Period of Activism (1970-1972)
Historical Background
According to Pociano Pineda, youth activism in 1970-72 was due to domestic and worldwide causes. Activism is
connected with the history of our Filipino youth.
Because of the ills of society, the youth moved to seek reforms. Some continued to believe that the democratic
government is stable and that it is only the people running the government who are at fault. Some believed that
socialism or communism should replace democracy. Some armed groups were formed to bring down the democratic
form of government.
Many young people became activists to ask for changes in the government to ask for changes in the government. In
the expression of this desire for change, keen were the writings of some youth who were fired with nationalism in
order to emphasize the importance of their petitions.
Many young activists were imprisoned in military camps together with rebel writers. As early as the period of history
we can say that many of those writers who were imprisoned were true nationalists and heroes of their time.
Many books aptly record and embody these times but many of these are not known to many and many of these
writers still have to be interviewed. We just leave to scholars and researchers the giving of credit where credit is due.
A. THE SEED OF ACTIVISM
The seeds of activism resulted in the declaration of Martial Law in 1972. We can, however, say that he seeds were
earlier sown from the times of Lapu-lapu, Lakandula, and Rizal. The revolution against the powerful forces in the
Philippines can be said to be the monopoly of the youth in whose veins flow the fire in their blood. What Rizal said of
the youth being the hope of the Fatherland –is still valid even today.
B. PERIOD OF THE BLOODY PLACARDS
Pineda also said that this was the time when the youth once more proved that it is not the constant evasion that
shapes our race and nationalism.
There is a limit to one’s patience. It may explode like a volcano if overstrained.
Life? What avails like if one is a coward who does not take a stand for himself and for the succeeding generations?
The Period of the Bloody Placards
According to Pociano Pineda, youth activism in 1970 – 1972
was due to domestic and worldwide causes.
Activism is connected with
the history of our Filipino youth.
Because of the ills of society, the youth moved to seek reforms. Some continued to believe that the democratic
government is stable and that it is only the people running the government who is fault. Some believed that socialism
or communism should replace democracy. Some armed groups were formed to bring down the democratic form of
government.
Pociano Pineda
The seeds of activism resulted in the declaration of Martial Law in 1972. We can, however, say that he seeds were
earlier sown from the times of
Lapu-lapu, Lakandula, and Rizal.
The revolution against the powerful forces in the Philippines can be said to be the monopoly of the youth in whose
veins flow the fire in their blood. What Rizal said of the youth being the hope of the Fatherland is still valid even
today.
Pineda also said that this was the time when the youth once more proved that it is not the constant evasion that
shapes our race and nationalism.There is a limit to one’s patience. It may explode like a volcano if overstrained.
The youth became completely rebellious during this period. This was proven not only in the bloody demonstrations
and in the sidewalk expressions but also in literature. Campus newspapers showed rebellious emotions. The once
aristocratic writers developed an awareness for society. They held pens and wrote on placards in red paint the
equivalent of the word MAKIBAKA.
They attacked the ills of society and politics. Any establishment became the symbol of the ills that had to be changed.
Rolando Tinio
wrote his poetic collection: Rage and Ritual, and Sitsit Sa Kuliglig.
RogelioMangahas
a Palanca first prize
winner for his
collection of poems,
“Mga Duguang Plakard.”
Efren Abueg
His works appeared on magazines such as Liwayway, Bulaklak, Tagumpay, and Homelife
Rio Alma
(Virgilio S. Almario)
Poetry collections: Palipad-Hangin (1985), Katon para sa limang pandama (1987), Sentimental (2004), etc. Second
successful modernist movement in Filipino poetry together with Rogelio Mangahas and Teo Antonio.
Clemente Bautista
“Marahil dahop and dila ko upang isaulo’t ipaliwanag
ang panaginip at kamatayan ng sanglaksang anak-pawis
Saksi ako sa palahaw ng mga dalagitang tila kinakatay na baboy
Habang ginagahasa ng mga hayok na pulitiko’t negosyante
Sa sabuyan ng putik ng mga kongresistang pagkuan, kapiling ang kani-kaniyang alipores at Tagapayong Puti ay
naguunahang ibenta ang bayan
Ano ang silbi ng kabayanihan? Ng limos na laurel at ginto?
Ipangangalan sa iyo’y isang kalyeng baku-bako o kaya’y lumuting monumentong ihian ng mga lasenggo?”
“Maybe my mind is impoverished to explain, to put to memoryl
The dreams and deaths of the poor
I’m witness to the cries of young girls butchered like pigs
While being raped by greedy politicians and businessmen.
In the mudslinging of congressmen, who at once join their followers and alien advisers who compete to sell their
country
What price heroism? Of laurel and golden alms?
They’ll name you after a crooked street or a mossy monument which drunkards use for throwing.
