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Essay on Philippine Literature

Students are often asked to write an essay on Philippine Literature in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Philippine Literature

Introduction to philippine literature.

Philippine Literature is a treasure of written or spoken works from the Philippines. It includes stories, poems, songs, and other creative pieces. This literature is a reflection of the country’s history, culture, and experiences of its people.

Pre-Colonial Period

Before the Spanish came to the Philippines, Filipinos already had their literature. They told stories, sang songs, and recited poems. These were passed down from one generation to the next by word of mouth. This period was rich in legends, folk tales, and epics.

Spanish Colonial Period

During Spanish rule, Philippine literature was heavily influenced by the Spanish. Many Filipinos learned to write in Spanish. They created religious and secular works, like poems, plays, and novels. This period also saw the rise of the “Awit” and “Corrido”, popular verse forms.

American Colonial Period

The American period brought English to the Philippines. English became a medium for Filipino writers. They wrote in different genres such as short stories, novels, and essays. This period also saw the birth of Philippine newspapers in English.

Modern Philippine Literature

Today, Philippine literature is a mix of many influences. It includes works in Filipino, English, Spanish, and other local languages. Modern writers explore themes like identity, history, and social issues. They continue to enrich Philippine literature with their creative works.

250 Words Essay on Philippine Literature

What is philippine literature.

Philippine Literature is a treasure of stories, poems, and plays written by Filipinos. These works are written in different Filipino languages, English, and Spanish. They show the rich culture and history of the Philippines.

Before the Spanish came to the Philippines, Filipinos already had a rich tradition of literature. They told stories, sang songs, and recited poems. These were passed down from generation to generation. They were not written, but they were remembered and shared.

When the Spanish came, they introduced new forms of literature. They brought religious books, which had a big effect on the literature of the Philippines. Many Filipinos began writing in Spanish. They wrote about their lives, their beliefs, and their struggles.

American Period

When the Americans took over, English became the main language for writing. Filipinos started writing novels, short stories, and poems in English. They also wrote about their experiences during the American period.

Today, Philippine literature is a mix of different languages and styles. Some writers continue to write in English and Spanish. Others write in Filipino and other local languages. They write about many things, like love, war, and social issues.

In conclusion, Philippine Literature is a rich and diverse field. It shows the Filipino spirit through its stories, poems, and plays. It is a mirror of the Filipino soul, reflecting its joys, sorrows, hopes, and dreams.

500 Words Essay on Philippine Literature

Philippine literature is a rich tapestry of written and spoken works from the Philippines. It includes stories, poems, plays, and essays that reflect the country’s history, culture, and people. The language used in these works can be English, Spanish, or any of the local dialects.

Historical Background

The history of Philippine literature can be traced back to the pre-colonial era. Before the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, Filipinos already had their own system of writing known as “Baybayin.” They shared tales and poems through oral tradition. These early works often focused on myths, legends, and folktales.

The Spanish colonial period introduced new forms of literature. Filipinos began writing in Spanish and used literature to express their thoughts and feelings about the colonial rule. The most famous work from this period is “Noli Me Tangere” by Jose Rizal, a novel that criticizes Spanish friars.

The American period saw the use of English in Philippine literature. This era produced many talented writers who used English to write about the Filipino experience.

Types of Philippine Literature

Philippine literature comes in many forms. The most common are short stories, novels, poems, and plays. Short stories and novels often tell about everyday life in the Philippines or historical events. Poems can be about love, nature, or social issues. Plays often deal with social and political issues.

Themes in Philippine Literature

The themes in Philippine literature are diverse. Many works deal with social and political issues, such as poverty, corruption, and the struggle for freedom. Others explore themes of love, family, and friendship. There are also works that focus on the beauty of the Philippine landscape and the richness of its culture.

Significance of Philippine Literature

Philippine literature is important because it reflects the Filipino experience. It shows how Filipinos think, feel, and live. It also helps preserve the country’s culture and history. By reading Philippine literature, we can better understand the Philippines and its people.

