Just like everyone else who's written / posted on the subject (not just now but in the past - it's not a new topic of discussion, and not just on Speculative Fiction, but in general), I have my own own opinion. Here it is:
If it's
1. written by a Filipino / Filipina or by someone of Filipino / Filipina descent (in whatever language, except perhaps mathematical, programming, and mark-up languages); or
2. written about a Filipino / Filipina (in whatever language, except perhaps mathematical, programming, and mark-up languages); or
3. written about the Philippines - past, present, future, alternate history, alternate dimension (in whatever lang- well, you know the drill);
4. written in a Philippine dialect
then it's Philippine Fiction!
Pretty simple, no? Too simple, you say? Okay, let's take a closer look.
Criterion 1: written by a Filipino / Filipina or by someone of Filipino / Filipina descent
In My Not-So-Humble But Still Potentially Flawed-By-Virtue-Of-Being-Human Opinion (IMNSHBSPFBVOBHO for short), I believe that if by blood you're Pinoy or Pinay, you're part of the overall Filipino experience. No one person can claim to represent ALL Filipinos, anymore than any one guy can claim to speak for all guys.
(Actually, lots of people can claim to represent all Filipinos or speak for all guys, but IMNSHBSPFBVOBHO they are speaking based on their personal experiences and personal thought processes, which may not necessarily hold true for all the people they claim to represent.
So my solution - take 'em all as Philippine Fiction. Some may be better than others, and some may be outright crap, but then, the same can be said for fiction in general. But I'm gleefully digressing.)
So I go for the gestalt approach. They're ALL Philippine Fiction, and by reading and evaluating the parts or the whole, we get a good picture of what Philippine Fiction is. As far as subject and theme - no limits.
This may, of course, be different from what we'd like it to be, but that's another issue entirely.
Why so inclusive? I'm just an inclusive kind of guy. After all, there were waves of settlers before the Spaniards - the Malay / Indonesian bunch, the Chinese folks, the Indians (from India, not America), and so on. We trace our citizenship through blood as well so I figured bloodline was a good measure.
What if it's a person of pure Indian descent whose family came over generations ago, and is considered a Filipino citizen? Yep.
Criterion 2: written about a Filipino / Filipina
Yes, this includes stuff written by foreigners who have not become naturalized citizens of the Pearl of the Orient.
It may be a flawed mirror, but it is fiction, and it's about us (or one of us), so I include it.
Criterion 3: written about the Philippines
Similar to Argument 2, it's about the setting this time, not the characters.
Criterion 4: written in a Philipine dialect
If you're not Pinoy or Pinoy descent, if you don't write about Filipino characters or write based in a Philippine setting, but you do write something publishable in Ilocano or Cebuano or Chabacano - kabayan!
You may have noticed that I use language as an including factor. I don't really think that language / dialect should be an excluding factor, because while it's debatable some languages can express certain ideas "better", I believe that there are other aspects ng pagka-pinoy that transcend language. It may take a whole paragraph or novel to outline what is denoted and connoted by certain words like "loob" and "barkada" and "inihaw na bola ng kambing", but it can be done. There are limitations and strengths to all languages, and it is the challenge of the writer to communicate his or her story in whatever language he or she choses.
So that's my opinion. You're all open to your own, of course.
In fact, it's very pinoy to have your own opinion. And to voice it too.
 | elyss wrote on Sep 24, '07 Sa totoo lang, umikot ang ulo ko sa usapang ito. Apat na websites na ang binasa ko tungkol dito (pagdikit-dikit ba naman ni Kyu sa PGS :-) ), pero parang wala pa rin akong sariling opinyon na ipaglalaban ko talaga. Migraines aside, I think these discussions are great.
[Maybe it would be a good idea to look at how other countries (and I'm not just talking about the US here) with a rich literary heritage classify their own lit. If they have a list of qualifiers at all.]
Is it just me or do the discussions seem to be too conscious about how *other* countries would be regarding Philippine lit (spec or realist), whether what gets written is representative of the country or not? Okay lang naman yun, I understand what the reasons could be, pero is anybody even thinking how our own people would think of what Pinoy writers have to offer? Would Pinoy readers be even interested in what Philippine Spec Fic wants to say? Do we have an audience at all?
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 | Hi Elyss,
Aba, binasa mo po ba lahat ng mga sites? Well, I don't know about other folks, but I don't think my opinion cares much what other countries consider Philippine Lit. Frankly, I feel that my opinion pretty much ignores what other people think, since items 2 and 3 could be seen as poaching from "American Literature" or "Fil-Am Literature" or " Literature".
However, your comment about "is anybody even thinking how our own people would think of what Pinoy writers have to offer" is precisely one of the reasons I set up my criteria. I take issue with people telling Filipino writers, "this is what you should write - nothing else matters". If people feel so strongly that that's what should be written, they start writing examples of what they want and find or convince others to do the same - and see if they can find a market!
