PHILIPPINE LITERATURE DURING AMERICAN REGIME

Historical Background

The Filipino revolutionist won against the Spaniards who colonized Philippines for more than 300 years.
The Philippine flag was hoisted on June 12, 1898 as a symbol of independence. Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo
was elected the first president of the Philippine Republic, which was short – lived. Americans colonized
the country. And in 1901, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo surrendered to the Americans.

The creation of Philippine literary works during the American Period in the Philippines was advanced by
two significant developments in education and culture. One is the introduction of free public instruction
for all children of school age and two, the use of English as medium of instruction in all levels of
education in public schools.

FEATURES OF PHILIPPINE LITERATURE UNDER AMERICAN REGIME

Spanish and Tagalog and the Vernaculars were the languages used in writing during the first years in
American period, but Spanish and Tagalog were the predominated language.

SPANISH writers wrote about nationalism.

TAGALOG writers wrote about their lamentations on the conditions of the country and their attempts to
arouse love for one’s native tongue.

ENGLISH writers imitated the themes and methods of the Americans.

Julian Cruz Balmaceda classified the three kinds of Tagalog poets. They were:

1. Poets of the Hearts (Makatang Puso): These included Lope K. Santos, Inigo Ed. Regalado,
Carlos Gatmaitan, Pedro Gatmaitan, Jose Corazon de Jesus, Cirilo H. Panganiban,
Deogracias del Rosario, Ildefonso Santos, Amado V. Hernandez, Nemicio Carabana, and
Mar Antonio.

2. Poets of life(Makata ng buhay): led by Lope K. Santos, Jose Corazon de Jesus, Florantino
Collantes, Patricio Mariano, Carlos Gatmaitan and Amado V. Hernandez.

3. Poets of the Stage(Makata ng Tanghalan): led by Aurelio Tolentino, Patricio Mariano,

Severino Reyes, and Tomas Remigio.

A. PHILIPPINE LITERATURE IN ENGLISH

In a way, we can say that we can trace the beginnings of the Philippine Literature in English with the
coming of the Americans. For this purpose, we can divide this period into three time frames, namely:

1. THE PERIOD OF RE-ORIENTATION (1898-1910)

 English as a literary vehicle came with the American occupation in August 13, 1898 and
as they say, a choice bestowed on us by history.

By 1900, English came to be used as a medium of instruction in the public school. From
the American forces were recruited the first teacher of English.

By 1908, the primary and intermediate grades were using English. It was also about this
time when UP, the forerunner in the use of English in higher education, was founded.

2. THE PERIOD OF IMITATION (1910–1924)

By 1919, the UP College Folio published the literary compositions of the first Filipino
writers in English. They were the pioneers in short story writing.

They were then groping their way into imitating American and British models which
resulted in a stilted, artificial and unnatural style, lacking vitality and spontaneity.

3. PERIOD OF SELF-DISCOVERY AND GROWTH (1925-1941)

By this time, Filipino writers had acquired the mastery of English writing. They now
confidently and competently wrote on a lot of subjects although the old-time favorites of love and youth
persisted. They went into all forms of writing like the novel and the drama.

Some of the Filipino Writers during American Colonization

1. Maximo Maguiat Kalaw(1891-1955)

 He studied at the Philippine Normal School and the University of the Philippines wherein he
became the editor of Collegio Folio, the first school paper in UP.
 He became an associate editor of the Manila Times, a professor of political science at the
University of the Philippines,an exchange professor at the University of Michigan, becoming the
first Filipino to teach in an American university.
 His published works include Usapin ng mga Pilipino (1915), The Development of Philippine
Politics (1926), The Filipino Rebel: A Romance of the American Occupation of the Philippines
(1930), The Philippine Question: An Analysis (1931), An Introduction to Philippine Social Science
(1933), and Materials for the Constitution (1934).

2. Faustino S. Aguilar (1882-1955)

 He was one of the first novelists in the Philippines to explore and present social realism
through literature.
 As a novelist, he authored the Tagalog-language novels Busabos ng Palad (Pauper of Fate) in
1909, Sa Ngalan ng Diyos (In the Name of God) in 1911, Ang Lihim ng Isang Pulo (The Secret
of an Island) in 1926, Ang Patawad ng Patay (The Pardon of the Dead) in 1951, Ang
Kaligtasan (The Salvation) in 1951, and Pinaglahuan (Place of Disappearance) in 1906
(published in 1907).
  According to Soledad Reyes, Faustino’s Pinaglahuan was a pioneer novel in Philippine
literature that tackled social realism in the Philippines, meaning it was one of the first books
to focus on the realistic state of Philippine society. Faustino wrote the novel after being
influenced by the socialist teaching of 19th century European thinkers. Pinaglahuan was
Faustino’s response against imperialism and colonialism.

3. Paz Marquez-Benitez (1894-1983)

 Authored the first Filipino modern English language short story, Dead Stars, Published in the
Philippine Herald in 1925.
 Her other story is "A night in the Hill" (1925)
 One of the founders of Philippine Women College. (Now PWU)

4. Zoilo Galang (1895-1959)

 He wrote the first Philippine novel written in English, "A Child of Sorrow"
 Other notable works include "Nadia", "For Dreams Must Die", "Springtime", "Leaders of the
Philippines", "Glimpses of the World", "Life and Success", "Master of Destiny", "Unisophy" and
"Barrio Life".
 Wrote and edited the First 10-volume Encyclopedia of the Philippines which covered Philippine
literature, biography, commerce and industry, art, education, religion, government, science,
history and builders of the new Philippines.

5. Amado Vera Hernandez (1903-1970)

 A Filipino writer and labor leader who was known for his criticism of social injustices in
the Philippines and was later imprisoned for his involvement in the communist
movement. He was the central figure in a landmark legal case that took 13 years to
settle.
 While still a teenager, he began writing in Tagalog for the newspaper Watawat (Flag). He
would later write a column for the Tagalog publication Pagkakaisa (Unity) and become
editor of Mabuhay (Long Live).
 His writings gained the attention of Tagalog literati and some of his stories and poems
were included in anthologies, such as Clodualdo del Mundo's Parolang Ginto and
Alejandro Abadilla's Talaang Bughaw.
 In 1922, at the age of 19, Hernandez became a member of the literary society Aklatang
Bayan which included noted Tagalog writers Lope K. Santos and Jose Corazon de Jesus.

6. Manuel Arguilla (1911-1944)

 He graduated in University of the Philippines with a Bachelor of Science Education
degree.
 Authored the short story, How my brother Leon brought Home a Wife, which won first
prize in the Commonwealth Literary Contest in 1940.
  He also wrote the stories Midsummer and Heat which was published in the United
States.

7. Juan Cabreros Laya (1911-1952)

 He was a Filipino novelist and publisher.
 He was the founder of Inang Lupa publishing and was active in textbook in the 1950s.
 He also wrote many stories and novels about his country and native land.
 He was awarded a Commonwealth prize for his English novel "His Native Soil".

8. Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero (1911-1995)

 He wrote well over a hundred plays, 41 one which have been published. His published and
unpublished plays have either been broadcast over the radio or staged in various parts of the
Philippines.
 He also became the director Filipino Players from 1941-1947.
 In 1947, he was appointed as UP Dramatic Club director and served for 16 years. As founder and
artistic director of the UP Mobile Theater, he pioneered the concept of theater campus tour and
delivered no less than 2,500 performances in a span of 19 committed years of service. By
bringing theatre to countryside, Guerrero made it possible for students and audiences in general
to experience the basic grammar of staging and acting in familiar and friendly ways through his
plays that humorously reflect the behavior of the Filipino.