In conclusion, Philippine literature is a treasure trove of stories, ideas, and emotions. It tells us about the past, present, and potential future of the Philippines. It allows us to see the world through the eyes of Filipinos. Despite the changes in society and technology, Philippine literature continues to thrive and inspire. It remains a vital part of the country’s cultural heritage.

This brief overview of Philippine literature gives you a glimpse into the rich literary tradition of the Philippines. There’s a lot more to discover, so don’t stop here. Keep reading, and let the words of Filipino writers touch your heart and mind.

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• Essay on Philippine Independence
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The Literary Forms in Philippine Literature

The diversity and richness of Philippine literature evolved side by side with the country’s history. This can best be appreciated in the context of the country’s pre-colonial cultural traditions and the socio-political histories of its colonial and contemporary traditions.

The average Filipino’s unfamiliarity with his indigenous literature was largely due to what has been impressed upon him: that his country was “discovered” and, hence, Philippine “history” started only in 1521.

So successful were the efforts of colonialists to blot out the memory of the country’s largely oral past that present-day Filipino writers, artists and journalists are trying to correct this inequity by recognizing the country’s wealth of ethnic traditions and disseminating them in schools and in the mass media.

The rousing of nationalistic pride in the 1960s and 1970s also helped bring about this change of attitude among a new breed of Filipinos concerned about the “Filipino identity.”

Pre-Colonial Times

Owing to the works of our own archaeologists, ethnologists, and anthropologists, we are able to know more and better judge information about our pre-colonial times set against a bulk of material about early Filipinos as recorded by Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, and other chroniclers of the past.

Pre-colonial inhabitants of our islands showcase a rich past through their folk speeches, folk songs, folk narratives and indigenous rituals, and mimetic dances that affirm our ties with our Southeast Asian neighbors.

The most seminal of these folk speeches is the riddle which is tigmo in Cebuano, bugtong in Tagalog, paktakon in Ilongo and patototdon in Bicol.

Central to the riddle is the talinghaga or metaphor because it “reveals subtle resemblances between two unlike objects,” and one’s power of observation and wit are put to the test. While some riddles are ingenious, others verge on the obscene or are sex-related:

Gongonan nu usin y amam If you pull your daddy’s penis

Maggirawa pay sila y inam. Your mommy’s vagina, too,

( Campana ) screams. (Bell)

The proverbs or aphorisms express norms or codes of behavior, community beliefs, or they instill values by offering nuggets of wisdom in short, rhyming verses.

The extended form, tanaga , a mono-riming heptasyllabic quatrain expressing insights and lessons on life is “more emotionally charged than the terse proverb and thus has affinities with the folk lyric.”

Some examples are the basahanon or extended didactic sayings from Bukidnon and the daraida and daragilon from Panay.

The folk song is a form of folk lyric that expresses the hopes and aspirations, the people’s lifestyles, and their loves. These are often repetitive and sonorous, didactic and naive, as in the children’s songs or Ida-ida (Maguindanao), tulang pambata (Tagalog) or cansiones para abbing (Ibanag).

A few examples are the lullabyes or Ili-ili (Ilongo); love songs like the panawagon and balitao (Ilongo); harana or serenade (Cebuano); the bayok (Maranao); the seven-syllable per line poem, ambahan of the Mangyans that are about human relationships, social entertainment and also serve as a tool for teaching the young; work songs that depict the livelihood of the people often sung to go with the movement of workers such as the kalusan (Ivatan), soliranin (Tagalog rowing song) or the mambayu , a Kalinga rice-pounding song; the verbal jousts/games like the duplo popular during wakes.

Other folk songs are the drinking songs sung during carousals like the tagay (Cebuano and Waray); dirges and lamentations extolling the deeds of the dead like the kanogon (Cebuano) or the Annako (Bontoc).

A type of narrative song or kissa among the Tausug of Mindanao, the parang sabil , uses for its subject matter the exploits of historical and legendary heroes. It tells of a Muslim hero who seeks death at the hands of non-Muslims.

