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Hello

A Young Man from Gaza Dreams of Life – Help Me Surviver ....

My name is Jamal Hossam Al-Dahdouh, an 18-year-old young man from the Gaza Strip. I was born and raised under siege, and I have lived all my years amidst wars, bombings, and fear. But this last war destroyed everything in my life.

My family consists of six members: my mother (Maisa, 38 years old), my father (Hossam, 49 years old), and my siblings: Mohamed (15 years old), Amir (10 years old), Layan (13 years old), and Zeina (4 years old).

In a single moment, my life turned from that of a young man dreaming of a bright future into that of a refugee in my own homeland — without shelter, without safety, and without the basic necessities of life. My home was destroyed, my family was scattered, and all I have left is hope — but hope alone is not enough to survive.

Our home was completely destroyed as a result of an Israeli airstrike. It turned into a pile of rubble, and we were forced to flee more than seven times. We are now living in a small tent, under the constant sounds of bombing and destruction.

I used to love studying very much and worked hard to continue my education, but all those efforts failed due to the bombing and destruction of schools and the repeated displacement we endured.

I now live me and my family under extremely harsh humanitarian conditions: there is not enough food, no clean water, and no electricity. The sound of planes never leaves the sky, and fear never leaves my our hearts. Each day is a new struggle for survival, and every night I wonder if we would have lived to see next day.

My family and I have caught the flu because of the poor living conditions, the spread of viruses, and the extreme cold. We are unable to get treatment due to the high cost of medicine and the closure of the border crossings.

We are in desperate need of donations so that we can travel to a safe and more stable country. The cost of travel for me and my family is around $20,000 USD, which is a huge amount we cannot afford or obtain.

I am not asking for much — I only want a chance to live, a chance to continue my education, to get medical treatment, and to protect the remaining members of my family. That is why I appeal to kind-hearted people to extend a helping hand. Your donation, no matter how small, could be the reason save our lifes.

Help me live… Help me and my family dream again... Help travel to a safer and more stable country.

Jamal-Al dahdouh...

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Discourses on baybayin is arising again, wherein a lot of people are forcing baybayin to function like phonetic writing for the sake of pre-colonial nostalgia, which tends to be anchored on nativist delusions. In fact baybayin did not function as such during the actual period, and there is a certain irony that Tagalog as a language was tamed into phonetic writing for the colonizers' need for clarity, order, and truth, and now baybayin is being forced by misguided Filipinos into the western notion of what a writing system should be.

Rafael, Vicente L. "The Politics of Translation." Contracting Colonialism: Translation and Christian Conversion in Tagalog Society Under Early Spanish Rule, Ateneo de Manila Press, 1988, pp. 23-54.

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Electric poles and wires in Binondo during the Philippine revolution, 1896, from Tristes Recuerdos, first published by Chofre y Compania in 1896-1987, reprinted by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

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What was the word that warranted stitches in the hospital? 🤔

The Daily Mirror, January 6, 1951

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Hello! I started this blog around 2012 as a repository of posts about Philippine history as reference for my own writing endeavors. At that time, I was newly getting into history and writing. Hardly knowing where to find sources, I abandoned this blog. Over the years, however, I managed to build my own collection of Filipiniana books, mainly thanks to a thesis grant I received in 2022.

As I work towards my latest writing project, I've been encountering a lot of fascinating things. In particular, my interest lies in the 19th century and early 20th century. I decided I'll share my encounters here in the future—and not just about "pananamit", so I will likely change the url to something more fitting. :)

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Justiniano Asunción (1816 - 1896) Tipos del Pais 19th Century watercolor on paper 14 1/4” x 9 1/4” each (36 cm x 23 cm) “These costumed figures almost look like the works of Damian Domingo, but they were painted by his prize pupil in the Academia de Dibujo, Justiniano Asuncion y Molo (1816-1896).

In the middle of the 19th century, the indigenous fashions of various peoples in the Philippines and nearby countries were featured in such periodicals as the Manila and Madrid based newspaper, El Oriente, with the caption “Tipos del Pais.”

