A brief survey of Iloko literature from the beginnings to its present development, with a bibliography of works pertaining to the Iloko people and their language, by Leopoldo Y. Yabes.

ILOKO JOURNALISM

poetry which have no lasting literary merit but which appeal to
the masses because of their sentimental mawkishness. On its
editorial staff are M. A. Abaya and Mauro A. Pefia.
Iloko Journalism in Hawaii and America:-The great exodus
of Iloko laborers to Hawaii and the United States during the
last fifteen years necessitated the publication of newspapers to
serve their intellectual, economic, and social interests. Among
the periodicals that have seen light in those countries may be
mentioned Ti Silaw (The Light), Iloko-English weekly of Honolulu, founded in 1924 and at present edited by Clemente V. Reyes; Tulong (Help), Iloko-English monthly of Hilo, edited by
Gonzalo Manibog; the Filipino Outlook, English-Iloko fortnightly of Honolulu, edited by A. N. Patacsil; the P. I. Commonwealth
Chronicle (formerly Philippine Chronicle), English-IlokoTagalog weekly of Honolulu, edited by Franco Manuel; Karayo
(Affection), Iloko monthly of Honolulu, edited by Juanita Ortogero; Bannawag, Iloko monthly (?) of Honolulu; and the
Oriental Press, English-Iloko weekly (?) of Chicago. These
periodicals occasionally print readable poetry and fiction.
C. PAST AND PRESENT TENDENCIES
It has often been said, and with truth, that the newspapers
of a generation ago contained more literature than news and
that the newspapermen, according to Teodoro M. Kalaw,10 "had
a greater enthusiasm for the coining of beautiful literary
phrases than for the preparation and writing of sensational
news." Rafael Palma has aptly said,l1 "Journalism was formerly considered as a literary profession. The youth who excelled in universities for their poetic talent or literary ability
dedicated themselves to journalism, not as a means to earn
their living, but for the pleasure of creating a literary individuality and of gaining followers among the public by their own
style of writing."
These references were made to Filipino journalism in Spanish, but they may with the same truth be also applied to Iloko
journalism. Isabelo de los Reyes, Mariano N. Gaerlan, Victorino Balbin, Buenaventura J. Bello, and Jose F. Tongson were
more literary than journalistic in their newspaper writings.
Since the periodical was cheaper to put out than books and pamphlets, the writers preferred to publish their stuff in the periodicals to publishing them in book form. Besides they could also
get a bigger audience through the periodical than through the
book. That is why books in the early years of the century
were not as numerous as now.
10-See his Introduction to J. Z. Valenzuela's History of Journalism...,
p. xiii.
11-See his Introduction to ibid., p. xviii.