SHS

CORE SUBJECT

21st Century Literature

from the Philippines
and the World
Quarter 1
Module 1: Philippine Literary History
21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World – SHS Core Subject
Quarter 1 – Module 1: Philippine Literary History

Republic Act 8293, section 176 states that no copyright shall subsist in any work
of the Government of the Philippines. However, prior approval of the government agency or
office wherein the work is created shall be necessary for exploitation of such work for profit.
Such agency or office may, among other things, impose as a condition the payment of
royalties.

Borrowed materials (i.e., songs, stories, poems, pictures, photos, brand names,
trademarks, etc.) included in this module are owned by their respective copyright holders.
Every effort has been exerted to locate and seek permission to use these materials from
their respective copyright owners. The publisher and authors do not represent nor claim
ownership over them.

Development Team of the Module

Compiler: Karen A. Pedroso, TII, City Central National High School

Editors: Roquesa B. Sabejon, PSDS, North District 7

Rex C. Ebarle, MT I, Cebu City National Science High School
Gina M. Panes, TIII, Cebu City National Science High School
Dennis Jay L. Tecson, TII, Alaska Night High School

Management Team: Rhea Mar A. Angtud, Schools Division Superintendent

Danilo G. Gudelosao, Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
Grecia F. Bataluna, Curriculum Implementation Division Chief
Norman R. Gabales, EPSvr-English
Vanessa L. Harayo, EPSvr-LRMS

Printed in the Philippines by DepEd Cebu City Division, ROVII

Office Address: Imus Avenue, Cebu City
Telefax: (032) 255-1516 / (032) 253-9095
E-mail Address: cebu.city@deped.gov.ph
 SHS
CORE SUBJECT

21st Century Literature

from the Philippines
and the World
Quarter 1
Module 1: Philippine Literary History
 Welcome to the 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World K to
12 Curriculum Module on Philippine Literary History!

This module was collaboratively designed, developed, and reviewed by educators to

assist you meet the standards set by the K to 12 Curriculum while overcoming personal,
social, and economic constraints in schooling.

This learning resource hopes to engage you into guided and independent learning
activities at your own pace and time. Furthermore, this also aims to help you acquire the
needed 21st century skills while taking into consideration your needs and circumstances.

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful opportunities for
guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You will be enabled to process
the contents of the learning resource while being an active learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

Pretest It is where you will encounter activities that would

check your prior knowledge before engaging the skills
targeted.

What I Need to Know From here, you can trace as to what skills or
competencies you will develop through the module.

What’s In The contains preparatory activity or review of the

previous lesson that leads to the lesson.

What’s New This phase involves presentation of the lesson, a brief

discussion, and a presentation of examples that would
help you understand the new concepts and skills.

What I Can Do This part is where you engage activities for transfer of
knowledge and skills.

What I Have Learned This is a line statement that encompasses the essential
points of the lesson.

What’s More This is a chance for you to apply your knowledge based
the discussion presented in the previous part. It is
where your transfer of knowledge and skills will be
checked.
 Post Test This is now the task to check how far you go with the
learning competency focused.

Answer Key It is where you can confirm your answers of the

different tasks given to you.

At the end of this module you will also find:

References This is a list of all sources used in developing this

module.

The following are some reminders in using this module:

1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any part of the module.
2. Do not forget to answer Pretest before moving on to the other activities included in
the module.
3. Read the instructions carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking your answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
6. Submit the accomplished module every end of the week.
7. Upon submission, claim the module for the following week.

If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do not hesitate
to consult your teacher or facilitator through text, phone call, chat, and online classroom
during the virtual orientation with students.

Always bear in mind that you are not alone.

We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful learning and gain
deep understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it!
About the Module
This module provides you knowledge on the history of Philippine literature from pre-colonial
to contemporary period. The diversity and richness of Philippine literature evolved side by
side with the country's history. Before the Philippine literature that we are enjoying now, it
endured several periods from its original oral traditions to the influences of various colonists.
Representative texts and authors from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao are included in this
module for you to fully experience the beauty and vibrancy of our country’s literature.

This module is divided into three lessons namely:

Lesson 1 – Philippine Literary History
Lesson 2 – Representative Texts from the Regions
Lesson 3 – Cebuano Visayan Texts

Enjoy learning!

Day 1

Pretest

-------TO BE FACILITATED DURING THE ONLINE SYNCHRONOUS CLASS.

