MARIKINA POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE
Marikina City
ENG 211 – SURVEY ON PHILIPPINE LITERATURE
Miss Myla S. dela Cruz
THE PERIOD OF ENLIGHTENMENT
After 300 years of passivity under the Spanish rule, the Filipino spirit reawakened when the
3 priests Gomez, Burgos and Zamora were guillotined without sufficient evidence of guilt. The
Spaniards were unable to suppress the tide of rebellion among the Filipinos. The once religious
spirit transformed itself into one of the nationalism and the Filipinos demanded changes in the
government and in the church.
A. THE PROPAGANDA MOVEMENT (1872 -1896)
The objectives of this movement are to seek reforms and changes like the following:
1. to get equal treatment for the Filipinos and the Spaniards under the law.
2. to make the Philippines a colony of Spain
3. to restore Filipino representation in the Spanish Cortes
4. to Filipinize the parishes
5. to give the Filipinos freedom of speech, of the press, assembly and for redress of grievances
C. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PROPAGANDA MOVEMENT
There were three principal leaders of the Propaganda movement and here are the
highlights about them and what they have done for our country:
DR. JOSE P. RIZAL
Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado Alonzo y Realonda was born on June 19, 1861 at Calamba,
Laguna. He died by musketry and rebellion against the Spaniards. His pen-names were Laong
Laan and Dimasalang.
1. NOLI ME TANGERE – the novel that gave spirit to the propaganda movement and paved the
way to the revolution against Spain. In this book, he courageously exposed the evils in the
Spanish-run government in the Philippines. The Spaniards prohibited the reading of this novel but
a lot of translations were able to enter stealthily in the country even if it meant death to those
caught in possession of them.
2. EL FILIBUSTERISMO – a sequel to the Noli. While the Noli exposed the evils in society, the Fili
exposed those in the government and in the church. However, Noli was dubbed as the novel of the
society while Fili was that of politics.
3. MI ULTIMO ADIOS (My Last Farewell) – a poem he wrote when he was incarcerated at Fort
Santiago. It was only after his death when his name was affixed to the poem.
4. SOBRE LA INDOLENCIA DE LOS FILIPINOS (On the Indolence of the Filipinos) – an essay on the
so-called Filipino indolence and an evaluation of the reasons for such allegations.
5. FILIPINAS DENTRO DE CIEN AŇOS (The Philippines Within A Century) – an essay predicting the
increasing influence of the US in the Philippines and the decreasing interest of Europe here. He
predicted that if there would be a colonizer of the Philippines, it would be US.
6. A LA JUVENTUD FILIPINA (To the Filipino Youth) – a poem Rizal dedicated to the Filipino youth
studying at UST.
MARCELO H. DEL PILAR
He is known for his pen-names Plaridel, Pupdoh, Piping Dilat and Dolores Manapat. He
established the Diariong Tagalog in 1882 when he exposed the evils of the Spanish government
and in order to avoid the false accusations hurled at him by the priests. To avoid banishment, he
was force to travel to Spain in 1888. He was assisted by Fr. Serrano Laktaw in publishing a
different Catechism and Pasion books wherein they made fun of the priests. They also made the
DASALAN at TOCSOHAN and KAIINGAT KAYO taken from the word igat, a kind of snake fish. Upon
his arrival in Spain, he replaced Graciano Lopez Jaena as editor of LA SOLIDARIDAD, a paper
which became the vehicle thru which reforms in the government could be worked out. But this did
not last lone because he got sick and eventually died due to tuberculosis.
1. PAG-IBIG SA TINUBUANG LUPA (Love of Country) – translated from the Spanish “Amor Patria”
of Rizal, published on Aug 20, 1882 in Diariong Tagalog.
2. KAIINGAT KAYO (Be Careful) – a humorous and sarcastic dig in answer to Fr. Jose Rodriguez in
the novel NOLI. He used Dolores Manapat as his pen name here.
3. DASALAN AT TOCSOHAN (Prayers and Jokes) – similar to a catechism but sarcastically done
against the parish priests. Because of this, he was called a filibuster.
4. ANG CADAQUILAAN NG DIOS (God’s Goodness) – also like catechism sarcastically aimed
against the parish priests but also contains a philosophy of the power and intelligence of God.
5. LA SOBERANIA EN PILIPINAS (Sovereignty in the Philippines) – shows the injustices of the
friars to the Filipinos.
GRACIANO LOPEZ-JAENA
He is a known writer and orator in the Philippines. He wrote 100 speeches which are still
read up to now by modern Filipinos. He stood for the separation of church from state, for free
education, better government and schools, freedom of worship and for an independent and free
university.
1. ANG FRAY BOTOD (Friar Botod) – exposed how some friars were greedy, ambitious and
immoral.
2. LA HIJA DEL FRAILE (The Child of the Friar) and EVERYTHING IS HAMBUG (Everything is Mere
Show) – explains a tragedy of marrying a Spaniard.
