Answer:
There are several important periods in Philippine literature, starting from:
1. The Pre-Colonial Period (BC - 1564)
In this period (before the Spanish occupation), literature was mostly oral in nature (spoken form), and included different literary forms, such as riddles, proverbs, myths, legends, fables, epics, and various songs.
2. The Spanish Period (1521 - 1898)
During the Spanish occupation, Philippine literature became much more written rather than oral. It included a lot of revolutionary literature at this point, as well as political texts and propaganda; otherwise, they continued focusing on religious literature, as well as some secular texts too.
3. The American Period (1900 - 1942)
During the American occupation, there was a surge in education and literature in the Philippines, however, the literature was mostly imitating American literature. It included poetry, drama, and remake novels of famous American novels.
4. The Japanese Period (1941 - 1945) and the Republic (1946 - 1985)
English was forbidden which led to a halt in Philippine literature. However, it gave rise to a lot more literature written in their native language, like poetry, fiction, drama, newspapers, and essays.
5. 21-Century Period
Modern, contemporary period, no different from any other country nowadays.