Lesson
Philippine Literary History
1

What I Need to Know

After going through this lesson, you are expected to:

1. discover the stages of Philippine literary history;

2. create a poem inspiring the future generation to appreciate Philippine
literature; and
3. develop appreciation on the significance of studying literature.
 What’s In
Classify Me!
Directions: There are twelve (12) words in the wordlist. Classify the words as to the
definition of literature or significance of literature. Write your answers in the table below.

WORDLIST
Creative writing Moral reasoning Understanding and empathy Work of art
Reflection of life Study of books Imagination and inspiration Masterpiece
Enjoyment Vicarious experience Art expressing beauty Heritage

Definition of Literature Significance of Literature

Day 2

What’s New

Literature is life itself. It emphasizes numerous themes that revolve around human
experiences. While it is genuinely written in words, these words awaken in the creative mind
of the person. Literature is a masterpiece that mirrors life. It is defined as the study of books,
the work of art that expresses beauty, and creative writing through the medium of language.

WHY STUDY LITERATURE?

Literature leads to personal fulfilment and academic achievements.

Enjoyment: The most important personal gain that literature offers is enjoyment. When we
read, we experience different emotions–we laugh, we cry, we get scared, and we fall in love.
Such positive early experience will lead to a lifetime of reading enjoyment.

Imagination and Inspiration: By seeing the world around us in new ways and by
considering ways of living other than our own, we increase our ability to think differently and
imaginatively. Stories about people, both real and imaginary, inspire us to overcome
obstacles, accept different perspectives, and formulate personal goals.

Vicarious Experience: When a story is convincingly written that readers feel as though they
have lived through an experience or have been in the place and time where the story is set,
the book has given them a vicarious experience. These experiences are broadening for us
because we, as readers, are taken to places and times that we could never actually visit–
and might not want to.

Understanding and Empathy: Literature helps us gain an experience of the universality of

human needs across history which makes it possible for us to understand that all humans
are, to some degree, alike. Walking in someone else’s shoes often helps us develop a
greater capacity to empathize with others.

Heritage: Stories that are handed down from one generation to another to the next connect
us to our past, to the roots of our specific cultures, national heritage, and general human
condition. Literature is the storehouse of culture. Knowing our literature makes us culturally
literate.

Moral Reasoning: Often, story characters are placed in situations that require them to make
moral decisions. Readers naturally consider what they themselves would do in such a
situation. Regular experience with literature helps us formulate and reflect on the concept of
right and wrong.

TWO FORMS OF LITERATURE

Prose: Prose is a form of language that has no formal metrical structure. It applies a natural
flow of speech, and ordinary grammatical structure, rather than rhythmic structure, such as
in the case of traditional poetry. Normal everyday speech is spoken in prose, and most
people think and write in prose form. Prose comprises of full grammatical sentences, which
consist of paragraphs, and forgoes aesthetic appeal in favor of clear, straightforward
language.

Poetry: Poetry is highly imagistic and is written in condensed language, stylized syntax, and
figures of speech that may not be found in ordinary communication. Poetry usually creates a
strong rhythm or metrical feet and a sense of crystallized experience.

PHILIPPINE LITERATURE

Philippine literature is associated with the country’s pre-colonial and colonial legacies. Our
literature is one of slow and evolutionary growth. Our writers strove to express their
sentiments while struggling with a foreign medium as we endured different colonists. Most of
the notable literature of the Philippines was written during the Spanish period and the first
half of the 20th century in Spanish language. With the arrival of the American period, the
early Filipino writers had difficulty in expressing themselves since English was a language
new to them, yet the marvel is that they learned this language so quickly and with such a
facility.

Philippine literature is written in Spanish, English, Tagalog, and other native Philippine
languages. The literature of the Philippines covers a variety of genres, most notably poetry
and metrical romances, prose, dramas, religious dramas, and secular dramas. Our literature
expresses the deepest of human experiences in words that create memorable images.

PERIODS OF PHILIPPINE LITERATURE

A. Pre-colonial Period
Philippine literature has existed before the Spanish occupation in the 1500s. Since our
ancestors had no permanent settlements and had to frequently move, they relied heavily on
nature for food and other necessities.

Literature then was oral in nature. The oral characteristic of pre-colonial literature gives the
possibility for many alterations. In the Philippine context, no matter how it may be considered
as altered, pre-colonial literature is still revered to by many Filipinos. The sources are usually
the local native town folk.

Pre-colonial literature is full of lessons and ideas about life, its blessings, and its
consequences. It contains ideas from birth to the grave. The usual themes include
ceremonies needed to appease the deities, life and death, gods and goddesses, heroes and
heroines, supernatural beings, animals, and how things came to be. Our pre-colonial
literature shows our customs and traditions in everyday life as traced in our epics, folktales,
and folksongs, and other forms.

