PHILIPPINE POPULAR CULTURE REVIEWER

The term ‘popular culture’ holds different meanings depending on who’s defining it
and the context of use.
It is generally recognized as the vernacular or people’s culture that predominates in
a society at a point in time.

As the ‘culture of the people’, popular culture is determined by the interactions

between people in their everyday activities: styles of dress, the use of slang,
greeting rituals and the foods that people eat are all examples of popular culture.

Popular culture is also informed by the mass media.

Popular culture may be defined as the products and forms of expression and identity
that are frequently encountered or widely accepted, commonly liked or approved,
and characteristic of a particular society at a given time.

Ray Browne in his essay ‘Folklore to Populore’ offers a similar definition: “Popular
culture consists of the aspects of attitudes, behaviors, beliefs, customs, and tastes
that define the people of any society.
Popular culture is, in the historic use of term, the culture of the people.”

Examples of Popular Culture

Popular culture come from a wide array of genres, including popular music, print,
cyber culture, sports, entertainment, leisure, fads, advertising and television.

Sports and television are arguably two of the most widely consumed examples of
popular culture, and they also represent two examples of popular culture with great
staying power.

Folk and High Culture

Popular culture is usually distinguished from folk and high culture. In some ways,
folk culture is similar to pop culture because of the mass participation involved.
Folk culture, however, represents the traditional way of doing things. Consequently,
it is not as amendable to change and is much more static than popular culture.

Folk culture is local in orientation, and non-commercial. In short, folk culture

promises stability, whereas popular culture is generally looking for something new or
fresh.

Urbanization is a key ingredient in the formation of popular culture. People who

once lived in homogeneous small villages or farms found themselves in crowded
cities marked by great cultural diversity. These diverse people would come to see
themselves as a ‘collectivity’ as a result of common, or popular, forms of expression.

Industrialization also brought with it mass production; developments in

transportation, such as the steam locomotive and the steamship; advancements in
building technology; increased literacy; improvements in education and public
health; and the emergence of efficient forms of commercial printing, representing
the first step in the formation of a mass media (eg the penny press, magazines, and
pamphlets).

The Philippine Popular Culture is new forms in art, music, and literature arising from
opportunities and demands of mass audiences, markets and mass media, and their
social, economic, and political contexts.

The melting pot theory has been used to describe societies that are formed by an
assortment of immigrant cultures that eventually produce new hybrid social and
cultural forms. The melting pot theory holds that, like metals melted together at
great heat, the melting together of several cultures will produce a new compound,
one that has great strength and other combined advantages.

The Philippines is an archipelago that comprises 7,641 islands with a total land area
of 300,000 square kilometers (115,831 sq mi). It is the world's 5th largest island
country as of 2021. It is situated in Southeast Asia in the Western Pacific Ocean. Its
islands are classified into three main geographical areas – Luzon, Visayas, and
Mindanao. Because of its archipelagic nature, Philippines is a culturally diverse
country

Topography consisting of mountainous terrains, dense forests, plains, and coastal

areas, the Philippines is rich in biodiversity. It is considered as one of the mega
biodiversity countries in the world with a high percentage of flora and fauna
endemism (is the state of a species being native to a single defined geographic
location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone).

the Philippines has a rich history combining Asian, European, and American
influences. Prior to Spanish colonization in 1521, the Filipinos had a rich culture and
were trading with the Chinese and the Japanese.

In 1898, the Philippines became the first and only colony of the United States.
Following the Philippine-American War, the United States brought widespread
education to the islands. Filipinos fought alongside Americans during World War II,
particularly at the famous battle of Bataan and Corregidor which delayed Japanese
advancement and saved Australia.

Filipinos are a freedom-loving people, having waged two peaceful, bloodless

revolutions against what were perceived as corrupt regimes.

CULTURE comes from the Latin word meaning to build on, to cultivate, to foster.
Define, social structure, decision making process and communication styles.

Types of culture

Material Culture Refers to the physical objects and resources people use
to define their culture. These include homes, neighborhoods, cities, schools,
churches, temples, mosques, offices, factories and plants, products stores
etc.
Non Material Culture Includes creations and abstract ideas that are not
embodied in physical objects. Intangible products created and shared between the
members of a culture over time E.g. Social roles, rules, ethics, and beliefs .
Components of Culture Symbols and Language

Symbols are acts e.g. gestures or objects e.g flag that have come to be socially
accepted as standing for some particular thing.
Language is the most important form of symbol . Language is the chief vehicle by
which people communicate ideas, information, attitudes and emotions.
Values These are ideas about what is “right” and what is “wrong”. They are
standards that people use to decide what is desirable, good, and beautiful and that
serve as broad guidelines for social living.
Norms These are social rules which dictates correct and appropriate behavior in the
society. Norms tells us what we MUST do and what we MUST NOT do. Norms are
enforced with sanctions i.e. Reward.
Folkways Customary ways of behavior. Habits (Although is a personal matter) those
are common to group related with day to day way of behavior, not related to moral
values . They are socially approved but vary society to society
Followed automatically and spontaneously.
Mores Standards of behavior which influences the moral conduct
of the people conformity to mass. Associated with moral vales and is more vital
(security) of society than folkways . Society considers compliance with
mores more important for its welfare and maintenance of order.

Culture provides us guidelines for day to day living . Culture provides us a

configuration of Do's and Don't s . Culture ensures stable social order.

