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often considered Philippine’s national hero José Rizal is one of the most important persons in Filipino history. On June 19th 1861 José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realond was born in Calamba Philippines to a Filipino Chinese family. Even as a young boy José’s talent for language was very evident as by the age of 5 he would be able to read and write. He had even succeeded in school by graduating high school with the highest honors at the age of 16. In 1882 José went to Madrid to study medicine, philosophy and ophthalmology, studying in France and Germany to learn more about it. In 1887 while he was in Europe he wrote and published his first novel titled “Noli Me Tángere” which talks about the dark aspects of Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines and focused specifically on the catholic church. Due to the content the book was banned in the Philippines though people were still able to read them by smuggling the book into the country. In 1887 José returned to the Philippines but was targeted by the police because he had offended the catholic church. After returning to Europe he released another novel this time titled “el filibusterismo”. In 1892 José went back to the Philippines again despite being exiled and created a non-violent reformist group called “La Liga Filipina”. After this he was exiled to Dapitan where he met his wife who he tried to marry but his request was denied by the catholic church. In 1896 Katipunan, a secret society that would revolt against Spanish rule. Despite not being affiliated with this group and disapproved of their violent tendencies José was arrested, tried and was sentenced to death by firing squad. On December 30th 1896 at the age of 35 José Rizal was killed. This sparked a revolution, and in 1898 the Philippines gained independence from Spain.

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Lapu Lapu was born in Mactan in 1491 though the exact date is unknown. From a young age he excelled at many sports such as horse riding, swimming and wrestling. By the age of 20 he was very experienced in combat and 10 years later became the chief of the region Mandaue. In 1521 Ferdinand Magellan reached the Philippines. He would introduce Christianity to the people of Cebu. Most tribes accepted Christianity and got baptized but Lapu Lapu was one of the few that refused to convert. Lapu Lapu saw the conversion as a way for the Portuguese to control him and his tribe so by refusing to convert he would be protecting his tribe and people. Even after being threatened by Magellan and his crew Lapu Lapu did not waver. From this disagreement started the battle of Mactan where Magellan and 60 of his men tried to fight Lapu Lapu and his people who were 1500 strong. After a long battle most of Magellan’s men had either fled or been killed despite having the superior weapon, leaving Magellan and 6 other of his men who tried to protect him. Eventually Magellan was killed and the battle ended with Lapu Lapu being the winner. Lapu Lapu is now considered the Philippines's first national hero and has statues made in honor of him. According to some legends Lapu Lapu turned into a statue and is still protecting the ocean near Mactan. Fishermen going to this region are said to have to throw silver coins at a humanoid statue in the water for permission to fish there.

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Jollibee is one of the most famous fast food chains in the Philippines and has over 1500 locations worldwide. The first jollibee outlet was opened in 1978 and from there they started expanding more and even spread to other countries in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, East Asia, North America, and Europe with good reception, a couple of my friends even hailing it as the best fast food chain in their country. Jollibee serves fried chicken, pies, spaghetti and many more.

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The instrument consists of a row of pot gongs that normally come in a set of 5-9. These gongs are laid horizontally with the gong with the lowest pitch on the player’s left side, and the highest pitch on the right. The player then uses 2 wooden sticks to hit the gong. It is used in celebrations like weddings, festivals and other celebrations for entertainment.

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Arnis is a martial art that uses sticks called Escrima sticks which are made of rattan. Arnis can be done armed and unarmed with some people using bladed weapons Escrima sticks and improvised weapons. The sport is very defensively focussed with techniques such as grappling, disarming techniques and hand-to-hand combat mostly being used. There are two common forms of Arnis the first one being Anyo which is for performances and the second one being Leban which is combative. In Anyo competitions players are judged by how gracefully they can perform techniques or the strength and force applied to a technique. Leban is judged by how many times you hit your opponent and how many times your opponent hits you, the one who gets more hits in is the winner. Being the Philippines national sport, Arnis will occasionally come up in western media such as comic books and video games, the most prominent of which seems to be from Call of Duty modern warfare in which it was available as a melee weapon.