B. Spanish Colonial Period (1565–1898)

The arrival of the Spanish colonists led to major influences and changes in Philippine
literature. One major shift is the introduction of Catholicism. The teaching of the Catholic
doctrine became the basis of many literary texts. The literary texts shifted from the daily lives
and experiences of the folks to a religious tone.

Roman alphabet was introduced. The Spanish language became the literary language, and
many of the Spanish words have been adopted to the Filipino language. Ancient literature
was collected and translated to Tagalog and other dialects. Many grammar books were
printed in Filipino, like Tagalog, Ilocano and Visayan. Until the 19th century, the printing
presses that published literary works were owned and managed by the religious orders.
Thus, religious themes dominated the literature of the time.

Spain also brought to the country, though at a much later time, liberal ideas and
internationalism that influenced our own Filipino intellectuals and writers for them to
understand the meanings of "liberty and freedom." One prominent writer is Dr. Jose Rizal.
C. American Colonial Period (1898-1946)
The American period introduced the public school system in the Philippines. Free public
instruction was given to the Filipinos. Education became a very important issue for the
American colonial government since it allowed the spread of their cultural values, particularly
the English language to the Filipinos.

The use of English alongside Filipino was practiced. American influence was deeply rooted
with the firm establishment of English as the medium of instruction in all schools.

New literary forms, such as free verse in poetry, the modern short story, and the critical
essay, were introduced. The literature during the American period was considered as
imitative of American model. Instead of asking the students to write originals, students ended
up following the form of American poets.

D. Japanese Period (1941-1945)

Philippine Literature was interrupted in its development when the Philippines was again
conquered by another foreign country, Japan.

Philippine literature in English came to a halt. Except for the Tribune and the Philippine
Review, almost all newspapers in English were stopped by the Japanese. This had an
advantageous effect on Filipino Literature, which experienced renewed attention because
writers in English turned to writing in Filipino. Juan Laya, who use to write in English turned
to Filipino because of the strict prohibitions of the Japanese regarding any writing in English.
Many wrote plays, poems, and short stories with themes often about nationalism, life in the
provinces, faith, and arts.

E. Contemporary Period
Contemporary Filipino writers have become more conscious of their art with the rise of
writers workshops here and abroad and the majority of literature available via the mass
media, including the internet. They 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. There are a lot of new forms from the basic genres of literature; thus,
proving how far the literature in the Philippines has gone and how far it will go on from here.

Themes of contemporary literature are more varied and bolder. Some writings dealt with the
development or progress of the country like family planning, proper nutrition, environment,
and pollution. More contemporary themes which were not openly talked about before
surfaced. These themes emphasize social issues which contemporary writers would like to
raise awareness to the public. Some of these social issues include gender identity and
racism, family and single parenthood, family diaspora, drug and alcohol abuse, social media
and bullying, depression, racism, and health issues, such as abortion and teenage
pregnancy.

The various literary awards, such as the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for
Literature, the Philippines Free Press, Philippine Graphic, Home Life and Panorama,
encourage Filipino writers to compete with peers and hope that their creative efforts will be
rewarded in the long run.
 What I Can Do
Puzzled No More!
Directions: Complete the crossword puzzle by referring to the statements under Across and
Down columns.

Across
3 6
1. Philippine literature in English
during this period paused.
4
3. The dominant issue in 1 2 5
Contemporary period
7. Synonym of literature
8. Philippine literature is written in 8
Spanish, English, native 7
languages, and ______.
9. Characteristic of literature in the 9
pre-colonial period

Down
2. Education became very important during this period.
3. This period gave birth to religious writings.
4. Literature is a work of art that expresses ______.
5. When we walk in someone else’s shoes and develop a capacity to understand others,
what significance of literature do we develop?
6. What happens to literature that are handed down from one generation to another that
allows us to connect to our past?

What I Have Learned

Speak your Mind!
Directions: After understanding the history of Philippine literature from the discussion,
complete the sentence by writing your conclusion about Philippine literature.

I have learned that Philippine literature _________________________________________.

Day 3
 What’s More
Task 1
Inspire Me!

We have learned that literature is life itself. It revolves around human experiences and
teaches lessons applicable to daily life. With the current Corona Virus Disease 2019 (CoViD-
19) pandemic, people may be experiencing worry and anxiety.

