Guess the lesson

through a riddle:
“I speak of verses, short "I carry the stories of
or long, lands and seas, Of
Of Filipino life, in heart heroes, love, and gentle
and song. breeze. In rhythmic
I tell of places, rich and words and verses deep, I
true, guard traditions that we
And traditions that keep. Born from tongues
define me and you. both young and old, In
What am I?” me, rich cultures are
Traditions and locations:
The
filipino
poem
Learning
Objectives
Identify the geographic, linguistic, and ethnic dimensions of
1 Philippine literary history from colonial period.

2 Appreciate the application of imagery in the text provided, paying

particular attention to the regional origins of the poem.

3 Respond critically to the poem and articulate this response through a

presentation that showcases regional culture.
An erupting volcano can be both terrifying
and beautiful. The sheer, raw power of the
explosive force of the volcano can shake
the earth and devastate its surroundings,
and yet the same event can be a wonder to
see. Experiences such as these are called
sublime experiences by artists, and it is
these experiences that move them to
create art. Poets react to such experiences
by participating in the literary tradition that
has been termed by poet and critic Gemino
Abad as “the root and crown of language”:
poetry.
A long history of poetry
In the Philippines
A long history of poetry
Filipinos are no strangers to poetry; it has
been part of Filipino culture ever since pre-
Hispanic times. The awit, or song, existed in
manv forms and were used for varied
purposes. Aside from songs, the two major
pre-Hispanic forms were the riddle, or
bugtong. and thewas
The bugtong proverb, or sawikain.
a riddle that used
talinghaga, or a metaphor that actually
helped convey the answer to the riddle. The
sawikain (or salawikain) were proverbs
that were used to express pieces of wisdom
or beliefs that were important to Filipino
society. These forms were all done in verse,
A long history of poetry
The major pre-Hispanic poetic form, however,
was the epiko, or epic. These were long,
episodic, chanted poems which told a story,
normally about a legendary hero and his
adventures, often contending with, and also
being aided by, supernatural creatures and
spirits. These were chanted orally at feasts
and rituals, often to inspire and entertain
those who listened. Thus, these stories were
seen as important parts of the culture and
belief of these societies. While there have
been epics that have been preserved and
A long history of poetry
The arrival of the Spanish dramatically altered
what was an already established Philippine
literary tradition. The method of writing, called
baybayin for the Tagalog, was suppressed,
along with many of the epics and poems
already existing, as friars called them
blasphemous because of the presence of
supernatural creatures in them. Thus, the
Spanish clergy set out to replace the old oral
heroes with Jesus Christ, and thus for most of
the early years of Spanish rule, poems tended
to be religious in nature. A showcase of this
A long history of poetry
The most notable poet of the Spanish era is
Francisco Baltazar, who became known as
Balagtas. His poetry, such as the Tagalog-
written Florante at Laura, showcased his
education in the schools in Manila. While it
was a poem about tyranny in far-away Albania,
it was also seen as a poem showcasing the
abuses and tyranny happening in the
Philippines at the time.
A long history of poetry
Baltazar was one of the first in a new type
of Filipino emerging with the rise of a new
middle class, one that was educated but
was not Spanish. Jose Rizal, and his
fellows would be among these people; they
would be called illustrados, and their
efforts and writings would center on a
growing sense of national identity. Even
revolutionary leader Andres Bonifacio
would also contribute poetry, most
importantly the poem “Pag-ibig sa
A long history of poetry
Despite the efforts of the Spanish clergy,
traditional Philippine poetry never truly
went away. Instead, these same traditions
evolved. The awit, for example, became
influenced by the European romances of
the time, and became romantic
themselves. By the end of the Philippine
revolution, Philippine poetry gained some
of the influences and styles of their
colonizers, but was also been able to
remain unique from the poetry of the
A long history of poetry
The arrival of the Americans, and their
introduction of a new educational system,
again set off a series of changes to
Philippine poetry. The use of English as a
medium of education brought with it the
poetry in that language. Filipinos learned
not only the language, but poetic styles as
well. Free Verse and New Criticism
became the buzzwords of poets. Poets such
as Angela Manalang Gloria and Jose
Garcia Villa pushed the envelopes of both
A long history of poetry
Writer Salvador P. Lopez was also seen
as very influential in developing a new
concern for writers and poets that went
beyond the typical romantic themes still
popular during those times. His focus, on
making writers examine their place in
society, influenced writers from his time to
today.
Poetry has continued to evolve in the face
of the changes it has faced in history. The
freedom to explore a myriad of forms
Regions and regional
culture
 Regions and regional culture

The Philippines has a unique cultural

landscape, one shaped by a myriad of
languages and traditions determined by
their geographical and linguistic regions.
lt isnt quite right to say that there is just
one Filipino culture, because there are so
many different cultures in the country, and
they are all considered to be Filipino. These
many regional cultures, however, do all
come together to create the colorful
 Regions and regional culture

