Public School in the Philippines: Rule and Renewal

For better or worse, American colonial rule has left several legacies in the Philippines, from governmental structure to popular culture. The Pilipino public education system is no exception.

When the United States took control over the Philippines in 1898, one of their first tasks was to implement an Americanized public school system that would educate the Pilipino people and enlighten them about the American way. By 1901, the United States sent over 600 teachers dubbed as “Thomasites.” On the one hand, the shift towards an Americanized public system led to drastically improved literacy rates throughout the Philippines, free primary education for all, and the founding of the University of the Philippines, the nation’s first public university.

On the other hand, controlling the entire country’s education system was another means of maintaining imperial authority over Pilipinos, using the classroom to quell nationalistic ideas and impose Western values. As English became the official language of the Philippines, it also became the primary language of instruction for students over their native tongue. According to psychologist Kevin Nadal, the legacy of the Thomasites continues even today as “most Philippine educational systems have adopted American curricula, although it may not necessarily be culturally appropriate.” The extent of indoctrination that the United States has imposed over the years has stricken many Pilipinos with a colonial mentality through which they learn to value Western ideals over native ones.

In many ways, the purpose for establishing a public education system in the Philippines is similar to the origin of public schools in the United States. The father of American public schools, Horace Mann, believed that “public schools should be means of social control through the teaching of Christian based morals.” This factory-model that the American public school system was founded upon is now being highly contested by education reformers in the United States who argue that the standardization of student learning stifles the creativity and critical thinking skills that are necessary to be competitive in today’s global economy.

As American education reformers are diverging away from the old standardizing model of education, the Philippines is following suit. In 2001, the Philippines adopted a reform program on school-based management, an approach that decentralizes the public education system and empowers local school officials to charge their own curriculum design and administration. School-based management has been shown to “yield various positive results such as improved academic performance of students [and] increased participation of parents and the community.”

In 2002, the Makabayan curriculum was introduced to improve critical and creative thinking development and promote Pilipino values. Makabayan is described as “a learning area that serves as a practice environment for holistic learning to develop a healthy personal and national self-identity” and includes subjects such as social studies, music, health education, and values education.

So what might this mean for the upcoming generations of young educated Pilipinos? We can hope that these reform efforts will develop proud citizens who value the strengths of their culture and confidently skilled students who will help propel the Philippines into a world player. Of course, when it comes to the complex issue of education there are still loads of problems waiting for solutions, from resources to poverty and accessibility. Perhaps this is at least one step in the right direction.

Photo Credit: philippines1900.tumblr.com

Salo Chicago Interview

It seemed to happen overnight.  One day we're going to the local turo-turo with our parents eating Adobo and Sinigang buffet-style while our non-Pinoy friends watch horrified and before you know it, celebrities like Andrew Zimmern are lauding our food as "the next big thing".  It's a great time to be a lumpia-eating, balut-slupring, San Miguel-chuggin'  Pinoy food lover especially with many of our restaurants penetrating the mainstream market like a shot of spicy vinegar.  Industry giants hailing from the culinary meccas of the States have been visited by Instagram-toting trendsetters.  But how about everyone else?  Will Filipino food be just as popular in America's heartland or up in Alaska (do they even sell patis there?!). Yana Gilbuena, the travelling chef behind the SALO Series has been on tour to spread peace, love, and fried rice, hosting a pop-up dinner in a different state each week and I managed to snag an interview during her Chicago stop.

As with any movement during its heady, adrenaline-fueled days, the Filipino Food one is interesting to see especially since there is no one definition for it.  Will the rest of America warmly embrace our food as cosmpolitan foodies have?  Or will factors such as shame, a lack of community support, and a people used to assimilating drown it out?  It certainly is the time for Filipino-Americans to define the movement as they see fit.  Read on and ask: "What direction should the movement take?  And are we really the next big thing?"

Check out the full interview on: http://errantdiner.com/2014/07/21/salo-chicago/

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Paolo Espanola’s culinary background is as varied as the dim sum menu in Chinatown.  From the grilled meats and saffron rice of his birthplace Saudi Arabia, to the fish frys of his collegiate years in the Midwest, and to his Chinese-Filipino background, Paolo enjoys sharing food from all over the world (except for maggots….anything but maggots).  He believes that food is the one common language we all share and that total strangers can bond over a shared meal without speaking a word.  When he isn’t busy staring at Excel sheets for his accounting day job, he’s buried deep inside a cookbook or catering events.  Rarely making the same thing twice and having lost count of the fried chicken he’s burned, Paolo believes dining is the only true sport he’ll ever excel at.

