21st Century Literature from the Philippines

INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE LITERATURE

By Katrina Melissa Cruz
Philippine literature withstood time and periods and has evolved through generations. For
every period that passed, different genres appeared, and these literary works rooted from all
regions reflecting their culture, society and lifestyle.
The early stages of Filipino Literature consist of the Pre-Spanish period, the Spanish period and
the Propaganda and Revolutionary Periods. In the Pre-Spanish period, literature was in oral
form as technology of printing wasn’t available yet. Works such as epics, legends,
folklore, salawikain, bugtong, sawikain, songs such as the Oyayi or Hele are passed on from
generations to generations and they are still well-known up to this day as they are being taught
in schools. Philippine Literature changed during the Spanish Period. It was centered on Christian
faith. Pre-Spanish literary types continued to develop; however, there was a gradual shift of
interest from nature and natural phenomena to the lives of the saints, hymns, miracles and
invocations based on the teachings of the Catholic Church. The works during this time are
imitative of the Spanish theme, forms, and traditions. The corrido, awit, dalit, cenaculo, moro-
moro, duplo and karagatan, and zarzuela are reflective of the said characteristics. Religious
matters were in prose as novenas and prayer books, biographies of the saints, tales and novels.
The Filipinos were able to retain their native traditions and poems in the field of poetry
reflected as lyrical folksongs and riddles. Some examples of songs are Bahay Kubo, kundiman,
and tapat. Francisco Baltazar also was popular during this time because of his “Florante at
Laura”. Events such as the exposure of the Filipinos to Europe’s liberal idealism, the opening of
the Suez Canal, the Spanish Revolution in 1868, and the martyrdom of Gomburza led to Filipino
nationalism. This gave birth to two movements during this time – the Propaganda movement
and the Revolutionary movement. The Propaganda movement was reformatory in objective
and its members are college students mostly based in Spain. The primary propagandists were
Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. del Pilar, and Graciano Lopez-Jaena. The exposure of the evils of the
Spanish rule in the Philippines was because of Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo and
has paved the way to a revolution against Spain. Del Pilar’s essays and editorials in Diariong
Tagalogwhich he founded with Lopez-Jaena’s articles in La Solidaridad which he was an editor
reflected nationalism that was dominant at this time.
The Revolutionary movement took over as the propagandists failed to get much reforms. This
was of course more violent, and it demands complete independence from Spain.
The Katipunan was founded by Andres Bonifacio who was inspired by Rizal’s novels. The articles
written in tagalog (which was a form of revolution) was published in the Kalayaan, the
newspaper of the society. The literature at that time was more propagandistic than literary as
the situation and events at that time needed such purpose for liberation.
The three periods mentioned are the core of our history and literature. History has a very
important role in literature as literature not only reflects facts with aesthetic language but more
importantly, it displays the ideas and feelings of the people living at that time. Not only does
literature exhibit history but so as the hope that people have. It shows what they hope for the
nation, or for themselves, may it be about nationalism, love, or other aspects going on in life. As
the Philippines underwent a lot of history, as well as changes, literature also evolved. In the
similar case as the first three periods, literary genres also evolve depending on the influence,
state and the condition that our country is in. From epics to folksongs, to the cenaculo and Noli
Me Tangere, to Tagalog and English short stories, essays, poetry, to the Palanca Awards entries,
drama and film, to Wattpad and blogs – these are all reflective of the history, evolution, and
developments or mishaps of the Filipino nation. Each period has its own distinct genre and
unique artists that everyone remembers.
21st century literature per se, is anything that was written and published in the year 2000s. It is
a bit too early to give a definite and elaborate description of the 21st century literature in the
Philippines and the world. It is possible, however, to approach contemporary literature as a
reaction to and dialogue with existing forms of expressive culture. As we engage in technology
more and more, we create and discover more existing forms of expressive culture as well. We
have a wide range of resources through the internet and this gave opportunities to people,
especially the youth, to begin writing and expressing their thoughts, ideas, and feelings. A
perfect example would be WattPad. It became popular to the Filipino youth in 2006.
The idea is to create an e-book reading application, as e-books are becoming in demand during
that time, however, the founders thought that it would be time consuming to maintain their
own catalog, so they decided to let the community decide what they want to read, and they
can also upload their works and content into the application. This had made it possible for the
youth to read more and to start creating their own compositions.
It has become a network.
Here are more examples of literary genres in the 21st century Philippine literature:
Creative nonfiction
It’s a rich mix of flavors, ideas, and techniques, some of which are newly invented and others as
old as writing itself. Creative nonfiction can be an essay, a journal article, a research paper, a
memoir, or a poem; it can be personal or not, or it can be all of these.
Some of the creative nonfiction in the Philippines are:
1. “The Cardinal’s Sins, the General’s Cross, the Martyr’s Testimony, and Other
Affirmations” by Gregorio C. Brillantes
2. “Manananggal Terrorizes Manila and Other Stories” by Jessica Zafra
3. “Sapay Koma” by Jhoanna Lynn Cruz
Hyper poetry
Hypertext poetry and hypertext fiction are new genres of literature that use the computer
screen as medium, rather than the printed page. The literary works rely on the qualities unique
to a digital environment, such as linked World Wide Web pages or effects such as sound and
movement. Hypertext “poetry” can consist of words, although not necessarily organized into
lines and stanzas, as well as, sounds, visual images, movement or other special effects.
Although the poem may be dazzling with sounds, perhaps of a lawnmower, while the words
“mowing,” “stop,” “Sunday,” and “morning” float across your computer screen in pseudo-
three-dimensional letters, one will have been hard pressed to identify the use of any formal
poetics.

