ALDERSGATE COLLEGE Philippine Popular Culture

COLLEGE OF ARTS, SCIENCES AND EDUCATION Vanessa Bianca G. Salvacion

MODULE 1: Introduction to Philippine Popular Culture

OVERVIEW
Popular culture is the set of practices, beliefs, and objects that embody the most broadly shared
meanings of a social system. It includes media objects, entertainment and leisure, fashion and trends, and
linguistic conventions, among other things.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
A. Define and frame the concepts of “culture”, “popular”, and “popular culture”.
B. Identify the different branches of Popular Culture.
C. Understand and Appreciate the history and evolution of Pop Culture in the Philippines.
D. Discuss the relationship between Media and Pop Culture.

LEARNING FOCUS
What is Popular Culture?
Popular culture is the set of practices, beliefs, and objects that embody the most broadly shared
meanings of a social system. It includes media objects, entertainment and leisure, fashion and trends, and
linguistic conventions, among other things. Popular culture is usually associated with either mass culture or
folk culture, and differentiated from high culture and various institutional cultures (political culture,
educational culture, legal culture, etc.). The association of popular culture with mass culture leads to a
focus on the position of popular culture within a capitalist mode of economic production. Through this
economic lens, popular culture is seen as a set of commodities produced through capitalistic processes
driven by a profit motive and sold to consumers. In contrast, the association of popular culture with folk
culture leads to a focus on subcultures such as youth cultures or ethnic cultures. Through this subculture
lens, popular culture is seen as a set of practices by artists or other kinds of culture makers that result in
performances and objects that are received and interpreted by audiences, both within and beyond the
subcultural group. Holistic approaches examine the ways that popular culture begins as the collective
creation of a subculture and is then appropriated by the market system. Key issues in the sociological
analysis of popular culture include the representation of specific groups and themes in the content of
cultural objects or practices, the role of cultural production as a form of social reproduction, and the extent
to which audiences exercise agency in determining the meanings of the culture that they consume.
Different Definitions of Popular Culture
In his wildly successful textbook "Cultural Theory and Popular Culture" (now in its 8th edition),
British media specialist John Storey offers six different definitions of popular culture.
 Popular culture is simply culture that is widely favored or well-liked by many people: it has no negative
connotations.
 Popular culture is whatever is left after you've identified what "high culture" is: in this definition, pop
culture is considered inferior, and it functions as a marker of status and class.

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ALDERSGATE COLLEGE Philippine Popular Culture
COLLEGE OF ARTS, SCIENCES AND EDUCATION Vanessa Bianca G. Salvacion
 Pop culture can be defined as commercial objects that are produced for mass consumption by non-
discriminating consumers. In this definition, popular culture is a tool used by the elites to suppress or
take advantage of the masses.
 Popular culture is folk culture, something that arises from the people rather than imposed upon them:
pop culture is authentic (created by the people) as opposed to commercial (thrust upon them by
commercial enterprises).
 Pop culture is negotiated: partly imposed on by the dominant classes, and partly resisted or changed
by the subordinate classes. Dominants can create culture but the subordinates decide what they keep
or discard.
 The last definition of pop culture discussed by Storey is that in the postmodern world, in today's world,
the distinction between "authentic" versus "commercial" is blurred. In pop culture today, users are free
to embrace some manufactured content, alter it for their own use, or reject it entirely and create their
own.
History and Evolution of Philippine Popular Culture
"Building a culture has to start with a foundation, and that foundation must necessarily be the
culture of the Filipino people if this could be separated with the encrustations grown on it by colonial rule."
Popular culture, according to National Artist for literature Bienvenido Lumbera in his book
Revaluation: Essays on Philippine Literature, Theatre and Popular Culture (1984), is highly different from
the folk culture and nationalist culture of the Filipinos. In a nutshell, folk culture is the way of living in a place
in a specific time and portrays the practices of a certain people, and on how they cope to survive with
nature. Nationalist culture is the culture created through colonial resistance with the collective of a people
on a given place and time. These two are different from popular culture which can be traced even in the
period of Hispanization of the Philippines.
According to Lumbera, popular culture in the Philippines was created and used by the Spaniards
to the native Filipinos or Indios via plays and literature to get the heart of the natives and win it. The colonial
origins of popular culture found in the Philippines can be traced by looking at salient developments in
Philippine literature. The first permanent Spanish settlement began replacing the native culture with a
Christian and European tradition. The children of the native elite under the tutelage of missionaries became
a core group of intelligentsia called 'ladinos', as they became instrumental "in bringing into the vernacular,
literary forms that were to be vehicles for the "pacification" of the natives". Forms of popular theatre and
literature such as "the pasyon, sinakulo, and korido ensured the acceptance and spread of Christianity, and
the komedya and awit did the same for the monarchy." Popular culture as introduced by the Spanish was
"popular" to the extent that it was a "watering-down of Spanish-European culture for the purpose of winning
the general populace over to the 'ideology' of the colonial regime." Popular culture at the time was created
by colonial authorities, with the aid of the local intelligentsia, to promote the interests of the Church and the
State.
However, once the native intelligentsia saw the effects of popular culture and knew how to work its
way as propaganda, they soon used the Spanish weapon against them. In the 19th century, through the
Propaganda movement, the native intelligentsia used the same forms of popular culture to "undermine the
power of the abusive friars and rally the populace to put an end to colonial rule" one example is the work of

