Pop COOLture

Communicating Popular Culture

The term Popular culture also known as pop culture is the entirety of ideas, images, perspectives and other phenomena withing a given culture heavily influenced by the mass media, this collection of ideas permeates the lives of the people in the society. The most common pop culture categories are: entertainment (movies, music, television, games), sports, news (as in people/places in news), politics, fashion/clothes, technology, and slang. Popular culture has a way of influencing an individual's attitudes towards certain topics.

According to some definitions, popular culture is often viewed as being trivial and the dumbed down thing in order to find consensual acceptance throughout the mainstream. As a result, it comes under heavy criticism from various non-mainstream sources (most notably religious groups and countercultural groups) which deem it superficial, consumerist, sensationalist, or corrupt.

In his book, Cultural Theory and Popular Culture, John Storey offers six different definitions of popular culture.

In one definition, Storey describes mass or popular culture as "a hopelessly commercial culture [that is] mass-produced for mass consumption [by] a mass of non-discriminating consumers.” He further states that popular culture is “formulaic [and] manipulative,” not unlike how he views the process of advertising.

A product or brand has to be “sold” to an audience before it can be entrenched in mass or popular culture; by bombarding society with it, it then finds its place in popular culture.

An example given by Storey which I think is a good one is, Britney Spear; her road to stardom and place in popular culture were based on marketing strategies to build look along with her fan base. As a result, she generated millions of fans, her songs were played frequently on numerous radio stations, and she went on to sell out concerts and garner the public's fascination through her meltdown. Like the creation of Britney Spears, pop culture almost always depends on mass production for mass consumption because we rely on mass media to get our information and shape our interests.

A liter of Light for the Aetas

A. PROJECT MARKETING
B. PROJECT IMPACT
PROJECT: Pepsi glows Aeta village in Tarlac

It is long time ago, 20 years to be exact, the Aetas of Sitio Tarukan in Capas, Tarlac spent their nights in darkness. Then one day, their darkness became a new beginning, there was light in their streets and homes and that is because of Liter of Light, a humanitarian project of the MyShelter Foundation and Pepsi Philippines. Here is a picture of the people who benefited from the project. I give credit to the owner of the picture and article which I posted in this blog. 

Based on the Philippine Star, The Tarukan lighting project is a gesture of gratitude for the tribe’s hospitality toward actor-singer and Pepsi brand ambassador Daniel Padilla who went there for a location shooting of his movie “Crazy Beautiful You.”

The one-day project was completed last June 6 with more than 50 volunteers deployed by Pepsi and Star Cinema to install 100 solar house lights and 40 street lamps in the village, benefitting more than 400 Aeta families. The volunteers also taught young Aetas how to make their own solar-light box – a simple do-it-yourself lighting system that does not need electricity.

Sitio Tarukan is a zero-powered zone in Capas, Tarlac located about 120 kilometers north of Manila.

Pepsi Philippines Inc. is a Philippines-based company engaged in the bottling and distribution of PepsiCo beverages in the Philippines since 1989. It is the pioneering sponsor of MyShelter Foundation’s Liter of Light project. The project, launched in 2011, provides sustainable off-grid lighting solutions using plastic soda bottles.

The original “day light” is a plastic bottle filled with bleach and water that refracts and magnifies solar energy through solar panels and a simple circuit to power an LED light inserted into the bottle. This simple technology is able to provide up to 10 hours of lighting at night, and can last up to four years.

Furthermore, in their Facebook page, A Liter of Light (Isang Litrong Liwanag), it is explained that MyShelter Foundation’s latest venture, is a sustainable lighting project which aims to bring the eco-friendly solar bottle bulb to disprivileged communities nationwide. Designed and developed by students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), The Solar Bottle Bulb is a device based on the principles of Appropriate Technologies – a concept that provides simple and easily replicable technologies that address basic needs in developing communities.

A Liter of Light is a program inspired by many innovations from around the world. Many cultures have used glass bottles to allow lighting through the roof. What must be emphasized the amount of people whose lives are being affected by this innovation. Alfredo Moser of Brazil has experimented with solar bulbs in his home town in Brazil which has been expanded by into a day and night innovation.

MyShelter Foundation was established by our founder and executive director Illac Diaz to create a system of sustainability and reliability through its capability-building and employment-generating projects. The innovation is a two step process of beginning with a DIY daylight that is affordable, and a second most important step which is a solar cell, LED and mobile upgrade. Introducing groundbreaking social enterprise, appropriate technologies, and alternative construction in the Philippines, we have pioneered projects such as the Pier One Seafarer’s Dormitory, the Design Against the Elements (DAtE) competition, and the Bottle School Project.

In an article of Pepsi Cola Philippines posted in their website,

Pepsi Philippines, Star Cinema, and BBDO Guerrero all banded together to light up an Aeta community in Sitio Tarukan, Capas, Tarlac through MyShelter Foundation’s Liter of Light project.

