essay written by filipino

Kathang Pinoy

Filipino in thoughts and words.

Famous Essays and Speeches by Filipinos

My Husband's Roommate
Where is the Patis?
I Am A Filipino
This I Believe
The Philippines A Century Hence by José Rizal (Translated by Charles E. Derbyshire) Part I
The Philippines A Century Hence by José Rizal (Translated by Charles E. Derbyshire) Part II
The Philippines A Century Hence by José Rizal (Translated by Charles E. Derbyshire) Part III
The Philippines A Century Hence by José Rizal (Translated by Charles E. Derbyshire) Part IV
The Indolence of the Filipinos by José Rizal (Translated by Charles E. Derbyshire)
The Filipino Is Worth Dying For
1983 Arrival Speech of Ninoy Aquino

Philippines
The Filipino Authors You Should...

The 7 Most Legendary Filipino Authors

A country shaped by centuries of colonization by violent wars, long-lasting political upheaval, and the idyllic beauty of its islands, the Philippines offers writers plenty of material to work with. In stories drawn from this complex heritage, Filipino authors stand out for their creative, compelling voices. Culture Trip rounds up seven of the best literary talents to come from the Philippines.

Jessica hagedorn.

Best known for her 1990 novel Dogeaters , Jessica Hagedorn was born and raised in the Philippines and relocated to San Francisco in her teens. Hagedorn’s ethnic heritage is a mix of Spanish, Filipino, French, Irish, and Chinese. Dogeaters , which won the American Book Award and was a finalist for the National Book Award, shines a light on the many layers of Filipino society, especially the American influence prevalent in the entertainment industry. Hagedorn is also a poet and playwright. Her first play, Mango Tango , was produced by Joseph Papp in 1978, the same year she moved to New York, where she currently lives with her daughters.

Sionil Jose

A writer deeply concerned with social justice, F. Sionil Jose’s novels have been translated into 22 languages, and he’s one of the most widely read Filipino authors. Sionil Jose’s Rosales Saga is a five-volume work that follows the Samson family and their changing fortunes over a 100-year timeframe. Sionil Jose’s books are especially illuminating for anyone interested in provincial life in the Philippines, the revolution against Spain, and the framework of the Filipino family. His anti-elitist views have made him a somewhat unpopular author within the Philippines, but Sionil Jose’s works are among the most highly acclaimed internationally of any Filipino writer. He won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Literature in 1980.

Nick Joaquin

Winning the National Artist award for Literature, Nick Joaquín is probably the most esteemed writer the Philippines has produced. Joaquin came from a well-educated family and was published at the early age of 17. After winning a scholarship in a nationwide essay contest, he left the Philippines to study in Hong Kong. On his return to Manila he worked for many years as a journalist, and his highly intellectual writing raised the standards of journalism in the country. Joaquin’s book, The Woman With Two Navels is essential reading in Philippine literature. However many of his short stories, such as “May Day Eve,” are extremely accessible and enjoyable for those new to the Philippines.

Merlinda Bobis

Award-winning writer Merlinda Bobis started off as a painter, but grew into a writer as “painting with words was cheaper.” Bobis’ books, short stories, and poems tell of lesser-known aspects of Filipino life, often from a strong feminist stance. One of her most well-known novels, Fish-Hair Woman , describes a romance between a young village woman and an Australian soldier in the middle of a harrowing conflict that threatens the entire province. The Australian called it a “superb novel” that “maintains its tragic intensity throughout.” Bobis has also won the international Prix Italia award for her play Rita’s Lullaby and the Steele Rudd Award for her short story “White Turtle.”

Jose Dalisay Jr.

Jose Dalisay Jr. writes a popular online column where he’s more commonly known by his pen name, Butch Dalisay. Dalisay was imprisoned during Martial Law, and his experiences from this portion of Philippine history are brought to life in his first novel, Killing Time in a Warm Place . His second novel, Soledad’s Sister tackles the plight of overseas Filipino workers, and was shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2007. Within the Philippines, Dalisay has won 16 Palanca Awards, the country’s highest prize for literature.

Luis Francia

Award-winning author Luis Francia has lived in New York for decades, but his experiences of growing up in the Philippines continue to shape the stories he tells the world. The poet, author, and teacher emigrated to the U.S. after finishing college, where he wrote and co-edited the Village Voice newspaper for more than 20 years. His memoir Eye of the Fish: A Personal Archipelago won a PEN Open Book Award and an Asian American Literary Award. Amitav Ghosh, author of The Glass Palace , described Francia’s memoir as “a hugely readable travelogue and an indispensable guide to a fascinating and richly varied archipelago.”

The Philippines’ national hero was also a prolific writer, poet, and essayist. Jose Rizal’s two novels, Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo were social commentaries that sharply revealed the injustices of Spanish colonization while praising the Filipino in his most natural state. The novels, which are surprisingly wry and romantic, crystallized the growing anti-Spanish sentiment and were banned within the Philippines. The execution of Jose Rizal at 35 years old set off the Philippine Revolution and paved the way for the country’s independence. Even without these dramatic events, Rizal’s books and his final poem, “Mi Ultimo Adios,” stand on their own literary merit, and have influenced scores of Filipino writers since.

Culture Trips launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes places and communities so special.

Our immersive trips , led by Local Insiders, are once-in-a-lifetime experiences and an invitation to travel the world with like-minded explorers. Our Travel Experts are on hand to help you make perfect memories. All our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.?>

All our travel guides are curated by the Culture Trip team working in tandem with local experts. From unique experiences to essential tips on how to make the most of your future travels, we’ve got you covered.

Places to Stay

Hip holiday apartments in the philippines you'll want to call home.

The Best Hotels to Book in Palawan, the Philippines

Where to Stay in Tagaytay, the Philippines, for a Local Experience

The Best Resorts in Palawan, the Philippines

What Are the Best Resorts to Book in the Philippines?

Bed & Breakfasts in the Philippines

The Most Budget-Friendly Hotels in Tagaytay

The Best Hotels to Book in Pasay, the Philippines

The Best Hotels to Book In Tagaytay for Every Traveller

The Best Hotels to Book in the Philippines for Every Traveller

The Best Pet-Friendly Hotels in Tagaytay, the Philippines

See & Do

Exhilarating ways to experience the great outdoors in the philippines, culture trip spring sale, save up to $1,656 on our unique small-group trips limited spots..

Post ID: 1153276
Sponsored? No
View Payload

Search form

ADVERTISE here!
How To Contribute Articles
How To Use This in Teaching
To Post Lectures

Jose Rizal’s Essays and Articles

Refer these to your siblings/children/younger friends:

HOMEPAGE of Free NAT Reviewers by OurHappySchool.com (Online e-Learning Automated Format)

HOMEPAGE of Free UPCAT & other College Entrance Exam Reviewers by OurHappySchool.com (Online e-Learning Automated Format)

Articles in Diariong Tagalog

“El Amor Patrio” (The Love of Country)

This was the first article Rizal wrote in the Spanish soil. Written in the summer of 1882, it was published in Diariong Tagalog in August. He used the pen name “Laong Laan” (ever prepared) as a byline for this article and he sent it to Marcelo H. Del Pilar for Tagalog translation.

Written during the Spanish colonization and reign over the Philippine islands, the article aimed to establish nationalism and patriotism among the natives. Rizal extended his call for the love of country to his fellow compatriots in Spain, for he believed that nationalism should be exercised anywhere a person is.

“Revista De Madrid” (Review of Madrid)

This article written by Rizal on November 29, 1882 wasunfortunatelyreturned to him because Diariong Tagalog had ceased publications for lack of funds.

Articles in La Solidaridad

“Los Agricultores Filipinos” (The Filipino Farmers)

This essay dated March 25, 1889 was the first article of Rizal published in La Solidaridad. In this writing, he depicted the deplorable conditions of the Filipino farmers in the Philippines, hence the backwardness of the country.

“A La Defensa” (To La Defensa)

This was in response to the anti-Filipino writing by Patricio de la Escosura published by La Defensa on March 30, 1889 issue. Written on April 30, 1889, Rizal’s article refuted the views of Escosura, calling the readers’ attention to the insidious influences of the friars to the country.

“Los Viajes” (Travels)

Published in the La Solidaridad on May 15, 1889, this article tackled the rewards gained by the people who are well-traveled to many places in the world.

“La Verdad Para Todos” (The Truth for All)

This was Rizal’s counter to the Spanish charges that the natives were ignorant and depraved. On May 31, 1889, it was published in the La Solidaridad.

"Vicente Barrantes’ Teatro Tagalo”

The first installment of Rizal’s “Vicente Barrantes” was published in the La Solidaridad on June 15, 1889. In this article, Rizal exposed Barrantes’ lack of knowledge on the Tagalog theatrical art.

“Defensa Del Noli”

The manuscripts of the “Defensa del Noli” was written on June 18, 1889. Rizal sent the article to Marcelo H. Del Pilar, wanting it to be published by the end of that month in the La Solidaridad.

“Verdades Nuevas”(New Facts/New Truths)

In this article dated July 31, 1889, Rizal replied to the letter of Vicente Belloc Sanchez which was published on July 4, 1889 in ‘La Patria’, a newspaper in Madrid. Rizal addressed Sanchez’s allegation that provision of reforms to the Philippines would devastate the diplomatic rule of the Catholic friars.

“Una Profanacion” (A Desecration/A Profanation)

Published on July 31, 1889, this article mockingly attacked the friars for refusing to give Christian burial to Mariano Herbosa, Rizal’s brother in law, who died of cholera in May 23, 1889. Being the husband of Lucia Rizal (Jose’s sister), Herbosa was denied of burial in the Catholic cemetery by the priests.

“Crueldad” (Cruelty),

Dated August 15, 1889, this was Rizal’s witty defense of Blumentritt from the libelous attacks of his enemies.

“Diferencias” (Differences)

Published on September 15, 1889, this article countered the biased article entitled “Old Truths” which was printed in La Patria on August 14, 1889. “Old Truths” ridiculed those Filipinos who asked for reforms.

“Inconsequencias” (Inconsequences)

The Spanish Pablo Mir Deas attacked Antonio Luna in the Barcelona newspaper “El Pueblo Soberano”. As Rizal’s defense of Luna, he wrote this article which was published on November 30, 1889.

“Llanto Y Risas” (Tears and Laughter)

Dated November 30, 1889, this article was a condemnation of the racial prejudice of the Spanish against the brown race. Rizal remembered that he earned first prize in a literary contest in 1880. He narrated nonetheless how the Spaniard and mestizo spectators stopped their applause upon noticing that the winner had a brown skin complexion.

“Filipinas Dentro De Cien Anos” (The Philippines within One Hundred Years)

This was serialized in La Solidaridad on September 30, October 31, December 15, 1889 and February 15, 1890. In the articles, Rizal estimated the future of the Philippines in the span of a hundred years and foretold the catastrophic end of Spanish rule in Asia. He ‘prophesied’ Filipinos’ revolution against Spain, winning their independence, but later the Americans would come as the new colonizer

The essay also talked about the glorious past of the Philippines, recounted the deterioration of the economy, and exposed the causes of natives’ sufferings under the cruel Spanish rule. In the essay, he cautioned the Spain as regards the imminent downfall of its domination. He awakened the minds and the hearts of the Filipinos concerning the oppression of the Spaniards and encouraged them to fight for their right.

Part of the essays reads, “History does not record in its annals any lasting domination by one people over another, of different races, of diverse usages and customs, of opposite and divergent ideas. One of the two had to yield and succumb.” The Philippines had regained its long-awaited democracy and liberty some years after Rizal’s death. This was the realization of what the hero envisioned in this essay.

Dated January 15, 1890, this article was the hero’s reply to Governor General Weyler who told the people in Calamba that they “should not allow themselves to be deceived by the vain promises of their ungrateful sons.” The statement was made as a reaction to Rizal’s project of relocating the oppressed and landless Calamba tenants to North Borneo.

“Sobre La Nueva Ortografia De La Lengua Tagala” (On The New Orthography of The Tagalog Language)

Rizal expressed here his advocacy of a new spelling in Tagalog. In this article dated April 15, 1890, he laid down the rules of the new Tagalog orthography and, with modesty and sincerity, gave the credit for the adoption of this new orthography to Dr. Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera, author of the celebrated work “El Sanscrito en la Lengua Tagala” (Sanskrit in the Tagalog Language) published in Paris, 1884.

“I put this on record,” wrote Rizal, “so that when the history of this orthography is traced, which is already being adopted by the enlightened Tagalists, that what is Caesar’s be given to Caesar. This innovation is due solely to Dr. Pardo de Tavera’s studies on Tagalismo. I was one of its most zealous propagandists.”

“Sobre La Indolencia De Los Filipinas” (The Indolence of the Filipinos)

This logical essay is a proof of the national hero’s historical scholarship. The essay rationally countered the accusations by Spaniards that Filipinos were indolent (lazy) during the Spanish reign. It was published in La Solidaridad in five consecutive issues on July (15 and 31), August (1 and 31) and September 1, 1890.

Rizal argued that Filipinos are innately hardworking prior to the rule of the Spaniards. What brought the decrease in the productive activities of the natives was actually the Spanish colonization. Rizal explained the alleged Filipino indolence by pointing to these factors: 1) the Galleon Trade destroyed the previous links of the Philippines with other countries in Asia and the Middle East, thereby eradicating small local businesses and handicraft industries; 2) the Spanish forced labor compelled the Filipinos to work in shipyards, roads, and other public works, thus abandoning their agricultural farms and industries; 3) many Filipinos became landless and wanderers because Spain did not defend them against pirates and foreign invaders; 4) the system of education offered by the colonizers was impractical as it was mainly about repetitive prayers and had nothing to do with agricultural and industrial technology; 5) the Spaniards were a bad example as negligent officials would come in late and leave early in their offices and Spanish women were always followed by servants; 6) gambling like cockfights was established, promoted, and explicitly practiced by Spanish government officials and friars themselves especially during feast days; 7) the crooked system of religion discouraged the natives to work hard by teaching that it is easier for a poor man to enter heaven; and 8) the very high taxes were discouraging as big part of natives’ earnings would only go to the officials and friars.

Moreover, Rizal explained that Filipinos were just wise in their level of work under topical climate. He explained, “violent work is not a good thing in tropical countries as it is would be parallel to death, destruction, annihilation. Rizal concluded that natives’ supposed indolence was an end-product of the Spanish colonization.

Other Rizal’s articles which were also printed in La Solidaridad were “A La Patria” (November 15, 1889), “Sin Nobre” (Without Name) (February 28, 1890), and “Cosas de Filipinas” (Things about the Philippines) (April 30, 1890).

Historical Commentaries Written in London

This historical commentary was written by Rizal in London on December 6, 1888.

“Acerca de Tawalisi de Ibn Batuta”

This historical commentaryis believed to form part of ‘Notes’ (written incollaboration with A.B. Meyer and F. Blumentritt) on a Chinese code in the Middle Ages, translated from the German by Dr. Hirth. Written on January 7, 1889, the article was about the “Tawalisi” which refers to the northern part of Luzon or to any of the adjoining islands.

It was also in London where Rizal penned the following historical commentaries: “La Political Colonial On Filipinas” (Colonial Policy In The Philippines), “Manila En El Mes De Diciembre” (December , 1872), “Historia De La Familia Rizal De Calamba” (History Of The Rizal Family Of Calamba), and “Los Pueblos Del Archipelago Indico (The People’s Of The Indian Archipelago )

Other Writings in London

“La Vision Del Fray Rodriguez” (The Vision of Fray Rodriguez)

Jose Rizal, upon receipt of the news concerning Fray Rodriguez’ bitter attack on his novel Noli Me Tangere, wrote this defense under his pseudonym “Dimas Alang.” Published in Barcelona, it is a satire depicting a spirited dialogue between the Catholic saint Augustine and Rodriguez. Augustine, in the fiction, told Rodriguez that he (Augustine) was commissioned by God to tell him (Rodriguez) of his stupidity and his penance on earth that he (Rodriguez) shall continue to write more stupidity so that all men may laugh at him. In this pamphlet, Rizal demonstrated his profound knowledge in religion and his biting satire.

“To The Young Women of Malolos”

Originally written in Tagalog, this famous essay directly addressed to the women of Malolos, Bulacan was written by Rizal as a response to Marcelo H. Del Pilar’s request.

Rizal was greatly impressed by the bravery of the 20 young women of Malolos who planned to establish a school where they could learn Spanish despite the opposition of Felipe Garcia, Spanish parish priest of Malolos. The letter expressed Rizal’s yearning that women be granted the same chances given to men in terms of education. In the olden days, young women were not educated because of the principle that they will soon be wives and their primary career would be to take care of the home and children. Rizal however advocated women’s right to education.

Below are some of the points mentioned by Rizal in his letter to the young women of Malolos: 1) The priests in the country that time did not embody the true spirit of Christianity; 2) Private judgment should be used; 3) Mothers should be an epitome of an ideal woman who teaches her children to love God, country, and fellowmen; 4) Mothers should rear children in the service of the state and set standards of behavior for men around her;5) Filipino women must be noble, decent, and dignified and they should be submissive, tender, and loving to their respective husband; and 6) Young women must edify themselves, live the real Christian way with good morals and manners, and should be intelligent in their choice of a lifetime partner.

Writings in Hong Kong

“Ang Mga Karapatan Ng Tao” (The Rights Of Man)

This was Rizal’s Tagalog translation of “The Rights of Man” which was proclaimed by the French Revolution in 1789.

“A La Nacion Espanola”(To The Spanish Nation)

Written in 1891, this was Rizal’s appeal to Spain to rectify the wrongs which the Spanish government and clergy had done to the Calamba tenants.

“Sa Mga Kababayan” (To My Countrymen)

This writing written in December 1891 explained the Calamba agrarian situation .

“Una Visita A La Victoria Gaol” (A Visit To Victoria Gaol), March 2, 1892

On March 2, 1892,Rizal wrote this account of his visit to the colonial prison of Hong Kong. He contrasted in the article the harsh Spanish prison system with the modern and more humane British prison system.

“Colonisation Du British North Borneo, Par De Familles De Iles Philippines” (Colonization Of British North Borneo By Families From The Philippine Islands)

This was Rizal’s elucidation of his pet North Borneo colonization project.

“Proyecto De Colonization Del British North Borneo Por Los Filipinos” (Project Of The Colonization Of British North Borneo By The Filipinos)

In this writing, Rizal further discussed the ideas he presented in “Colonization of British North Borneo by Families from the Philippine Islands.”

“La Mano Roja” (The Red Hand)

This was a writing printed in sheet form. Written in Hong Kong, the article denounced the frequent outbreaks of fires in Manila.

“Constitution of The La Liga Filipina”

This was deemed the most important writing Rizal had made during his Hong Kong stay. Though it was Jose Ma. Basa who conceived the establishment of Liga Filipina (Philippine League), his friend and namesake Jose Rizal was the one who wrote its constitution and founded it.

Articles for Trubner’s Record

Due to the request of Rizal’s friend Dr. Reinhold Rost, the editor of Trubner’s Record (a journal devoted to Asian Studies), Rizal submitted two articles:

Specimens of Tagal Folklore

Published in May 1889, the article contained Filipino proverbs and puzzles.