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ALDERSGATE COLLEGE Philippine Popular Culture
COLLEGE OF ARTS, SCIENCES AND EDUCATION Vanessa Bianca G. Salvacion
Marcelo H. del Pilar when he soon used prayers such as the 'Aba, Ginoong Maria' and 'Ama Namin' in a
sort of parody to strike against the abusive Spanish Friars.
The advent of American colonialism brought, the properly so-called, popular culture to the
Philippines. The liberal policy regarding the printing press, soon through radio, television and film,
increased the circulation of of popular culture forms. Not only through these forms but also in new media
then, such as films. Hollywood films had a near-monopoly in the Philippine market especially in the
absence of European movies due to World War I.
Early on, the local intelligentsia has the same apprehensions over mass media as they called it
commercialisation, or vulgarisation of art. According to Lumbera, the local intelligentsia noticed that
"Popular literature as a commodity intended for a mass market was seen to pose a threat to serious artistic
work, because the writers accommodated his art to the demands of the publishers and editors who were
more interested in sales rather than aesthetics.
To see it in Lumbera's lens, "Popular culture is power, and whoever wields it to manipulate minds
is likely to find its literary and technological machinery turned against him when the minds it has
manipulated discover its potency as a political weapon."

Philippine Culture: What Makes the Filipinos Different From the Rest of the World
Each country is different from the rest of the world but what is it really about the Philippines that
makes it stand out among others? For one thing, it’s the Philippine culture.

The Pearl of the Orient Seas is not just famous for its beautiful islands but also for its Filipino culture and
values that deserve to be shared to the world. Here’s everything you need to know about the Philippines—
from the Filipino norms to the cultural practices in the Philippines, and more!

Filipino Culture

The Filipino culture has varied influences from previous colonizations, deriving mainly from the
culture of Spain and America. You can easily notice it from the architecture to the cultural beliefs in the
Philippines. Despite all of these foreign influences, the old Asian Filipino culture has been retained and are
clearly seen in their way of life, cultural beliefs in the Philippines, Filipino customs and traditions. Wherever
you go, the Filipino culture and values are very evident and have largely been appreciated and even
applauded in many parts of the world.

Filipino Values

The Filipino culture and values are just among the good things that are appreciated by many
people from across the world. In the Philippines, family is valued so much. Children live with their parents
until they are married. The Filipino family culture is something that many people applaud because the locals
value family time so much. 

Some other noteworthy and great Filipino values are as follow:

1. Bayanihan Filipino culture
2. Before, the Filipino men used to serenade (harana) a woman he was courting.
3. Filipinos call their older siblings “ate” for older sisters and  “kuya” for older brothers to show respect.
4. Hospitable
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ALDERSGATE COLLEGE Philippine Popular Culture
COLLEGE OF ARTS, SCIENCES AND EDUCATION Vanessa Bianca G. Salvacion
5. So much respect for the elderlies
6. Pagmamano or kissing the elder’s head on the forehead
7. Religious
8. Palabra de Honor
9. Pamamanhikan
10. Pakikisama

