Filipina Soul

Just like the proverbs of King Solomon, the Philippine version of proverbs (salawikain) have been used since time immemorial to teach wisdom to the young and those who go astray.
Here are some more Philippine proverbs and the Tagalog translation. I alos added some explanations where needed.
1. Gaano man ang tibay ng piling abaka, ay wala ring lakas kapag nag-iisa. (However durable the choice hemp may be, one strand of it will not be strong enough.)
Explanation: There is strength in numbers.
2. Mapa-doon, mapa-dito, dala-dala’y araro. (Whether here or there, you carry the plow).
Explanation: The plow is …read more

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I have a new set of riddles for you to try! These aren’t too hard, so I hope you guess all of them.
1. Ang paa’y apat, hindi makalakad. (It has four feet, but cannot walk.)
2. Hindi akin, hindi iyo, ari ng lahat ng tao. (It’s not mine, it’s not yours, but it belongs to everyone.)
3. Aling paa ang nasa ulo? (Whose feet are on one’s head?)
4. Itinanim sa kagabihan, inani sa kaumagahan. (It was planted at night time, and harvested in the morning.)
5. Hindi naman bulag, di makakita sa liwanag. (It is not blind, yet it cannot see in the …read more

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The new version of the Panatang Makabayan (Philippine patriotic oath) retains many of the original lines. Some words have been changed, and it seems shorter in general.

I miss the last lines of the old version:
Sisikapin kong maging isang tunay na Pilipino,sa isip, sa salita at sa gawa.

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Here’s how the old version of Panatang Makabayan, the Philippine patriotic oath, sounds. This video is reportedly shown in movie houses all over the Philippines.

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When I was a student, the singing of the national anthem was invariably followed by a recitation of the Philippine patriotic oath, “Panatang Makabayan“. This is the Panatang Makabayan as I recited it then:
Panatang Makabayan (old version)
Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas.Ito ang aking lupang sinilangan.Ito ang tahanan ng aking lahi.Ako’y kanyang kinukupkop at tinutulungan,Upang maging malakas, maligaya at kapakipakinabang.
Bilang ganti ay diringgin ko ang payo ng aking mga magulang.Susundin ko ang mga tuntunin ng aking paaralan.Tutuparin ko ang tungkulin ng isang mamamayang makabayan at masunurin sa batas.
Paglilingkuran ko ang aking bayan nang walang pag-iimbot at nang buong katapatan. Sisikapin kong maging …read more

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Have I told you I love Flickr? Well, I do, since I’ve been meeting engaging photo-enthusiasts that side of the Pacific. (By that, I mean Philippines). They have generously shared their photos of their travels across the Philippines such as in the Tubbataha Reef, the Malacanang Palace of the North, Paoay Church, Ilocos Norte sand dunes, Intramuros and many others.
Just last night I emailed one cool guy who let me use his photos, with proper permission, and then pointed me to one great resource for travel!  OLD MANILA WALKS! Yes, I did use “walk” and “Manila” in one sentence. …read more

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Translated from Spanish for “within the walls”, the 400-year old city called Intramuros was once the seat of power in the Philippines. Within its walls, Intramuros displayed the best of Spain in the newly conquered archipelago of the Philippines.
Intramuros was designed after a star fort (very flat structure composed of many triangular bastions, specifically designed to cover each other, and a ditch). Surrounded by 8 feet thick stone walls that rise up to 22 feet, the city was built to protect the Spanish government and citizens from raiding Chinese pirates.
But the city was also a picture of how …read more

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Just look at these numbers!

Of the more than nine million registered users of Multiply, 2.2 million are Filipinos, outnumbering even nationalities with a bigger population base such as the United States, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brazil.
Of the two million photos uploaded to the Multiply every day, one million belong to Filipinos.
Of Multiply’s monthly page views of 1 billion, close to 30 percent are by Filipinos. This translates to 335 million page views a month by Filipinos alone.

Filipinos have this insatiable desire to connect online, and that didn’t pass notice with the president and founder of Multiply, Peter Pezaris. He is …read more

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A couple of months ago, the Philippine American Writers and Artists, Inc. (PAWA) launched the book “Field of Mirrors: An Anthology of Philippine American Writers”,  which features 71 Philippine American writers from all over the US.
On June 7, 2008, Filipino and Filipino-American writers whose works appear in the anthology will be at the Evanston Public Library for a reading and signing of the book. The event is part of the celebrations of the 110th anniversary of Philippine independence from Spain.
The authors who will be present are Rey E. de la Cruz, Rey Escobar, Almira A. Gilles, Susan T. Layug, Jennifer …read more

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The best way I can explain the importance to you, is with this question:  Can you imagine wanting to share a story, a thought or a belief with forty people and preparing what you had to say, choosing the right words and nervously approaching them and then saying what you had to say, you say it just as you planned and you wait for the response and the person you are talking to listens to you, looks at you and just walks away.  Without a smile, a frown – no reaction.  They just walk away.  And out of the forty …read more

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