For more than 20 years, the Aetas of Sitio Tarukan in Capas, Tarlac spent their nights in darkness. Suddenly, there was light in their streets and homes—courtesy of Liter of Light, a humanitarian project by the MyShelter Foundation and partners, notably Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines Inc. (PCPPI).

The Tarukan lighting project was conceptualized as a gratitude for the tribesmen’s hospitality to actor-singer and Pepsi brand ambassador Daniel Padilla who went there for a location shooting of his movie Crazy Beautiful You located more than 120 kilometres away from Manila.

The one-day project was completed last June 6 with more than 50 volunteers deployed by Pepsi and Star Cinema to installed exactly 100 solar house lights and 40 street lamps in the village, benefitting more than 400 Aeta families.

The volunteers also taught the young Aetas how to make their own solar-light box - a simple do-it-yourself lighting system that does not need electricity.

“We hope that this Pepsi Liter of Light effort for our Aeta brothers and sisters will expand their horizons, and change their lives for the better. By ending more than two decades of darkness for Tarukan, Pepsi Philippines and its partners proved that a lot can be achieved in one day, as long as hearts and minds are aligned,” said Jika Dalupan, PCPPI vice president for corporate affairs and communications.

Sitio Tarukan is located about 120 kilometers north of Manila.

Pepsi is a pioneering sponsor of MyShelter Foundation’s Liter of Light project since 2011. This project provides sustainable off-grid lighting solutions using plastic soda bottles.

The original ‘day light’ (a plastic bottle filled with bleach and water that defracts and magnifies solar energy through solar panels and a simple circuit to power an LED light inserted into the bottle. This simple technology is able to provide up to 10 hours of lighting at night, and could last up to 4 years.

“Before Liter of Light, Tarukan residents had to limit their activities come nightfall. Now, they can extend their productive hours to work more, study harder, and spend more time with family and friends.” said Maricelle Narciso, Pepsi Philippines country manager. “By lighting up their homes and streets, were improving the quality of people’s lives, and making their communities even safer than before.”

“Maraming, maraming salamat po sa tulong na ibinigay nyo sa amin,” Tarukan chieftain Lito Diaz responded.

Liter of Light is the beneficiary of Pepsi’s global campaign ‘Pepsi Challenge’ with $1 will be donated to MyShelter for every engagement made using the hashtag “#PepsiChallenge.” The proceeds would be used to light up more blighted communities worldwide.

For his part, Daniel Padilla created a tribute video for his adopted sitio featured in his June 13 sold-out concert dubbed “Most Wanted” at the Mall of Asia Arena. The hashtag #PepsiChallenge, which the video also supported, became the number one trend for the Philippines on Twitter. Resulting in tens of thousands of dollars donated to the Liter of Light project.

“Araw ‘nyo ‘to para makatulong... sana marami kayong mai-post, para marami rin tayong matulungan,” Padilla stressed.

Culture Emancipation

CULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY

These definitions of culture that I have read are important to know what free culture is. Culture refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving. Culture is the systems of knowledge shared by a relatively large group of people. Culture is communication, communication is culture. Culture in its broadest sense is cultivated behavior; that is the totality of a person's learned, accumulated experience which is socially transmitted, or more briefly, behavior through social learning. A culture is a way of life of a group of people--the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and that are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next. Culture is symbolic communication. Some of its symbols include a group's skills, knowledge, attitudes, values, and motives. The meanings of the symbols are learned and deliberately perpetuated in a society through its institutions. Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievement of human groups, including their embodiments in artifacts; the essential core of culture consists of traditional ideas and especially their attached values; culture systems may, on the one hand, be considered as products of action, on the other hand, as conditioning influences upon further action. Culture is the sum of total of the learned behavior of a group of people that are generally considered to be the tradition of that people and are transmitted from generation to generation. Culture is a collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another.


According to Karl Fogel, an open source software developer, author, and copyright reform activist, Free culture is a growing understanding among artists and audiences that people shouldn't have to ask permission to copy, share, and use each other's work; it is also a set of practices that make this philosophy work in the real world.


The opposite of "free culture" is "permission culture”. Permission culture is a term often employed by Lawrence Lessig and other copyright activists such as Luis Villa and Nina Paley to describe a society in which copyright restrictions are pervasive and enforced to the extent that any and all uses of copyrighted works need to be explicitly leased.


Moreover, Fogel mentioned that in free culture, you just translate the book, use the song, etc. If I don't like the translation or the film, I'm free to say so, of course, but I wouldn't have any power to suppress or alter your works. Of course, free culture goes both ways: I'm also free to put out a modified copy of your movie using a different song, recommend someone else's translation that I think is better, etc. These are idealized examples, for the sake of illustration, but they give the general idea: freedom takes precedence over commercial monopolies.


