Many of us didn’t know who are we and where we came from. From the quote “Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everyone I’ve ever known”, it says that we, Filipinos don’t have any original identity, our identity, like the political, social, economical, and cultural that we have today, came up from the colonization of the other country, like Spain, America, and Japan. Before the colonization of Spain, America, and Japan, Philippines said to have a vast culture In political, economical, social and cultural.
In 7,107 Islands In the Philippines there are different people living with different political, economical, social and cultural approach. In pre-colonization, the system of government decentralized, meaning there is no center government to govern the other small government. The leader of the barbarian is a Data, Confederacy is a Rah, and Sultanate is a sultan. Their Judicial system Is oral, which means, whatever the law imposed by the leader It will be spoken through a messenger. They formed alliances through the process of “Sandburg”.
Some lived near bodies of water, and some lived In the mountains or rest. The lifestyle of the people living near the bodies of water are fishing, boat building, pottery, farming, and so many more, while the people living in the mountains are swished, farming, hunting, gathering, etc. People living before the colonization, have a social strata, first is the imaging and data class, a ruling and warrior class. Second Is the maharaja, a wealthy class. Third Is the Tamaki or freeman, a commoner. Last Is the Labial or Roller, debt peons. People In the pre colonization have a system of writing called Babylon.
They also have religion, called minims, they worship anoint/Anita, data and their priest/sees is called Babylon. The Muslims saw Misguidance and Sulk first before the Spaniards came to the Philippines and introduce their religion called Islam, where their God is Allah and prophet is Mohammed All. When the Spanish came to Philippines, their only purpose Is the g’s: God, Gold and Glory. They colonize us in two ways, one is with religion and the other Is with the use of sword. Religion came to victorious. The Spaniards gave us new way to live our life; they also introduce us to their religion, which is Christianity.
We, Filipinos at home set up altars in the Hispanic tradition, adorned with Catholic images, flowers and candles. During fiestas, most communities organize church services and religious processions in honor of a patron saint. Also, we inherit the holiday of the Spaniards, for January 1 – New years day, March or April – Seaman Santa also called Holy week, October 31 – November 2 – All saints day and all souls day, December 24 – Niche Buena also known as Christmas Eve, and December 25 – Christmas. They created two governments, one is the central government and the other is the local government.
The central government is headed by Governor-General, who is the commander-in-chief, head of an army and navy, he also have veto power, meaning if he seems the law is not good enough, he can nullify or cancel the law. He Is the Vice-Real Patron, and lastly, he Is the president provinces and the leader is called Lacked Mayor, Corrections, which are unified provinces, the leader is Corridors, Pueblo-towns, the leader is Gubernatorial, Cicada, the leader is Mountaintop and Barbarian, the leader is Caber. In the course of Spanish colonization in the Philippines, the friars instructed opulent Baroque-style church edifices.
These structures are still found today everywhere across the country and they symbolize the cultural influence of Spain in Filipino life. The opulence of these edifices was clearly visible in the ornate facades, paintings, and sculpture, as well as in the behavioral patterns of the people and in the intricate rituals associated with Roman Catholic churches. While it is true that the Spaniards exploited labor in the construction of the imposing Baroque-style sanctuaries for Roman Catholic worship, it is also true that these same edifices came the means by which Filipino artistic talents and inclinations were expressed.
The carpenters, masons, craftsmen, and artisans were mainly Filipinos. In this way, the Roman Catholic Church and religion influenced Filipino architectural and building style, even as the rituals and festivities of the Church influenced Filipino dances, songs, paintings, and literary writings. Through these influences, the Church afforded the Filipinos abundant opportunities for both solemn rites and Joyous festivities and celebrations known as “fiestas. The services inside the Catholic hurries often spilled out into the thoroughfare in the form of colorful and pageant- filled religious processions in which the rich and the poor participated. Dining, drinking, and merrymaking often followed or accompanied such religious activities. During these feasts, Spanish culinary specialties like “paella” which means a dish consisting of a mixture of rice, chicken and shellfish, “razor valerian” which means glutinous rice and chicken cooked in coconut milk, and “lingua” meaning sautéed ox- tongue usually with mushroom sauce became part of the local table fare.
