POP CULTURE

IN THE
PHILIPPINES
Ms. Jacel D. Gadon, LPT
Learning Compass/Specific Objectives:

• After going through this lesson, you are expected to:

• a). Identify the Philippine Popular Culture in different forms.
• b). Discover the different examples of Philippine Popular Culture
in the different forms.
• c). Explore Filipino Culture and traditions
 Let’s begin!
Written Activity:

Hugot Lines in your life!

Instructions: Give atleast 5 hugot lines that will describe your life
now, or your feelings right now.
½ sheet of paper
CULTURE AND
TRADITIONS
 National Identity

• The eminent Filipino sociologist and journalist Prof. Randolf S. David stated
that Filipinos do not consciously feel part of a nation. One significant cause
of this is the mixed heritage that makes up the national psyche.
• According to Dr. Lourdes R. Quisumbing, the first woman Secretary of
Education, Culture and Sports of the Republic of the Philippines,
Filipino values are a blend of trust in divine providence and self-reliance.
 Historical Influences
•The Philippines is located in an archipelago, or group of islands, constituting over 7,000 islands. The history
of the country is that of immigration and occupation, and gives clues to the peoples' identity:
 Before the Spanish invasion in 1521, the inhabitants were descended from Malays, Indonesians, Chinese,
Muslims, and Negritos (people of dark skin and short stature from southeast Asia).
 The first Spanish arrived in 1521.
 Miguel Lopez de Legazpi amalgamated Spanish power in 1564.
 Spanish occupation and Catholicism unified the country.
 During the 1890s, José Rizal inspired Filipinos to seek independence.
 The U.S. ruled in the Philippines in two phases: first from 1898 to 1935 and second from 1936 to 1946.
 The islands were given commonwealth status in 1933.
 The Philippines gained independence from the U.S. on July 4, 1946.
 Family
•Family bonds are important to Filipinos. The elderly are honored and respected. From an
early age, children are taught to say 'po' and 'opo' to address their elders both within their
communities as well as their families. There is a special greeting to show veneration,
'mano po,' whereby you take the hand of an elderly person and place it on your forehead as
if receiving his blessing.
•Extended families in the Philippines live together, and even distant members are given the
title of cousin. Children have several sets of godparents so that the support system is strong.
There may be a few houses grouped on the same piece of land, or in the same
neighborhood so that children from different parents are part of one household. Single
aunts, uncles, or grandparents look after them while their parents work. The major festivals
are also celebrated together. If a family originates outside the city, they journey back to the
rural area where they have their roots, to celebrate.
 Courtship and Marriage