3. SA MGA PILIPINO...1891 – a speech which aimed to improve the condition of the Filipinos to
become free and progressive.
ANTONIO LUNA
He was a pharmacist who was banished by the Spaniards to Spain. Most of his writings
dealt with Filipino customs and others were accusations about how the Spaniards ran the
government. His penname is Tagailog. He was put to death at the age of 33 by the soldiers of
Aguinaldo because of his instant rise to fame which became a threat to Aguinaldo.
1. NOCHE BUENA (Christmas Eve) – it pictured the Filipino life.
2. SE DEVIERTEN (How They Diverted Themselves) – a dig at a dance of the Spaniards where the
people were very crowded.
3. LA TERTULIA FILIPINA (A Filipino Conference or Feast) – depicts a Filipino custom which he
believed was much better than Spaniards.
4. LA CASA DE HUESPEDES (The Landlady’s House) – depicts a landlady who looks for boarders
not for money but in order to get a husband for her child.
MARIANO PONCE
He became an editor-in-chief, biographer and researcher of the propaganda movement. He
used Tikbalang, Kalipulako, and Naning as his pen names. The common theme of his writings is
about values of education. He also talked about how Filipinos were oppressed by the foreigners
and of the other problems of the countrymen.
PEDRO PATERNO
He was a scholar, dramatic, researcher and a novelist of the propaganda movement. He
also joined the Confraternity of Masons and Asociacion Hispano-Filipino in order to further the
aims of the movement. He was the first Filipino writer who escaped censorship of the press during
the last day of the Spanish colonization. He wrote “Ninay” which is the first social novel in Spanish
by a Filipino.
JOSE MA. PANGANIBAN
He hid his identity behind his pen name JOMAPA. He was also known for his photographic
memory and his membership to a number of movements for the country.
B. PERIOD OF ACTIVE REVOLUTION
The Filipinos did not get the reforms demanded by the propagandists instead the
government turned deaf ears to these petitions; oppression continued and the church and the
government became more oppressive to the Filipinos. The good intentions of Spain were reversed
because of the friars who were lording it over in the Philippines. Because of this, some Filipinos
decided that there was no other way except to revolt. The gist of literature under this period
contained mostly accusations against the government and was meant to arouse the people to
unite and to prepare for independence.
C. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ACTIVE REVOLUTION
ANDRES BONIFACIO
He is best known as the Father of Filipino Democracy and father of Katipunan because he
led in establishing the Kataas-taasan, kagalang-galangan katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan
(KKK). His revolutionary spirit was aroused when he read the NOLI and the FILI of Rizal. He
established the Katipunan which triggered the spirit of freedom especially when Rizal was
banished to Dapitan, Mindanao. He is better known as a great revolutionary rather than a writer
but he has written some things which paved way for the revolution;
1. ANG DAPAT MABATID NG MGA TAGALOG (What the Tagalogs Should Know)
2. PAG-IBIG SA TINUBUANG LUPA (Love of One’s Native Land)
3. HULING PAALAM (Last Farewell) – translation of Mi Ultimo Adios of Rizal in Tagalog
EMILIO JACINTO
He was the intelligent assistant of Bonifacio in the establishment of the Katipunan. He
edited “Kalayaan” (Freedom), the katipunan newspaper.
1. KARTILYA NG KATIPUNAN - a primer book on the katipunan
2. LIWANAG AT DILIM (Light and Darkness) – a collection of essays on different subjects like
freedom, work, faith, government, love of country.
3. A LA PATRIA (To My Country) – his masterpiece
APOLINARIO MABINI
He is known as The Sublime Paralytic and the Brains of the Revolution. He became the
right hand of Aguinaldo when the latter founded his republic in Malolos.
1. EL VERDADERO DECALOGO (The True Decalogue or Ten Commandments) – this was his
masterpiece and and his aim here was to propagate the spirit of nationalism.
2. EL DESAROLLO Y CAIDA DE LA REPUBLICA PILIPINA (The Rise and Fall of the Philippine
Republic)
3. SA BAYANG PILIPINO (To the Filipino Nation)
4. PAHAYAG (News)
JOSE PALMA
He became popular because of his Himno Nacional Filipino (The Philippine National
Anthem) which was set to music by Julian Felipe. He joined the revolution against the Americans
together with Gregorio del Pilar, the youngest Filipino general who died in the revolution.
D. NEWSPAPERS DURING THE REVOLUTION
1. HERALDO DE LA REVOLUCION – printed the decrees of the revolutionary government, news
and works in Tagalog that aroused nationalisms.
2. LA INDEPENDENCIA (Independence) – edited by Antonio Luna and whose aim was for Philippine
Independence.
3. LA REPUBLICA PILIPINA (The Philippine Republic) – established by Pedro Paterno in 1898
4. LA LIBERTAD (Liberty) – edited by Clemente Zulueta
Reference: Philippine Literature Through the Years by Alicia Kahayon
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