Two Eastern Fables (June 1889)

It was a comparative study of the Japanese and Philippine folklore. In this essay, Jose Rizal compared the Filipino fable, “The Tortoise and the Monkey” to the Japanese fable “Saru Kani Kassen” (Battle of the Monkey and the Crab).

Citing many similarities in form and content, Rizal surmised that these two fables may have had the same roots in Malay folklore. This scholarly work received serious attention from other ethnologists, and became a topic at an ethnological conference.

Among other things, Rizal noticed that both versions of the fable tackled about morality as both involve the eternal battle between the weak and the powerful. The Filipino version however had more philosophy and plainness of form whereas the Japanese counterpart had more civilization and diplomacy.

Other Writings

“Pensamientos De Un Filipino” (Reflections of A Filipino)

Jose Rizal wrote this in Madrid, Spain from 1883-1885. It spoke of a liberal minded and anti-friar Filipino who bears penalties such as an exile.

“Por Telefono”

This was a witty satire authored by “Dimas Alang” (one of the hero’s pen names) ridiculing the Catholic monk Font, one of the priests who masterminded the banning of the “Noli”. Published in booklet form in Barcelona, Spain, it narrated in a funny way the telephone conversation between Font and the provincial friar of the San Agustin Convent in Manila.

This pamphlet showed not only Rizal’s cleverness but also his futuristic vision. Amazingly, Rizal had envisaged that overseas telephonic conversations could be carried on—something which was not yet done during that time (Fall of 1889). It was only in 1901, twelve years after Rizal wrote the “Por Telefono,” when the first radio-telegraph signals were received by Marconi across the Atlantic.

“La Instruccion” (The Town Schools In The Philippines)

Using his penname “Laong Laan”, Rizal assessed in this essay the elementary educational system in the Philippines during his time. Having observed the educational systems in Europe, Rizal found the Spanish-administered education in his country poor and futile. The hero thus proposed reforms and suggeted a more significant and engaging system.

Rizal for instance pointed out that there was a problem in the mandated medium of instruction—the colonizers’ language (Spanish) which was not perfectly understood by the natives. Rizal thus favored Philippine languages for workbooks and instructions.

The visionary (if not prophetic) thinking of Rizal might have been working (again) when he wrote the essay. Interestingly, his call for educational reforms, especially his stand on the use of the local languages for instruction, is part of the battle cry and features of today’s K to 12 program in the Philippines ... continue reading (© 2013 by Jensen DG. Mañebog )

Jensen DG. Mañebog , the contributor, is a book author and professorial lecturer in the graduate school of a state university in Metro Manila. His unique textbooks and e-books on Rizal (available online) comprehensively tackle, among others, the respective life of Rizal’s parents, siblings, co-heroes, and girlfriends. (e-mail: [email protected] )

Tag: Jose Rizal’s Essays and Articles

For STUDENTS' ASSIGNMENT, use the COMMENT SECTION here: Bonifacio Sends Valenzuela to Rizal in Dapitan

Ourhappyschool recommends.

18 Best Filipino Authors on Your Must-Read List

Are you looking for a new book to read? Check out these 18 best Filipino authors that you will absolutely love.

Many people living in the Philippines have had intense struggles through poverty, crime, and cultural challenges. Those who are skilled writers take those challenges and transform them into great works of literature. If you want to get a feel for the human struggle that the people of the Philippines experiencing, reading one of these Filipino authors could give you that insight.

Throughout the works created by famous authors from the Philippines, you will find something to fit almost any taste. From historic to modern, here are the Filipino authors you need to read.

1. Carlos Bulosan

2. jessica hagedorn, 3. jose rizal, 4. randy ribay, 5. barbara jane reyes, 6. elaine castillo, 7. f. sionil jose, 8. gina apostol, 9. joanne ramos, 10. malaka gharib, 11. melissa de la cruz, 12. mia alvar, 13. nick joaquin, 14. marcelo hilario del pilar y gatmaitan, 15. meredith talusan, 16. lysley tenorio, 17. mia hopkins, 18. tess uriza holthe.

Unlimited access to more than 5,500 nonfiction bestsellers. Free trial available.

Best Filipino Authors Ranked

Born in the Philippines in a small farming village called Mangusmana, Carlos Bulosan came from a family who struggled to make ends meet. Determined to help his family and improve his education, Bulosan emigrated to the United States at the age of 17. He started working low-paying jobs while facing racism and illness until he finally learned how to write and put a voice to the struggles of the Filipino people in the United States.

His best-known work is a semi-autobiographical book called America Is in the Heart. He also wrote The Freedom from Want. Bulosan was both a novelist and a poet, and he died in Washington in 1956. If you enjoyed our round-up of the best Filipino authors, we have many more articles on the best authors from around the globe. You might want to check out our list of the best Korean authors . Or use the search bar at the top right of the page to search for authors in a country or region you are interested in.

America Is in the Heart: A Personal History (Classics of Asian American Literature)

Carlos Bulosan (Author)
English (Publication Language)
327 Pages - 04/01/2014 (Publication Date) - University of Washington Press (Publisher)

Born in 1949 in Manila, Jessica Hagedorn is a modern playwright, poet and writer. She came to the United States in 1963 to get her education at the American Conservatory Theater training program. She lives in New York City and has won an American Book Award and the Lucille Lotel Foundation fellowship.

Hagedorn has many famous works to her name, but Mango Tango, her first play, is one of her most famous. She also wrote Burning Heart: A Portrait of the Philippines and the fiction novel Dream Jungle.

Jose Rizal came from a wealthy Filipino family He was well-educated and spent much of his time as a young adult traveling Europe to discuss politics. He also studied medicine at the University of Heidelberg and pushed for Filipino reforms under the Spanish authorities. His execution at the age of 36 put a fast end to his writing career.

Rizal wrote a number of poems as a teenager. He also wrote an Operetta called On the Banks of the Pasig. His first novel, Noli Me Tangere, offended the religious leaders of his area and caused him to be deemed a troublemaker. This likely led to his later arrest for political and religious problems.

Randy Ribay is a Filipino author who writes middle-grade and young-adult fiction. Though he was born in the Philippines, he was raised in the United States and majored in English literature at the University of Colorado with a graduate degree from Harvard. In addition to writing, he teaches English in San Francisco.

Ribay’s first works were poetry, but his book Patron Saints of Nothing is an award-winning work of adult fiction. He also wrote An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes and After the Shot Drops. You might also be interested in our round-up of the best Indian authors of all time.

Poet and author Barbara Jane Reyes was born in Manila and moved to the United States as a child. She studied literature and writing in California before launching her award-winning career. She now serves as an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco.

Reyes’s published works include full-length poetry collections and chapbooks. Gravities of Center, Easter Sunday and Poeta en San Francisco all won awards, including the James Laughlin Award of the Academy of American Poets. Letters to a Young Brown Girl is another popular collection.

Elaine Castillo is an American writer who is of Filipino descent. She studied at the University of California Berkeley and the University of London. She is passionate about equality for the people of the Philippines, and that comes out in her work.

In 2018 Castillo published her first novel America is Not the Heart. Though this is the only publication she has so far, many reviewers consider her an up-and-coming name in literature. NPR named it one of the best books of the year.

Francisco Sionil Jose was a Filipino writer who is one of the most widely read in the English language. He writes about the social struggles of his culture, and his books and short stories have a huge following. He was born in Pangasinan and attended the University of Santo Tomas before starting his journalism and writing career.

Jose has many novels in his name, including The Pretenders and The Rosales Saga. He also wrote Dusk: A Novel. He won the National Artist of the Philippines award for his literary works. He died at the age of 97 in 2022.

Gina Apostol is a modern Filipino author who was born in Manila and attended Devine World College and the University of the Philippines before coming to the United States to earn her master’s degree at Johns Hopkins University.

Apostol’s first book, Bibliolepsy, recently received republication. She also wrote The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata and Gun Dealers’ Daughter. She has non-fiction works about Filipino American History and short stories to her name as well.

Born in the Philippines, Joanne Ramos moved to Wisconsin when she was just six years old. She attended Princeton University, where she received a bachelor’s degree. She worked in investment banking and private investing before becoming a staff writer for The Economist.

In 2019 Ramos published The Farm, her first novel. It tells the tale of a facility named Golden Oaks, where women serve as surrogate mothers for wealthy clients, and the main character is Filipino, shedding some light on the plight of poor Filipino women and where current cultural ideals could lead them.

Malaka Gharib works for NPR as the digital strategist and deputy editor for their global health and development team. She started this position in 2015, and before that worked with the Malala Fund, which raises money for educational charities.

Gharib is the author of the graphic novel I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir. It talks about what she faced growing up as a Filipino Egyptian American and introduces young readers to the culture of the Philippines. She also wrote How to Raise a Human and #15Girls, both of which won Gracie Awards.

Melissa de la Cruz grew up in Manila and made the move to San Francisco as a teenager. She majored in art history at Columbia University. She lives in West Hollywood, where she continues to write novels and middle-grade fiction.

Many of de la Cruz’s works are quite famous, including several New York Times bestsellers. She published The Isle of the Lost, a prequel to the 2015 Disney movie Descendants, which spent weeks on the bestseller list. She is also famous for her Blue Bloods series, which has three million copies in print, and she has over 50 books to her name.

Mia Alvar was born in the Philippines and raised in the United States and Bahrain. She attended Harvard College and Columbia University and currently resides in California.

Alvar won the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction for her short story collection In the Country. She serves as the writer in residence at the Corporation of Yaddo. Sech also earned the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers award for her work.

Best known for his short stories and novels, Nick Joaquin often wrote under the pen name Quijano de Mania. He was born in 1917 and fought in the Philippine Revolution. After winning a nationwide essay competition, he started contributing poems and stories to magazines and newspapers. He was named the National Artist in 1957.

Joaquin has several novels to his name, including The Woman Who Had Two Navels and A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino. He focused on trying to explain and showcase Filipino culture and its history.

Marcelo Hilario del Pilar y Gatmaitan was often called Plaridel, his pen name. He was born in 1850 and lived in many parts of the Philippines before moving to Barcelona, Spain. Well-educated as a young man, especially in the arts, he became a well-known Filipino writer as an adult. He also attended law school and wrote on legal topics quite often.

Del Pilar was a prolific writer who published many works during his lifetime. The Greatness of God and The Triumph of the Enemies of Progress in the Philippines were some of them.

Meredith Talusan is a Filipino-American author who moved to the United States at the age of 15. He has many excellent essays, stories, and books to her name. She attended Cornell University, where she received an MFA degree, and she worked as a journalist for many well-known publications. In addition to writing, Talusan trained as a dancer.

Talusan has hit the New York Times Bestsellers list with Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture. She earned the Marsha P. Johnson Fellowship and the Poynter Fellowship at Yale. Many of her books talk about the LGTBQ+ community, and Fairest is her most recent publication.

Lysley Tenorio is a Filipino writer who wrote The Son of Good Fortune and Monstress. His work won many awards, including a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, an Edmund White Award, and the Rome Prize. Many of his works have become plays.

Tenorio focuses much of his writing on short stories . He was born in the Philippines and moved to San Francisco to pursue his passion for the arts. He works as an associate professor at Saint Mary’s College of California.

Mia Hopkin s is a Filipino-American writer known for her romance novels. She lives in Los Angeles and continues to publish new novels today. She likes to use working-class heroes in her works.

Mia Hopkins’ novels are full of steamy stories. Trashed is one of her most recent, and it is written from the point of view of the anti-hero of her previous novels. Her books have been featured in Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, and The Washington Post. Several of her works are part of a larger series, which gives the reader the chance to get to know her characters.

Tess Uriza Holthe is a Filipino-American writer who was raised in San Francisco. She attended Golden Gate University and works as an accountant in addition to her work as a writer.

Of her books, When the Elephants Dance is her most famous, hitting several national bestseller lists. She wrote the book during her breaks at work, and she drew information from her own father’s experience in the Philippines to inspire the story. She also wrote The Five-Forty-Five to Cannes. If you enjoyed this guide on the top Filipino authors, you might be interested in our round-up of the best Ukrainian authors .

Nicole Harms has been writing professionally since 2006. She specializes in education content and real estate writing but enjoys a wide gamut of topics. Her goal is to connect with the reader in an engaging, but informative way. Her work has been featured on USA Today, and she ghostwrites for many high-profile companies. As a former teacher, she is passionate about both research and grammar, giving her clients the quality they demand in today's online marketing world.

View all posts

#WalangPasok
Breaking News
Photography
ALS Exam Results
Aeronautical Engineering Board Exam Result
Agricultural and Biosystem Engineering Board Exam Result
Agriculturist Board Exam Result
Architecture Exam Results
BAR Exam Results
CPA Exam Results
Certified Plant Mechanic Exam Result
Chemical Engineering Exam Results
Chemical Technician Exam Result
Chemist Licensure Exam Result
Civil Engineering Exam Results
Civil Service Exam Results
Criminology Exam Results
Customs Broker Exam Result
Dental Hygienist Board Exam Result
Dental Technologist Board Exam Result
Dentist Licensure Exam Result
ECE Exam Results
ECT Board Exam Result
Environmental Planner Exam Result
Featured Exam Results
Fisheries Professional Exam Result
Geodetic Engineering Board Exam Result
Guidance Counselor Board Exam Result
Interior Design Board Exam Result
LET Exam Results
Landscape Architect Board Exam Result
Librarian Exam Result
Master Plumber Exam Result
Mechanical Engineering Exam Results
MedTech Exam Results
Metallurgical Engineering Board Exam Result
Midwives Board Exam Result
Mining Engineering Board Exam Result
NAPOLCOM Exam Results
Naval Architect and Marine Engineer Board Exam Result
Nursing Exam Results
Nutritionist Dietitian Board Exam Result
Occupational Therapist Board Exam Result
Ocular Pharmacologist Exam Result
Optometrist Board Exam Result
Pharmacist Licensure Exam Result
Physical Therapist Board Exam
Physician Exam Results
Principal Exam Results
Professional Forester Exam Result
Psychologist Board Exam Result
Psychometrician Board Exam Result
REE Board Exam Result
RME Board Exam Result
Radiologic Technology Board Exam Result
Real Estate Appraiser Exam Result
Real Estate Broker Exam Result
Real Estate Consultant Exam Result
Respiratory Therapist Board Exam Result
Sanitary Engineering Board Exam Result
Social Worker Exam Result
UPCAT Exam Results
Upcoming Exam Result
Veterinarian Licensure Exam Result
X-Ray Technologist Exam Result
Programming
Smartphones
Web Hosting
Social Media
SWERTRES RESULT
EZ2 RESULT TODAY
STL RESULT TODAY
6/58 LOTTO RESULT
6/55 LOTTO RESULT
6/49 LOTTO RESULT
6/45 LOTTO RESULT
6/42 LOTTO RESULT
6-Digit Lotto Result
4-Digit Lotto Result
3D RESULT TODAY
2D Lotto Result
English to Tagalog
English-Tagalog Translate
Maikling Kwento
EUR to PHP Today
Pounds to Peso
Binibining Pilipinas
Miss Universe
Family (Pamilya)
Life (Buhay)
Love (Pag-ibig)
School (Eskwela)
Work (Trabaho)
Pinoy Jokes
Tagalog Jokes
Referral Letters
Student Letters
Employee Letters
Business Letters
Pag-IBIG Fund
Home Credit Cash Loan
Pick Up Lines Tagalog
Pork Dishes
Lotto Result Today
Viral Videos

Philippine Authors and Their Works – Some Legendary Authors In PH

Here are some of the most famous philippine authors and their works that left remarkable mark in the ph literature..

PHILIPPINE AUTHORS AND THEIR WORKS – These are the legendary Filipino authors and their remarkable contributions.

The Philippine literature has improved greatly over time. We have authors who write fully in Filipino, while others scribbled their thoughts and letters in English adapting the Western style and language. But what most definitely will be of significance is how these creations have shaped and enriched the literature of the country.

Meet some of the most legendary and iconic authors from the Philippines below and a few of their masterpieces:

She wrote the 1990 novel Dogeaters which won the American Book Award and was declared a finalist for the National Book Award. She also created the play Mango Tango which happened to be her first-ever play.
He is one of those writers who deeply tackled social justice and issues. He created Rosales Saga – a a five-volume work. He is one of the most widely read Filipino authors. In 1980, he won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Literature.
He is a National Artist. He published a work at the age of 17 and his skill has made him won a scholarship from an essay contest where he topped. Among his most famous works is The Woman With Two Navels .
She wrote numerous books, short stories, and poems which told the lesser-known facts about the life of a Filipino. Fish-Hair Woman is one of her greatest stories that narrated the story of a woman who fell in love with an Australian soldier. Her works Rita’s Lullaby and White Turtle won the international Prix Italia Award and the Steele Rudd Award, respectively.
He is popularly called Butch Dalisay, his pen name. He lived and got imprisoned in the time of Martial law. his writings include Killing Time in a Warm Place (his first novel) and Soledad’s Sister (his second novel). In his career, he has won 16 Palanca awards.
He is a poet, author, and a teacher. His Eye of the Fish: A Personal Archipelago won the PEN Open Book Award and an Asian American Literary Award.
Our very own national hero is a prolific writer. He wrote Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo m, which, at current times, is deeply discussed in academic institutions. Mi Ultimo Adios is the last poem he wrote before his execution.
Functions Of Communication – Basic Functions Of Communication
Nature Of Communication – Elements, Process, and Models Of Communication

What can you say about this? Let us know!

For more news and updates, follow us on Twitter: @ philnews_ph Facebook: @PhilNews and; YouTube channel Philnews Ph .

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.

The Life and Works of Rizal

Your one-stop source of book summaries, chapter analyses, poem and essay interpretations, images, multimedia, news, digital downloads and everything Rizal.

Search This Blog

The indolence of the filipinos: summary and analysis, related pages:.

The Indolence of the Filipino Full Text

The Indolence of the Filipino Short Version

The Indolence of the Filipino Editor's Explanation

The Indolence of the Filipino Highlights and Quotable Quotes

Second, Spain also extinguished the natives’ love of work because of the implementation of forced labor. Filipinos were compelled to work in shipyards, roads, and other public works, abandoning agriculture, industry, and commerce.

Third, Spain did not protect the people against foreign invaders and pirates. With no arms to defend themselves, the natives were killed, their houses burned, and their lands destroyed. As a result, the Filipinos were forced to become nomads, lost interest in cultivating their lands or in rebuilding the industries that were shut down, and simply became submissive to the mercy of God.

Fourth, there was a crooked system of education. What was being taught in the schools were repetitive prayers and other things that could not be used by the students to lead the country to progress. There were no courses in Agriculture, Industry and other fields which were badly needed by the Philippines during those times.

Fifth, the Spanish rulers were a bad example to despise manual labor. The officials reported to work at noon and left early, all the while doing nothing in line with their duties. The women were seen constantly followed by servants who dressed them and fanned them – personal things which they ought to have done for themselves.

