CREATING CULTURAL
FESTIVALS AND THE
FILIPINO COMMUNITY
NILO C. AGUSTIN
TOURISM CONSULTANT
CENTRAL LUZON TOURISM CAPABILITY BUILDING
SEMINAR-WORKSHOP
Angeles City
March 1, 2013
PHILIPPINE CULTURE
The Mirror of the Filipino Soul
that paints a good image of Philippine Tourism
A.
B.
C.
What makes us unique and interesting as an Asian destination
What gives us an edge over some competitors in the Asian region
What differentiates us from other races in Asia
Ancient burial rite of early Filipinos
WHAT MAKE UP OUR COLLECTIVE
CULTURAL LEGACY?
A. Rituals and Festivals
1. Northern upland rituals- Cañao, Gotad, etc.
2. Lowland religious fiestas- fertility rites, fluvial parades, farmers’
fiestas, fishing rituals
3. Southern indigenous celebrations- Muslim rites, other tribal festivals
4. Tourism-inspired festivals
Cañao
Mountain Province
Obando Fertility Dance
Bulol
Obando Fertility Dance
Bangus Festival
Badjao Tribal Dance
B. Museums and Monuments
1. National Museums and other specialized museums
in Metro Manila- Ayala Museum, Lopez Museum, Metropolitan
Museum, Veterans Museum, etc,
2. Provincial Museums- Iloko Museum, Baguio Museum, Museo Iloilo
3. Monuments- Rizal Monument at the Luneta, Andres Bonifacio
Monument in Kalookan, Queen Isabella Monument in
Intramuros, etc.
Dr. Jose Rizal Monument
Queen Isabella Monument
National Museum
Andres Bonifacio Monument
C. Filipino Dwellings
1. Old bahay na bato in major towns and cities all over the country
but particularly in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Malolos and San Miguel in
Bulacan, Taal Batangas, Quiapo in Manila, the Aguinaldo Shrine in
Kawit, Cavite and the Rizal Shrine in Calamba, Laguna.
Vigan
Old colonial house
Carcar, Cebu
Old house
San Miguel, Bulacan
Dr. Jose Rizal House
2. Torogan houses in Lanao
3. Ifugao houses in Benguet and Mountain Province
4. Typical Tagalog bahay kubo
Bahay Kubo
Ifugao House
Torogan
D. Arts and Letters
1. Masterpieces by our outstanding visual artists like Juan Luna,
Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo, Fernando Amorsolo, Carlos
Francisco, Hernando Ocampo, Ben Cab, Jose Joya, etc.
2. Sculptures by renowned sculptors like Guillermo Tolentino,
Napoleon Abueva, Eduardo Castrillo, etc.
Mother and Child
Napoleon Abueva
Coming home from the farm
Fernando Amorsolo
First Mass in the Philippines
Carlos Francisco
Spolarium
Juan Luna
3. Literary Forms- great novels, Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo by Jose Rizal, awit and corridos by Francisco
Balagtas, poems by Crissot of Pampanga, seditions plays
(zarzuela) by Severino Reyes and Bonifacio Ilagan
4. Komedya, moro-moro and sarswela, religious senakulo
balagtasan, duplo and crissotan, inspiring, cultural-based
Filipino movies of the 30’s up to the present
E. Baroque and Gothic Churches
1. Paoay Church in Ilocos Norte, Miag-ao Church in Iloilo, Betis
Church in Pampanga, San Agustin Church in Intramuros, San
Sebastian Church in Manila
San Agustin Church
San Sebastian Church
Miag-ao Church
Betis Church
F. Lifeways
1. Cuisine – Malay-based food such as sinigang and inihaw,
Chinese-influenced dishes such as pansit and bachoy, Spanish
food such as bringhe (paella), turrones, pastilles, American-style
food like sandwiches with Filipino fillings
2. Entertainment- tertulia, folk games
3. Body adornments- jewelry, hats, costumes
G. Heritage Sites
1. Cordillera Rice Terraces (Banaue, Batad)
2. Intramuros in Manila
3. Vigan in Ilocos Sur
Rice Terraces
Vigan
Intramuros
HOW FAR HAVE CULTURAL FESTIVALS
GONE IN THE PHILIPPINES?
• In terms of number, the Philippines beats any country in
the world! It celebrates more than 1,000 festivals in a
year!
