ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES

SUMMARY

The flag and the national anthem
Every flag has its symbols, what about this flag? The flag was designed in 1898 after the Americans and Spaniards ended their war and the United States promised  an independence. It was only in 1946 that the  independence was completed.
The symbols of the flag   an eight rayed sun   three golden stars   a red stripe   a blue stripe   a white triangle The sun represents the beginning of a new era of self determination.  The 8 rays on the sun stand for the 8 provinces  that rose in revolt against Spanish rule in the late 19th century. The 3 stars stands for the 3 principal geographic areas of the country; Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.	The colours in the  flag     The colour white represents peace and purity   The red stripe represents courage and bravery   The blue stripe is for noble ideals   One country, two flags!  Probably unique in the world is that a country has a flag for peacetime and a flag for wartime. The  flag showed above is, let us hope,  the one we'll see always. Blue on the top stands for peacetime. In wartime the flag will have the red stripe on the top.

THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL ANTHEM 

Language: Tagalog

 

Bayang magiliw, perlas ng silanganan.
Alab ng puso, sa dibdib mo'y buhay.
Lupang hinirang, duyan ka ng magiting
Sa manlulupig, di ka pasisiil.

Sa dagat at bundok, sa simoy at
sa langit mong bughaw,
may dilag ang tula at awit
sa paglayang minamahal.

Ang kislap ng watawat mo'y
tagumpay na nagniningning.
Ang bituin at araw niya
kailan pa may di magdidilim.

Lupa ng araw, ng lualhati't pagsinta,
buhay ay langit sa piling mo.
Aming ligaya na pag may mang-aapi,
ang mamatay ng dahil sa iyo

 

English Version

 

Land of the morning
Child of the sun returning
With fervor burning
Thee do our souls adore.
Land dear and holy,
Cradle of noble heroes,
Ne'er shall invaders
Trample thy sacred shores.
Ever within thy skies and through thy clouds
And o'er thy hills and seas;
Do we behold thy radiance, feel the throb
Of glorious liberty.
Thy banner dear to all hearts
Its sun and stars alright,
Oh, never shall its shining fields
Be dimmed by tyrants might.


The period before liberty;

 

In 1521 the Spanish period started with the arrival of a small fleet in the coastal waters of Cebu island. After a period of struggle,  the organized resistance of the locals was definitely broken in 1565. 

A long period of Spanish influence followed. Colonial buildings and religious places gave the Philippines, at that time called  'Las Islas Felipinas', more and more a Spanish and Catholic character.  

Liberty,  brought by the Americans?

 

After 327 years under Spanish rule, the Spanish-American War ended the Spanish colonial period. The Filipinos thought that they won independence in 1898.  But that was a wishful thinking! The Philippines was controlled by the Americans from 1900-1942. Then a short Japanese occupation period 1942-1945 followed, before  the Americans defeated the Japanese army. Freedom at last! In 1946 the people of the Philippines attained their independence, 148 years later than the freedom which was written down by Julian Felipe in the "Lupang Hinirang". 

The upper part of the 'coat of arms' : 

 

  The sun symbolizes the independence,

  The lower part symbolizes the Spanish occupation  

       (the lion) and the American occupation (the eagle) 

The Philippines in earlier times

 The First Inhabitants 40.000 years ago

It is thought that  the earliest inhabitants of  the Philippines lived some 40000 years ago. On Palawan, the long and small island in de western Visayas,  human bones were found dating  to about 22.000 years ago.  Stone tools from ancient times were found too on Palawan. The age of the tools is estimated to be about 30.000 years old. A analyses showed that the tools have similar features as tools which were found on Kalimantan (Indonesia).

The original people of the Philippines were  ancestors of the people known today as Negritos or Aeta. They are very small people with a dark skin and curly brown hair.

The Aeta came  13000 - 10000 years ago from the Asian continent. In earlier times they lived  widespread throughout the Philippines. Today they are living in the remote highland areas of Luzon, Palawan, Panay, Negros and Mindanao. About 2300 years ago Malayan people arrived from the mainland in the Philippines and brought  a more advanced culture; dairy,  iron melting and production of iron tools, pottery techniques and the system of sawah's (rice fields). Mountain tribes in Northern Luzon Traveling to the northern part of the island Luzon will bring you not only to beautiful landscapes with amazing rice terraces.  It will bring you also to the regions with remote villages and colorful and traditional living upland tribal communities. Their ancestors constructed the fascinating rice terraces with the perfect working irrigation systems. These mountain tribes still distinguish themselves by their specific cultural expression and their skills. They have skills in making bowls, baskets, weapons and clothing. It were the Bontocs and the Ifugao people who built up the rice terraces. Traveling in the provinces of Ifugao or other provinces in Luzon, will make clear to you that the way of living of these people didn't change. They are still living and working as in the past.  Many tourists decide to make the long bus-trip from Manila to these provinces especially to meet the Ifugao, the Bontocs, the Kankanays or other tribes.  In the past the Ifugao  were feared head-hunters, just as other tribes in the mountainous regions of northern Luzon. The war-dance (the bangibang) is one of the cultural remnants of the time of tribal conflict.  This dance is traditionally held on the walls of the rice terraces by the men, equipped with spears, axes and wooden shields and a headdress made of leaves. Picture of the Ifugao-warrior: © Marco Luijten Typical houses of the Ifugao The Ifugao build their houses on piles. The pyramid-shaped roof is used as a bedroom, kitchen and storeroom. All in one space! There are no windows. To please the gods, the skull of a sacrificed pig is fixed on the outside of the house. The residents still live in the same type of houses as their ancestors. Skills of the Ifugao The Ifugao still practice the same skills as in the past: Woodcarving and weaving clothes. They discovered  the tourists as a  welcome client for their products in a time that the most young Ifugao prefer Western clothes. Picture: © mluijten@hr.nl     Click on the pictures for a video clip   Were you ever invited to see the bones of an ancestor? Read the story of the tourist Jon, who visited the region of the Ifugao some years ago...."As we wandered further, a lady approached us and asked us if we would like to look at 'the bones'....and she produced a large bundle wrapped in a blanket that she unfolded to reveal the skeleton of her Grandfather Po Po. Bizarre? Not in the culture of the Ifugao. Like with the Bontocs, their funerals are not only a sad event because of the lost of the person. There is also a celebration during days, because of the believe of a better life after death. Six years after the body  is buried, the bones are dug up, after which a second celebration will take place. This is one time repeated after another six years. The indigenous people of Mindanao There are more than 40 different ethnic groups in the Philippines.  Each group has a distinct culture and language. Several of these ethnic groups can be distinguished as "tribal groups". They are 'indigenous groups' who still live in a rather traditional way. Each group lives in a specific region on one of the islands. You can meat them in parts of Luzon, on some of the Visayas islands and on Mindanao. The  T'boli and B'laan,  two  indigenous groups On Mindanao live 18 tribal Filipino groups. The most well known are the T'boli and  the B'laan (or "Bla-an").  The other groups are the Ata, Bagobo, Banwaon, Bukidnon, Dibabawon, Higaunon, Kalagan, Mamanwa, Mandaya, Mangguwangan, Manobo, Mansaka, Subanen, Tagakaolo, Teduray and the Ubo. Most characteristic of these 'indigenous groups' is that they live  in a traditional way, comparable with how the ancestors lived centuries ago.  Lumad, the collective name On Mindanao there are in total 18 indigenous groups. The collective name for the 18  indigenous groups on Mindanao is "Lumad". It is just another word for 'indigenous' .These ethnic groups distinguish  themselves by their language and culture. Old and new elements in their life The cultural heritage is visible in their clothes and ornaments they wear. Housing,  economic activities, cultural habits and often religion are all very traditional. Some groups learned to know tourism as a good alternative to earn extra money. In general however, the indigenous groups still live like in the past The T'boli and their subsistence activities The T'boli (pronounce "Tiboli") people live in the southern part of the province Cotabata, in the environment around lake Sebu,  west of the city General Santos. It is estimated that are between 100000 and 150000 T'boli. In the past the T'boli practiced the primitive way of agriculture "slash and burn". "Slash and burn"  means that the people will clear a part of the forest by cutting the big trees and burning the lower and smaller trees and bushes, after which they use the cleared plots as arable land for some years without any fertilization. Rice, cassava and yams were the most important agricultural products. Next to that, the people went hunting or fishing for additional food.  For years slash and burn is no longer possible. The forests are gone by intensive economic activities as foresting. At present The T'boli live in the mountains.  Agriculture is the only source of income. Some foreigners, in cooperation with the aid organization Cord Aid, succeeded in developing some hectares of arable land in the last few years. Nevertheless, the T'boli live in poor circumstances; a struggle for live. Image © Claus Qvist Jessen Image © Jens Peters   The T'boli distinguish their selves, like all other "tribal Filipinos", by their colorful clothes and specific ornaments like rings, bracelets and earrings.  Religion and culture Only a few T'boli are Christian or Islamite. More than 95 percent of The T'boli people still has their animistic religion. They were hardly influenced by the spread of the Islam on the island. The Spaniards too, didn't succeed to Christianize the T'boli during the Spanish colonial period. Main reason was that the T'boli withdrew to the hinterlands in the uplands.  The T'boli and members of other indigenous tribes like the Higaunon, still believe in spirits who live on several places in the natural environment.      The Higaunon people of Northern Mindanao The Higaunon is one of the mountain tribes in the Philippines. Most  Higaunon  still have a rather traditional way of living. Farming is the most important economic activity. The belief in the power of the spirits of ancestors and in the influence of more than one god, is strongly rooted in the hearts and minds of many Higaunon.   A Higaunon leader in native costume Picture: © Robert Booc   The belief in many gods and spirits of ancestors Most Higaunon still have a strong belief in the existence of gods and spirits. The ‘upper god’ is Magbabaya, the creator of all aspects of life. There are several ‘lower gods’. Each ‘lower god’ has dominion over a specific part of the natural environment.   There is a lower god (Igbabasok) who has dominion over the farms, a lower god (Pamahandi) who has dominion over treasures and properties, a lower god (Bulalakaw) who has dominion over the waters and fishes and there is a lower god (Panalagbugta) who has dominion over lands.  