The early 19th century artist Damian Domingo in collaboration with Rafael Daniel Baboom, a collector of Philippine costumes, also popularized the subject with his watercolor album “Tipos del Pais.”

The fact is, when he became too ill to paint, Damian Domingo passed down to the still adolescent Justiniano the work of painting Tipos del Pais for the travellers’ market. Asucion’s flair for details in the art of miniaturism soon surpassed that of his teacher. In this style, the minutest details are painted as realistically as possible, even if the ground were as small as a thumbnail, as it is in the case of lockets. Every trace of brushwork is concealed. Another proof of Domingo’s influence was that Justiniano did at least three sets of albums of Filipino costumes, called “album de trajes,” which were similar to what Domingo worked on before he died in 1834.

Justiniano Asuncion was a scion of a prolific family, both in an artistic and in a genetic sense, of Sta Cruz, Manila. Three of his brothers were also painters: Antonio (1794-1849), who was called “Fray Angelico Filipino,” Mariano (194-1849), another religious painter who in his old age was the “doyen of Filipino painters” and Ambrosio (1808-1890). The older brothers may have developed their talent under their townmate Faustino Quiotan, and the younger ones under Domingo. Two other brothers, Manuel (1792-1863) and Leoncio (1813-88), were sculptors who learned their profession from anonymous imagen makers.” 

Source: [x]

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Heneral Luna (2015, dir. Jerrold Tarog) Wala ba tayong karapatang mabuhay nang malaya?

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If you have watched Heneral Luna (2015) by Jerrold Tarog, one of the most striking props featured in the film were the different uniforms of the Filipino army under the First Philippine Republic. I have often remarked at how accurate those uniforms were portrayed, designed by Antonio Luna’s brother, the renowned artist of the Spoliarium, Juan Luna. Jose Alejandrino, one of the generals of the republic led by President Aguinaldo, and close friend of Antonio Luna, remarked in his memoir:

During that period, due to the difficulty of communication, the military contingents in each province wore uniforms made of any available material, while others wore uniforms chosen according to the caprice of their commanders who, in turn, carried any insignia which suited their personal taste or convenience. In order to remedy this inconvenience, Antonio Luna asked his brother Juan to make a color design of the uniform of each branch of the Army which he later submitted for the approval of the President. These uniforms became obligatory for the whole Philippine Army.

Thanks to old photographs, and consultants Mr. Pedro Antonio Valdez Javier and Mr. Macky Hosalla, we were able to recreate the designs of these uniforms, all sketched and illustrated in color by PCDSPO artist Derrick Macutay, in celebration of General Miguel Malvar’s 150th birth anniversary.

Visit the Presidential Museum and Library website for the infographic of these uniforms and their full cited sources. :)

I would like to personally congratulate the cast and crew of Heneral Luna and Artikulo Uno Productions, for hitting the PhP 200 million mark, making Heneral Luna the highest grossing Filipino film of all time! You guys took a great risk releasing such a movie, and the entire nation answered. Now the Philippine cinema knows that profit over story quality is no longer the ONLY way to go. 

Infographic courtesy of the Presidential Museum and Library. 

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Silver Moro Kris Sword

Dated: 19th century

Place of Origin: Southern Philippines

Measurements: overall length 28 ½ inches (72.3cm); blade length 21 ½ inches (54.6cm); width 5 ½ inches (13.9cm)

This ‘Datu Moro’ kris sword has a silver handle. The large ‘kakatua’ pommel is made of thick silver sheet. The handle wrap is a more modern replacement with woven twine and bands of lesser quality silver. The half wavy and half straight blade has a separate 'ganja’ that has a strong pattern in the metal. The blade also shows a good pattern and hardened edge as well as a fuller down the center and silver talisman on each side.    

Source: Copyright © 2015 Erik’s Edge

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The Manila Carnival (1903-1939)

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Carmen Fargas (Zamboanga) by pio-v on Flickr.

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Because it was his birthday three days ago, here is an oil-on-canvas impressionist painting of the renowned Filipino painter Juan Luna, entitled "Tampuhan" (or Sulking in English). Luna painted this in 1895. The couple are believed to be Ariston Lin (a friend of Luna) and Emiliana Trinidad (the same model Luna painted in his work “La Bulaquena”. 

