ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES-CEBU

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL MODULE

1ST SEMESTER SY 2022-2023
SUBJECT: UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY, AND
POLITICS

Philippine Culture:
What Sets Filipinos Apart from People Around the World

Lucañas, Clara
Suganob, Laarni
Lausa, Sunshine
Mendoza, Joseph

12 - HU3B2
The Philippines is a country full of love, light, laughter, and food. With a slight
influence from America and some parts of Asia, the culture of the Philippines
is mainly a blend of Filipino and Spanish Catholic traditions. They have a
good eye for fashion and art, and their festivals are to die for.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 We stern population. In the Philippines there
are so many nice views where you can take pictures, get chill, family picnic
etc. Philippines was so famous because of a very nice views, street foods,
etc. The culture of the Philippines is characterized by cultural
diversity.Although the multiple ethnic groups of the Philippine archipelago
have only recently established a shared Filipino national identity, their cultures
were all shaped by the geography and history of the region,and by centuries
of interaction with neighboring cultures, and colonial powers. In more recent
times, Filipino culture has also been influenced through its participation in the
global community.

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. Filipino culture is a combination of cultures of the East and West.
According to Matamoros and Sumi (2017) on “Spanish artistic appreciation
methodology in Japan: learning own culture through art; going to Art Museum
with Kindergarten Children”, the value and appreciate arts as early as
kindergarten. It emphasized that using the Spanish Artistic Appreciation
methodology, children were able to appreciate and interpret arts even though
they do not have enough experience. In addition, families Welcomed the
activities related to arts and appreciate arts as well.

MUSIC, ARTS, AND LITERATURE

Filipinos are very fond of music. They use various materials to create sound.
They love performing dances (Tinikling and Cariñosa) 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.

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.While
most Filipinos practise Christianity as their religion, Islam and other
indigenous faiths are also seen in movement. Their religious spirit can be
witnessed during festivals such as Ati-Atihan, Kaamulan, Panabenga, and the
famous 3-month-celebration for Christmas. 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.

SKINTONE
Skin can reflect intricate social and historical difficulties for many of us in the
Filipino community, for whom it is more than just skin. Making decisions about
our skin may be influenced by how we respond to those problems choices
that not everyone concurs with. The Filipino population, whether in Calgary or
the Philippines, has a strong desire for fair skin and uses a variety of
techniques to get it. But this desire and the conversation surrounding it go
beyond skin color; they also touch on ideas of class and attractiveness. Some
Filipinos are currently battling against these cultural standards by supporting
the acceptability of darker skin tones within their community, despite the fact
that many claim the desire is rooted in colonialism. Being a small island
nation, the Philippines is not the only one with social and psychological issues
related to skin lightening and Western influence. People who reside in post-
colonial nations frequently struggle to obtain the social standing that is
associated with lighter skin tones. For instance, colorism, or discrimination
based on the social ramifications, has existed since the first slaves were taken
and brought to American territory related to skin tone, has been a widespread
problem in the US. Even in current times, millions of individuals still
experience untold amounts of pain as a result of this predilection for white
skin. Therefore, it is advantageous to develop strategies for battling.

ARCHITECTURE
According to Wikipedia Architecture is the art and technique of designing
and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is
both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning,
designing, and constructing buildings or other structures. The term comes
from Latin architectura; from Ancient Greek ἀρχιτέκτων (arkhitéktōn)
‘architect’; from ἀρχι- (arkhi-) ‘chief’, and τέκτων (téktōn) ‘creator’.
Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as
cultural symbols and as works of art. Historical civilizations are often identified
with their surviving architectural achievements.

The Philippine’s architecture landscape is a contrast among small traditional

huts built of wood, bamboo, nipa, grass, and other native materials; the
massive Spanish colonial churches, convents and fortifications, with their
heavy “earthquake baroque” style; the American mission style architecture as
well as the buildings of commerce with their modern 20th century styles; and
today’s contemporary, albeit “modern mundane” concrete structures of the
cities. While I was studying architecture, the magical, contrasting passion of
fashion and architecture came to bloom. I had to choose an architectural
thesis topic, and afterwards received advice to pick something I enjoy. Why
not combine my two interests, I reasoned? They interbred in a variety of ways
that I found to be quite fascinating. I discovered through study and
investigation that there are striking parallels between the two fields in terms of
function, construction methods, and aesthetics. It is useful to characterize
these similarities not only in words but also via a visual analysis in order to
better comprehend how they relate to one another.

CLOTHING
There is evidence from the earliest human civilizations that clothing has
always been a significant component of society. Climate, religion, and political
events throughout history all had an impact on how clothes were made,
styled, and even what color they were. While environment and religion
continue to have a role in how we dress, there are also a variety of other
elements that also have an impact on what we wear. Designers frequently use
historical references and incorporate them into current trends. Subcultures
serve as examples of how one’s way of dressing can change into a way of
life. Our bodies are occupied by clothing and architectural structures;
strengthened fabrications are employed asked shelters. They serve as a
reflection of society’s standards, values, and financial stability. They have not
lost value from the prehistoric era to the twenty-first century.