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Discover other similar posts on Paolo's blog.

Photo credit: http://errantdiner.com/2014/07/21/salo-chicago/

The Northern Philippines as a Filipino Identity Sampler

 

The Philippines has a rich history and culture, but we sometime do not understand it well enough to realize to what extent. It is not a question of whether we have it or not, rather, it is of how much we really know and are aware of it. For those who would want to get reacquainted with the Filipino identity and our past, I usually recommend taking a nativist-themed trail up north. The beauty of the Northern Philippines lies on the fact that it is home to three UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites.

What does this mean?

A World Heritage Site (WHS) is any given natural or cultural place, monument or landscape that holds outstanding universal values critical to the development of humanity and diversity. Some of the more popular WHS around the world include the Great Wall, the Italian cities of Venice, Rome and Florence, the Taj Mahal, Chitchen Itza, the Great Barrier Reefs, and even the Statue of Liberty. Regardless of popularity and fame, all of these places are treated with equal degree of importance under UNESCO conventions.

With the recent addition of Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary in Mindanao, the Philippines now has six sites listed as WHS. Two of which are the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park and Tubattaha Reefs Marine Park -- both are marine natural sites in Palawan. The other three are cultural sites found in the Northern Philippines: the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, the Historic Town of Vigan, and the Baroque Churches of the Philippines.

From Manila, one can make a Do-It-Yourself trip to take on this cultural heritage trail. A bus from Manila can take you to Banaue, the jump-off point for the rice terraces. From there, vans can be arranged to bring you down to Vigan. Sta. Maria is also along the way to Vigan, and finally, going further north by bus will bring you to Paoay in Ilocos Norte. Each place offers a taste of the depth of Philippine history.

Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras

Agricultural terracing is not unique to the Philippines. China, Indonesia, and Viet Nam have it. Peru and even Switzerland have this method, too. What makes the rice terraces in the Philippines unique is that they are the oldest and most extensive continually-used rice terraces in the world. As a comparison, these rice terraces have been around much longer than Machu Picchu or Angkor have! The more noticeable distinguishing marks of these engineering marvels would be their heights that reach as high as 1,500 metres from the base, and their steepness that defies limits with 70 degrees maximum angulation.

The incredible mixture of purely man-made terraces, the mountains, the muyongs (forest caps), traditional hamlets, and other visible cultural artefacts in the region certainly does not disappoint. The Food and Agriculture Organization has cited the rice terraces as an outstanding example of “worldwide, specific agricultural systems and landscapes (that) have been created, shaped and maintained by generations of farmers and herders based on diverse natural resources, using locally adapted management practices.” The American Society of Civil Engineers also named the rice terraces as a 'Historic Engineering Landmark' for water supply and control. In 1997, the same group came to the Philippines and formally declared (through a marker) the rice terraces as the [original] 8th Wonder of the World.

For the Filipinos, with the mode of farming and the people’s lifestyles largely unchanged, these ancient rice terraces are an enduring portrait of the ways of life of the Ifugao for over 2,000 years. The WHS-listed clusters are Batad, Bangaan, Hungduan, Mayoyao and Nagacadan rice terraces.

Historic Town of Vigan

Why does this small town merit a special place in the collective memory of the Filipino people? It is one of the few towns in the country that was spared from destruction during the World War II (Intramuros, Manila's walled district, was razed to the ground and only one building was left standing there after the war). Being the best preserved Spanish colonial-era trading town in Asia, Vigan presents itself as an intact and authentic old town. It boasts a good collection of original houses where in the ground floors are characterized as Hispanic, while its upper floors and windows suggest Chinese and Oriental influences. The best of these houses can be seen along Calle Crisologo, a cobblestone street.

One will notice that the town faithfully follows the historical “quadricula”, “plano ortogonal”, or the better known synonym "grid" streetplan. This, believe it or not, is the most 'Hispanic' feature of the town.

The interior of a typical Vigan villa can be seen when visiting the likes of the Sy-Quia mansion, the family house of the former President Quirino.

