1. What are the traditional beliefs of the Filipino in the site selection for construction of dwellings?

Answer:

7 Mysterious Pinoy Building Superstitions

Typically, building design and construction

are based on standard factors such as type of use,
climate, surrounding environment, client needs, and
budget. But just like sixth sense, building
superstitions come into play when it observing
house rules to satisfy supernatural interests,
especially in the Filipino culture. Even if you're not
superstitious, you may be surprised of the many
beliefs unconsciously incorporated in creating your
space. Here are some of the common building
superstitions that are practiced today—identify fact
from myth and know the reasons behind these
beliefs.

Oro, Plata, Mata

These words that literally mean "gold, silver, death" are used when
defining the number of stair steps. One must have the right number of
steps on any staircase such that when counting each step (step one:
"Oro," step two: "Plata," step three: "Mata," step four: "Oro," and so
on). The belief is that the topmost step should be counted as “gold” or
“silver” to attract wealth, but not counted as “death.” It is the most
commonly observed building superstition in our country, and many
licensed architects take it into consideration when designing a home,
and sometimes more landings are added or tweaked so the topmost rung
wouldn’t be the “mata” step.

Sacrificial blood
Padugo (animal blood-spilling) is an ancient ritual carried over
generations. Animal sacrifice was common in ancient times, when blood symbolized life, as an offering to deities.
There were a lot of construction casualties before modern construction methods—not so much because of
supernatural causes but because of lack of safety measures. So workers sacrificed animals in the belief that the
animal blood would prevent whatever human blood might be spilled in the course of construction.

Coins in foundations
You may have heard of old houses being demolished, only to reveal
vintage coins embedded in the remaining foundations. This follows the
concept of the "Money Tree" and the principle of reaping what you sow.
The building foundations are likened to the trees' roots, so coins are
planted within or underneath them so that the structure may bear fruit
in the form of huge return of investment in the future.
 Lucky (and unlucky) numbers
According to ancient lore, odd numbers are “masculine” while even numbers are “feminine.” In addition, the
male integers are fortunate with the exception of the number 13 (that's another article in itself) while the female
integers are more or less neutral. This belief in the luck of odd numbers may be accredited to the positive
references to these numerals throughout history: one assumes importance; three connotes Trinitarian power; five
is magical in nature; seven is considered a perfect number; nine is a triple sacred figure. Numerology experts may
be consulted for establishing when to start constructing a house, and some homeowners may avoid the number
13 for addresses or unit numbers (and some developers even avoid the use of 13 in addresses and floor levels
entirely).

Topping out or tree-topping

If there's padugo in groundbreaking, there's tree-
topping in building completion. The "topping out"
tradition of a completed project involves "tree-
placing" at the top of the building. This practice
may be traced back to the development of human
shelter. Our ancestors constructed early dwellings
with wood, and because of their reverence and
worship of nature, they would formally address the
forest before taking its wood. When the house was
complete, they would set the topmost leafy branch
of the tree on the roof so that the tree spirit would
not be rendered homeless. Contemporary structures
are made of cold steel and masonry, yet builders
still top their skyscrapers with green and
homeowners bring in potted plants into their new
house as finishing touches, not so much out of
reverence to foliage life forces.
Dwarf mounds
Filipinos are generally fatalistic. Our native folklore abounds with nuno
sa punso—dwarves that live in earthen mounds and giant monsters or
kapre that dwell in huge old trees. Somehow, our local myths have
caught up with our urban living. Some homeowners hire spirit seekers
to assess their homes for any mystical presence and give design
solutions in order to appease these unseen co-dwellers, which result in
retaining the hillocks and building a pond in the garden for those water-
loving gnomes and constructing around an old tree instead of uprooting
for fear of infuriating its inhabitants.
Feng Shui
Our mixed ancestry has produced a people of various beliefs. But when
it comes to property, the Chinese influence is strong mainly because
Chinese merchants play a significant role in the local business and
property market. This ascendancy has brought feng shui into general
practice. Feng shui is not about form and function, it's mostly about
flow: the ancient art of arranging your surroundings to attract positive
life energy, or chi, so that it flows smoothly. Home and business owners
hire experts from the onset of planning.