Also Fogel discussed, the distilled into a few basic principles, free culture means:


· Artists can use each other’s' work without asking permission. If you're not already convinced that freedom is valuable in itself, read this. Or this. Or this.


· People can receive and transmit art by whatever physical means are available to them. We've got an Internet -- let's not be afraid to use it.


· The distinction between audience and artist is fluid, and should remain so because culture is participatory. Free culture means anyone can engage with art and other works of the mind; however they want, without hiring a lawyer first.


· Artists are paid for what they do, not for what other people do. Artists should be paid up front for the work they do. But charging again for music every time a copy is exchanged, for example, is silly. The musicians didn't do extra work to make more copies, and the copies are transactions between third parties. In the long run, making it harder to share art hurts artists as much as audiences.


· Monopolies hurt everyone except the monopolist. Permission cultures tend to concentrate control in the hands of people who specialize in accumulating control, without doing much to help artists. There's nothing wrong with running a business that deals with art and artists, of course; the problem isn't middlemen, its monopolies.


In the Copyright law of the Philippines, A copyright is the legal protection extended to the owner of the rights in an original work. Original work refers to every production in the literary, scientific, and artistic domains. The Intellectual Property Office (IPOPHL), the leading agency responsible for handling the registration and conflict resolution of intellectual property rights enforce the copyright law. IPOPHL was created by virtue of Republic Act No. 8293 or the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines which took effect on January 1, 1998, under the presidency of Fidel V. Ramos.


In the Intellectual Property (IP) Code of the Philippines, literary and artistic works include books, writings, musical works, films, paintings, and other works including computer programs


According to Section 172 of the Intellectual Property Code, literary and artistic works refer to the original and intellectual creations protected from the moment of their creation.

The list of literary and artistic works includes the following:

· Books, pamphlets, articles and other writings

· Periodicals and newspapers

· Lectures, sermons, addresses, dissertations prepared for oral delivery, whether or not reduced in writing or other material form

· Letters

· Dramatic or dramatico-musical compositions; choreographic works or entertainment in dumb shows

· Musical compositions, with or without word

· Works of drawing, painting, architecture, sculpture, engraving, lithography or other works of art; models or designs for works of art

· Original ornamental designs or models for articles of manufacture, whether or not registrable as an industrial design, and other works of applied art

· Illustrations, maps, plans, sketches, charts and three-dimensional works relative to geography, topography, architecture or science

· Drawings or plastic works of a scientific or technical character

· Photographic works including works produced by a process analogous to photography; lantern slides

· Audiovisual works and cinematographic works and works produced by a process analogous to cinematography or any process for making audio-visual recordings

· Pictorial illustrations and advertisements

· Computer programs

· Other literary, scholarly, scientific and artistic works

These laws must be taken into consideration all the time. These laws are violated when these issues simmered until the Internet came, and then they really started to copy others work without giving credit. Copying became physically so cheap as to be almost costless, and yet the laws against copying only got tighter and tighter, as a frightened industry lobbied for longer copyright terms and more restrictions. This is the dynamic that has given rise to the free culture movement. The only fear here is people copy almost everything without in the internet without giving credit to the authors. Actually, authors, photographers and the like are not so selfish in sharing their ideas and pictures, but they always say that people should give them credit if anyone has copied something from them.

Growing in Strength of our Culture

EMERGING CULTURE

According to Merriem Webster, emerging means newly created or noticed and growing in strength or popularity: becoming widely known or established. In the Philippines, there are a lot to share on this one.

Rendering the Department of Tourism’s information, the Philippines is the third largest English speaking country in the world. It 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. Spain's colonization brought about the construction of Intramuros in 1571, a "Walled City" comprised of European buildings and churches, replicated in different parts of the archipelago. In 1898, after 350 years and 300 rebellions, the Filipinos, with leaders like Jose Rizal and Emilio Aguinaldo, succeeded in winning their independence.

Based on statistics and facts got, as an archipelago composed of 7,641 islands, the Philippines offers a range of attractions such as the white sand beaches of Boracay, shopping centers of Metro Manila, surfing spots in Siargao, rice terraces of Ifugao, Mayon Volcano in Albay, diving sites of Palawan, heritage houses in Vigan, and the cultural attractions of Cebu, Davao and Manila.

The pictures are not owned by me. I give credit to the owners.

The island of Luzon is considered the political and economic center of the Philippines. The economy of Luzon is centered in Metro Manila, the national capital region. Manila was ranked 11th most attractive city for American shoppers out of 25 Asia Pacific cities by a Global Blue survey in 2012. Shopping malls can be found around the metropolis, especially in the business and financial districts of Makati, Ortigas and Bonifacio Global City. Despite the rise of modern shopping malls, traditional Filipino shopping centers such as flea markets and bazaars still remain around the metropolis. Nightlife is also one of the attractions in Manila, plenty of world-class bars and clubs are found across like Valkyrie Nightclub, Revel Nightclub & Lounge, Chaos Manila, The Palace Pool Club, and Privé Luxury Club.

