Indigenous People of the Philippines
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Welcome to the second week of PAHM! If you haven’t heard already, the PAHM/FAHM theme for this year is recognized by the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) as “Pinay Visionaries: Celebrating Filipina American Women” and their contributions to history and the Filipina/o American community nationwide. I hold this theme so near and dear to my heart, and I am so inspired by both the strong Filipina women that have paved the way for female empowerment in our past, and also the ones I am blessed to be surrounded with in my everyday life.Throughout history, Pinay (Filipina American women) leaders, laborers, scholars, scientists, and activists have been the backbone of the Filipina/o American community. These Filipina Americans have overcome racial and gender discrimination, and have persevered to contribute to their respective fields. This year, we celebrate Filipina American women across the United States, including one very special Pinay in particular: one of my role models, Fe Del Mundo.Fe del Mundo was a Filipino pediatrician who was the first woman to be admitted to Harvard Medical School in 1936- over ten years before the school officially began admitting women. When she applied, the Harvard officials did not realize Fe’s gender based on her name, surprising them all when she showed up as a woman- but her record was so strong that it was not a valid enough excuse to revoke her acceptance!She was also the first woman to be named National Scientist of the Philippines in 1980, and founded the first pediatric hospital in the Philippines. Del Mundo revolutionized Philippine medicine, making major breakthroughs in immunization and in the treatment of jaundice, and providing healthcare to thousands of poor families. Since she sold her home to fund the opening of The Children’s Medical Center in 1957, Fe took up residence on the second floor of the hospital. She continued her public service- which spanned 8 decades- until the twilight years of her life. “The angel of Santo Tomas” was still making rounds to check on patients when she was wheelchair-bound at the age of 99.This month, I ask of you to honor all the Filipina women in your life. Make it a mission to lift each other up in a world that often limits our power and passion - to women and our Filipinx community alike.
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WELCOME TO PAHM
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I was filling out an official form a couple of days ago, writing my full name in the given boxes letter by letter when I suddenly ran out of space. My full name is VERY long, and I’m sure some of you can relate to my experience… but why do Filipino names tend to be extremely long? For the most part, Filipinos abide by the Spanish naming system of using both paternal and maternal surnames, the latter constituting the "middle name". If you’re lucky, you also receive a two-part first name as well, if your parents want to include a “second name” the way that the Western naming system uses middle names. For example, my full name is Regina (first name) Alexandra (second name) Gonzales (mother’s maiden name) San Andres (paternal surname). It is also very common for Filipino parents to combine their given names to create a name for their child. For example, Maria + Carlos = Maricar. One fun name combo that is truly Filipino is Jejomar, which is a combination of Jesus, Joseph, and Mary- reflecting both Filipinos’ creativity in choosing names and their strong Catholic faith! Filipinos are also fans of cute monikers or nicknames when they don’t want to pronounce their lengthy full names, like Boy, Nene, Girlie, Baby, etc. Many of these nicknames stem from the propensity of Filipinos to have large, tight-knit families and are terms of endearment for those they love. Next time you are at a family party, be sure to ask your Titas and Titos where their names/nicknames came from!
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Hi everyone!! I’ve been listening to a bunch of throwback songs from a lot of Filipino-American artists lately, and I thought I would share a list of iconic Fil-Am songs that many of us in Troy Phi know and love! It’s important to show support to our fellow Filipino-Americans when we can, and one way to do so is to stream their music. These are my personal favorites:
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The third week of school is starting and for many students the feeling of homesickness is continuing to grow stronger since saying “Good bye!” to their loved ones or it is starting to creep up. Family is a big part of Filipino culture. With often large extended families, people you call “cousin” even when they really are not, and meeting titos & titas (aunts & uncles) you’ve never seen before, many Filipinos and Filipino-American grow up with a high regard for tight-knit families and a good understanding of the respect we give to our elders. One of the main ways Filipinos show respect to our elders, whether they be family or strangers, is through a gesture called mano or pagmamano. This gesture is done whenever you arrive or leave a place where the elder is at. In order to mano, you press your forehead to the elder’s hand. While completing the gesture, sometimes you say “Mano po” which translates to asking the elder for a blessing (Tagalog Tip: “po” is always added whenever interacting with elders as a sign of respect). Then, the elder replies with “God bless you”. However, more often than not, the mano is completed without the dialogue. This gesture is done whenever you arrive or leave a place where the elder is at.