Mobile phone text tula

A cell phone novel, or mobile phone novel is a literary work originally written on a cellular
phone via text messaging. This type of literature originated in Japan, where it has become a
popular literary genre. However, its popularity has also spread to other countries
internationally, especially to China, United States, Germany, and South Africa. Chapters usually
consist of about 70-100 words each due to character limitations on cell phones.
Chick lit
This is genre fiction, which “consists of heroin-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.
Some of the chick lit in the Philippines are:
1. Spotlight New Adult by Mina V. Esguerra
2. Tall Story by Candy Gourlay
3. All’s Fair in Blog and War by Chrissie Peria
Speculative fiction
It covers all stories from fantasy to science fiction to slipstream to magic realism to urban
fantasy — so on and so forth. In other words (or in other worlds), it encompasses all the stories
that are removed from the reality that we are currently living in. As the introduction states,
“speculative fiction is a type of story that deals with observations of the human condition but
offers the experience through a different lens…and challenges us to see what tomorrow could
be like or what the mythic past of our imagination actually is.”
Some of the speculative fiction in the Philippines are:
 1. Smaller and Smaller Circles by FH Batacan
2. Sink by Isabel Yap
3. The Secret Origin of Spin-Man by Andrew Drilon
Flash fiction
Flash fiction goes by many names, including microfiction, microstories, short-shorts, short short
stories, very short stories, sudden fiction, postcard fiction and nanofiction. While it can be
difficult to pinpoint an exact definition of flash fiction based on word count, consideration of
several of its features can help provide clarity, like its brevity, length, background and purpose.
Some of the flash fiction in the Philippines are:
1. 100 Kislap, by Abdon M. Balde Jr.
2. Karapote: Antolohia Dagiti 13 a Nasuerte A Sarita, by Ariel S. Tabag
Blog
A blog (shortening of “weblog”) is an online journal or informational website displaying
information in the reverse chronological order, with latest posts appearing first. It is a platform
where a writer or even a group of writers share their views on an individual subject.
Graphic novels
The ‘graphic novel’ has existed as an art form arguably from the time our species learned how
to paint. However, the term has only been in use since the 1960’s, and though it’s often a hotly
debated issue, it’s generally accepted that a graphic novel is a longer work or collection of
works presented in ‘comics’ style.
Some of the graphic novels in the Philippines are:
1. The Mythology Class (Nautilus comics) by Arnold Arre
2. Light (Anino comics) by Rob Cham
3. Sixty Six (Anino comics) by Russell Molina
4. Maktan 1521 by Tepai Pascual
Contemporary writers often consciously draw inspiration and ideas from the writers who have
come before them. As an outcome, many works of 21st literature deal with the events,
movements and literature of the past in order to make sense of the current times. In addition,
the technological developments of the 21st century have directed other writers to theoretically
write about the future, usually to comment on the present and suggest introspection.
There are various themes and topics that the contemporary literature addresses. One of which
is Identity. With increasing globalization, intersections of cultures and more vocal discussions of
women’s rights and LGBT rights, identity has become a common theme in 21st century
literature. In a world that is now able to exchange ideas more quickly than ever before via the
Internet and other technological advancements, people have relatively more freedom to draw
from multiple cultures and philosophies and question the concept of the self and its relation to
the body, brain and “soul.” Another theme is history and memory. Often contemporary
literature explores the notion of multiplicities of truth and acknowledges that history is filtered
through human perspective and experience. Another main theme is technology. Today,
technology is more integrated into people’s lives than ever before. Dreams of what technology
could potentially help people become and anxieties regarding the demise of humanity because
of technology can be seen in 21st century literature. Additionally, many 21st century works of
literature explore what it means when all of humanity’s experiences are filtered through
technology. These are just among many themes that 21st century literature covers. Among
these are of course, love, sex, family, religion, but approached in a different way. They are more
liberal and unfiltered in a sense, just like the world we live in. For this reason, the language and
tone that are commonly used doesn’t really follow a rule just like the traditional and classical
works, as long as it is able to express and convey the authenticity and the essence of the
meaning of the work and the identity of the characters. Examples of this would be the works of
Bob Ong, Ricky Lee, and Bebang Siy. The poems of Maria Cecilia dela Rosa are perfect examples
of 21st century literature as she conveys a different flavor and turn to her works.
The previous periods had already established canon writers and their works which, until now,
are being studied in schools and universities. As times change, people need to innovate and
become more aware of the present time and condition, as well as the events that recently
directed us to be at the current circumstances that we stand. Modernization, invention,
expression and a wider point of view are results of the arising awareness people have. Modern
day Filipinos, as well as the youth of today become more conscious of what’s happening,
primarily because of easier access to education and technology. Print, we might say, is gradually
dying but our appetite for information continues to grow and of course literature, along with
technology still thrives. All of this paved the way to the 21st century Literature, with various
genres, themes and voices. The Philippines continues to develop in many aspects and as a
liberal and democratic country, we are part of the worldwide innovation of ways on how to
exchange and share ideas about the present events which have much similarities in each
country.
Since we are in the age of technology, we use them to impart and experience literature to make
it more interesting especially to the young ones. They grew up using technology as a primary
learning tool and for them to be more engaged in literature, technology such as the internet
and gadgets play a huge role for them in acquiring knowledge and information.
Literature continues to change with society and although we are in the 21st century and are
binded with technology, authors are still trying to address absolute human questions in new
ways and therefore, reconcile them with the ever-changing technology that surrounds us;
hence, the birth of the different 21st century literary genres.
In the new educational system that the Philippines is currently under which is the K+12
program, students are also entitled to learn the new literary genres that we have in the 21st
century. In this guide, we will find the different characteristics of the 21st century literature in
the Philippines and their genres, along with their representative texts that tackles their
relevance to our current situation.
Filipino 11
Komunikasyon at Pananaliksik sa Wika at
Kulturang Pilipino Aralin 1. Mga Konseptong Pangwika