The Visayas, the central island group of the Philippines, is the heart of the country's biodiversity. The most popular beach destination in Visayas is Boracay: the island is popular for its pure white sand beaches and has been a favorite island destination for local and foreign visitors. In 2012, Boracay received the "best island" award from the international travel magazine Travel + Leisure. Aside from its white sand beaches, Boracay is also a popular destination for relaxation, tranquility and an exciting nightlife.

Mindanao, the southernmost island of the Philippines, is known for its mountain ranges; it is one of the best climbing destinations in the Philippines. Mindanao is home to the country's highest mountain, Mount Apo. On average, it takes two days to reach the summit. The mountain has a wide range of flora and fauna, including over 272 bird species, 111 of which are endemic to the area, including the national bird, the Philippine eagle. Mount Apo has become a popular hiking destination for mountain climbers.

According to the article 10 interesting facts about the Philippines by an ESL teacher, Filipinos and their culture are enormously influenced by the United States’ (US) culture. The U.S. heavily influenced the land with U.S. culture and language during its rule over the Philippines from 1898 to 1946. Many westerns will feel at home when visiting the Philippines.

The Philippines comprises of 7,107 islands and hundreds of volcanoes. Manila, Cebu, Angles City and all other big and small cities in the country are essentially islands, surrounded by water.

Filipinos are extremely fond of texting through cell phones. This has earned the country the title of being “the text capital of the world”. On average, everyday around 450 million SMS are sent by 35 million registered subscribers in the country

The Philippines is not only a popular tourist destination for westerns and Asians, it’s also a place where many from the other countries retire to. The country is exceptionally open to foreigners and many of them end up marrying into local families. This is seen in different places in the Philippines.

One interesting fact about the Philippines is English is not only one of the official languages in the Philippines, most people speak English in the country. In cities and semi-urban areas, one will rarely have a problem of not being able to communicate to locals. Almost everyone, young or old, speaks fairly good English in the Philippines. Furthermore, there are lots of dialects that surely enrich the Philippine culture like Ilocano, Cebuano and Kapampangan that strengthen our culture.

The radio visit - Love Radio Tarlac

A radio station is a set of equipment necessary to carry on communication via radio waves. Generally, it is a receiver or transmitter, an antenna, and some smaller additional equipment necessary to operate them. Radio stations play a significant role in communication technology as they are heavily relied on to transfer data and information across the world.

Love Radio Network is a broadcast radio network in the Philippines owned by Manila Broadcasting Company. Its headquarters are located at Cultural Center of the Philippine Complex, Pasay City, Manila. Its flagship station is DZMB in Metro Mania. It is currently number one in the FM radio ratings for 15 years since 2003 according to the Radio Research Council.

In Tarlac, we have 97.7 Love Radio, with their popular slogan, “kailangan pa bang i-memorize yan, bisyo na ‘to!” In English that is translated as, “Do we really have to memorize that? It’s a habit already.” They are the number one radio station in Tarlac for three consecutive years according to Kantar Media Survey.

The disk jockeys are Michael John Hipolito aka Mackogwapito who was my student and now my co-faculty member at Tarlac State University, Leanna Banzon Maliwat aka Chikadora also my fomer student who graduated with flying colors, Charie Ann Moreno aka Lalakwachera and Daniel Jules D. Desamito aka Robin Siano. These djs are known in Tarlac because of their charisma and humor. They have their own time slots which are the following:

Robin Siano (Ang DJ na Pogi lang sa Radyo)
6:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Lalakwachera (Programang malupit at bonggang humahagupit)
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Chikadora (Ang Reyna ng mga chika na pinaglihi kay Dora)
2:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Macko Gwapito (Ang DJ na hanep sa dating with matching shades pa and bling-bling.)
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM



Love Radio was previously known by its call letters DZMB when it began broadcasts on the FM band in 1975 from its first broadcast days on the AM band. Back then, it played mainstream pop, later relegating to easy listening music. As DZMB, it also introduced and institutionalized the deep-voiced radio announcers.

DJ Mackogwapito toured me around their station and let me see their office. Their station is a good place for work, because they have a good working environment. The station is located at 3F Intellect Building, San Sebastian, Tarlac City. They entertain visitors even they are on air because it’s their way to welcome fans and express their gratitude to them in opening doors for their skills and talents. They have a website which they can use to communicate with their favourite djs and it is, info@loveradiotarlac.com. They also have their text line which is a tool for the audience’s requests and sharing while their love line or landline is 045-491-0065.