In 2012, Vigan bagged the  'Best Management Practices for a World Heritage City' award in a worldwide competition by UNESCO. This year, Vigan reached the final stage in the search for the New Seven Wonders Cities of the World. (To vote for Vigan, visit: http://www.n7w.com/cities/en)

Baroque Churches of the Philippines: Sta. Maria

Aside from the San Agustin church inside Intramuros and the Miag-ao church in Iloilo, the Northern Philippines boasts two of the best examples of Philippine Spanish-era churches. The town of Sta. Maria, some 40 minutes south of Vigan, houses a citadel church built on top of a fortified hill. In the older days, the only way to reach the church is through the 82-step staircase made of granite slabs, making the complex easily defended.

Made of red bricks, the Sta. Maria dela Asuncion church boasts a set of massive buttresses that supports the structure from the damages of earthquakes. The pagoda-shaped bell tower is leaning due to the collapsing retaining walls around the hill, which placed this church in the '100 Most Endangered Sites' in 2010 by the World Monument Watch.

Baroque Churches of the Philippines: Paoay  

The crowning gem of the “earthquake baroque architecture” is the San Agustin church in Paoay. This edifice is largely made of coralstones that have been glued together using egg whites, lime powder and mollases. This important church features a mixture of Oriental, Malay, and Western influences in its design. This comes as no surprise as long before the Spaniards reached present-day Paoay, the site was already a trading settlement known as Bombay in earlier records.

Keen eyes will notice some fading carvings and bas-reliefs around the church. The most important exponent of this church are definitely its beautifully-constructed buttresses on its sides. Paoay church is considered to be as a masterpiece of the Filipino reinterpretation of the baroque movement, fusing European principles with local Filipino craftmanship. The bell tower is also separated from the church as a precautionary measure against the effects of earthquakes – this architectural innovation is unique to Philippine churches.

The churches of the Philippines are unique, and, thus, cannot be compared to those found in Europe or Latin America. As religious monuments, they are key in spreading further the Christian faith in the region (Southeast and East Asia, and the Pacific Islands). While as cultural specimens, they embody the artistic, technological, and intellectual interchange between the West and the East for more than three centuries.

While knowing and understanding Philippine history and culture is a large part of what I do as a heritage advocate, the biggest challenge is in making others see and appreciate things the way I do.

I often have a hard time convincing friends who have already settled abroad to come back home to re-experience their native land. Most of them would rather spend their vacations going around Europe or elsewhere in Asia to see cultural and grand ancient monuments or old towns, believing none exist here.

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Bernard Joseph Esposo Guerrero is a self-confessed cultural junky. Based in the Philippines, he has delivered several talks on tourism, destination promotion and management, and the importance of cultural conservation. As a heritage advocate and consultant, he has assisted and appeared in some features by the Euronews, NGC-Asia, Solar TV, ABS-CBN Regional News Network, as well as being cited by the Philippine Star and the PIA. He enjoys ticking off as many UNESCO World Heritage Sites as possible. So far, Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, the Preah Vihear Temple in Cambodia, and the Philippines' Apo Reef and Ifugao Rice Terraces are the best places he has seen in SE Asia.

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Discover other similar posts on Bernard's blog.

Photo credit: theberntraveler.wordpress.com

An In Depth End Hence of Independence

Summer: Best season ever. You’ve got awesome weather, weddings galore, block parties, summer Fridays (summer Alldays?), and the love/hate relationship you have with food/drinking and the gym is at its peak.

For Pilipino-Americans, you’ve also got Independence Days: June 12th and July 4th.

Personally, I don’t really think of myself as much of a flag waver for either country that I call home. In my younger years, I repped the Philippines hardcore while also trying to assimilate into a new culture when my family immigrated to this country. Now in my late- (ouch) twenties, I’ve realized some interesting things about how these two holidays are celebrated here in the States.

When I think of Philippine Independence Day, I think of the following: a jam-packed parade along Madison Avenue lined with kiosks of ulam and halo-halo; the smell of barbeque wafting from the ihawan; titos and titas marching in matching shirts and facetowel capes that unintentionally make them look like union workers on strike; young beauty pageant queens with their make-up melting on their face as they sashay in their ternos and tiaras; and a bunch of teenagers strolling around in packs.

When I think of Fourth of July, I think of red, white, and blue tank-tops and cut-offs patterned with stars and stripes. I think of beach barbecues, backyard beer pong games, and fireworks. I think of popsicle sticks, ice cream, and swimming pools. It’s truly a holiday - so much so that it gives you a great conversation piece to kill time at work for a full week when you return to the office: “Hey Joe. How was your Fourth?”

