Chapter 5

Lesson 1: Culture

Culture
 The customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial,
religious, or social group
 A system of learned and shared beliefs, language, norms, values,
and symbols that groups use to identify themselves and provide a
framework within which to live and work.

Filipino Culture
 A combination of cultures of the east and west.
 It is referred to as “Melting Pot” of Western and Eastern Cultures.
 The pre-colonial cultures were merged with the influence of
colonizers and traders.

Filipino Family
 Filipinos has very close family ties; it ordinarily consists of
grandparents, the parents, and the children.
 Typically, the father is the head of the family, but while he rules,
the mother governs.
 The grandparents are above the ‘ruler’ and the ‘governor’

Filipino Hospitality
 Filipinos welcome their guests and tourists as if they are their
own brothers and sisters.
 They always make their guests feel at home.
 They are also fond of giving pasalubong or tokens and pabaon or
farewell gifts to their visitors.

Respect for Elders

 Filipinos greet their elders while saying ‘Mano Po!’ and constantly
using ‘po’ and ‘opo’ in conversations.
 ‘Ate’ for elder sister; ‘kuya’ for older brother; ‘Tito’ and ‘Tita’ for
uncles and aunts; ‘Lolo’ and ‘Lola’ for grandparents; and ‘Manong’
and ‘Aling’ for older people outside the family.

Cheerful Personality
 Filipinos have a habit of smiling and laughing a lot. Smiling is a
coping strategy for many Filipinos especially during trying times
such as calamities.
  Filipino always tries to maintain a positive outlook in life which
makes them resilient and able to manage almost everything with
a simple smile.

Bayanihan
 Is the spirit of communal unity and cooperation of Filipinos.
 Giving without expecting something in return.
 Filipinos are always ready to share and help their friends and
loved ones who are in need.

“Bahala Na” Attitude

 The phrase originated from the ‘Bathala na’, where Bathala
means God, and the phrase meaning leaving everything into
God’s hands.
 It can also be viewed as cheerful and positive attitude allowing
situation take care of themselves instead of worrying about them.

Mañana Habit
 Filipino term for procrastination.
 It is derived from a longer Filipino phrase called ‘Mamaya na’
means dawdling things, which could have been done at an earlier
time.
 It is a poor habit of laziness that results in heavier workloads.

Ningas Kugon
 ‘Ningas’ means flame and ‘Kugon’ means Cogon grass (easily
burns out after it is put into flames)
 It is referring to the attitude of eagerly starting things but
quickly losing eagerness soon after experiencing difficulty.

Crab Mentality
 Where one resents the achievement of another instead of
feeling happy for that person.
 They pull each other down and ruin each other reputation rather
than bringing them up, resulting to no progress.

Filipino Time
 Filipinos have this common attitude of arriving later at
commitments, dinners, or parties especially if they are meeting
someone close to them.
 They tend to not observe punctuality altogether.
 Lesson 2: Filipino Cultural Heritage

Understanding Culture, Heritage, and the Filipino

Cultural Heritage
 Refers to cultural aspects like heritage sites, monuments,
churches, folklores, traditional activities and practices,
language, and others.
 Considered vital to be preserved for the future generations.

Cultural Heritage
o Tangible
 The visible forms of heritage such as townscapes and
archaeological remain.
 Monuments, mosques, shrines, bridges, churches, houses,
artifacts, etc.
o Intangible
 The natural heritage or those that cannot be touched or
seen
 Traditional music, folklore, language, etc.

Culture has 3 components:

 What people think
 What they do
 The material objects they produce

Philippine Society and Culture from the Pre-Colonial to

the Colonial Period

Pre-Hispanic Time
Social Hierarchy

 Datu - Ruled the barangay; in bigger barangays – hari, raha, or

lakan; obtained his position by inheritance.

• Maharlika - (Datu, his wife or wives, his siblings and his children)
• Timawa - (Former slaves or children of former slaves who
were freed)
• Alipin
Aliping namamahay - Lived in their own houses and
owned property and slaves.
 Aliping Saguiguilid - Were natives who were captured in
tribal wars; those who were born to slave parents; they
were owned by, served, and lived in their masters’ houses;
they could not own property.

Practices of Pre-Colonial Filipinos

 The native`s main food was rice, which they cooked in bamboo or
clay pot.
 They washed their hands before eating
 They used banana leaves and coconut shells for their plates and
glasses.
 They had also tuba, lambanog, basi and tapuy.
 The natives lived in houses made of bamboo, nipa and wood,
with silong where they kept their rice, bancas and wood as well as
their domesticated animals like goats, pigs and carabaos
 They married among their own class
 Men had only one wife but could have several concubines, who
lived in the same house where the legitimate wife lived.