Radio is an intimate form of advertising according to dj Mackogwapito. Many people listen alone, such as when exercising or driving. Listeners develop strong relationships with their favorite stations, identifying with the music and bonding with on-air personalities like the djs I met at the Love Radio station. Furthermore, advertising on local radio broadcasts is not very expensive; it is more cost-effective than television commercials, print advertising and direct mail. Radio advertising works as an everywhere medium. Consumers don’t have to be in front of their television or at their computer. They don’t have to acquire a magazine or newspaper, locate their eyeglasses or even know how to read. The station becomes a partner in your success, allowing you to give away promotional items with your name and logo, be live on-air and even hold broadcasts from your place of business.

Likely, lovely Igorots

Jacob Maentez a famous photographer and blogger said that the term Igorot is often debated among the people of the Cordilleras as to what the politically correct use should be. Many groups now proudly proclaim themselves as Igorots while other tribes still prefer to be called by their more specific tribal names.

According to researches, Igorot, or Cordillerans, is the collective name of several Austronesian ethnic groups in the Philippines, who inhabit the mountains of Luzon. These highland peoples inhabit all the six provinces of the Cordillera Administrative Region: Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Kalinga, Ifugao, and Mountain Province, as well as the adjacent provinces.

As I read different definitions of Igorot, I have seen the same terms, the word "Igorot" is an exonym, derived from the Austronesian term for "mountain people" (formed from the prefix i-, "dweller of" and golot, "mountain range"). During the Spanish colonial era, the term was variously recorded as Igolot, Ygolot, and Igorrote, compliant to Spanish orthography.

The endonyms Ifugao or Ipugao (also meaning "mountain people") are used more frequently within the Igorots themselves, as igorot is viewed by some as slightly pejorative.

The pictures uploaded here are not my photos. I got good pictures from the people who visited these very unique and rich in culture group of people. I give credit to the ones who have taken them.



According to researches, the Igorots may be roughly divided into two general subgroups: the larger group lives in the south, central and western areas, and is very adept at rice-terrace farming; the smaller group lives in the east and north. Prior to Spanish colonisation of the islands, the peoples now included under the term did not consider themselves as belonging to a single, cohesive ethnic group.

They may be further subdivided into five ethnolinguistic groups: the Bontoc, Ibaloi, Isnag (or Isneg/Apayao), Kalinga, and the Kankanaey.

The Bontoc live on the banks of the Chico River in the Central Mountain Province on the island of Luzon. They speak the Bontoc language and Ilocano. They formerly practiced head-hunting and had distinctive body tattoos. The Bontoc describe three types of tattoos: The chak-lag′, the tattooed chest of the head taker; pong′-o, the tattooed arms of men and women; and fa′-tĕk, for all other tattoos of both sexes. Women were tattooed on the arms only. In the past, the Bontoc engaged in none of the usual pastimes or games of chance practiced in other areas of the country, but did perform a circular rhythmic dance acting out certain aspects of the hunt, always accompanied by the gang′-sa or bronze gong. There was no singing or talking during the dance drama, but the women took part, usually outside the circumference. It was a serious but pleasurable event for all concerned, including the children.Present-day Bontocs are a peaceful agricultural people who have, by choice, retained most of their traditional culture despite frequent contacts with other groups.



The pre-Christian Bontoc belief system centers on a hierarchy of spirits, the highest being a supreme deity called Lumawig. Lumawig personifies the forces of nature and is the legendary creator, friend, and teacher of the Bontoc. A hereditary class of priests hold various monthly ceremonies for this deity for their crops, the weather, and for healing. The Bontoc also believe in the "anito"—spirits of the dead who must be consulted before anything important is done. Ancestral anitos are invited to family feasts when a death occurs to ensure the well-being of the deceased's soul. This is by offering some small amount of food to show that they are invited and not forgotten.

The Bontoc social structure used to be centered around village wards ("ato") containing about 14 to 50 homes. Traditionally, young men and women lived in dormitories and ate meals with their families. This gradually changed with the advent of Christianity. In general, however, it can be said that all Bontocs are very aware of their own way of life and are not overly eager to change

The Ibaloi (also Ibaloy and Nabaloi) and Kalanguya (also Kallahan and Ikalahan) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Philippines who live mostly in the southern part of Benguet, located in the Cordillera of northern Luzon, and Nueva Vizcaya in the Cagayan Valley region. They were traditionally an agrarian society. Many of the Ibaloi and Kalanguya people continue with their agriculture and rice cultivation.



Their native language belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian languages family and is closely related to the Pangasinan language, primarily spoken in the province of Pangasinan, located southwest of Benguet.

Baguio City, the major city of the Cordillera, dubbed the "Summer Capital of the Philippines," is located in southern Benguet.

The largest feast of the Ibaloi is the Pesshet, a public feast mainly sponsored by people of prestige and wealth. Pesshet can last for weeks and involves the killing and sacrifice of dozens of animals. One of the more popular dances of the Ibaloi is the Bendiyan Dance, participated in by hundreds of male and female dancers.

