LUZON VISAYAS AND MINDANAO

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LUZON: GENRES OF URBAN WRITING
Philippines - 15th largest island in the world, 7th largest in Asia
o LUZON
- most populous island group in the Philippines.
- got its name from the Tagalog word lusong, a large wooden mortar used in rice pounding.
- Makati City – center of economic activities
 According to the 2010 NSO statistics with a tally of 48.8 %:
- almost half of the ethnic groups of the Philippines are found in Luzon.
- ethnic groups use these major regional languages:
i. Tagalog
ii. Ilocano
iii. Kapampangan
iv. Bicolano
v. Pangasinense

 English - used in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao

 How does Manila-centrism (Manila as center of development and life in the Philippines)
affect the educational system of Luzon? Is it an advantage or disadvantage?

- Luzon: Seat of literacy (meaning center of education) in the country – since most schools
and universities can be found in this island group, making it the seat of literacy.
- 9 of the top universities in the country are located
- As a result of the efforts from the private and public sector in Luzon, 94% of its population
has functional literacy that must be refined to use new technologies like the Internet.

 Functional Internet literacy

- necessary skill today especially for this new generation of Filipinos who should be
able to compete intellectually with people of other nations.
- help to become marketable in the professional world

o ILOKANO LITERATURE
- one of the most active tributaries of the general Philippine literature
 PEDRO BUCANEG
- Father of Ilokano literature
 RITUALISTIC
- oral lore of Cordillera focuses on chants and songs
o INTERNET
- one of the biggest technological advancements of the 20th century
- solidified the dawning of the Information Age.
- People become netizens of the globe because it connects them worldwide
- global system connects the people in the archipelago in many ways
- allowed writers to experiment with other forms for expressing their literary skills
- The Internet and social media platforms have transformed the literary landscape in Luzon by
providing new avenues for distribution, promotion, collaboration, and cultural exchange. They
have played a crucial role in both preserving traditional literary forms and fostering the
development of new voices and perspectives in Luzon's literature.
 New Forms of Literary Writing/ Urban Writing (Genres of Urban Writing)

 URBAN - place is inhabited with a greater size, population, or importance, and is

more modernized

1. TEXTULA
- English word "text" + Filipino word "tula” = text poem
- literary work originally written on cellular phone via text messaging
- It is a tanaga (Filipino poetry, the main type of text tula) or a four-line poem (quatrain-
four lines with fifteen different possible rhymes)
- REALISM approach - followed by Text Tula/Tanaga for its focus content
 Traditional
- 7-7-7-7 syllabic verse with an AABB rhyme scheme
- does not have a title
 Modern
- 7-7-7-7 syllable count, but rhyme range from dual rhyme forms (AABB, ABAB,
ABBA) to freestyle (AAAB, BAAA, ABCD).
- can opt to give a title

 ADVANTAGES of Textula
- modern expression
- fast delivery
- concise

 DISADVANTAGES of Textula
- dependent on the technology being used
- can be deleted

2. Web Blog/ Blog

- listing of text, images, or other objects that are arrange in a chronological order that first
started appearing in 1998
- often maintained and run by a single individual, updated daily, or contain personal
remarks about a topic, a personal ramble, or an update on the person’s life.
- log or diary of information, specific topics, or opinions that can be found in the web

 ADVANTAGES of Blog
- share passion
- educate others
- gain exposure
- connectivity
- become and author
- freedom of speech

 DISADVANTAGES of Blog
- consistency
- audience reach
- negative feedbacks
 3. Web Fiction
- imaginative stories uploaded in the web, either a long narrative or story supported with
visuals
- webtoon
-web novels

 ADVANTAGES of Web Fiction

- accessibility
- cheaper
- visual and audio effects
- diversify viewpoints

 DISADVANTAGES of Web Fiction

- affect printing press
- lowkey writing styles
- libraries become useless
- expiration

