A Take on Filipino Identity

Angono Petroglyph
Image from Laz'andre

I am a true-blooded Filipino. My mother hails from Aklan and my father is from Bulacan. I have lived all my life here in the Philippines, and my feet had never touched foreign ground. I eat adobo, bagoong, nilaga, sinigang, bulalo, and all Filipino food you can think of except Durian (to the guys who like Durian, I did try but this is the part where I believe in "acquired tastes"). I believe in the Filipino Spirit, the pride of being Pinoy, the fierceness of our race and the beauty of our women. Yet, a question remains in my head. What is the identity of the Filipino?

The Angono Petroglyphs tell us people have been living in our country for at least 5,000 years. That means as a race, we can claim we're not that young, although not that advanced as the old civilizations of the planet. There's a huge gap in our history and our scientists are continually researching to uncover how our ancestors were for 4 and a half milleniums ago, but only so much can be uncovered by the experts. It might be safe to say most of the details have been lost.

Filipino Culture and the RH Bill

The RH Bill is one of the most controversial, most talked about and most exposed topic nowadays. Everywhere you see it, everywhere you hear about it. People have different stands and different opinions about it. In radio, in newspapers, TV, on the internet, even in graffiti, people are taking sides whether they are pro or anti. Facts are being thrown around, experts are being consulted and their views are scrutinized. For some who do not see it, the outcome of the RH Bill journey will be one of the major turning points of our society and culture as this is expected to have an immense impact on the nuclear family, which according to the constitution, the core unit of the country and ideally the utmost priority of the government. It will have a great impact on life, the way we live it, the way we see it and the way we treat it. This may also change our way of looking at the family in the decades to come.

Buhay Kariton

It can be considered as the remnants of Filipino nomadic living. It could be the last example of our old ways, long before the baranggays and societies were founded. Or it can be a display of Pinoy ingenuity still. Those are what can be said about the kariton.

Made of scrap wood, metal and rubber, the kariton is incredibly versatile. It can be a mode of transportation, an occupational tool, a playground for children and a home. In the 1980s and probably earlier, there were plenty of people using the kariton. Commonly seen on the streets during daylight, pushed by scrap and bottle collectors known as "magbobote". At night, they'd be parked on a dark and isolated corner and used as bed and shelter.

Ga-Graduate Ka Ba?

In the Philippine school systems, towards the end of the school year is an important month for graduating students. This is the time when a student gets a clue if he or she will walk to the stage to receive a piece of typewriting paper tied with cheap lace from Divisoria. Graduates-to-be are anxious to know if they're gonna move up, or gonna get stuck behind. Frankly its a tense time.

There's a lot of challenges actually. For the high school and the college students, grades are just the start of the things to get worried about. It is a stressful phase, but also an exciting one. Commencement is the end of something, and the start of another.

Papaya Soap Syndrome

There was a time when the hottest selling thing was Papaya. You can see the fruit in newspapers and billboards. You can hear Papaya on the radio and see it on TV. Almost everyone was crazy about Papaya! Unfortunately, we didn't want to eat the fruit, we wanted it on our skin.

Almost all soaps for sale bore the resemblance to the color and smell of Papaya. Even the biggest names in soaps have their own Papaya variant. The craze even went further when someone released a green Papaya variant claiming to be more effective that the ripe fruit. Their claim?  They give Filipino women a chance to become whiter.

Encountering an Aswang

I don't want to meet an aswang. I bet many don't want to either. Walking alone at night on a dark "eskinita" then suddenly an aswang appears scenario is something that doesn't happen very often especially nowadays in the metropolitan cities. Aside from the fact that we are talking on "mythological" terms here, there's no proof that aswangs exists. So what's the point of this? Its a nice to know. After all, no one said that aswangs don't exist. No one has proof...yet.

So what do you do when you happen to meet an aswang? Read on and find out.

Surviving a Filipino New Year

In the Filipino Culture, the Christmas Season isn't done yet. But after the Noche Buena, just a week later, there comes another almost equally big celebration here in the Philippines. It is the celebration of New Year's eve. Some say Christmas is for kids, and New Year is for adults, and there's some truth in that. Children benefit the most in Christmas, but it is the adults that enjoy a lot more upon the entry of the next year. Read on if you're in the Philippines and making your New Year Pinoy Style. It helps to take a look at some need-to-knows.

Only a Pinoy Does This

Couldn't help posting this. I saw someone share something like this on Facebook. Didn't believe it until I did the same. This is a proof how imaginative a Filipino is. I never looked the wrestler Batista as a reincarnate of Manuel L. Quezon before.

Now you know how a Pinoy handles boredom.

Making Christmas Tamborines

"Pasko na naman, O kay tulin ng araw. Paskong nagdaan tila ba'y kailan lang! Ngayon ay Pasko, dapat pasalamatan. Ngayon ay pasko tayo ay mag-awitan!"

In an unrehearsed and innocent tune, its what kids would sing over and over again to your house during the Christmas season. The colorful Christmas lights, the festive mood and all those smiling faces, the singing kids is a great addition to the holiday cheer. I was once part of this tradition. We make our own instruments, going house to house at sundown and singing our hearts out.

Filipino Ingenuity is really top rated. We can make tamborines out of everyday items without having to spend a peso. Let me show you how.

Not the usual for Bonifacio Day

I made something for Bonifacio Day. What if there was Facebook already in the late 1800's? Find out for yourself!

