Philippine Literary Periods and Figures

Pre-colonial Literature (BC–1564)

Oral traditions created before Spanish arrival, featuring myths, creation tales, and accounts of everyday Filipino life.

Pre-colonial Themes

Daily life, origin of the world, and early Philippine societal practices.

Colonial Literature – Spanish Occupation (1st Half)

Early Spanish-era writings centered on religion, European traditions, and Tagalog grammar studies.

Themes, Spanish 1st Half

Christianity, European cultural influence, and linguistic scholarship.

Gaspar Aquino de Belen

1704 author of the first full Tagalog rendition of the Pasyon.

José de la Cruz

Foremost exponent of the Komedya, adapting Spanish medieval ballads to native poetic drama.

Francisco Baltazar (Balagtas)

Master of traditional Tagalog poetry and author of the epic poem “Florante at Laura.”

Doctrina Christiana (1593)

First printed book in the Philippines, a bilingual Christian catechism in Tagalog and Spanish.

Mahal na Pasion ni Jesu Christo

Tagalog narrative poem on Christ’s passion written by Gaspar Aquino de Belen.

Ang Dalit kay Maria

Collection of devotional psalms dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Ang Barlaan at Josaphat

Religious prose narrative translated into Tagalog by Fray Antonio de Borja.

Florante at Laura

Balagtas’s poetic masterpiece blending romance, social justice, and nascent nationalism.

Colonial Literature – Spanish Occupation (2nd Half)

Later Spanish-period works marked by rising nationalism and transformation of oral forms into written texts.

Themes, Spanish 2nd Half

National consciousness, religious substitution, and persistence of riddles, epics, and folk songs.

Oral Literature

Spoken genres—riddles, chants, myths, folk songs, epigrams—passed down without writing.

3 G’s (God, Gold, Glory)

Spanish colonial motives of evangelization, wealth acquisition, and imperial prestige.

Ladinos

Bilingual native writers fluent in Spanish and local languages who produced early secular texts.

Propagandists

Educated reformists advocating peaceful change through essays and newspapers during late Spanish rule.

Revolutionists

Activists favoring armed struggle for total independence, typified by Andres Bonifacio.

Political Essays (Spanish Era)

Persuasive prose used to expose colonial abuses and demand reforms.

Propaganda Movement

Late-19th-century reform campaign led by Rizal, Jaena, and del Pilar for liberal changes under Spain.

José Rizal

National hero whose novels and poetry ignited Filipino nationalism.

Graciano López Jaena

Orator-journalist and founding editor of La Solidaridad, voice of the Propaganda Movement.

Marcelo H. del Pilar

Essayist and satirist who lampooned friar abuses in Spanish-language writings.

Emilio Jacinto

Katipunan intellectual and editor of the revolutionary newspaper Kalayaan.

Andres Bonifacio

Leader of the Philippine Revolution and author of patriotic poems and manifestos.

José Palma

Poet whose Spanish poem became the lyrics of the Philippine National Anthem.

Kalayaan

Secret Katipunan newspaper edited by Jacinto, promoting armed revolution.

True Decalogue

Apolinario Mabini’s ten-point moral code for Filipinos during the revolution.

Katapusang Hibik ng Pilipinas

Bonifacio’s “Last Cry of the Philippines,” a poem calling for independence.

Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Bayan

Bonifacio’s work exhorting Filipinos to love and defend their homeland.

Colonial Literature – American Occupation

Period when English dominated and modern Philippine literary forms emerged.

Paz Márquez Benítez

Author of “Dead Stars,” considered the first modern Philippine short story in English.

Dead Stars

1925 short story exploring fading love and illusion under American rule.

Lope K. Santos

“Father of Filipino Grammar” and novelist addressing social injustice.

Banaag at Sikat

Santos’s novel highlighting labor issues and early socialist ideas.

José Corazón de Jesús

“Huseng Batute,” celebrated Tagalog poet renowned for love poetry.

Colonial Literature – Japanese Occupation

Era discouraging English and promoting Tagalog, haiku, tanaga, and nationalist themes.

Haiku (Philippine Context)

Japanese-inspired 17-syllable poem popular among Filipino writers during occupation.

Tanaga

Indigenous four-line, seven-syllable Filipino poem revived in the Japanese period.

Macario Pineda

Short-story writer famed for “Suyuan sa Tubigan.”

Suyuan sa Tubigan

Pineda’s story depicting rural courtship beside a river.

Post-colonial Literature – Martial Law

Works produced under the Marcos dictatorship (1972-1986) confronting censorship and repression.

Prison Literature

Texts secretly written by detained writers exposing political oppression.

Ponciano Pineda

“Father of the Commission on Filipino Language,” champion of the Filipino tongue.

Presidential Decree 1081

Marcos’s 1972 proclamation placing the Philippines under Martial Law.

Protest Literature

Writings openly condemning social injustice and governmental abuses.

Circumvention Literature

Allegorical or coded works crafted to evade Martial-Law censorship.

21st-Century Dynamism

Contemporary Philippine literature featuring diverse themes and voices.

Innovation in Form

Embrace of comics, Wattpad, manhwa, and other nontraditional platforms by modern Filipino writers.