The irreverence for the poor reached its peak during this period of the mass revolution.
“Hands that broadcast sweat
Brandish placards of protest
In the haciendas of Negros
Sugar cane turns bitter
In the rice granaries of Luzon
Hatred, hammers, sickles,
On old newspapers
Students write the rubrica of dissent
This was also during this period that bomba films that discredit our ways as Filipinos started to come out.
Why should they who roast
The suckling grown loan on verbiage?
Why should they who plant and grind
The corn grow thin on grit and homing?
Strike! Strike! Strike!
A dormant hate errupts
Bundok Buntis, Arayat! Kanlaon!
Federico Licsi Espino
“Most Brilliant Poet in Tagalog” in 1970.
Translation
PALANCA AWARDEES FOR LITERATURE IN ENGLISH
(Established in 1950, the Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature had been giving cash prizes for short story, poetry
and one-act play writing as an incentive to Filipino writers. The prizes come from La Tondena, Inc., the firm founded
by the late Carlos Palanca Sr. for the list of winners from 1950-51 to 1950-70; we recommended Alberto S.
Florentino’s “Twenty Years of Palanca Awards
ENGLISH SHORT STORY
ENGLISH POETRY
ENGLISH ONE-ACT PLAY
1970-1971
First Prize
“The Ritual ”-Cirilo F. Bautista
Second Prize
“Beast in the fields”
Resil Mojares
Third Prize
“Children of the City”
Amadis Ma. Guerrero
1970-1971
First Prize
“The Archipelago”
Cirilo F. Bautista
Second Prize
“Five Poems”
Wilfredo Pascua Sanchez
Third Prize
“From Mactan to Mediola”
Federico Licsi Espino ,Jr
1971-1972
First Prize
“The Tomato Game”
N.V.M Gonzalez
Second Prize
“The Apollo Centennial”
Gregorio C. Brillantes
Third Prize
“After This, Our Exile”
Elsa Martinez Coscolluela
First Prize
“Batik Maker and other Poems”
Virginia R. Moreno
Second Prize
“The edge of the Wind”
Artemio Tadema
Third Prize
“Tinikling(a sheaf of poems)”
Federico Licsi Espino ,Jr
First Prize
“The Grotesque among us”
Maiden Flores
Second Prize
“Age of Prometheus”
Jesus T. Peralta
Third Prize
“Operation Pacification”
Alfredo O.Cuenco, Jr
First Prize
“GRAVE FOR BLUE FLOWER”
by Jesus T. Peralta
Second Prize
“THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY”
by Manuel M. Martell
Third Prize
“The Boxes”
by Rolando Tinio
“Now is the Time for all Good
men to come to the aid of their country”
by Julian Dacanay
“The Renegade”
by Elsa Martinez Coscolluela
1971-1972
1970-1971
Writers during this period
Jose F. Lacaba
Days of Disquiet, Nights of Rage
The First Quarters Storm and Related Events
SUCCOR
YDS
KTPD
SAGUPA
SMP
KKK
KM
MDP
SDK
Mayor Antonio Villegas
Politicians
Eva Estrada Kalaw
Salvador Laurel
Benigno Aquino Jr.
Philippines Center for the
PEN
(Poets, Essayists, and Novelists)
Nick Joaquin
S.P. Lopez
Gregorio Brillantes
F. Sionil Jose
Petronilo Daroy
Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc
Mauro Avelina
Jose W. Diokno
Media’s
Jose Burgos Jr. (Journalist)
Antonio Ma. Nieva (Journalist)
Lino Brocka (Movie Director)
Leonidas Benesa (Art Critic)
Gloria Rodriquez (Book Publisher)
Anna Leah S. de Leon (Music Critic)
C. THE LITERARY REVOLUTION
The youth became completely rebellious during this period. This was proven not only in the bloody demonstrations
and in the sidewalk expressions but also in literature. Campus newspapers showed rebellious emotions. The once
aristocratic writers developed awareness for society. They held pens and wrote on placards in red paint the
equivalent of the word MAKIBAKA (To dare!).
They attacked the ills of society and politics.
Any establishment became the symbol of the ills that had to be changed. The frustrations of youth could be felt in
churches and school.
Even the priests, teachers and parents, as authorities who should be respected became targets of the radical youth
and were though of as hindrances to the changes they sought.
The literature of the activists reached a point where they stated boldly what should be done to effect these changes.
Some of those who rallied to this revolutionary form of literature were Rolando Tinio, Rogelio Mangahas, Efren
Abueg, Rio Alma, and Clemente Bautista.
D. WRITING DURING THE PERIOD OF ACTIVISM
The irreverence for the poor reached its peak during this period of the mass revolution. It was also during this period
that Bomba films that discredit our ways as Filipinos started to come out.
