University of cebu – banilad

Criminology department

Presentor 4
(ROLE AND INFLUENCE OF PHILIPPINE POPULAR
CULTURE)

group members:
Afroilan, Lyka Mae
Acosta, Jeanda
MontalbanRemedios
Paradero, Ylla
Binongo, Leigh Rovic
Famador, Jerald
Necesario, Don Ralph
Militante, Joshua,
Ruiz, Ludwig
Ybañez, Cedric
 The Philippines: Culture and Tradition
(FAMILY AND COMMUNITY)

Filipino people are known as settlers in many parts of the world. They
are like the chameleon who easily adapts to different environments.
They thrive to survive. Survival of the fittest is their banner.
The Republic of the Philippines was named to honor King Philip II of
Spain in 1543. Filipinos are originally from the southern part of Asia.
People from countries like China, India, the United States and Spain
married Filipinos resulting in a great deal of stock blending. 79
indigenous ethnic groups compose the Filipino people. According to
Wikipedia, the last five hundred years of eventful history of the country
added an impact to the cultural blend of the Asian and Western
population. The colonial reign of the Spaniards in 1570-1898 as well as
the Americans in 1903-1946, resulted in the expansion of Christian
values, which gave an identity to every Filipino. And the interaction with
other countries’ cultures, like the ones from China, India, Indonesia and
Malaysia, gave a specific Asian touch to the cultural heritage of the
Philippines.

Language
There are 175 estimated languages spoken in the Philippines. Almost all
are classified as Malayo-Polynesian languages. Among those languages,
there are 13 indigenous languages with nearly 1 million speakers.
For more than three centuries Spanish was the official language under
Spain’s colonial rule. It was spoken by 60% of the population as either a
first, second or third language in the early 20th century. However, the
use of Spanish began to decline after the United States occupation in the
early 1900’s. In 1935 the Constitution of the Philippines named English
and Spanish the official languages. In 1939 the Tagalog language was
named the national language. The language was renamed “Pilipino” in
1959 and finally “Filipino” in 1973. The present Constitution names
Filipino and English as joint official languages.

Culture
The Philippines is a country that has varied cultural influences. Most of
these influences are results of previous colonization, deriving mainly
from the culture of Spain and the United States. Despite all of these
influences, the old Asian culture of Filipinos has been retained and are
clearly seen in their way of life, beliefs and customs. Wherever you go,
Filipino culture is very evident and has largely been appreciated and
even applauded in many parts of the world.

Music, Arts and Literature

Filipinos are very fond of music. They use various materials to create
sound. They love performing dances (Tiniking and Carinosa) and group
singing during festive celebrations. Settlers from Spain introduced to
them a variety of musical instruments like the ukulele, trumpet, drums
and violin. Most of their music is contemporary and they have also
learned to write their own songs based on real life events. People are
also fond of folklore, which was influenced by the early church and
Spanish literature. Jose Rizal, the country’s national hero, is famous for
his literature and novels inspired from the independence story of the
country

Religion
The majority of Filipino people practice the Christian religion. Spain
highly influenced the people to the extent that the Philippines became
one of the two predominantly Christian nations in the Asia Pacific, the
other being East Timor. According to Wikipedia, Christianity is the
religion of about 80% of the Philippine population (mostly Catholics)
while Islam is the religion of 11%, and other religions and beliefs
comprise the 9% of the rest of the population.

Celebrations
Christmas is one of the most loved celebration by Filipinos. Families and
relatives gather on the 24th of December, to celebrate food prepared for
“Noche Buena,” a Spanish term which means “midnight meal” to greet
Christmas Day. New Year is another celebration that gathers the Filipino
families. Wearing dotted clothes and preparing round fruits on the table,
which symbolize prosperity, is one of the many customs of the Filipinos.

Sports
Filipinos are not only skilled when it comes to industry but also in
sports. The national sport of the Philippines is called arnis, a form of
martial arts. Filipinos love watching American games like basketball,
football and recently boxing which made the Philippines more famous
all over the world. Filipino sport star, Manny Pacquiao, has been put on
a pedestal due to his skill in boxing and more Filipinos have risen to
stardom in the sports arena.
Family Structure
The basic social unit of the country is the family, which also includes the
intermediate family members (aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins) and
other outside relations (godparents and close friends). As such, many
children have several godparents and when parents are out of the
country to work, children are mostly left to the grandparents to watch
over them. It is common for members of the same family to work for the
same company, a practice which was influenced by the first Chinese
settlers in the Philippines. Filipino families live in different kinds of
house structures depending on their status or area. For families in rural
areas, they live in a nipa hut which is made of bamboo and roofed with
leaves from palm trees or corrugated metal. Filipinos that are ranked as
“middle class” live in houses made of bricks and stones.