Folk Narratives

The folk narratives, i.e., epics and folk tales, are varied, exotic, and magical. They explain how the world was created, how certain animals possess certain characteristics, why some places have waterfalls, volcanoes, mountains, flora or fauna, and, in the case of legends, an explanation of the origins of things. Fables are about animals, and these teach moral lessons.

Our country’s epics are considered ethno-epics because, unlike, say, Germany’s Niebelunginlied, our epics are not national, for they are “histories” of varied groups that consider themselves “nations.”

The epics come in various names: Guman (Subanon), Darangen (Maranao), Hudhud (Ifugao), and Ulahingan (Manobo). These epics revolve around supernatural events or heroic deeds and they embody or validate the beliefs and customs, and ideals of a community.

These are sung or chanted to the accompaniment of indigenous musical instruments and dancing performed during harvests, weddings, or funerals by chanters.

The chanters who were taught by their ancestors are considered “treasures” and/or repositories of wisdom in their communities. Examples of these epics are the Lam-ang (Ilocano); Hinilawod (Sulod); Kudaman (Palawan); Darangen (Maranao); Ulahingan (Livunganen-Arumanen Manobo); Mangovayt Buhong na Langit (The Maiden of the Buhong Sky from Tuwaang–Manobo); Ag Tobig neg Keboklagan (Subanon); and Tudbulol (T’boli).

The Spanish Colonial Tradition

While it is true that Spain subjugated the Philippines for more mundane reasons, this former European power contributed much to the shaping and recording of our literature.

Religion and institutions that represented European civilization enriched the languages in the lowlands and introduced theater which we would come to know as komedya, the sinakulo, the sarswela, the playlets, and the drama.

Spain also brought to the country, though at a much later time, liberal ideas and an internationalism that influenced our own Filipino intellectuals and writers for them to understand the meanings of “liberty and freedom.”

Literature in this period may be classified as religious prose and poetry and secular prose and poetry.

Religious Prose and Poetry

Religious lyrics written by ladino poets or those versed in both Spanish and Tagalog were included in the early catechism and were used to teach Filipinos the Spanish language.

Fernando Bagonbanta’s “ Salamat nang walang hanga/gracias de sin sempiternas ” (Unending thanks) is a fine example that is found in the Memorial de la vida cristiana en lengua tagala (Guidelines for the Christian life in the Tagalog language) published in 1605.

Another form of religious lyrics is the meditative verses like the dalit appended to novenas and catechisms. It has no fixed meter nor rhyme scheme, although a number is written in octosyllabic quatrains and has a solemn tone and spiritual subject matter.

But among the religious poetry of the day, it is the pasyon in octosyllabic quintillas that became entrenched in the Filipino’s commemoration of Christ’s agony and resurrection at Calvary.

Gaspar Aquino de Belen’s “ Ang Mahal na Passion ni Jesu Christong Panginoon natin na tola ” (Holy Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Verse) put out in 1704 is the country’s earliest known pasyon .

Other known pasyons chanted during the Lenten season are in Ilocano, Pangasinan, Ibanag, Cebuano, Bicol, Ilongo and Waray.

Aside from religious poetry, there were various kinds of prose narratives written to prescribe proper decorum. Like the pasyon , these prose narratives were also used for proselytization.

Some forms are: dialogo (dialogue), Manual de Urbanidad (conduct book); ejemplo (exemplum) and tratado (tratado). The most well-known are Modesto de Castro’s “ Pagsusulatan ng Dalawang Binibini na si Urbana at si Feliza ” (Correspondence between the Two Maidens Urbana and Feliza) in 1864 and Joaquin Tuason’s “ Ang Bagong Robinson ” (The New Robinson) in 1879, an adaptation of Daniel Defoe’s novel.

Secular Prose and Poetry

Secular works appeared alongside historical and economic changes, the emergence of an opulent class, and the middle class who could avail of European education. This Filipino elite could now read printed works that used to be the exclusive domain of the missionaries.