The (ancestor) spirits have control on all aspects of the daily life of the people.  This belief, called “animism”, influences the Higaunon people deeply. They believe that all problems like illnesses, bad harvests and even the death, are due to their failure to satisfy the spirits. Satisfy the spirits The Higaunon belief that they have to please the spirits. Only if the Higaunon succeed during their life to fulfill all the wishes of the spirits, they will not die and a path will be shown to go from this world into the eternal world where the creator gods live. One way to satisfy the spirits is having rituals with sacrifices. Pigs and chickens are the most common sacrifices.  Without the sacrifices or when there not enough sacrifices, there will be problems with their subsistence, crops will fail and illnesses will not be cured and people will die. If somebody gets ill, an ‘all knowing’ shaman is asked advice what to do. The shaman is a person in the village who has the ability to tell which spirit caused the sickness and what should be done to pacify the spirit. Picture: © Robert Booc   Picture: Courtesy of  L. Ostman   Higaunon, what about the future? The Higaunon people live in the northern regions of Mindanao. The Higaunon overall population is estimated between 10,000 and 30,000.  For most of the Higaunon people, farming is the most important economic activity for their subsistence. Picture on the left: Higaunon village in Northern Mindanao The future of the farming activities The Higaunon people produce a variety of  agricultural products.  On the backyards of their houses and alongside the hills, the Higaunon grow a variety of vegetables (white beans, onions and others), spices, rice and other corn. Occasionally, the Higaunon hunt on among others wild pigs, amphibians, wild birds and gather other food products from the forest such as tiger grass and timber. In the first  place the Higaunon produce for their own consumption.  Since the influence of cash economy, the surplus of many agricultural products  is sold on markets. Threats  for the Higaunon! In the last few decades the peaceful way of living of the Higaunon has been threatened by several circumstances. The threats were caused by the activities of  big logging companies, the arrival of immigrants from other islands and the conflicts between the national army and armed groups in the region where the Higaunon live. Pictures: Courtesy of  L. Ostman   The influence of the logging companies In the last decades the national government went on with giving logging concessions to several, mostly foreign companies. The consequence was the diminishing of the tropical forest cover in the tribal homelands of the Higaunon. The arrival of migrant settlers Since a long time immigrants from other parts of the Philippines came to start a new life in one of the regions of  Mindanao. They all were given some arable land to cultivate. This arable land was original part of the homelands of the tribes of Mindanao. Because of the arrival of the immigrants in the regions where the Higaunon live, the subsistence possibilities for the Higaunon people diminished. In that way the immigrants were a threat for the Higaunon. Armed Conflicts Until 1981 peace and order was quite normal in northern  Mindanao.  Since 1981 more and more insurgents started operating in the area. The arrival of foreign immigrants and (foreign) companies resulted more and more in armed conflicts between members of several tribes (among other the Higaunon tribe) and the national army. The ‘peace and order situation’  became disturbed! Massive military operations were launched by the national government. More and more members of the Higaunon and other tribes became supporters or full timers of the insurgents. The conflicts resulted in a shortage of food and medicines in the area. Since 1991 a relative peace ‘returned’  into the region of the Higaunon. The government granted amnesty to all surrenders. Many insurgent Higaunon members decided to surrender and live now peacefully. (Source: Article, prepared by Ms. Cecilia Valmores, in charge of the Research Desk of the Indigenous Peoples Apostolate (IPA) of the Cagayan de Oro City) In the tenth century Muslim traders come from Kalimantan (Indonesia)  to the Philippines.  A few centuries later, the Islam  spread out in the southern part of the Philippines. Until now, the Islam is strong rooted on Mindanao and the other (smaller) islands of the southern part of the Philippines. Attempts to bring an alternative to the bondage to the spirit world Since  July 1981 missionaries are trying to help the Higaunon in their struggle for a better life.  Missionaries from Australia, USA and Columbia, took care for the people in one of the villages.  The missionaries help combat sicknesses by offering medicines and help with all kind of problems.  After some years the power of the spirits diminished in some villages. The Higaunon people discovered that sacrifices to combat sicknesses were not necessary anymore. In the period 1985 until now the animism was replaced more and more by Christianity.  Still in most villages animism is widespread. Mindanao  The cry for a separate state Unrest on Mindanao Last ten years the Philippines was several times world news because of several kidnappings and bomb explosions on  several different locations. Almost all explosions happened in the southwestern part of Mindanao. It is the region where almost all people are Muslim.   Several organized Muslim groups were all the time responsible for the troubles. The Muslims (Moro's)  wanted all ready for a long time an independent Muslim state.   The origin of the name "Moro". As soon as the Spanish colonizers in the sixteenth century discovered that on Mindanao and the islands south of Mindanao the Filipinos were Muslims, they  gave them the name "Moro". That was the name they gave already to the Muslims they had to conquer centuries ago in the country Spain itself. The struggle for independency The strategy of the organized Muslim groups was to conquer the Philippine government by armed attacks and placing bombs on different places. In this way they tried to convince the Philippine government that the Muslims had to be given an own state.  Kidnappings Last years there were regular kidnappings. The kidnappings were used, still in 2002, as an instrument to 'collect' huge amounts of money. The money  is used to buy  weapons and is used for the 'way of living' of the active members of the organizations. The Abu Sayyaf group, the most radical group, is still active with kidnappings.   An Autonomous region in stead of total independency Two of the biggest Muslim groups, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)  and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) decided to sign a peace treaty agreement. They agreed with a special form of autonomy in stead of a total independency.  The government promised to start development programs for the autonomous region. The Autonomy, since 1996, meant that the Muslims in the region now can make their own  decisions on several maters in their region.  An Autonomous Muslim Region! The Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao consists of four provinces. The autonomous area is almost 12000 square km large. It is situated in the Western and southern part of Mindanao plus the Sulu and Waki-Waki island groups. The autonomous region is about 4 percent of the total area of the Philippines and has in 2002 more than 2.1 million inhabitants. Almost all Muslims Source: © NSO 1997-2002

 

In 1521 the Spanish period started with the arrival of a small fleet in the coastal waters of Mactan island, just east of Cebu island. It was Fernao  de Magelhaes (Ferdinand Magellan), a Portuguese in service of the Spanish King. He claimed the country for the Spanish King. 

Lapu Lapu, the national hero 

There was great resistance of the local people. In the battle that took place that day, the locals with their leader Lapu Lapu succeeded in forcing the Spaniards to retreat to their ships, after their leader, Magellan, was killed by the spears of the Lapu Lapu warriors. Lapu Lapu became the first Filipino hero.  

After the Spaniards succeeded in 1556 to break the last good organized resistance, a long period of Spanish influence followed.  The Spaniards ruled the country, brought the Christian religion to the country and were responsible for  a lot of colonial and religious buildings throughout the country. 

The results can still be seen in places as for instance Cebu City and Manila.

Revolts against the colonizers

The Spanish colonial period wasn't without resistance of the Filipinos. On the contrary. There was a succession of revolts against the European colonizers. Aguinaldo was the great leader of the big revolt of 1896. However, the Filipino rebels didn't succeed to defeat the armed Spaniards at that time. A helping hand came a few years later from the Americans.

 

Liberty,  brought by the Americans?

 

At the end of the nineteenth century, on April 25,1898,  the United States declared  war on Spain. The main reason was that the U.S. battle ship Main was blown up in the harbor of Havana.  The United States thought Spain blew up this ship with a mine. (However, it was proved that the Main blew up due to coal dust). The American navy decided to attack the Spanish fleet in the Philippine waters. The battle took place in Manila Bay. On May 1 in 1898 the Spanish fleet was destroyed.  After 327 years under Spanish rule, the Philippine people thought that they won independence at last. The Americans however, thought quit different about that at that time.  
 

 

General Emilio Aguinaldo

The Philippines, sold for a amount of less

than 20 million dollars

After the end of the American-Spanish war in 1898, the Spaniards sold  the Philippines and other colonial properties for 20 million dollar to the Americans.  Aguinaldo didn't want to accept American rule and proclaimed the first Philippine Republic. 

The Americans  decided that the Filipinos were not yet capable to be independent. A hostile period started.  The United States needed more than 125.000 soldiers to subdue the Philippines. The Philippine rebels were forced to retreat and were driven into northern Luzon. From here they started a guerrilla. This "Philippine War of Independence" continued for two years and ended when Aguinaldo was captured on March 23, 1901. 

Only sporadic resistance continued until 1903.

Changes in the American period

Consequences of the American colonial rule

During the Spanish period the Spaniards had given enormous  land properties to the Catholic church. One of the first things the Americans did was to take care for the redistribution of these land properties. To do so they first had to pay an  amount of US $7.2 million to the Vatican in 1904. The small farmers or tenants didn't get any land however. The land became property of some large landowners.  Most of the small farmers couldn't pay the asked price or couldn't prove that they were the former owners of the land.

The economic development during the 'American period'  was rather typical colonial. The Philippine economy was strongly related to and depending on the United States. The Philippine economy  was focused on mining and exporting crops. Industrial growth didn't take place. 

 

President Manuel L. Quezon 

 

Quezon, the first Philippine president

The Philippines was controlled by the Americans from 1900-1942. In 1934 an act was established, which made it possible that the Philippines  could have a "Commonwealth of the Philippines". 

The first president of this Commonwealth was Manuel Quezon. The  first president  was given certain power for some internal affairs. 

The Japanese occupation

The Americans were still in the Philippines when the next foreign ruler came. Japan. The Japanese army and rulers occupied the Philippines from 1942 - 1944.

The first step to liberation

In October 1944 the American general Douglas Mac Arthur landed with his troops at the east coast of Leyte, one of the bigger islands in the central part of the Philippines. 

This was the first step in the total liberation of the country. With 700 vessels and 174,000 army and navy servicemen, McArthur arrived in the Philippines. In December 1944, the islands of Leyte and Mindoro were cleared of the Japanese army. 

 

Many casualties The casualties of the Americans in this operation is estimated 4000 - 6000. Filipino casualties: estimated about one million!  Freedom at last! The Philippines was granted it's independence in 1946. Freedom at last, 148 years later than the freedom which was written down by Julian Felipe in the Philippine anthem called "Lupang Hinirang".  The Republic of the Philippines was proclaimed on July 4, 1946.

The Republic of the Philippines is a sprawling archipelago set in the western Pacific Ocean.

The Philippines is an incredibly diverse nation in terms of language, religion, ethnicity and also geography. Ethnic and religious fault-lines that run through the country continue to produce a state of constant, low-level civil war between north and south.

Beautiful and fractious, the Philippines is one of the most interesting countries in Asia.

Geography:

The Philippines is made up of 7,107 islands, totaling about 300,000 sq. km. (117,187 sq. mi.) It borders on the South China Sea to the west, the Philippine Sea to the east, and the Celebes Sea to the south.

The country's closest neighbors are the island of Borneo to the southwest, and Taiwan to the north.

The Philippine islands are mountainous, and seismically active. Earthquakes are common, and a number of active volcanoes dot the landscape, such as Mt. Pinatubo, the Mayon Volcano, and the Taal Volcano.