CATANDUANES COLLEGES
VIRAC CATANDUANES
COLLEDGE OF EDUCATION
COURSE CODE: MC LIT 3
COURSE TITLE: Survey to Philippine Literature
INSTRUCTOR: Ms. Francia Butial
REPORT
Period of Activism
Prepared by: HANNAH LOUELLA T. GONZALES
JESSELIE TRINIDAD
3rd year BSED
When we talk about literature, there are myriad ways to define, describe and label the content. When we talk about
contemporary literature, we are describing writing during a specific time period. Read on to learn about
contemporary literature and what that label entails.
What is Contemporary Literature?
The word contemporary means living, belonging to or occurring in the present. So when we talk about contemporary
literature, we are talking about literature that is being written in the now about the now. But what does the now
encompass?
Contemporary literature is defined as literature written after World War II through the current day. While this is a
vague definition, there is not a clear-cut explanation of this concept -- only interpretation by scholars and academics.
While there is some disagreement, most agree that contemporary literature is writing completed after 1940.
Works of contemporary literature reflect a society's social and/or political viewpoints, shown through realistic
characters, connections to current events and socioeconomic messages. The writers are looking for trends that
illuminate societal strengths and weaknesses to remind society of lessons they should learn and questions they
should ask. So when we think of contemporary literature, we cannot simply look at a few themes or settings. Since
society changes over time, so do the content and messages of this writing.
When we talk about contemporary literature and the start date of this label, we have to acknowledge World War II
and the surrounding events. The horrors of the war, including bombs, ground wars, genocide and corruption, are the
pathways to this type of literature. It is from these real-life themes that we find the beginning of a new period of
writing.
Classifying Contemporary Literature
While there is not one type of contemporary work, each piece sends a message from a person living through and
after World War II. However, this does not mean all works will center around the Holocaust or war narratives. These
works aim to speak to the injustices in the world and the search for civil rights, the topics and questions that were
raised during this traumatic time in world history. The war serves as a catalyst for this shift in mindset, and the
authors writing in this period consciously and unconsciously illuminate this shift in thinking through their writing.
For example, Beloved by Toni Morrison, is a classic piece of contemporary literature. The novel follows an ex-slave
named Sethe on her journey to fight her traumatic past while raising her daughter Denver. The book serves as a
powerful message about the trauma slaves face and cultural injustices slavery brought upon the citizens of the US.
But to the point, this slave narrative does not define contemporary literature. There are many other works that are
vastly different, all of which fulfill the definition of the contemporary period. To provide contrast, the novel, The
Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, is another example of contemporary literature. This narrative follows a
minister and his family from the US on a mission to Africa where their lives are drastically changed, and their Christian
values are tested.
The Contemporary Period
Philippine Literature
The Rebirth of Freedom (1946-1970)
Historical Background
The Americans returned in 1945. Filipinos rejoiced and guerillas who fled to the mountain joined the liberating
American Army.
On July 4, 1946, the Philippines regained is freedom and the Filipino flag waved joyously alone. The chains were
broken.
A. THE STATE OF LITERATURE DURING THIS PERIOD
The early post-liberation period was marked by a kind of “struggle of mind and spirit”posed by the sudden
emancipation from the enemy, and the wild desire to see print.
Filipinos had, by this time, learned to express themselves more confidently but post-war problems beyond language
and print-like economic stability, the threat of new ideas and mortality –had to be grappled with side by side.
There was a proliferation of newspapers like the FREE PRESS, MORNING SUN, of Sergio Osmeña Sr., DAILY MIRROR of
Joaquin Roces, EVENING NEWS of Ramon Lopezes and the BULLETIN of Menzi. This only proved that there were more
readers in English than in any ocher vernaculars like Tagalog, Ilocano or Hiligaynon.
Journalists had their day. They indulged in more militant attitude in their reporting which bordered on the libelous.
Gradually, as normality was restored, the tones and themes of the writings turned to the less pressing problems of
economic survival.
Some Filipino writers who had gone abroad and had written during the interims came back to publish their works.
Not all the books published during the period reflected the war year; some were compilations or second editions of
what have been written before.
Some of the writers and their works of the periods are:
THE VOICE OF THE VETERAN –a compilation of the best works of some Ex-USAFFE men like Amante Bigornia, Roman
de la Cruz, Ramon de Jesus and J.F. Rodriguez.
TWILIGHT IN TOKYO andPASSION and DEATH OF THE USAFFE by Leon Ma. Guerrero
FOR FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY–by S.P. Lopez
BETRAYAL IN THE PHILIPPINES–by Hernando Abaya
SEVEN HILLS AWAY–by NVM Gonzales
POETRY IN ENGLISH DURING THIS PERIOD
For the first twenty years, many books were published…both in Filipino and in English.
