Overview of Philippine Popular Culture

OVERVIEW
This module starts with the question, what is Philippine popular culture? As we discover popular culture in the
Philippines, we can see the forms in which it is practiced. The following popular culture theories are also
discussed: gender theories, Marxism and hegemony, cultural liberalism, liberal pluralism, mass society,
globalization culture, and interactionism.This module also introduces us to the relationship of popular culture
with other sciences, specifically how popular culture affects politics, media, and economics. Finally,
Introduction to Popular Culture Issues in The Philippines is covered in this module.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of the lesson the students should be able to:

A. Define Popular Culture;
B. Identify theories, forms, and issues of Popular Culture in the Philippines; and
C. Compare and contrast popular culture in different places.

PRE-TEST
Workshop: "Understanding Popular Culture in the Philippines
Divide the students into small groups.
Provide each group with a set of images representing various forms of popular culture in the Philippines, such
as music, fashion, movies, and social media trends.
Instruct the groups to analyze the images and discuss the theories, forms, and issues related to each form of
popular culture.
After the discussion, each group will present their findings to the class.
INTRODUCTION OF THE LESSON
INTRODUCTION TO POPULAR CULTURE
Popular culture plays a big part in our lives. We see popular culture in music, media, food,
clothing, and other things. There are some books that mentioned that there is no exact and official
definition of Popular Culture. However, there are several authors who gave descriptions of what
popular culture is.

LEARNING CONTENT

WHAT IS POP CULTURE?

According to Tisdell and Thompson (2016), Popular Culture is an entertainment media that
serves as a medium of knowledge construction about one’s own and other identities.
According to Storey, J. (2003) as cited by Wiana W. (2013), it is the view of life, work and
practice of intellectual, spiritual, and aesthetic communities, or groups within a certain period, many
people enjoy, dominant, comes from public, mass produced, and has a commercial value.

HISTORY OF POPULAR CULTURE

Popular culture can be traced back to the Spanish period of the Philippines. It was employed
and brought by the Spanish to the native Filipinos through literature and plays to capture their
hearts; thus, emphasizing the colonial origins of popular culture in the Philippines.

POPULAR CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION

Culture and civilization are not opposite towards each other, but they are different in their
nature. Culture is a creation, it’s basically individual; civilization is a transition from the creation
(culture) to the acquisition and conservation of cultural results for everybody. There is no
civilization without culture. Civilization is its natural and necessary extension; it allows us to
replicate cultural patterns and to create conditions for further creation in the form of stabilization of
social relations for future generations.

POPULAR CULTURE AS A PART OF SOCIOLOGY

The sociology of popular culture sits at the crossroads of two major subfields in the
discipline: economic sociology and cultural sociology. Economic sociology provides the tools for
understanding such issues as the labor market that produces popular culture, including artists,
writers, directors, producers, and technicians; the commodification of cultural objects, including the
 assignment of particular market values to cultural goods; the role of cultural objects as a tool for the
advertisement of other commodities; and the consumption of cultural objects by audiences who are
understood first and foremost as consumers. Cultural sociology helps us to understand such issues as
decision-making.

THEORIES IN POPULAR CULTURE

Gender theory
Is the study of what is understood as masculine and/or feminine and/or queer behavior in any
given context, community, society, or field of study (including, but not limited to, literature, history,
sociology, education, applied linguistics, religion, health sciences, philosophy, cultural studies).
Gender theory is concerned with the construction or the development of the self and implies a theory
wherein individual speaking, thinking, acting, and perceiving are viewed as formed with culturally
specific patterns of behavior that develop over time (Disch, 2008).

Marxism and hegemony

Marxism is an economic and socio-political world view that contains within it a political
ideology for how to change and improve society by implementing socialism. Hegemony the
processes by which dominant culture maintains its dominant position: for example, the use of
institutions to formalize power; the employment of a bureaucracy to make power seem abstract (and,
therefore, not attached to any one individual); the inculcation of the populace in the ideals of the
hegemonic group through education, advertising, publication, etc.; the mobilization of a police force
as well as military personnel to subdue opposition.

CULTURAL LIBERALISM
Is a social philosophy which expresses the social dimension of liberalism and advocates the
freedom of individuals to choose whether to conform to cultural norms. In the words of Henry David
Thoreau, it is often expressed as the right to "march to the beat of a different drummer".

LIBERAL PLURALISM
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Pluralism is the
acknowledgment of diversity. Marxist’s view capitalist society as being one of class domination.
Backed by capitalism and democracy. Respect for diversity of all kinds.

MASS SOCIETY
Mass society theory is a complex, multifaceted perspective. Society is controlled by the
media. Mass media functions as an impersonal and dominant social institution. Lack of
consideration for individual needs, sensibilities, and preferences.