The Ifugao (also known as Amganad, Ayangan, Kiangan, Gilipanes, Quiangan, Tuwali Ifugao, Mayoyao, Mayoyao, Mayaoyaw) are the people inhabiting Ifugao Province. The term "Ifugao" is derived from "ipugo" which means "earth people", "mortals" or "humans", as distinguished from spirits and deities. It also means "from the hill", as pugo means hill.

The country of the Ifugao in the southeastern part of the Cordillera region is best known for its famous Banaue Rice Terrace. which in modern times have become one of the major tourist attractions of the Philippines. The Ifugaos build their typical houses called fales, which consists of a kitchen, bedroom and a worship room altogether. It is a triangular house elevated with 4 wooden posts. There is a ladder but it is hanged or removed so people or animals cannot enter the fale.

Aside from their rice terraces, the Ifugaos, who speak four distinct dialects, are known for their rich oral literary traditions of hudhud and the alim. The Ifugaos’ highest prestige feasts are the hagabi, for the elite; and the uyauy, a feast for those immediately below the wealthiest.

Alim and Hudhud Oral traditions of Ifugao of Ifugao people of the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon island of Philippines. are based on the Indian Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharta. In 2001, the Hudhud Chants of the Ifugao was chosen as one of the 11 Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. It was then formally inscribed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008.

The Isnag, also Isneg or Apayao, live at the northwesterly end of northern Luzon, in the upper half of the Cordillera province of Apayao. The term "Isnag" derives from a combination of is meaning "recede" and unag meaning "interior." Thus, it means "people who live inland."



The municipalities in the Isneg domain include Pudtol, Kabugao, Calanasan and Conner (Peralta 1988:1). Two major river systems, the Abulog and the Apayao, run through Isnag country, which until recent times has been described as a region of "dark tropical forests," and endowed with other natural resources.

In one early account, the Isneg were described as of slender and graceful stature, with manners that were kindly, hospitable, and generous, possessed with the spirit of self-reliance and courage, and clearly artistic in their temperament. The Isnag’s ancestors are believed to have been the proto-Austronesians who came from South China thousands of years ago. Later, they came in contact with groups practicing jar burial, from whom they adopted the custom. They later also came into contact with Chinese traders plying the seas south of the Asian mainland. From the Chinese they bought the porcelain pieces and glass beads which now form part of the Isnag’s priceless heirlooms. The Isnag have been known to be a head-taking society since recorded history.

As a dry rice farmer, the male head of a household annually clears a fresh section of tropical forest where his wife will plant and harvest their rice. Isneg women also cook the meals, gather wild vegetables and weave bamboo mats and baskets, while the men cut timber, build houses and take extended hunting and fishing trips. Often when a wild pig or deer is killed, its meat is skewered on bamboo and distributed to neighbors and relatives. Nearly all Isneg households also harvest a small grove of coffee trees since the main cash crop of the area is coffee.

Isnag people are also known as the Isneg, which is composed of the sub-groups known as the Ymandaya and Imallod. Their places of abode are found in the different municipalities in Apayao as follows:

1. Ymandaya (Isnag)- Calanasan (Bayag)

2. Imallod (Isnag)- Kabugao, Conner, Pudtol, and some part of Luna (Macatel)

The Isnag speak the Isneg language and Ilocano.

Isnags are also found in the Eastern part of the Province of Ilocos Norte specifically the municipalities of Adams, Carasi, Dumaneg, Solsona and Piddig and Northwestern part of the Province of Cagayan specifically the municipalities of Sta. Praxedes, Claveria, and Sanchez Mira.
Kalinga

The Kalinga, also known as Limos or Limos-Liwan Kalinga, inhabit the drainage basin of the middle Chico River in Kalinga Province. The Kalinga are sub-divided into Southern and Northern groups; the latter is considered the most heavily ornamented people of the northern Philippines.

The Kalinga practice both wet and dry rice farming. They also developed an institution of peace pacts called Bodong which has minimised traditional warfare and headhunting and serves as a mechanism for the initiation, maintenance, renewal and reinforcement of kinship and social ties.

They also speak the Kalinga, Ilocano, and Limos languages. Kalinga society is very kinship-oriented, and relatives are held responsible for avenging any injury done to a member. Disputes are usually settled by the regional leaders, who listen to all sides and then impose fines on the guilty party. These are not formal council meetings, but carry a good deal of authority.
Kankanaey


The Kankanaey domain includes Western Mountain Province, northern Benguet and southeastern Ilocos Sur. Like most Igorot ethnic groups, the Kankanaey built sloping terraces to maximize farm space in the rugged terrain of the Cordilleras.

Kankanaey houses are built like the other Igorot houses, which reflect their social status. Two famous institutions of the Kankanaey of Mountain Province are the dap-ay, or the men's dormitory and civic center, and the ebgan, or the girls' dormitory where courtship between young men and women took place.