The highest point is Mt. Apo, 2,954 meters (9,692 ft.); the lowest point is sea level.


Language


There are 11 cultural and racial groups, each with its own language. Most Filipinos are bilingual, with English as the basic language in business, government, schools, and everyday communication. Pilipino, based primarily on the Tagalog language, is the national language; there are 11 languages and 87 dialects in the archipelago. Aside from English, Spanish is another foreign language spoken fluently by a number of Filipinos along with Arabic, Chinese, and Nippongo.

Climate:

The climate in the Philippines is tropical and monsoonal. The country has an average yearly temperature of 26.5°C (79.7°F); May is the warmest month, while January is the coolest.

The monsoon rains, called habagat, hit from May to October, bringing torrential rain which is abetted by frequent typhoons. An average of 6 or 7 typhoons per year strike the Philippines.

November to April is the dry season, with December through February also being the coldest part of the year.

Economy:

Prior to the global economic slowdown of 2008/09, the economy of the Philippines had been growing at an average of 5% annually since 2000.

The country's GDP in 2008 was $168.6 billion US, or $3,400 per capita.

The unemployment rate is 7.4% (2008 est.).

The primary industries in the Philippines include agriculture, wood products, electronics assembly, garment and footwear manufacturing, mining and fishing. The Philippines also has an active tourism industry, and receives remittances from some 4-5 million overseas Filipino workers.

Electrical power generation from geothermal sources could become important in the future.

Population:

The Philippines has a population of more than 90 million people (close to 100 million) and an annual growth rate around 2%, making it one of the most populous and fastest growing countries on Earth.

Ethnically, the Philippines is a melting pot.

The original inhabitants, the Negrito, now number only about 30,000. The majority of Filipinos are from various Malayo-Polynesian groups, including the Tagalog (28%), Cebuano (13%), Ilocano (9%), Hiligaynon Ilonggo (7.5%) and others.

Many more recent immigrant groups also live in the country, including Spanish, Chinese, American and Latin American people.

Religion:

Due to early colonization by the Spanish, the Philippines is a majority Roman Catholic nation, with 80.9% of the population self-defining as Catholic.

Other religions represented include Islam (5%), Evangelical Christian (2.8%), Iglesia ni Kristo (2.3%), Aglipayan (2%), and other Christian denominations (4.5%). Approximately 1% of Filipinos are Hindu.

The Muslim population live mostly in the southern provinces of Mindanao, Palawan and the Sulu Archipelago, sometimes called the Moro region. They are predominantly Shafi'i, a sect of Sunni Islam.

Some of the Negrito peoples practice traditional animist religion.

TRADITIONAL FILIPINO CLOTHING

Barong Tagalog

In the Philippines a modern, westernized style of dressing is common everywhere. In the urban areas as well as in the rural areas. For a long time already. Happily, it doesn't mean that it is impossible to see typical Filipino dress.  At ceremonies, festivals and all other kind of important meetings, you will be able to see some men wearing the Barong Tagalog.

Barong Tagalog is an upper garment and known as the formal men's wear of the Philippines.  The Barong Tagalog has a long tradition of more than four centuries. The look as well as the meaning of the dress have evolved throughout four centuries. The special traditional features remained untouched; the dress is thin and transparent (with a shirt under it), has decoration and one will wear the barong tagalog 'tucked out'.

Barong Tagalog  Pictures:MyBarong.com

The meaning of the name "Barong Tagalog"   'Baro'       = word for 'dress'    'Barong'   = means 'dress of '   'Baro ng Tagalog'  = 'dress of the         Tagalog' The Tagalog:  people that lived  on the island of Luzon, already  a very long time before the Spaniards arrived on Luzon.

The origin of the specific features of the Barong Tagalog Long time before the Spaniards arrived in the Philippine archipelago, the Tagolog people on  the northern island of Luzon, wore already a dress, that can be seen as the origin of the Barong Tagalog. The dress reached slightly below the waist, was colourless and had an opening in the front. The dress was, as the picture shows, tucked out.

Barong Tagalog explanations for the specific features
Why is it that the barong is tucked out? There is more than one explanation!  One explanation says that it is because of the tropical climate,  which favours clothes that are tucked out. However, the historical explanation says that the Barong Tagalog traces its roots in the Spanish-colonial era (1565-1898).
The roots of the Barong Tagalog From the beginning of the Spanish rule in the Philippine archipelago, the Spanish rulers demanded the Filipino men to wear  the Barong Tagalog. The Spaniards wanted to make  the differences between themselves and the 'natives' visible by the dress. Therefore they prohibited  to tuck the barong under the waistband. That was the mark of the inferior status of the natives. Next to that,  the cloth material should be transparent. That should make it impossible to hide any weapon that	could be used against the Spanish rulers. Furthermore, it was forbidden to have any pockets in the barong. This had to prevent any thievery.	Even at the time that some Filipinos became successful business men or successful in agricultural activities,  these  lucky and more important middle class men had to wear the Barong Tagalog just as the Spanish rulers demanded. In these Spanish period, the new middle class started to put  more attention to the design of the barong.  The front of the barong showed more and more a hand -work design. It was the beginning of becoming a symbol of resistance to colonization.

The Barong Tagalog evolved to ' the national dress'!

The Barong Tagalog gained his real 'national prestige' after president Quezon, the first Filipino president, declared the Barong Tagalog "the National dress". So, the Barong Tagalog  evolved from the pre-Hispanic became officially a symbol of the Filipinos' resistance to colonization!