GLOBALIZATION CULTURE
Sharing of ideas, meanings, hobbies, and values around the world in such a way as to extend
and intensify social relations. Marked by the common consumption of cultures that have been
diffused by the Internet, popular culture media, and international travel.

INTERACTIONISM
Investigates how shared meanings come to be associated with specific symbols and objects.
Encourages greater social interaction in the environment. Humans develop their personality in
relation to how they imagine they should appear to others.

FORMS OF POPULAR CULTURE IN THE PHILIPPINES

Music
Music of the Philippines (Filipino: Musika ng Pilipinas; Spanish: Música de Filipinas)
involves musical performance arts developed in various genres and styles in the Philippines or by
Filipinos. The compositions are often a mixture of various influences from Asia, Spain, Latin
America, America, and Indigenous peoples. Popular music (original Filipino music) Original
Pilipino music, now more commonly called original Pinoy music or OPM, originally only referred
to Philippine pop songs, particularly ballads, such as those popular after the collapse of their
predecessor, the late 1970s Manila sound. OPM is currently used by Filipino musicians and singers
as a catch-all term for popular music written and performed by it. However, Philippine popular
music was also present in the form of kundimans, love songs, zarzuelas, street songs, and children’s
nonsense songs but these were not sung on stages or even played in the airwaves.

TELEVESION
 Television has been part of the daily life of people. Aside from gathering information
through news and getting entertainment through dramas or what that is projected there, it became as
a source of joy too. Television in the Philippines is dominated by three networks ABS-CBN, GMA,
and TV-5. Most of the shows aired are variety shows, tv dramas, and game shows. The Most
Prominent being that of TV dramas or more locally known as Teleseryes that Air an episodic series
daily.

SPORTS
There are three main categories of popular sports here in the Philippines. The traditional,
individual, team sports. The two Most Popular Traditional Sports in the Philippines. Being that the
Philippines is an island nation that is composed of different people from different culture the same
can be said to the traditional sports here in the Philippines. The prominent feature of most traditional
sport is that they are mainly combat sports (a sport of fighting with technique and peak
performance), the two most popular among traditional sports are Arnis/ Eskrima and Sipa. An
individual Sport is a a sport which an individual competitor competes in a match with another
individual. Examples of this sport includes Billiards, Power Lifting and Combat Sports. The most
prominent individual sport here in the Philippines is boxing. Team sports are played by a team of 2
or more individuals that plays against another team. Vital aspects of this type of sports are
teamwork, strategy, and communication between team members. The most popular team sports in
the Philippines would be Basketball, Volleyball, and Football (Soccer).

TOYS
Traditional Philippine games, such as luksong baka, patintero, piko, and tumbang preso are
played primarily as children's games.

COMIC BOOKS
Comic books have been popular in the Philippines since the 1920s. That popularity increased
after World War II, when members of the United States' military brought American comics to the
nation. A homegrown industry soon sprang up, driven by a popular interest in adventure, romance,
and humor titles.

FILM
Filipino movies have a long and storied history, with some of the most popular films in the
country being produced by the “Manila” or “M-G-M” studios in the 1950s and 1960s. Today, the
Philippine film industry is thriving, with genres ranging from action-adventure to romantic comedies
to horror films.

ADVERTISING
An association with popular culture can help to resonate better with certain audience types,
their interests, and hobbies. Consumers are more drawn to brands that can become an extension of
their personality. The chances of them staying with a brand that speaks to them becomes higher.

FASHION
It is undeniable that Filipinos are quite very passionate about their fashion and style. We love
to look for the latest trend of clothing and style that they can use for various. But most of all,
Filipinos have a sense of fashion. We can always determine if a particular style of clothing or outfit
is fashionable or not. In just a single glance, we can quickly tell if it’s bagay”.

MAGAZINES
The Philippine Magazine was the first magazine circulated in the Philippines in
1905. However, it was not popular yet because it was in English, since the teaching of English has
just begun in 1901, so it has not reached the majority just yet.

CYBERCULTURE
Cyber culture is an extension of the traditional concept of culture that brings together the set
of human relationships mediated by the information control mechanisms through the different
technological communication systems. Best examples are the different social media platforms.

RELATIONSHIP OF POPULAR CULTURE WITH OTHER SCIENCES

Culture and science are interrelated to each other. Culture includes habits, tastes, customs,
arts, and manners. To perform any kind of art one needs science to accommodate the art to provide
the art with its tools and to improve its quality and performance. To paint for example, which is art
that forms part of a culture, one needs to know a lot about the usage of colors, the light effect etc.,
which is all science.
Science does not help us in defining "human development", though it can help us a great deal
 in achieving it Science deals with "cause". Human development is "purpose", probably beyond the
realm of science. There is in modern society, a general understanding of what constitutes human
development. It is the development of the mind, body, and culture. Development of the mind in turn
contributes to progress of science. What contributes to the development of the mind also contributes
to the development of culture, largely.