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Woven Universes: Math, Method, Meaning, and Magic in Philippine Indigenous Textiles

WHERE: Mula sa Yuchengco Museum (Makati),  3/F Bridgeway Gallery  WHEN: Dec 2014 - Feb 2015,

MUSEUM HOURS Monday - Saturday  10 a.m. - 6 p.m.  ADMISSION FEES Adults - P100  Students - P50  Children - P25  Seniors - P25

Textiles from various Philippine indigenous groups have been selected from a private collection to highlight the aspects inherent to the creation and usage of the pieces. The quality, rarity, and condition of the selections make each of them outstanding, first, as ethnographic specimens, and, second, as objects of beauty and inspiration. But analyzed and annotated by scholars and academics from different fields, these textiles become springboards for further study and analysis. The Tausug pis yabit, the Yakan seputangan, and the Itneg pinilain and binakol show how weavers working in (what we, in the modern world, would call) difficult conditions have produced precise and meticulous designs that show an intuitive knowledge of mathematical symmetry. Motifs and meanings are revealed and explained in a mandaya wrap skirt and an outstanding Itneg horse-and-rider blanket. While a set of bark cloth ritual textiles from the Gaddang show how textiles were instrumental in connecting to the world of magic and spirits. Sophisticated methods of ornamentation are explored in the Maranao and Maguindanao malong, the Tausug kandit, and pieces from the Bagobo and Gaddang. Indeed, woven universes—complex, mythic, and minute—exist in each of these masterpieces by anonymous Pilipin@ master weavers. - via Yuchengco Musuem

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The hierarchy of the Philippines during Spanish colonization was based on nationality (place of birth), ethnicity, and racial mixing. Pure Spanish or Chinese blood did not guarantee one the highest of class, so even these ethnicities may have found that having mestizo children would be better.

It is interesting to note the following:

A mestizo of 1/2 Native American (Indio Americano) descent was valued higher than a mestizo of 1/2 Philippine Indio descent. This may have influenced the modern practice of Filipinos denying their Asian heritage in favor of their Hispanic heritage (whether real or imagined). This also is the source of resentment of Filipinos in the US—especially California—for people of Mexican heritage (Note: also part of the reason for this is Spain’s rule over the Philippines was through administration by the viceroyalty of Mexico).

There was a distinction made between Negritos and the rest of the Indio Filipino population. This probably is what has led to today’s discrimination of Negrito and African-American/Filipino individuals.

Even if one was full Spanish, having the nationality of Filipino put one lower than Spaniards born in Spain or the Americas and mestizos of American Indios. Perhaps this is part of the reason for the distinction between Fil-Ams and “FOBs” (in the US) as well as Kanos (here used to refer to Filipinos born in the States, Guam, or Saipan but living in the Philippines) and native Filipinos (born in raised in the Philippines)

A full blooded Chinese person was put above a full blooded indio, a half Chinese/Filipino person below a Spaniard/Filipino person, and a mix of all three ethnicities higher than a Spaniard/Filipino person. This has led to the resentment of Tsinoys (today’s Chinese Filipinos) by ethnic Filipinos without the same “mestiso worship” enjoyed by people who are of Eurasian descent.

The amount of Insulares was probably less than that of Peninsulares because less women migrated to the Philippines than men from Spain. For the men who migrated to the Philippines, they were more likely to be from the Americas than from Spain.

The information is not reflective of other ethnicities that were in the Philippines at the time such as African, Indian, or Japanese. Some further questions for this information may include: Was there a distinction made between Africans and Negritos? What was the difference, if any, in the caste of a Japanese/Filipino Mestizo or an Indian/Filipino and a Chinese/Filipino Mestizo? Were there indio ethnicities that were treated higher than other indio ethnicities (Ilocano vs Kapampangan; Visayan vs Bikolano)? Were mestizos of American, non-Mexican heritage placed lower than mestizos associated with Mexico?