Bridegrooms and the Barong Tagalog

In the Philippines of today,  many Filipinos  will wear the Barong Tagalog at important events. It became a custom for bridegrooms to wear the long-sleeved, embroidered Barong Tagalog.

Polo Barong

After the introduction of the short-sleeved variety, the "Polo Barong", the barong dress became  less formal than in the past. In the last 25 years the polo version became the all-around wear of Filipinos.

 
TRANSPORTATION

Means of transportation

For traveling in the Philippines there are a lot of cheap possibilities.  For the long distances on the bigger islands,  the busses are the best possibility. Traveling per train is hardly possible, because there is only on one island a railway. Taking the train is only possible on the northern island of Luzon. This comfortable, air-conditioned train  brings you from Manila to Naga in the southeastern part of Luzon. The journey takes 14 hours and costs about  7 American dollar.

For the shorter distances on all islands (outside and inside towns and cities), people  make use of the jeepneys, multicabs and tricycles. In big cities like Manila or Cebu City, the most common mean of transportation is the jeepney. Everywhere in the Philippines, for the more short and local  distances,  the multicabs and tricycles  are used by many Filipinos. The tricycle, a motorcycle with an attached passenger-cabin on a third wheel, is the cheapest. The big advantage of the tricycle is that it will bring you to every desired place. The multicabs, just as the jeepneys, have fixed routes.

Most common means of transportation and prices
Tricycles (motorcycles with a sidecar attached) are especially for short trips) The prices depend on the distance. In the big cities like Manila and Cebu City,  the tricycles are  especially  part of the transportation services in the  outer living sections. In the smaller cities and towns you can see them allover the place. A stop on every desired place is possible.
	Picture  Tricycle "Nico"  :  ©  Jeroen Neele
	Jeepneys are used for short and long distances.    Busses  are classified into not air-conditioned and air-conditioned busses.   Left picture: Traffic in Metro Manila ©  Antonio delaCova

POPULAR & YEARLY CELEBRATED FESTIVALS AND PROCESSIONS

Colourful festivals and processions

Influence of the Catholic religion Typical for the Philippines are the many festivals and processions.  The explanation for the most of all these fiestas has to be found in the domination of one specific religion in the Philippines. The majority of the cultural celebrations is closely related to the Catholic religion. Nearly 90% of the Filipinos are Roman Catholic. If you like fiestas, it is really worth to visit the Philippines, especially in January, April, May and June. The most known and biggest fiestas take place in these months.

The most known fiestas For the Filipinos themselves, every year the festivals and processions are days of great joy and happiness.  Fiestas or any community celebration usually feature music, dancing, and food feasts. The most known are the procession of the Black Nazarene, the Ati-Atihan, the Sinulog, the Flores de Mayo and the Santa Cruzan.  The colourful dress is most of the time not traditional. To see really traditional clothes, you have to visit the remote areas on Luzon and Mindanao for example.

Ati-Atihan	Sinulog	Flores de Mayo    Flowers of May	Black Nazarene
A three-day fiesta in the third week of January on the island of Panay (Visayas) The wildest among Philippine fiestas! The festival is a Catholic festival in honour of Santo Niño. During the last day of this festival (fiesta), a parade is characteristic, with celebrants who paint their faces black, wear sometimes masks and rather exceptional costumes. The origin of the Atis dances dates from the period before the Spaniards arrived on Panay. The typical dance  belonged already to the local Atis people in that pre-colonial period.	In  January,  in honour of  the miraculous image of the Santo Niño. In colourful costumes people of Cebu make their way through the streets while dancing the Sinulog, a traditional and ritual dance. The dance is accompanied by the sound of the drums:  all the time moving   two steps forward followed by one step backward. The Sinulog was already danced by the natives long before the Spaniards arrived in the Philippines. It was only in 1980, that the first Sinulog parade was organized. From then on it grew up to an enormous festival with a very large  parade.	A month-long festival in May in honour of  the Holy Mary Flores de Mayo  is a Catholic festival introduced by the Spaniards. The last day of the festival is highlighted by a pageant called Santa Cruzan. The Santa Cruzan   is a procession in honour of the finding of the Holy Cross in the year 326 A.D. by Reyna (Queen) Helena, mother of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great. It was the wooden, Holy Cross, on which Jesus Christ was supposed to have been nailed. Long time ago Flores de Mayo and the Santa Cruzan were blended together in one festival.	The largest procession in the country  through the streets of Quiapo in metro Manila Every year on the 9th of January and on Good Friday,  barefooted men carry a life-sized statue through the streets of Quiapo in Metro Manila. The procession dates from the 17th century. Thousands of men parade through the streets with the black wooden statue of Jesus (of Nazarene).   Everybody who is in the neighbourhood of the statue tries to touch the statue. People believe  that a miracle can happen after  touching it.

Feast of the Black Nazarene

Every year thousands of pilgrims from all over the country come to Manila to be part of the procession of the Black Nazarene. All participants in the procession hope that they will have the opportunity to touch the wooden statue. They  hope that this will protect them from harm and ensure healthin the future. Indeed, it is said that sometimes persons were healed of diseases after touching the statue!   (A Filipino: "My daughter was very sick, so I joined this procession last year. Now she is cured...."). Some of them follow the statue during the procession because they believe it is an atonement of their sins or hope for some miracle.