POLITICS
Popular culture has always played a major role in reflecting and shaping public opinion,
political activity, and even the development of governmental institutions in our nation. It is
important that we recognize the role that popular culture plays in our political lives; today, the
music, movies, and words we see or hear are major sources of the images and myths we have about
government and politics.

MEDIA
A variety of methods and interactions with other people contribute to the socialization of a
developing individual, including socialization like consumption of popular culture and mass media.
Popular culture describes the most widespread cultural patterns of a society. Popular culture is
transmitted via mass media (i.e. any means of delivering standardized messages to a broader
audience) Mass media can have a significant influence on the culture of large groups.

ECONOMICS
Popular culture is market-based rather than aesthetic based. In other words, it is the culture
that is most "popular" in an economic sense, i.e., what TV programs receive the most viewers, radio
the most listeners, recordings the most buyers, and movies the most ticket-buyers.

INTRODUCTION TO THE ISSUES OF POPULAR CULTURE IN THE PHILIPPINES

Issues of Philippine Pop Culture revolves around the race, ethnicity, gender, cultural
imperialism, and censorship. Popular culture leaves a great impact in our lives, but it does not limit
only to good things, it also has its bad sides. Mainly, it affects our environment where we live. Given
the obvious one is the increased need of natural resources to feed the pop culture craze. As a new trend
engulfs a population, a specific resource may be required to satisfy the demand. Sadly, little care is
taken in ensuring the security of that resource for posterity. This therefore can lead to higher pollution
levels. Furthermore, at its worst possible unfortunate effect is the destruction of certain folk culture.
Folk culture plays a vital role that gives one group or society its identity. Engaging in pop culture to the
extent of forgetting their folk culture is the worst devastation that can happen to one’s community.

POST-TEST
Direction: Answer the following questions.
What is the definition of popular culture?
Name three theories of popular culture.
What is the purpose of comparing popular culture in different places?
Provide an example of a form of popular culture in the Philippines.
Why is it important to analyze the issues related to popular culture?
LEARNING ACTIVITIES with RUBRICS
"Reflecting on Popular Culture"
Ask students to write a reflection paper discussing their personal experiences and observations of popular culture in their
everyday lives.
Encourage them to analyze the theories, forms, and issues of popular culture discussed in class and provide examples
from their own experiences.

Criteria:
Content-10pts
Organization-5pts
Delivery-5pts

SUMMARY
Popular culture plays a big part in our lives. We see popular culture in music, media, food, clothing, and other things.
There are some books that mentioned that there is no exact and official definition of Popular Culture. However, there
are several authors who gave descriptions of what popular culture is.
The seven (7) theories of popular culture are Gender theories, Marxism and hegemony, Culture Liberalism, Liberal
Pluralism, Mass Society, Globalization Culture, and Interactionism.
These are some forms of popular culture in the Philippines Music, television, sports, toys, comic books, film,
advertising, fashion, magazines, and cyberculture.

REFERENCES
- Jule, A. (2014). Gender theory. In Springer eBooks (pp. 2464–2466). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-
5_1137
- Definition: hegemonic. (n.d.).
https://www.cla.purdue.edu/academic/english/theory/marxism/terms/hegemony.html#:~:text=HEGEMONY
%20(hegemonic)%3A%20The%20processes,in%20the%20ideals%20of%20the%20%20https://
www.slideshare.net/andywallis/marxism-and-hegemony
- Jule, A. (2014). Gender theory. In Springer eBooks (pp. 2464–2466). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-
5_1137
- Marxism and hegemony. (n.d.). Www.slideshare.net. Retrieved September 8, 2023, from
https://www.slideshare.net/andywallis/marxism-and-hegemony
- Philippine Pop Culture. (n.d.). Prezi.com.
- https://prezi.com/p/jaxcimswxnzq/philippine-pop-culture/
- Using Pop Culture in Ads: Red and Green Flags. (n.d.). Www.linkedin.com. Retrieved September 8, 2023, from
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/using-pop-culture-ads-red-green-flags-pivottree#:~:text=An%20association
%20with%20popular%20culture
(2022). Fashion Philippine Popular Culture [Review of Fashion Philippine Popular Culture. Studocu; University of
Iloilo-PHINMA. https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/university-of-iloilo-phinma/english/fashion-ahphilippine-
popular-culture/47710988

Prepared by: Checked by:

Aber, Winchel V.
Ambuyoc, Alona Mae L.

Teaching Intern LAILANIE A. SOLOMON

Signature over printed name Supervising Instructor