CHAPTER II – The Development of Philippine

Literature

LESSON 1

Understanding the Value of Literature

LEARNING OUTCOMES
Define literature.
Identify genres of Philippine literature.
Enumerate the benefits from studying literature.
Use context clue skills to find the meaning of a word.
Evaluate author’s purpose in writing.

BEFORE READING

An Article by Bienvenido L. Lumbera

ABOUT THE ARTICLE

Literature is the verbal expression, oral or written, of the experiences of th e

people as influenced by their history. The paper ‘Southeast Asian Literary Traditions
and the Philippines’ by Bienvenido Lumbera describes the significance of
establishing a linkage between literary traditions found in the Philippines and the
traditions described in its ASEAN neighbors. It advances the idea that the oral
literature of the Philippines, being indexical to the country’s ‘precolonial’ past serves
as an important vehicle in shaping cultural bridge with its ASEAN neighbors, and in
establishing a sense of identity and the national interest it represents in the larger socio-
political, cultural and economic landscapes.

CASS-DELL | Literature of the Philippines 1

MAKE CONNECTIONS

Why is it important to maintain national identity in the age of globalization?

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ANALYZE LITERATURE: Genres

In the study of Philippine literature, genres refer to the different forms and
classifications of literary pieces. Examples are riddles, proverbs, songs, myths, epics
and so on.

Riddle, which is bugtong in Tagalog, tigmo in Cebuano, paktakon in Ilonngo, is folk

speech from the precolonial times characterized as a mystifying, misleading, or
puzzling question posed as a problem to be solved or guessed.
e.g. Bibingka ng hari, hindi mo mahati.
(Rice cake of the king, that you cannot divide.)- Answer: water

Proverb expresses norms or codes of behavior, community beliefs. It generally

instills values by offering nuggets of wisdom in short, rhyming verse.
e.g. Lumilipas ang kagandahan, ngunit hindi ang kabaitan.

Song is a short lyric poem that is intended to be sung. It has that particularly
melodious quality required by a singing voice. E.g. Anak by Freddie Aguilar

Myth is a usually traditional story common to the members of a tribe, race, or

nation. It usually involves the supernatural and serves to explain natural
phenomena or suggest a religious or moral truth.
e.g. Tungkung Langit and Alunsina (A Panay-Visayan creation myth)

Folktale is an anonymous, timeless, and placeless story circulated orally among a

people. E.g. The Misadventures of Juan Tamad

Epic is a long narrative poem in elevated style recounting the deeds of a legendary
or historical hero. E.g. Biag ni Lam-ang (Life of Lam-ang), an Ilocano epic.

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USE READING SKILLS: The Author’s Purpose
Authors write with an aim or purpose in mind. The style of writing often
reflects the author’s purpose, which could be to entertain, to inform, to instruct, or to
persuade. As you read the article below, identify details related to the author’s
purpose and fill in the information in the Author’s Purpose Chart. An example has
been done for you.

Author’s Purpose Chart

Author’s Purpose: to inform

Details: My Evaluation: The author

The fact that, to this day,
epics continue to be
collected among ethnic
groups is an indication
of the deep roots of this
literary form in various
cultural communities.
included this information to
emphasize to the readers the role
of oral literature, specifically
epics, in performing cultural
identities. This information helps
me understand why the author
asserts the idea that oral
literature translated in Filipino
language can serve as our cultural
bridge to other ASEAN nations.

Author’s Purpose:

Author’s Purpose:

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PREVIEW VOCABULARY

Key Words and Words and Phrases Definition Practice

Phrases in Context
Read each key Read to see how the Write down what Practice using the
word and rate it key word or phrase you think the word key words and
using this scale: can be used in a or phrase means. phrases by
① I don’t know sentence. Then use a completing the
this word or dictionary to check following
phrase at all. your definition. sentences.
② I’ve seen this
word or phrase
before.
③ Know this word
or phrase and use
it.

form Narrative, lyric, and Song is a form of

[ˈfȯrm] dramatic are forms of lyric poetry that…
noun poetry.
① ② ③

rudimentary You need to have at One rudimentary

ru·di·men·ta·ry least a rudimentary function of
[ ˌrü-də-ˈmen-tə-rē] understanding of computer is …
adjective technology before you
① ② ③ can upload a video on
that website.

sophisticated Some sophisticated The encryption

so·phis·ti·cat·ed programs require that codes being used by
[sə-ˈfi-stə-ˌkā-təd] passwords contain criminals are
adjective letters and numbers. incredibly
① ② ③ sophisticated and
…

Legacy A monumental legacy Ferdinand

leg·a·cy in astronomy is Magellan’s
[ ˈle-gə-sē] Galileo’s telescopic expedition in 1522
noun observations of the left a legacy of …
① ② ③ heavens.

contextualize Module writers must Teacher Lea

con·tex·tu·al·ize contextualize texts contextualizes the
[kən-ˈteks-chə-wə- and genres to enhance stories in her
ˌlīz] the students’ learning module to…
verb processes.
① ② ③

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contemporary Contemporary artists Online platforms
con·tem·po·rary were selected to paint are now used to
[kən-ˈtem-pə-ˌrer- the museum’s ceiling. publish
ē] contemporary
adjective poetry because…
① ② ③

heritage Though he was proud It can be exciting to

her·i·tage of his Italian heritage, explore your
[ ˈher-ə-tij] he really had never heritage and …
noun visited the country.
① ② ③

globalization The process of Not everyone has

glob·al·i·za·tion globalization is the been benefiting the
[ˌglō-bə-lə-ˈzā- profound economic same from
shən] change of the current globalization and
noun era. technological
① ② ③ change because …

decolonize To decolonize a There is a need to

de·col·o·nize territory is easier than decolonize our
[dē-ˈkä-lə-ˌnīz] to decolonize our practices if we want
verb consciousness. to…
① ② ③

precolonial Precolonial Filipinos An example of

pre·co·lo·nial made good armor for precolonial
[ˌprē-kə-ˈlō-nē-əl] use in the battlefield, weapon is …
adjective and swords were an
① ② ③ important part of
native weaponry.
Link The presentation of the Her Youtube video
[ˈliŋk] past is linked to all links important
verb forms of image stories from …
① ② ③ consciousness and
manipulation.

identity In fostering our You can show your

i·den·ti·ty Filipino identity, we appreciation of
[ ī-ˈden-tə-tē] must devote ourselves your Filipino
noun to our studies and the identity through…
① ② ③ appreciation of history,
culture, and literature.

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 DURING READING
An Article by Bienvenido L. Lumbera
THE ORAL LITERATURE OF THE FILIPINOS
Philippine oral literature comes in many forms
and many languages. The forms range from the
simplest to the most complex, depending on their
functions within the community. The most
rudimentary are the riddles and the proverbs, ru·di·men·ta·ry [ ˌrü-də-ˈmen-
which function principally as vehicles for
familiarizing the younger members of the
community with their immediate environment
and for instructing them on the basic values which
the older members of the community hold in
common. Songs take many forms, and once again,
it is function that determines the occasion and
the manner of the singing. Children have their
own songs—lullabies to put them to sleep, game
songs to entertain them, learning songs to initiate
them into tasks appropriate for their age and
physical development. The adults have songs for
courtship, worship, work and entertainment.
Myths and folktales are for both young and old,
for these help them understand their
environment and relationships with one
another, and they allow them to cope with
mundane problems and with the mysterious
and the threatening.
The lengthiest and most sophisticated form
of Philippine oral literature is the epic. As of 1994,
thirty epics have been recorded, published or
translated out of supposedly a hundred,”
according to the most recent review (Epics).
CASS-DELL | Literature of the Philippines
[ˈfȯrm] noun, classification
or types
tə rē] adjective, basic or
fundamental
Analyze Literature
Genres: Enumerate the
various forms of
Philippine oral literature
and the functions they
serve.
_____________________________
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_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
so·phis·ti·cat·ed [sə-ˈfi-stə-
_____________________________
ˌkā-təd]
adjective, complex, elaborate
____________
6
The fact that, to this day, epics continue to be
Analyze Literature
collected among ethnic groups is an indication
of the deep roots of this literary form in various Genres: What special
cultural communities. These epics are treasured function does an epic serve?
by the community as bearers of identity and
_________________________________
preservers of values and traditions which bind
the members. _________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
________________________________
The cultural legacy that oral literature leg·a·cy [ ˈle-gə-sē] noun,
represents demands to be incorporated into inheritance, something
the literary component of the curriculum for transmitted by or received from
an ancestor or from the past
Philippine schools. Unfortunately, this legacy is
hardly accessible even to the most assiduous
student of Philippine literature in the form Note the Facts
which will allow it to claim a place in literary
studies. The epics, in particular, are in many What makes it difficult for
different languages, many of these only beginning oral literature such as epics
to be described by linguists. This means that, to be incorporated into the
even after they have been recorded and
literary component of the
transcribed, translation into a language accessible
to many and reflective of the artistic genius of the curriculum for Philippine
original remains a problem. schools?
_________________________________
It must be noted that, traditionally, the language _________________________________
of research in the Philippine academe is
_________________________________
English. This already poses a problem in the
______
proper contextualization of a literary work
which is intricately woven into the cultural
con·tex·tu·al·ize [kən-
fabric of the community. Producing a reasonably ˈteks-chə-wə-ˌlīz] verb, to
accurate rendition of the oral work into an place something in a
particular context which
English version further complicates the problem.
may provide important
The English version often serves only as some kind clues about the its social
of crib, guiding the reader through the and cultural meaning.
difficulties in the proper understanding and
appreciation of the text. No wonder, teachers
of Philippine literature have often recoiled from
a presentation of oral literature as part of their
courses. If they themselves cannot derive
CASS-DELL | Literature of the Philippines 7
enjoyment from the texts that are available for
their use, what can they expect from students who
see the epics as even more alien than Beowulf,
and the language into which they have been as
more impenetrable than Anglo-Saxon itself.

With English as the medium of instruction in the

Philippine educational system, the likelihood is
remote that pleasurable translations of Filipino
oral lore will form part of the literature our students
are taught to appreciate. The contemporary con·tem·po·rary [kən-
student will continue to be suckled on the works ˈtem-pə-ˌrer-ē]adjective,
of Filipino writers in English, both young and old, modern, relating to present
time
for these are the works that have familiar subject
matter and “artistic” language. Because much of our
literature is in the “unexciting” and often “clumsy”
English of scholars, young Filipinos have been effectively
cut off from a valuable part of their literary
her·i·tage [ ˈher-ə-tij]noun,
heritage, a heritage that can make them proud tradition, something handed
of their past and give them a secure sense of down from one's ancestors or
the past
identity as a people. Fortunately, there are
literature teachers who have kept up with the
times and have come to recognize the loss of the
past that the omission of oral literature from their
courses has occasioned. These teachers have now
begun to devise ways and means of restoring
oral literature to the history of Philippine
literature through videos and live performances.

Reconnecting Asia with Southeast Asia

Three years before the new millennium, in

this conference, the Philippines is being asked
glob·al·i·za·tion [ˌglō-
to link up with the literary traditions of Southeast bə-lə-ˈzā-shən]
Asia. In the so-called “era of globalization,” noun, the expansion of
isn’t the Philippines taking a rather belated many businesses into
markets throughout the
step toward what is then a necessary retrieval of world
its non-Western past? And isn’t the effort
altogether anachronistic at this time when we are

CASS-DELL | Literature of the Philippines 8

being enticed to “abolish national boundaries”
in the name of “global competitiveness”?

Contemporary Filipinos lost not only a good part

of their literary legacy when English was installed
as the language of instruction in Philippine
schools; they also lost a cultural bridge that would
have firmed up their relations with their neighbors.
Reclaiming its place in the culture of Southeast Asia de·col·o·nize [dē-ˈkä-lə-
cannot be too late, if Filipinos will recognize that ˌnīz] verb, to free from
colonial status
the decolonization of their consciousness is a
process which remains to be completed.
[ˈliŋk] verb, to couple or connect
The oral literature which will link them once by or as if by a link
again to Southeast Asia allows the Filipinos a
“precolonial” past which is still recoverable.
That past is a special weapon it can be wield pre·co·lo·nial [ˌprē-kə-ˈlō-nē-əl]
adjective, existing or occurring
in resisting neocolonial hegemony that before an area undergoes
“globalization” proposes to legitimize and colonization
naturalize. Globalization, with the IMF and
the World Bank behind it, proposes to erase Use Reading Skills
national boundaries purportedly to ease
commercial intercourse among peoples of the Evaluate the author’s
world. Doubtless, this is going to take place purpose.
and it will be to the advantage of strong Evaluate the author’s purpose
economies. Unstable economies, and these for writing about globalization
are common in Asia, Africa and Latin America, and the need for the
will have to stand up to the aggressive, rich Philippines, as a country with
unstable economy, to recover
industrialized countries in order to survive in its precolonial past through its
the globalized international economic order. oral literature. Record your
In devising a strategy for survival, it is never evaluation in your Author’s
too late for a people to gear itself toward a Purpose Chart provided
above.
struggle. The Philippines, through its oral
literature, has a “precolonial” past which is
Note the Facts
still recoverable. To recover that past, it needs
a native language that will allow it to make its What language is proposed
oral literature a living part of its contemporary by the author to be used in
culture. That language is Filipino, so the reclaiming Philippine oral
literature?
struggle for a native language that will also be
__________________________________
the language of instruction in the educational _________________________________
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system is part and parcel of recovering the past.
In a globalizing world, even as English is held
up as the global language, it may seem
paradoxical that the Philippines which has
been educating its youth through the medium
of English, must be urged to shift to its
national language.

To be able to maintain a firm hold on a sense of

identity and the national interest it represents,
the Philippines needs Southeast Asia. At the i·den·ti·ty [ ī-ˈden-tə-tē]noun,
The set of characteristics by
outset, it may seem that it is only a literary which a person or group is
tradition that it stands to recover in linking up definitively recognizable or
with the cultures of its neighboring countries. known
However, in the context of a period when “nation”
is claimed to be on the way to obsolescence, the ob·so·lete [ˌäb-sə-ˈlēt]
Philippines needs a sense of region that adjective, no longer in use
will give it a larger identity when globalization
begins to eat away national identities.
Reconnecting with Southeast Asia fortifies the Use Reading Skills
Filipino by giving him a past that colonial Evaluate the author’s
Education had closed off to him. purpose

Why does the author assert

that the Philippines needs
Southeast Asia in the era of
globalization? Write your ideas
in the Author’s Purpose Chart.
Think and Reflect

Do you think recovering our oral literature through our national language
Filipino is our best strategy for establishing our sense of identity as
Filipinos and for our survival in the era of globalization? Explain.

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 AFTER READING

Name: _________________________________ Yr/Cr/Sec:_______________

Subject:________________________________ Date:_____________________

READING CHECK

Circle the letter of the correct answer.

1. Which of the following is NOT true about literature?

A. It is one of the ways people in the community shape their own worlds, and
value their traditions.
B. It speaks of life—emotions, situations, and ideas.
C. It orients and guides the young.
D. It devalues the cultural fabric of the community where it comes from.

2. Which of the following oral literary genre is in rhyming verse and expresses
norms and community beliefs?
A. folktale C. riddle
B. proverb D. myth

3. Which of the following literary genre begins with the line, “In the beginning, the
earth was dark…”?
A. spic C. creation myth
B. Song D. folktale

4. Which of the following is a long narrative poem that talks about the adventures
of a hero?
A. song C. folktale
B. epic D. myth

5. What determines the occasion and manner of singing of a song?

A. function C. style
B. artistic conventions D. central idea

6. What value does the following proverb teach?

“You will not know what is coming unless you make a trip.”
A. intelligence C. initiative
B. guilt D. industry

CASS-DELL | Literature of the Philippines 11

7. What value does the following proverb teach?
“Natutuwa kung pasalop. Kung singili’y napopoot.”(Full of good cheer while
borrowing a measure of rice. Full of wrath when you ask him to pay it back.)
A. honesty C. loyalty
B. responsibility D. understanding

8. Which of the proverbs is NOT about alertness?

A. If you want a chance, be quick in moving.
B. If the chicken is not on guard, the eagle sweeps upon it.
C. If you can spot the quarry, you are the winner.
D. Not all that glitters is gold.

9. According to the article, what makes the reading of our literature unexciting and
less meaningful?
A. the subject of the literary pieces
B. the function of the literary piece
C. English as the medium of translation and instruction
D. the rich symbolisms and creative expressions used in the literature

10. Members of a tribe or race can have common myths which serve varied
purposes, EXCEPT:
A. trace a portion of their history C. suggest a religious or moral truth
B. explain natural phenomena D. predict future calamities.

VOCABULARY CHECK

Circle the letter of the correct answer.

1. “Mundane matters such as paying bills and shopping for food do not interest
her.” What does mundane mean?
A. ordinary C. exceptional
B. noble D. unique

2. “The Benedictines have been best known as educators and as preservers of

antique texts.” What does preserver mean?
A. A person that destroys something
B. A person who maintains something in its original form
C. A person who exacts punishment or in return for an injury.
D. A person that mends or repairs something.

CASS-DELL | Literature of the Philippines 12

3. “Jake was an assiduous student, commonly spending fourteen hours a day
among his books.” What does assiduous mean?
A. careful C. passive
B. weird D. diligent

4. “Voters legitimize the government through the election of public officials"

Which is NOT a meaning of legitimize?
A. make official C. make legal
B. nullify D. validate

5. “It sounds paradoxical: the events that made the universe habitable were
catastrophic.” Which is NOT a meaning of paradoxical?
A. temporary C. incongruous
B. Inconsistent D. inconsistent

USE READING SKILLS: Evaluate Author’s Purpose

1. Review your Author’s Purpose Chart. Why did the author write this article?

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2. How do the details and information included in the article enhance the
author’s purpose?

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CASS-DELL | Literature of the Philippines 13