As discussed by National Artist Bienvenido

Lumbera, the reason for a very Manila- centric
view of Philippine culture and cultural
development has to do with the fact that
Manila remains the center of power in the
Philippines. While Manila is definitely the
"center" of the country, it cannot be denied
that the larger territory of the country lies
outside this center, in the "periphery," as it
were, of national consciousness. periphery's
effect on the "center" is inevitable, as these
 Regions and regional culture

Lumbera further stated that "...as it turns

out, literary, musical, visual and theater
arts away from the primate city (Manila)
form a considerable part of the culture of
the Filipino. Now it has become all too
clear that the question of a national
identity for the Filipino cannot be
discussed, much less resolved, only
within the narrow confines of the Center.
 Regions and regional culture

Our exploration into Philippine

literature, therefore, will be a de-
centered one, exploring regional
writing to see not only how it differs
from what is normally seen in
Manila, but also how it contributes
to Philippine culture through its
unique voice and style.
Bikol Literature
 Bikol Literature
It is both to the advantage and detriment of Bikolanos
that a good number of them are multilingual and are
normally proficient not only in Bikol, their regional
language, but also in English and Filipino. Prominent
writers such as screenwriter Ricky Lee and poet Marne
Kilates are both natives of Bikol, and yet are not known
as Bikolano writers. It is also sad that there are very few
Pre-Hispanic Bikol works that have been collected and
 Bikol Literature

There are still the proverbs, riddles, and sayings that

have remained in use, such as "An matakot sa
doron/Daing aanihon" or "Those afraid of locusts/Will
not harvest anything". There is also the tradition of
tigsikan, or a game of creating witty, versified (in
verse) extemporaneous toasts during a round of
drinking.
 Bikol Literature
Bikol writers have adopted forms of literature for their own
enjoyment, however. There are many corridos and religious
works, coming from the press owned by Mariane Perfecto.
These eventually led to the creation and enjoyment of
other forms of entertainment, such as the comedia and the
zarzuela, in the 1800s and early 1900s. There ar works in
Bikol during this time, as there were Bikol-based
publications, and the production of poems and fiction grew.
Literary production continued via varied publications until
 Bikol Literature
A Volcanic Poet Kristian Sendon Cordero is widely described as the
'enfant terrible" of Bikol writing. The term enfant semble usually
refers to a person who is controversial, often by being innovative
and questioning of the statilishment, both of which Cordero has
done. He has multiple Palanca awards in poetry, fiction, and the
essay. Other than the Palanca, he has won a host of other awards
in poetry, such as the National Comission on Culture and the Arts
Writer's Prize for Bikol poetry in 2007, the 6" Madrigal Gonzales
First Book Award, the Maningning Miclat Poetry Prize in Filipino in
2009. the Premio Tomas Arejola Littley Prize, and the Homelife
Poetry Contest He is a well-anthologized poet, and has published
collections of his own, such as Canticos Apal the Boses (UST
 Bikol Literature

Production then slowed, but did not completely stop.

It has since proceeded slowly, but persistently,
owing to the renewed interest of schools and writers
who have since embraced the task of building on
their literary achievements and are writing new
work, such as the text we have for this lesson.
 Bikol Literature
He is also a filmmaker, his film Angustia was released in
2013 He has edited a number of collections, such The
Naga We Know, a collection of essays co-edited with Paz
Verdadez Santos, as well as Saguron which he co-edited
with Santos as well He is an educator, being an assistant
professor at the Ateneo de Naga University. He writes
column in the Bicol Mail. He is an active advocate for the
growth of Bikol literature, not only in terms the form
flourishing in number, but also in terms of it growing
 Bikol Literature-tradition transition
Cordero's writing, both in terms of his poetics and his
articles, point to a turn in the development of Bikol
literature. The region has always had a strong writing
tradition predating the arrival of Spanish. While stymied
for a time under Spanish nile, when the tradition did
return, it did with critical attitude as can be seen in Bikol
writer Mariano Perfecto's An Paggulao kan mga pastor can
pagcamondag ni Jesus duman sa portal sa belen. This play
was about the awakening of the shepherds during Jesus's
 Bikol Literature-tradition transition

Bikol writing also featured the corrido and the

comedia, the former being a metered romance and the
latter being plays performed to local audiences. Typical
of the Bikol writer, the critical attitude manifested itself
in the writing of protest comedias. Even during the
highly productive Commonwealth period, when Bikol
writing flourished, poems such as the rawitdawit
continued to showcase Bicolano penchant for examining
 Bikol Literature-tradition transition

Nowadays, writers such as Cordero have continued the Bikolano

critical attitude, though Cordero, he brings it a step further by
fixing a critical eye on Bicol itself. In a recent paper he
discovered, he traced the movements of Bikol Literature via
translation, saying that the influence of the Catholic Church,
given that there was a prevalence of works translated into the
Bicol languaged during the Spanish era, nonetheless also points
to a continuing tradition of literary production in the region.
While the translations have become a key part of the Literature
of Bicol, he also contends that the reason for its continued
 Bikol Literature
MAYON
by Kristian Sendon Cordero
Ayon sa alamat, lason ng pana ni Pagtuga,
Ang lumikha sa bulkan- libingan ito Ng dalagang
namatay sa isang digmaan.