Divorce was practiced based on the following grounds:

- Adultery on the part of the wife
- Desertion on the part of the husband
- Loss of affection
- Cruelty
- Insanity
- Childlessness

 They believed in life after death, thus when they buried their
dead, they also buried their belongings with them.
 They also believed in supernatural like aswang, tiyanak, kulam,
and duwende.
 They also believed in anting-anting, agimat and dreams
 They had priestess called babaylan or catalona.

Science and Arts

● They had their own science of counting, weighing, and

measuring
● In determining time, they referred to the crowning of the cock,
the position of the sun, and the hatching of eggs.
● They had some knowledge of medicine that used medicinal plants
for treatment of illnesses
● They also knew the art of coinage and they had gold coins which
they used as a medium of exchange in business.
 Writing System
● They knew how to read and write
● Baybayin (alphabet) – consisted of seventeen letters
● Sipol – pen with a sharp-pointed iron; used in engraving words on
bamboo tubes, wooden boards, and leaves of plants

Livelihood
● Agriculture – main source
○ Fishing and husbandry
○ Wine-making
○ Ship building
○ Weaving and Metallurgy
○ Mining

Spanish Era

 1521

Ferdinand Magellan set foot on Philippine soil.

After a brief pleasant encounter with the natives headed by Rajah
Humabon and baptizing 800 natives, and thereafter, as written by
Pigafetta in his accounts, baptizing all the inhabitants of Cebu,
Magellan met his end in Mactan under Lapulapu.

 1565

Forty-four years later, Miguel Lopez de Legaspi was able to land

and conquer it after many failed attempts.
Thus, started the colonization of the archipelago which
Legaspi gave the name Filipinas in honor of the king of Spain.

Education
 Schools were put up whose main objective was to make the
Filipino God-fearing and obedient, thus religion was a
compulsory subject from the primary to the collegiate level.

Other influences:
● Food and delicacies (ham, chorizo, sardines, etc.)
● Learned how to eat canned goods, drink coffee and chocolate
● Use spoon and fork, plates and glasses
● Learned to wear pants and camisa de chino
● Fiestas became part of yearly celebrations
● Learned different ways of leisure such as playing cards, bullfight and
horserace.
● Moro-moro, cenaculo, and comedia became popular
● They changed their names to Spanish and they were given
surnames
● Philippine literature flourished
● The natives could speak and write in Spanish
● Literature written in the dialects also flourished
● The Spanish influences of European arts became very strong.

American Era
 1898

The Filipinos came under a new colonial master – the United

States of
America.
They used a different weapon in winning the hearts and controlling
the minds of the Filipinos.

 Act No. 74
• Free primary education
• Normal school was opened aimed at training the Filipinos to
become teachers and American teachers were sent to the
Philippines to train them.
• Religion subject was removed from the curriculum.

American Influences:

 English Language - the biggest influence of the Americans;

medium of instruction in schools, businesses, government,
newspapers, literature, etc.
 Government – democratic ideas, suffrage, election, equality, due
process
  Traditions – Thanksgiving, Halloween, Washington’s Day,
Christmas Carols, Christmas Trees, Santa Claus, hanging socks on
Christmas Eve;
Changed names into American-sounding ones; Changed the names
of the streets, parks and buildings to American names

 Economics and Government - New technology was introduced

and big industries were opened. Government income increased,
thus more roads, bridges, hospitals, schools, and other
infrastructures were built.

 Religion- Protestantism was introduced but unlike the Catholic

religion, it did not gain as many followers.

 Women - Enjoyed more freedom. Started to work outside their

homes and were allowed to study any profession they chose. Gained
the right to vote and hold public elective offices

Philippine Society and Culture Today

According to Rosales:
“The Philippine society ruled by the datus no longer exists. It died
with the coming of the Western power.
What we have today is a society ruled by political dynasties from
the southern to the northern part of the country.”

We have lost the beautiful traits of our ancestors. Chinese traits

such as patience, perseverance, frugality, and thrift which had been
buried in oblivion.

Discipline had become a strange word because many do what they want
to and have become unmindful of other’s welfare.

Passive and lacking of initiative characterized many of our people

today. Many of our people do not start doing things on their own but wait
to be told.

People rely on others so much that they have become so dependent

on the government, expecting it to deliver everything for them

We have people who are colonial-minded. This is a product of our being

under the western power for almost four hundred years.

Products from other countries are very attractive to us.

The kanya-kanya syndrome prevails in Philippine society today.This
dampens our spirit of cooperation and community service because
of selfishness and a feeling of envy which engulfs our character.

Material culture also prevails in Philippine society.