The Contemporary Period (1986-

Present)
Also known as the Post EDSA
Literature
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
(Contemporary Period)
• The year 1986 demarcates the beginning of a
new scene in the unfolding narrative of
contemporary Philippine Literature.
• The fall of president Marcos’ dictatorship was
a prolific event for different Filipino writers.
• The Filipino people regained the freedom and
independence they lost from the past 20
years.
• The so-called People Power (February 21-25,
1986) prevailed. The people barricaded the
streets petitioning the government for
changes and reforms.
• Writing under the martial law regime was
characterized by militancy and belligerence,
even when it showed up in the legal press.
Especially after the assassination of Ninoy
Aquino in the year 1983, the temper of poetry
and theatre derived much of its heat and
direction from the political culture of the
underground national democratic movement.
• However, when the enemy were overthrown
in 1986, the literary activity showed a certain
disorientation manifesting itself in a
proliferation of concerns taken up by
individual writers and groups.
• The Filipino literary contemporary period is characterized
by the use of native languages as the main tool of literary
expression rather than foreign languages. The
contemporary period began in the 1960s but truly began to
flourish following the end of the martial-law dictatorship in
1986.
• The contemporary movement toward the use of native
languages in Filipino literature was slow to begin due to the
oppressive martial-law dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos
from 1972 to 1986. However, following the end of the
dictatorship, the Philippines undertook an effort to
resurface their native language literary history, and the
Philippine Commission on Higher Education made it
obligatory to teach Philippine literature to students.
 POST EDSA
• La Tondeña, sponsors of the venerable Carlos Palanca
Memorial Awards in Literature, has made the name “Palanca”
a synonym for quality literary works in both English and
Filipino.
• The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) was
created by law in 1992. It has a committee in literary arts
which funds workshops, conferences, publications and a
variety of projects geared towards the production of a
“naional literature”. The committee has the aim of developing
writing that is multi-lingual, multi-cultural, and truly national.
Characteristics of Post EDSA Literature/ Contemporary
Period Literature

• There is in the academe an emerging critical orientation that draws

its concerns and insights from literary theorizing current in England
and the United States
• Post-EDSA publishing has been marked by adventurousness, a
willingness to gamble on "non-traditional" projects.
• The declining prestige of the New Criticism, whose rigorous aesthetic
norms has previously functioned as a Procrustean bed on which
Filipino authors and their works were measured, has opened a gap
in the critical evaluation of literary works
• The fourth and final characteristic of post-EDSA writing is the
development thrust towards the retrieval and the recuperation of
writing in Philippine languages other than Tagalog.
CHARACTERISTICS OF CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE
• English and Filipino continue to be the major media of literature.
• Literature as a venue for socio-politico-economic-religious discussions and a
vehicle for personal thoughts and feelings has become marked.
• Literary themes cover a wide range of subjects most outstanding among which
existentialism and the search for identity in varying levels and settings, deception
and violence perpetuated by those in power, grinding poverty, especially in the
country-sides and in some cities, nationalism, tenant-landlord relationship, human
rights violation and the search for the desaparecidos, and the Filipino diaspora and
the experiences of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) and migrants.
• The Anglo-American tradition, which includes the free verse and the blank verse,
gained acceptance among writers.
• The Euro-Hispanic tradition was blended with the tradition of propaganda and
revolutionary literature to become a truly Filipino tradition.
• The 60’s and the 70’s saw the resurgence of cause-oriented literature. This
militancy, although markedly toned down, has continued to the present.
• Further development of regional literatures has been given a stronger impetus
through the inclusion of regional literary masterpieces in the college curriculum.
• Filipino writers have become more conscious of their craft as shown by the regular
conduct of writing workshops.
TODAY, PHILIPPINE LITERARTURE MAY THUS BE
CLASSIFIED INTO:
• The Residual, a good part of which is oral and regional,
but remains in the margins simply because of the
center of writing and publishing is in Metro Manila.
• The dominant language, largely in English and Tagalog-
based Filipino.
• The emergent, produced by those in the periphery, -
the marginalized sectors, including workers, peasants,
urban poor, women, gays, lesbians and ethnic groups.
In the short span of the existence of the true
Republic of the Philippines, several changes
already became evident. This in noticed in the
new Filipino songs, in the newspapers, in the
speeches, and even in the television
programs.
1. On Newspapers and other publications:
• Columnists became more vocal and unrestricted.
• Newspapers which were once branded crony newspapers became
instant opposition papers overnight. This was true of BULLETIN
TODAY which became the opposition paper. The now crony
newspapers that enjoyed an overnight increase in circulation were
THE INQUIRER, MALAYA, and the PEOPLE’S JOURNAL.