Among the writers during this time were: Fred Ruiz Castro, Dominador I. Ilio, and C.B. Rigor.
Some notable works of the period include the following:
1. HEART OF THE ISLANDS (1947) –a collection of poems by Manuel Viray
2. PHILIPPINES CROSS SECTION (1950) –a collection of prose and poetry by Maximo Ramos and Florentino Valeros
3. PROSE AND POEMS (1952) –by Nick Joaquin
4. PHILIPPINE WRITING (1953) –by T.D. Agcaoili
5. PHILIPPINE HAVEST –by Amador Daguio
6. HORIZONS LEAST (1967) –a collection of works by the professors of UE, mostly in English (short stories, essays,
research papers, poem and drama) by Artemio Patacsil and Silverio Baltazar
The themes of most poems dealt with the usual love of nature, and of social and political problems. Toribia Maño’s
poems showed deep emotional intensity.
7. WHO SPOKE OF COURAGE IN HIS SLEEP –by NVM Gonzales
8. SPEAK NOT, SPEAK ALSO –by Conrado V. Pedroche
9. Other poets were Toribia Maño and Edith L. Tiempo
Jose Garcia Villa’s HAVE COME, AM HEREwon acclaim both here and abroad.
NOVELS AND SHORT STORIES IN ENGLISH
Longer and longer pieces were being written by writers of the period. Stevan Javellana’s WITHOUT SEEING THE
DAWN tells of the grim experiences of war during the Japanese Occupation.
In 1946, the Barangay Writer’s Project whose aim was to publish works in English by Filipinos was established.
In 1958, the PEN Center of the Philippines (Poets, essayists, novelists) was inaugurated. In the same year, Francisco
Arcellana published his PEN ANTHOLOGY OF SHORT STORIES.
In 1961, Kerima Polotan’s novel THE HAND OF THE ENEMY won the Stonehill Award for the Filipino novel in English.
In 1968, Luis V. Teodoro Jr.’s short story THE ADVERSARY won the Philippines Free Press short story award; in 1969,
his story THE TRAIL OF PROFESSOR RIEGO won second prize in the Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature and in
1970, his short story THE DISTANT CITY won the GRAPHIC short story award.
THE NEW FILIPINO LITERATURE DURING THIS PERIOD
Philippines literature in Tagalog was revived during this period. Most themes in the writings dealt with Japanese
brutalities, of the poverty of life under the Japanese government and the brave guerilla exploits.
Newspapers and magazine publications were re-opened like the Bulaklak, Liwayway, Ilang Ilangand Sinag Tala.
Tagalog poetry acquired not only rhyme but substance and meaning. Short stories had better characters and events
based on facts and realities and themes were more meaningful. Novels became common but were still read by the
people for recreation.
The people’s love for listening to poetic jousts increased more than before and people started to flock to places to
hear poetic debates.
Many books were published during this time, among which were:
1. Mga Piling Katha (1947-48) by Alejandro Abadilla
2. Ang Maikling Kuwentong Tagalog (1886-1948) by Teodoro Agoncillo
3. Ako’y Isang Tinig (1952) collection of poems and stories by Genoveva Edroza Matute
4. Mga Piling Sanaysay (1952) by Alejandro Abadilla
5. Maikling Katha ng Dalawampung Pangunahing Autor (1962) by A.G. Abadilla and Ponciano E.P. Pineda
6. Parnasong Tagalog (1964) collection of selected poems by Huseng Sisiw and Balagtas, collected by A.G. Abadilla
7. Sining at Pamamaraan ng Pag-aaral ng Panitikan (1965) by Rufino Alejandro.
He prepared this book for teaching in reading and appreciation of poems, dramas, short stories and novels
8. Manlilikha, Mga Piling Tula (1961-1967) by Rogelio G. Mangahas
9. Mga Piling Akda ng Kadipan (Kapisanang Aklat ng Diwa at Panitik) 1965 by Efren Abueg
10. Makata (1967) first cooperative effort to publish the poems of 16 poets in Pilipino
11. Pitong Dula (1968) by Dionisio Salazar
12. Manunulat: Mga Piling Akdang Pilipino (1970) by Efren Abueg. In this book, Abueg proved that it is possible to
have a national integration of ethnic culture in our country.
13. Mga Aklat ni Rizal: Many books about Rizal came out during this period. The law ordering the additional study of
the life of Rizal helped a lot in activating our writers to write books about Rizal.
CATANDUANES COLLEGES
VIRAC CATANDUANES
COLLEDGE OF EDUCATION
COURSE CODE: MC LIT 3
COURSE TITLE: Survey to Philippine Literature
INSTRUCTOR: Ms. Francia Butial
REPORT
Contemporary Period
Prepared by: CARMELA MOTA
NORIE BRIDES
3rd year BSED