Ang opisyal na estadistika tungkol sa mga wika at diyalekto sa ating bansa ay

hango sa Census of Population and Housing (CPH) na isinasagawa tuwing isa ng
dekada ng National Statistics Office (NSO). Ayon sa datos ng CPH noong 2000,
may humigit-kumulang 150 wika at diyalekto sa bansa. Tagalog ang
nangungunang wika na ginagamit ng 5.4 milyong sambahayan. Ang wika ay isang
napakahalagang instrumento ng komunikasyon. Ito ay mula sa pinagsama-samang
makabuluhang simbolo, at tuntunin ay ay nabubuo ang mga salitang
nakapagpapahayag ng ng kahulugan o kaisipan. Ito ay behikulong ginagamit sa
pakikipag-usap at pagpaparating ng mga mensahe sa isa't-isa. Ito ay mula sa
salitang Latin na lingua na nangangahulugang " dila " at " wika " o " lengguwahe "
Ayon kay Virgilio Almario ang wikang opisyal ay ang itinadhana ng batas na
maging wika sa opisyal na talastasan ng pamahalaan. Ang wikang panturo naman
ang opisyal na wikang ginagamit sa pormal na edukasyon. Sa pagpasok ng K to 12
Curriculum, ang Mother Tongue o unang wika ng mga mag-aaral ay naging opisyal
na wikang panturo mula Kindergarten hanggang Grade 3 sa mga paaralang
pampubliko at pribado man. Tinatawag itong Mother Tongue-Based MultiLingual
Education (MTB-MLE). Aralin 2. Monolingguwalismo, Biingguwalismo, at
Multilingguwalismo Unang Wika (L1) ang tawag sa wikang kinagisnan mula sa
pagsilang at unang itinuro sa isang tao. Tinatawag din itong katutubong wika,
mother tongue, at arterial na wika. Sa wikang ito pinakamatatas o pinakamahusay
na naipahahayag ng tao ang kanyang mga ideya, kaisipan, at damdamin. Habang
lumalaki ang bata ay nagkakaroon siya ng exposure sa iba pang wika sa kanyang
paligid na maaaring magmula sa telebisyon, o sa iba pang tao. Dito ngayon
umuusbong ang kanyang pangalawang wika (L2). Sa pagdaraan ng panahon ay
lalong lumalawak ang mundo ng bata. Dumarami pa ang mga taong
nakasasalamuha niya, gayun din ang mga lugar na kanyang nararating, mga
palabas na kanyang napapanood sa telebisyon, mga aklat na kanyang nababasa at
tumataas din ang antas ng kanyang pag-aaral. Ang wikang ito ang ginagamit niya
sa pakikiangkop sa lumalawak na mundong kanyang ginagalawan. Ito ang ikatlong
wika o L3. Monolingguwalismo ang tawag sa pagpapatupad ng iisang wika sa isang
bansa tulad ng isinasagawa sa mga bansang England, Pransya, South Korea,
Hapon at iba pa. Maliban sa edukasyon, sa sistemang monolingguwalismo ay may
iisang wika ring umiiral bilang wika ng komersyo, wika ng negosyo, at wika ng
pakikipagtalastasan sa pang-araw araw na buhay. Bilingguwalismo ay paggamit at
pagkontrol ng tao sa dalawang wika na tila ba ang dalawang ito ay kanyang
katutubong wika. Maituturing na bilingguwal ang isang tao kung magagamit niya
ang dalawang wika ng matatas sa lahat ng pagkakataon. Multilingguwalismo. Ang
Pilipinas ay isang bansang multilingguwal. Mayroon tayong mahigit 150 na wika at
wikain.
Komunikasyon at Pananaliksik sa Wika at Kulturang Pilipino - Kahulugan ng Wika
KOMUNIKASYON AT PANANALIKSIK SA WIKA AT KULTURANG PILIPINO

2. DESKRIPSYON NG KURSO: Ito ay isang kursong nakatuon para sa pag-aaral

tungo sa pananaliksik patungkol sa kalikasan, katangian, pag-unlad, gamit at
paggamit ng Wikang Filipino sa mga sitwasyong komunikatibo at kultural sa
lipunang Pilipino.
3. KAHULUGAN NG WIKA