• By June 12, 1986, a total of 19 local dailies both in English and

Filipino were in circulation.

• Nowhere since the 1950’s had there been such a big number of
newspapers in circulation (excluding tabloids).These newspapers
include: BULLETIN, TEMPO, BALITA, MALAY, MIDDAY, MASA,
MANILA TIMES, NEWS HERALD, TRIBUNE, NGAYON, INQUIRER,
EXPRESS TONIGHT, EVENING POST, PEOPLE’S, DAILY MIRROR,
BUSINESS DAY, and MANILA CHRONICLE.
2. On Books: Philippine literature is still in the making

• The Phillippinerevolution of 1986 and the fire of its spirit that will carry
the Filipinos through another epoch in Philippine history is still being
documented just as they have been in the countless millions who
participated in body and spirit in its realization.
• Two books were conceived during the period.
• PEOPLE POWER was produced under a grant by the PCI Bank Human
Resources Development Foundation, edited by MoninaAllareyMercado
and published by the James B. Reuter, S.J. Foundation.
•
• Another one BAYAN KO was published by Project 28 Days LTD. in June,
1986 in Kowloon, Hong Kong and co-published in the Philippines by
VeritasPublications and Communications Foundation.
• In March 19, 1987 the Seventh National Book Awards cited several best
books published in 1987 according to the choices made by the Manila
Critics Circle. Among those awarded were: DreamweaversSelected Poems
(1976-1986) by Marjorie PerniaandAwitatCorrido:Philippine Metrical
Romances by DamianaL. Eugenio.
Writer's Organization After EDSA Revolution
(1986-1995)
•UMPIL (Unyon ng mga Manunulat ng Pilipino)
•PANULAT (Pambansang Unyon ng mga Manunulat)
•Panday Lipi
•GAT (Galian sa Arte)
•Katha
•LIRA (Linangan sa Imahe, Retorika at Anyo)
•GUMIL (Gunglo Dagiti Manunurat nga Irokano)
•LUDABI (Lubas sa Dalagang Bisaya)
•PEN (Pen, Essay and Novel)
Contemporary Literary
Types
 Contemporary Literary Types
Modern Poetry – This is a new style of poetry writing
in Tagalog, a deviation from the highly rimed,
declamatory tradition known for many centuries.
Example: Tula sa Sanaysay by Lilia Quindoza Santiago
Skin Voices Faces by Danton Remoto
Modern Short Story – These are stories set in
the Philippines in the English language
Example: Saranggola (1999) by Jose Dalisay
In the Bosom of the Enemy (story and
screenplay) Year 2001 by Jose Dalisay
Novel – Most contemporary Philippine novels
are concerned with political events, social
problems, and politics that usually portray
chracters in desperate struggle for survival.
Example: The Blue Angel, White Shadow by
Charlson Ong
Kabilang sa mga Nawawala by Ricardo Lee
Drama – Through the years, Philippine theatre groups
have staged numerous plays in both English and
Filipino, be it written by a Western or local playwright.
Spanish culture and traditions largely influence
performing arts in the Philippines, but the
contemporary style is borrowed from Americans.
Example: Why Is Yellow the Middle of the Rainbow? – A
Documentary 1994 Filipino collage film edited, shot,
co-written, and directed by Kidlat Tahimik
Saranggola written by Jose Dalisay Jr. in 1999
Essay –Filipino essays address societal issues,
are more free and daring, manifesting a more
liberated atmosphere, however pointing out
moral degradation, indicating injustice,
suggesting alternatives, and directing thought.
Example: Against the Dying of the Light:The
Filipino Writer and Martial Law by Ed
Maranan (Filipino poet, essayist, fiction writer,
playwright, translator and writer)
 Theme of Contemporary Period
Works
Writers wrote fiction that focused on courageous deeds as well as the
sacrifices and suffering in the lives of Filipinos. It was also common
for writers to write about the experiences of the Filipino people
under the Spanish and American rule and the Japanese Occupation.