Pilipinos see Independence Day as a day to celebrate their heritage and Pilipino pride. They bring out their barongs, go to church and attend masses said in Tagalog, and eat. They eat. Did I already say they eat? I do think there might be a little bit of confusion as to what exactly is being celebrated. Technically, it’s independence from Spain - yet, on a day when we’re supposed to be celebrating what is truly Pilipino, what is truly Pilipino anyway? Much of what we regard as cultural staples either are or have been influenced by other nations. On this day, we all of a sudden revere a nation that many of its people have left and continue to leave in order to pursue a better life. It almost makes one wonder if we here in the States might actually be celebrating independence from the Philippines - a reminder that we can still be Pilipino albeit without the figurative cage of what it is to actually live in the Philippines.

On the flipside, the Fourth of July is exactly just that: the Fourth of July. It’s a date on a calendar. Yes - it’s the day that the Declaration of Independence was adopted which granted independence from Great Britain, but since the very first Fourth of July I ever celebrated, it has always been a social event - never a commemorative one. I get it though - it’s difficult to celebrate independence of a nation that instills a spirit of power and pride among its people. A nation so independent that it utilizes its servicemen to ensure that other countries maintain their own independence and peace. America is certainly seen by many throughout the world as the best and most powerful country, no? So when you’re the “biggest and the best” (emphasis on the quotes) and you’ve never really felt the burn of being anything other than that, there’s really no independence to be celebrated. And so we plan our road trips and weekends at the Jersey shore, we fire up the grill, and drink to our hearts’ contentment and our livers’ capacity ... all in the name of celebrating our country’s independence.

Times change and maybe instead of calling these days “Independence Days,” they should just be “Philippine Day” or “America Day.” I think it’s not so much independence that should be celebrated, but rather what reminds you that you are a Pilipino; what reminds you that you are an American.

With that said, moving forward, I will now be celebrating these two days at the gym with my non-existent gym membership. Because all the drinking and eating I’m doing around these holidays are ultimately what remind me that I am a Pilipino-American.

Photo credits: NYC <3 NYC, Day-images

The Eraser Game

By Matt Pana, guest contributor It was my senior year of college, and there was one thing standing between me and my degree. A Fine Arts credit.

I decided on Acting, in hopes to improve my stage presence as a musician. Now there’s one thing you need to know about Acting classes. There are no set lesson plans. No multiple choice questions or research papers. You can’t teach someone how to read a line or portray a character. The best way to learn is by playing. Playing games. Learning through action. Expressing yourself. And there was one game that stood out above the rest.

The Eraser Game.

Imagine this: an empty stage, two students and a chalkboard eraser placed between them. Now the object of the game was simple. The first person to convince the other to give them the eraser would pass the class. There was only one rule though. No physical contact.

What resulted was a standstill. A face-off. A barrage of sound and saliva. People demanding. Screaming. Taunting. Teasing. My game plan? Confidence. Persistence. Not stopping until I got what I wanted: that beloved eraser.

My turn was up, as I was paired with the best actress in class. She had a history of starring roles in every production on campus. I began to speak loud and firm. I looked at her directly in the eye. She just stood there. Silent. Glaring. And the more stoic she was, the more angry I became. My blood. About to boil. My veins. About to burst. My throat so hoarse that I could barely complete a full sentence.

So what did I ultimately get from all this? Well I learned that silence speaks volumes. That lack of communication can drive a person crazy and attack their pride. And once the dust settles, there are no clear protagonists or antagonists. It’s all up to your own perspective. How the scenes are seen. How the story is told.

At the end of the lesson, there were no winners. Yet we still passed with flying colors. In the world of acting, it’s not how you act, but how you react. It’s not about the punch-lines or monologues. Rather, what’s understood beyond the words. Beyond what’s planned or scripted.

Don’t just listen to what someone says, listen to what they do.

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Matt Pana has performed in 2 countries and traveled 11,000 miles by ground as drummer for the band Mitchell Grey. Each week, he sits down in-person with performers and personalities. Episodes include exclusive music, road stories, and humble beginnings. His latest mission is to inspire and cultivate local artists, with the launch of his new YouTube channel. Episodes will focus on three key elements: eating food, telling stories and making music. Matt has since returned to his roots, drumming for indie-rock band Wyland, recent winners of The Break Contest. You can catch them performing at the Skate & Surf Festival Main Stage, as well as New York, Philadelphia and their native New Jersey.

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The original version of this post originally appeared on Matt Pana's blog.

Photo credit: TakingStep1.com