Traditional tattoo artist WHANG-OD OGGAY has been nominated by the Senate for
the GAWAD SA MANLILIKHA NG BAYAN (GAMABA) or the National Living Treasures
Award for fostering and preserving the traditional tattoo art of Kalinga. Resolution 2,
introduced by Senators Juan Edgardo Angara and Nancy Binay and adopted by the
Senate Tuesday afternoon, stated Whang-Od was the only surviving Kalinga
traditional tattoo artist with the distinguished title of "mambabatok" or a master
tattooist of "batek," or the folk skin inscriptions of Kalinga.

ART OF THE PHILIPPINES

Philippine art are refers to the works of art that have evolved and accumulated in
the Philippines from the beginning of the country’s civilization up to the present
period. Philippine art reflects the wide variety of cultural influences on the culture
of the country and its society and non-Filipinos, and how those influences refined
the arts of the country.

The Philippine art can be divided into two different parts, traditional arts and non-
traditional arts. Each branch of subcategories is further broken down into different
categories.
The traditional arts in the Philippines encompass FOLK ARCHITECTURE, MARITIME
TRANSPORT, WEAVING, CARVING, FOLK PERFORMING ARTS, FOLK (ORAL)
LITERATURE, FOLK GRAPHIC AND PLASTIC ARTS, ORNAMENT, TEXTILE, OR FIBER ART,
POTTERY, and other artistic expressions of traditional culture.

There are numerous Filipino specialists or experts on the various fields of traditional
arts, with those garnering the highest distinctions declared as Gawad Manlilikha ng
Bayan (GAMABA), equal to National Artist.

Folk architecture – Like, though not limited to, stilt homes, country houses and
aerial buildings. Folk architecture in the Philippines differ significantly per ethnic
group, where the structures can be made of bamboo, wood, rock, coral, rattan,
grass, and other materials.
Folk architecture also includes religious buildings, generally called as spirit houses,
which are shrines for the protective spirits or gods.Most are house-like buildings
made of native materials, and are usually open-air.Some were originally pagoda-like,
a style later continued by natives converted into Islam, but have now become
extremely rare.
Folk structures include simple sacred stick stands to indigenous castles or fortresses
such as the idjang, to geologically-altering works of art such as the Rice Terraces of
the Philippine Cordilleras, locally called payyo.

MARITIME TRANSPORT - Boat-making homes, and maritime activities.

MARITIME TRANSPORT in the Philippines includes boat houses, boat-making, and
maritime traditions. These structures, traditionally made of wood chosen by elders
and craftsfolks, were used as the main vehicles of the people, connecting one island to
another, where the seas and rivers became the people's roads.
Aside from the BALANGAY, there are various styles and types of indigenous sea
vehicles throughout the Philippines, such as the two-masted double-outrigger boat
armadahan,the trading ship avang, the dugout canoes awang, the large sailing
outrigger ship balación, the native and widely-available watercraft bangka, the tiny
canoe bangka anak-anak, and among others.

From 1565 to 1815, ships called the Manila galleons were also built by Filipino
artisans.

WEAVING - Include, though not limited to, basket weaving, weaving of back-strap
looms, weaving of headgear, weaving of fishnet and other weaving types.

CLOTH AND MAT WEAVING

Expensive textiles are made through the intricate and difficult process called back-
strap looming.Fibers such as Cotton, abaca, banana fiber, grass, and palm fiber are
used in the Filipino weaving arts.4
There are many types of weaved cloths in the Philippines. Pinilian is an Ilocano
cotton cloth weaved using a pangablan, where weaving styles of binakul, binetwagan,
or tinumballitan are inputted.

BONTOC WEAVE revolves on the concept of centeredness, a key cultural motif

among the Bontoc people. In its weave, the process starts with the sides called langkit
until it journeys into the pa-ikid (side panels), fatawil (warp bands), and shukyong
(arrows). Afterwards, the sinamaki weaving commences, where the tinagtakho
(human figure), minatmata (diamond), and tinitiko (zigzag) are incorporated.

The PIÑA FABRIC is considered the finest indigenous Filipino-origin textile. Those
made by the Aklanon are the most prized, and are utilized in the national costumes of
the country, such as barong Tagalog.

T'NALAK is a fine textile of the Tboli crafted by the dream-weavers who are
provided the designs and patterns through dreams by Fu Dalu, the deity of the abaca
used in weaving. The oldest known warp ikat textile in Southeast Asia is the Banton
cloth of Banton, Romblon, dated at 13th to 14th century.

An example is the banig of Basey, where the weavers usually work inside a cave.
Fibers used vary from banana, grass, palm, and many others.
CARVING - Including, though not restricted to, woodcarving and non-argile folk
sculpture.
WOODCARVING
INDIGENOUS WOODCARVING is one
of the most notable traditional arts in the
Philippines, with some crafts in various
ethnic groups date back prior to Hispanic
arrival with perhaps the oldest surviving
today are fragments of a wooden boat
dating to 320 AD.

FOLK (ORAL) LITERATURE -

including, but not limited to, epics, songs,
and myths. The arts under folk (oral)
literature include the epics, songs, myths,
and other oral literature of numerous
ethnic groups in the Philippines.

AMBAHAN POETRY consists of seven

syllable lines with rhythmic end-syllables,
often chanted without a determined
musical pitch or musical instrument
accompaniment, meant to express in an
allegorical way, liberally using poetic
language, certain situations or certain
characteristics referred to by the one
reciting the poem.

The Filipino Sign Language is used in the

country to also pass on oral literature to
Filipinos with hearing impairment.

The oral literature have shaped the people's

thinking and way of life, providing basis
for values, traditions, and societal
systems that aid communities in multiple
facets of life.

As diverse as Filipino folk literature is,

many of the literary works continue to
develop, with some being documented by
scholars and inputted into manuscripts,
tapes, video recordings, or other
documentary forms.