Posts Tagged ‘Philippine Culture’

The Maharlikans: The True Pinoy

Before the Spaniards came to conquer and indoctrinate Pilipinos into Catholic Christianity under their powers or to be a colony of Spain, Pilipinos have already their own set of beliefs systems and government system that is the Maharlikan system.

The Maharlikan system is quite similar to the Mayans and Hindu religion. Thus, it is suspected that the real Pilipinos have Sumerian and Egyptian lineage, as well as one of the real dwellers of the lost continent of Mu or are Lemurians. The lost continent Mu is the one called “Lemuria”; Lemuria is a contemporary counterpart of Atlantis then.

The Spanish conquerors not only forcibly indoctrinate many Pilipinos at that time to convert to their religion but they also change or rename the Philippines, from Maharlikan into now the Philippines in line with the name of the king of Spain at that time which is King Philip.

Up until now, the majority of Pilipinos are still held captive by the Hispanic influence of the Spaniards though the Spaniards no longer in the Philippines; through holding still the name “Philippines” and still practicing and the worse integrating into the real Pilipino culture the religious belief of the Spanish conquerors and missionaries back then which is Catholicism, instead of the name “Maharlikan”, and the Maharlikan system of Beliefs.

What Filipinos are living for and how they survive their mortal existence everyday? The diverse source of the conglomerated Philippine culture has brought a very diverse Philippine lifestyle for most Filipinos today. A legacy of way of life transferred to them by their diverse ancestors from different cultures from different countries that have conquest and put their own mark at the Philippine archipelago. How does an ordinary Filipino live up to their mixed Philippine culture and complex Philippine lifestyle?

Like any other nation, Family first is chiefly the top priority of an ordinary Filipino today. Filipino value most their respective families, this was mostly displayed or dramatized artfully in their cinemas and literature. Their earnings were all devoted for their families and loved ones other than themselves, As if they only live for their families. Filipinos are family-oriented and have a family-centered lifestyle or largely, Philippine lifestyle is more of the family than to oneself alone.

However, patriotisms, some said are the driving force of Filipinos, but actually if you look deeply their social awareness, you could discern that there is major reason for this ardent patriotism attitude. That is, love for their families also. Of course, if there is a threat of financial economic crisis across the country, if there are corrupt officials stealing government moneys, the one who will be greatly affected by it is your family also. Filipino patriotism is the result of their ardent true love for their families. This one distinct Philippine culture of Filipinos unites them in their respective diverse lifestyle. For they are only divided due to their differing beliefs, traditions, ideologies and philosophies, languages, arts and literatures which they only inherited from their different ancestors. For the Philippine culture or the Philippine society is largely, a religious-multi-ethic society. The Philippines is composing of three large religious systems, namely Christianity (with diverse so-called Christian churches and organization, from Roman Catholic to protestant to Seventh day Adventist to Iglesia Ni Christo, etc.), Islam (compose of those benevolent ones and those Muslim extremist in southern Mindanao which kidnap tourist in the country wherein the Philippine government have a great struggle fighting against them), and those who has a different religion or systems of belief.

These differing beliefs sometimes collide and cause chaos and disputes within the Philippine community. This is largely the cause of miscommunication among Filipinos.

However, aside from family ties that unites Filipinos and from their differing religious beliefs, there is also this “bahala na” or “lets see” belief or philosophy which unites Filipinos. Almost Filipinos share this belief when they are in the brink of uncertainty. Moreover, there is also this pakikisama”or“go with the flow” attitude largely among Filipinos. If you do not “go with the flow’, some Filipinos brand you as or have put them in shame.

There is also an attitude that impresses some tourist or foreigners toward Filipinos- the Filipino Hospitality. If you are guest, Filipinos will warmly entertain you and make you feel at home.

This warm hospitality of Filipinos attracts more foreigners to keep on coming back into the Philippines.

The Philippines being an Archipelago is divided not by states but by regions. It was divided into this way because it is a group of islands or archipelago in the Pacific Oceans and this was proposed and imposed to solve the unexpected onslaughts of problems arising from the different islands of the Philippines, like the poor communication and transportation into another islands, the slow pace of economic progress and civilization from remotes areas, the slow and poor trade of commodities from island to island., the dispute from the main central government against the remotes areas of every islands of the country, the problem of preservation of Philippine cultures, and other similar sorts of problems if it will not be divided into regions. This regionalization of the country was proposed and imposed by the late former president Ferdinand E. Marcos by the Presidential decree no.742 at January 1976.The Philippines is divided into thirteen regions. However, these 13 regions have become 16 regions as of the present time in accordance to Presidential decree of 1978.

These Philippine regions are united into four purposes: (1).to maintain the beauty of their respective regions, (2) to hasten the communication to every region, (3) good local governance of their respective regions to avoid or solve immediately problems that will arise, and (4) to reinforce unity in every region of the country. Moreover, these regions are also united to control the Philippine population to increase continually. For in them the Philippines population depends upon.

These 16 regions comprise the following which also comprise the population in the Philippines.