Sixth, gambling was established and widely propagated during those times. Almost every day there were cockfights, and during feast days, the government officials and friars were the first to engage in all sorts of bets and gambles.

Seventh, there was a crooked system of religion. The friars taught the naïve Filipinos that it was easier for a poor man to enter heaven, and so they preferred not to work and remain poor so that they could easily enter heaven after they died.

Lastly, the taxes were extremely high, so much so that a huge portion of what the Filipinos earned went to the government or to the friars. When the object of their labor was removed and they were exploited, they were reduced to inaction.

Rizal admitted that the Filipinos did not work so hard because they were wise enough to adjust themselves to the warm, tropical climate. “An hour’s work under that burning sun, in the midst of pernicious influences springing from nature in activity, is equal to a day’s labor in a temperate climate.”

It is important to note that indolence in the Philippines is a chronic malady, but not a hereditary one. Truth is, before the Spaniards arrived on these lands, the natives were industriously conducting business with China, Japan, Arabia, Malaysia, and other countries in the Middle East. The reasons for this said indolence were clearly stated in the essay, and were not based only on presumptions, but were grounded on fact taken from history.

Another thing that we might add that had caused this indolence, is the lack of unity among the Filipino people. In the absence of unity and oneness, the people did not have the power to fight the hostile attacks of the government and of the other forces of society. There would also be no voice, no leader to sow progress and to cultivate it, so that it may be reaped in due time. In such a condition, the Philippines remained a country that was lifeless, dead, simply existing and not living. As Rizal stated in conclusion, “a man in the Philippines is an individual; he is not merely a citizen of a country.”

It can clearly be deduced from the writing that the cause of the indolence attributed to our race is Spain: When the Filipinos wanted to study and learn, there were no schools, and if there were any, they lacked sufficient resources and did not present more useful knowledge; when the Filipinos wanted to establish their businesses, there wasn’t enough capital nor was there protection from the government; when the Filipinos tried to cultivate their lands and establish various industries, they were made to pay enormous taxes and were exploited by the foreign rulers.

It is not only the Philippines, but also other countries, that may be called indolent, depending on the criteria upon which such a label is based. Man cannot work without resting, and if in doing so he is considered lazy, they we could say that all men are indolent. One cannot blame a country that was deprived of its dignity, to have lost its will to continue building its foundation upon the backs of its people, especially when the fruits of their labor do not so much as reach their lips. When we spend our entire lives worshipping such a cruel and inhumane society, forced upon us by aliens who do not even know our motherland, we are destined to tire after a while. We are not fools, we are not puppets who simply do as we are commanded – we are human beings, who are motivated by our will towards the accomplishment of our objectives, and who strive for the preservation of our race. When this fundamental aspect of our existence is denied of us, who can blame us if we turn idle?

Also read: The Indolence of the Filipinos: Highlights and Quotable Quotes

The Board of Regents
Office of the University President
UP System Officials and Offices
The UP Charter
University Seal
Budget and Finances
University Quality Policy
Principles on Artificial Intelligence
UP and the SDGs
International Linkages
Philosophy of Education
Constituent Universities
Academic Programs
Undergraduate Admissions | UPCAT
Graduate Admissions
Varsity Athletic Admission System
Student Learning Assistance System
Frequently Asked Questions
Academics and Research
Public Service
Search for: Search Button

I am a Filipino

I am a Filipino is an essay written by Carlos Peña Romulo, Sr. which was printed in The Philippines Herald on August 16, 1941.

A Pulitzer Prize winner, passionate educator, intrepid journalist and effective diplomat, Romulo graduated from the University of the Philippines in 1918 with a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences degree. He earned his Master of Arts degree in Philosophy from Columbia University in 1921. He would join the ranks of the UP faculty in 1923 as an Associate Professor in what was then the English Department. He would be later be appointed to the Board of Regents in 1931. Almost three decades later, he would once again be reunited with the University, serving as its 11th President in 1962.

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 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 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 hallowed 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 life 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 first invader of this land, that nerved Lakandula in the combat 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 Gergorio 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 Malacañan 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 dignity as a human being. Like the seeds that were once buried in the tomb of Tutankhamen many thousand years ago, it shall grow and flower and bear fruit again. It is the insignia 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 spirit, and in its struggles for liberation from the imperialist yoke. But I also know that the East must awake from its centuried sleep, shake off the lethargy that has bound his 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. I cannot say of a matter of universal life-and-death, of freedom and slavery for all mankind, that it concerns me not. For no man and no nation is an island, but a part of the main, there is no longer any East and West–only individuals and nations making those momentous choices which are the hinges upon which history resolves.

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 it shall be compounded of the joyous cries of my Malayan forebears when first they 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 heartstrings 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 of the sweat of the hard-bitten pioneers in Mal-lig 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 the crashing of gears and the whine of turbines in the factories, out of the crunch of plough-shares 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 to freedom, and I shall not rest until freedom shall have been added unto my inheritance—for myself and my children and my children’s children—forever.”

4 Award-Winning Must-Read Filipino Authors and Poets

Whether you’re just starting to take interest in reading books or looking for ways to finally catch up on your to-read list, reading the works of these four Filipino authors might just be the push that you needed. As these authors immerses its readers to the Filipino experience, their books will definitely tug unseen emotions and thoughts. It’s no wonder that they have received received global recognition for their work.

Allan Popa at Saringsing Bikol Writers Workshop 2019 held in Catanduanes

Courtesy of Irvin Parco Sto. Tomas

If you’re into poetry, Allan Popa is one of the first names that come up if you’re asking any scholar in the Philippines. As of 2022, he has published more than ten collections of poetry including Morpo and Samsara , in which he received a National Book Award for Poetry in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Other national recognitions that Allan Popa has received are the Philippines Free Press Literary Award and the Manila Critics Circle National Book Award. Aside from national recognition, he has also earned an MFA degree in poetry at Washington University in Saint Louis. Not only that, but he also won the Norma Lowry Prize and the Academy of American Poets Graduate Prize during his stay in the university.

While the majority of his works are published in Tagalog, there are many translated editions and you can find many of them online.

“The poems...work like parables...(they) are mystical, mysterious, and mystifying, and so require to be read with deliberation and savored with fine discrimination,” says Bienvenido Lumbera, Editor of Sanghaya 2003: Philippine Arts and Culture Yearbook.

Lysley Tenorio

Courtesy of Jessica Christian via The Chronicle

Fiction writer, Lysley Tenorio has both published and received awards in the United States for writing stories about Filipinos and mostly, their experience in another country. His book titled Monstress (2012), which contains eight short stories, was named a book of the year by the San Francisco Chronicle. His recognitions in the field of literature includes receiving a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, a Whiting Award, a Stegner fellowship, the Edmund White Award, and the Rome Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Aside from having his stories appear in The Atlantic and Zoetrope: All-Story, and Ploughshares, The American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco and the Ma-Yi Theater in New York City has also adapted his stories for stage.

Lysley Tenorio’s most recent book is The Son of Good Fortune (2020) and is beautiful reflection of how vibrant and empathetic his characters are. Voted a Best Book by Amazon in July of 2020, The Son of Good Fortune is a novel about a mother, Maxima, and her son, Excel, who are undocumented Filipino immigrants living in California. Both of them do their best to assimilate. make money and not get caught by the INS. But what they do not know about each other is the ultimate challenge: Maxima seduces men on the internet, eventually cajoling them to wire her money, while Excel flees to a hippie commune with his girlfriend and begins to wonder if he could make it his home.

Conchitina Cruz

Courtesy of Conchitina Cruz

Another poet, Conchitina Cruz, also known as Chingbee Cruz, has written multiple poetry collections, and has published her works in both Philippine and American journals. Her collection of prose poetry, Dark Hours (2005) , where Chingbee Cruz navigates the city through the experiences of different characters, won the National Book Award in 2006. She also holds two Palanca Awards, an esteemed award giving body in the Philippines.

Although she is a Manila-based author, her audience expands in other corners of the world. She has earned her MFA degree at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and her PhD in English from State University of New York (SUNY) Albany. Other works of Conchitina Cruz includes elsewhere held and lingered (2008) , There is no emergency (2015) , and book of essays The Filipino Author as a Producer (2017) and Partial Views: On the Essay as a Genre in Philippine Literary Production (2021). Aside from writing, she currently also co-runs a small press, the Youth & Beauty Brigade.

Cruz’s work is known to be very lyrical and memoir-based stream of consciousness. Her poems illicit deep experience and response from fans of her work.

Gina Apostol

Courtesy of Margarita Corporan via ginaapostol.com

A US-based author, Gina Apostol, without fail, have always gotten a recognition for her published works. If you’re into reading stories of fiction based on the history of the Philippines, you might want to pick up one of her books. Her debut novel, Bibliolepsy (1997) has won the Juan Laya Prize for the Novel Category (Philippine National Book Award). This also holds true for her work, The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata (2009) has also won the same award. She follows these two works with Gun Dealers’ Daughter (2010) in which it won the 2013 PEN/Open Book Award, an award given to authors of color that has published in the United States. Her latest book, Insurrecto (2018), has garnered multiple recognitions such as Publisher Weekly’s one of the Ten Best Books of 2018, Editor’s Choice of the NYT, and being shortlisted for the Dayton Prize. Gina Apostol has also recently won the 2022 Rome Prize in Literature for her next novel.

Written by Maria Manio

Top 5 Things To Know Before You Self-Publish Your First Book

6 "very asian" things you used to like before they were cool now everyone is obsessed with.

Prepare for an unforgettable journey at Pokeverse: Choose your journey – Season 1

The ‘hidden gem’ of k-drama: byeon woo seok’s journey through k-drama hits, south korean actor ahn bo hyun swoons filipino fans during his 2024 asia tour fan meeting in manila, little mermaid’s original director provides criticism of the live action adaptation of the movie, a book finds its way back home to the library, 84 years later.

POP! Culture
Entertainment
Special Feature
INQUIRER.net

POP! is INQUIRER.net’s premier pop culture channel, delivering the latest news in the realm of pop culture, internet culture, social issues, and everything fun, weird, and wired. It is also home to POP! Sessions and POP! Hangout, OG online entertainment programs in the Philippines (streaming since 2015).

As the go-to destination for all things ‘in the now’, POP! features and curates the best relevant content for its young audience. It is also a strong advocate of fairness and truth in storytelling.

POP! is operated by INQUIRER.net’s award-winning native advertising team, BrandRoom.

Email us at [email protected]

MRP Building, Mola Corner Pasong Tirad Streets, Brgy La Paz, Makati City

10 Filipino poets and poems to explore on World Poetry Day

21 March, 2022
No Comments

March 21 is World Poetry Day, and what better way to celebrate than by exploring our country’s own rich poetry scene?

With so many languages and dialects to utilize when describing our rich history and experiences, the Philippines has a lot to offer to the poetry world. Here are 5 poets and 5 poem collections/works to discover on World Poetry Day.

Dovegelion by Jose Garcia Villa

A National Artist for Literature in the Philippines, Jose Garcia Villa was a poetry giant both in the Philippines and in America. Dubbed the “Pope of Greenwich Village”, Villa wrote amongst other literary giants including W.H. Auden, Tennessee Williams, and Gore Vidal.

Dovegelion contains rare and never before published works by Jose Garcia Villa. The title coming from his pen name “Dovegelion” for dove, eagle, and lion. Jose Garcia Villa was definitely a prolific poet, leaving behind numerous works and never shying away from playing with the structure and content of his poems.

Ophelia Dimalanta

Author of collections Flowing On , Love Woman , and Lady Polyester: Poems Past and Present , Ophelia Dimalanta uses sensual stanzas to express her stories and observations. Dimalanta embraces eroticism, saying that it “can be applied if it is functional; if it is important to what you are writing about.”

We Belong by Cookie Hiponia Everman

A contemporary take on a novel-in-verse, We Belong is Cookie Hiponia Everman’s ambitious debut that intertwines a Filipina immigrant story with the mythology of our country.

There isn’t much that Stella and Luna know about their mama, Elsie, other than she immigrated from the Philippines when she was young. As Elsie prepares her kids for bed, they ask her for a story. Elsie gifts them with two—one about her own childhood as a resolute middle child adjusting to the life of immigration, and that of Mayari, the legendary daughter of a god.

Benilda Santos

A recipient of 3 Carlos Palanca Awards for Literature in poetry (for both English and Filipino works), Benilda Santos has proved herself as a poetic power.

Santos’ Kuwadro Numero Uno: Mga Tula was the winner of the National Book Award. Her other poetry collections include Pali-palitong Posporo and Alipato: Mga Bago at Piling Tula .

Santos is also known for her poem Medusa , which is her own rendition of a Greek myth from the point of view of a female monster.

HAI[NA]KU and Other Poems by AA Patawaran

A mix of poems about the big and little things in life. This collection provides humorous and witty takes on love and loss, independence, introspection, and the people/things that walk in and out of your life.

Merlie Alunan

Fluent in languages other than English and Tagalog, Merlie Alunan’s works are sometimes conceived and drafted in Cebuano or Waray before taking their final form in English.

Merlie Alunan’s work includes both poetry and non-poetry collections: Pagdakop sa Bulalakaw ng Uban Pang Mga Balak , Sa Atong Dila: Introduction to Visayan Literature , and Tinalunay: Hinugpong mga Panurat .

To inspire other non-Tagalog writers of the country, Merlie Alunan has organized and facilitated numerous writing workshops in the hopes to get more Waray poems released in the mainstream poetry scene.

In Case You Come Back: Poems, Confessions, Apologies, and Promises by Marla Miniano and Reese Lansangan

Musician Reese Lansangan collaborates with writer Marla Miniano to create a poetry collection chronicling the fascinating intricacies and rituals that make-up everyday life.

From adventures to marshmallows and paper cuts to pixie dust, no rock is left unturned, and no topic is brushed past in this all-encapsulating poetry collection.

Edith Tiempo

Edith Tiempo displays masterful power over language as she vividly describes scenes and events while still scattering various symbols across her stanzas. Another recipient of the National Artist Award for Literature, Edith Tiempo may best be known for her poem The Return . It is a chilling poem about a case of dark nostalgia that comes upon an old man as he tries to relive his youth.

The Last Time I’ll Write About You by Dawn Lanuza

The Last Line I'll Write About You, World Poetry Day

Veteran Filipino YA and romance author Dawn Lanuza makes her debut into poetry with The Last Time I’ll Write About You .

Dawn Lanuza explores any and all things love, the perfect poetry collection for anyone coming from the month of love with any lingering feelings (whether they be good or bad).

Barbara Jane Reyes

With work like Letters to A Young Brown Girl and Diwata , Barbara Jane Reyes is a poetic powerhouse to watch out for.

In Letters to A Young Brown Girl , Reyes expresses all the complicated emotions that come from growing up not only as a young girl, but as a young brown girl. Reyes calls out all the hurts brought upon young brown girls’ fragile and precarious sense of self as they grow-up. Candid and raw, Reyes’ voice is that of an empowered woman standing up for herself, and an encouraging light leading the way for the young brown girls following after her.

In Diwata , Reyes brings to light, not monsters or paranormal beings, but the real-life horrors within our Filipino history and culture. Reyes puts a spotlight on the mistreatment of Filipinas through the years and the overbearing control that was forced upon both their bodies and minds.

And that’s 10 poetry collections/works and poets for you to check out to celebrate World Poetry Day.

Roses are red Violets are blue We love poetry, and you should too!

Don’t be afraid to dip your pen into the poetry scene and even write a few stanzas yourself if you feel so inclined.

Other POP! stories you might like:

10 books by Filipina authors to discover this National Women’s Month

Nostalgic books to remind you why you fell in love with reading

10 most anticipated novels releasing in 2022

About Author

Gari custodio.

Senior Writer

POP! Jr Artist - JC Alingalan

10 Filipino poets and poems to explore on World Poetry Day

If you prefer your pet to your child, you’re not alone

Marvel and Shonen Jump are teaming up to make Deadpool manga

Related stories, filipino visual artist, journalist among the finalists for this year’s pulitzer prize, reader’s digest uk bids farewell after 86 long years of publication, filipino artist calls out state university for displaying ‘plagiarized’ piece in art exhibit, merlee jayme’s book ‘ten talks, ten cities’ launches in sm aura’s book nook, ‘hulma: paghubog ng kababaihan sa lipunan’ — an art exhibit celebrating the international women’s month.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy .

Popping on POP!

‘progress or lowered standards’ social media user questions increasing number of students graduating with honors, ‘eats here’: mafbex returns for a culinary journey.

Literary Journal of the Philippine South

Recently, I discovered a poem entitled “Aswang” by Barbara Jane Reyes. Readings of the poem relate it to the subversive nature of powerful women. But the moment I chanced upon it, it reminded me of what I first learned about aswangs in my Philippine History class years ago, especially in the lines which read: “I am the bad daughter, the freedom fighter, the shaper of death masks.”

Reyes’ aswang never stayed the same way. She became “the snake, the crone,” or “the grunting black pig” or “your inverted mirror.” She shifted not to what the other person would deem desirable, but in the very creatures which would frighten them.

By the end of the poem, she dared the reader to “burn me with your seed and salt / Upend me, bend my body, cleave me beyond function. Blame me.” It was a powerful statement. Prodding the accuser to do the very thing they do best– inflict violence against those who challenge what they view as attractive, as normal, and as good. Read More

My Other Name

I was five when I learned I had another name, besides what my parents gave me. The name was first born out of my younger sister’s anger who never understood my difference—which for her and other kids were unusual and difficult to comprehend. For them, the world operated in black and white. Dolls are for girls; cars and toy guns are for boys. I wouldn’t blame them, we were taught to see the world in such banality and convenience.

But growing up was tough if you happen to be in the gray area.

As I ran my soft little hands and patted it against the black silky hair of my sister’s limited edition Barbie doll—donned in gold Filipiñana , beaded in intricate red gumamela patterns, and crowned with pearls towering on her head like those queens in Sagala , I was caught in a trance, mesmerized in an unknown cadence of beauty that I can’t help but adore. I continued patting her, held her brown legs, making sure not to spoil the crisp sparkling saya shaping her hourglass figure. I lifted her slim brown arms, waving them like queens do. She was beaming with her white teeth framed in her cherry red lips. I giggled in adoration until I heard my sister’s voice.

Maupay (At Mga Katagang Waray na Di Ko Malilimutan)

Maupay nga aga (kulop o gab-i) – magandang umaga, hapon o gabi.

Magiliw ang wastong kataga.

Madalas tayong magpalitan ng mga “maupay” – sa umaga o gabi – depende sa iyong kagustuhang sumagot. “Maupay man,” ang tugon sa kumustahan. Mabuti naman.

Madalas kong tingnan ang cellphone ko. Palagian kong ina-unlock, sakaling may nakaligtaan akong text mo. Kung babatiin mo rin ba ako ng maupay na kung isulat mo ay “maupai”. Kung sasagutin mo ako ng okey na kung isulat mo ay “uki po.” Madalas din akong nagpapanggap na may itatanong o hihinging pabor – paki-salin mo naman ito sa Waray; may maitutulong ba ako sa inaayos niyong papel? Sasamahan ko ba si Alice bukas sa miting niyo? Mga palusot para lang mapahaba ang usapan natin sa text.

Choosing to Stay Home

?Diri lang ta,? Nanay Salbing says, as she leads us through the maze that is Barangay Pasil.

An hour ago, I was sitting in a cubicle in our office on the sixth floor of a building inside IT Park. The office only seems to have two colors: blue and white. In the office, there are cubicles as far as the eye can see. And once you sit down on your designated spot, the only sight you are permitted is your computer unit, which you would be staring at for the rest of the day. If you stayed glued to your work, other people aren?t visible unless you look over the spines on top or to the side, which requires movement. Everything inside there is identical and easy to commit to memory.

Every step in Pasil is dynamic.

Baybayin All Over Her Face

Her eyes spill out unspoken stories?in the form of wrinkles that etch deeper and longer with the passage of time. From the corners of her eyes, they branch out like patterns on the wings of a butterfly?crawling all over her face, etching curves on her cheeks or fashioning waves on her forehead.

These scratches of age may reveal themselves as random graffiti for marking territories, as if declaring, The fine lines around my eyes are the marks of generations I witnessed coming and going. The folds below my mouth are the stories I wish to tell but can only whisper.

I witnessed these lines curve and swirl and dance with the rhythm of time, until they turned themselves into beautiful baybayin : the hushed characters of our history, striving for survival, like every one of her silent stories.

Katitikan Issue 5: Writes and Rights

Our voices, words of law, the symphony of frogs, the slaying of the war crab.

TAGALOG LANG

Learn Tagalog online!

The Indolence of the Filipinos

A Series of Essays by Jose P. Rizal

Doctor Sanciano, in his Progreso de Filipinas, has taken up this question, agitated, as he calls it, and relying upon facts and reports furnished by the very same Spanish authorities that ruled the Philippines has demonstrated that such indolence does not exist, and that all said about it does not deserve a reply or even passing choice.

Nevertheless as discussion of it has been continued, not only by government employees who make it responsible for their own shortcomings, not only by the friars who regard it as necessary in order that they may continue to represent themselves as indispensable, but also by serious and disinterested persons: and as evidence of greater or less weight may be adduced in opposition to that which Dr. Sanciano cites, it seems expedient to us to study this question thoroughly, without superciliousness or sensitiveness, without prejudice, without pessimism. As as we can only serve our country by telling the truth, however bitter it be, just as flagrant and skillful negation cannot refute a real and positive fact, in spite of the brilliance of the arguments; as mere affirmation is not sufficient to create something possible, let us calmly examine the facts, using on our part all the impartiality of which a man is capable who is convinced that there is no redemption except upon solid bases of virtue.

The word indolence has been greatly misused in the sense of little love for work and lack of energy, while ridicule has concealed the misuse. This much-discussed question has met with the same fate as certain panaceas and specifics of the quacks who by ascribing to them impossible virtues have discredited them. In the Middle Ages, and even in some Catholic countries now, the devil is blamed for everything that superstitious folk cannot understand or the perversity of mankind is loath to confess. In the Philippines one’s and another’s faults, the shortcomings of one, the misdeeds of another, are attributed to indolence. And just as in the Middle Ages he who sought the explanation of phenomena outside of infernal influences was persecuted, so in the Philippines worse happens to him who seeks the origin of the trouble outside of accepted beliefs.

The consequence of this misuse is that there are some who are interested in stating it as a dogma and others in combating it as a ridiculous superstition, if not a punishable delusion. Yet it is not to be inferred from the misuse of a thing that it does not exist.

We think that there must be something behind all this outcry, for it is incredible that so many should err, among whom we have said there are a lot of serious and disinterested persons. Some act in bad faith, though levity, through levity, through want of sound judgment, through limitation in reasoning power, ignorance of the past, or other cause. Some repeat what they have heard, without examination or reflection; others speak through pessimism or are impelled by that human characteristic which paints as perfect everything that belongs to oneself and defective whatever belongs to another. But it cannot be denied that there are some who worship truth, or if not truth itself at least the semblance thereof which is truth in the mind of the crowd.

Examining well, then, all scenes and all the men that we have known from childhood; and the life of our country, we believe that indolence does exist there. The Filipinos, who can measure up with the most active peoples in the world, will doubtless not repudiate his admission, for it is true there one works and struggles against the climate, against nature and against men. But we must not take the exception for the general rule, and should rather seek the good of our country by stating what we believe to be true. We must confess that indolence does actually and positively exist there, only that, instead of holding it to be the cause of the backwardness and the trouble, we regard it as the effect of the trouble and the backwardness, by fostering the development of a lamentable predisposition. Those who have as yet treated of indolence, with the exception of Dr. Sancianco, have been content to deny or affirm it. We know of no one who has studied its causes. Nevertheless, those who admit its existence and exaggerate it more or less have not therefore failed to advise remedies taken from here and there, from Java, from India, from other English or Dutch colonies, like the quack who saw a fever cured with a dozen sardines and afterwards always prescribed these fish at every rise in temperature that he discovered in his patient.

We shall proceed otherwise. Before proposing a remedy we shall examine the causes, and even though strictly speaking a predisposition is not a cause, let us, however, study at its true value this predisposition due to nature.

The predisposition exists? Why shouldn’t it?

A hot climate requires of the individual quiet and rest, just as cold incites to labor and action. For this reason the Spaniard is more indolent than the Frenchman; the Frenchman more so than the German. The Europeans themselves who reproach the residents of the colonies so much (and I am not now speaking of the Spaniards but of the Germans and English themselves), how do they live in tropical countries? Surrounded by a numerous train of servants, never-going afoot but riding in a carriage, needing servants not only to take off their shoes for them but even to them! And yet they live and eat better, they work for themselves to get rich, with the hope of a future, free and respected, while the poor colonist, the indolent colonist , is badly nourished, has no hope, toils for others, and works under force and compulsion! Perhaps the reply to this will be that white men are not made to stand the severity of the climate. A mistake! A man can live in any climate, if he will only adapt himself to its requirements and conditions. What kills the European in hot countries is the abuse of liquors, the attempt to live according to the nature of his own country under another sky and another sun. We inhabitants of hot countries live well in northern Europe whenever we take the precautions of the people there do. Europeans can also stand the torrid zone, if only they would get rid of their prejudices.

The fact is that in tropical countries violent work is not a good thing as it is in cold countries, there it is death, destruction, annihilation. Nature knows this and like a just mother has therefore made the earth more fertile, more productive, as a compensation. An hour’s work under that burning sun, in the midst of pernicious influences springing from nature in activity, is equal to a day’s work in a temperate climate; it is, then, just that the earth yields a hundred fold! Moreover, do we not see the active European, who feels the fresh blood of spring boil in his veins, do we not see him abandon his labors, during the few days of his variable summer, close his office — where the work is not violent and amounts for many to talking and gesticulating in the shade beside a lunch stand — flee to watering places, sit in the cafes or stroll about. What wonder then that the inhabitant of tropical countries, worn out and with his blood thinned by the continuous and excessive heat is reduced to inaction? Who is the indolent one in the Manila offices? Is it the poor clerk who comes in at eight in the morning and leaves at one in the afternoon with only his parasol, who copies and writes and works for himself and for his chief, or is it the chief, who comes in a carriage at ten o’clock, leaves before twelve, reads his newspaper while smoking and with his feet cocked up on a chair or a table, or gossiping about all his friends? What is indolent, the native coadjutor, poorly paid and badly treated, who has to visit all the indigent sick living in the country, or the friar curate who gets fabulously rich, goes about in a carriage, eats and drinks well, and does not put himself to any trouble without collecting an excessive fee?

Without speaking further of the Europeans in what violent labor does the Chinaman engage in tropical countries, the industrious Chinaman, who flees from his own country driven by hunger and whose whole ambition is to amass a small fortune? With the exception of some porters, an occupation that the natives also follow, he nearly always engages in the trade, in commerce; so rarely does he take up agriculture that we do not know of a single case. The Chinaman who in other colonies cultivates the soil does so only for a certain number of years and then retires.

We find, then, the tendency to indolence very natural, and have to admit and bless it, for we cannot alter natural laws, and without it the race would have disappeared. l Man is not a brute, he is not a machine, his object is not merely to produce, in spite of the pretensions of some Christian whites who would make of the colored Christian a kind of motive power somewhat more intelligent and less costly than steam. Man’s object is not to satisfy the passions of another man, his object is to seek happiness for himself and his kind by traveling along the road of progress and perfection.

The evil is not that indolence exists more or less latently but that it is fostered and magnified. Among men, as well as among nations, there exist not only, aptitudes but also tendencies good and evil. To foster the good ones and aid them, as well as correct the evil and repress them, would be the duty of society and government, if less noble thoughts did not occupy their attention. The evil is that the indolence in the Philippines is a magnified indolence, an indolence of the snowball type, if we may be permitted the expression, an evil that increases in direct proportion to the periods of time, and effect of misgovernment and of backwardness, as we have said, and not a cause thereof. Others will hold the contrary opinion, especially those who have a hand in the misgovernment, but we do not care; we have made an assertion and are going to prove it.

… When in consequence of a long chronic illness the condition of the patient is examined, the question may arise whether the weakening of the fibers and the debility of the organs are the cause of the malady’s continuing or the effect of the bad treatment that prolongs its action. The attending physician attributes the entire failure of his skill to the poor constitution of the patient, to the climate, to the surroundings, and so on. On the other hand, the patient attributes the aggravation of the evil to the system of treatment followed. Only the common crowd, the inquisitive populace, shakes its head and cannot reach a decision.

Something like this happens in the case of the Philippines. Instead of a physician, read government, that is friars, employees, etc. Instead of patient, Philippines; instead of malady, indolence.

And just as happens in similar cases when the patient gets worse, everybody loses his head, each one dodges the responsibility to place it upon somebody else, and instead of seeking the causes in order to combat the evil in them, devotes himself at best to attacking the symptoms; here a blood-letting, a tax; there a plaster, forced labor, further on a sedative, a trifling reform. Every new arrival proposes a new remedy; one, seasons of prayer, the relics of a saint, the viaticum, the friars; another shower-bath; still another, with pretensions to modern ideas, a transfusion of blood. “It’s nothing, only the patient has eight million indolent red corpuscles; some few white corpuscles in the form of an agricultural colony will get us out of the trouble.”

So, on all sides there are groans, gnawing of lips, clenching of fists, many hollow words, great ignorance, a deal of talk, a lot of fear. The patient is near his finish!

Yes, transfusion of blood, transfusion of blood! New life, new vitality! Yes, new white corpuscles that you are going to inject into its veins, the new white corpuscles that were a cancer in another organism will withstand all the depravity of the system, will have more stamina than all the degeneration, all the trouble in the principal organs. Be thankful if they do not become coagulations and produce gangrene, be thankful if they do not reproduce the cancer!

While the patient breathes, we must not lose hope, and however late we may be, a judicious examination is never superfluous; at least the cause of death may be known. We are not trying to put all the blame on the physician, and still less on the patient, for we have already spoken of a predisposition, in the absence of which the race would disappear, sacrificed to excessive labor in a tropical country.

Indolence in the Philippines is a chronic malady, but not a hereditary one. The Filipinos have not always been what they are, witnesses whereto are all the historians of the first years after the discovery of the Islands.

Before the arrival of the Europeans, the Malayan Filipinos carried on an active trade, no only among themselves but also with all the neighboring countries. A Chinese manuscript of the 13th century, translated by Dr. Hirth ( Globus , September, 1889), which we will take up at another time, speaks of China’s relations with the islands, relations purely commercial, which mention is made of the activity and honesty of the traders of Luzon, who took the Chinese products and distributed them throughout all the islands, for the merchandise that the Chinaman did not remember to have given them. The products which they in exchange exported from the islands were crude wax, cotton, pearls, tortoise shell, betel-nuts, dry goods, etc.

The first thing noticed by Pigafetta who came with Magellan in 1521, on arriving at the first island of the Philippines, Samar, was the courtesy and kindness of the inhabitants and their commerce. “To honor our captain,” he says, “they conducted him to their boats where they had their merchandise, which consisted of cloves, cinnamon, pepper, nutmegs, mace, gold and other things; and they made us understand by gestures that such articles were to be found in the islands to which we were going.”

Further on he speaks of the vessels and utensils of solid gold that he found in Butuan where the people worked in mines. He describes the silk dresses, the daggers with long gold hilts and scabbards of carved wood, the gold sets of teeth, etc. Among cereals and fruits he mentions rice, millet, oranges, lemons, panicum, etc.

That the islands maintained relations with neighboring countries and even with distant ones is proven by the ships from Siam, laden with gold and slaves, that Magellan found in Cebu. These ships paid certain duties to the king of the island. In the same year, 1521, the survivors of Magellan’s expedition met the son of the Rajah of Luzon, who, as captain-general of the Sultan of Borneo and admiral of his fleet, had conquered for him the great city of Lave (Sarawak ?). Might this captain, who was greatly feared by all his foes, have been the Rajah Matanda whom the Spaniards afterwards encountered in Tondo in 1570?

In 1539 the warriors of Luzon took part in the formidable contests of Sumatra, and under the orders of Angi Sity Timor, Rajah of Batta, conquered and overthrew the terrible Alzadin, Sultan of Atchin, renowned in the historical annals of the Far East. (Marseen, History of Sumatra , chapter 20)

At that time, that sea where float the islands like a set of emeralds on a paten of bright glass, that sea was everywhere traversed by junks, paraus , barangays , vintas , vessels swift as shuttles so large that they could maintain a hundred rowers on a side (Morga); that sea bore everywhere commerce, industry, agriculture, by the force of the oars moved to the sound of warlike songs of the genealogies and achievements of the Philippine divinities. (Colin, Chapter 15)

Wealth abounded in the islands. Pigafetta tells us of the abundance of foodstuffs in Pragua and of its inhabitants, who nearly all tilled their own fields. At this island the survivors of Magellan’s expedition were well received and provisioned. A little later, these same survivors captured a vessel, plundered and sacked it and took prisoner in it the chief of the Island of Paragua with his son and brother.

In this same vessel they captured bronze lombards, and this is the first mention of artillery of the Filipino, for these lombards were useful to the chief of Paragua against the savages of the interior.

They let him ransom himself within seven days, demanding 400 measures ( cavanes ?) of rice, 20 pigs, 20 goats, and 450 chickens. This is the first act of piracy recorded in Philippine history. The chief of Paragua paid everything, and moreover, voluntarily added coconuts, bananas, and sugar-cane jars filled with palm wine. When Caesar was taken prisoner by the corsairs and required to pay twenty-five talents ransom, he replied, “I’ll give you fifty, but later I’ll have you crucified!” The chief of Paragua was more generous: he forgot. His conduct, while it may reveal weakness, also demonstrates that the islands ere abundantly provisioned. This chief was named Tuan Mahamud; his brother, Guantil, and his son, Tuan Mahamud. (Martin Mendez, Purser of the ship Victoria : Archivo de Indias.)

A very extraordinary thing, and one that shows the facility with which the natives learned Spanish, is that fifty years before the arrival of the Spaniards in Luzon, in that very year 1521, when they first came to the islands, there were already natives of Luzon who understood Castilian. In the treaties of peace that the survivors of Magellan’s expedition made with the chief of Paragua, when the servant-interpreter died they communicated with one another through a Moro who had been captured in the island of the King of Luzon and who understood some Spanish (Martin Mendez; op cit. ) Where did this extemporaneous interpreter learn Castilian? In the Moluccas? In Malacca, with the Portuguese? Spaniards did not reach Luzon until 1571.

Legazpi’s expedition met in Butuan various traders of Luzon with their boats laden with iron, cloths, porcelain, etc. (Gaspar de San Agustin) plenty of provisions, activity, trade, movement in all the southern islands.

They arrived at the Island of Cebu, “abounding in provisions, with mines and washings of gold, and peopled with natives, “as Morga says: “very populous, and at a port frequented by many ships that came from the islands and kingdoms near India,” as Colin says: and even though they were peacefully received discord soon arose. The city was taken by force and burned. The first destroyed the food supplies and naturally famine broke out in that town of a hundred thousand people, as the historians say, and among the members of the expedition, but the neighboring islands quickly relieved the need, thanks to the abundance they enjoyed.

All the histories of those first years, in short, abound in long accounts about the industry and agriculture of the natives; mines, gold-washings, looms, farms, barter, naval construction, raising of poultry and stock, weaving of silk and cotton, distilleries, manufactures of arms, pearl fisheries, the civet industry, the horn and hide industry, etc., are things encountered at every step, and considering the time and the conditions in the islands, prove that there was life, there was activity, there was movement.

And if this, which is deduction, does not convince any minds imbued with unfair prejudices perhaps, of some avail may be the testimony of the oft-quoted Dr. Morga, who was Lieutenant-Governor of Manila for seven years and after rendering great service in the Archipelago was appointed criminal judge of the Audiencia of Mexico and Counselor of the Inquisition. His testimony, we say, is highly credible, not only because all his contemporaries have spoken of him in terms that border on veneration but also because his work, from which we take these citations, is written with great circumspection and care, as well with reference to the authorities in the Philippines as to the errors they committed. “The natives,” says Morga, in Chapter Seven, speaking of the occupations of the Chinese, “are very far from exercising those trade and have forgotten much about farming, raising poultry, stock and cotton, and weaving cloth. As they used to do in their Paganism and for a long time after the country was conquered.”

The whole Chapter 8 of his work deals with this moribund activity, this much forgotten industry, and yet in spite of that, how long is his eighth chapter!

And not only Morga, not also Chirinco, Colin, Argensola, Gaspar de San Agustin and others agree to this matter, but modern travelers, after two hundred and fifty years, examining the decadence and misery, assert the same thing. Dr. Hans Meyer, when he saw the tribes not subdued cultivating beautiful fields and working energetically, asked if they would not become indolent when they in turn should accept Christianity and a paternal government.

Accordingly, the Filipinos in spite of the climate, in spite of their few needs (they were less then than now), were not the indolent creatures of our time, and, as we shall see later on, their ethics and their mode of life were not what is not complacently attributed to them.

How then, and in what way, was that active and enterprising infidel native of ancient times converted into the lazy and indolent Christian, as our contemporary writers say?

We have already spoken of the more or less latent predisposition which exists in the Philippines toward indolence, and which must exist everywhere, in the whole world, in all men, because we all hate work more or less, as it may be more or less hard, more ore less unproductive. The dolce far niente of the Italian, the rascarse la barriga of the Spaniard, the supreme aspiration of the bourgeois to live on his income in peace and tranquility, attest this.

What causes operated to awake this terrible predisposition from its lethargy? How is it that the Filipino people, so fond of its customs as to border on routine, has given up its ancient habits of work, of trade, of navigation, etc., even to the extent of completely forgetting its past?

… A fatal combination of circumstances, some independent of the will in spite of men’s efforts, others in offspring of stupidity and ignorance, others the inevitable corollaries of false principles, and still others the result of more or less base passions, has induced the decline of labor, an evil which instead of being remedies by prudence, mature reflection and recognition of the mistakes made, through a deplorable policy, through regrettable blindness and obstinacy, has gone from bad to worse until it has reached the condition in which we now see it.

First came the wars, the internal disorders which the new change of affairs naturally brought with it. It was necessary to subject the people either by cajolery or force; there were fights, there was slaughter; those who had submitted peacefully seemed to repent of it; insurrections were suspected, and some occurred; naturally there were executions, and many capable laborers perished. Add to this condition of disorder the invasion of Li-Mahong; add continual wars into which the inhabitants of the Philippines were pledged to maintain the honor of Spain, to extend the sway of her flag in Borneo, in the Moluccas and in Indo-China; to repel the Dutch foe; costly wars, fruitless expeditions, in which each time thousands and thousands of native archers and rowers were recorded to have embarked, but whether they returned to their homes was never stated. Like the tribute that once upon a time Greece sent to the Minotaur of Crete, the Philippine youth embarked for the expedition, saying goodbye to their country forever; on their horizon were the stormy sea, the interminable wars, the rash expeditions. Wherefore, Gaspar de San Agustin says: “Although anciently there were in this town of Dumangas many people, in the course of time they have very greatly diminished because the natives are the best sailors and most skillful rowers on the whole coast, and so the governors in the port of Iloilo take most of the people from this town for the ships that they send abroad . . . When the Spaniards reached this island (Panay) it is said that there were on it more than fifty thousand families; but these diminished greatly . . . and at present they may amount to some fourteen thousand tributaries.” From fifty thousand families to fourteen thousand tributaries in little over half a century!

We would never get through, had we to quote all the evidence of the authors regarding the frightful diminution of the inhabitants of the Philippines in the first years after the discovery. In the time of their first bishop, that is, ten years after Legazpi. Philip II said that they had been reduced to less than two-thirds.

Add to these fatal expeditions that wasted all the moral and material energies of the country, the frightful inroads of the terrible pirates from the south, instigated and encouraged by the government, first in order to get a complaint and afterwards disarm the islands subjected to it, inroads that reached the very shores of Manila, even Malate itself, and during which were sen to set out for captivity and slavery, in the baleful glow of burning villages, strings of wretches who had been unable to defend themselves, leaving behind them the ashes of their homes and the corpses of their parents and children. Morga, who recounts the first piratical invasion, says: “The boldness of these people of Mindanao did great damage to the Visayan Island, as much by what they did in them as by the fear and fright which the native acquired, because the latter were in the power of the Spaniards who held them subject and tributary and unarmed, in such manner that they did not protect them from their enemies or leave the means with which to defend themselves, AS THEY DID WHEN THERE WERE NO SPANIARDS IN THE COUNTRY.” These piratical attacks continually reduce the number of the inhabitants of the Philippines, since the independent Malays were especially notorious for their atrocities and murders, sometimes because they believed that to preserve their independence it was necessary to weaken the Spaniard by reducing the number of his subjects, sometimes because a greater hatred and a deeper resentment inspired them against the Christian Filipino who, being of their own race, served the stranger in order to deprive them of their precious liberty. These expeditions lasted about three centuries, being repeated five and ten times a year, and each expedition cost the island over eight hundred prisoners.

“With the invasions of the pirates from Sulu and Mindanao,” says Padre Gaspar de San Agustin, (the island of Bantayan, near Cebu) “has greatly reduced, because they easily captured the people there, since the latter had no place to fortify themselves and were far from help from Cebu. The hostile Sulus did great damage in this island in 1608, leaving it almost depopulated.” (Page 380)

These rough attacks, coming from without, produced a counter effect in the interior, which, carried out medical comparisons was like a purge or diet in an individual who has just lost a great deal of blood. In order to make headway against so many calamities, to secure their sovereignty and take the offensive in these disastrous contests, to isolate the warlike Sulus from their neighbors in the south, to care for the needs of the empire of the Indies (for one of the reasons why the Philippines were kept, as contemporary documents prove, ws their strategic position between New Spain and the Indies), to wrest from the Dutch their growing colonies of the Molluccas and get red of some troublesome neighbors, to maintain, in short, the trade of China and New Spain, it was necessary to construct new and large ships which, as we have seen, costly as they were to the country for their equipment and the rowers they required, were not less so because of the manner in which they were constructed. Padre Fernando de lost Rios Coronel, who fought in these wards and later turned priest, speaking of these King’s ships, said, “As they were so large, the timber needed was scarcely to be found in the forests (of the Philippines?), and thus it was necessary to seek it with great difficulty in the most remote of them, where, once found, in order to haul and convey it to the shipyard the towns of the surrounding country had to be depopulated of natives, who get it out with immense labor, damage, and cost to them. The natives furnished the masts for a galleon, according to the assertion of the Franciscans, and I heard the governor of the province where they were cut, which is Laguna de Bay, say that to haul them seven leagues over very broken mountains 6,000 natives were engaged three months, without furnishing them food, which the wretched native had to seek for himself!” And Gaspar de San Agustin says: “In these times (1690), Bacolor has not the people that it had in the past because of the uprising in that province when Don Sabiniano Manrique de Lara was Governor of these islands and because of the continual labor of cutting timber for his Majesty’s shipyards, which hinders them from cultivating the very fertile plain they have.

If this is not sufficient to explain the depopulation of the islands and the abandonment of industry, agriculture and commerce, then add “the natives who were executed, those who left their wives and children and fled in disgust to the mountains, those who were sold into slavery to pay the taxes levied upon them,” as Fernando de los Rios Coronel says; add to all this what Philip II said in reprimanding Bishop Salazar about “natives sold to some encomenderos to others, those flogged to death, the women who are crushed to death by their heavy burdens, those who sleep in the fields and bear and nurse their children and die bitten by poisonous vermin, the many who are executed and left to die of hunger and those who eat poisonous herbs . . . and the mothers who kill their children in bearing them,” and you will understand how in less than thirty years the population of the Philippines was reduced one-third. We are not saying this: it was said by Gaspar de San Agustin, the preeminently anti-Filipino Augustinian, and he confirms it throughout the rest of his work by speaking every moment of the state of neglect in which lay the farms and field once so flourishing and so well cultivated, the town thinned that had formerly been inhabited by many leading families!

How is it strange, then, that discouragement may have been infused into the spirit of the inhabitants of the Philippines, when in the midst of so many calamities they did not know whether they would see sprout the seed they were planting, whether their field was going to be their grave or their crop would go to feed their executioner? What is there strange in it, when we see the pious but impotent friars of that time trying to free their poor parishioners from the tyranny of the encomenderos by advising them to stop work in the mines, to abandon their commerce, to break up their looms, pointing out to them heaven for their whole hope, preparing them for death as their only consolation?

Man works for an object. Remove the object and you reduce him to inaction. The most active man in the world will fold his arms from the instant he understands that it is madness to bestir himself, that this work will be the cause of his trouble, that for him it will be the cause of vexations at home and of the pirate’s greed abroad. It seems that these thoughts have never entered the minds of those who cry out against the indolence of the Filipinos.

Even were the Filipino not a man like the rest, even were we to suppose that zeal in him for work was as essential as the movement of a wheel caught in the gearing of others in motion; even were we to deny him foresight and the judgment that the past and present form, there would still be left us another reason to explain the attack of the evil. The abandonment of the fields by their cultivators, whom the wars and piratical attacks dragged from their homes was sufficient to reduce to nothing the hard labor of so many generations. In the Philippines abandon for a year the land most beautifully tended and you will see how you will have to begin all over again: the rain will wipe out the furrows, the floods will drown the seeds, pants and bushes will grow up everywhere, and on seeing so much useless labor the hand will drop the hoe, the laborer will desert his plow. Isn’t there left the fine life of the pirate?

Thus is understood that sad discouragement which we find in the friar writers of the 17th century, speaking of once very fertile plains submerged, of provinces and towns depopulate, of leading families exterminated. These pages resemble a sad and monotonous scene in the night after a lively day. Of Cagayan, Padre Agustin speaks with mournful brevity: “A great deal of cotton, of which they made good cloth that the Chinese and Japanese every year bought and carried away.” In the historian’s time, the industry and the trade had come to an end.

It seems that there are causes more than sufficient to breed indolence in the midst of a beehive. Thus is explained why, after thirty-two years of the system, the circumspect and prudent Morga said that the natives have forgotten much about farming, raising poultry, stock and cotton and weaving cloth, as they used to do in their paganism and for a long time after the country had been conquered!”

Still they struggled a long time against indolence, yes: but their enemies were so numerous that at last they gave up!

… We recognize the causes that awoke the predisposition and provoked the evil: now let us see what foster and sustain it. In this connection government and governed have to bow our heads and say: “We deserve our fate.”

We have already truly said that when a house becomes disturbed and disordered, we should not accuse the youngest child or the servants, but the head of it, especially if his authority is unlimited. He who does not act freely is not responsible for his actions; and the Filipino people, not being master of its liberty, is not responsible for either its misfortunes or its woes. We say this, it is true, but, as well as seen later on, we also have a large part in the continuation of such a disorder.

The following other causes contributed to foster the evil and aggravate it; the constantly lessening encouragement that labor has met with in the Philippines. Fearing to have the Filipinos deal frequently with other individuals of their own race, who were free and independent, as the Borneans, the Siamese, the Cambodians, and the Japanese, people who in their customs and feeling differ greatly from the Chinese, the government acted toward these others with great mistrust and great severity, as Morga testifies in the last pages of his work, until they finally ceased to come to the country. In fact, it seems that once an uprising planned by he Borneans was suspected: we say; suspected , for there was not even an attempt, although there were many executions. And as thse nations wee the very ones that consumed Philippine products, when all communication with them had been cut off, consumption of these products also ceased. The only two countries with which the Philippines continued to have relations were China and Mexico, or New Spain, and from this trade only China and a few private individuals in Manila got any benefit. In fact, the Celestial Empire sent her junks laden with merchandise, that merchandise which shut down the factories of Seville and ruined the Spanish industry, and returned laden in exchange with the silver that was every year sent from Mexico. Nothing from the Philippines at that time went to China, not even gold, for in those years the Chinese trades would accept no payment but silver coin. To Mexico went a little more: some cloth and dry goods which the encomenderos took by force or bought from the natives at a paltry; price, wax, amber, gold, civet, etc; but nothing more, and not even in great quantity, as is stated by Admiral Don Jeronimo de Benelos y Carrilo, when he begged the King that “the inhabitants of the Manilas be permitted (1) to load as many ships as they could with native products, such as wax, gold, perfumes, ivory, cotton cloths, which they would have to buy from the natives of the country. . . Thus friendship of these peoples would be gained, they would furnish New Spain with their merchandise and the money that is brought to Manila would not leave this place.” The coastwise trade, so active in other times, had to die out, thanks to the piratical attacks of the Malays of the south; and trade in the interior of the islands almost entirely disappeared, owing to restrictions, passports and other administrative requirements.

Of no little importance were the hindrance and obstacles that from the beginning were thrown in the farmer’s way by the rules, who were influenced by childish fear and saw everywhere signs of conspiracies and uprisings. The natives were not allowed to go to their labors, that is, their farms, without permission of the governor, or of his agents and officers, and even of the priests as Morga says. Those who know the administrative slackness and confusion in a country where the officials work scarcely two hours a day; those who know the cost of going to and returning form the capital to the little tyrants will well understand how with this crude arrangement it is possible to have the most absurd agriculture. True it is that for sometime this absurdity which would be ludicrous had it not been so serious, had disappeared; but even if the words have gone out of use other facts and other provisions have replaced them. The Moro pirate has disappeared but there remains the outlaw who infests the fields and waylays the farmer to hold him for ransom. Now then, the government, which has a constant fear of the people, denies to the farmers even the use of a shotgun, or if it does allow it does so very grudgingly and withdraws it at pleasure; whence it results with the laborer, who, thanks to his means of defense, plants his crops and invests his meager fortune in the furrows that he has so laboriously opened, that when his crop matures it occurs to the government, which is impotent to suppress brigandage, to deprive him of his weapon; and then, without defense and without security, he is reduced to inaction and abandons his field, his work, and takes to gambling as the best means of securing a livelihood. The green cloth is under the protection of the government, it is safer! A mournful counselor is fear, for it not only causes weakness but also in casting aside the weapons, strengthens the very persecutor!

The sordid return the native gets from his work has the effect of discouraging him. We know from history that the encomenderos , after reducing many to slavery and forcing them to work for their benefit, made others give up their merchandise for a trife or nothing at all, or cheated them with the measures.

Speaking of Ipion, in Panay, Padre Gaspar de San Agustin says: “It was in ancient times very rich in gold . . . but provoked by he annoyances they suffered from some governors they have ceased to get it out, preferring to live in poverty than to suffer such hardships.” (page 378) Further on, speaking of other towns, he says: “Boaded by ill treatment of the encomenderos who in administering justice have treated the natives as their slaves and not as their children, and have only looked after their own interests at the expense of the wretched fortunes and lives of their charges. . . (Page 422) Further on, “In Leyte, they tried to kill an encomendero of the town of Dagami on account of the great hardships he made them suffer by exacting tribute of wax from them with a steelyard which he had made twice as long as others. . .”

This state of affairs lasted a long time and still lasts, in spite of the fact that the breed of encomenderos has become extinct. A term passes away but the evil and the passions engendered do not pass away so long as reforms are devoted solely to changing the names.

The wars with the Dutch, the inroads and piratical attacks of the people of Sulu land Mindanao disappeared; the people have been transformed; new towns have grown up while others have become impoverished; but the frauds subsisted as much as or worse than they did in those early years. We will not cite our own experiences for aside from the fact that we do not know which to select, critical persons may reproach us with partiality; neither will we cite those of other Filipinos who write in the newspapers, but we shall confine ourselves to translating the words of a modern French traveler who as in the Philippines for a long time.

“The good curate,” he says with reference to the rosy picture a friar had given him of the Philippines, “had not told me about the governor, the foremost official of the district, who was too much taken up with the ideal of getting rich to have time to tyrannize over his docile subjects; the governor, charged with ruling the country and collecting the various taxes in the government’s name, devoted himself almost wholly to trade; in his hands the high and noble functions he performs are nothing more than instruments of gain. He monopolizes all the business and instead of developing on his part the love of work, instead of stimulating the too natural indolence of the natives, he with abuse of his powers thinks only of destroying all competition that may trouble him or attempts to participate in his profits. It maters little to him that the country is impoverished, without cultivation, without commerce, without industry, just so the governor is quickly enriched.” Yet the traveler has been unfair in picking out the governor especially. Why only the governor?

We do not cite passages from other authors, because we have not their works at hand and do not wish to quote from memory.

The great difficulty that every enterprise encountered with the administration contributed not a little to kill off all commercial and industrial movement. All the Filipinos, as well as all those who have tried to engage in business in the Philippines, know how many documents, what comings, how many stamped papers, how much patience is needed to secure from the government a permit for an enterprise. One must count upon the good will of this one, on the influence of that one, on a good bribe to another in order that the application be not pigeon-holed, a present to the one further on so that it may pass it on to his chief; one must pray to God to give him good humor and time to see and examine it; to another, talent to recognize its expediency; to one further on sufficient stupidity not to scent behind the enterprise an insurrectionary purpose land that they may not all spend the time taking baths, hunting or playing cards with the reverend friars in their convents or country houses. And above all, great patience, great knowledge of how to get along, plenty of money, a great deal of politics, many salutations, great influence, plenty of presents and complete resignation! How is it strange that the Philippines remain poor in spite of the fertile soil, when history tells us that the countries now the most flourishing date their development from the day of their liberty and civil rights? The most commercial and most industrious countries have been the freest countries. France, England and the United States prove this. Hong Kong, which is not worth the most insignificant of the Philippines, has more commercial movement than all the islands together, because it is free and is well governed.

The trade with China, which was the whole occupation of the colonizers of the Philippines, was not only prejudicial to Spain but also the life of her colonies; in fact, when the officials and private persons in Manila found an easy method of getting rich they neglected everything. They paid no attention either to cultivating the soil or to fostering industry; and wherefore? China furnished the trade, and they had only to take advantage of it and pick up the gold that dropped out on its way from Mexico toward the interior of China, the gulf whence it never returned. The pernicious example of the dominators in surrounding themselves with servants and despising manual or corporal labor as a thing unbecoming the nobility and chivalrous pride of the heroes of so many centuries; those lordly airs, which the natives have translated into tila ka castila , and the desire of the dominated to be the equal of the dominators, if not essentially, at least in their manners; all this had naturally to produce aversion to activity and fear or hatred of work.

Moreover, “Why work?” asked the natives. The curate says that the rich man will not go to heaven. The rich man on earth is liable to all kinds of trouble, to be appointed a cabeza de barangay , to be deported if an uprising occurs, to be forced banker of the military chief of the town, who to reward him for favors received seizes his laborers and his stock in order to force him to beg money and thus easily pays up. Why be rich? So that all the officers of justice may have a lynx eye on your actions, so that at the least slip enemies may be raised up against you, you may be indicted, a whole complicated and labyrinthine story may be concocted against you, for which you can only get away, not by the tread of Ariadme but by Dane’s shower of gold, and still give thanks that you are not kept in reserve for some needy occasion. The native, whom they pretend to regard as an imbecile, is not so much so that he does not understand that it is ridiculous to work himself to death to become worse off. A proverb of his says the pig is cooked in its own lard , and as among his bad qualities he has the good one of applying to himself all the criticisms and censures he refers to live miserable and indolent rather than play the part of the wretched beast of burden.

Add to this the introduction of gambling. We do not mean to say that before the coming of the Spaniards the natives did not gamble: the passion for gambling is innate in adventuresome and excitable races, and such is the Malay, Pigafetta tells us of cockfights and of bets in the Island of Paragua. Cock-fighting must also have existed in Luzon and in all the islands, for in the terminology of the game are two Tagalog words: sabong and tari (cockpit and gaff). But there is not the least doubt that the fostering of this game is due to the government, as well as the perfecting of it. Although Pigafetta tells us of it, he mentions it only in Paragua, and ot in Cebu nor in any other island of the south, where he stayed a long time. Morga does not speak of it, in spite of his having spent seven years in Manila, and yet he does describe the kinds of fowl, the jungle hens and cocks. Neither does Morga speak of gambling, when he talks about vices and other defects, more or lest concealed, more or less insignificant. Moreover excepting the two Tagalog words sabong and tari , the others are of Spanish origan as soltada (setting the cocks to fight, then the fight itself), pusta ( apusta , bet) , logro (winning), pago (payment), etc. We say the same about gamblilng; the word sugal ( jugar , to gamble), like kumpistal ( confesar , to confess to a priest), indicates that gambling was unknown in the Philippines before the Spaniards. The word laro (Tagalog: to play) is not the equivalent of the word sugal . The word play ( baraja , playing card) proves that the introduction of playing cards was not due to the Chinese, who have a kind of playing cards also, because in that case they would have taken the Chinese name. What else? The word taya ( tallar , to bet), paris-paris (Spanish, pares , pairs of cards), politana ( napolitana a winning sequence of cards), sapote (to stack the cards), kapote (to slam), monte , and so on, all prove the foreign origin of this terrible plant, which only produces vice and which has found in the character of the native a fit soil, cultivated circumstances.