HISTORY
According to Wikipedia History (derived from Ancient Greek ἱστορία
(historía) 'inquiry; knowledge acquired by investigation' is the systematic study
and documentation of human activity. The time period of events before the
invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella
term comprising past events as well as the memory, discovery, collection,
organization, presentation, and interpretation of these events. Historians seek
knowledge of the past using historical sources such as written documents,
oral accounts, art and material artifacts, and ecological markers. History is not
complete and still has debatable mysteries.
Philippine literary history in as much as it is about the socio-cultural History of
the Philippines.The main task of this paper is to show how these traditions
interact with one another in ways that allowed to have a better understanding
of Philippine society. Surveying Philippine literature is like looking at the
Cadastral map of Filipino socio-cultural knowledge in which not only many
things are added, lost, changed, and continue over time; but also, borrowed
foreign influences get indigenized and incorporated into the native fabric, with
local knowledge acting each time to filter, modify, and improve on any new
elements to form who the Filipino is today. The oldest history of Philippine
literature is characterized by the linguistic diversity that once separated the
people of the different islands. Prior to the Spanish conquest, literature
consisted mainly of poetry, which was recited or sung. The most popular
forms were kundiman (love songs), kumentang (oden) and awit (ballads). Of
this older literature, only fragments remain today, as it was rarely recorded on
the native alphabet.

RACE
The Philippines had a population of 76,504,077 as of the 2000 Census. The
Aeta, who make up a distinct stock and are genetically related to people from
the Andaman Islands, are thought to number between 20,000 and 30,000
people (or 0.03 percent) and are considered the Philippines’ original
inhabitants. Various ethnolinguistic groups descended from later
Austronesian-speaking migrants who came to the archipelago in waves from
Taiwan and mixed with other sporadic migrations from the Asian mainland
make up the vast majority of the population (95%) known as ethnic Filipinos
(what is today southern China). The Chinese are the largest foreign ethnic
minority and have contributed significantly to trade ever since they first came
to the Philippines in the ninth century. Mestizos, or people of mixed races, are
a small but significant political and economic minority. Although thirteen
regional languages are spoken as vernaculars throughout the Philippines,
Filipino, a language based on Tagalog, is the most widely spoken. The main
language of communication, as well as the language of business and
professions, is English. The predominant religion in the archipelago is
Christianity, primarily Roman Catholicism. Islam is practiced by a small but
significant minority, especially in the southern Philippines. Filipinos refer to the
inhabitants of the Philippines. The term “Filipino” originally only applied to the
Spanish and Spanish-mestizo minority during the colonial era. However, the
definition was later modified to encompass all Filipinos, regardless of their
ethnic background.

SPORTS
There are many traditional sports that were popular in the Philippines both
during and after the colonial era. These include traditional martial arts,
archery, arnis, horseback riding, fling sports, wrestling sports, dart sports, and
track sports. Given that cockfighting is a hugely popular form of fertility
worship among almost all Southeast Asians and draws sizable crowds who
wager on the results of fights between the birds in the Philippines.  Such
sports activity as the sport of cockfighting, related to ritual forms of worship as
practices and rituals of ancient worship intended for the blessings of the
supernatural, as “in Indus Valley and other ancient civilizations, mother
goddess had been invoked for fertility and prosperity” which included that
religious cockfight lay as a prime example of “cultural synthesis of ‘little’
and ‘great’ cultures”. In the Philippines, sports play a significant role in the
culture of the nation. In the Philippines, basketball, boxing, tennis, football,
billiards, and volleyball are the top six sports.

FILIPINO FOOD
Filipino food expresses a life world wherein lies the source of Filipino values
and identity. It speaks of the Filipino’s understanding of identity, place, and
role in the universe, while he/she relates with his/her fellows. We reflect then
on what we will refer to in this paper as the Filipino foodscape as a focal point
in our discussion of culture as integral to the Filipino lifeworld. A food scape
has been defined as “the multiplicity of sites where food is displayed for
purchase, and where it may also be consumed supermarket chains, fast food
outlets, independent supermarkets, Restaurants, specialty food shops, local
(though increasingly corporate-controlled) convenience stores, farmers’
markets and street food.” (Winson 2004) However, the term has expanded to
cover “the farms and gardens where food is grown, and the spaces and
places where food is discussed, from classrooms to the Internet. Food scapes
are social constructions that encompass the cultural ideals of how food relates
to places, people and food systems.”

REFERENCES

https://www.dlsu.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/pdf/conferences/arts-
congress-proceedings/2019/FAC-03.pdf

https://www.globalizationpartners.com/2015/02/20/the-philippines-
culture-and-tradition/

https://theculturetrip.com/asia/philippines/articles/11-things-you-should-
know-about-the-filipino-culture/

https://cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/d/
Demographics_of_the_Philippines.htm
https://www.ianfulgar.com/architecture/philippine-architecture/

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox?projector=1

https://wiki.ubc.ca/Colourism_in_the_Philippines

https://www.shopcambio.co/blogs/news/how-is-the-black-lives-matter-
movement-resonating-in-the-philippines
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture