DEVELOPMENT OF PHILIPPINE LITERATURE IN ENGLISH

In the Beginning

The first exposure of the Filipinos to the English language was in 1762-1764 when the British invaded Manila. English was assimilated when the United States took over the Philippines. In 1898, Spain ceded control of the Philippines to the United States under the Treaty of Paris, and thereafter the Americans controlled the Philippines until it gained its independence in 1946. The Americans established a system of public education wherein English was used as the primary language of instruction. After independence, the Philippine government continued public education in English, while simultaneously establishing Filipino as its national language. A parallel system of private schools, many of which were established by the Catholic and the Protestant churches, follows the dual-language system, although private schools tend to use English more than Filipino in their instruction.

The Roots

Philippine literature in English has its roots in the efforts of the United States, which had been engaged in a war with Filipino nationalist forces at the end of the 19th century, to establish in the country a government based on the ideals of "universality, practicality, and democracy." By 1901, public education had been institutionalized in the Philippines, with English serving as the medium of instruction. That year saw the arrival of around 600 educators in the S.S. Thomas (the "Thomasites") to replace the soldiers who had been serving as the first teachers. Outside the academe, the wide availability of reading materials, such as books and newspapers in English, helped Filipinos learn the language quickly. Today, around 75% of the population can understand English language, and  46% can speak in English.

Overview of the History

The study of Filipino American literature offers a place for the frames of postcolonial discourse and the literary efforts of the "hyphenated" or "ethnic" American to converge-- an intersection which challenges the putative need to separate these endeavors on the basis of the United States seemingly shaky status as a colonial power. (Prior to the American occupation, the Philippines spent three centuries under Spanish rule.) American annexation of the Philippines occurred after two separate wars: The Spanish-American War (1898) followed by The Filipino-American War (1899-1902). U.S colonial rule of the archipelago was mitigated during the Commonwealth Period of 1935-1946, a period after which the Philippines gained its independence. The issues of colonization become complicated in light of the fact that the Philippines experienced decades of enforced "free trade" with the United States up to and even after this independence. Such a fact helps to raise all sorts of useful questions on the effects of neocolonialism and also the latent "colonialism" of alienation and discrimination experienced by some immigrants. Under the American Colonization

The early Filipino writers who used Tagalog often evoked nationalistic sentiments through their poetry and plays. Some of their works were banned as subversive by American administrators. During the period 1910–25, often called the “golden age of Philippine drama,” the foremost dramatists who wrote in Tagalog were Severino Reyes and Patricio Mariano. With the introduction of English in the schools, it quickly became the principal language of literature.

Before, During, and After the War

The Commonwealth Period

The founding of Silliman University by Presbyterian missionaries and the Philippine Normal School (PNS) in 1901 and the University of the Philippines (U.P.) in 1908, as well as of English newspapers like the Daily Bulletin (1900), The Cablenews (1902), and the Philippines Free Press (1905), helped boost the spread of English. The first ten years of the century witnessed the first verse and prose efforts of Filipinos in student publications such as The Filipino Students’ Magazine (first issue, 1905), a short-lived quarterly published in Berkeley, California, by Filipino pensionados (or government scholars); the U.P. College Folio (first issue, 1910); The Coconut of the Manila High School (first issue, 1912); and The Torch of the PNS (first issue, 1913).

However, the beginnings of anything resembling a professional market for writing in English would not be realized until the 1920's with the founding of other newspapers and magazines like the Philippines Herald in 1920, the Philippine Education Magazine in 1924 (renamed Philippine Magazine in 1928), and later the Manila Tribune, the Graphic, Woman’s Outlook, and Woman’s Home Journal. The publications helped introduce the reading public to the works of Paz Marquez Benitez, Jose Garcia Villa, Loreto Paras, and Casiano Calalang, among others. Cash incentives were given to writers in 1921 when the Free Press started to pay for published contributions and awarded P1,000 for the best stories. The organization in 1925 of the Philippine Writers Association and in 1927 of the U.P. Writers Club, which put out the Literary Apprentice, also helped encourage literary production. In 1939, the Philippine Writers League was put up by politically conscious writers, intensifying their debate with those in the "art for art’s sake" school of Villa.

Among the significant publications of this fertile period were: Filipino Poetry (1924) by Rodolfo Dato; English-German Anthology of Filipino Poets (1934) by Pablo Laslo; Jose Garcia Villa’s Many Voices (1939) and Poems of Doveglion (1941); Poems (1940) by Angela Manalang Gloria; Chorus for America: Six Philippine Poets (1942) by Carlos Bulosan; Zoilo Galang’s "A Child of Sorrow" (1921), the first Filipino novel in English, and "Box of Ashes and Other Stories" (1925), the first collection of stories in book form; Villa’s Footnote to Youth: Tales of the Philippines and Others (1933); "The Wound and the Scar" (1937) by Arturo Rotor, a collection of stories; "Winds of April" (1940) by NVM (Nestor Vicente Madali)) Gonzalez; "His Native Soil" (1941) by Juan C. Laya; Manuel Arguilla’s "How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife and Other Stories" (1941); Galangs’s "Life and Success" (1921), the first volume of essays in English; and the influential "Literature and Society" (1940) by Salvador P. Lopez. Dramatic writing took a backseat due to the popularity of vaudeville and Tagalog movies, although it was kept alive by the playwright Wilfredo Ma. Guerrero.