Other subjects and themes include:

• Religious faith
• Superstitions
• Fantasy
• Social Problems
• Poverty
• Politics
• Nationalism
• Morality
Prevalent Authors and Their Works
1. Felisa Batacan
• also known as F.H. Batacan overseas
• is a Filipino journalist and crime fiction writer
based in Singapore
• Her first novel Smaller and Smaller
Cricles (2002) was considered to be the
Philippines’ first crime novel.
• This novel won the Carlos Palanca Grand Prize
for the English Novel in 1999 and 2002
National Book Award and the 2003 Madrigal-
Gonzalez Best First Book Award.
2. Genevive L. Asenjo
• Known for her ability to write and translate
between Filipino, Kinaray-a and Hiligaynon,
• Asenjo’s first novel, LumbayngDila (2010), won
the National Book Award in 2011.
• was an Overseas Writing Fellow back in 2009 in
Seoul and attended the University of Iowa’s
prestigious International Writing Program as an
Honorary Writing Fellow in 2012.
• On top of being Associate Professor at De La Salle
University-Manila, she is also the founder-
director of Balay Sugidanun.
3. Lakambini Sitoy.
• Described as a “brilliant new talent” by the New
York Review of Books
• Received prizes from the Palanca Awards as well
as the Philippines Free Press Award.
•
• Works:
– Sweet Haven
• Her first novel that had been longlisted for the Man Asian
Literary Prize in 2008 and subsequently translated into
French in 2011.
– Mens Rea and Other Stories (1999)
• received the National Book Award in 1999
– Jungle Planet (2006)
4. Marjorie Evasco.
• A poet that prides herself as a true Bol-anon who keeps
alive “the memory and spirit of the revolt led by
Dagohoy,” committing “her vision through her poetry,
believing that the worthy warrior and healer is adept at
giving voice to the vision so that others may sing it, too.”
• One of the earliest supporters of women’s rights and
women writers in the Philippines. Has written a handful of
collections such as Dreamweavers, a collection that details
her sense of origin and deals with the intricacies of
ancestral heritage.
• Has received in turn a bucket load of awards, including the
Palanca and National Book Awards.
Works:
Dreamweavers: Selected Poems 1976-1986 (1987)
Ochre Tones: Poems in English and Cebuano (1999)
5. Bob Ong
• Bob Ong is the pseudonym of a contemporary Filipino
Author known for using conversational writing technique to create
humorous and reflective depictions of Philippine life.The author's
actual name and identity is unknown.
• Two of his works have been adapted into film. ABNKKBSNPLAko?!
The Movie was released in 2014 directed by Mark Meily. Then in
2016, LumayoKaNgaSa Akin was shown in theaters, directed also by
Meily, with Chris Martinez and AndoyRanay.

Works:
• Non Fiction
• ABNKKBSNPLAko?! (2001)
• BakitBaliktadMagbasangLibroangmga Pilipino? (2002)
• AngPaboritongLibroniHudas (2003)
• Stainless Longganisa (2005)
• 56 (2018)
Fiction Works
• AlamatngGubat (2003)
• Macarthur (2007)
• Kapitan Sino (2009)
• AngmgaKaibiganni Mama Susan (2010)
• LumayoKaNga Sa Akin (2011)
• Si (2014)
6. Nicomendes Marquez Joaquin or Nick Joaquin or
Quijano DeManila
A Philippine National Artist for Literature, he was
best known for his short stories and novels in the
English language, most notably “The Woman Who
Had Two Navels”. He also was a journalist under the
pen name Quijano DeManila and wrote about the
Philippine entertainment scene as well as history,
notably on the theme of Jose Rizal and a history of
the city of Manila.
May 4, 1917 – April 29, 2004
Works:
The Quartet of the Tiger Moon: Scenes from the
People Power Apocalypse (1986)
Collected Verse (1987)
7. Magno “Carlo” Jose Caparas
Born on Deceber 15, 1958
Widely known as Carlo J. Caparas
A Filipino comic strip creator/writer-turned director and
producer, who is best known for creating such Filipino
superheroes and comic book characters as Panday,
Bakekang, Totoy Bato, Kamagong, Kamandag, Elias
Paniki and etc.
Works:
Sandakot na Bala (1988)
Joaquin Bordado (1988)
8. Gilda Olvidado
From Cebu City, Cebu
A Filipino movie and television writer, and
melodrama novelist. Her novels have been turned
into live-action movies by VIVA Films, and also been
remade for television through Sine Novela.

Born on August 9, 1957 in Cebu

Works:
Huwag Mo Kaming Isumpa (1986)
Pinulot Ka Lang sa Lupa (1987)
Magkano ang Iyong Dangal (1988)
9. Lualhati Bautista
Lualhati Bautista was born in 1945. For the generation of Filipinos who read
Dekada 70 , set during the Martial Law years, the novel was an awakening
of political consciousness. Bautista, one of the country’s better-known
contemporary writers of Tagalog fiction, is the recipient of numerous
literary awards, most notably the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for
Literature, which she won for the novels Gapo (1980), Dekada 70 (1983),
and Bata, Bata, Paano Ka Ginawa ? (1984).
After close to four decades of writing novels, short stories, teleplays, and
screenplays, Lualhati Bautista has come to be known for her honest
realism, her courageous exploration of women’s issues, and her
compelling female protagonists, who confront difficult situations at home
and in the workplace with uncommon grit and strength.
Books:
• Bata, Bata... Pa'no Ka Ginawa? ‘GAPÔ (at isang puting Pilipino, sa mundo
ng mga Amerikanong kulay brown)
• Dekada '70 (Ang Orihinal at Kumpletong Edisyon)
• In Sisterhood—Lea at Lualhati
10. Ambeth Ocampo
He was born on August 13, 1961.
He is a Filipino historian best known for his writings about Philippines’
national hero Jose Rizal and for Looking Back, his bi-weekly editorial page
column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
He served as the Chairman of the National Historical Commission of the
Philippines (2002-2011) and concurrently Chairman of the National
Commision for Culture and the Arts (2005-2007).
Books:
• Rizal Without the Overcoat
• Bones of Contention: The Andres Bonifacio Lectures
• Meaning and History: The Rizal Lectures
• Looking Back
• Makamisa: The Search for Rizal's Third Novel
11. Miguel Syjuco
Miguel Syjuco, from Manila, is the author of Ilustrado, the debut novel which
won the 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize as well as the Palanca Award.
He has done work for major international publications such as a copy editor
at The Montreal Gazette, and has a weekly book-review column called the
Biblio-File on CBC's Radio Canada International. He has a master's degree
in creative writing from Columbia University and is completing a PhD in
English literature from the University of Adelaide in Australia.
Miguel's current literary writing explores the possibilities of narrative fiction
and examines the complexities of a Third World society involved in
reckless decay and hopeful progress