The most notable of the secular lyrics followed the conventions of a romantic tradition: the languishing but loyal lover, the elusive, often heartless beloved, the rival.

The leading poets were Jose Corazon de Jesus( Huseng Sisiw ) and Francisco Balagtas. Some secular poets who wrote in this same tradition were Leona Florentino, Jacinto Kawili, Isabelo de los Reyes, and Rafael Gandioco.

Awit and Korido

Another popular secular poetry is the metrical romance, the awit and korido in Tagalog. The awit is set in dodecasyllabic quatrains while the korido is in octosyllabic quatrains. These are colorful tales of chivalry from European sources made for singing and chanting, such as Gonzalo de Cordoba (Gonzalo of Cordoba) and Ibong Adarna (Adarna Bird).

There are numerous metrical romances in Tagalog, Bicol, Ilongo, Pampango, Ilocano, and in Pangasinan. The awit as a popular poetic genre reached new heights in Balagtas’ “Florante at Laura” (ca.1838-1861), the most famous of the country’s metrical romances. Again, the winds of change began to blow in the 19th century Philippines.

Filipino intellectuals educated in Europe called ilustrados began to write about the downside of colonization.

This, coupled with the simmering calls for reforms by the masses, gathered a formidable force of writers like Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Mariano Ponce, Emilio Jacinto, and Andres Bonifacio.

This led to the formation of the Propaganda Movement, where prose works such as the political essays and Rizal’s two political novels, Noli Me Tangere and the El filibusterismo helped usher in the Philippine revolution resulting in the downfall of the Spanish regime and, at the same time planted the seeds of national consciousness among Filipinos.

But if Rizal’s novels are political, the novel Ninay (1885) by Pedro Paterno is largely cultural and is considered the first Filipino novel. Although Paterno’s Ninay gave impetus to other novelists like Jesus Balmori and Antonio M. Abad to continue writing in Spanish, this did not flourish.

Other Filipino writers published the essay and short fiction in Spanish in La Vanguardia , El Debate , Renacimiento Filipino , and Nueva Era .

The more notable essayists and fictionists were Claro M. Recto, Teodoro M. Kalaw, Epifanio de los Reyes, Vicente Sotto, Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, Rafael Palma, Enrique Laygo (Caretas or Masks, 1925) and Balmori who mastered the prosa romantica or romantic prose.

But the introduction of English as a medium of instruction in the Philippines hastened the demise of Spanish so that by the 1930s, English writing had overtaken Spanish writing.

During the language’s death throes, however, writing in the romantic tradition, from the awit and korido, would continue in the novels of Magdalena Jalandoni. But patriotic writing continued under the new colonialists. These appeared in the vernacular poems and modern adaptations of works during the Spanish period and further maintained the Spanish tradition.

The American Colonial Period

A new set of colonizers brought about new changes in Philippine literature. New literary forms such as free verse [in poetry], the modern short story, and the critical essay were introduced.

American influence was deeply entrenched with the firm establishment of English as the medium of instruction in all schools and with literary modernism that highlighted the writer’s individuality and cultivated consciousness of craft, sometimes at the expense of social consciousness.

The poet and later National Artist for Literature, Jose Garcia Villa, used free verse and espoused the dictum, “Art for art’s sake,” to the chagrin of other writers more concerned with the utilitarian aspect of literature.

Another maverick in poetry who used free verse and talked about illicit love in her poetry was Angela Manalang Gloria, a woman poet described as ahead of her time. Despite the threat of censorship by the new dispensation, more writers turned up “seditious works,” and popular writing in the native languages bloomed through weekly outlets like Liwayway and Bisaya.

Modern Verses

The Balagtas tradition persisted until the poet Alejandro G. Abadilla advocated modernism in poetry. Abadilla later influenced young poets who wrote modern verses in the 1960s, such as Virgilio S. Almario, Pedro I. Ricarte, and Rolando S. Tinio.