Meals
Filipinos are big eaters, even though it is not obviously seen in their
petite bodies. The Philippines is known as Asia’s melting pot because of
the uniqueness and variety of their food. Filipinos can’t go a day without
including rice in their meals. They love plain rice matched with salted
fish, chicken and meat. They serve rice first followed by the various
viands they have grown to eat and cook. Filipinos have a very regular
eating schedule: morning, mid-morning, lunch, afternoon (merienda)
and dinner.
They enjoy a variety of sweet foods adopted from other countries which
encouraged them to make their own desserts like “mahablanca” a
dessert made of coconut milk, corn, sugar, or “puto” and “palitaw” which
are also made of coconut milk. They also enjoy eating “halo-halo” for
their afternoon snack which means “mixture,” a popular dessert that
consists of layers of cornflakes, ice cream, small pieces of gelatin, milk
and shaved ice.
During special occasions like a town’s big event in celebration of their
saint’s feast, a favorite food called “lechon,” a suckling pig that has been
roasted until the skin turns crusty is served. Some street foods are also
common in the country like the famous “balut,” a boiled duck egg with an
embryo, and fish and squid balls on a stick that are dipped on spicy and
sweet sauces.

The Filipino Blood

(INDIVIDUAL)
Chinese, Malay and Spanish are just a few of the races that run in the
veins of every Filipino. In addition, the Americans have had a significant
influence with the Philippines being an American colony for 50 years.
This contrasting blend of cultures has shaped the unique Filipino
attributes.
Filipinos are fun-loving individuals who have a passion for festivals and
an obsession with singing and dancing. Filipino culture is very family-
oriented, and has made people have relaxed attitudes. Although they
may not enjoy the extent of material wealth that many western countries
have, in many ways they are richer through their tightly knit social and
family structures.

Gender
The Philippines is a matriarchal society where women are greatly
empowered. Both in the family and at work, the female influence is
significant with women holding senior roles all through business and in
government. Many of successful Filipino businesses are owned and run
by women.
Striking up a conversation
Having a conversation with Filipinos is easy enough as they usually
speak English to a reasonable standard. They are very approachable,
outgoing in nature and would comfortably strike up a conversation with
a total stranger.
They like talking about their families, local foods and all things
American (movies, sports etc). Filipinos are enthusiastic
conversationalists who have no problem asking personal questions such
as your age, marital status and the like.

Respect and Modesty

Social inequalities are common in the country even though Filipinos
generally believe that everyone should be treated in the same way.
Filipinos are always compassionate with their less fortunate kababayan
(countrymen). Regardless of status, everyone is expected to act at all
times with humility and courtesy and respect.
As something that is distinctly part of Filipino culture, it is customary for
Filipinos to address their superiors or elders as Sir or Ma’am.
Additionally, you will occasionally hear them use the expression “ho” or
“po” when they talk – this is a way of showing respect (e.g. thank you
ho/po.)
Filipinos love their titles and take pride in their accomplishments, be
them academic or otherwise. You will regularly see their titles used
before their names in written communications (Dr. for doctor, Atty. for
attorney, etc) and it is even common for them to be addressed using
these titles in daily conversation.
Upon introduction and on subsequent meetings with people, shaking
hands firmly is expected. Female friends, on the other hand, greet each
other with hugs and kisses. Touching is very common between Filipinos
but Westerners need to be very careful with cross-gender contact as this
may cause offence.
Conclusion
The Philippines has a very unique culture due to the influences of
colonization and the surrounding countries. Filipino people are very
hardworking and strive to make life better for the next generation of
their family. The melting pot theory that is evident in this culture makes
this country a vibrant, exciting and diverse place to live and visit.

QUIZ QUESTION: True or False

1. Filipinos are big eaters.
2. The basic social unit of the country is family.
3. The Philippines is a Patriarchal society where women are greatly
empowered.
4. Having a conversation with Filipinos is not easy.
5. The national sport in the Philippines is called arnis.
6. Christmas is the most loved celebrations by Filipinos.
7. Majority of Filipino people practice the Christian religion
8. Filipinos hated music
9. For more than 3 centuries Spanish was the official language under spain
colonial rule.
10. There are 1.725 languages in the Philippines.

ENUMERATION
1-5 Give the different factors that influences Filipino people
6-10 Give different meals in the Philippines based on the report.
ANSWER KEY:
T-1
1.T
2.T
3.F
4.F
5.T
6.T
7.T
8.F
9.T
10. F
T-2
1-5
Languages, Culture, Music, Arts and Literature, Religion, Celebrations,
Sports, Family Structures, Meals.
6-10
Puto, Palitaw, Lechon, Mahablanca, Balut, Halo-halo