Kankanaey's major dances include tayaw, patting, takik (a wedding dance), and balangbang. The tayaw is a community dance that is usually done in weddings it maybe also danced by the Ibaloi but has a different style. Pattong, also a community dance from Mountain Province which every municipality has its own style, while Balangbang is the dance's modern term. There are also some other dances like the sakkuting, pinanyuan (another wedding dance) and bogi-bogi (courtship dance).
"Hard" and "Soft" Kankanaey

The name Kankanaey came from the language which they speak. The only difference amongst the Kankanaey are the way they speak such as intonation and word usage.

In intonation, there is distinction between those who speak Hard Kankanaey (Applai) and Soft Kankanaey. Speakers of Hard Kankanaey are from the towns of Sagada and Besao in the western Mountain Province as well as their environs. They speak Kankanaey with a hard intonation where they differ in some words from the soft-speaking Kankanaey.

Soft-speaking Kankanaey come from Northern and other parts of Benguet, and from the municipalities of Sabangan, Tadian and Bauko in Mountain Province. In words for example an Applai might say otik or beteg (pig) and the soft-speaking Kankanaey use busaang or beteg as well. The Kankanaey may also differ in some words like egay or aga, maid or maga. They also differ in their ways of life and sometimes in culture.

The Kankanaey are also internally identified by the language they speak and the province from whence they came. Kankanaey people from Mountain Province may call the Kankanaey from Benguet as iBenget while the Kankanaey of Benguet may call their fellow Kankanaey from Mountain Province iBontok.

The Hard and Soft Kankanaey also differ in the way they dress. Women's dress of the Soft dialect generally has a colour combination of black, white and red. The design of the upper attire is a criss-crossed style of black, white and red colors. The skirt or tapis is a combination of stripes of black, white and red.

Hard dialect women dress in mainly red and black with less white, with the skirt or tapis which is mostly called bakget and gateng. The men formerly wore a g-string known as a wanes for the Kanakaney's of Besao and Sagada. The design of the wanes may vary according to social status or municipality.

The Igorots are rich in culture which make them one of the best people in the Philippines. A lot of people are interested in them because of their idiomatic and peculiar practices. So, I hope that few people who are stereotyping Igorots in a negative way will see the best in them and will discover how ravishing their culture is. 

The Art of the Melting Pot

Tarlac is well known as the Melting Pot of Central Luzon due to the presence of the following four major ehtnolinguistic groups: Pampangos, Ilocanos, Tagalogs and Pangasinenses. Amidst cultural diversities the people have learned to live as one and at peace with one another. Thus, Tarlac served as the cradle of great men and women in every field of endeavor.



Foremost figures were the late Benigno S. Aquino, Jr., the country’s latter-day hero and Carlos P. Romulo, the former Secretary General of the United Nations. Another notable figure was Leonor Rivera of Camiling, Tarlac, Jose Rizal’s beloved and better known as “Maria Clara” in his novel Noli Me Tangere.

Tarlac also takes pride in being home to the First Woman president of the Philippine Republic in the person of Corazon C. Aquino who hails from Concepcion, Tarlac. Retrieved from https://3ccentralluzon.wordpress.com/history/tarlac/traditions/

Just like the other ethnolinguistic groups, the Kapampangans have rich customs and traditions governing the rites of passage. Some of these practices are still being observed nowadays.

In this blog, there are some shared cultures by the Tarlaquenos which are also practiced by the Kapampangan from Pampanga. The pictures are not mine, I downloaded them, so I want to give credit to the owners of the photos posted on my blog.

ATTRIBUTE OF CULTURE – RELIGION

TARLAC has become the “Belen Capital of the Philippines,” mainly from the efforts of the mother-and-daughter tandem of Doña Isabel Cojuangco and Dr. Isabel Cojuangco-Suntay, chairman of the Tarlac Heritage Foundation.

Although it’s a competition to showcase the different designs of the Belen, the atmosphere is friendly and vibrant as Tarlaqueños join to promote the spirit of Christmas and build up Tarlac’s stature as a place with rich historical heritage. The Belen-making competition, which started in 2007, is one of the major attractions of Tarlac.

2. Baptismal Rites Practices. In many Kapampangan houses, the baby’s baptismal dress serves as a souvenir and decoration for the sala. It is put on a frame and hung in the sala like a picture.

The religious aspect of local culture comes alive during Lenten season where “kalbaryos” are put up in every corners of each Barangay singing in various versions (Kapampangan, Tagalog, Ilocano, English and Latin) the“pasyon” of Jesus Christ. “Panata” is still practiced by many wherein penitents carry the cross, inflict wounds on themselves in repentance of their sins, where the gathering of the believers takes place in a small church beside a century-old acacia tree.

3. Come summer season, when flowers are in bloom, young ladies once again enjoined to wear their gowns for the Santa Cruzan as the highlights of May Festival.