Modern Short Story

While the early Filipino poets grappled with the verities of the new language, Filipinos seemed to have taken easily to the modern short story as published in the Philippines Free Press , the College Folio, and the Philippines Herald. Paz Marquez Benitez’s “Dead Stars,” published in 1925, was the first successful short story in English written by a Filipino. Later on, Arturo B. Rotor and Manuel E. Arguilla showed exceptional skills with the short story.

Dali or Pasingaw

Alongside this development, writers in the vernaculars continued to write in the provinces. Others like Lope K. Santos, Valeriano Hernandez Peña, and Patricio Mariano were writing minimal narratives similar to the early Tagalog short fiction called dali or pasingaw (sketch).

The romantic tradition was fused with American pop culture or European influences in the adaptations of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan by F. P. Boquecosa, who also penned Ang Palad ni Pepe after Charles Dicken’s David Copperfield even as the realist tradition was kept alive in the novels by Lope K. Santos and Faustino Aguilar, among others.

It should be noted that if there was a dearth of the Filipino novel in English, the novel in the vernaculars continued to be written and serialized in weekly magazines like Liwayway, Bisaya, Hiligaynon, and Bannawag.

Modern Essays

The essay in English became a potent medium from the 1920s to the present.

Some leading essayists were journalists like Carlos P. Romulo, Jorge Bocobo, Pura Santillan Castrence, etc., who wrote formal to humorous to informal essays for the delectation by Filipinos.

Among those who wrote criticism developed during the American period were Ignacio Manlapaz, Leopoldo Yabes, and I.V. Mallari. But it was Salvador P. Lopez’s criticism that grabbed attention when he won the Commonwealth Literary Award for the essay in 1940 with his “Literature and Society.” This essay posited that art must have substance and that Villa’s adherence to “Art for Art’s Sake” is decadent.

New Criticism

The last throes of American colonialism saw the flourishing of Philippine literature in English at the same time, with the introduction of the New Critical aesthetics, which made writers pay close attention to craft and “indirectly engendered a disparaging attitude” towards vernacular writings — a tension that would recur in the contemporary period.

The Contemporary Period

The flowering of Philippine literature in various languages continues, especially with the appearance of new publications after the Martial Law years and the resurgence of committed literature in the 1960s and the 1970s.

Filipino writers continue to write poetry, short stories, novellas, novels, and essays, whether these are social, committed, gender/ethnic related, or personal in intention or not. Of course, the Filipino writer has become more conscious of his art with the proliferation of writers’ workshops here and abroad and the bulk of literature available to him via the mass media, including the internet.

The various literary awards, such as the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, the Philippines Free Press, Philippine Graphic, Home Life, and Panorama literary awards, encourage him to compete with his peers and hope that his creative efforts will be rewarded in the long run.

With the new requirement by the Commission on Higher Education for the teaching of Philippine Literature in all tertiary schools in the country emphasizing the teaching of the vernacular literature or literature of the regions, the audience for Filipino writers is virtually assured. And perhaps, national literature finding its niche among the literature of the world will not be far behind.

This handout can be accessed from its original site, cited below:

www.seasite.niu.edu/Tagalog/Literature/literary_forms_in_philippine_lit.htm

If you’re looking for more resources about  literature , then make sure to browse my  website .

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[OPINION] Appreciating the Filipino identity through our literature and culture

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This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Every Filipino has memorized “Lupang Hinirang.” This is mostly by singing and not by reciting it like prose or a poem.

During our school days, when our teachers ask us to write the lyrics down, one would always hear students humming the tune. Teachers would stop them, saying that a Filipino should know the lyrics by heart, soul, and mind without having to hum the tune. We can’t help it especially that we Filipinos have been blessed with a deep love for music.

Oftentimes we watch interviews of fellow Filipinos blundering at the lyrics. We sometimes laugh and feel silly for them.

These blunders also happen during international boxing competitions when our artist chokes under pressure and we can’t help but facepalm ourselves over it.

We have always sung “Lupang Hinirang” since elementary, and it seems a bit far-fetched when we see other Filipinos forgetting lyrics that they have learned since Grade 1. But in recent events, it is not only the lyrics that we have forgotten but also the nationalistic identity that the lyrics and our schools have tried to mold.