1. NCR –National Capital Region – this comprise the whole Metro Manila Philippines, the Quezon City, the Pasay city, the Muntinlupa, Paranaque, and others.
2. Region I – Ilocos region – this region only comprise four provinces, namely Ilocos Norte, locos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan.
3. Region II – Cagayan Valley Region – this comprise Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino.
4. Region III – Central Luzon Region –this comprise Angeles City, Cabanatuan, Olongapo, Pampanga, Palayan, San Jose, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, and Zambales.
5. Region IV- Southern Tagalog Region – this comprises Batangas, Rizal, Laguna, Mindoro occidental and oriental, Cavite, Lipa, Lucena, Puerto Princesa, San Pablo, Tagaytay, Trece Martires, Aurora, Marinduque, Palawan and Romblon.
6. Region V – Bicol Region – this comprises Camarines Norte and Sur, Albay, Catanduanes, Masbate, Sorsogon, Legaspi, Iriga and Naga.
7. Region VI – Western Visayas Region – this comprise Bago city, Bacolod, Cadiz, Iloilo, Roxas, San Carlos, Silay city, Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Negros Occidental, Guimaras, and La Carlotta.
8. Region VII – Central Visayas Region – this comprise Bais city, Canlaon city, Cebu, Lapu-Lapu city, Mandaue, Toledo city, Bohol, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor.
9. Region VIII – Eastern Visayas Region – this comprise Tacloban, Calbayog, Ormoc, Biliran, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, and Western Samar.
10. Region IX – Western Mindanao Region – this comprise Dapitan, Dipolog, Pagadian, Zamboanga Del Norte, Zamboanga Del Sur and Basilan.
11. Region X- Northern Mindanao Region – this comprise Cagayan de Oro, Gingoog city, Oroquieta, Ozamis, Tangub, Bukidnon, Camiguin, Misamis Occidental, and Misamis Oriental.
12. Region XI – Southern Mindanao Region – this comprise Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, General Santos, Davao Oriental, South Cotabato, and Sarangani.
13. Region XII- Central Mindanao Region – .this comprise Lanao Del Norte, Sultan Kudarat and Northern Cotabato.
14. Caraga Region – this comprise Agusan Del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Butuan, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur.
15. ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) – this comprise Lanao Del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.
16. CAR (Cordillera Administrative Region) – this comprise Abra, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga Apayao and Mountian Province.

From the 16 regions we discuss above where Philippine population is based, it is estimated that the total population in the Philippines is approximately 90 million. Moreover, the population of tourist who visit and stay in the Philippines is not yet included there, what more if we included them in the Philippines population?

The Filipinos does not come out into the world just as they are now today. The Philippine is not a pure cultured country and neither the Filipinos’ blood that runs within their veins pure – for just like the intermarriage of different cultures into the fabric of Philippines culture so also the Filipino is a product of the marriage of different races who conquer the archipelago- nor their dominant beliefs and traditions today is a pure culture of their own.

For the Philippine culture is a mixed conglomeration of different culture taken from and influenced by those who conquest it since the beginning of its arousal from the beds of the Pacific Ocean.

Historically, it was said that the first inhabitants who settled on the Philippine archipelago are the Negritos and their fellow Australoid Sakai race who migrated from the South Asia during the Pleistocene Era who cross the soil bridge toward the Philippine archipelago whose culture become the first Philippine culture ever recorded in the Philippine history. However, their cultures have not become the dominant culture of Filipinos today but somehow have some traces of it like fishing. But the most influential race that migrated into the Philippine archipelago that marks a great impact on the Philippine culture today and that shape the Filipinos today are the Malay race.

The Malay race are said to be the second group who inhabited the country who come from Taiwan or Formosa then. They are called Austronesian or Malayo-Polynesian people. They have a more advance culture than the Negritos. For they are highly civilized race that has brought and shape the Philippine literature, Philippine art, and the Philippine government today altered only by the culture of the Spaniards and American conquerors who conquest the Philippines whom these conquerors have injected and intermixed on it. Thus, this conglomerated culture has now become the modern day culture of the Filipinos today.

One of the culture that mostly influence the Filipino today from both Malay, Spaniards and Americans, that affects predominantly the Philippine literature and Philippine art is Malay’s native and Islam beliefs and the Spaniards and Americans Roman Catholicism beliefs or the catholic Christianity. For most of the writings of the Filipino writers and authors today, have either a reflection or vestiges of their Islam and Malay philosophy or catholic Christian beliefs, as well as the art of their wrings and the designs of their books.

You could check them up their writings on their books available at the Philippine national Library or you could buy their books at National Bookstore Philippines number one source of Filipino books and writings for sale today. However, you could also see some writings of the ancient Filipino writers at the National Library which varies from epics, dramas, idioms (bugtong), riddles (palaisipan), talinghaga, sayings, hymns, salawikain, and many other similar writings. Some of this writings were even dramatized by some Filipino artist at the Cultural Center of the Philippines – the country’s culture and arts center.

Moreover, not only some Filipino artist dramatized these ancient Filipino writings but at their performance they also display the Filipino artistry in terms of their clothing designs which the ancient Filipinos used to wear, the way Filipino dance and sings, the rituals and ceremonies Filipino held, and other Filipino culture which Filipino inherited from the foreigners who conquest their country and as well as who form the way the Filipinos are now.