PHILIPPINE POPULAR CULTURE:ARTS lesson 1

INTRODUCTION
The Philippines is a country with a diverse cultural heritage. The majority of these effects are the
product of former colonization, primarily from Spanish and American cultures, this makes Filipino culture
unique. Despite these effects, Filipinos have preserved their traditional Asian culture, which may be seen in
their way of life, beliefs, and rituals. Everywhere you go, Filipino culture is visible, and it is widely respected and
even admired in many areas of the world. In this subject PHILIPPINE POPULAR CULTURE, we will explore the
cultural wonders of the Philippines.
INTRODUCTION TO POPULAR CULTURE
Before we discuss the perspective of popular culture, let’s elaborate first on what popular and culture mean, for
an easy discussion on the topic.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, popular is “suitable to the majority” this indicates that the word
popular is generally known and apt to the masses. On the other hand, Culture (from the Latin cultura, which
comes from the verb colere, which means "to cultivate") refers to patterns of human activity as well as the
symbolic frameworks that give these actions meaning and purpose. Cultures can be "understood as systems
of symbols and meanings that even their creator’s question, that have no set borders, are continuously in
flux, and interact and compete with one another.
Thus, Popular culture is the set of practices, beliefs, and objects that embody the most broadly shared
meanings which is suitable to the majority of the masses. It includes media objects, entertainment and leisure,
fashion and trends, and linguistic conventions, among other things (KIDD, 2021). In this way, Popular culture is
distinguished from high culture and various institutional cultures by its association with either mass or folk
culture (political culture, educational culture, legal culture, etc.). The link of popular culture with mass culture
leads to a focus on popular culture's place within a capitalist economic system. Popular culture is viewed
through this economic lens as a collection of commodities generated through capitalistic processes with a profit
motive and marketed to customers. The link of popular culture with folk culture, on the other hand, leads to a
concentration on subcultures like youth or ethnic cultures. Popular culture is considered a series of behaviors
by artists or other types of culture makers that result in popular culture.
Folk vs Popular culture
Folk culture refers to a tradition of a small, homogeneous rural population living in relative isolation from other
communities. It demonstrates the "old ways" above novelty and pertains to a sense of community, and it has
been passed down through oral tradition. A sense of place is typically present in folk culture. If components of
folk culture are duplicated or transported to a new location, they will retain strong associations with their
original location of origin. Say for instance in the Philippines, we have tinikling for folk dance, si Felemon for folk
songs, and many more.
Pop culture refers to the parts of social life in which the general public is most engaged. As the 'culture of the
people,' popular culture is shaped by how people interact in their daily lives: clothing patterns, slang usage,
greeting rituals, and the foods that people eat are all elements of popular culture. The mass media also
influences popular culture.
PHILIPPINE POPULAR CULTURE:ARTS lesson 1

Examples of Folk and Pop culture in different cultural categories.

Cultural Categories Folk culture Popular culture

DANCE • Tinikling – Leyte. ❖ HIP-HOP
• Itik-Itik – Surigao del ❖ JAZZ
Sur. ❖ FREE STYLE
• Maglalatik – Biñan, ❖ CRAMPING
Laguna.
• Binasuan – Pangasinan.
• Singkil – Lake Lanao.
• Kappa Malong-Malong –
Maranao in Mindanao.
• Cariñosa – Panay
Island.
• Sayaw sa Bangko –
Pangasinan.

SONGS • Leron Leron Sinta • Binibini (zack Tabudlo)

• Paru-parong Bukid • War (ben &Ben), etc.
• Bahay Kubo
FOODS • Letchon • Spaghetti
• Nilagang manok (whole) • Fried chicken
• Adobong Manok • Chicken fillet

Mass Media and Popular culture

Popular culture embodies diverse civilizations' beliefs, ideas, viewpoints, attitudes, and imagery. Mass media,
prominent celebrity personalities, movies, and related entertainment, as well as sports and news, all have a
strong influence on popular culture. However, the Internet and social media have had a tremendous impact on
pop culture in the last decade till the present.
Social media influences very much our culture, through this our culture, is being challenged to the extent that
we could not acknowledge our original culture. Our lifestyle, beliefs, etc., some of which are borrowed from
another country through different forms of social media.
Popular culture' has diverse connotations depending on who defines it and where it is used. It is typically
understood to be the vernacular or people's culture that predominates in civilization at a given moment. Pop
culture, as defined by Brummett in Rhetorical Dimensions of Popular Culture, includes the parts of social life
that the public is most actively involved in. As the 'culture of the people,' popular culture is shaped by how
people interact in their daily lives: clothing patterns, slang usage, greeting rituals, and the foods that people eat
are all elements of popular culture. The mass media also influences popular culture.
Popular culture is made up of a number of universally acknowledged elements. Popular culture, for example,
includes the most current and urgent components of our existence. These features are frequently prone to
rapid change, particularly in a technologically advanced environment where ubiquitous media brings people
closer together. Pop culture reflects certain social norms and values. Pop culture reflects and impacts people's
PHILIPPINE POPULAR CULTURE:ARTS lesson 1