Filipinos are a deeply religious people. Many past events of historical interest attest to the significant role
of religion in their everyday life.
 The experienced Filipino architect is familiar with the common folk beliefs and usually follows them or
applies these age-old guidelines in the planning of one’s dream house.

Many of these beliefs are based on sound planning practices that do not have to be overly emphasized.
Like, for example, orienting the building to take in the healthful effects of the rays of the morning sun by having
wide windows facing the rising sun to take in the cleansing rays of sunlight during daybreak as well as to admit
the prevailing southeast breezes to cool your house.

It is more advantageous if two faces of the house take in the morning sun. This can be achieved if a corner
of the house take in the morning sun. This can be achieved if a corner of the house faces east. In fact, most
educated Filipinos are of the belief that the more windows your residence has (or the larger they are), the better
the chances of your house absorbing natural and spiritual graces.

In Bontoc, the front door of the house must face against the flow of a nearby river according to ancient
folk beliefs. In Romblon, the roof of the house must slope following the direction of the incline of the nearby
mountains. In the Cordilleras, it is different. The ridge of the roof is always positioned at right angles to the ridge
of the mountain on which the house stands.

Among the Ibalois, a Benguet ethnic group in the Cordilleras, it is customary to give ample space
underneath their houses by elevating their floors to accommodate the future tomb of the owner to ensure perpetual
guidance over the house the dead leaves behind.

If one is building a house within a family compound or between two relatives, make sure that the roof is
not higher than theirs, otherwise, their lives will never progress or will always be worse. A sibling’s house must
not be built so close to that of his parents such that rainwater from the eaves of the main house pours onto the
roof of the sibling.

 Posts

In Southern Tagalog, posts are erected following this procedure: posts are laid with their bottom ends at
the footing on the ground and the top ends pointing towards the east. The post nearest the east is the first to be
raised. The same procedure is followed for the other posts, one after the other in a clockwise direction as one
reads the plan. This same clockwise manner of raising the posts is practiced on the island of Romblon and the
belief is that it will make the house windproof.

The Tausugs equate the building of a house to the development of a fetus. They believe that the first to
appear in a woman’s womb is the navel. Hence, the first post to be erected should be the main post within the
interior of the house. In the Cagayan Valley, meanwhile, the first post to be raised is the one positioned nearest
to the northeast. But this is done after the footings have been sprinkled with wine. The old folks of Bataan caution
against having a solitary post in the middle of a room. It is said to bring misfortune to the family. This belief is
also common in Tagalog areas and it is said that posts situated this way augur a “heavily laden” life (mabigat ang
kabuhayan). The Yakans do not use crooked wooden posts especially the ones with knotholes in them because
they are said to symbolize death. In the older communities of Bayambang, Pangasinan, it is commonly believed
that termites (anay) will not enter the house if the bottoms of all wooden posts are first charred. Informed master
carpenters, however, suggest that these bottoms not just be charred but tarred as well. Others swear by the potency
of rock salt sprinkled generously in all footing excavations as preventive measures againstanay infestation. Old
people also cautions against cutting old posts for reuse so as not to lose one’s wealth.

 Stairs

An orientation towards the east is also required for stairs. Ilocanos position their stairs so that they rise
with the morning sun. To them, if it were the other way around, meant turning one’s back on fate. But builders in
Pandi, Bulacan, just like many typical Filipinos, believe that a stairway facing east is considered bad luck because,
they say, anything facing the early sun dries up ahead of all others, and in the same token, wealth taken into the
house will dry up much faster.

If there is no way one can make the stairs face east, at least make them face any nearby mountain. If one’s
lot abuts a river, position the stairs in a way that they are facing upstream. This is so in order that good luck from
the house would never be washed away with the river’s flow. In the same way, if the proposed house is beside
the sea, or if one is building a beach house, plan the stairs in such a way that they run parallel with the shore. If
the stairs are perpendicular to the shoreline, luck may flow in but also flow out with the tides. Also, it is not
advised to place a large window in the wall directly facing the stairs so that good fortune will not easily go out
that window.