From reciting the Panatang Makabayan and Panunumpa sa Watawat ng Pilipinas during flag ceremonies, our education system has been dedicated to shaping a nationalistic mindset. Another such feat in this endeavor is the tradition of Buwan ng Wika (language month) every August, which celebrates our literature, history, and culture through balagtasan, pageantry, essay, and other forms of performances. (READ: The Buwan ng Wike debate: Do we celebrate local languages or dialects? ) 

Although nowadays, we have been lingering far from the goal of imbuing a nationalistic mindset. We are under attack from the inside.

Recently, the decision of the Supreme Court to have Panitikan and Filipino as optional subjects in college entails that our study and appreciation of literature ends in high school. (READ:  Want to read more Filipino literature? Here’s where to start )

Sadly, due to the lack of resources, most high schools only delve on 4 of Philippines’ major literary works. When a Filipino who grows up in our education system only knows Ibong Adarna , Florante at Laura , Noli Me Tangere , and El Filibusterismo  – and only those 4 – do we begin to see that we will fail in promoting ourselves as a culture with art and literature; when we, in fact, have a larger pool of writers such as Nick Joaquin, F. Sionil Jose, Paz Marquez Benitez, Lualhati Bautista, and many more contemporary writers that Panitikan classes ought to cover. 

Another decision by lawmakers that also falls short in ensuring a nationalistic mindset among Filipino students is the mandatory Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) . The support of lawmakers in making the ROTC mandatory, in my opinion, does not foster patriotism nor the sense of duty, but rather only forced discipline and obedience.

I remember my citizen army training (CAT) in high school only as a playground of power and forced discipline, without a sense of duty to anyone but the commanding officer.

In shaping the Filipino people, we must devote ourselves to our studies and the appreciation of history, culture, and literature, rather than a flurry of commands.

In fostering our national identity, we must be wary of how we handle our educational system. Being a Filipino does not end with preferring English over Filipino, nor choosing hamburgers over sinigang, but rather ends when we have forgotten that we have our own literature, culture, and heritage to the point where we abandon it; that we force the people to love the nation rather than foster an appreciation.

In the memory of Rizal, Bonifacio, Mabini, and all other heroes who have died in service to our country do we strengthen our identity as a nation.

The lines of “Lupang Hinirang” is a promise carried by every Filipino that we’ll stand and never be again subjected to anyone in the face of invaders. It is also a way to show the reverence that we hold for our majestic country of more than 7,600 islands filled with beauty. (READ: The problem with the lack of nationalism )

In the hopes of fulfilling a promise to our country and to our ancestors who have again fought tirelessly do we rise up and take a stand; especially now when our political and sovereign claims are being contested , and our fellowmen are deprived of their rights to enjoy the freedoms we have long fought for. – Rappler.com

Gillian Reyes is a registered librarian who works at the  University of the Philippines Diliman. He often writes stories for children, and hopes to build a library for kids someday.

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The Philippine Literature

"i am a filipino".

by Carlos P. Romulo

I am a Filipino – inheritor of a glorious past, hostage to the uncertain future. As such, I must prove equal to a two-fold task – the task of meeting my responsibility to the past, and the task of performing my obligation to the future.

I am sprung from a hardy race – child many generations removed of ancient Malayan pioneers. Across the centuries, the memory comes rushing back to me: of brown-skinned men putting out to sea in ships that were as frail as their hearts were stout. Over the sea I see them come, borne upon the billowing wave and the whistling wind, carried upon the mighty swell of hope – hope in the free abundance of the new land that was to be their home and their children’s forever.

This is the land they sought and found. Every inch of shore that their eyes first set upon, every hill and mountain that beckoned to them with a green and purple invitation, every mile of rolling plain that their view encompassed, every river and lake that promised a plentiful living and the fruitfulness of commerce, is a hollowed spot to me.