Along with gambling, which breeds dislike for steady and difficult toil by its promise of sudden wealth and its appeal to the emotions, with the lotteries, with the prodigality and hospitality of the Filipinos, went also, to swell the train of misfortunes, the religious functions, the great number of fiestas, the long masses for the women to spend their mornings and the novenaries to spend their afternoons, and the nights for the processions and rosaries. Remember, that lack of capital and absence of means paralyze all movement, and you will see how the native was perforce to be indolent for if any money might remain to him from the trials, imposts and exactions, he would have to give it to the curate for bulls, scapularies, candles, novenaries, etc. And if this does not suffice to form an indolent character, if the climate and nature are not enough in themselves to daze him and deprive him of all energy, recall then that the doctrine of his religion teach him to irrigate his fields in the dry season, not by means of canals but with amasses and prayers; to preserve his stock during an epidemic with holy water, exorcisms and benedictions that cost five dollars an animal, to drive away the locusts by a procession with the image of St. Augustine, etc. It is well, undoubtedly, to trust greatly in God; but it is better to do what one can not trouble the Creator every moment, even when these appeals redound to the benefit of His ministers. We have noticed that the countries which believe most in miracles are the laziest, just as spoiled children are the most ill-mannered. Whether they believe in miracles to palliate their laziness or they are lazy because they believe in miracles, we cannot say; but he fact is the Filipinos were much less lazy before the word miracle was introduced into their language.

The facility with which individual liberty is curtailed, that continual alarm of all from the knowledge that they are liable to a secret report, a governmental ukase, and to the accusation of rebel or suspect, an accusation which, to be effective, does not need proof or the production of the accuser. With the lack of confidence in the future, that uncertainty of reaping the reward of labor, as in a city stricken with plague, everybody yields to fate, shuts himself in his house or goes about amusing himself in an attempt to spend the few days that remain to him in the least disagreeable way possible.

The apathy of the government itself toward everything in commerce and agriculture contributes not a little to foster indolence. Three is no encouragement at all for the manufacturer or for the farmer, the government furnishes no aid either when a poor crop comers, when the locusts sweep over the fields, or when cyclone destroys in its passage the wealth of the soil; nor does it take any trouble to seek a market for the products of its colonies. Why should it do so when these same products are burdened with taxes and imposts and have no free entry into the ports of the mother country, nor is their consumption there encouraged? While we see all the walls of London covered with advertisements of the products of its colonies, while the English make heroic efforts to substitute Ceylon for Chinese tea, beginning with the sacrifice of their taste and their stomach, in Spain, with the exception of tobacco, nothing from the Philippines is known; neither its sugar, coffee, hemp, fine cloths, nor its Ilocano blankets. The name of Manila is known only from those cloths of China or Indo-China which at one time reached Spain by way of Manila, heavy silk shawls, fantastically but coarsely embroidered, which no one has thought of imitating in Manila since they are so easily made; but the government has other cares, and the Filipinos do not know that such objects are more highly esteemed in the Peninsula than their delicate piña embroideries and their vey fine jusi fabrics. Thus disappeared our trade in indigo, thanks to the trickery of the Chinese, which the government could not guard against, occupied as it was with other thoughts; thus die now the other industries, the fine manufacturers of the Visayas are gradually disappearing from trade and even from use; the people, continually getting poorer, cannot afford the costly cloths, and have to be contented with calico or the imitations of the Germans, who produce imitations even of the work of our silversmiths.

The fact that the best plantations, the best tracts of land in some provinces, those that from their easy access are more profitable than others, are in the hands of the religious corporations, whose desideratum is ignorance and condition of semi-starvation of the native, so that they may, continue to govern him and make themselves necessary to his wretched existence, is one of the reasons why many tows do not progress in spite of the efforts of their inhabitants. We will be met with the objection, as an argument on the other side, that the towns which belong to the friars are comparatively richer than those which do not belong to them. They surely are! just as their brethren in Europe, in founding their convents, knew how to select the best valleys, the best uplands for the cultivation of the vine or the production of beer, so also the Philippine monks have known how to selecte the best towns, the beautiful plains, the well-watered fields, to make of them rich plantations. For some time the friars have deceived many by making them believe that if these plantations were prospering, it was because they were under their care, and the indolence of the natives was thus emphasized; but they forget that in some provinces where they have not been able for some reason to get possession of the best tracts of land, their plantations, like Bauan and Liang, are inferior to Taal, Balayan, and Lipa, regions cultivated entirely by the natives without any monkish interference whatsoever.

Add to this lack of material inducement the absence of moral stimulus and you will see how he who is not indolent in that country must needs be a madman or at least a fool. What future awaits him who distinguishes himself, him who studies, who rise above the crowd? At the cost of study and sacrifice a young man becomes a great chemist, and after a long course of training, wherein neither the government nor anybody has given him the least help, he concludes his long stay in the University. A competitive examination is held to fill a certain position. The young man wins this through knowledge and perseverance, and after he has won it, it is abolished, because. . . we do not care to give the reason, but when a municipal laboratory is closed in order to abolish the position of director, who got his place by competitive examination, while other officers, such as the press censor, are preserved, it is because the belief exists that the light of progress may injure the people more than all the adulterated foods. In the same way, another young man won a a prize in a literary competition, and as long as his origin was unknown his work was discussed, the newspapers praised it and it was regarded as a masterpiece but the sealed envelopes were opened, the winner proved to be a native, while among the losers there are Peninsulars; then all the newspapers hasten to extol the losers! Not one word from the government, nor from anybody, to encourage the native who with so much affection has cultivated the language and letters of the mother country!

Finally passing over many other more or less insignificant reasons, the enumeration of which would be interminable, let us close this dreary list with the principal and most terrible of all: the education of the native.

From his birth until he sinks into his grave, the training of the native is brutalizing, depressive and anti-human (the word “inhuman” is not sufficiently explanatory; whether or not the Academy admits it, let it go). There is no doubt that the government, some priests like the Jesuits and some Dominicans like Padre Benavides, have done a great deal by founding colleges, schools of primary instruction, and the like. But this is not enough; their efforts is neutralized. They amount ot five or ten years (years of a hundred and fifty days at most) during which the youth comes in contact with books selected by those very priests who boldly proclaim that it is evil for the natives to know Castilian, that the native should not be separated from his carabao, that he should not value any further aspirations, and so on; five to ten years during which the majority of the students have grasped nothing more than that no one understands what the books say, nor even the professors themselves perhaps; and these five to ten years have no offset the daily preachment which lowers the dignity of man, which by degrees brutally deprives him of the sentiment of self-esteem, that eternal, stubborn, constant labor to bow the native’s neck, to make him accept the yoke, to place him on a level with the beast — a labor aided by some persons, with or without the ability to write, which if it does not produce in some individuals the desired effect in others it has the opposite effect, like that of breaking of a cord that is stretched too tightly. Thus while they attempt to make of the native a kind of animal, yet in exchange they demand of him divine actions. And we say divine actions, because he must be a god who does not become indolent in that climate, surrounded by the circumstances mentioned. Deprive a man, then, of his dignity, and you not only deprive him of his moral strength but you also make useless for those who wish to make use of him. Every creature has its stimulus, its mainspring; man’s is his self-esteem. Take it away from him and he is a corpse, and he who seeks activity in a corpse will encounter only worms. Thus is explained how the natives of the present time are no longer the same as those of the time of the discovery, neither morally nor physically.

The ancient writers, like Chirino, Morga, and Colin, take pleasure in describing them a well-featured, with good aptitudes for any thing they take up, keen and susceptible and of resolute will, very clean and neat in their persons and clothing, and of good mien and bearing (Morga). Others delight in minute accounts of their intelligence and pleasant manners, of their aptitude for music, the drama, dancing and singing, of the faculty with which they learned, not only Spanish but also Latin, which they acquired almost by themselves (Colin); others of their exquisite politeness in their dealings and in their social life, others, like the first Augustinians, whose accounts Gaspar de San Agustin copies, found them more gallant and better mannered than the inhabitants of the Moluccas. “All live off their husbandry,” adds Morga, “their farms, fisheries and enterprises , for they travel from island to island by sea and from province to province by land.”

In exchange, the writers of the present time, without being more gallant than Herman Cortez and Salcedo, nor more prudent than Legazpi, nor more manly than Morga, nor more prudent than Colin and Gaspar de San Agustin, our contemporary writers we say find that the native is a creature something more than a monkey but much less than a man, an anthropoid, dull-witted, stupid, timid, dirty, cringing, ill-clothed, indolent, lazy brainless, immoral, etc. etc. To what is this retrogression due? Is it the delectable civilization, the religion of salvation of the friars, called of Jesus Christ by euphemism, that has produced this miracle that has atrophied his brain, paralyzed his heart and made of the man this sort of vicious animal that the writers depict?

Alas! The whole misfortune of the present Filipinos consists in that they have become only half-way brutes. The Filipino is convinced that to get happiness it is necessary for him to lay aside his dignity as a rational creature, to attend mass, to believe what is told him, to pay what is demanded of him, to pay and forever to pay; to work, suffer, and be silent, without aspiring any thing, without aspiring to know or even to understand Spanish, without separating himself from his carabao, as the priests shamelessly say, without protesting against any injustice, against any arbitrary action, against an assault, against an insult; that is, not to have heart, brain, or spirit; a creature with arms and a purse of gold. . . there’s the ideal native! unfortunately, or because of the brutalization is not yet complete and because the nature of man is inherent in his being in spite of his condition, the native protests; he still has aspirations, he thinks and strives to rise, and there’s the trouble!

… In the preceding chapter we set forth the causes that proceed from the government in fostering and maintaining the evil we are discussing. Now it falls to us to analyze those that emanate from the people. Peoples and governments are correlated and complementary: a stupid government would be an anomaly among righteous people, just as a corrupt people cannot exist under just rulers and wise laws. Like people, like government, we will say in paraphrase of a popular adage.

We can reduce all these causes to two classes: to defects of training and lack of national sentiment.

Of the influence of climate we spoke at the beginning, so we will now treat of the effects arising from it.

The very limited training in the home, the tyrannical and sterile education of the rare centers of learning that blind subordination of the youth to one of greater age, influence the mind so that a man may not aspire to excel those who preceded him but must merely be content to go along with a march behind them. Stagnation forcibly results from this, and as he who devotes himself merely to copying divests himself of other qualities suited to his own nature, he naturally becomes sterile; hence decadence. Indolence is a corollary derived from the lack of stimulus and of vitality.

That modesty infused into the convictions of everyone, or, to speak more clearly, that insinuated inferiority, a sort of daily and constant depreciation of the mind so that it may not be raised to the regions of life, deadens the energies, paralyzes all tendencies toward advancement, and of the least struggle a man gives up without fighting. If by one of those rare incidents, some wild spirit, that is some active one, excels, instead of his example stimulating, it only causes others to persist in their inaction. “There’s one who will work for us; let’s sleep on!” say his relatives and friends. True it is that the spirit of rivalry is sometimes awakened, only that then it awakens with bad humor in the guise of envy, and instead of being a lever for helping, it is an obstacle that produces discouragement.

Nurtured by the example of anchorites of a contemplative and lazy life, the natives spend theirs in giving their gold to the Church in the hope of miracles and other wonderful things. Their will is hypnotized: from childhood they learned to act mechanically, without knowledge of the object, thanks to the exercise imposed upon them from the most tender years of praying for whole hours in an unknown tongue, of venerating things that they do not understand, of accepting beliefs that are not explained to them, to having absurdities imposed upon them, while the protests of reason are repressed. Is it any wonder that with this vicious dressage of intelligence and will the native, of old logical and consistent — as the analysis of his past and of his language demonstrates — should now be a mass of dismal contradictions? That continual struggle between reason and duty, between his organism and his new ideals, that civil war which disturbs the peace of his conscience all his life, has the result of paralyzing all his energies, and aided by the severity of the climate, makes that eternal vacillation, of the doubts in his brain, the origin of his indolent disposition.

“You can’t know more than this or that old man!” “Don’t aspire to be greater than the curate!” “You belong to an inferior race!” “You haven’t any energy!” This is what they tell the child and they repeat it so often, it has perforce to become engraved in the mind and thence mould and pervade all his action. The child or youth who tries to be anything else is blamed with vanity and presumption; the curate ridicules him with cruel sarcasm, his relatives look upon him with fear, strangers regard him with great compassion. No forward movement — Get back in the ranks and keep in line!

With his spirit thus molded the native falls into the most pernicious of all routines: routine not planned but imposed and forced. Note that the native himself is not naturally inclined to routine but his mind is disposed to accept all truth, just as his house is open to all strangers. The good and the beautiful attract him, seduce and captivate him although like the the Japanese he often exchanges the good for the evil, if it appears to him garnished and gilded. What he lacks is in the first place liberty to allow expansion to his adventuresome spirit, and good examples, beautiful prospects for the future. It is necessary that his spirit, although it may be dismayed and cowed by the elements and the fearful manifestation of their mighty forces, store up energy, seek high purposes, in order to struggle against obstacles in the midst of unfavorable natural conditions. In order that he may progress it is necessary that a revolutionary spirit, so to speak, should boil in his veins, since progress necessarily requires the present; the victory of new ideas over the ancient and accepted one. It will not be sufficient to speak to his fancy, to talk nicely to him, nor that the light illuminate him like the ignis fatuus that leads travelers astray at night: all the flattering promises of the fairest hopes will not suffice, so long as his spirit is not free, his intelligence is not respected.

The reasons that originate in the lack of natural sentiment are still more lamentable and more transcendental.

Convinced by the insinuation of his inferiority, his spirit harassed by his education, if that brutalization of which we spoke above can be called education, in that exchange of usages and sentiments among different nations, the Filipino, to whom remain only his susceptibility and his poetical imagination, allows himself to be guided by his fancy and his self-love. It is sufficient that the native product for him to hasten to make the change, without reflecting that everything has its weak side and the most sensible custom is ridiculous in the eyes of those who do not follow it. They have dazzled him with tinsel, with strings of colored glass beads, with noisy rattles, shining mirrors and other trinkets, and he has given in return his gold, his conscience, and even his liberty. He changed his religion for the external practices of another cult; the convictions and usages derived from his climate and needs, for other convictions that developed under another sky and another inspiration. His spirit, well-disposed toward everything that looks good to him, was then transformed, at the pleasure of the nation that forced upon him its God and its law, and as the trader with whom he dealt did not bring a cargo of useful implements of iron, hoes to till the fields, but stamped papers, crucifixes, bulls and prayer-books, as he did not have for ideal and prototype the tanned and vigorous laborer, but the aristocratic Lord carried in a luxurious litter, the result was that the imitative people became bookish, devout, prayerful; it acquired ideas of luxury and ostentation, without thereby improving the means of its substance to a corresponding degree.

The lack of national sentiment brings another evil, moreover which is the absence of all opposition to measures prejudicial to the people and the absence of any initiative in whatever may redound to its good. A man in the Philippines is only an individual, he is not a member of a nation. He is forbidden and denied the right of association, and is, therefore, weak and sluggish. The Philippines is an organism whose cells seem to have no arterial system to irrigate it or nervous system to communicate its impressions; these cells must, nevertheless, yield their product, get it where they can; if they perish, let them perish. In the view of some this is expedient so that a colony may be a colony; perhaps they are right, but not the effect that a colony may flourish.

The result of this is that if a prejudicial measure is ordered, no one protests, all goes well apparently until later the evils are felt. Another blood-letting, as as the organism has neither nerves nor voice the physician proceeds in the belief that the treatment is not injuring it. It needs a reform, but as it must not speak, it keeps silent and remains with the need. The patient wants to eat, it wants to breathe the fresh air, but as such desires may offend the susceptibility of the physician who thinks that he has already provided everything necessary, it suffers and pines away from fear of receiving a scolding, of getting another plaster and a new blood-letting and so on indefinitely.

In addition to this, love of peace and the honor many have of accepting the few administrative positions which fall to the Filipinos on account of the trouble and annoyance these cause them places at the head of the people the most stupid and incapable men, those who submit to everything, those who can endure all the caprices and exactions of the curate and of the officials. Will this inefficiency in the lower spheres of power and ignorance and indifference in the upper, with the frequent changes and the eternal apprenticeships, with great fear and many administrative obstacles, with a voiceless people that have neither initiative nor cohesion, with employees who nearly all strive to amass a fortune and return home, with inhabitants who live in great hardship from the instant they begin to breathe, create prosperity, agriculture and industry, found enterprises and companies, things that still hardly prosper in free and well-organized communities?

Yes, all attempt is useless that does not spring from a profound study of the evil that afflicts us. To combat this indolence, some have proposed increasing the native’s needs and raising the taxes. What has happened? Criminals have multiplied, penury has been aggravated. Why? Because the native already has enough needs with his functions of the Church, with his fiestas, with the public offices forced on him, the donations and bribes that he had to make so that he may drag out his wretched existence. The cord is already too taut.

We have heard many complaints, and every day we read in the papers about the efforts the government is making to rescue the country from its condition of indolence. Weighing its plans, its illusions and its difficulties, we are reminded of the gardener who spent his days tending and watering the handful of earth, he trimmed the plant frequently, he pulled at it to lengthen it and hasten its growth, he grafted on its cedars and oaks, until one day the little tree died, leaving the man convinced that it belonged to a degenerate species attributing the failure of his experiment to everything except the lack of soil and his own ineffable folly.

Without education and liberty, which are the soil and the sun of man, no reform is possible, no measure can give the result desired. This does not mean that we should ask first for the native the instruction of a sage and all imaginable liberties, in order then to put a hoe in his hand or place him in a workshop; such a pretension would be an absurdity and vain folly. What we wish is that obstacle be not put in his way, not to increase the many his climate and the situation of the islands already create for him that instruction be not begrudged him for fear that when he becomes intelligent he may separate form the colonizing nation or ask for the rights of which he makes himself worthy. Since some day or other he will become enlightened, whether the government wishes it or not, let his enlightenment be as a gift received and not as conquered plunder. We desire that the policy be at once frank and consistent, that is highly civilizing, without sordid reservations, without distrust without fear or jealously, wishing the good for the sake of the good, civilization without ulterior thoughts of gratitude, or else boldly exploiting tyrannical and selfish, without hypocrisy or deception, with a whole system well-panned and studied out for dominating by compelling obedience, for commanding to get rich, to be happy. If the former, the government may act with the security that some day or other it will reap the harvest and will find people its own in heart and interest; there is nothing like a favor for securing the friendship or enmity of man, according to whether it be conferred with good will or hurled into his face and bestowed upon him in spite of himself. If the logical and regulated system of exploitation be chosen, stifling with the jingle of gold and the sheen of opulence the sentiments of independence in the colonies, paying with its wealth for its lack of liberty, as the English do in India, who moreover leave the government to native rulers, then build roads, lay out highways, foster the freedom of trade; let the government heed material interests more than the interests of four orders of friars; let it send out intelligent employees to foster industry; just judges, all well paid, so that they be not venal pilferers, and lay aside all religious pretext. This policy has the advantage in that while it may not lull the instincts of liberty wholly to sleep yet the day when the mother country loses her colonies she will at least have the gold amassed and not the regret of having reared ungrateful children.