ATTRIBUTE OF CULTURE – AESTHETICS
Courtship and Marriage. The only prevalent form of courtship now is the pamanhikan, where the male, with the permission of the parents, is to visit the girl in the latter’s house. When the agreement is reached between the boy and the girl, the marriage ceremony is arranged. At present, pamanhikan is being practiced when the parents of the boy confer with their balae (parent of the bride-to-be) regarding marriage plans of the children.



2. Death and Burial. The wake (makipaglame) lasts for at least three days and two nights after which everybody participates in the libing (interment).
On the first death anniversary, lukas paldas (literally the removing of the dress for mourning) is practiced with a grandiose meal. The pangadi (prayer observance) is an important part of the ritual.

ATTRIBUTE OF CULTURE – SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS
Birth Practices. In one of the barrios of Tarlac, close relatives of a woman who is about to deliver a child, together with their neighbor, make noise like shouting, beating tin cans and exploding firecrackers in order to help expel the fetus faster.

ATTRIBUTE OF CULTURE - LANGUAGE
With its people of diverse language draws a cultural array rich in its own way. Just like any town in the province, Fiestas still abound in this community in celebration of Feasts of Saints and Thanksgiving Festivals. The Kapampangans have different celebration from the Ilocanos in Tarlac. Usually, the Kapampangans prepare a lot of food and invite a lot of people during fiestas. On the other hand, the Ilocanos invite only special or their loved ones when they celebrate their town fiesta. The open doors during fiestas signal an invitation for anyone to join the festive bouquet of local delicacies from the original menu of Victorian tastes. Home to quality diket – a variety of rice that is the original ingredient to native rice cakes, kakanin like patupat, palitaw and tupig among other sweet cakes are some of the learned and passed on culture of food delicacy in the town. Up to the present time, new generation kept the recipe with its tastes that never parted on its original texture.

ATTRIBUTE OF CULTURE – TECHNOLOGY AND MATERIAL CULTURE
Being an agricultural community, customs associated in farming are equally maintained. The vast green fields in barangays San Andres and Sta. Lucia, among others have preserved some of their customary farming equipments such as the “kabyawan” (sugar mill) and “ulnas” (carabao-driven cart). Despite the introduction of modern farming facilities to augment traditional means, some of the local farmers have lived up for their practiced method that had existed over time.



Visit barangay Sta. Barbara and their well-preserved culture of pottery-making. Candid shapes of “dalikan”(clay-stove), cooking and ornamental pots are displayed as if boasting its continuous existence in the place. The culture of pottery-making had contributed not only in maintaining a Victorian culture, but also in economic boost of some households.

ATTRIBUTE OF CULTURE – VALUES AND ATTITUDES
Siklod in Kapampangan or Pagmamano in Tagalog is a gesture used in Filipino culture performed as a sign of respect to elders and as a way of accepting a blessing from the elder. Similar to hand-kissing the person giving the greeting bows towards the offered hand of the elder and presses his or her forehead on the elder's hand. Usually performed with the right hand, the person showing respect may ask Mano po to the elder in order to ask permission to initiate the gesture. Typically someone may mano or siklod to his or her older relatives upon entry into their home or upon seeing them.



ATTRIBUTE OF CULTURE – EDUCATION
Education in Tarlac is managed and regulated by the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). DepEd is responsible for the K–12 basic education; it exercises full and exclusive control over public schools and nominal regulation over private schools, and it also enforces the national curriculum that has been put in place since 2013. CHED and TESDA, on the other hand, are responsible for higher education; CHED regulates the academically-oriented universities and colleges while TESDA oversees the development of technical and vocational education institutions and programs in the country.

ATTRIBUTE OF CULTURE – LAW AND POLITICS
The Aquino family is one of the most prominent families in the Philippines because of their involvement in politics. They are also involved in other industries such as the business and entertainment.

The family comes from Tarlac and has produced several congressmen, senators, a vice governor and a president. The head of the patriarch family is Servillano Aquino, who was a delegate to the Malolos Congress in 1898. His son, Benigno Aquino, Sr. followed his footsteps as he represented the 2nd District of Tarlac to the House of Representatives of the Philippines (1916-1928) and to the Philippine Legislature by being a senator (1928-1934).

As it turned out the democratic opposition to Marcos was strongest after its leader's death. As Marcos lost the trust of his people, the Philippine economy also fell apart. By 1985 the nation was in political and economic chaos, with Marcos under attack by the press and by the strengthened political opposition, which did well in elections. In December 1985 the court proclaimed that General Ver and the others charged with Aquino's murder were not guilty. Marcos promptly returned Ver to his former position. Popular unrest with Marcos's rule grew steadily, however. Within weeks a political movement formed around Aquino's widow, Corazon. She was elected president of the Philippines in 1986, unseating Marcos.