Footnote to the Youth

by: Jose Garcia Villa

Dodong wanted to marry Teang and asked his father's permission. Thinking that since they are young, their love would be short, he allowed them to get married. After nine months, Teang gave birth to a child named Blas. For six consecutive years, a new child came along. Teang did not complain even though she secretly regretted being married at an early age. Sometimes she even wondered if she would have the same life if Lucio, her other suitor who was nine years older than Dodong, was the one she married. Lucio has had no children since the time he married. When Teang and Dodong were twenty they looked like they were fifty. When Blas was 18, he told his father that he would marry Tona. Dodong did not object, but tried to make Blas think twice before rushing to marriage - because Dodong doesn't want Blas to end up like him. It simply tells the story of an older person who made a mistake in the past who ended up with a not so pleasurable life. Then he had a son who is like him when he was young. His son is hasty in making the decision to get married, just like he was when he was 17. Despite this, Dodong did not - and could not - stop Blas from marrying Tona. Therefore, he didn't object. Instead, he just reminded him that Blas is still very young and might as well think twice before rushing to marriage.

Reaction

            I wasn't that surprised when I read this story. Why? It is because on our generation today, a lot of teenagers had done this. A lot get married at a young age. A lot got pregnant at a very young age. Teenagers always rushed into things they want. They thought, well, we thought that we’re old enough for these kinds of things. We thought that we are responsible enough. This is the reason why sometimes, we always have regrets in life. I hope that this story will serve as a lesson to everyone. This is not just a simple fiction story. This story happens to the youth. And we know that.

The Pasion

The Pasion was a religious narrative poem. It was an epic of Christ. It was called “The Pasion” because it aims to tell the story of Jesus Christ from birth to trial and crucifixion.

            

            Padre Gaspar Aquilino de Belen was the first Filipino who composed and sung it in Tagalog. The Pasion was a part of his book “Manga Panalangin Nagtatagubilin sa Calolowa Nang Taong Naghihingalo”. It was printed in Manila, 1704.

      

           The book was a huge success. Many intended to refine it for it was a best-seller book. The church even encouraged the people to read it and told them that they will receive a celestial award. The Pasion, then, turned into reading (pabasa) and dramatization (cenaculo).

Summary of Bidasari

The people in Kembayat were fussed in a giant bird that eats human. When the giant bird came back, they all hid out of fear. The sultana, who’s pregnant, however, was lost in the woods. Out of fear, she gave birth and forgot about the baby when she left.

Luckily, a merchant saw the baby and a bowl containing a live goldfish. The merchant realized that the life of the baby was attached to the live goldfish. If the fish leaves the water, the baby will die. The merchant adopted the baby. Later on, the baby grew up into a very beautiful young woman.

            In the kingdom, the king has just remarried a beautiful woman named Permaisuri. Permaisuri was afraid that the king will fall in love with someone else. When the queen found out about Bidasari, she was brought in the castle. There, she became a slave but Permaisuri wasn't satisfied. So, when she found out about the secret of Bidasari, she took the fish and made it into a necklace. Thus, Bidasari died and was put in a beautiful tomb located in the woods.

            One day, the king went hunting in the woods and saw the beautiful tomb. He went inside and saw Bidasari sleeping. The king waited Bidasari to wake up for two days.

            Meanwhile, in the palace, the queen was taking a bath and the fish managed to break free. Thus, Bidasari was awakened. The king talked to Bidasari and she told everything to the king. The king was so enraged.

            Later on, the king took Bidasari and they got married. Thus,  Bidasari became the new queen of the kingdom.

Philippine Literature

Do we already have literature even before the Spaniards set their foot in our lands?

The answer is yes. According to the Spaniards we already have literature when they came here in our country.

The Philippine literature has Ancient Filipino Poetry, Ancient Filipino Tales and Ancient Filipino Metrical Tales.

Ancient Filipino Poetry

            Ancient Filipino Poetry consists of songs, poems and riddles. Songs and poems were done through religion (e.g. prayers, rituals, worshipping), courtship, during harvest seasons and celebrations. Riddles, on the other hand, were done during wakes.

Ancient Filipino Tales

            It consists of legends, fables and myths. Legends explain how things started. It explains certain phenomena (e.g. The Legend of Coconut, The Legend of Sampaguita). Fables, however, are short stories whose characters are animals. All fables consist of moral lessons (e.g. Why Hens Keep on Scratching, The Ape and The Firefly). Myths are the story of Gods and Goddesses (e.g. The Story of Bathala).

Ancient Filipino Metrical Tales

            What is epic?

            Epic is a long narrative that tells a heroic adventure. There are three elements of an epic. These are lineage, adventure and character. The lineage must be an offspring of a mortal and a god (half mortal, half god). The adventure of an epic should always be the hero is in pursuit of something or someone. The character is that the hero is always righteous and displays superhuman traits during his childhood days.