A black Christ ?

The Black Nazarene is a more than 200-year-old statue. 

Black? One tale is telling that during the Spanish colonial period missionaries brought an icon to Manila. During the trip however, there was a fire on board and the icon, the Nazarene, caught fire. Despite its charred condition,  the Nazarene was kept save and honored from then on.  

The statue is to be seen in  the Saint John the Baptist Church in Quiapo in Manila, where it has been housed since 1787.

Procession of the Black Nazarene

The largest procession

The procession of the Black Nazarene is the largest procession in the country.

It takes place on January the 9th and on Good Friday through the streets of Quiapo, a small part of metro Manila.  The procession dates from the 17th century. Thousands of men parade through the streets with the life-sized, black wooden statue of Jesus (of Nazarene).  

A miracle after touching the statue?

During the feast of the Black Nazarene thousands of barefoot men join the annual procession. Walking  barefoot during the procession is seen as a sign of humility. 

During this procession the men yell "Viva Señor".

Everybody who is in the neighbourhood of the cross tries to touch the statue. People believe  that a miracle can happen after  touching it. 

The  statue was bought by a priest in Mexico and brought to Manila in 1606. 

	Flores de Mayo & Santa Cruzan
Flores de Mayo The Queen  of  Filipino Festivals A  month-long festival  in honour  of  the  Virgin Mary		Santa Cruzan The parade  on  the last day  of  the festival in honour  of  Reyna Helena   Picture: © Steve Marcotte
Offering flowers During the festival in May  flowers are offered to the virgin Mary at the altar in the church. Young children, girls, dressed in white, will visit the church with cut flowers and baskets of petals in their hands. While walking to the altar, they sprinkle the petals in honour of Mama Mary. At the altar they leave the bouquet of flowers. Every afternoon.  Nine days of prayer  in honour of the Holy Cross, precedes the procession the Santa Cruzan.The procession is always the final part of the festival of Flores de Mayo. The procession is a pageant held in many cities and even in small villages.  The highlight of the celebration, is the Santa Cruzan, the procession on the last day of the festival in honour of Reyna Helena. In the year 326 A.D. she and her son left Rome and searched for the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. At last they found the Holy Cross and brought it back to Rome, the capital of their empire.  It is more a parade than a religious procession. Instead of icons or images, beautiful young women (or gays) with appropriate theatrical costumes, portray biblical and historical characters. Almost all sagalas, the persons in the parade, symbolize queens from the past! Each sagala is dressed beautiful and is looking as the 'real'  Reyna (Queen)! More about the historical explanation of the Santa Cruzan... Constantine, the emperor of Rome some hundreds of years ago, had a dream in which he was asked to go to the battle field to fight in the name of the Holy Cross. He conquered his enemy and that victory led to his conversion into a Christian. He became the first Christian emperor in history.  His mother  Reyna Elena, was inspired by all these experiences and in the year 326 A.D., she  went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to seek the Holy Cross,  the wooden cross on which Christ was supposed to have been nailed. She successfully found the Holy Cross, complete with its inscription `INRI` on its top.  The religious procession is a re-enactment of the finding of the Holy Cross by Reyna Helena.

	Some of the Reynas
	Left: Reyna Elena (Queen Helena),  the founder of the true Cross, represented by a small cross.  Right: Reyna de las Flores (Queen of Flowers),  carries a bouquet of flowers. source: www.inq7.net
	More Reyna´s in the parade
Reyna de las Virgines,  carries a rosary and is surrounded by two angels.
Reyna Fe (Faith),  symbolizes the virtue of faith, she carries a cross.
Reyna Justicia, the "mirror of justice". She carries a weighting scale and a sword.
Veronica,  the woman who wiped the face of Jesus.             She carries a bandana imprinted with the three faces of  Jesus.
Rosa Mystica, she carries a bouquet of roses.
Reyna Mora,  represents the dominant religion before Christianity.             ( Moro : Filipino Muslims)
Reyna Esperanza, symbolizes the virtue of hope. She carries an anchor.

Ati Atihan
	The Ati-Atihan is a festival in honour of the Santo Niño, celebrated in the third week of January. During the last three days of this week-long festival (fiesta), a parade is characteristic. A colourful happening with celebrants who paint their faces in many different ways and who are dressed in the most exceptional costumes. The dancing on the rhythms of the drums makes this festival comparable with carnival in Rio in Brazil!   The fiesta is celebrated in Kalibo on the island of Panay (Visayas).

The origin In the thirteenth century, long before the Spaniards came to the Philippines, light-skinned immigrants from the island of Borneo (Kalimantan) in Indonesia arrived  on Panay. The local people of Panay, the  Ati (negritos), a small and dark (black) kinky-haired people, sold them a small piece of land and allowed them to settle down in the lowlands.  The Atis themselves, lived more upland in the mountains.  One time the Ati people was in need of food because of  a bad harvest in their homelands. They came down to the lowlands of the Maraynon and asked them food. Every year since then, the Atis came down to the lowland inhabitants to ask for some food. They danced and sang in gratitude for the helping hand.  A real friendship was born and the Maraynon  started to paint  their faces black  in honor of the Atis and took part in the fiesta.

ATI-ATIHAN FESTIVAL

 

A fiesta for Filipinos coming from everywhere

Celebrants arrive by airplane or boat from all over the country. Tourists have discovered this fiesta too as a festival which should not be missed!  During days or the whole week they accommodate in hotels or in private homes and public buildings. Even camp on the beach is normal during these days. 