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Troy Phi’s staple Bahay Kubo X Dollar Hits Social event is this Thursday! While dishes such as lumpia, bistek, and adobo may ring a bell, Filipino Street Foods are a whole different ball game. At Dollar Hits, the seemingly endless unfamiliar options to choose from may be overwhelming. If you do not know where to start, here are my Top 3 Favorite Filipino Street Foods:
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As the new school year rolls in, Johannah and I would like to say… MABUHAY Troy Phi! Mabuhay comes from the root word buhay, meaning “life.” This word is used as a toast during gatherings or parties, akin to “viva” in Spanish, “aloha” in the Austronesian languages, and “long live” in English. A more modern usage of mabuhay is used to greet newcomers or foreigners to one’s humble abode. Our Tagalog word of the day is not only our country’s way of saying “welcome” to new visitors, but it also acts as a symbol of hospitality in our Filipino culture. This greeting encapsulates our way of embracing and giving love to even new strangers to our beautiful country. We always treat others like family- both in our homeland and our homes away from home. To me, I found a family in our vibrant Filipino community here at USC. We hope you can find a home in Troy Phi too.
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Spring 2019
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Hey everybody!
In honor of Pilipinx Visibility Week, for this week's culture corner we'll be highlighting "Float", an upcoming Pixar short film written and directed by fellow Filipino-American, Bobby Rubio! "Float" is set to showcase Pixar's first Filipino characters, hopefully opening the door up for more Filipinx directors and stories to follow! A release date hasn't been set for "Float", but here's a brief synopsis: "In FLOAT, a father discovers that his son is different from other kids in the most unusual way. To keep them both safe from judgement, Dad covers him and keeps him out of sight—but when his son’s ability becomes public, Dad must decide whether to run and hide or to accept his son as he is." Mahal ka namin, Richelle & Judge - Community & Culture Chairs |
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Since this week’s GM revolves around self-care and mental health, we wanted to focus on a big problem in the Filipino/American community that greatly affects our mental health:
Colonial Mentality = a prominent form of self-hate & internalized racism in the Filipino community that stems from the preference for all things foreign over our own Since the Philippines was colonized by Spanish, and then later by America, Filipinos were forced to assimilate to these different cultures to which they were shamed for their traditional Filipino ways. Forms of this includes: - Being ashamed to eat Filipino food and accepting American food as “better” - Using papaya/whitening soap to have lighter skin and satisfy western beauty standards - Being embarrassed to speak Tagalog You can learn more colonial mentality and how it negatively affects our mental health here We don’t need any of that colonial mentality here -- we’re all beautiful and amazing BECAUSE we are Filipino. Love yourself, you’re amazing for who you are and don’t need to give into the colonizers <3 Brown is beautiful, Richelle & Judge - Community & Culture Chairs |
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Members of the Family
Since this week is KAA reveals, we want to focus on the different members of the family. Pamilya = family Tatay = dad Nanay = mom Anak = child, son, or daughter Kuya = older brother Ate = older sister Ading = younger sibling Lolo/Lola= grandpa/grandma Tito/Tita = uncle/auntie Pinsan = cousin Pamangkin = niece or nephew Ninong/Ninang = godfather/godmother Also in Filipino culture, everyone is pretty much considered family to the point where you may not even know who your “real” titos/titas are. They may be your parent’s siblings, but at the same time your titos/titas may be your mom’s best friend’s sister who she went to nursing school with -- and that is still okay! In the Philippines, you can also call random strangers, (i.e. jeepney/bus drivers, Jollibee waitresses, cashiers, etc.) who may be older than you, Kuya or Ate. In the end, we’re all pamilya. Mahal ka namin, Richelle & Judge - Community & Culture Chairs |
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For many Filipinos, street food is a pretty popular and easy way to make money because it doesn’t require too much equipment to set up and its an easy to sell for a profit.