Ngayon, ano ang tutubo sa paanan ng Mayon

Gayong nagiging malawak na itong sementeryo
Ng abo, ng tao. Manganganak na kaya ito?
Tinitigan ko ang nakangangang bulkan–binalot
Ng ulap at ng sariling usok ang tuktok, gatas sa labi.
Baka sakali, magpakita, nang may silbi ang kamera.

Sa ilang retrato na ibinebenta ng mga bata sa

Cagsawa
Lusaw na tae ang nagliliyab na lava, dumadaloy
pababa.
Matandang nag-nganganga ayon naman sa isang
makata.

Sa isang lumang postcard na nakita ko sa Antigo

 What should be in a poem?
While the dictionary definition may consider meter as the
defining characteristic of poetry, the fact is that there are
several other elements of poetry that need to be present
in a work before it can properly be called a poem. A poem
requires that there be an image presented to the reader.
Images need not be visual; a poem will not limit itself only
to visual images but will use other senses. The presence
of figurative language, such as simile, metaphor,
personification, hyperbole, and metonymy should be
present. Poems possess a dramatic situation, or, a
situation which calls for the audience to relate to the
poem emotionally. Poems are also often full of irony and
paradox: which play with the idea of how a truth is
presented. Finally poems possess a theme, a general
ACTivity 1: Work together
Mayon Volcano is renowned around the world for
its nearly perfect shape. It's also one of the most
active volcanoes in the world and erupts
regularly. Provinces near Mt. Mayon are already
very accustomed to evatsating periodically
because of the eruptions that occur. Despite the
constant threat of danger, however the volcano
remains one of the most popular tourist
destinations in the Philippines Like many
locations in the Philippines, Mt. Mayon has a
fascinating legend which tells the story of its
creation The legend of Daragang Magayon is a
romantic and exciting story telling of how the
 evaluation: Multiple choice

1. Which of the following was a

major pre-Hispanic poetic form in
the Philippines?
A. Awit
B. Bugtong
C. Epiko
D. Zarzuela
 evaluation: Multiple choice

2. What is the primary characteristic

of a bugtong (riddle)?
A. It tells a story about heroes.
B. It uses metaphor to convey its
answer. C. It is a religious poem.
D. It describes nature through
imagery.
 evaluation: Multiple choice

3. Who is known as the most

notable poet during the Spanish era
in the Philippines? A. Jose Rizal
B. Francisco Balagtas
C. Angela Manalang Gloria
D. Salvador P. Lopez
 evaluation: Multiple choice

4. What was the main influence of

the American era on Philippine
poetry?
A. Introduction of free verse and
English poetry
B. Revival of native epics
C. Popularization of awit and corrido
 evaluation: Multiple choice

5. Which writer is referred to as the

'enfant terrible' of Bikol writing?
A. Marne Kilates
B. Salvador P. Lopez
C. Kristian Sendon Cordero
D. Ricky Lee
 evaluation: Multiple choice

6. What literary form in Bikol is

described as witty, versified
extemporaneous toasts? A. Corrido
B. Tigsikan
C. Comedia
D. Rawitdawit
 evaluation: Multiple choice

7. During the Spanish era, what did

the clergy replace the native epics
with?
A. Native songs
B. Religious poems such as the
Pasyon
C. Heroic tales of Filipino warriors
 evaluation: Multiple choice

8. Which of the following statements is

true about regional culture in the
Philippines?
A. Manila represents the entire Filipino
culture.
B. Regional cultures do not influence
national culture.
C. A national identity can only be
 evaluation: Multiple choice

9. What does Kristian Sendon

Cordero focus on in his literary
works?
A. Purely religious themes
B. Critiquing societal issues and
Bicol itself C. Revival of ancient Bikol
epics
 evaluation: Multiple choice

10. What is the legend associated

with Mount Mayon?
A. The story of Daragang Magayon
B. The journey of Lam-ang
C. The adventure of Pagtuga
D. The birth of a new island
 Answer key

1. C 6. B
2. B 7. B
3. B 8. C
4. A 9. B
5. C 10. A