By the strength of their hearts and hands, by every right of law, human and divine, this land and all the appurtenances thereof – the black and fertile soil, the seas and lakes and rivers teeming with fish, the forests with their inexhaustible wealth in wild and timber, the mountains with their bowels swollen with minerals – the whole of this rich and happy land has been for centuries without number, the land of my fathers. This land I received in trust from them, and in trust will pass it to my children, and so on until the world is no more.

I am a Filipino. In my blood runs the immortal seed of heroes – seed that flowered down the centuries in deeds of courage and defiance. In my veins yet pulses the same hot blood that sent Lapulapu to battle against the alien foe, that drove Diego Silang and Dagohoy into rebellion against the foreign oppressor,

That seed is immortal. It is the self-same seed that flowered in the heart of Jose Rizal that morning in Bagumbayan when a volley of shots put an end to all that was mortal of him and made his spirit deathless forever; the same that flowered in the hearts of Bonifacio in Balintawak, of Gregorio del Pilar at Tirad Pass, of Antonio Luna at Calumpit, that bloomed in flowers of frustration in the sad heart of Emilio Aguinaldo at Palanan, and yet burst forth royally again in the proud heart of Manuel L. Quezon when he stood at last on the threshold of ancient Malacanang Palace, in the symbolic act of possession and racial vindication.

The seed I bear within me is an immortal seed. It is the mark of my manhood, the symbol of my dignity as a human being. Like the seeds that were once buried in the tomb of Tutankhamen many thousands of years ago, it shall grow and flower and bear fruit again. It is the insigne of my race, and my generation is but a stage in the unending search of my people for freedom and happiness.

I am a Filipino, child of the marriage of the East and the West. The East, with its languor and mysticism, its passivity and endurance, was my mother, and my sire was the West that came thundering across the seas with the Cross and Sword and the Machine. I am of the East, an eager participant in its struggles for liberation from the imperialist yoke. But I know also that the East must awake from its centuried sleep, shake off the lethargy that has bound its limbs, and start moving where destiny awaits.

For I, too, am of the West, and the vigorous peoples of the West have destroyed forever the peace and quiet that once were ours. I can no longer live, a being apart from those whose world now trembles to the roar of bomb and cannon shot. For no man and no nation is an island, but a part of the main, and there is no longer any East and West – only individuals and nations making those momentous choices that are the hinges upon which history revolves.

At the vanguard of progress in this part of the world I stand – a forlorn figure in the eyes of some, but not one defeated and lost. For through the thick, interlacing branches of habit and custom above me I have seen the light of the sun, and I know that it is good. I have seen the light of justice and equality and freedom, my heart has been lifted by the vision of democracy, and I shall not rest until my land and my people shall have been blessed by these, beyond the power of any man or nation to subvert or destroy.

I am a Filipino, and this is my inheritance. What pledge shall I give that I may prove worthy of my inheritance? I shall give the pledge that has come ringing down the corridors of the centuries, and its hall be compounded of the joyous cries of my Malayan forebears when they first saw the contours of this land loom before their eyes, of the battle cries that have resounded in every field of combat from Mactan to Tirad Pass, of the voices of my people when they sing:

Land of the morning.

Child of the sun returning . . .

Ne’er shall invaders

Trample thy sacred shore.

Out of the lush green of these seven thousand isles, out of the heart-strings of sixteen million people all vibrating to one song, I shall weave the mighty fabric of my pledge. Out of the songs of the farmers at sunrise when they go to labor in the fields; out the sweat of the hard-bitten pioneers in Mal-ig and Koronadal; out of the silent endurance of stevedores at the piers and the ominous grumbling of peasants in Pampanga; out of the first cries of babies newly born and the lullabies that mothers sing; out of crashing of gears and the whine of turbines in the factories; out of the crunch of ploughs upturning the earth; out of the limitless patience of teachers in the classrooms and doctors in the clinics; out of the tramp of soldiers marching, I shall make the pattern of my pledge:

I am a Filipino born of freedom, and I shall not rest until freedom shall have been added unto my inheritance – for myself and my children’s – forever.