Some of the more popular street foods include BBQ skewers, Isaw (intestines), Kwek Kwek (quail eggs), and balut (fertilized duck egg). Street foods not only highlight “filipino ingenuity” by using ALL parts of the animal, but are an important staple at parties and get-togethers in the Philippines! So although some of the foods may be a bit intimidating at first, they’ve been enjoyed by generations of Filipinos, so don’t be afraid to try something new this Thursday! For more on different pinoy street foods, here’s an article on some of the most popular ones: http://www.pepper.ph/the-secret-origins-of-6-pinoy-street-food-staples/ |
“Hugot” is a Filipino term that literally means “to draw out”. It’s mainly used today in Filipino slang to describe moments that draw out deep emotions. (aka simping, sadboi/girl hours)
Looking at modern Filipino culture, you can see that #hugot is a pretty common theme. Whether it be through teleseryes (Filipino TV Dramas), music, or corny facebook posts, it seems as though there’s never a bad time to get in your feels!
And in case the end of January has you already in your feels (shouts to all the seniors), here’s a Spotify playlist to help you out:
https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX12Zn55QZM3w?si=6qOYT9nkSG6UJ0UXncEW0A
As a bonus, here’s a compilations of Jollibee ads that are CERTIFIED hugot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtVgFU7caOs
Looking at modern Filipino culture, you can see that #hugot is a pretty common theme. Whether it be through teleseryes (Filipino TV Dramas), music, or corny facebook posts, it seems as though there’s never a bad time to get in your feels!
And in case the end of January has you already in your feels (shouts to all the seniors), here’s a Spotify playlist to help you out:
https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX12Zn55QZM3w?si=6qOYT9nkSG6UJ0UXncEW0A
As a bonus, here’s a compilations of Jollibee ads that are CERTIFIED hugot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtVgFU7caOs
“Mano po”
Mano or pagmamano is an “honoring-gesture” used in Filipino culture performed as a sign of respect to elders and as a way of requesting a blessing from the elder. Similar to hand-kissing, the person giving the greeting bows towards the hand of the elder, says “Mano po,” and presses his or her forehead on the elder’s hand. “Mano po” literally means can I ask for your blessing?, and the elder may respond, “God bless you” or “May the Lord have mercy on you”. Mostly “Mano Po” is done when someone is leaving or arriving in the place and they ask for the blessings from parents, grandparents, uncles, aunt, and godfather and godmother (ninong and ninang).
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrjY85QhLz9/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
Mahal ka namin,
Richelle & Judge - Community & Culture Chairs
Mano or pagmamano is an “honoring-gesture” used in Filipino culture performed as a sign of respect to elders and as a way of requesting a blessing from the elder. Similar to hand-kissing, the person giving the greeting bows towards the hand of the elder, says “Mano po,” and presses his or her forehead on the elder’s hand. “Mano po” literally means can I ask for your blessing?, and the elder may respond, “God bless you” or “May the Lord have mercy on you”. Mostly “Mano Po” is done when someone is leaving or arriving in the place and they ask for the blessings from parents, grandparents, uncles, aunt, and godfather and godmother (ninong and ninang).
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrjY85QhLz9/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
Mahal ka namin,
Richelle & Judge - Community & Culture Chairs
To start off the spring semester, our first Tagalog phrase of the week will be “kaibigan”
*ka·i·bí·gan*
(n.) friend
Hopefully you’ll all be able to make new *KAIBIGANS* this semester in Troy Phi! We’re definitely excited to welcome some new *KAIBIGANS* into the club and to help cultivate the sense of *kapwa* (togetherness) with both our new and old members!
-Richelle and Judge
Community & Culture Co-Chairs
*ka·i·bí·gan*
(n.) friend
Hopefully you’ll all be able to make new *KAIBIGANS* this semester in Troy Phi! We’re definitely excited to welcome some new *KAIBIGANS* into the club and to help cultivate the sense of *kapwa* (togetherness) with both our new and old members!
-Richelle and Judge
Community & Culture Co-Chairs
This week, we’ll be highlighting “It’s Showtime”, one of the most popular Filipino shows on tv! Showtime is a live variety show that airs weekdays and Saturdays, and highlights Filipino music, arts, and humor all in one. The show has different competitions ranging from best lookalikes to best hypebeasts, and an actual singing competition!
