphora from Classical
Greek from metapherein, to carry over from meta, over (see
meta-)+ pherein, to bear
Here the man is trying to impress the woman by
comparing her to beautiful things in nature!
 • My love is like a red, red
rose.
Simile is a directly stated
..here love is the tenor and red
comparison between
rose is the vehicle
two unlike subjects.

The tenor [primary

subject] and vehicle
[secondary subject]
are connected by
“like” or “as”
 This exaggeration is called
Hyperbole
• In poetry and oratory, it emphasizes, evokes strong feelings, and creates
strong impressions.
• As a figure of speech, it is usually not meant to be taken literally.
• Love poetry often uses a lot of hyperbole, such as, in Thomas
Campion’s “Cherry Ripe”,

There is a garden in her face Where roses

and white lilies grow;
 Personification
• Personification is a figure of speech in which a thing –
an idea or an animal – is given human attributes.
• The non-human objects are portrayed in such a way
that we feel they have the ability to act like human
beings.

Tender loving care

 Onomatopoeia
The use of a word to describe or imitate a
natural sound made by an object or action.
Words that sound like what they mean.

tweet,
pow zoom tweet

buzz
hiss
 Oxymoron
words or phrases in which contradictory or
opposite terms are used together [however they
make sense]

act naturally

climb down
adult child
 Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

Spanish colonization of the Philippines started in 1565

during the time of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, the first
Spanish governor-general in the Philippines. Literature
started to flourish during his time. The spurt continued
unabated until the Cavite Revolt in 1872.

39
Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

SPANISH INFLUENCES ON THE

PHILIPPINE LITERATURE

40
 Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

1. ALIBATA
2. Christian Doctrine
3. Spanish language became the literary language this time
4. European legends and traditions
5. Ancient literature was collected and translated to Tagalog
6. Grammar books were printed in Filipino
7. Religious tone

41
Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

ALIBATA
Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

THE FIRST BOOKS

 Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

1. Ang Doctrina Cristiana (The Christian Doctrine)

2. Nuestra Senora del Rosario

3. Libro de los Cuatro Postprimeras de Hombre

4. Ang Barlaan at Josephat

5. The Pasion

6. Urbana at Felisa

7. Ang mga Dalit kay Maria (Psalms for Mary)

Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

Literary Compositions
 Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

1. Arte y Reglas de la Lengua Tagala (Art and Rules of the Tagalog language)

2. Compendio de la Lengua Tagala (Understanding the Tagalog language)

3, Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala (Tagalog vocabulary)

4. Vocabulario de la Lengua Pampanga (Pampango vocabulary)

5. Vocabulario de la Lengua Bisaya (Bisayan vocabulary)

6. Arte de la Lengua Ilokana (The Art of the Ilocano language)

7. Arte de la Lengua Bicolana (The Art of the Bicol Language)

Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

Folk songs
 Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

Examples:

1. Leron-Leron Sinta (Tagalog)

2. Pamulinawen (Iloko)
3. Dandansoy (Bisaya)
4. Sarong Banggi (Bicol)
5. Atin Cu Pung Singsing (Kapampangan)
Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

RECREATIONAL PLAYS
 Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

There were many recreational plays

performed by Filipinos during the Spanish
times. Almost all of them were in poetic
form.
 Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

CENAKULO
 

Dramatic performance of the passion and

death of Christ
 Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

ZARZUELA
 

The father of drama, a musical comedy or melodrama

three acts which death with men’s passion and emotions
like love, hate, revenge, cruelty , avarice or some political
problem.
Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

LAGAYLAY
 

A specialoccasion for the

pilarenos of sorsogon during
maytime to get together
 Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

TIBAG
 
Dramatic performance for the purpose of
manifesting devotion for the holy cross.
 Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

PANULUYAN
 
Philippine Christmas dramatic ritual
narrating the whole family’s search
for a place to stay in Bethlehem for Jesus
Christ‘s birth through songs.
 Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

SALUBONG
 
Dramatizes the reunion of the risen Christ and his
mother.
 Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

CARILLO
 
A form of dramatic entertainment perform on
a moonless night during a town fiesta or on
darknights after a harvest.
 Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

SAINETE
 
A short musical comedy popular during the 18th century.
They were exaggerated comedy shown between acts plays
and were mostly performed by characters from the lower
class.
 Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

THE MORO-MORO
 
Like the Cenaculo, the Moro-Moro is presented
also on a special stage. This is performed during
town fiestas to entertain the people and to remind
them of their Christian religion.

Example: “Prinsipe Rodante”

 Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

KARAGATAN
 
This is a poetic vehicle of a socio- religious
nature celebrated during the death of a
person.
 Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

DUPLO
 
The Duplo replaced the Karagatan. This is a
poetic joust in speaking and reasoning.
 Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

THE BALAGTASAN
 
This is a poetic joust or a contest of skills in
debate on a particular topic or issue.
 Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

THE DUNG-AW
 
This is a chant in free verse by a bereaved
person or his representative beside the corpse
of the dead.
 Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

AWIT
is in dodecasyllabic verse.
are fabricated stories from writers’ imagination
although the setting and
characters are European.
Refers to chanting.

Example:
Florante at Laura by Francisco Balagtas
 Philippine Literature During the Spanish Period

CORRIDO
is in octosyllabic verse.
were usually on legends or stories from European
countries like France, Spain, Italy
and Greece.
refers to narration.
Example:
Ibong Adarna by Jose de la Cruz
 THE END

SALAMAT PO
REFERENCES
References
https://www.slideshare.net/AttheaJaneLepiten/philippine-literatur
e-and-texts-precolonial-times-and-spanish-colonizations-7751071
0

https://ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca-3/subcommissions/subcommissio
n-on-the-arts-sca/literary-arts/the-literary-forms-in-philippine-liter
ature/

https://askinglot.com/what-is-the-pre-colonial-literature

https://www.slideshare.net/beautyisbelle/phil-lit-during-the-spani
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