Anthology of Asean Literatures: Philippine Metrical Romances

The one question that puzzled the Philippine Team of the Anthology of ASEAN Literature project was: What happened to the epics of the Christianized tribes?

Upon research, it was found that metrical romances were prevalent in the tribes that were successfully Christianized, tribes that were found in the lowlands near bodies of water. It is same to conclude that the coridos, have been popular for three or more centuries among the Filipinos. These stories not only make up the body of most of the entertaining reading of the lower and middle classes, but also furnish passages for quotations and recitation on every conceivable occasion.

The romances then must have been brought first to Manila through the premier port of the country from Sevilla through the galleon trade. An introduction of metrical romances put the Philippines in the mainstream not only of European but also of Indian and Middle Eastern civilization. The doctoral dissertation of Damiana Eugenio where she traces the origins of fifty Philippine metrical romances attests to this.

Text includes the original dialect and the English translation.