2019 Was the Year of the Pinay Writer

Theresa Celebran Jones

Theresa Celebran Jones was born and raised in New England and has moved across the country four times. She is a technical writer and an MFA dropout but, like, definitely still an actual writer. She lives with her partner, her two human children, and her two canine children in San Diego. Contact here at [email protected] or find her on Instagram at @mandirigmajones.

View All posts by Theresa Celebran Jones

In 2019, I challenged myself to always have a book written by a Filipino writer in rotation. I like to juggle multiple books at a time to manage my short attention span, so I didn’t only read Filipino writers, but thanks to this challenge, I read more than I ever had before.

Growing up in New England, the scope of my understanding of the Filipino American experience was very limited (to basically myself and my family). I didn’t know the names of any Filipino authors until I got to college, and even then, there was exactly one class on Filipino American history available for me to take. And while I got to read great books by Carlos Bulosan, Jose Rizal, and Jessica Hagedorn, that semester wasn’t long enough for my professor to include too many modern Filipino writers in the curriculum.

So I knew I had a lot of books by Filipino writers to catch up on, but I was honestly surprised at how many of these books came out in the past decade. It feels slightly unbelievable to say this, but five of the best books I’ve read recently by any writer have all been written by Filipina Americans, and they all celebrated their first book birthdays in 2019 alone. Is it possible that 2019 was truly the Year of the Pinay?

I Was Their American Dream by Malaka Gharib

Reading Malaka Gharib’s graphic memoir about growing up in with a Filipina mom and Egyptian dad, I couldn’t believe how many times I thought to myself, “Wow, I thought I was the only one!” I Was Their American Dream was a really fun look at finding and forging a hyphenated identity, and embracing being different.

The Body Papers by Grace Talusan

Grace Talusan’s memoir traverses her experiences with immigration, sexual abuse, mental illness, and cancer, and reminds us all of the importance and power of speaking the seemingly unspeakable. The language is plain and beautiful, and by giving herself the space to talk about these painful experiences, she’s able to show us the nuance and the weight of all this baggage.

S omewhere In The Middle by Deborah Francisco Douglas

In Somewhere In The Middle , Deborah Francisco Douglas, a biracial Pinay, writes about her Peace Corps assignment in the Philippines, where her father was born. Growing up, she describes being somewhat disconnected from her Filipino side, and this assignment helped her connect with the culture, warts and all. This doesn’t seem to be a typical experience of most Filipino Americans, and it was a refreshing memoir to read.

Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino

Jia Tolentino is already a hugely accomplished writer and a name familiar to many millennials. It should come as no surprise that her debut collection of essays is going to top many best of 2019 lists. Every essay in this collection is wildly intelligent and thoroughly researched, but her critical takes on marriage/the wedding industrial complex and the culture of scamming are absolutely “voice of a generation”–worthy.

How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell

Jenny Odell skips the tips and tricks of unplugging (of which there are already countless books and thinkpieces) and gets right to the heart of why you should want to unplug and the important things you miss when your attention is spread thin. What sets her apart from other writers on technology is her consideration of how race and class intersect with the attention economy. How To Do Nothing is not just a manual on giving up your iPhone in 30 days to go live on Walden Pond; it gives us important historical context on the conditions that led us to relying so heavily on social media and the implications this has for the future.

Editor’s Note: T. Kira Madden’s Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls was removed from this list.

16 Books By Filipina Authors You Should Read

Learn more about the philippines and filipino culture through the stories of 16 filipina authors..

For the majority of my life, books have provided an instant escape whenever I wanted to travel to faraway places. However, the lack of representation on library and bookstore shelves left me feeling disconnected to stories with predominantly white characters and Westernized lived experiences. With the recent onslaught of Asian American/Pacific Islander hate crimes in the USA and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month on the horizon in May , I wanted to compile a reading list that not only highlights Asian literary excellence, but also amplifies the voices of primarily Filipina/x authors. The 16 books listed here are a return to roots, providing a sense of belonging to the marginalized and also help to decolonize the mind. All the Filipina authors featured reflect a variety of experiences: they are immigrants, migrant workers, first/second/third generation, biracial, (former) illegal aliens, albino, and LGBTQIA+ identifying, and many of these books are their literary debuts. A combination of personal narratives, educational text, and creative writing, these pieces touch upon themes of femininity, race, class, spirituality, privilege, beauty, and identity. Many of the suggested books have been written for a Filipino audience first and foremost, but also deepen understanding of Filipino culture and values among unfamiliar audiences. Special thanks to @pinaylit on Instagram for introducing me to many of these titles. From this large selection, you’ll find that not all immigrant stories are the same. Scroll through the whole list or click on the title of the book to jump to its synopsis:

Reading List

America Is Not The Heart – Elaine Castillo (Fiction, Contemporary)

In The Country – Mia Alvar (Fiction, Short Stories)

Arsenic And Adobo – Mia P. Manansala (Fiction, Cozy Mystery)

The Farm – Joanne Ramos (Science Fiction)

Once Upon A Sunset – Tif Marcelo (Fiction, Romance)

Something In Between – Melissa de la Cruz (Fiction, Young Adult)

When The Elephants Dance – Tess Uriza Hoelthe (Historical Fiction)

I Was Their American Dream – Malaka Gharib (Memoir, Graphic Novel)

Babaylan: Filipinos and The Call of the Indigenous – Leny Mendoza Strobel (Indigenous Studies)

Lola’s House: Filipino Women Living With War – M. Evelina Galang (History, Interviews)

The Body Papers – Grace Talusan (Memoir)

Malaya: Essays on Freedom – Cinelle Barnes (Memoir, Essays)

Fairest – Meredith Talusan (Memoir)

Somewhere In The Middle – Deborah Francisco Douglas (Memoir)

Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion – Jia Tolentino (Essays)

Letters To A Young Brown Girl – Barbara Jane Reyes (Poetry)

FICTION BY FILIPINA AUTHORS

America Is Not The Heart

By elaine castillo.

Author Elaine Castillo presents the paradox of The American Dream through the family of protagonist, Hero De Vera. As a new immigrant to the USA housed by her beloved uncle, Pol, his wife Paz, and her young cousin Roni, Hero must find a way to reconcile her painful past in order to move forward with her life in America. Woven into this delicately-crafted family saga are untranslated Tagalog, Pangasinan, and Ilocano words, displaying all the hidden histories living inside each newcomer to the USA. The title of this novel is a spin on one of the first Filipino-American classics, America Is In The Heart by Carlos Bulosan.

In The Country

By mia alvar.

In The Country is a stunning, lyrical work of fiction presented in the form of nine short stories. In 2016, Mia Alvar put contemporary Filipina authors on the map with her first published piece, giving voice to Filipino men and women in the diaspora. Her short stories about emigrants, wanderers, exiles, and expats across the globe expertly distinguishes the Philippine experience for each protagonist, while upholding the universal likeness of all Filipinos around the world and “in the country.” The tales of a migrant worker in Saudi Arabia, the sighting of a “ White Lady ,” and a New York pharmacist smuggling drugs to his sickly father in Manila will illicit nostalgia for many Filipinos looking for glimpses of home.

Arsenic and Adobo

By mia p. manansala.

Out this May and available for pre-order, Adobo and Arsenic, the first installment in Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mysteries is layered with romance, comedy, murder, and all the servings of Filipino food you could want in one light, enjoyable read. This cozy mystery (ie. a mystery sub-genre involving an amateur female sleuth) will have your mouth watering as you try to solve this classic case of “whodunnnit” with heroine, Lila Macapagal, being framed for the murder of her ex-boyfriend, a food critic, all while trying to save her Tita Rosie’s restaurant from closure.

The Farm Joanne Ramos Filipina Authors The Next Somewhere

by Joanne Ramos

A dystopian novel about Golden Oaks, a luxury retreat nestled in New York’s posh Hudson Valley, with every amenity under the sun provided to its residents, including a large pay-off. For Jane, an immigrant from the Philippines, the trade-off of being a surrogate mother for nine months at Golden Oaks seems too good of an opportunity to pass up. However, life on “The Farm” as Jane soon finds out, is less idyllic than it seems. A thought-provoking exploration of economic disparity, motherhood, and ethics.

Tif Marcelo Filipina Authors on The Next Somewhere

Once Upon a Sunset

By tif marcelo.

A high-powered OB/GYN, Diana Gallagher-Cary, finds herself at a crossroads after a series of unfortunate events in her life. But when she uncovers a box of letters from her supposedly dead grandfather to her grandmother in their youth, she sojourns to the Philippines to reconnect with her long-lost family members. Along the way, she contends with her identity, her definition of family, while finding love in the unlikeliest of places.

Something in Between

By melissa de la cruz.

One of the USA’s most celebrated Filipina authors, Melissa de la Cruz is back with a young adult story about high schooler, Jasmine de los Santos. Jasmine has met every expectation laid out by her hardworking Filipino parents and with a full college scholarship within reach, everything is perfect. But in the shocking wake of her parents’ expired immigration status, life as Jasmine knows it comes to a startling halt. With the threat of deportation looming overhead, Jasmine rebels to make time for the things she never experienced as an adolescent fixated on the future.

When The Elephants Dance

By tess uriza holthe.

Set in World War II Philippines, the fictional Karangalan family hunker down in their cellar with neighbors, consoling each other with stories of their homeland as the war rages overhead. These stories of family and community blend folklore, history, and magic, alluding to the mystical and comforting quality of storytelling as a means of survival and a tool to inspire hope in a time of devastation and violence. Trigger warning: rape, wartime atrocities.

NONFICTION BY FILIPINA AUTHORS

I Was Their American Dream

By malaka gharib.

A heartwarming debut from NPR correspondent and cartoonist, Malaka Gharib, as she captures her complex upbringing as a Filipino-Egyptian growing up in the USA. This coming-of-age-story is an endearing entry among the collection of modern immigrant stories, exploring common motifs about identity, culture, and belonging, all through an illustrated, interactive storyline. I was especially fond of Malaka’s presentation on the code-switching skills individuals with straddled identities must master in order to accommodate their dueling realities.

Babaylan: Filipinos and The Call of the Indigenous

Edited by leny mendoza strobel.

In pre-colonial Philippines, Babaylans communed with spirits of nature and the world beyond. These revered shamans were almost always women or feminized men, becoming a modern symbol for non-conforming gender. In this anthology, decolonizing scholars, artists, poets, cultural theorists, and anthropologists offer insights as to how to call back the healing spirit and wisdom of the Babayalan. The tome is rich in spiritual and cultural capital and provides a framework to tap into Kapwa psychology, the fundamental Filipino belief that all Filipinos share kinship as human beings.

Lola’s House: Filipino Women Living With War

By m. evelina galang.

A heartbreaking history lesson on the violence perpetuated by the Japanese in The Philippines during World War II. Galang recounts the sorrows of sixteen surviving Filipino “comfort women” who were among more than one thousand Filipinas kidnapped, tortured, and defiled by the Imperial Japanese Army during their Philippine occupation. Lola’s House illuminates with sensitivity, the legacy of wartime horror and the impossible courage it took to survive. Their testimonies are huwes de kutsilyo —justice by knife. By reading this book, you are a witness to both the trauma and resilience endured by the female body. Trigger warning: rape, wartime atrocities.

The Body Papers

By grace talusan.

Winner of The Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing, The Body Papers is a written and visual catalog of Grace Talusan’s life in suburban New England, with family photos, medical records, and government papers to supplement her recollections. As a young brown child in majority white school, Grace grappled with racism, as well as sexual abuse at the hands of her grandfather. In her teenage years, she learns of the turbulence of her family’ legal status in the USA. The trauma of her childhood and adolescence take root in her body in the form of cancer, forcing Grace to explore invasive surgeries as a preventative measure. Amid all the suffering, Grace finds a way to persevere and eventually finds love and catharsis in a return to the homeland. Trigger warning: childhood sexual abuse, animal cruelty, life-threatening illness.

Malaya: Essays on Freedom

By cinelle barnes.

A rich memoir declaring the triumphs of Cinelle Barnes who immigrated to New York illegally and the challenges she encountered along the way. From under-the-table jobs evading authorities, to finding love with a Southern white man; from motherhood without a support system, to the PTSD she faced from her compounded experiences, these essays are about self-preservation and the resolve to overcome adversity against all odds as a brown Filipino woman in a white American world.

Fairest Meredith Talusan Filipina Authors

by Meredith Talusan

Fairest stands apart from the other memoirs by Filipina authors on this reading list as it explores intersectionality and creates dialogue around colorism, privilege, gender, race, and sexuality. Meredith was born as an albino male in the Philippines, being treated like a spectacle most of her childhood, but was given the opportunity to immigrate to the USA as a teen. She immediately is perceived as “white” upon arrival and navigates new waters of acceptance among her American peers while battling with her shifting gender boundaries, transitioning from male to female in her college years. A formidable voice providing refreshing nuance to the immigrant narrative.

Somewhere in the Middle

By deborah francisco douglas.

Growing up biracially, Deborah Francisco Douglas wanted to know more about her Filipino heritage. So on the fateful day she was assigned to the Philippines as a Peace Corps Volunteer, she packed up her bags hurriedly to connect with her Filipino side. But what welcomes Douglas in the small mountain town of Baguio City is a humbling lesson on belonging, that community is not an automatic but something earned. A homecoming tale to a home never visited, but always residing within, Douglas reflects on the ordinary ways we arrive to inclusion and inspires those looking to volunteer abroad with her descriptive account on her time overseas.

Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion

By jia tolentino.

Hailed one of 2020’s Best Books of The Year by The New York Times Book Review, Jia Tolentino’s Trick Mirror is a provocative social commentary running adjacent to a psychiatric evaluation, as Jia explores her own psyche in relation to the climate of the times. Her cerebral prose on pop culture themes such the punitive nature of optimization, the glorification of scammers as an American ideal, and our (de)construction of self on the internet, requires critical analysis from readers without compromising the entertainment factor. Trigger warning: rape.

Letters To A Young Brown Girl

By barbara jane reyes.

A riveting collection of poems that speak to the anger and difficulty of being a young brown girl, directed towards non-BIPOCs who have contributed to the harmful degradation of brown peoples’ worth. Reyes is unshakeable, spilling verses that read like thoughts, capturing the oppression of brown girls with a graceful balance of ferocity and empathy. She is raw and unabashed as she unpacks all her indignation against “othering,” but simultaneously, gives necessary affirmations for brown beauty in her reproach of western beauty standards.

Join the Filipina Authors Book Club

If you’re looking to build community and are seeking accountability in your reading journey as a Filipino/a/x reader or ally, join the Filipina Authors Book Club on Facebook ! With over 600 members, monthly discussions, and engaging community threads, this is a safe space for those interested in learning about Filipino culture without a patriarchial POV.

DISCLAIMER: Please support local, independent book retailers at this time. We invite you to purchase your books from independent Filipino books retailer, Arkipelago Books , or Bookshop.org , the largest inventory of independent bookstores..

Millette Stambaugh

Filipina-American Millette Stambaugh is a thirty-something former expat who has traded her nomadic ways for Philadelphia living. Corporate worker by day, content creator by night, Millette specializes in visual storytelling and joyful journeys and wants to help others find their "next somewheres." Follow her escapades on Instagram, Youtube, and Tiktok @thenextsomewhere.

Top Five Things to Do in Luang Prabang, Laos

The best travel books of 2020.

Unique Things to Do and See in Kerala

Thank you SO much for posting this! I look forward to what we choose next within the Book Club, and am ecstatic that there are so many books to look forward to reading, even if they’re not chosen!

My absolute pleasure! Loved seeing the wealth of reads out there but thinking that there still could be more. I hope you get to read the books we don’t end up choosing regardless 🙂

Philippine Historiography and Colonial Discourse: Eight Selected Essays on Postcolonial Studies in the Philippines (An Introduction to the Japanese Translation)

This essay discusses the transnational tensions that emerged in recent Japanese translations of studies of Philippine history. It focuses on an anthology of eight essays written by historians Reynaldo C. Ileto, Vicente L. Rafael and Floro L. Quibuyen, as well as on the Japanese edition of Reynaldo C. Ileto’s seminal text, Pasyon and Revolution: Popular Movements in the Philippines, 1840-1910. By reflecting on the process of translating the works of Filipino scholars into a Japanese context, this essay shows how translation becomes a kind of transcultural intellectual battlefield, revealing the different stakes of Filipino and Japanese writers in their approach to Philippine history.

Related Papers

yoshiko nagano

This essay discusses the transnational tensions that emerged in recent Japanese translations of studies of Philippine history. It focuses on an anthology of eight essays written by historians Reynaldo C. Ileto, Vicente L. Rafael and Floro L. Quibuyen, as well as on the Japanese edition of Reynaldo C. Ileto's seminal text, Pasyon and Revolution: Popular Movements in the Philippines, 1840-1910. By reflecting on the process of translating the works of Filipino scholars into a Japanese context, this essay shows how translation becomes a kind of transcultural intellectual battlefield, revealing the different stakes of Filipino and Japanese writers in their approach to Philippine history.

Center for International Studies, University of the Philippines, Diliman

Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints

takamichi serizawa

Norjanah Arsad

The Anticolonial Transnational: Imaginaries, Mobilities, and Networks in the Struggle against Empire

Nicole CuUnjieng Aboitiz

TALA: An Online Journal of History

Melanie J . Magpantay

Book review of Teodoro A. Agoncillo's Fateful Years Japan's Adventure in the Philippines, 1941-1945

Journal of Asian American Studies

Augusto Espiritu

Other Globes: Past and Peripheral Imaginations of Globalization

Irene Villaescusa Illan

6 pieces of Filipino literature that deserve your undivided attention

I don’t know about you, but a good read always seems to make things better. For some of us, there’s nothing more satisfying than the solace of stumbling across pieces that makes us think and feel indescribable things. Either we’ve grown numb to these feelings or have never felt them at all.

While everyone seems to be caught up with cheesy Y.A. novels and Lang Leav poems, there are actually tons of Filipino literature gems made by various local authors that are much, much more worth your time. We’ve compiled a short but exemplary list of Filipino literature to get you started on your binge-reading.

“Ang Pagitan” by Carlos M. Piocos III

“Kung lalayo ka pa ng ilang kilometro, isang milya, Tutunog ang katabi mong telepono sa loob ng opisina, at sa ganito kalayong distansiya, ibubulong ko kung natatandaan mo pa ba ang pangalan ko?”

We open this list with a short poem that can initially be interpreted as simple as moving on from someone you love or have loved. But the more you reread it, the more you interpret it differently. Can we ever measure some things as abstract as love and longing through distance and numbers? This piece of Filipino literature attempts on our behalf.