The Post-War Period

During the Japanese Occupation, when Tagalog was favored by the Japanese military authority, writing in English was consigned to limbo. It picked up after the war, however, with a fervor and drive for excellence that continues to this day. Stevan Javellana’s "Without Seeing the Dawn" (1947), the first postwar novel in English, was published in the United States. In 1946, the Barangay Writers Project was founded to help publish books in English.

Against a background marked by political unrest and government battles with Hukbalahap guerrillas, writers in English in the postwar period honed their sense of craft and techniques. Among the writers who came into their own during this time were: Nick Joaquin, NVM Gonzalez, Francisco Arcellana, Carlos Bulosan, F. Sionil Jose, Ricaredo Demetillo, Kerima Polotan Tuvera, Carlos Angeles, Edilberto K. Tiempo, Amador Daguio, Estrella Alfon, Alejandrino Hufana, Gregorio Brillantes, Bienvenido Santos, Dominador Ilio, T.D. Agcaoili, Alejandro R. Roces, Sinai C. Hamada, Linda Ty-Casper, Virginia Moreno, Luis Dato, Gilda Cordero-Fernando, Abelardo and Tarrosa Subido, Manuel A. Viray, Vicente Rivera Jr., and Oscar de Zuñiga, among many others. Fresh from studies in American universities, usually as Fulbright or Rockefeller scholars, a number of these writers introduced New Criticism to the country and applied its tenets in literature classes and writing workshops. In this way were born the Silliman Writers Summer Workshop (started in 1962 by Edilberto K. Tiempo and Edith L. Tiempo) and the U.P. Writers Summer Workshop (started in 1965 by the Department of English at the U.P.). To this day, these workshops help discover writing talents and develop them in their craft.

Contemporary Philippine literature in English

Despite the lack of a professional writer's market, poetry and fiction in English continue to thrive and be written with sophistication, and insight. Among the notable fictionists of recent years are: F. Sionil Jose, Erwin Castillo, Ninotchka Rosca, Antonio Enriquez, Resil Mojares, Renato Madrid, Wilfredo Nolledo, Alfred A. Yuson, Amadis Ma. Guerrero, Jose Dalisay Jr., Susan Lara, Jaime An Lim, Eric Gamalinda, Charlson Ong, Rosario Cruz Lucero, Lakambini Sitoy, Timothy Montes, Jessica Zafra, Katrina Tuvera, Angelo Rodriguez Lacuesta, Luis Joaquin Katigbak, Dean Francis Alfar, Ian Casocot, Menchu Aquino Sarmiento, Vicente Garcia Groyon, and Ma. Francezca Kwe. Notable poets include: Emmanuel Torres, Cirilo Bautista, Gemino Abad, Federico Licsi Espino Jr, Ophelia Alcantara Dimalanta, Emmanuel Lacaba, Marjorie Evasco, Simeon Dumdum Jr., Ma. Luisa Igloria, Merlie Alunan, Anthony Tan, Elsa Coscoluella, Ramon Sunico, Ricardo de Ungria, Marne Kilates, J. Neil C. Garcia, Danton Remoto, Paolo Manalo, Joel Toledo, Mookie Katigbak, Naya Valdellon and Angelo Suarez.

Literary awards and competitions

In 1940, the first Commonwealth Literary Awards were given by President Manuel L. Quezon to Salvador P. Lopez for "Literature and Society" (essay), Manuel Arguilla for "How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife and Other Stories" (short story), R. Zulueta da Costa for "Like the Molave" (poetry), and Juan C. Laya for "His Native Soil" (novel). Instituted in 1950, the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards in Literature quickly became known as a synonym for quality literature and as a rite of passage for the aspiring writer. Originally awards were given in several genres in English and Filipino (Tagalog). The range later expanded to include categories for writing in other Philippine languages such as Iloko, Cebuano, and Hiligaynon. Government recognition of literary merit came in the form of the Republic Cultural Heritage Awards (1960), the Pro Patria Awards for Literature (1961), and the National Artist Awards (1973). Only the last of these three awards survives today. Writers in Englsih who have received the National Artist award include: Jose Garcia Villa (1973), Nick Joaquin (1976), Carlos P. Romulo (1982), Francisco Arcellana (1990), NVM Gonzalez, Rolando Tinio (1997), Edith L. Tiempo, (2000), F. Sionil Jose (2003), and Bienvenido Lumbera (2006). A select group of local writers have also received the international Magsaysay Award, namely, F. Sionil Jose, Nick Joaquin and Bienvenido Lumbera. Another source of recognition for writers are the cash awards given by some weekly news magazines for works published in their literary sections. Both the Philippines Free Press and Philippine Graphic hand out awards for the best stories published during the year. Moreover, the Free Press hands out awards in poetry, unlike the Graphic, which publishes poetry but doesn't have an award for the best poems.