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Sources and Readings

TEXTS

Colorism/Shadeism

FHM Philippines magazine pulls its March cover featuring beauty Bela Padilla after ‘racism’ outcry by Philip Caulfield

Filipinos and the Color Complex by Joanne L. Rondilla

Is Lighter Better?: Skin-Tone Discrimination Among Asian Americans by Joanne L. Rondilla, Paul R. Spickard

Pre-European Colorism and Post-colonial Racism in Asia and North Africa

"Shadeism": Lighter Isn’t Better by Saira Khan

Shadeism [documentary] by refuge productions

The Persistent Problem of Colorism: Skin Tone, Status, and Inequality by Margaret Hunter

Who’s Afraid of Kayumanggi? by Stephanie Dychiu

Filipin@s and Feminism

A systems approach to improving maternal health in the Philippines by Dale Huntington, Eduardo Banzon, and Zenaida Dy Recidoro

Does Feminism Have to Address Race? by Latoya Peterson

Early Feminism in the Philippines by Athena Lydia Casambre and Steven Rood

Feminism and race in the Philippines

Feminism and the present image of Filipino women

Filipiniana: Philippine Women’s Studies

News From the Tropics: Is there Feminism in the Philippines?

Philippines: Feminists Converse on Social Movement Building

The changing role of women in Philippine society by Cicely Richard

The changing role of women in Philippine society by G. Fitzsimmon

The changing role of women in Philippine society by Zakiya Mahomed

History

Barangay: 16th Century Filipino Culture and Society by William Henry Scott

Boxer Codex: Part 1 | Part 2

Colonial Pathologies by Warwick Anderson

Customs of the Tagalogs by Juan de Plasencia, O.S.F

El Filibusterismo (The Reign of Greed) by Dr. José Rizal, translated by Charles Derbyshire

Looking for the Prehispanic Filipino by William Henry Scott

Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) by Dr. José Rizal, translated by Charles Derbyshire

Philippine Gay Culture: From Binabae to Bakla, Silahis to MSM by J. Neil C. Garcia

Reading Song-Ming Records on the Pre-Colonial History of the Philippines by Wang Zhenping

Relation of the Conquest of the Island of Luzon: Manila, April 20, 1572

Relation of the Philipinas Islands and of the Character and Conditions of their Inhabitants by Miguel López de Legazpi [1569]

The Philippine Islands by Blair and Robertson

Indigenous Peoples

Indigenous Peoples/Ethnic Minorities and Poverty Reduction: Philippines by Raymundo D. Novillos and Daisy N. Morales 

Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines: A Country Case Study by David E. De Vera

La Mujer Indigena - The Native Woman by Lorna S. Torralba Titgemeyer

T’boli

The Philippines Indigenous Peoples’ Struggle for Land and Life: Challenging Legal Texts by Jose Mencio Molintas

The T’boli by Lourdes C. Manzano (NCCA article)

Language

Bending English for the Filipino Stage by Bienvenido L. Lumbara

The Politics of Philippine English: neocolonialism, global politics, and the subject of postcolonialism by T. Ruanni F. Tupas

The Privilege of the Nonnative Speaker by Claire Kramsch

Media Representation

"Apocalypse Yesterday Already!": Ifugao Extras and the Making of Apocalypse Now by Deidre McKay and Padmapani L. Perez

Children Watching Children: How Filipino Children Represent and Receive News Images of Suffering by Jonathan Corpus Ong

Filipinos Depicted in American Culture by Eileen Regullano

Mindanao Conflict

In Ongoing War in Muslin Mindanao, Women are Peacemakers and Breadwinners by Imelda V. Abaño 

Mindanao Conflict in the Philippines: Ethno-Religious War or Economic Conflict? by Rizal Buendia

War and Peace in Mindanao by Murray Smith

SITES

Anakbayan

Ethnic Groups of the Philippines

Filipiniana: The Premier Digital Library of the Philippines

Kapwa Collective

Pinoy Culture

Philippines from 1900 to 1915

This Is Not Pinoy

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Bulak tattoo names

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The Philippine Golden Age: Relics of Our Precolonial Past

Imagine an abundance of gold, where everyone from the noble upper class to the warriors to the common people to the slaves all were covered in gold ornaments. Being passed down from generation to generation or being buried with your gold possessions to take with you to the afterlife. This was the life of our ancestors prior to the arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th century. All genders, all social classes wore gold from gold necklaces, earrings, bracelets, armlets, to even extending that love for gold to making a threaded belt and hilts of swords and daggers made of gold.