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Sepak Takraw is a game played with a rattan ball in a court with similar dimensions to a badminton court with rules similar to volleyball and football, that is why it often gets called “foot volleyball”. To explain the rules simply: 3 players playing on each side of the court will try to score a point by making the rattan ball hit the floor of the opposition's court. Sepak Takraw players are allowed to use any part of their body to hit the ball except their hands. Many difficult techniques are used to score points which can be seen in the video. The sport had originated in Malaysia but is popular everywhere in south east asia including the Philippines. Sepak Takraw was even the national sport of the Philippines before being replaced by Arnis in 2009. the video above is a match played between Japan and the Philippines.

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Sepak Takraw - Philippines Vs Japan ! Full Game HD

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kinamutay is a sport from the Philippines that is best described as a “street fight” though I doubt street fights can get this brutal. A multitude of “dirty” techniques such as eye gouging, biting, pinching and chokes. The rules in this martial art are… There are no rules!! The sport is focused on gaining an upper hand against your opponent by any means possible. It may seem brutal but in a real street fight against someone that could harm you it could help as it may be the only option you have.

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Balut is a Filipino delicacy that dates back almost 200 years. Balut is a fertilized bird egg(most commonly a duck egg) which has been incubated for a period of 14 to 21 days then steamed. The longer the egg incubates the more pronounced the duck becomes. Some people like it more when the duck is chewier so they would incubate it for a longer time. Its roots can be traced back to mainland China.

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dinuguan is a soup from stew from the philippines. The stew is diced pork cooked in pork blood, garlic, chili peppers and vinegar. The name dinuguan stems from dugo, which is the Filipino word for “blood”. There are variants of this dish that use organ meat instead of pork belly or pork shoulder.

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This dish is referred to in many names across the philippines but in the Ilocos region it is called Abuos(Abuos is the local term for mountain ant larvae). This dish is seasonal and is available from March to June when the ant larvae are harvested from the forests of Abra. You could choose to cook the eggs or you could eat them raw. Ant eggs are also eaten in other countries such as Thailand and Mexico.

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Kutkot is a tradition done by the Hanunuo Mangyan tribe where they unearth their dead relatives, put the corpse in a sack and is bulked up in areas to make the body look like a healthy living person. The family members would dress them in their old clothes with some jewelry and accessories. When this process is done the family will have one last meal with them with music and dancing before they bury them for good in a nearby cave. This ritual is done to bring the dead back to life for a few moments. The ritual can also bring closure to the affected families. This tradition is slowly dying out due to modern influence and the younger tribe members being uninterested in the practice.

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I-Witness: 'Kutkot,' dokumentaryo ni Kara David (full episode)

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The Manananggal is a mythical creature from the Philippines that during the day is disguised as a beautiful woman but when the sun goes down the woman's upper half of her body detaches from her lower half with the upper half sprouting wings while the lower half stands still in wherever the body split in half. When it separates its body, their organs would trail behind them when flying. The Manananggal feeds on the blood of sleeping humans and unborn children by sticking its long tongue in a pregnant woman’s belly button and slurps up her children. The only way to kill the Manananggal is to expose it to sunlight while it's in its monstrous form. You could also put crushed garlic or salt on its lower half which prevents it from merging back together which would eventually kill it when the sun comes up. Though doing this would endanger you as well because the upper half of the monster knows where its lower half is and what surrounds it at all times.