Watching showtime always keeps us up to date with the latest in modern FIlipino culture, so if you ever see a re-run on TFC, be sure to check it out!
Get ready for a lil throwback to your middle school days, because we’ll be highlighting some of the most popular Fil-Am youtubers for this week’s culture corner!
During the early days of youtube, icons like AJ Rafael, JR Aquino and Jeremy Passion were part of the wave of Filipino and Asian American Youtubers that helped bring more representation to Asian-Americans as a whole in mainstream media.
We’re willing to bet that you’ve probably heard some of their songs like “We Could Happen” (AJ Rafael), “By Chance” (JR Aquino), and “Lemonade” (Jeremy Passion)!
We Could Happen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgselUm89YA
Lemonade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRQLdPO0x24
By Chance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IlvQVbsaiE
During the early days of youtube, icons like AJ Rafael, JR Aquino and Jeremy Passion were part of the wave of Filipino and Asian American Youtubers that helped bring more representation to Asian-Americans as a whole in mainstream media.
We’re willing to bet that you’ve probably heard some of their songs like “We Could Happen” (AJ Rafael), “By Chance” (JR Aquino), and “Lemonade” (Jeremy Passion)!
We Could Happen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgselUm89YA
Lemonade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRQLdPO0x24
By Chance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IlvQVbsaiE
As some of you may have noticed, we’ve been calling it “Pilipino” instead of Filipino, so this week we’ll be discussing the difference between the two!
In baybayin, the native script of the Philippines, the sound/letter F did not exist. Because of this, spaces have used the letter P as a way to decolonize ourselves from colonial influences, and bring it back to our original Pilipino roots!
In baybayin, the native script of the Philippines, the sound/letter F did not exist. Because of this, spaces have used the letter P as a way to decolonize ourselves from colonial influences, and bring it back to our original Pilipino roots!
This week’s culture corner is dedicated to the kubig! This is a jaw harp made with bamboo and is one of the more well known traditional musical instruments. Found all throughout the Philippines, the design and name of the instrument changes from region to region. Meranao and other groups in Southern Mindanao call it the Kubing, while the Tagalogs call it Barmbaw. It’s the Kuláing for the Kapampangans, and Kinaban for the Hanunoo Mangyans. The Ibaloi and Kalinga calls it Koding, while it’s known as the Aroding in Palawan. This instrument is known to be used as a way for our ancestors to communicate through song, especially during courtship. The Kubing is played by placing the instrument between the lips and the end is plucked to create different notes and sound, depending on the tempo and rhythm of the plucking.
Sinigang
This week, we’ll be giving a little sneak peak at our first GM with a Filipino classic recipe: Sinigang! We won’t spoil too much though, so if you want to learn more about the history or even try cooking it yourself (or other pinoy classics), come thru to our GM THIS THURSDAY!!!
Ingredients:
* 2 lbs. pork belly sliced into cubes
* 2 to 3 cups kangkong leaves
* 3 pieces long green chili pepper siling pansigang
* 2 pieces tomato quartered
* 1 cup sliced daikon radish labanos
* 10 to 12 pieces snake beans cut in 2 inch length pieces
* 1 piece onion quartered
* 15 pieces okra
* 2 pieces taro peeled and cut in half (gabi)
* 8 cups water
* 2 packs Sinigang sa Sampaloc Mix (or more depending on how sour you like it)
* 3 tablespoons fish sauce patis
* ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions:
1. Pour water into a cooking pot. Let boil
2. Add onion and tomato. Boil for 5 to 8 minutes.
3. Put the pork in the cooking pot. Boil for 25 minutes.
4. Add the taro. Cover and continue to boil for 30 minutes.
5. Add Sinigang mix, fish sauce, and ground black pepper; stir.
6. Put the daikon radish in. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
7. Add the chili peppers, okra, and snake beans. Cook for 7 minutes.
8. Add the kangkong. Cover the cooking pot and turn off the heat. Let it stay covered for 5 minutes.
9. Transfer to as serving bowl. Serve with a small bowl with patis and spicy chili.
10. Share and enjoy!
Tagalog Phrase of the Week
“Bahala ka sa buhay mo.”