Other festivals copies of Ati-Atihan?

In the Visayas, the central part of the Philippines, many fiestas are in some way similar to the Ati-Atihan festival of Panay. It's true,  many islands if not all, have evolved their own version of the Ati-Atihan. In ilo-ilo City they have the festival Dinagyang, in Cebu City  they have the popular Sinulog and in Antique they have the Binirayan and Handugan festivals.

©  Photographer Frank Ossen

 

Spanish influence   After the Spaniards settled down in the Philippines, some Catholic elements infiltrated in the fiesta, especially honoring Santo Niño. A Spanish representative arranged a deal with the local leaders of the Atis and the leader of the immigrants from Borneo. The outcome of the deal was, that in the future the existing native celebration would be dedicated to the Santo Niño. Nowadays it is a mix of parades, procession and dancing people on the rhythms of monotonous music of  drums or the rhythmic tinkling of metal and stone on bottles. It looks as if the dancing never stops! The ritual dance originates from the Atis.  The name Ati-Atihan means "make-believe Atis."     Viva kay Santo Niño!   It is said that the procession is the climax of the fiesta. It is held on the last Sunday. The  street dancers never fail to enter the Kalibo church every time they pass by.

The slogan  "Viva kay Santo Niño!"  is repeated frequently. It is clear that it is Santo Niño who is honored.

 

	Sinulog in honor of   Santo Niño
Caracteristics of the  festival The famous Sinulog festival in Cebu City is held every year on the third Sunday of January. The festival is characterized by a  very long parade with many groups of persons dressed in colourful costumes, finding their way through the streets while dancing the Sinulog. To distinguish the festival from the popular Ati-Atihan Festival on Panay island,		this festival is characterized by a different dance. This Sinulog dance, is now the traditional and ritual dance in honor of Santo Niño. The dance is accompanied by the sound of the drums:  all the time moving two steps forward followed by one step backward. Though the dance is already very old, the parade  is rather young! 1980 was the first year that the parade was organized.

Pictures: © wm  

The origin The Sinulog was already danced by the locals in honor of their wooden statues in the period before the Cebuanos were baptized. Later on, after the image of the famous Santo Niño was brought to Cebu and  the Catholic faith was established in the region, the dance was made a part of the yearly fiesta in honor of the Santo Niño.	While dancing, people are shouting  petitions and thanksgivings to the Santo Niño. Shouting is necessary because the pilgrims have to be sure that they will be heard by the Santo Niño. “Pit Señor! Señor Santo Niño, Manoy Kiloy...."  The Sinulog became indeed a dance ritual in honor of Santo Niño!

VOLCANOES

18 Active volcanoes

The Philippines is an archipelago of more than 7100 islands. Most of these islands are of volcanic origin. 

There are 37 volcanoes in the Philippines, of which 18 are still active volcanoes. It means that an eruption occurred in the last decennia and  that a new eruption can be expected in the future. All the other volcanoes are 'sleeping'  or 'dead' volcanoes. Scientists think that an eruption of these volcanoes is unlikely. The most known volcanoes in the Philippines are Mount Pinatubo, Mount Mayon and the  Taal   volcano. They are all located on the Northern island Luzon.

Volcano type Mount Mayon is a splendid example of a strato volcano. Mount Mayon rises up 2462 meters above sea level. This type of volcano is typically steep-sided and composed of alternating layers of lava (the melted mass  - magma - which came out of the crater) and  other volcanic material, especially ash layers.  Volcano type Mount Mayon is a splendid example of a strato volcano. Mount Mayon rises up 2462 meters above sea level. This type of volcano is typically steep-sided and composed of alternating layers of lava (the melted mass  - magma - which came out of the crater) and  other volcanic material, especially ash layers.

The most active volcano Mount Mayon  is the most active volcano in the Philippines. Since 1616 there were 47 eruptions. From 1616 until 2002 at least 1300 people died and thousands of people got homeless as a result of all the eruptions. The most recent eruptions were in 1947, 1984 and 1993. In 1993 the activity started with explosions. Half an hour later, flows of lava (molten rock) and  pyroclastic flows (flows with mixtures of hot, dry rock fragments and hot gases. They flows may result from the explosive eruption of molten or solid rock fragments, or both) came out of the crater in the top of the volcano. It killed 68 people and 60.000 people had to be evacuated.  The lost village of Cagsawa In 1818 enormous  flows of lava came over the village of Cagsawa. The whole village disappeared under the layers of 'lava' and 'pyroclastic flows'. Only the the top of the church reminds of the period that once there was a village.

Eruption and lava flows movies: ©  IAVCEI click the pictures!

	Climbing Mount Mayon?
	For some sportive tourists it is a challenge to climb the Mount Mayon.  The best start is at a height of 762 meters above sea level, the location where a research- station is situated.  From the research station a trail creeps upwards through a tropical secondary forest. It is not easy to reach the summit. Especially the last 540 meters to the top. At the height of 1921 meters the rocky slopes begin. The last 240 meters have a 40 degree ascent on loose volcanic cinder and lava sands. To climb further to the summit is not without danger for life. Especially the danger of poisonous fumes, which can sometimes come down alongside the slopes when the wind makes a sudden shift in wind direction. So, the best, safe trail just stops at 1921 meters altitude!

**See more About the Philippines posts in History of the Philippines