“Geyluv” by Honorio Bartolome de Dios

“Okey, okey, aaminin ko. Sa kanya ko unang naranasang magkaroon ng lakas ng loob na ihinga ang lahat ng nararamdaman ko. ‘Yun bang pouring out of emotions na walang kakaba-kabang sabihan kang bakla o mahina. At pagkaraan ay ang gaan-gaan ng pakiramdam mo. “

“Geyluv” from “Sa Labas ng Parlor” remains a favorite. While the title itself already gives an obvious idea of what the story is about, there’s a lot more to this story that can only be explored once you actually read it. More than just a story of a “gay love,” it’s a story of two people meeting halfway and possibly arriving at their own conclusions by the end.

Best part? The ending. So. Many. Questions.

“We Filipinos are Mild Drinkers” by Alejandro Roces

“We Filipinos are mild drinkers. We drink for only three good reasons: We drink when we are very happy; We drink when we are very sad; And we drink for any other reason.”

Contains lambanog. That’s it, that’s the highlight. Kidding aside, the setting of this story takes place during the Japanese-Filipino war way back in 1945. The title serves as an irony—we know that Filipinos are, in fact, not mild drinkers. But at the face of a proud American soldier basking about how he has drank every kind of liquor, a Filipino farmer humbles himself and says, “No, thank you Joe. We Filipinos are not mild drinkers.” Of course, he did this so the soldier is dead-drunk by the end of their drinking session. Too real? Yeah it is.

“Boys Who Like Boys” by Vicente Groyon III

“Your pretty girlfriend flickers for a moment in your mind. But she is whisked helplessly away as you think how much you like being with him and as, unwilled, your eyes begin to sparkle for real.”

Similar to “Geyluv,” this short story is about a boy who’s having trouble exploring and expressing his sexuality because of a homophobic society. “Boys Who Like Boys” is a fun and casual read, all without compromising the message the author wants to give out. It’s divided into eight chapters, namely: The French-Fries Man & the Moviegoer, The Narcissist, The Virgin Chapter, The Home Theater, The Professor and his Boyfriend, The Retreat, The Sleepover, and The Reunion. If those titles don’t intrigue you, I don’t know what will.

“I Never Sang For My Father” by Resil Mojares

Ah, yes. Calling all those with daddy issues, this piece of Filipino literature is for you. Mojares’ personal essay hits home too hard for some of us. A seemingly apathetic father and an equally apathetic son always make up for a good story, doesn’t it? But this one isn’t as shallow as that. “I Never Sang For my Father” is about a son’s epiphany after the death of his father and his realization of how words can never really amount to what the heart feels.

If you do not appreciate emotions from your subconscious being dug up, then do not read this. Otherwise, read up and try not to cry.

“Utos Ng Hari” by Jun Cruz Reyes

“Ay buhay estudyante, maka-uno lang, kahit lulunin ang sariling dila. Kumontra ka sa kanila, singkong maliwanag. Tumangu-tango ka naman para maka-uno, ibig sabihin noon sarili mo na ang kailangang lokohin. Pakisama lang talaga. Konting kompromiso, konting tango at “Yes Ma’am” lang. Dos na ‘yon o tres.”

Closing this list is another favorite classic by Jun Cruz Reyes. You may have come across this at least once during your high school or college life. If you’re nodding your head, then you would know just how much we sympathized with Jojo. Jun Cruz Reyes’ literature basically summarized all the things we hated about school in this short story—from repressive policies and teachers sent from hell to gossips and “darted” grades–it has it all.

Featured image from Sa Labas ng Parlor by Honorio Bartolome de Dios

filipino literature
short stories

More From Books

How the spiritual side of ‘dune’ helped my mental health, recreate ‘kiki’s delivery service’ food with this new cook book, maximize your reader era with ateneo university press bookshop’s comeback, you might also like.

Discover how the spiritual themes in the “Dune” novels provided an introspection that...

Okay, can we stop romanticizing Filipino resilience?

“Basta Pinoy, kaya yan!” a talking head exclaims from a broken television hammered...

Y2K fashion choices that need a redemption arc

Y2K, for some of us, was the best decade of our lives. Not...

Our resident dancer judges that cringey, viral COVID dance demo

Every week, I hate something new about this pandemic. One of my top...

Taika Waititi is so hot, he’s hurting my feelings

My devotion to Taika Waititi is similar to his films: whimsical yet lovelorn....

10 MVs that make us feel a certain way

Music videos are precious gifts from the universe. They can be time capsules...

A love letter to the amazing women of “Scott Pilgrim”

“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” didn’t age well as I hoped it would....

Beyond the boards of Cebu’s skate community

Skating has come a long way from what it was decades ago. No,...

If you feel like turning off your brain, play these weird AF games

I feel like I’m just going through my days disassociating. The vibe is...

#ScoutGapYear diaries: The taxing 24 hours of young medical frontliners

For most of us, graduation means being thrown into the water—filing our taxes,...

An investigative essay on why Adam Driver is hot, actually

It was Dec. 17, 2015, 12:45 p.m when I first saw him. “The...

Why I love Park Seo-joon: A “scientific” study

Observation: Alexa play “Your Type” by Carly Rae Jepsen When I was under...

How my thirst for Howl cured me of my softboi fixation

I don’t remember who my first crush was (if my brain decides to...

A practical gift guide for December birthday celebrants

At the expense of sounding completely superficial, I’m just going to say it:...

These candles smell like your fave candies from the ’90s

While we still don’t have time machines, these will do

Our favorite tracks from the now Billboard Award-winning K-pop group BTS

ARMYs and K-pop fans, you’ve heard it already. BTS made history at the...

Instagram’s new question feature is getting us even thirstier

5 rom-coms that are for non rom-com people.

Why we shouldn’t pressure ourselves to be successful in our 20s

There’s this line from a movie that I’ve always liked. It goes, “Change your mind and change it again, because nothing’s permanent. So make as many mistakes as you can....

Why women freeze when they get harassed

I was sick when a bishop harassed Ariana Grande in everyone’s full view during Aretha Franklin’s funeral. The video, which went viral on Twitter, triggered fans and people on the...

This dye is perfect for Filipinos who don’t like bleaching their hair

For those Filipinos who love dyeing their hair in crazy colors--myself included--we all know the pains and struggles of bleaching. It’s itchy, hot, and could possibly burn your scalp if...

The 5 Scoutmag.ph Stories You Need To Read This Week (12/10/2016)

If you weren't all up on our social media accounts (@scoutmagph on IG, Twitter, and Snapchat by the way) you missed out on our best stories this week. Here they...

This highlighter is for sleep-deprived students who still wanna look bomb

Ah, finals week: The collegiate experience in its rawest form, when students are empty husks of human beings, occasionally filled with liters worth of coffee pots and a jumble of...

Filipino Writers’ Circle organizes essay writing and poster making contests

In celebration of the 126th Philippines Independence Day, the Filipino Writers’ Circle (FilWrite) in collaboration with the Philippine Embassy Manama and Migrant Workers Office (MWO), Bahrain is delighted to announce an exciting opportunity for all creative-minded Filipinos to participate in the ‘’On the Spot Essay Writing and Poster Making’’ contests to showcase their talents on the theme that revolves on freedom, love of country and future aspirations. This will be held on 8 June 2024 at the Philippine Embassy.

According to Cecil Ancheta, president of FilWrite, “Both contests will celebrate the artistic talents of the participants to express their hopes and ideas for the future of the country through words and art.”

She further narrated that these competitions “will serve as an educational platform for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to reflect on and honor the journeys and sacrifices of our heroes as one way of celebrating Independence Day with creativity and vision.”

The winning candidates will receive certificates of awards, plaques, and cash prizes.

Interested participants must register online. The deadline for registration is 31 May 2024. For inquiries, interested parties can contact Ruth +9736778214 and Gina +9736395711.

FilWrite is composed of Filipino writers in Bahrain who bonded together to foster camaraderie among its ranks and create a strong united voice to support the community on various issues.

Staff Report

New landmark sign in UAE enters Guinness World Records as world’s tallest landmark sign

UAE announces petrol prices for June 2024

UAE among top 5 countries globally in real GDP growth

Family accepts diploma, medal with deceased student’s life-sized placard on graduation day

Privacy overview.

Essay Extender

Start generating extended content for essays for free below.

If you need help, please refer to the detailed step-by-step instructions entitled below.

Write about

Generate extended content in these simple steps.

Enter existing essay details

Select language, tone and word count

Click on the Generate button

Introducing WriteCream’s Instant Extended Essay Typer

Tired of spending endless hours struggling to craft compelling essay content? Look no further! WriteCream introduces the revolutionary Instant Essay Extender, a game-changing tool that simplifies the essay-writing process and generates high-quality content with just one click.

How It Works:

WriteCream’s Instant Essay Extender harnesses the power of advanced AI technology to generate well-structured and coherent extended contents for essays effortlessly.

An Essay Extender is a tool that expands and enriches your essays by adding relevant content. It helps meet word count requirements while maintaining coherence and quality, making it ideal for students and professionals looking to effortlessly enhance their writing.

The process is remarkably user-friendly:

1. Input existing essay details: Simply provide the tool with your existing essay details.

2. Click to Generate: Once you’ve entered the details, click the “Generate ” button.

3. Review and Refine: The generated extended essay will appear before you, complete with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You have the flexibility to review and refine the content as needed.

Key Features:

Uncompromised Quality: WriteCream’s advanced AI ensures coherently structured essays with excellent grammar and vocabulary.

Versatility Defined: Ideal for students, professionals, and anyone needing well-structured content for various purposes, from academic assignments to business reports.

Citation Excellence: Beyond content generation, our tool creates properly formatted citations and references, removing the hassle of manual citation management.

Create content in minutes, not weeks.

Wait! Before you go...

IMAGES

The Real Filipino Essay
Essay Filipino
Essay Writing Filipino
ESSAY
🔥 Filipino essay samples. Filipino Essay Samples With Topics Ideas
Filipino Essay

VIDEO

Philippine Literary Writings DOCUMENTARY
SB19
IBA'T IBANG URI NG ESTUDYANTE
When in Thailand: Work Life Balance
Giving Directions In Tagalog (with audio🔊)
Umaasa (Live at The Cozy Cove)

COMMENTS

Kathang Pinoy: Famous Essays and Speeches by Filipinos
The Indolence of the Filipinos by José Rizal (Translated by Charles E. Derbyshire) Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. The Filipino Is Worth Dying For. 1983 Arrival Speech of Ninoy Aquino.
The 7 Most Legendary Filipino Authors
Nick Joaquin. Winning the National Artist award for Literature, Nick Joaquín is probably the most esteemed writer the Philippines has produced. Joaquin came from a well-educated family and was published at the early age of 17. After winning a scholarship in a nationwide essay contest, he left the Philippines to study in Hong Kong.
Jose Rizal's Essays and Articles
Articles in La Solidaridad. "Los Agricultores Filipinos" (The Filipino Farmers) This essay dated March 25, 1889 was the first article of Rizal published in La Solidaridad. In this writing, he depicted the deplorable conditions of the Filipino farmers in the Philippines, hence the backwardness of the country.
18 Best Filipino Authors
Meredith Talusan is a Filipino-American author who moved to the United States at the age of 15. He has many excellent essays, stories, and books to her name. She attended Cornell University, where she received an MFA degree, and she worked as a journalist for many well-known publications. In addition to writing, Talusan trained as a dancer.
Philippine Authors and Their Works
He is one of the most widely read Filipino authors. In 1980, he won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Literature. Nick Joaquin. He is a National Artist. He published a work at the age of 17 and his skill has made him won a scholarship from an essay contest where he topped. Among his most famous works is The Woman With Two Navels. Merlinda Bobis
N.V.M. Gonzalez. The Father and the Maid: Essays on Filipino Life and
autobiography,"3 this long essay, which lacks the personal or private angle, is more rightly an account of the growth of a self-educated writer whose exposure to fellow writers, especially of the third world, has helped confirm his suspicion that the Filipino has a genius for achieving meaning through creative writing
"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 ...
10 Filipino Authors I Recommend
Barbara Jane Reyes is the author of Diwata (BOA Editions, Ltd., 2010), winner of the Global Filipino Literary Award for Poetry and a finalist for the California Book Award.Born in Manila, raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, she is the author of two previous collections of poetry, Gravities of Center (Arkipelago Books, 2003) and Poeta en San Francisco (Tinfish Press, 2005), which received the ...
The Indolence of the Filipinos: Summary and Analysis
La Indolencia de los Filipinos, more popularly known in its English version, "The Indolence of the Filipinos," is a exploratory essay written by Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, to explain the alleged idleness of his people during the Spanish colonization.
I am a Filipino
I am a Filipino is an essay written by Carlos Peña Romulo, Sr. which was printed in The Philippines Herald on August 16, 1941. A Pulitzer Prize winner, passionate educator, intrepid journalist and effective diplomat, Romulo graduated from the University of the Philippines in 1918 with a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences….
4 Award-Winning Must-Read Filipino Authors and Poets
Other works of Conchitina Cruz includes elsewhere held and lingered (2008), There is no emergency (2015), and book of essays The Filipino Author as a Producer (2017) and Partial Views: On the Essay as a Genre in Philippine Literary Production (2021). Aside from writing, she currently also co-runs a small press, the Youth & Beauty Brigade.
Filipino short stories we read in high school that we want to see
Here are award-winning stories written by Filipino authors that we want to see onscreen—whether as a show or a movie. It's the spotlight Philippine literature deserves. ... An investigative essay on why Adam Driver is hot, actually. by Katrina Maisie Cabral. 4 years ago SHAREIt was Dec. 17, 2015, 12:45 p.m when I first saw him. "The...
10 Filipino poets and poems to explore on World Poetry Day
Here are 5 poets and 5 poem collections/works to discover on World Poetry Day. Dovegelion by Jose Garcia Villa. Dovegelion by Jose Garcia Villa. Jose Garcia Villa. A National Artist for Literature ...
Creative Nonfiction
I witnessed these lines curve and swirl and dance with the rhythm of time, until they turned themselves into beautiful baybayin: the hushed characters of our history, striving for survival, like every one of her silent stories. Check out the creative nonfiction and essays published in Katitikan: Literary Journal of the Philippine South.
What is an Educated Filipino? by Francisco Benitez (An Excerpt
is a Filipino scholar, educator, and believer in the critical nature of comprehensively researching Filipino/National history. He wrote around thirty novels and a large number of short notes. According to Renato Constantino, "Education is a critical tool in people's struggle for economic liberty, political independence, and cultural renaissance.
The Indolence of the Filipinos: Essay by Jose P. Rizal
A Series of Essays by Jose P. Rizal. Doctor Sanciano, in his Progreso de Filipinas, has taken up this question, agitated, as he calls it, and relying upon facts and reports furnished by the very same Spanish authorities that ruled the Philippines has demonstrated that such indolence does not exist, and that all said about it does not deserve a ...
The Indolence of the Filipino
The Indolence of the Filipino is a socio-political essay published in La solidaridad in Madrid in 1890. It was written by José Rizal as a response to the accusation of Indio or Malay indolence. He admits the existence of indolence among the Filipinos, but it could be attributed to a number of reasons. He traces its causes to factors such as the climate and social disorders.
6 of the Best New Books by Filipino Writers
Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino. Jia Tolentino is already a hugely accomplished writer and a name familiar to many millennials. It should come as no surprise that her debut collection of essays is going to top many best of 2019 lists. Every essay in this collection is wildly intelligent and thoroughly researched, but her critical takes on ...
16 Books By Filipina Authors You Should Read
The Body Papers by Grace Talusan. Winner of The Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing, The Body Papers is a written and visual catalog of Grace Talusan's life in suburban New England, with family photos, medical records, and government papers to supplement her recollections. As a young brown child in majority white school, Grace ...
Philippine Historiography and Colonial Discourse: Eight Selected Essays
This essay discusses the transnational tensions that emerged in recent Japanese translations of studies of Philippine history. It focuses on an anthology of eight essays written by historians Reynaldo C. Ileto, Vicente L. Rafael and Floro L. Quibuyen, as well as on the Japanese edition of Reynaldo C. Ileto's seminal text, Pasyon and Revolution: Popular Movements in the Philippines, 1840-1910.
Philippines
Winning Essays. The Harvard GlobalWE Board members and essay contest managers read over all submissions and vote on the winning essay by year and school or region. In its selection criteria, Harvard GlobalWE does not advocate a specific ideology or agenda. Harvard GlobalWEhas published 99 winning essays from our Essay Contest from the past five ...
'Pinoy' English: Language, Imagination, and Philippine Literature
Pinoy English: Language, Imagination, and Philippine Literature. R. Kwan Laurel. English has been in the Philippines for a hundred years, yet some of the. best Filipino writers in English express ambivalence as to what should be done with it. This ambivalence is a product largely of a particular. type of nationalist rhetoric that challenges the ...
Characterizing the Language Features and Rhetorical Moves of
The original essays written within an hour by 51 (from 108) Filipino ESL senior high school writers were encoded and processed using the Antconc software to identify the language features that ...
6 pieces of Filipino literature that deserve your undivided attention
Tumangu-tango ka naman para maka-uno, ibig sabihin noon sarili mo na ang kailangang lokohin. Pakisama lang talaga. Konting kompromiso, konting tango at "Yes Ma'am" lang. Dos na 'yon o tres.". Closing this list is another favorite classic by Jun Cruz Reyes. You may have come across this at least once during your high school or college ...
Between History and Pedagogy: Teaching the Philippine National ...
The essay explores the pedagogical challenges arising from the AA. For one, in many official quarters, the AA is read from the TOP's lenses, that is to say, from history. Indeed, universalist UNCLOS commitments have always been understood as fundamentally opposed to the exceptionalist TOP-based Filipino national territorial imaginary or "geobody."
Filipino Writers' Circle organizes essay writing and poster making
In celebration of the 126th Philippines Independence Day, the Filipino Writers' Circle (FilWrite) in collaboration with the Philippine Embassy Manama and Migrant Workers Office (MWO), Bahrain is delighted to announce an exciting opportunity for all creative-minded Filipinos to participate in the ''On the Spot Essay Writing and Poster Making'' contests to showcase their talents on the ...
What's Wrong with Secretary Kim (Philippine TV series)
What's Wrong with Secretary Kim (South Korea) What's Wrong with Secretary Kim is a Philippine romantic comedy television series loosely based on the 2018 South Korean drama series of the same title. [1] It stars Kim Chiu and Paulo Avelino. It premiered on March 18, 2024 on Viu .
AI Crime Story Ideas Generator [100% Free, No Login]
1. Input Your Topic: Simply provide the tool with your essay topic or prompt. Whether it's a literary analysis, historical overview, or scientific exploration, the Instant Essay Typer can handle a diverse range of subjects. 2. Click to Generate: Once you've entered your topic, click the "Generate Essay" button.
Philippines Vows to Protect Filipino Fishermen Amid ...
Yesterday, the Philippine Navy vowed it would protect Filipino fishermen during the annual fishing ban that China has imposed in the contested South China Sea, including in areas lying within ...
Essay Extender [100% Free, No Login]
1. Input existing essay details: Simply provide the tool with your existing essay details. 2. Click to Generate: Once you've entered the details, click the "Generate " button. 3. Review and Refine: The generated extended essay will appear before you, complete with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.