4. Online Novels
- written work of literature available primarily or solely on the internet
 E-Books
- book publication made available in digital form

o WHO AM I?
 Arianna Huffington
 Lauren Dado
– blogging since 1996, content strategist and digital marketer living in Singapore
- uploaded the first ever blog in the world
 Frank G. Rivera
- “Ang Makata ng Cellphone”

o STANZA
- group of lines forming the basic recurring metrical units in poems
o SYLLABLE
- single unit of speech sound as written or spoken
o RHYME SCHEME
- pattern of corresponding sounds between words or the endings of words

o HAIKU / hokko
- syllabic pattern of 5-7-5
- Japanese poetic form
- three lines
 KIGO
- feature of Haiku; a word/phrase that specifies the time/season of the year
CREATIVE NONFICTION
- Lee Gutkin defines as a literary work that “can be an essay, a journal article, a research paper, a memoir, or
a poem, it can be personal or not, or it can be all of these. The goal is to make nonfiction stories read like
fiction so that readers are as enthralled by fact as they are by fantasy.
- Builds a narrative around the facts by introducing the scene and building the characters of real people so
readers can better relate to them.
NONFICTION
- Informs or instructs by sticking to the facts.

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Flowers In The Crypt
o Vocabulary
a) STIFF CADAVER
- This is a hard corpse or a dead human body
b) PODIUM
- A small platform on which a person may stand to be seen by an audience, as when making a
speech.
c) BOUQUET OF BABY’S BREATH
- These flowers are often used in religious ceremonies as they represent innocence and
dedication to love.
- symbolizes eternal love
d) CRYPT
- This is an underground room or vault beneath a church, used as a chapel or burial place.
e) PNEUMONIA
- This is a form of acute respiratory infection that affects the lungs.
f) MORGUE
- This is a place where dead bodies are kept, especially to be identified or claimed.
g) DEEPEST CONDOLENCES
- This means "sympathy with another in sorrow.”
h) BITTERNESS
- This is the emotion of someone who is angry and unhappy because they cannot forget bad
things that happened in the past.
i) LIFELINE MONITOR
- An easy-to-use medical alert system that lets you summon help any time of day or night –
even if you can't speak
j) SIGNATURE
- A person's name written in a distinctive way as a form of identification in authorizing a
check or document

o Catherina Garcia Dario

- She is a native of Manila.
- Reader’s Digest Asia and PLURAL.
- Awarded fellowships to the 19th Ateneo HEIGHTS Writers Workshop, and the 10th Virgin Labfest
Fellowship Program of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

o Reader-Response Approach
- The readers create the meaning based on their own perspective, experience, or point of view.
- analyses using this approach can vary greatly from one critic to the other. It insists that all literature
is a structure of experience, not just a form or meaning, and therefore focuses on finding meaning in
the act of reading itself and examines the ways individual readers or communities of readers
experience texts.
o CHARACTERS
1. Catherina Garcia Dario
• She is a native of Manila.
• Reader’s Digest Asia and PLURAL.
• Awarded fellowships to the 19th Ateneo HEIGHTS Writers Workshop, and the 10th Virgin
Labfest Fellowship Program of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
• Author and narrator of the story.
• Was 11 years old when his Lolo got a stroke.
• Granddaughter of Exequiel Garcia.
2. Exequiel Garcia
- grandfather of Catherina
- has a three-step sibling on his mother's side, a half-dozen more siblings on his fathers side.
- went to Manila to study.
- a journalist, a businessman and got married two months after he published an article
- Had an affair
- passionate and ambitious man who had a romantic life. He married Lola Narcisa Cortez but also
had a relationship with Remedios, whom he had four children.
3. Narcisa Cortez
- wife of Exequiel who never leaves his side in sickness and in health, until parted by death.
-described as 5 '1 in height, with curly hair, high cheekbones, and a Cebuana.
- beautiful and supportive.
4. Remedios
- another lover of Exequiel Garcia whom he had four children with.
- described as a woman who had long white legs and copper hair.
- either Exequiel’s secretary or another journalist.
- the woman who did not come to Exequiel’s funeral

o SETTING
1. April 19, 2008
- Catherina held his Lolo’s hands for the last time.
2. Apartment in Makati
- Catherina’s mother converted his bedroom into a hospital ward.
- Catherina hated visiting him since the curtains smelled like antiseptic and the drone of the
lifeline monitors filled their ears.
3. Hospital (possibly medical city)
4. Funeral location

o Point of View
 First person point of view - the story was narrated by one of the characters in the story.
o Symbolism
- Baby’s Breath – associated with innocence and purity.

o THEME
 Forgiveness
- Catherina felt some kind of resentment towards his grandfather
-As the plot progressed, the character growth of the protagonist
- how she came to recognize the side of Remedios by putting herself in her shoes.
- finding compassion for Lolo’s Exequiel choices and actions. It may also involve the
narrator forgiving themselves for their own perceived shortcomings or perceived lack of
connection with Lolo.
 o MORAL
- Understand other people's perspectives and lives. We can't judge them for who they are if we don't
really know them. There are times when we judge some people we know but that 'know' is just on
the outside.
- highlights the importance of empathy, understanding, and compassion when trying to comprehend
the choices and experiences of others.
- teaches us to look beyond appearances and to recognize the hidden complexities of human
emotions and relationships.

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VISAYAS: HYBRID MODES IN LOCAL COLORS
o Visayas
- inhabitants are predominantly the visayan people
- cradle of the country
- began the process of colonization and catholicization
– it was here that Ferdinand Magellan laid a sovereign hand on the archipelago for Spain and began
the process of colonization and catholicisation

Visayan Literature
- known for hybrid mode of local colors
Earliest Literary Works
 Religious and Didactic
- The first literary works in the Visayas were a miscellany
ex.
i. Lagda Sa Pagca Maligdon Sa Tauong Bisaya – immensely popular
ii. Ang Suga Nga Magadan-Ag Sa Nagapuyo Sa Cangitngitan Sa Sala by Fr.
Blas Cavada De Castros
- both combine several forms of writing in one book— dialogues, maxims,
tales, meditations, and ejemplos (pananglitan).
 Hinilawod
- known as one of the longest epics in the world (ancient people of Sulod in Central
Panay) and the only epic recorded in Visayas.
- more than 53, 000 lines long and takes 30 hours to recite
- ancient people of Salod in Central Panay
 FR. LANDA JOCANO
– anthropologist who recorded Hinilawod in the 1950s
- hails from the province of Iloilo
Pre-Spanish Periodicals
- El Porvenir de Visayas (1884-1989)
- El Boletin de Cebu (1886)

Towards the End of Spanish Period

- Rise of vernacular writing (19th century)
- Educational Reforms (1865)
- Changes in the Philippine atmosphere from monastic to liberal
- Burst of provincial journalism and native language writing (20th century)
- Golden age of vernacular literature (20th century)
 Vernacular Writing
- Towards the end of Spanish rule in the 19th century, this type of writing arises
- golden age of vernacular literature in the first decade in the 20th century would not
have been possible without the rise of provincial journalism

- Educational Reforms (1865)

- Changes in the Philippine atmosphere from monastic to liberal

 Provincial Journalism
- type of writing that is produced in provinces periodically
- provincial journalism and native language writing (20th century) – result of the
Filipino-led movements in Visayan literature
ex.
i. Banat for Cebuano tabloid.
ii. Brigada News
iii. Daily Guardian (Hiligaynon)
iv. Eastern Visayas Mail (Waray)
v. Leyte-Samar Daily Express

 Serialized Novels
- type of writing that is divided into chapters and produced in series at intervals
- gained popularity because it was in the spate of native language periodicals
- Serialized fiction that dramatized popular sentiments become such a hit especially
in the 1930s that periodicals heavily dependent on them for sales. Hardly departed
from traditions beloved by ordinary folks.
ex.
i. Visayas are El Porvenir de Visayas (1884-1989) of Iloilo and El Boletin de
Cebu (1886). - Pro-Spanish Periodicals
ii. In cebu, Ang Suga (1901 by Vicente Sotto) and Ang Camatuoran (1902). -
Native Language Periodicals
iii. In iloilo, Ang kagubut (1900) and Kadapig sang Banwa (1905). - Native
Language Periodicals
iv. Bag-ong Kusog (1915-1941), Nasud (1930-1941), and Babaye (1930-1940),
as well as weeklies Bisaya and Hiligaynon. - Native Language Periodicals

 Magdalena G. Jalandoni
- grand dame of Hiligaynon literature
- Combined corrido and long prose narrative, now known as romance novels

 ROMANTICISM and REALISM

- literary mode/s in writing, which became the focus of Visayan literature

 Benjamin (1907) by Angel M. Magahum

- known as the first Visayan novel
- Spanish era exemplum
- novel of manners
- modern chronicle
- short historical
  Ang Puluhan (1919) ni Nicolas Rafol
- novel attempted to present a semi-fictionalized chronicle of the actual events in
Cebu
- combine the realist chronicle with the devices of the romance mode, idealized
characters, surprises and coincidences, sudden changes in fortune

 Chronicle
- newer form closer to realism which enabled fictionists to tackle current
social problems that the idealized worlds of romance could not represent

 DIDACTIC MELODRAMA
- literature highly emotional, focusing on exciting but over-the top situations that are
designed to encourage emotional responses in the audience.
- predictable and conventional characters

 Star-Crossed Lovers, Lost Twin, Switched Babies,

Aristocratic Villain, Corrupt Mayor
- are the popular Filipino character types

CULTURAL APPROACH
- Considers literature as one of the principal manifestations and vehicles of a nation’s or race’s culture and
tradition.
- It examines how different religions, ethnicities, class identifications, political beliefs, and views affect the
ways in which texts are created and interpreted

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The Barter
o Vocabulary:
a. Babaylan
- someone who has the ability to mediate with the spirit world, has her own spirit
guides, and is given gifts of healing, foretelling, and insight
b. Ardent
- enthusiastic or passionate
c. Cowered
- crouched down in fear
d. Fervent
- having or displaying a passionate intensity
e. Barter
- the action of exchanging goods or services without using money
f. Concede
- surrender or yield (something that one possesses)
g. Slumber
- to sleep lightly
h. Feign
- pretend to be affected by (a feeling, state, or injury)
i. Paltera
- traditional midwife
o Elements of a Story
1. Setting
- province of Visayas (hacienda)
- rural village

2. Characters
 Belinda
- wife of Miguel
-family-oriented
-ardent
-self-sacrificing
- protagonist of the story, a woman who longs for a child and seeks help from Inday Sion.
Her character was defined by her unwavering desire to bear a child and her willingness to
make sacrifices to achieve her dream.
 Miguel
- husband of Belinda
-rich man
-knows how to accept fate
- Belinda’s husband, and his character reflects the societal and personal expectations related
to having children and continuing the family lineage. His desire for offspring was palpable,
and his character serves as a counterpoint to Belinda’s struggles.
 Inday Sion
- Babaylan
-old but kind
-pious, altruistic
- portrayed as a powerful healer with a deep connection to the spiritual world. She was wise
and knowledgeable about the language of the spirits, and her mysterious abilities are a source
of awe and reverence in the village.
 Isabel
- grandmother of Belinda

3. Plot
 Exposition
- Belinda visited Inday Sion to her desperation to have a child.
 Rising Action
- Inday Sion told Belinda that a life wanted needs a life in return.
 Climax
- Belinda finally bore a child but was haunted by Inday Sion’s words.
 Falling Action
- Belinda gave birth to her son and was willing to give her life in return.
 Denoument
- Belinda lived and found out that Inday Sion gave her own life for her and her newly born
son.
 Conflict
Man vs. Fate
- against prediction, supernatural entities, fortune, oracle
Man vs. Self
- against character’s mind (inner thoughts, doubts, dilemma)
 Resolution
 - Inday Sion sacrificed herself for Belinda and her child.