• Close-knit relationships between relatives and friends mean that

young people often marry others already known to their families.
Whether this is still the case or not, it is traditional that 'pamanhikan'
occurs, and the suitor's parents visit the bride's family to ask for her
hand in marriage. From this point on, the prospective groom expects
to make himself as useful as possible to his fiance's family.
 • Long Engagements
•Marriage is a serious affair, and engagements often last for several
years while the couple works, saves for a home, and if necessary, pays
for their siblings' education. Friends and relatives may help sponsor
the marriage to reduce expenses.
• Weddings
•There are various kinds of weddings according to family wishes,
religion, or whether the geographical location is rural or urban. Over
the last century, it has become fashionable for brides to wear white,
imitating the Western style of dress. However, if a couple has a tribal
wedding, they will wear traditional attire.
 Festivals and National Holidays
•Filipinos know how to party. No matter when you travel, there is bound to be a
holiday or festival. If you're visiting the Philippines, Filipino Travel Center has a
useful calendar of festivals. Every municipality has a patron saint whose day is
celebrated extravagantly in the homes and streets. Residents anticipate the event for
months in advance. A feast is prepared and they go from one house to another
tasting dishes. The church and plaza are decorated with lights and bunting, and a
procession is held with dancing and music. According to the festival, Filipinos dress
up in vivid costumes, sporting masks and headdresses. Fireworks and firecrackers
complete the excitement.
•Other holidays include Easter, All Saints Eve, and secular holidays like Bataan
Death March, Labor Day, Independence Day (June 12), and Christmas. Rizal Day
takes place on December 30, making it part of the New Year's Day celebrations.
Sino-Filipinos (or Chinese Filipinos) celebrate the Chinese New Year in Chinatown,
Manila, and Muslims enjoy the Islamic Feasts for the end of Ramadan and the Hajj.
 Etiquette
•Much of the etiquette of the Philippines stems from the desire to save face. A person might agree to
an action even though they have no intention of doing it; when it is not carried through, it is
understood that the act would have been embarrassing. This is all perfectly comprehensible to
Filipinos, although confusing to Westerners. By understanding certain social and business etiquette,
you avert frustration or embarrassment. Commisceo Global offers tips to prevent social blunders.
Some of these are:
 Wait to be asked more than once before accepting food.
 Give sweets or flowers as gifts, but not chrysanthemums or white lilies.
 Introduce people from oldest to youngest.
 Refer to Filipinos by their full title.
 Dress formally and compliment the hostess of the house.
 Women should not drink alcohol or cross their legs in public.
•Filipino Cuisine
•Geographical location and ethnicity correlate to cuisine that varies
from area to area. Food is spicy but not eye-watering hot. There is one
staple true to all; when in the Philippines you will always see plain
steamed rice on the menu.
•Daily Food
•Fish is eaten daily and may be salted or fried. Chicken is popular, as is
pork, although it is not eaten by the Muslim population. Much of the
food is served cold. Vegetables are prepared in soups or stews and
there is plenty of fruit. If you enjoy desserts, you will relish the coconut
milk with fruit salad.
Nationalistic Culture of the Philippines
•The SENAKULO is a Lenten
play that depicts events from
the Old and New Testaments
related to the life, sufferings
and death of Christ
 Modernization in the Philippines
The Philippines has already gone through most of the stages which other
emergent nations in Southeast Asia and Africa are experiencing.
• It was a colony of Spain for more than 300 years,
• a territory of the United States for almost half a century, a
commonwealth for 10 years; and
• an independent nation for over 20 years.
Philippine Popular Culture in different forms.
• 1. Philippine pop music.
• This is the music of highly urbanized and industrialized towns and cities. It
is produced mainly for mass entertainment and it is what we know as “pop”
music. When we talk of the music industry in this country, it refers mainly
to this type of music (ex. Ryan Cayabyab’s Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika,
George Canseco’s Ngayon at Kailanman, and many others called OPM by
their producers).
• Pop music’s origins are traced from the North American culture of
entertainment and cultivation of instant pleasures. This music is variously
called pop, mass media, entertainment and commercial music.
• 2. Philippine Television and Cinema
• The local film industry in the Philippines is sometimes referred to as
"Tagalog movies."Tagalog is the language of those Filipinos who live in
central Luzon, particularly in and around Manila, and since Manila is the
seat of Philippine power and finance it is only natural that Tagalog would be
decreed the national language . Manila is also the filmmaking and television
production capital of the Philippines.
• Philippine cinema is limited by many of these same inherited stage conventions.
Character types, as described above, often are (Kenny)confined to a two-
dimensional world lacking in the depth and complexity which is associated with
real human beings. Likewise, the goal of most Philippine films is not the
presentation of a realistic or even credible story but the evocation of an intense
emotional response from the audience. Plots are filled with fantastic coincidences
and dens ex machina endings. Story topics illustrate a soap operatic fascination
with the catastrophes of modern living. Divorce, death, rape, suicide, adultery,
accidents, sickness, and imprisonment are endlessly depicted and very often all
within the same movie. Of course, as a developing country, most Filipinos are
mired in poverty, and they have had more than their share of the social hardships
brought on by economic deprivation. Both religion and melodrama offer familiar
representations of this suffering
 3. Philippine Literature
• The flowering of Philippine literature in the various languages continue
especially with the appearance of new publications after the Martial Law years
and the resurgence of committed literature in the 1960s and the 1970s. Filipino
writers continue to write poetry, short stories, novellas, novels and essays
whether these are socially committed, gender/ethnic related or are personal in
intention or not. Of course, Filipino writers has become more conscious of their
art with the proliferation of writer, workshops here and abroad and the bulk of
literature available via the mass media including the internet. The various
literary awards such as the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for
Literature, the Philippines Free Press, Philippine Graphic, Home Life and
Panorama literary awards encourage him to compete with his peers and hope
that his creative efforts will be rewarded in the long run.
Filipino are the world’s top social media users, according
to creative agencies We Are Social and Hootsuite.

• The following are the new trends in pop culture:

• a. Hugot is life. Hugot is basically the deep lingering emotions
brought about by a person’s circumstance and experiences,
usually from heartbreaks and adulting. The term evolved into the
practice of coming up with the saddest lines out of the mundane
that evokes a particular experience.
• b. Milktea is the new coffee. Businesses utilize social media to attract more
customers by enticing them with aesthetic pictures of their place or location,
menus, drinks, services, or products. Followers are then converted into
customers. Customers then post their experiences with the food or products.
Chances are their followers become the next set of customers.
• c. The milk tea fad, for instance, became widespread thanks to social
media. Plenty of shops have been operating but it’s only recently that they
gained so much popularity. Revamping their brands and the hype brought
by social media posts account for their new-found popularity. Milk tea
entrepreneurs also come up with the catchiest names to stand out.
• d. Daily Dose of Teleserye. Teleseryes or primetime TV series are often
criticized for their seemingly endless storylines. Take Ang Probinsyano for
instance (titled Brothers on Netflix). First premiered in 2015, Brothers has
aired 970 episodes throughout their weekday night timeslot. Add to that is
the invincible main character whose specialty is to cheat death after
countless near-death experiences. Ironically, the same people continue
watching it. Perhaps anticipating to take part in its historic ending.