Most Western countries consider it bad luck to walk under a ladder. Actually, this can be taken more as a
safety precaution than a superstition. Locally, one should not make a passageway any area under the stairs.
Tagalogs never use the space beneath the stairs as a sleeping quarters. The underside of wooden stairs of Ilonggo
houses are usually completed covered not because of peeping Toms but because the Old folks say so. For business
establishments, especially the small ones, the cashier or the place where money is kept should not be located
under the staircase. In homes, neither should rice be kept there because it translates to treading on the grace of
God whenever one goes up or down the stairs.

When planning a structure with two or more storeys, the stairway should not be positioned at the center
of the structure so as not to divide the building into two equal parts.

It is believed that the dried umbilical cord of a son or daughter of the house owner inserted in the staircase
will strongly bind the stringer with its supporting girder.

 Oro, Plata, Mata

There are guidelines, too, governing the number of steps in one’s stairs. Starting with the first landing,
count the steps using the words oro (gold), plata (silver), and mata (death). The perfect last step should be oro.
Ending upplata is not too bad either but, understandably, do not ever end up with mata. This ruling is strictly
observed especially if it involves the first steps going into the house. If your home has a slight elevation, choose
four steps but never three.
 This building belief is not limited to stairs alone. It also applies to walkways that are made of individual
flagstones or the popular circular or square slabs of pebbled concrete or even an entire concrete walkway or ramp
that is divided into sections by lines drawn onto the pavement itself, especially if they lead to the main entrance
of the house.

The Yakans of Mindanao, however, believe in odd numbering of steps. They also require an odd number
of bedrooms. Chinese Filipinos, on the other hand, count their steps by fours.

 Doors

It is advised that doors should not face each other. The people in the north associates this with the easy
passage of a coffin through two doors that directly face each other. Most regions in the country also avoid
positioning the main gate of the lot opposite the main entrance of the house itself. In Sta. Maria and San Miguel,
Bulacan, however, wide doors facing each other are considered lucky, especially if they lead to the terrace or
garden. One’s door also should not directly face one’s neighbor’s to avoid future conflicts with the said
households and to avoid wrestling with each other for the possession of the luck that passes in front of both your
houses.

 Living Rooms

Sunken rooms, like basements are looked at as pockets of caves where evil spirits can hide. It is balanced
off only when an exit lower than the said room is provided. Some Ilocanos do not want basements altogether
because of the belief that only coffins should be found under the ground. Old folks of Sta. Maria, Bulacan advise
that the floors of the living and dining rooms must be of the same level. They say the imaginary “ball of fortune”
must be able to freely roll across both floors. Overly ornate living and dining room ceilings, especially those with
cornices, moldings, and other superficial decorations are avoided as it tends to make the ceiling look like a coffin.
Even the “mansard” or flat type of roof invented at the turn of the century are avoided as it reminds people of a
coffin.

 Beds and Bedrooms

It is advised that one must plan the doors of one’s bedrooms in such a way that when it is opened, one
would face neither the foot nor head of the bed. There should always be ample space between the door and the
bed itself. Position the bed such that the headboard does not rest against a window opening. Neither should you
put any bed under a cross beam, regardless of whether the beam is of wood or concrete, and position the bed so
that the occupant will not be lying perpendicular to the beam. Overly strict homeowners do not have exposed
beams at all even if these are veneered with different materials.

For houses with second floors, it should be observed that no drainage pipe runs inside or under the floor where
the bed is located. Drainage pipes contain unclean fluids associated with bad energies which may affect the good
spirits of the people sleeping over these pipes.
Do not place bedrooms in the basement portion of the house. It is always preferred (luck-wise) that the bedroom
floor is higher than the living room. Non-sleeping rooms like library, den, foyer, storage, etc. can be at a lower
level than that of the living room.

 Bright Dining Rooms

As anyone who knows Filipino cuisine, Pampangos love to cook (and eat), so most of their dining rooms
are situated in the sunniest and brightest locations of the house. Ilocanos, on the other hand, prefer subdued
lighting because they consider eating a solemn occasion.

Another traditional beliefs of the Filipino in the site selection for construction of dwellings.