Roughly translated in English to: “Whatever, do what you want. It’s your life.” If you ever heard your parents or grandparents tell you this, then you know you really fluffed up. This phrase is typically used as a warning/scolding by your parents when you want to do something you shouldn’t. Basically they’re telling you, “Fine, suit yourself. Don’t come crying back to me if something bad happens.”
“Bahala ka sa buhay mo.”
Roughly translated in English to: “Whatever, do what you want. It’s your life.” If you ever heard your parents or grandparents tell you this, then you know you really fluffed up. This phrase is typically used as a warning/scolding by your parents when you want to do something you shouldn’t. Basically they’re telling you, “Fine, suit yourself. Don’t come crying back to me if something bad happens.”
Current Event - Typhoon Ompong
Just recently, the motherland has been hit with a Typhoon Ompong (Mangkhut). Typhoon Ompong roared through the Philippines this past Saturday, September 15th, after tens of thousands of people evacuated their homes ahead of the 550-mile-wide storm. The storm arrived at 1:40 a.m. local time with maximum sustained winds of around 120 miles per hour. 65 deaths have been reported since while the areas including Cagayan Valley, Isabela, Abra and Benguet, Mayoyao, Ifugao, and Ilocos Norte are under a state of calamity due to Ompong.
We hope for everyone’s safety as our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected, including the family members of our very own TP members. We’ll be releasing more info later on about opportunities and resources for how we all can give back and contribute to typhoon relief efforts, so keep an eye out for that!
For this week’s culture corner, we’ll be highlighting “The Beatles of the Philippines”, the Eraserheads!
Formed in 1989, the Eraserheads captivated Filipino audiences throughout the whole of the 90’s with their new alt-rock style and relatable lyrics.
They found so much success that they ended up being the most commercially successful Filipino band of all time, cementing themselves as kings in the OPM (Original Pilipino Music) genre.
If you ever find yourself in the Philippines and looking for a song to sing in karaoke, you can’t go wrong with one of their Filipino classics!
“Ang Huling El Bimbo” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lajnSJZpI34
“Pare Ko” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgXEBQWlj-4
“With a Smile” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtqAUOxwh-k
Formed in 1989, the Eraserheads captivated Filipino audiences throughout the whole of the 90’s with their new alt-rock style and relatable lyrics.
They found so much success that they ended up being the most commercially successful Filipino band of all time, cementing themselves as kings in the OPM (Original Pilipino Music) genre.
If you ever find yourself in the Philippines and looking for a song to sing in karaoke, you can’t go wrong with one of their Filipino classics!
“Ang Huling El Bimbo” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lajnSJZpI34
“Pare Ko” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgXEBQWlj-4
“With a Smile” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtqAUOxwh-k
#TPcooks! This week on Culture Corner, you will get to learn how to make chicken adobo! For those of you who may not know, chicken adobo is a traditional Filipino dish that originated in Ilocos as a part of indigenous cooking methods of using vinegar and salt to preserve food. The word adobo is even derived from the Spanish word adobar, which means “marinade” or “pickling sauce.” This dish is a classic, and super duper easy to make if you follow the recipe below:
Chicken Adobo Recipe:
Ingredients:
3 lbs of chicken (cut into serving pieces)
½ cup of soy sauce
⅓ cup of white vinegar
⅓ cup of water
2 tbsp of cooking oil
1 large onion (sliced)
3 bay leaves
5 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 tbsp of whole peppercorn
1 tbsp of granulated sugar sugar
Salt
Directions:
Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken pieces until golden brown on both sides.
Stir in the onion and garlic; cook until they soften and brown for about 6 minutes.
Pour in vinegar and soy sauce. Add black pepper, bay leaves, and sugar. Increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil.
Once at a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 35-40 minutes until the chicken is tender and cooked through
Add salt for taste.
Serve with rice and enjoy! :slightly_smiling_face:
Stay tuned for more #TPcooks, where you get to learn how to make delicious Filipino food, in addition to learning about the history behind them!!