"I do remember that once when I was solemnizing a marriage of a Bisayan principala, she was so weighed down with jewelry that it caused her to stoop — to me it was close to an arroba or so (1 arroba = 25 lbs.), which was a lot of weight for a girl of twelve. Then again, I also heard it said that her grandfather had a jar full of gold which alone weighed five or six arrobas. Even this much is little in comparison to what they actually had in ancient times.” - Francisco Ignacio Alcina, 1668

When the first Spaniards arrived on the islands of what is now known as the Philippines, from Magellan to Legazpi, they all recorded the gold jewelry that was numerous among the people they saw. They were shocked on the amount of gold they saw on a people who for the Spaniards dressed almost to naked, with the men who wore g-strings known as bahag and other various local terms, and their form of clothing was through their tattoos and gold ornaments. To the Spaniards they saw gold as a symbol of wealth, however the people they saw wore it as a part of their everyday clothing attire regardless of class and gender. One of the records that most illustrate this abundance and distribution of gold are the illustrations of pre-colonial Pilipinos in the Boxer Codex manuscript which is the only known manuscript from the Philippines to use gold leaf. Gold was actually the most mentioned topic in old Spanish historical accounts as it was everywhere. Numerous accounts mention how it could be seen on the persons of both men and women, child to elderly, noble to slave, and that these people could tell exactly where the gold came from by just looking at it.

Within recent years there have been archaeological digs and excavations of gold artifacts being found throughout the Philippines from Batangas to Samar to Butuan to Surigao. These artifacts are now housed in the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ Gold and Pottery Collection, Ayala Museum, the National Museum of the Philippines, and other museums in the U.S. and Europe. These finds shed a light to our rich pre-colonial history, a time when our ancestors produced gold as one of their main exports in trade. The goldsmiths of this time were highly skilled, some being able to create exquisite gold threads for sashes and belts all intricately beaded and woven together like a fabric. These techniques and the knowledge are sadly long gone and we do not know how exactly our ancestors processed and created these masterpieces.

"Nothing in the Indonesian repertoire or in the empires of Angkor [Cambodia] or Bagan [Myanmar], compare with these. It is unlikely that any ornament of the ancient world is comparable to the sheer scale of the goldsmiths’ ambitions or in the sense of excitement that the artisans themselves surely must have felt on beholding their own creations."

- John Micsik, Southeast Asian Studies Program, National University of Singapore

Gold Mining: How did our ancestors mine these gold?

"The Moros [of the Philippines] understand the laws of gold better than we do." -Francesco de Sande, 1577

Our ancestors knew how much gold we had. They knew how desirable it was to foreigners like the Spaniards, Chinese, Japanese, etc. However they knew the effects of mining and knew that it should stay in the earth. They regulated the gold mining pretty well, only mining when necessary such as when they need to trade it for something they needed. Our gold craftsmanship was so great and sophisticated, the Spanish were awed by it. However we knew not to take to much, only when necessary, which is why gold ornaments were passed down through the family by each generation. Because of that we didn’t need to really mine more gold because we passed previous ornaments down. So when the Spaniards came and tried to get our ancestors to tell them where gold reserves were and that they were wasting the abundance they had, our ancestors refused telling them it was better in the earth.

"They would rather keep it below the ground than in cash boxes because since they have wars, they can steal it in the house but not in the ground." - Juan Martinez, 1567

However when they did mine it usually took place in streams or riverbeds by the panning technique. The people who did this were called dulangan in Bisaya, coming from the word dulang, a wooden pan that was used while the activity itself was called pamiling, which meant sifting. The wooden trough or tub was called bilingan. In Bohol there was one such stream in Kabularan where as much as 2.4 grams were discovered a day. An actual mining site was called kalian while the term kotkot or kali was the term used to describe the act of mining in such a site. In Masbate, many miners from neighboring islands were attracted to these parts for gold mining and Masbate provided the famous itinerant goldsmiths of Bikol.