The rites ND feasts served to provide relief from the drudgery of humdrum village existence, to release pent-up social and economic frustrations, or to foster community spirit and unity. With the help of the Americans, Philippines got its independence after the sacrifices they undergo under the Spaniards. After the independence, Americans redistribute the enormous land properties that were given during the Spanish period to the Catholic Church. Even though they redistribute the land, the small farmers didn’t get any land because they can’t prove that they are the owner of that land and they can’t pay the asked price.
The lands became the property of large landowners. American General Douglas Mac Arthur landed in Elite, one of the biggest islands in Central Island of the Philippines with 700 vessel and 174 000 army and navy. Since the American led us, the government was divided into three branches: Judiciary, system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of state. It also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes among people. Legislative, the one who make the law or pertaining to the enactment of law. Last is, Executive, the one who enforces the law or have the power to put plans, actions or laws into effect.
There are also schools that were built during their time, like the agricultural schools; Philippine Normal University and University of the Philippines. Their medium of instruction was English and the teachers are called Atomies. Also, there were public schools that were open up for the education of the Filipinos. Also, during the introduced to us by the Americans and approximately three hundred thousand Filipinos become protestant. In the economical part, Americans built roads, streets, bridges, and new infrastructures that made movement of products and services more efficient.
It also improved the Philippines economy by the development of new industries, increase in agricultural production. In the social part, Filipinos learned to play games, watch movies, new kinds of music introduced to us by Americans, using respectful greetings like “Magenta magma PDP’ were replaced by merely saying “Good morning”, “Paganism’ was replaced by kissing the cheeks of parents and elders as a sign of respect. We lost our sense of “banish. ” Women wear dresses, high- heeled shoes, and a handbag, while men, Suits, polo shirts, ties and Jeans. The Japanese started when they started attacking the Pearl Habit.
It is also in the Japanese time, when the Filipinos do the death march from Bataan to San Fernando Pangaea where many of Filipino died. In their occupation, the Japanese introduced to us duck farming, fish breeding, and other influences like removing slippers before entering the house, bonsai planting, and manufacturing farm tools and war weapons. They also taught us origami, their martial art, Judo, and tanning of deer skin. Since the Japanese where here for Just a short period of time, they didn’t leave much of their culture but they change the way things are done in the Philippines. Just like strict curfews was enforced.
Even though our country has an identity of our own before the coming of the colonizers, like Filipinos know how to survive and have their own ways to live, they can create things by the use of what they see in their surroundings, but we had been greatly influenced by the country that colonized us. I think that the three countries that colonized us changed our political, economical, cultural and social system of our country. I think our identity today, as Filipinos are mixed from the Spanish, Americans and Japanese influence to us. Our lifestyles that we have now came from different influences of other country to us.
Today, some of the Filipinos still do “banish” in some of the provinces in the Philippines, There are many Spanish influences on Filipino culture. Thousands of Spanish words are load in most Filipino languages. We, Filipinos sometime speak Spanish, when we have simple conversation, like mesa, silly, and many other Spanish words, all over the Philippines. The traditions of the Spanish, their holidays, their religion, and even their government are also the influences of the Spaniards as they colonized our country. The influence of the Spanish, like “paganism as inkstands” still lives in us or in
American influence, “packaging as pissing” some of the Filipino do this as a respect to the elderly or to their parents. The way of how we dress is also influenced by Spanish and America. We wear coat and tie for going to work, Barron and flapping dress for attending marriage or baptism, and gown or dresses for attending formal parties. We also adopt their government which is the local and central government. We also adopt the system of government of America given to us, the legislative, the Judiciary and the executive. With the help of the American, the agriculture of our country has en improved.