Directions: Write an inspiring letter to the Filipino people encouraging them to read and use
literature as a source of strength and comfort. Write your letter in the scroll on the next page.
Be guided by the rubric for scoring. Use this salutation: Dear brothers and sisters,

RUBRIC FOR SCORING IN WRITING A LETTER

EXCELLENT ACCOMPLISHED DEVELOPING

CRITERIA
(10 points)
The content includes
messages that are inspiring
Content & Connection
and encouraging in this time
of pandemic.
Sentences and paragraphs
Organization are complete, well written,
and varied.
Contains few punctuation,
Mechanics and
spelling, or grammatical
Grammar
errors.
(8 points) (6 points)
The content includes The content includes little
some messages that are messages that are inspiring and
inspiring and encouraging encouraging in this time of
in this time of pandemic. pandemic.
Sentence and paragraph
Sentence and paragraph
structure are generally
structure are inconsistent.
correct.
Contains several errors in
Contains many punctuation,
punctuation, spelling, or
spelling, and/or grammatical
grammar that do not
errors that interfere with meaning.
interfere with meaning.

___________________________,

_________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________
 Task 2
Hey, Future Generation!

With the rise of social media, our future generation may forget the richness and vibrancy of
our Philippine literature. How can you inspire our future generation to appreciate our
literature despite the many innovations and changes?

Directions: Write a 7-line poem in the star on the next page. Follow the format below. Be
guided by the rubric for scoring on the next page.

Unique Title

Line 1 – Include significance of literature.

Line 2 – Include another significance of literature.
Line 3 – Include endurance of Philippine literature through different periods.
Line 4 – Write the beauty of Philippine literature.
Line 5 – Write the beauty of Philippine literature.
Line 6 – Suggest how to appreciate own literature.
Line 7 – Give a challenge to the future generation.

RUBRIC FOR SCORING IN WRITING POETRY

EXCELLENT ACCOMPLISHED DEVELOPING

CATEGORY
(10 points) (8 points) (6 points)
 Student devoted a lot of time and
THE WRITING effort to the writing process and
PROCESS / worked hard to make the poem a
EFFORT good read. The poem has no
errors.
The poem has a title that clearly
TITLE relates to the poem and adds
interest to the theme or message of
the poem.
The poem is written with a great
sense of style. The poem has been
STYLE
well thought out and makes sense to
the reader.
FORMAT The format is completely followed.
Student devoted some time and
effort to the writing process but
was not very thorough. Does
enough to get by. There are
several errors.
The poem has a title that does
not relate to the poem.
The poem is written somewhat
with style. Thoughts are clear
to a degree.
The format is somewhat
followed
Student devoted little time and
effort to the writing process. It
appears that the student does not
care about the assignment. The
poem has many errors.
The poem has no title.
The poem lacks style and the
thoughts did not come out clearly
on paper.
The format is not followed.

___________________________________
Title

______________________________________

______________________________________

______________________________________

______________________________________

______________________________________

______________________________________

______________________________________

Day 4
 Task 3
It’s More Fun in the Philippines!

Our literature is beautiful. Suppose you are to send a postcard to a friend in another country
showing him/her the beauty of our literature, how will you show that
#ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines?

Directions: Make a postcard showcasing the transition of Philippine literature from one
period to another.

RUBRIC FOR SCORING IN CREATING A POSTCARD

EXCELLENT GOOD DEVELOPING

CATEGORY 10 points 9 points 7 points
Content The postcard shows the The postcard The postcard shows an
transition of Philippine somewhat shows the unclear transition of Philippine
literature from one transition of Philippine literature from one period to
period to another. literature from one another.
period to another.
Creativity The student shows an The student shows an The student shows an artistic
original artistic work. original work that lacks work that may not be original.
artistry.
Neatness The postcard is very The postcard is The postcard is not neat.
neat. somewhat neat.

References
Book:

Abelos, Alex V. et. al. (2007). Philippine Literature: Rediscovering our Regional Heritage (A
Workbook in Literature I). Malabon City: Mutya Publishing House, Inc. (p. 1, 2, 4).
Online Sources:

Ash Mae. (n.d.). Balaki ko 'Day Samtang Gasakay Ta'g Habalhabal. Retrieved from
https://www.academia.edu/37069926/Balaki_ko_Day_Samtang_Gasakay_Tag_Haba
lhabal.

Evasco, Marjorie. (2019). Two Poems from the Philippines. Retrieved from
https://www.worldliteraturetoday.org/2019/summer/two-poems-philippines-marjorie-
evasco.

Godinez-Ortega, Christine F. (n.d.). Literary Forms in Philippine Literature. Retrieved from

http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Tagalog/Literature/literary_forms_in_philippine_lit.htm.