1. The number of steps in a flight of stairs must fall on the count of oro (gold), or plata (silver), but it should never
fall on mata (death).

2. Doorways should not face each other.

3. Main doors should not face where the sun sets.

4. The house plan should not be shaped like a cross.

5. Doorways facing the street directly is unlucky (tumbok).

6. Trees must not block the morning sun.

7. Stairs should face the east, mountains or rivers.

8. Windows should not face the bottom of the stairway.

9. Areas under the stairs should not be walkable.

10. The septic tank vault should not be placed under the roof.

11. The oven should face the rising sun.

12. The roof should not slant towards the front of the lot.

13. Doors should not face each other.

14. Wide windows should not face the neighbor's house.

15. Bedroom doors should face the foot of the bed.

16. Avoid drainage pipes under the bed.

17. The bedroom should be higher than the living room.

18. Stairways should not face doors.

19. The kitchen stove should be aligned with the sink.

20. Windows should not be placed on the wall of the headboard.

21. Bed should not face a wall with a watercloset.

22. Waterclosets must not face doors.

23. Do nor place the altar under the stairs.

24. Exposed columns should be round to facilitate chi.

25. Columns should be even and not divisible by 4.

 Lot selection

1. Triangular lots are unlucky.

2. Lots with frontage that is smaller than the rear is unlucky.

3. A lot facing east if favorable.

 Construction

1. Avoid starting construction when the year is about to end (korteng supot).

2. Place coins, religious medals, or chicken blood in the foundations for prosperity and protection before pouring
the concrete.

3. Never use materials that once belonged to a church. (Sacrilege!)

4. Groundbreaking should be set on a Monday or when the moon is growing in size.

5. Do not break ground on February as the month only has 28 days.

6. Initial concrete pouring should commence when the moon is growing, or better yet, when the moon is full.

7. Do not move in on a Tuesday or Friday, or the 13th of the month.

8. The order of things to bring inside the house is as follows: religious symbols first (santos etc) containers with
symbols for nourishment such as water, rice, salt; and then money (from spiritual to material).

9. Upon entering the house you must open all lights.

2. How does religion affect architectural development in Philippines?

Answer:

The first Indonesians and Malays who came to the Philippines were animo-deists and therefore
worshipped the sun as the source of life, the moon, the stars, the rainbow, the caves, volcanoes and large trees.
They also respected certain animals like the sharks, crows, doves, rooster, lizards and iguanas. They invoked
protection from evil from their ancestral spirits and in the concept of anitos and diwatas, these beliefs took form
in the decorative symbols that they carved in their houses, sailboats, tools, weapons and costumes. The carcass of
the carabao skull was also important symbol placed on top of the roof of the chief's house to signify that the
community had a leader. The rooster was the symbol of the sun, force, courage, and fertility and was used on top
of the roof finials as well as in the praws of sailboats. The lizard or iguana was used as a symbol of the
reincarnation of a deity and they were carved and placed across the doors of th granaries to ward off the entrance
of pests and thieves.
 The second and third waves of Malays brought the concept of Bathala, the supreme god, creator of the
universe and lord of all man.

Spanish domination which lasted from 1565 to 1989 brought about distinct changes in religious life and
practices of the people. Christianity elevated the social position of women and its fundamental concern is the
salvation of the soul for eternal life. Mohammedanism had a strong foothold in the southern islands. Other
religions have been adapted by some minorities. All of these religions provided men set of ideals which carry
them beyond their own immediate sphere. The various religions have developed different social principles. These
ideals and principles are reflected in the different religious and sepulchral structures, - the church, the tombs and
burial mounds.