•
Nowadays, the tourism factor is the number one reason
for holding a festival, seconded by religion or tradition,
the rest is because of trade and agricultural promotion
• Many festivals have become big income earners
like Panagbenga, or Ati-atihan or MassKara
•
Cultural festivals however are a big vehicle to promote
the legendary Filipino hospitality and is also an avenue
to promote closer kinships and family ties
CULTURAL FESTIVALS
Celebration of the present
PHILIPPINE FESTIVAL
• A good showcase of Filipino arts and culture
• A perfect example of typical Filipino
communal efforts
• Largely but not exclusively associated with
the Catholic Religion
• An acknowledged national traditional cultural
institution
A BIT OF HISTORY
• Pre-Islamic Maranaw held festive celebrations with much noise like
people shouting, cannons booming, beating of agongs.
• During the pre-Hispanic period, early Filipinos held rituals that lasted
for 9 days and was called “kasilonawan” in Luzon and “pandot” in
the Visayas.
• The Spanish missionaries replaced these rituals with “Christian
fiestas” that have existed up to now.
• This was done to convert the Filipinos to the Catholic faith but the
conversion was done through an impressive image of the grandeur
and splendor of the altar elements (santos, guilded retablos) and the
colorful liturgy (processions and rituals) of the Catholic Church.
In the 1950s, there was an attempt by the
Philippine Legislature with the prodding of
then Sen. Raul Manglapus to outlaw
fiestas because of their extravagance.
That legislative project failed totally.
RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS
Feast of the Nazarene
Ati-Atihan
Dinagyang
Sinulog
Pahiyas
Obando Fertility Rites
Penafrancia
Moriones
Caracol
– Quiapo, Manila
– Kalibo Aklan
– Iloilo
– Cebu
– Lucban
– Bulacan
– Bicol
- Marinduque
- Cavite
E’dl Fitir
- Islamic
CULTURAL FESTIVALS
Panagbenga – Baguio City
Viva Vigan – Vigan
Giant Lantern – Pampanga
Pamulinawen– Laoag City
Masskara
– Bacolod City
Sandugo
– Bohol
Kaamulan
– Bukidnon
Lanzones
– Camiguin
Kadayawan -- Davao City
PERSPECTIVE
It is important that the dignity, integrity and
purity of Filipino arts and culture are
maintained and protected.
The objectives of cultural workers need to
be very clear especially in relation to
politics and economy.
THREE FOLDS OF SOCIETY
POLITICS
ECONOMY
CULTURE
THREE FOLDS OF SOCIETY
RELATIVE TO PHILIPPINE FESTIVALS
ECONOMY
Income generating
POLITICS
More votes
CULTURE
Win a “prize”
Bastardized culture
HOW SHOULD IT BE?
• ECONOMY
Create jobs
Generate revenue
• POLITICS
Instill sense of pride of place
Unite constituency
• KULTURA
Promote, preserve and hand-over customs,
mores and traditions
SOCIO-CULTURAL
RESPONSIBILITIES
• Utmost respect for the arts and culture that
are deeply rooted in the very being, life
and history of the community that owns
them
• Full protection of culture and the arts
against commercialism, bastardization and
politics
• Continuing preservation of the integrity,
dignity and purity of culture and the arts
WHAT MUST BE DONE?
A.
Cultural Research
Local historians and local cultural leaders, through the help of
institutions like NCCA, CCP, UP and local centers of cultural
studies, will be tapped to assist in a thorough research on
culture, history, traditions and arts as a root or basis of a
festival
B.
Clinics and Workshops
Experts guide local artistic directors and choreographers on the
correct music, dance steps, costumes and props in developing
street dance festivals
WHAT MUST BE DONE?
C.
Culture of Pinoy Tourism
Barangays are trained to be the preservers of
cultural heritage and traditions, the protectors of the
environment and the promoters of local tourism
D.
Consultative Program on Creative Marketing
The LGUs are trained to be marketing experts in
their own right
WHAT MUST BE DONE?
E. Consultative Tourism Planning Program for the LGUs
Centered on Filipino culture as the overriding theme
of the local tourism industry, LGUs will be taught to
develop:
- “culturalized” homestay facilities
- “culturalized” tourist services standards
WHAT DO WE EXPECT TO SEE?
A. Filipinos appreciating their own arts and
culture
B. The community becoming the vanguard and
protector of their local cultural traditions,
heritage sites and their surroundings
C. The real Filipino culture is being promoted
for tourism
D. The program, once completed, will make the
entire country a CERTIFIED: PROUDLY
PINOY DESTINATION!
THANK YOU
and
MABUHAY!