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Usually on Good Friday Catholics or Christians would either fast, pray, attend church services with some families not doing anything on Good Friday. Instead of praying or fasting the people from the Philippines celebrate it a little differently. Some villages in the Philippines celebrate Good Friday by reenacting Jesus’s crucifixion. They would recreate everything from Jesus carrying the cross up the hill to him getting his hands and feet nailed to the cross. They do this to ask for forgiveness for their sins. This practice is looked down upon by the catholic church but is still done to this day. Since nailing metal objects into your body can be dangerous there are doctors on standby to insure the safety of the person getting crucified. (the person being “crucified” doesn’t die.)

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Catholic Devotees Were Nailed To Crosses For Good Friday In The Philippines | TIME

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One of the most terrifying things in fiction is a vampire and in real life one of the scariest things I know are children. So what happens when you put the two together? You get the Tiyanak. The Tiyanak takes the form of an innocent baby and cries in forests to lure in adults trying to help it after which it will take its vampiric form and attack the person. There are many stories on where the Tiyanak comes from, some people say they are souls of unbaptized babies and others say they’re souls of aborted babies who want revenge on the people who killed them. Like most vampires you can repel them with garlic. In some stories, the Tiyanak are children who died before they could receive a name so by giving it a name after encountering it you could help them move on and find peace.

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The Kapre is a harry humanoid tree demon that smokes cigars, pipes and even drinks beers. Despite being labeled as a “tree demon” the Kapre is a friendly creature that likes to play pranks on humans. Have you gotten lost in a place that you know well and end up going around in circles? According to Filipino mythology, that's a Kapre's doing. A common theme among the Kapre is how they like to look after farm animals which would explain why they reek of goats. If you are able to befriend a Kapre you will gain the ability to see it while most people can’t. A Kapre can also offer good advice as they are frequently described as wise creatures. In some stories a Kapre will have a white stone and if you find this stone it will grant you a wish.

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Often considered Philippine’s national drink, San Miguel Corporation is known for being one of the biggest, most diversified conglomerates in the Philippines. San Miguel Corporation was founded in 1890 as a brewery in the Philippines but has since expanded outside of just selling alcohol and now invests in things like food, drink, finance, infrastructure, oil and energy. Its most popular product, San Miguel Beer is one of the largest selling beers in the world as well as being THE largest selling beer in the Philippines and Hong Kong.

A conglomerate is a corporation made up of several different, independent businesses.

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There are many kinds of houses and structures that were made in the indigenous era of the Philippines. The one that caught my attention was the Nipa hut or the Bahay Kubo is an indigenous stilt house and is seen as an icon of Filipino culture. Typically these houses are made of materials commonly found in Palawan which include; wood, bamboo and cogon grass. The Bahay Kubo, just like most other stilted houses, is elevated to avoid pests, predators and floods. It usually only consists of one room where the family would eat, sleep and do other household activities.

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In 1571 the Spanish arrived in the Philippines and along with them came their culture which includes architecture. The Spanish tried to build their traditional houses but the designs were not suited for the hot climate of the Philippines. The Spanish took some inspiration for ventilation from the Bahay Kubo. By using the characteristics of both styles a new uniquely Filipino style was born and was called Bahay Na Bato and became a typical home for a Filipino noble.

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Cockfighting in the Philippines is said to have almost 6,000 years of history. Though it wasn’t called cockfighting, the concept of raising a chicken to fight another chicken dates back almost 6,000 years. Prior to the 20th century cockfighting was the biggest sport in the Philippines. Most countries have banned cockfighting due to its connections to gambling, robbery, drug use/selling and even murder, despite all of this the Filipino government has not fully banned cockfighting as it’s an important part of their culture, though having cockfights on certain days such as Rizal Day are prohibited.

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Tongali is a type of nose flute used in celebrations despite it producing a “sad sound”. Tongali has three to four holes where the fingers are placed. There’s one hole midway where the thumb is placed to change the tone of the flute. There is also one hole located at the back. This is where your left or right nostril is placed to play the music. The air flows from this hole and out of the midway hole. This, and the fact that Tongali is made of bamboo, results in a sad sound that’s meant to mimic a human voice.