Since the Spaniards came to the Philippines by conquest, and later to spread Christianity, the first
structures which they erected were churches and fortresses. The building of a church marked the beginning of
community planning. Wherever a church was erected, the people tried to live within its vicinity. The churches
which generally of simplified Baroque, Byzantine or Romanesque style, were built by Spanish friars, who without
formal training as architects or engineers, supervised their erection by using pictures of churches from their native
country, especially those from the province of Andalucia, Spain. These churches were constructed by Chinese
and Filipino workmen under the efficient supervision of the friars. This procedure resulted in huge edifices with
he combination of Oriental and Occidental features of Hindu, Chinese, Indo-chinese, Romanesque, Baroque and
even Gothic influences. Sometimes, they were decorated with crude and clumsy details of spontaneous and
unprecedented character. Built of soft, porous materials, these edifices have through decades absorbed enough
moisture and vegetable matter to produce considerably surface vegetation resulting in charming colour and
picturesqueness quite alleviating their gross proportion and clumsy details. They formed important feature of the
landscape of a town, depicting impressive ecclesiastical monument.

In plan the churches were either rectangular of cruciform with simple nave and aisles, baptistry and belfry.
The thick walls were made of adobe and brick interstices mortared with lime, honey and sand. The thick walls
were supported by massive buttresses for protection against earthquakes. Between buttresses and the walls were
interspersed with small window openings. the facades were embellished with classical details, niches, low reliefs.

Spanish colonial churches were erected in many towns throughout the Philippines. At the clause of the
Spanish regime there were 2,778 churches scattered throughout the country, and they present a variety of
architectural styles, from Greco-Romano to Byzantine, Romanesque, Gothic, Moorish and Gothic. These
churches became foremost patron of architecture, sculpture and painting. They provide logical setting for the
development of the art of sculpture and painting, the former for religious statuary and architectural ornamentation,
and the latter for murals and decorative ornaments for the ceilings, walls, pendentives and soffit of the domes.
Their proportions, scales and details were either modified or adulterated depending on the availability of a design,
"maestro de obras" or sculptor assigned to undertake the work.

Significant examples of churches built by the Spanish missionaries are: San Agustin church, considered
as the oldest church in Manila (1599-1606 by Bro. Antonio Herrera), the church of Sto. Nino, Cebu, solid
Romanesque (1565). The San Agustin church was able to resist the earthquakes of 1645, 1754, 1852, 1863, and
1880. It was the only church that escaped the destructive Pacific War in 1942. Notable churches outside of Manila
are the Church of Taal, Batangas by Fr. Marcos Anton; Lipa, Batangas, by Fr. Bonito Varas; Church of
Tuguegarao, Cagayan by Fr. Anton Lebato; Church of Baclayon, Bohol, by Fr. Juan de Torres. The old Sto.
Domingo Church built in Intramuros by Fr. Diego Soria when destroyed was rebuilt by Filipino architect Felix
Roxas. The Manila Cathedral had its beginning from bamboo and nipa construction was the first parish church in
Manila in 1571. After its destruction in 1593, 1599 it was replaced by stone edifice in 1610 by Archbishop Diego
Vasquez de Mercado. Since then it suffered several destructions caused by earthquakes. The fifth edifice, (the
actual cathedral before the Pacific War) was built by architects Luciano Olivar, Vicente Serrano and Eduardo
Navarro, and solemnly blessed in 1869. The architecture is a composite of Byzantine and Romanesque. Above
its lofty dome is a cross which is the reference of all astronomical altitudes of the Archipelago. The Barasoin
Church of Malolos was the scene of promulgation of the Philippine Constitution by President Aguinaldo of the
first Philippine Republic on June 23, 1899. This church is of Romanesque style. There are many churches which
are of historical importance.

3. Compare the effect of the

colonization of American
from the Spaniards in the
lifestyle of the Filipinos?

Answer:

In American

The Silliman Hall in Dumaguete

an example of a Stick style American

architecture.

American settlement in the Philippines (or Americo–Filipino) began during the Spanish period, when
Americans came to the islands primarily to conduct business. They owned many businesses in trade and in the
sugar industry. Although not harassed by Spanish laws, the American inflow to the Philippines was minimal
[vague] until the Philippine–American War. Following the colonization of the islands by the United States of
America, thousands of Americans settled, either temporarily or permanently. Most were either members of the
U.S. military, or missionaries sent by North American mission groups.

After independence in 1946, many Americans chose to remain in the Philippines while maintaining
relations with relatives in the United States. During the post-independence period, most Americans who settled
in the Philippines were professionals, although missionaries still continue to settle in the country. In 2015, the
U.S. State Department estimated that there were more than 220,000 U.S. citizens living in the Philippines.

American colonial rule in the Philippines saw an increase in immigration to the Philippines. Retiring
soldiers and other military-menwere among the first Americans to become long-term Philippine residents and
settlers. The Education Act of 1901 authorized the colonial government to recruit American teachers to help
establish the new educational system, and 80 former soldiers became teachers. They were soon joined by 48
teachers recruited in America who arrived in June 1901 on the ship Sheridan, and by 523 others who arrived on
August 1, 1901 on the Thomas. Collectively, these teachers became known as the Thomasites. Besides English,
the Thomasites taught agriculture, reading, grammar, geography, mathematics, general courses, trade courses,
housekeeping and household arts (sewing, crocheting and cooking), manual trading, mechanical drawing,
freehand drawing and athletics (baseball, track and field, tennis, indoor baseball and basketball). Many of these
people settled in the Philippines and had Philippine spouses. By 1930, there were already thriving American
and Filipino mestizo communities.

The 1940s was a period of large-scale American immigration to the Philippines. However, this was
abruptly ended after the Philippines gained independence from the United States in 1946, many Americans chose
to permanently settle in the Philippines. The Americans, until the mid-1990s, had a heavy presence in the cities
of Angeles and Olongapo, northeast of Metro Manila, due to the presence of large US military bases there. During
the American colonial period (1898–1946), a recorded number of more than 800,000 Americans were born in the
Philippines. Large concentrations of Filipinos with American ancestry aside from Metro Manila are located in the
areas of the former US bases such as the Subic Bay area in Zambales and Clark Field in Angeles.

As the Philippines lies in Southeast Asia, the offspring of a Filipino national and an American national is
termed an Amerasian.

The number of American mestizos is thought to be between 200,000 and 250,000. Most speak English, Tagalog
and/or other Philippine languages. The majority are to be found in Angeles City, which has the largest proportion
of Amerasians in the Philippines.

The majority of black people in the Philippines who are sometimes classified as African-Filipinos or Afro-
Filipino as an umbrella term are of part-African American descent, mostly descending from United States military
servicemen.

The Philippine Children's Fund of America, based in Angeles City, was created by the US and Philippine
governments in 1991 to assist impoverished Filipino children of American ancestry, also known as Amerasians,
by providing educational scholarships, employment and working visas to the United States. Around 56,000
children under the age of 16 benefit from the fund today.

An academic research paper presented in the U.S. (in 2012) by an Angeles, Pampanga, Philippines
Amerasian college research study unit suggests that the number of military origin, biracial Filipino Amerasians
probably lie between 200,000 and 250,000, and possibly substantially more. The paper, (co-authored by Pete C.
Kutschera, Ph.D., visiting professor and director of the Philippine Amerasian Research Center at Systems Plus
College Foundation) maintained that the number of FilipinoAmerasians, the progeny of U.S. servicemen, private
corporate contractor and government employees stationed over the years in the Philippines, is so significant that
mixed-heritage Anglo, African and Latino Amerasians qualify as a genuine human diaspora. It amplified on an
earlier theme Dr. Kutschera surfaced in his 2010 doctorate dissertation which focused on stigmatization,
discrimination and psychosocial risk and mental disorder among a sample of African and Anglo Amerasians
residing in Angeles, site of the Clark Air Force Base. The author asserts that the Angeles-Manila-Olongapo
Triangle (AMO) is believed to contain the highest concentration of biracial Anglo, African and Latino Amerasians
on the globe.

Today, the Philippines has a large population of Americans and people with American roots, as well as a
burgeoning Amerasian population, along with a number of Filipino Americans with U.S. citizenship who
returned to their country of birth. The total number of US citizens living in the Philippines is more than 250,000,
with estimates reaching as high as 600,000. The total population of those who have American descent, once the
250,000 Amerasians are counted, adds up to 850,000.

In Spaniards

Bahay na Bato

is a Filipino colonial house during the Spanish period.

Spain colonized the Philippines from 1565 to 1898. The Spaniards ruled the Filipinos for 333 years.
Spanish influence on the Philippines and the Filipino inhabitants was immediately visible following the
imposition of Castilian colonial sovereignty. The Spaniards transplanted their social, economic, and political
institutions halfway across the world to the Philippine archipelago. The colonial masters required the native
Filipinos to swear allegiance to the Spanish monarch, where before they only had village chieftains called "datus;"
to worship a new God, where before they worshipped a whole pantheon of supernatural deities and divinities; to
speak a new language, where before they had (and still have) a Babel of tongues; and to alter their work habits,
where before they worked within the framework of a subsistence economy. The Spanish landholding system
based on private ownership of land replaced the Filipino system of communal landownership. Thus, when the
Spanish rule ended, the Filipinos found many aspects of their way of life bearing the indelible imprint of
Hispanization.

To administer the Philippines, the Spaniards extended their royal government to the Filipinos. This highly
centralized governmental system was theocratic. There was a union of Church and State. The Roman Catholic
Church was equal to and coterminous with the State. Therefore, the cross as well as the scepter held sway over
the archipelago. While the State took care of temporal matters, the Church took care of spiritual matters and hence
preoccupied itself with the evangelization and the conversion of the Filipino inhabitants from their primal religion
to Roman Catholicism. The Spanish friars wanted the Philippines to become the "arsenal of the Faith" in Asia. In
the process, the Spanish Catholic missionaries helped in the implantation of Castilian culture and civilization on
Philippine soil. This is because Spanishness was equated with Catholicism. The two terms were virtually
synonymous with one another. One was not a genuine Spaniard if he was not a faithful Roman Catholic believer.

The imposition of the Roman Catholic faith upon the Filipino population permanently influenced the
culture and society of the Philippines. This is due to the fact that the Spanish friars who undertook the immense
task of evangelizing the Filipino natives looked at their missionary work and endeavor as involving more than
simple conversion. By Christianizing the Filipinos, the Spanish Catholic missionaries were in effect remodelling
Filipino culture and society according to the Hispanic standard. They would be Hispanizing the Filipinos, teaching
them the trades, manners, customs, language and habits of the Spanish people. This influence is evident even in
the way we tell time ("alas singko y media"), in the way we count ("uno, dos, tres"), and in the family names we
carry ( De la Cruz, Reyes, Santos, etcetera).
 The Filipino populace embraced Spanish Roman Catholic Christianity almost unquestioningly. The
Spanish authorities congregated the scattered Filipino population into clustered village settlements, where they
could more easily be instructed and Christianized under a friar’s eye. This policy paved the way for the emergence
of the present system of politico-territorial organization of villages, towns, and provinces. At the same time, the
compact villages which were literally under the bells of the Roman Catholic Church permitted the regular clergy
to wake up the villagers each day, summon them to mass, and subject them to religious indoctrination or
cathechismal instruction. This process enabled the Church to play a central role in the lives of the people because
it touched every aspect of their existence from birth to growth to marriage to adulthood to death. Whether the
natives clearly understood the tenets and dogmas of the Roman Catholic Church is of course another matter. Some
scholars claim that the Spaniards only superficially Christianized the Filipinos, most of whom learned to recite
the prayers and chants by rote, without any idea as to their meaning. Some native inhabitants became only nominal
Christians. At any rate, there is no denying the fact that many Filipinos defended the Catholic faith devotedly.

Through the Church and its zealous missionaries, the Filipinos learned new techniques and procedures
involving the cultivation of agricultural crops introduced from Mexico, one of Spain’s colonies in the New World.
For example, prior to the imposition of Castilian rule, the Filipinos practiced widening or slash-and-burn
agriculture. This farming technique involved clearing a hillside or a patch of land, cutting down the trees, burning
the trunks, the branches and the leaves, removing the rocks, and then planting through the use of a pointed stick
to create a hole on the ground into which seeds were thrown. Then the farmer simply waited for harvest time to
arrive. This situation changed when the missionaries taught the Filipino natives horticultural techniques requiring
intensive cultivation of land through better irrigation and water management so as to lessen their dependency on
rainfall. In addition to teaching the Filipinos new farming methods and introducing to them new crops such as
maize, avocado, tomato, and cacao, from which the nutritious drink of chocolate was derived, the Spanish friars
taught the rudiments of reading and writing to the natives, not to mention useful trades such as painting, baking
and blacksmithing.