daily lives as a result of its widespread appeal. Additionally, brands (such as petrol, Adidas, or jolibee) can
become pop icons. But, like other areas of popular culture, iconic brands can flourish and fall.
History and Evolution of Philippine Pop Culture
"Building a culture has to start with afoundation, and thatfoundation mustnecessarilybethecultureoftheFilipino peopleif
this could be separatedwith theencrustations grown on it bycolonial rule."

History of Popular Culture

Spanish Era (occupation)
The Spaniards produced and employed popular culture in the Philippines to reach out to native Filipinos or
Indios through plays and literature in order to win their hearts. The first permanent Spanish settlement began
to replace indigenous culture with Christian and European customs. Under the tutelage of missionaries, the
children of the local aristocracy developed into a core group of intelligentsias known as 'ladinos,' since they
were essential in bringing into the vernacular, literary forms that were to be vehicles for the "pacification" of
the natives. The pasyon, sinakulo, and korido insured the acceptance and expansion of Christianity, and the
komedya and awit accomplished the same for the monarchy, according to popular theater and literature. The
Senakulo (from the Spanish cenaculo) is a Lenten drama that represents events from the Old and New
Testaments relating to Christ's life, sufferings, and death. The corrido is a ballad made up of popular narrative
songs and poems about oppression, history, peasant life, and other socially relevant issues. The awit (Tagalog
meaning "song") is 12-syllable quatrain poetry inspired by the Philippine epic Pasyon.
The introduction of popular culture by the Spanish was "popular" in the sense that it was a "watering-down of
Spanish-European culture with the purpose of converting the general public to the colonial regime's "ideology."
Colonial authorities, with the help of the local intellectuals, established popular culture during the time to
promote the interests of the Church and the State. Once the native intelligentsia had seen the effects of
popular culture and understood how to work with it,
However, once the native intellectuals witnessed the benefits of popular culture and learned how to exploit it
as propaganda, they quickly turned on the Spanish. The native intellectuals employed the same forms of
popular culture in the 19th century through the Propaganda movement to "undermine the power of the
abusive friars and mobilize the public to put an end to colonial rule," one example being Marcelo H. When del
Pilar used prayers like 'Aba, Ginoong Maria' and 'Ama Namin' in a form of parody to strike at the harsh Spanish
Friars, he was considered a parody. "Popular culture is power," Lumbera says, "and whoever wields it to
manipulate minds will certainly find its literary and technological machinery turned against him when the minds
it has fooled discover its strength as a political weapon."
PHILIPPINE POPULAR CULTURE:ARTS lesson 1

References:

The Philippines. (n.d.). Culture and tourism. Culture of the Philippines. Retrieved April 25, 2022, from
https://www.csub.edu/pacificrim/countryprospectus/culture.htm#:~:text=The%20Filipino%20people%20h
ave%20a,to%20Western%20visitors%20(1).

Merriam-Webster. (22AD, April 14). Popular definition & meaning. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved April 26,
2022, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/popular

KIDD, D. U. S. T. I. N. (2021, February 8). Popular culture. obo. Retrieved April 26, 2022, from
https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199756384/obo-9780199756384-
0193.xml

https://www.definitions.net/definition/folk+culture#:~:text=Folk%20culture%20refers%20to%20a,to%20a%20s
ense%20of%20community.

Delaney, T. (2007). Pop culture: An overview. Philosophy Now: a magazine of ideas. Retrieved April 30, 2022,
from https://philosophynow.org/issues/64/Pop_Culture_An_Overview

https://www.123helpme.com/essay/Social-Media-Influence-On-Pop-Culture-516234

Garchitorena, A. (n.d.). Pop culture and the rise of social media in the Philippines: An ... Retrieved April 30,
2022, from http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/ronda2014/Culture-Philippines.pdf

https://www.coursehero.com/file/84570701/HISTORY-POP-CULTURE-IN-THE-PHILIPPINESppt/