Philippine Society and Culture

  Tabuelan Cebu Roman Catholic Church For centuries, Holy Week has been one of the busiest weeks for the Filipinos as far as religious activities are concerned. Throughout this week, Filipinos are preoccupied with the observance of religious traditions, one of which is Visita Iglesia or church visit. This Holy Week tradition is very significant to the Filipino faithful expressing their empathy to the sufferings and death of Jesus on the cross.  Visita Iglesia  The Visita Iglesia is a religious tradition that is practiced on Holy Thursday evening after the Mass of the Last Supper where millions of Catholic faithful flock to different churches in the country to meditate and offer prayers.  This practice of visiting churches on Holy Thursday is the fulfillment of their Panatas (sacred vows). Inside the churches, there are places provided for the devotees and pilgrims for them to kneel, meditate and pray. Some pilgrims walk barefoot from church to church during the Visit...

Mabolo National High School Of the many languages, English is one of the most important and widely used languages in the world. In fact, it is spoken by billions of people and is the lingua franca for many nationalities. But how important is the English language to Filipino learners and how do they fare in the global reading assessment of the English language?   An essential tool  No doubt, the English language has become an indispensable tool for a person who wants to achieve in life, be it in his/her professional or professional career.  The English language has its wide-ranging use: In Philippine schools, it has been used as a medium of instruction during class discussions and in other curricular activities.  In writing a reflection paper, responding to a teacher's question, answering examinations, in public discourse, and even texting to your loved ones, the English language is used.  Medium of instruction    Aside from the aforementioned, th...

  Philippine Carabao Poverty Porn is defined as a strategy employed by some social media influencers, charitable groups and philanthropists showing to the viewers the miserable life of a particular family or individual in a country to entice donors into giving donations. But in this country, can it help or at least alleviate poverty? And how do Filipinos perceive poverty porn?  Poverty in the Philippine s  Poverty has been one of the country's biggest problems since ancient times. Past and present administrations have tried but failed to eradicate this problem in the country. Although, as a result of the government's poverty alleviation programs, there have been significant reductions in Filipino poor families over recent years.  Poverty in the country is embedded in the daily life of the Filipinos. At the moment, millions of Filipino families are living with income that is lower than what they need for a decent life. Every day, many of these poor Filipinos have endu...

Tomorrow all roads will lead to the South Road Properties (SRP) where the country’s biggest festival, the Sinulog, is happening. During its day-long celebration, millions of revelers will converge at the 300-hectare South Road Properties to witness and take part in the 2024 Sinulog grand parade and ritual showdown. Tomorrow’s celebration will be participated by more than a hundred contingents consisting of giant props (higantes), floats, and dancing contingents). Sinulog History By the way, what is Sinulog? It is a religious festival celebrated in honor of the miraculous child, Señor Sto. Niño. The Sinulog is celebrated every 3rd Sunday of January.  This day-long celebration is highlighted by a ritual dance showdown by contingents coming from different provinces, cities in the country. Foreign contingents also perform as guest performers where they will also showcase their talents during the grand parade.  Other highlights of the festival are religious activities such as the...

Sinulog Street Dancing Just six days more to go and the Filipino Catholics will once again manifest their religiosity through the religious-cultural celebration, the Sinulog Festival.  Sinug or Sinulog is a festival considered as the mother of all Philippine Festivals owing to its grandeur and significance to the faith and devotion of the Filipino people, the people of Cebu in particular.  The Sinulog is celebrated in reverence and homage to the Holy Child, Señor Santo Niño. Señor Santo Niño is truly a miraculous Child.  Healing testimonies of those who have been healed by the Holy Child are testament to the Holy Child’s divine power. In this post we will try to know why do we celebrate the feast of the miraculous child? History Sinulog Street Dancing  When Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and his troops landed in the island of Sugbu (former name of Cebu) on 28 Apr 1565, they burned down the whole settlement they found there to drive all residents out of the land. The sta...

It’s been said that one’s character will be put to test when he is faced with difficulties in life. This universal notion holds true, particularly to those who have been experiencing challenges and hardships in life. Undeniably, the lives of the Filipinos have been on a roller coaster, and it has always been like this. Challenges of any form keep besetting us which again have put our resilience and positivity to test.  As has been said, misfortunes are inevitable while we are still alive. They are our twins the moment we were born. Some of these challenges and misfortunes are results of human manipulation by opportunists while some of these are nature in itself and beyond our control.  Facing these hard circumstances in life, how do the Filipinos respond and deal with these challenges? What are the coping mechanisms employed by the Filipinos to weather these challenges?  In this post, we will discuss how the Filipinos are dealing with these prevailing challenges they ar...