Gold Quality and Refining

"They mix it [gold] with copper so skillfully they will deceive the best artisans of Spain." - Hernando Riquel, 1573

The Bisayans called gold bulawan where as fine gold was himulawan. Our ancestors were extremely gifted in testing the quality of gold by being able to estimate the content on sight. Unfortunately these skills soon decreased in quality over the years of Spanish colonization. By the time Francisco Ignacio Alcina, a Jesuit priest who is widely known as recording the Bisayans in great detail, arrived he noted that though there was more goldsmiths, the quality of the goldwork decreased in which he believed was due to the disappearance to Philippine gold and the introduction of Mexican silver. However despite the low quality of the gold work during his time he had no doubt in his mind that our ancestors were remarkable skilled goldsmiths and giving such praise to them in his accounts.

"The many different kinds of large and small beads, all of what they call filigree work here…is clear evidence that they did careful, delicate, and beautiful work even better in their antiquity than now, since all ancient goldwork is of higher gold content and craftsmanship, than what is being made now…[ like the kamagi], a piece of jewelry of greater value and curiosity than could be expected of a people apparently so crude and uncivilized.” (Alcina, 1668)

There were various systems of valuing gold that existed in the islands.

Guinogulan — 22 carats, not traded Panica — 16-18 carats, 5 pesos per tael Linguingui — 4 pesos per tael Bielu — 3 pesos per tael Malubai — 2 pesos per tael

— Gov. Francisco de Sande (1577)

Ariseis — 23 carats three granos, 9 eight-real pesos per tael Guinogulan — 20 carats, 7 pesos per tael Orejeras (Panica) — 18 or 19 carats, 5.5 pesos per tael Linguin — 14 - 14.5 carats, 4 - 4.5 pesos per tael Bislin — 9 - 9.5 carats, 3 pesos per tael Malubay — 6 - 6.5 carats, 1.5 - 2 pesos per tael

— Martin Castanos, Procurator-General (1609-1616)

Guinuguran — not traded Ylapo — not traded Panica — not traded Linguinguin — four pesos a tael Malubay — two pesos a tael Bizlin — two pesos a tael

— Andres de Mirandaola (1569-1576)

Idelfonso de Santos found the following terminology used in the Tagalog language for reckoning gold purity:

Ginugilan — 22 carats Hilapo — 20 carats Palambo — 20 carats Wasay — 20 carats Urimbuo — 18 carats Panika — 16 carats Panikang bata — 14 carats Lingginging — 12 carats Lingginging bata — 10 carats Bislig — 8 carats

And from William Henry Scott, also using Tagalog sources:

Dalisay — 24 carats Ginugulan — 22 carats Hilapo — 20 carats Panangbo — “Somewhat less than 20 karats” Panika — 18 carats Linggingin — 14 carats Bislig — 12 carats

The panika and below were the ones usually traded while the more pure gold was kept as bahandi, heirlooms, to be passed down from one generation to the next.

Gold was refined using the salt process where it was molten into molten gold and the goldsmith would add salt, rock salt, and or/saltpeter. This was done to form compounds with other metals such as silver and copper and separating them from gold. This process was repeated until the desire purity of the gold was reached.

tumbaga — gold mixed with copper sumbat — gold mixed with silver hutok — gold mixed with copper and silver malamote — gold mixed with silver sombat — gold mixed with various metals including copper, brass and silver lauc — any gold alloy

"…what distinguishes the Philipipne goldworking tradition is that is displays a level of refinement matched only by the kingdom of Java. Although gold jewelry played an important role in mainland Southeast Asian kingdoms, such as those of Champa [Vietnam], Angkor [Cambodia], and Dvaravati [Thailand], these depended mostly on simple sheet and repousse methods of construction, rarely displaying the technical complexity and level of skill evident in the Philippine workmanship. only the Javanese goldsmiths rivaled their Philippine counterparts…"

- John Guy, Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

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