4. Theme
- Life is about “give and take”.
- supernatural, sacrifice, and the desire for children. It delves into the theme of personal sacrifice
and the length to which individuals may go to fulfill their deepest desires, especially in the
context of parenthood.

5. Symbolisms
 Potion
- represents the dark and dangerous side of the barter system described in the story.
 Canva (picture of two women)
- represents the picture depicting two young women, one of whom resembles the
protagonist, can be interpreted as a symbol of interconnectedness and ancestral ties. It
suggests a link between the protagonist and Inday Sion, possibly implying a familial
or spiritual connection.

6. Message
- All must realize that the secret to success and personal greatness is in giving, not
in taking. Give without remembering and take without forgetting.

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Mindanao: Literature of Conflict
Mindanao
- Second largest island in the Philippines
- 33 ethnolinguistic groups 13 of which are Islamized, 19 are Lumad or indigenous groups, and
Christian settlers composed of third-and fourth generation migrants from Luzon and the Visayas.
o Lumad People
o Two Sultanates in Mindanao
 Sultanate of Sulu
 Sultanate of Maguindanao
 Both had a strong resistance against Spanish colonization.
- Resettlement program was initiated by the colonial administration during the American rule.
o DOLE Plantation
o forced people in Luzon and Visayas to migrate in Mindanao (during Quirino administration)
that is why a lot of Ilokano people are in Mindanao.
o Muslims and Lumad people became marginalized in their homeland in less than sixty (60)
years since the American colonial regime, while the migrant settlers became the majority
population.
- Problem in land: during Magsaysay administration – originally from Lumads but ninakaw ng
Christians.
- Muslim: 23.39% of the island’s population
o Muslims: are Lumads that converted to Islam thus evolved into a distinct entity, who formed
their sultanates.
- Land of (unfulfilled) promise
- Region of rich culture and historical significance
American Colonial Regime: resettlement program
- In order to curb rebellions, they facilitated migration of people from the Northern Islands.
- Lumads were dispossessed of their land to make way for plantation etc.
Land Grabbing
- Since then, Muslims and Lumads had lost a large area of their ancestral lands to government-
sanctioned businesses.

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The Lumad
The value of land = Ancestral Domain
- Has deep spiritual connection s to their land
- Not associated with individual ownership but with origins, family, and livelihood  ancestral
property
- Dinadasalan nila mga lupa nila  they believe they will have a bountiful harvest.
- Ancestral domain includes the spirit guides that dwell in the surrounding.
Land Ownership = Tawid
- Tawhid: Means “oneness” or “unity.
- The peoples’ collective and spiritual relationship with their land.
Heirloon or Ancestral Property = Pusaka
- Pusaka: Muslims believed that inheritance is the basis for the right of land, this concept gives them
the right even to uncultivated lands which clashes with the law that land can either privately or state-
owned.
Summary:
Traditional Ancestral Concept of Land Ownership
o The value of land was not associated with individual ownership or property but with origins,
family, and livelihood.
o The major Muslim groups subscribe to the idea of pusaka, “heirloom” or “ancestral
property”. Moreover, landownership comes with the idea Tawhid, meaning oneness or unity.
Are LUMADS in the position to demand their rights in their ancestral domain? Why? What can the
government do to lessen the conflicts?
Blue Blood
- Term originated in medieval Spain
Ibrahim Jubaira
- Perhaps the best known of the older generation of English language educated Muslim Filipino
writers.
- came from a family of minor royalty. (Belonged to a wealthy Muslim family)
- In 1970, Jubaira received the Presidential Medal of Merit in Literature from Ferdinand
Marcos.
- Born in 1920 in Sulu
- Filipino writer in English
- a perennial chronicler of his people
Blue Blood of the Big Astana by Ibrahim Jubaira
- Concealed love and mocking fate
- The story is set in Sulu during the transition between the Spanish colonial regime and
the ceding of the Philippines to the Americans.
 Vocabulary Bank/Vernaculars
Datu - The title for chiefs, sovereign princes, and monarchs in the Visayas and Mindanao Regions of the
Philippines. Members of this elite could hope to become a Datu by demonstrating prowess in war and/or
exceptional leadership.
- Social Structure: Datus were supported by their tribes. In return for tribute and labor,
the Datu provided aid in emergencies and advocacy in disputes with other
communities and warfare through the Agama and Maratabat laws.
Babo – Aunt
Pateyk – yes
Teyk – what
Appah – father
Amboh – mother
Pandita - priest
Astana – House of Datu: Royal House
Epang-Epang – Servant-Escort
Koran – Holy Book of Islam