Here's a bigger image of the photo: Andres Bonifacio FB

Philippine Sword Hunting in Aklan

I have always been fascinated by swords. Since I was a kid, I have played imaginary sword fights with sticks and have longed to own a real one. These tools of warfare are the most revered and respected of all ancient weaponry. A true man will be left in awe at the presence of a beautiful sword, feeling the power and the danger emanating from the weapon.

Very few nowadays knows about swords in the Philippines. The weapon may have outlived its purpose as we are in an era needing more sophistication. Presently, if not being used for cutting and chopping, swords become ornaments. Thus the makers of Philippine blades faced with a vanishing trade had taken up other means of livelihood, but a few others stayed behind. I have heard of stories of blacksmiths in the island of Panay and an unplanned trip to Aklan made me grab the opportunity to track down and find the makers of Visayan swords.

Surviving Christmas in the Philippines 2

From Pinoy Lifestyle

On my previous article, my last words were "Surviving a Filipino Christmas at home is just a fraction of what else goes on outside." Damn right that is! When its Christmas time in the Philippines, it is an adventure to go out. In the center of cities when its night rush hour, you get the hustle of people and the bright lights all around. Go sub-urban, the peaceful flickering of Christmas lights and parols mesmerize anyone passing by. Welcome to a guide to surviving Christmas in the Philippines as a Filipino would do.

Surviving Christmas in the Philippines 1

You think Christmas in the Philippines is all celebration? Think again. Its a lot more than what you really think. The Holidays is a tough season. May not look so for everyone, and many wouldn't really mind. Perhaps because its a time when everyone thinks of happy thoughts, feeling good about everything around and when everybody is "nicer." All I could think of is the word "magical" in this context. Why people feel good? Maybe that's really the miracle. 

But no matter how magical things may be, you may need to read on for some challenges that lay ahead. Here's a guide how to survive a Filipino Christmas...at home.

Jeepney Riding 101

The fight for survival goes on and on daily. In the streets all over the Philippines, every move you make is an act of survival. Our country is tough and to a certain extent dangerously charming. Even public transportation is risky business. The roads are still dominated by one vehicle, the jeepneys and their drivers. To ride a jeepney, you have to learn a few things to pull through.

Beware of Bangungot

Sleep should be a zone of comfort. When you sleep, everything is different. It is a daily getaway from the daily hassles of life, and a reclusion where all great things can happen. This is also where the not so great things happen, but hey, its just a dream.

Sounds great right? But what if one doesn't wake up? The old folks had always warned us. Sometimes sleep can kill. In the Filipino Culture, sleep at times is feared.

The Scariest Places in the Philippines

Since a lot of Filipinos had outgrown the fear for the mythological beings of the Philippines, what replaced it is fear of ghosts and hauntings. We now have a tendency to believe that supernatural events that happen are caused by ghosts or some spirits. There might be isolated experiences in some places, but there are many who claim hauntings are stronger in some places.

We Pinoys like being scared. Somehow it becomes entertainment, something that we can talk about. Especially on times like these. Times when it is believed that spirits are let loose on earth. When that happens, not everyone would want to be in one of these places.

Aswang - Pinoy Supernatural Creatures

At twilight, as the sun goes down, when the leaves of the makahiya and ipil-ipil starts to fold, the fear of the creatures of the night increases. The first time I heard about aswangs were the ones told by our kasambahay when I was a kid. They would tell of stories that they too heard from the old folks of their rural provinces. For a very long time, these creatures had lived vividly in our imagination and from time to time we hear of people testifying close contact.

With the non-stop life here in the metropolitan cities, belief in the aswang don't seem appropriate. There has been less and less dark places and fewer trees. More and more buildings continue to rise from the ground as living spaces become concentrated. People know each other and if someone goes missing, someone would notice. If something strange happens, news travel really fast. A very different jungle for descriptively primitive and carnal beings. But the question is, are they really primitive?

Top 5 Pampainit ng Pinoy

Photo from iprovoked

Seriously, if your looking for something for adults, you should be looking somewhere else. Wholesome tayo dito pre. What I meant on pampainit is pampainit ng tyan. :)

We are in a tropical country. If its not sweltering hot and sunny, its wet and rainy. During these months of rain you'd be too lazy to do anything at all. Even I would just want to slack around and doze the whole day off given the chance (which happens most of the time on weekends). We Filipinos fortunately found pampainit tactics that takes away the gloom of rainy days. I give you the Top 5, starting with...LUGAW.

Extra Rice Please!

Every Filipino is a rice person. Not nice ha, but rice. Then again, sige na nga, you could say nice...generally. :) For a lot of countries in Asia, it has become the foundation of our cultures and the foundation of our very lives. Thousands of years ago our ancestors were eating rice already, and up to now, these grains has been the source of our sustenance.

Admit it, you won't feel fully satisfied if you ate your lunch or dinner without kanin. Somehow you get that feeling parang busog na hindi. Nothing beats ulam and rice. I pity those who try to adapt the American and European culture by not eating rice for whatever reason. They're giving up something that is a part of being a Filipino.

Tanan

Drawing by Romeo Tanghal Sr.

I bet not all Filipinos would recognize the words Tanan. Most of those who "were" familiar with the word might have forgotten it already because it hasn't been used for a very, very long time.

We've heard of stories from our parents and grandparents. Our old and wrinkled lola recalling lolo and her maiden days with "kilig" in her eyes. Chances are, they ran away with each other. Chances are, Lolo said to her "mag-tanan na tayo."