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Oynasi l Kalinga bamboo nose flute 'tongali' l Northern Philippine musical instrument

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Oynasi l Kalinga bamboo nose flute 'tongali' l Northern Philippine musical instrument

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The Kubing is an instrument similar to the jaw harp. It’s mostly made of bamboo, though some are made of metal. It can be considered one of the more popular traditional instruments of the Philippines. Kubing was an important part of Filipino culture. The ancestors used it to communicate, particularly during courtship, and still use it to this day. Males used it more frequently, though, in short-distance courtships. Kubing is played by placing it between the lips and plucking the end. The tempo and rhythm of the plucking will create different notes and sounds.

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Sipa is a traditional Filipino game where you kick a weight with feathers attached to it in the air and see how many times you can kick it without it touching the floor. When I lived in Singapore I would see many kids play this game. I tried to join them once but since I wasn't so good at kick-ups it hit the floor after only a few touches. Instead of a rattan ball, Sepak Takraw can be played with this weight.

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Is a type of top and is spun by wrapping the bottom of the top with string and throwing the top as hard as possible to generate as much spin as possible. You can also do tricks with it by spinning it on parts of your body. This kind of top was popular in Latin America and was brought to the Philippines by the Spanish.

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This toy was basically a paste stuck to the end of a straw where if you blow hard enough a small bubble would form at the end of the stick. Me and my friends in Singapore would play with this a lot when we were younger. We would try to see who could make the biggest one without popping it in which I would lose most of the time. This game can be played multiple times because there were usually tubes of the paste sold in nearby shops or you could find them in your house.

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This toy is old and very simple but for some reason used to keep me occupied for hours when i was younger. By moving the ball at the end of the string the heads of the chicken will hit the woods imitating chickens pecking at the ground for seed. You would find this in most Filipino houses. Even some of my Singaporean friends say that they used to own one of these.

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in the interview they talk about clothing and jewelry. 

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The Batak tribe is a tribe located on the island of Palawan. The tribe’s numbers have been decreasing over the years and their culture and language is slowly dying out with only about 200 people being able to speak the Batak language and being classified as “definitely endangered” by UNESCO. There are many reasons why the language is dying out but one of the biggest contributors seems to be that kids aren’t taught this language as their mother tongue.

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Tapondo is a version of karate which was developed in the Philippines and was tweaked to fit the fighting style of the Philippines. It looks like a mix between karate, boxing and aikido.

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Two of the most famous literary works were written by a reformist called jose rizal one of them being "Noli Me Tangere" and the other being "El Filibusterismo". The photo above shows one of the pages in the book. The book was published in spanish and now has english and tagalog versions that you can read. One of the most famous lines in the book is “I die without seeing dawn's light shining on my country... You, who will see it, welcome it for me...don't forget those who fell during the nighttime.”

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Florante at Laura was a poem written by Francisco Balagtas. This poem is one of the most famous examples of Tagalog poetry. This poem is divided into stanzas with four lines in each stanza and twelve syllables in each line. The poem is about a man falling in love with a woman then rescues her and ends up marrying her.

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Baro't saya is a traditional Filipino dress that translates to blouse and skirt. it combines elements from native Filipino dresses and Spanish dresses. It traditionally consists of four parts: a blouse, a long skirt, a kerchief worn over the shoulders and and a short rectangular cloth worn over the skirt.

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This website’s main objective is to preserve a developing country’s culture. To be more specific, we are trying to preserve disappearing cultures in developing countries. The country that this website is going to be about is the Philippines, a country which is very rich culturally due to the many islands and the abundant history. My hope is that by writing about this country’s diverse culture and having people read and talk about it we will be able to protect the unique culture of the Philippines against a world that is getting more and more homogenized and bland by the day. By protecting and learning about culture from different countries it makes you more open to ideas that challenge your own and could teach us to be more thoughtful and respectful to unknown or foreign traditions and cultures.