4. WIKA: Ayon kay Henry Gleason, “ang wika ay isang masistemang pagbalangkas
na sinasalitang tunog na pinipili at isinasaayos sa paraang arbitraryo upang
magamit ng mga taong kabilang sa isang kultura.”
5. WIKA: Ayon sa mga edukador na sina Pamela C. Constantino at Galileo S. Zafra,
“ang wika ay isang kalipunan ng mga salita at ang pamamaraan ng pagsasama-
sama ng mga ito para magkaunawaan o makapag-usap ang isang grupo ng mga
tao”
6. WIKA: Ayon kay Todd (1987), “ang wika ay isang kalipunan ng mga sagisag na
ginagamit sa komunikasyon at hindi lamang ito binibigkas kundi ito’y isinusulat
din.”
7. WIKA: Ito ay isang sistema na binubuo nang pag-unlad at paggamit ng
sistemang pang-komunikasyon na pwedeng daan sa pakikipag-ugnayan at
pagkakaisa ng mga tao.
 8. LINGGWISTIKS Ito ay ang siyentipikong pag-aaral at pag-unawa ng wika.
Kabilang sa mga pinag-aaralan sa larangang ito ay ang semantika, ponolohiya, at
balarila.
9. LINGGWISTIKS UNIBERSAL Ito ay isang padron (pattern) na sistematikong
dumadaloy sa lahat ng wika sa buong mundo. Halimbawa ng linggwistiks
unibersal: Kapag sinambit ang isang uri ng wika, mayroon itong patinig at katinig.
Oral Communication in Context
Communication (from the Latin term “communis” which means to share and
inform ideas, feelings, etc.) is the act of transmitting intended meanings from
one entity or group to another through the use of mutually
understood signs and semiotic rules.
The different categories of communication include:
Spoken or Verbal Communication: face-to-face, telephone, radio or television
and other media.
Non-Verbal Communication: body language, gestures, how we dress or act –
even our scent.
Written Communication: letters, e-mails, books, magazines, the Internet or
via other media.
Visualizations: graphs and charts, maps, logos and other visualizations can
communicate messages.

The basic steps of communication are:

1. The forming of communicative intent– (the speaker generates an idea)

2. Message encoding– (the speaker encodes an idea or converts the idea into words or
actions)
3. Transmissionof the encoded message as a sequence of signals using a
specific channel or medium– (the speaker transmits or sends out a message)
4. Receptionof signals-(the receiver gets the message)
5. Reconstructionof the original message
6. Interpretationand making sense of the reconstructed message- (the receiver decodes or
interprets the message based on the context)
7. The receiver sends or provides feedback.

COMMUNICATION MODELS
October 14, 2016
1. Shannon and Weaver Model of Communication
The first major model for communication was introduced by Claude Shannon and Warren
Weaver for Bell Laboratories in 1949. The original model was designed to mirror the functioning
of radio and telephone technologies. Their initial model consisted of three primary parts: sender,
channel, and receiver. The sender was the part of a telephone a person spoke into, the channel
was the telephone itself, and the receiver was the part of the phone where one could hear the
other person. Shannon and Weaver also recognized that often there is static that interferes with
one listening to a telephone conversation, which they deemed noise.
Claude Shannon and Warren Weaver structured this model based on the following elements:

1. An information source, which produces a message.

2. A transmitter, which encodes the message into signals
3. A channel, to which signals are adapted for transmission
4. A noise source, which distorts the signal while it propagates through the channel
5. A receiver, which ‘decodes’ (reconstructs) the message from the signal.
6. A destination, where the message arrives.

2. The Sender-Message-Channel-Receiver Model

In 1960, David Berlo expanded on Shannon and Weaver’s (1949) linear model of
communication and created the SMCR Model of Communication. The Sender-Message-
Channel-Receiver Model of communication separated the model into clear parts and has been
expanded upon by other scholars.