Guangco, Elijah Marvin. (2017). The Philippine Literary History. Retrieved from
https://www.slideshare.net/augustianelijah/the-philippine-literary-history.

Kintanar-Alburo, Erlinda. (n.d.). Cebuano Literature in the Philippines. Retrieved from

https://ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca-3/subcommissions/subcommission-on-the-arts-
sca/literary-arts/cebuano-literature-in-the-
philippines/#:~:text=Cebuano%20literature%20refers%20to%20the,important%20par
t%20of%20Philippine%20literature.

Lauzon, Aira. (2016). Philippine Literature During the Spanish Colonial Period. Retrieved
from https://prezi.com/xedaj06br1-0/philippine-literature-during-the-spanish-colonial-
period/?fallback=1.

LitPriest. (n.d.). Dead Stars Summary. Retrieved from https://litpriest.com/short-stories/dead-

stars-summary-themes-analysis/.

Llante, Jeneza. (2017). Mindanao’s Literature of Conflict (Filipino Muslim Literature).

Retrieved from https://gistwithinlinesblog.wordpress.com/2017/01/26/mindanaos-
literature-of-conflict-filipino-muslim-literature/.

Millona, Mark Vincent. (2015). Literature during the Spanish Period. Retrieved from
https://www.slideshare.net/markvincentmillona1/literature-during-the-spanish-period.

Mojares, R.B. (2018). Escape to Literature. Retrieved from

http://escapetoliterature.blogspot.com/2018/02/visayan-love.html.

Pajutagana, Belle. (2013). Philippine Literature during the Spanish Period. Retrieved from
https://www.slideshare.net/beautyisbelle/phil-lit-during-the-spanish-period.

PhD Essay. (2020). Characteristics of Philippine Literature. Retrieved from

https://phdessay.com/characteristics-of-philippine-literature/.

Porter, Anne. (2018). Cebuano Song "Matud Nila". Retrieved from

 https://steemit.com/dtube/@anneporter/jzeg34b9.

Ranudo, Vicente. (n.d.). Vicente Ranudo. Retrieved July 16, 2020 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicente_Ranudo.

Servera, John Clifford. (2018). The Literary Forms in Philippine Literature. Retrieved from
https://prezi.com/p/pkjdm04kplcn/the-literary-forms-in-philippine-literature/.

The Kahimyang Project. (2012). Paz Marquez Benitez. Retrieved from

https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/972/today-in-philippine-history-march-3-
1894-paz-marquez-benitez-was-born-in-lucena-city-quezon.

Wikipedia. (2020). Adonis Durado. Retrieved from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adonis_Durado.

Wikipedia. (2020). Ben Zubiri. Retrieved from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Zubiri#:~:text=Wenceslao%20%22Ben%22%20Zub
iri%20(September,English%20%22They%20Say%22).

______________. (n.d.). “Balaki Ko, ‘Day, Samtang Gasakay Ta’g Habal-habal” By Adonis
G. Durado. Retrieved from https://educheer.com/essays/e-cbalaki-ko-e-day-samtang-
gasakay-ta-e-g-habal-habal-e-d-by-adonis-g-durado/.

______________. (2017). Don't Underestimate Value of Studying Local Literature. Retrieved

from https://www.straitstimes.com/forum/letters-in-print/dont-underestimate-value-of-
studying-local-
literature#:~:text=The%20benefits%20of%20studying%20local,as%20national%20iss
ues%20and%20perspectives.&text=Local%20literature%20is%20vital%20to%20pres
erving%20our%20rich%20heritage.

______________. (2015). The Japanese Period. Retrieved from

http://aprilmaynjune.weebly.com/lit-1/the-japanese-period-1941-1945.

______________. (2020). Visayan Literature. Retrieved from

https://www.livinginthephilippines.com/culture-and-people/philippine-culture/culture-
and-traditions/1329-the-visayas-islandVisayan Literature.

Audio and Videos Retrieved:

Audio. (2019). "Farol De Combate," (Visayan) by Marjorie Evasco. Retrieved from

https://soundcloud.com/worldlittoday/farol-de-combate-visayan-by-marjorie-evasco.

Video. (2015). Buyayang - Philippine Folk Song about Peace. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJOabCMAyhUInternationalAlert.
Video. (2008). Radio Mambaling: The Music of Ben Zubiri - Matud Nila. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZgasag2M28.

For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education – Division of Cebu City

Office Address: Imus Avenue, Cebu City
Telephone Nos.: (032) 255-1516 / (032) 253-9095
E-mail Address: cebu.city@deped.gov.ph