Work:
• Ilustrado
12. JOEY 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.
Works:
• Killing Time in a Warm Place,1992 (Novel)
Soledad’s Sister, 2008 (Novel)
Madilimang Gabi saLaot at Iba Pang MgaDulangLigawnaPag-Ibig, 1993 (Play)
PagsabogngLiwanag/ Aninag, Anino, 1996 (Play)
• AngButihingBabaengTimog/Mac Malicsi, TNT, 1997 (Play)
TayongDalawa, 1994 (Screenplay)
• Miguelito, 1995 (Screenplay)
• Saranggola, 1999 (Screenplay)
• The Best of Barfly, 1997 (Nonfiction)
• The Lavas: A Filipino Family, 1999 (Nonfiction)
• Man Overboard, 2005 (Nonfiction)
• “Wash: Only a Book keeper”, 2009 (Nonfiction)
• “Builder of Bridges: The Rudy Cuenca Story,” 2010 other books (Nonfiction)
• (As editor) Kasaysayan: The Story of the Filipino People, 1998 (Nonfiction)
• The Filipino Flag, 2004 (Nonfiction)
• Journeys with Light: The Vision of Jaime Zobel, 2005 (Nonfiction)
13. SIONIL JOSE
Francisco Sionil José’s novels, short stories and non-fiction works highlight the
social underpinnings, class struggles and colonial history of Filipino society.
He is best known for his epic work, The Rosales Saga – five novels encompassing a
hundred years of Philippine history, painting a vivid documentary of Filipino
life.
José has worked as a journalist, and has founded a bookshop, publishing house
and art gallery. In 1966, he established Solidarity, a monthly magazine of
“current affairs, ideas and the arts,” whose contributors included Southeast
Asia’s leading writers, poets, statesmen, scholars and political activists.

Works:
• Po-on (1984)
• The Pretenders (1962)
• My Brother, My Executioner (1973)
• Mass (1974)
• Tree (1978)
14. GINA APOSTOL
• Gina Apostol (born 1963) is a Philippines-born writer based in the
United States. She was born in Manila and grew up in Tacloban. She
graduated from the University of the Philippines and then took a Master's
degree in creative writing at Johns Hopkins University.
• Her American debut novel, Gun Dealer's Daughter, won the 2013
PEN/Open Book award. She has contributed to the Los Angeles Review of
Books and Foreign Policy.
Works:

• Bibliolepsy (1997, University of Philippines Press: ISBN 9789715421379)

• The Revolution According to Raymundo (2009, Manila: Anvil ISBN
9789715421379)
• Gun Dealer's Daughter (2010, Manila: Anvil; 2012, Norton: ISBN
9780393062946)
• Insurrecto (2018, Soho Press: ISBN 978-1616959449)
 Other Literature Produced
• Songs
– “Bayan Ko” – written by the poet Jose Corazon de
Jesus a.k.a. Huseng Batute and music was by
Constancio de Guzman
– “Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo” composed by Jim
Paredes
– “Magkaisa” composed by Senator Tito Sotto,
Erniew de la Peña and Homer Flores
• Poem
– A Grain of Dreams - Domingo Landicho

Play/Movie
– Orapronobis directed by Lino Brocka
 Other Literature Produced
• To My Native Land – Tarrosa Subido
• My Father’s Tragedy – Carlos Bulosan
• Cadaver – Alberto S. Florentino
• Air Castles – Juan F. Salazar
• The Sea – Natividad Marquez
• Ang Pinakahuling Kwento ni Huli (The Very
Last Story of Huli) – Lilia Quindoza Santiago
• The Execution – Charlson Ong
• Kabilang sa mga Nawawala (Among the
Disappeared) – Ricardo Lee
• Geyluv – Honorio De Dios
• Dead Stars (Short Story) – Paz Marquez
Benitez
NEWSPAPER COLUMNISTS

• MaximoSoliven
• Louie Beltran
• HilarionHenares
• Francisco Soc Rodrigo
BOOKS
• People Power
• -produced under a grant by the PCI Bank Human Resources Development Foundation
• -edited by MoninaAllareyMercado
• -published by the James B. Reuter, S.J. Foundation
• Bayan Ko
• -published by Project 28 Days LTD. in June, 1986 in Kowloon, Hong Kong
• -co-published in the Philippines by VeritasPublications and Communications Foundation
• Dreamweavers Selected Poems
• -by Marjorie Pernia
• -the Seventh National Book Awards cited several best books published in 1987 according to
the choices made by the Manila Critics Circle in March 19, 1987
• Awit at Corrido:Philippine Metrical Romances
• -by DamianaL. Eugenio
• -the Seventh National Book Awards cited several best books published in 1987 according to
the choices made by the Manila Critics Circle in March 19, 1987