In the course of Spanish colonization in the Philippines, the friars constructed opulent Baroque-style
church edifices. These structures are still found today everywhere across the country and they symbolize the
cultural influence of Spain in Filipino life. The opulence of these edifices was clearly visible in the ornate facades,
paintings, and sculpture, as well as in the behavioral patterns of the people and in the intricate rituals associated
with Roman Catholic churches. While it is true that the Spaniards exploited labor in the construction of the
imposing Baroque-style sanctuaries for Roman Catholic worship, it is also true that these same edifices became
the means by which Filipino artistic talents and inclinations were expressed. The carpenters, masons, craftsmen,
and artisans were mainly Filipinos. In this way, the Roman Catholic Church and religion influenced Filipino
architectural and building style, even as the rituals and festivities of the Church influenced Filipino dances, songs,
paintings, and literary writings. Through these influences, the Church afforded the Filipinos abundant
opportunities for both solemn rites and joyous festivities and celebrations known as "fiestas." The services inside
the Catholic churches often spilled out into the thoroughfare in the form of colorful and pageant-filled religious
processions in which the rich and the poor participated. Dining, drinking, and merrymaking often followed or
accompanied such religious activities. During these feasts, Spanish culinary specialties like "paella" (a dish
consisting of a mixture of rice, chicken and shellfish), "arroz valenciana" (glutinous rice and chicken cooked in
coconut milk), and "lengua" (sauteed ox-tongue usually with mushroom sauce) became part of the local table fare.
The rites and feasts served to provide relief from the drudgery of humdrum village existence, to release pent-up
social and economic frustrations, or to foster community spirit and unity.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that the Spaniards enriched the Filipino languages through lexicographic
studies produced by the friars. Many Spanish words found their way into the Tagalog and Visayan languages.
The Spanish words somehow fitted into the phonetic patterns of the Filipino languages. These Spanish words like
"mesa" (table), "adobo" (marinated cooked food), and others are commonly used today in the daily practical
transactions of the Filipinos with each other. Ironically, the friars came up with excellent studies on Filipino
culture and languages even as they sought to overthrow this same culture through their implantation of Spanish
civilization.

The influences from Spain have become permanently embedded in Filipino culture. The Filipino people
themselves have internalized them. They cannot be undone anymore. For good or bad, they have catapulted the
Filipinos into the world of Spanish culture, into the world of Spanish civilization and its products. Nevertheless,
it must be said that the Filipinos did not receive the cultural influences from Spain sitting down. They responded
in a way that demonstrated their capacity to master the new and to balance the new against the old, in a way that
called for their capacity to bring values and principles to bear with a critical and informed judgment, and in a way
that called for them to be able to sift what is essential from what is trivial. Thus they responded selectively to the
novelties the Spaniards brought with them to the Philippine Islands. The Filipinos accepted only those that fitted
their temperament, such as the "fiesta" that has become one of the most endearing aspects of life in these islands,
and made them blend with their indigenous lifestyle to produce a precious Philippine cultural heritage.

Opinion

We follow Western fads and have a Roman religion. We've taken to heart both American liberty and
Spanish delicates. I don't have a favorite colonizer. They all did business with us we were treated like a product
by these warring powers. I think it was ugly of us to have reacted so passively over the centuries. We have not
totally recovered from the ravages of colonization and war. Getting stepped on too hard and for too long is
something we let happen to ourselves. We haven't advanced enough to be as strong as our colonizers. Now which
of them the Spanish or the American brought us more evil or good?

It's only a few generations later; I think it's still too soon to say.
 REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
REGION III
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
SUMACAB MAIN CAMPUS, CABANATUAN CITY

COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE IV
PHILIPPINE ARCHITECTURE

SUBMITTED BY:

ALDRRIN T. SERRAO
AR-4B
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE IV
PHILIPPINE ARCHITECTURE

AR-4B
SUBMITTED BY:

JOHN PATRICK S. VALINO