Communication is usually described along a few major dimensions: Message (what type of
things are communicated), source / emisor / sender / encoder (by whom), form (in which form),
channel (through which medium), destination / receiver / target / decoder (to whom), and
Receiver. Wilbur Schram (1954) also indicated that we should also examine the impact that a
message has (both desired and undesired) on the target of the message. Between parties,
communication includes acts that confer knowledge and experiences, give advice and
commands, and ask questions. These acts may take many forms, in one of the various manners of
communication. The form depends on the abilities of the group communicating. Together,
communication content and form make messages that are sent towards a destination. The target
can be oneself, another person or being, another entity (such as a corporation or group of beings).

ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION
October 14, 2016
1. Speaker- the source of information or message
2. Message- the information, ideas, or thoughts conveyed by the speaker in
words or in actions
3. Encoding- the process of converting the message into words, actions, or
other forms that the speaker understands
4. Decoding- the process of interpreting the encoded message of the speaker
by the receiver
5. Receiver- the recipient of the message, or someone who decodes the
message
6. Barrier- the factors that affect the flow of communication
7. Channel (Medium). It refers to the way the message is sent. In public
speaking the medium is vibrations in the air between speaker and listener,
set in motion by the speaker’s voice. The message could also be written in
any language, put into some code known to both speaker and listener,
tape-recorded or videotaped, put into sign language, translated into Braille,
or even sent by smoke signal.
8. It includes all messages, verbal or nonverbal, sent by the listener to the
speaker.
9. (1) the occasion during which communication occurs, the occasion refers to
the reason why people assembled; it could be serious or festive, planned or
spontaneous, relaxed and informal, traditional or formal and (2) the
physical setting or site where communication occurs; it includes the size of
the room, the number of audience, the facilities present, the light etc.
10.These are barriers to effective communication.
 The use of jargon. Over-complicated, unfamiliar and/or technical terms.
 Emotional barriers and taboos. Some people may find it difficult to express
their emotions and some topics may be completely ‘off-limits’ or taboo.
 Lack of attention, interest, distractions, or irrelevance to the receiver.
 Differences in perception and viewpoint.
 Physical disabilities such as hearing problems or speech difficulties.
 Physical barriers to non-verbal communication. Not being able to see the
non-verbal cues, gestures, posture and general body language can make
communication less effective.
 Language differences and the difficulty in understanding unfamiliar accents.
 Expectations and prejudices which may lead to false assumptions or
stereotyping. People often hear what they expect to hear rather than what
is actually said and jump to incorrect conclusions.
 Cultural differences. The norms of social interaction vary greatly in
different cultures, as do the way in which emotions are expressed. For
example, the concept of personal space varies between cultures and
between different social settings.
 VERBAL & NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
 October 14, 2016
 Verbal communication consist of messages being sent and received
continuously with the speaker and the listener, it is focused on the way
messages are portrayed. Verbal communication is based on language and
use of expression, the tone in which the sender of the message relays the
communication can determine how the message is received and in what
context.
 Factors that affect verbal communication:
 Tone of voice
 Use of descriptive words
 Emphasis on certain phrases
 Volume of voice
 The way a message is received is dependent on these factors as they give a
greater interpretation for the receiver as to what is meant by the message.
By emphasizing a certain phrase with the tone of voice, this indicates that it
is important and should be focused more on.
 Along with these attributes, verbal communication is also accompanied
with non-verbal cues. These cues make the message clearer and give the
listener an indication of what way the information should be received.
 Example of non-verbal cues
 Facial expressions
 Hand gestures
 Use of objects
 Body movement
 In terms of intercultural communication there are language barriers which
are affected by verbal forms of communication. In this instance there is
opportunity for miscommunication between two or more parties. Other
barriers that contribute to miscommunication would be the type of words
chosen in conversation.