Characters:
 Jafaar (hairlipped boy. Social class: Epang-Epang.).
 Dayang-Dayang
 Ambo
 Appa
 Babu
 Muramuraan
 Eting
Setting
 The story happened in Patikul (homeplace of Dayang-Dayang) and in Bonbon (homeplace of
Muramuraan).
Theme
 unrequited love and social status
Narrator
- Jafaar by reminiscing his life ad a young servant in the house of a Datu
- First event he narrated: his relationship with his aunt.

Instructions of his aunt about meeting the Datu

- Kiss the Datu’s feet
- Withdraw without turning your back
- Do not look him in the eyes
- Do not talk too much; use third person
Dayang -Dayang’s reaction on their first meeting:
- Laughed
- Asked about the harelip
How di Jafaar showed his respect to Dayang-Dayang
- Kissed her hand
Things Jafaar did for Dayang-Dayang
- Always make her laugh
- Climbed coconut trees for her
- Rubbed her back and rinsed her hair during bath
- Trimmed her fingernails
Jafaar’s servitude during Dayang-Dayang’s study
- Carried her Koran on the top of his head
- Carried water during her classes
- Received the tortures that are supposed to be hers
Why is Jafaar happy for not catching Dayang-Dayang’s growth
- Afraid that he cannot serve her anymore
Jafaar said “We were such contrasting patterns” because they differ from social status
Datu of Bonbon fitted to be Dayang-Dayang’s husband because:
- He is a blue blood
- Has a power; ruler and rich man
- Handsome
Preparation before the wedding
- Building pf two additional wings in the Astana
Preparations during the wedding
- Slaughtering
- Rekindling of torches
- Rice pounding
- Tribal dance
- Musical gaiety
How did the wedding go?
- Sat on piled pillows
- Surrounded by candles
- Chant on the background
- The Pandita led the Datu to touch thrice the space between her eyebrows
What did Jafaar do during the wedding?
- Watched with a broken heart
What happened to Jafaar after leaving the Astana
- Became a cattle merchant
What did Muramuraan do which changed Dayang-Dayang’s fate
- Fought with the American Government (wished to establish his own government and refused to pay
tax)
How did Jafaar and Dayang-Dayang meet again?
 - On a business trip to Bonbon, Jafaar runs to Dayang-Dayang
- They felt surprised, pleased, embarrassed, pity
Why did Jafaar leave Dayang-Dayang
- He cannot stand seeing her on her situation
- He is not a blue blood
“Not even the fingers of Allah perhaps could weave us, even now, into equality”
- Their fate has been set the time they were born
Significant Human Experiences
- Sometimes, your social status dictates how you will be treated in the society
- People who are different are treated differently
- Differences cannot be res olved without open heart and mind