The various schools of realist fiction have already done so, as have the champions of speculative fiction and genre fiction.
In my opinion, the most decisive way to find out if there's a market is to find out if people read and enjoy the stuff we're writing.
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 | I'm not so sure about the setting though. While I agree with most of what you said, an American writer writing about Japanese culture, cannot be considered Japanese Literature. In the same way that just because I wrote about an American in an American setting, I don't think it should be considered American Literature, either.
I personally prefer the Olympics style - it don't matter what country you're from, but at the time you race or win, what country you belong to is the ultimate test of whose win it is. In fiction, what you country belong to will ultimately decide to which national literature you will be contributing to.
But that's just my IMNSHBSPFBVOBHO.:) |
 | I tend to, with some reservation, favor your uber-inclusive definition, IMNSHBSPFBVOBHO. It's great that people are voicing opinions now, where before the silence was deafening (well, except for us, once in a while LOL). |
| elyss wrote on Sep 25, '07 OKay here goes. I've decided. May stand na ako.
Philippine Fiction should just have one and only one qualifier >> author should be Filipino/Filipino citizen. So what if naturalized Filipino? So what if the theme is about Achechebureche country in the farthest reaches of the universe? It still is written by our own. Itataboy mo ba ang gawa ng anak mong ampon? Anak mo pa rin sya. We can't exclude just because of the theme. Francisco Balagtas wrote about Albania, for goodness's sake. (Although of course he wrote it in Filipino, which is beside the point. We're just talking about themes here.)
Whether that piece of Philippine fiction is good or "not good", ie not representative of the country, is I think another set of debate (falling under the "what Phil fiction ought to be" mode), but should not be a basis for what is Philippine or not. Kahit na elves-elves at sword-swords pa yan. Kahit na fanfic pa . So, i-classify yan under Pinoy Fanfic.
So, papatulan ko na rin ito. As to what "Phil fiction ought to be", I think it's dangerous to go there. I'm all for freedom of expression so putting restrictions in terms of theme, ancestry, language, churva churva. Why? Because as a people we change, and these things evolve over time.
O so yun. Shoot me now. |
| Very brave, Elyss! And strong arguments as well!
Shoot you? May firing squad ba? |
 | Hi Alex. Thanks for weighing in. I was waiting for a Litcritter (outside of Dean's three initial posts) to say something since you guys have been studying spec. fic. with greater intensity than most.
Hi Elyss. Sorry nalang kung padikit-dikit ang post ko. Kung umikot ulo mo, ako nag-ilang rebolusyon na, parang si Linda Blair sa Exorcist, sabay suka (oops, too much info?)
But personally, I'm glad people are talking, I really am. It shows they care about spec. fic. and exploring their identities (or not) through it. But as I've commented elsewhere, bit-by-bit, veerry slowly, I'm coming to the conclusion that the body of work isn't large enough yet for spec. fic. (which is still young in the RP) to have any kind of firm definition here, much less to even give it subgenres. IMNSHBSPFBVOBHO.
Kate and Elyss, I've had it said to me by some ('di ko na maalala kung sino-sino na sa dami nang nagbigay ng kanilang opinyon, verbally and written) that for them, they feel that citizenship isn't the defining factor, though I see very clearly why you guys would take a stand with it (ala Olympics nga). One of them told me, "If we win the Olympic gold medal in basketball, but all our players were naturalized former Americans led by Michael Jordan, 'di ba may asterisk yan? Likewise, mahirap tanggapin for me na manalo si Pacquiao ng gold medal sa boxing para sa America after being naturalized there, after being an RP citizen for years. Asterisk din 'yan. The gold medal in basketball will feel American. The gold medal in boxing will feel Filipino.
Ah ewan. I'm going to lie down again. |
| And oh yes, I forgot, I spoke to Vin and he said he's going to give his two cents (centavos?) soon too. Yehey! Hilo nanaman ako! |
 | hay, it is more simple in the library. librarians classify fiction and non-fiction as Filipiniana if the book is written by a filipino; if the book is about the philippines/filipinos/philippine experience, culture, etc. does not matter if author and publisher are non-filipino by birth or citizenship. but we're treading on the subjective waters of literature here. gah. |
| So should we call it... Filipiniana Speculative Fiction? |
| ahaha! that would complicate things even more! LOL :-D |
| Hi again, Kate, Alex. You know, the more I read your comments and your blog posts (here and on my Multiply blog), and Bhex's, the more I realize how, um, "specialized", Bhex's criteria is for "Filipino" spec. fic. It really is very specific as to its demands before a story can be appended with "Filipino". Contrast this with Alex's all inclusive criteria. |
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