Music, Arts and Literature

Music, arts, and literature play a big role in the Philippine culture and arts because Filipinos are
very creative. When it comes to music, they use materials, usually raw, to create sound. This is just one of
the many examples of indigenous practices in the Philippines.
Filipinos are also fond of folklore, which was influenced by the early church and Spanish
literature. Myths are very famous in the Philippines culture, especially in the provinces. And when it comes
to literature, the Filipino culture never disappoints. Even Dr. Jose Rizal, the Philippines national hero, is
famous for his literature and novels about Philippine independence. As for the Philippine Pop Culture, many
artists are world-renowned such as Sarah Geronimo, Regine Velasquez, and Julie Anne San Jose among
others.
Philippine Folk Arts
Here are some Filipino culture examples from Luzon folk dance to Filipino cultural practices.
1. Architecture (Bahay Kubo (Nipa Hut), Bale (Ifugao House), Ivatan House, Torogan (Marano
House), Badjao’s Stilt Houses and Houseboats, Vinta (A traditional colorful boat in Mindanao)
2. Weaving and Clothing (Piña Fabric, T’Nalak Woven Cloth, Tapis, Yakan, Barong Tagalog, Baro at
Saya)
3. Philippine and Luzon folk dance (Carinosa, Tinikling, Itik-Itik, Sayaw sa Bangko, Pandanggo sa
Ilaw, Maglalatik)
Clothing
Before, the cultural practices in the Philippines when it comes to clothing is wearing baro’t saya for
women and barong tagalog for men. Baro’t saya is composed of a blouse and a long skirt with a “panuelo”.
Barong Tagalog was an almost see-through polo but throughout the centuries, the Barong Tagalog has
evolved. Buttons and collars were added, as well as intricate designs on its pina fabric and laces.
Underneath the transparent Barong Tagalog is the Camisa de Chino, a type of shirt, usually in white that is
said to have originated from the Chinese.
Culture and Tradition of Philippines: Celebrations
Another great thing to know about the Philippine culture is that Filipinos love celebrations! May it be
a simple event like a grade school moving up, birthdays, job promotions, or celebration for a patron saint,
no occasion is too small not to celebrate. 
For example in the culture and tradition of Philippines, the country is known to have the longest
Christmas in the world because as early as September, the people are already preparing for the season.
Philippine Festivals are also among the most remarkable cultural practices in the Philippines where
Filipinos give all-out to celebrate the province or town’s fiesta. 
Media, Popular Culture and their Relationship

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ALDERSGATE COLLEGE Philippine Popular Culture
COLLEGE OF ARTS, SCIENCES AND EDUCATION Vanessa Bianca G. Salvacion
Media and Popular Culture is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal that focuses on
the various aspects of popular culture and how it is intertwined with media. Popular culture is a movement
that was started in order to give voice to the common masses through different forms of media, such as
television shows, technology, magazines, folklore, sports, movies, contemporary books, paintings, sports,
fashion, pop music, and so on. It was initiated against the pre-existing culture of the upper class of the
society. Media and Popular Culture aims to study this distance between the hegemony of the elite class
and the struggle of the lower class, and how media has been playing an effective role to bridge this gap.
Interdisciplinary in nature, the journal pays attention to the interconnection of popular culture with ethnicity,
gender, identity, and social class.
Media and Culture are in correlation because communication media are hand down values and
norms of culture, culture hands down media content(discourse). By the heavy use and great value which
communication media are taking nowadays, culture and media can’t be separated from each other.
“Our languages are our media. Our media are our metaphors. Our metaphors manage the contents
of our culture”.
How Media Affects Culture and How Culture Affects Media
Media Affects Culture
The media affects people in varied ways, some are positive and others are negative.
Positive Aspects:
 The media shows us constructive information. It can boost self-esteem, heighten interest levels in a
particular subject, or encourage them.
 It is a getaway to places unknown, foreign and magical with knowledge of what goes on around us
without being physically present in that place.
 Video games today are increasingly active-oriented, making students get off their behind and engage
in games that require physical movement.
 Media also help us engage with other people around the world, and be more open and understanding
towards other cultures.
Negative Aspects:
 Students are influenced easily by what they see on television or the internet, mimicking such acts on
their elders, or other students.
 Obesity is on the rise for students who plant themselves in front of the television.
 The media can influence one to do things that aren’t moral, like getting into substance abuse.
Culture Affects Media
 Culture is the set of learned behaviors, beliefs, attitudes, values and ideals that are characteristics of a
particular society or population.
 Media cannot escape the cultural influence. Culture provides media with sources for content.
 All contents are derived from culture including entertainment, new and advertisement.

Conclusion
Media plays the biggest role in popularizing pop culture. Individuals in the modern society are
highly exposed to the media, and most of them desire to be like the celebrities they watch. Women and

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ALDERSGATE COLLEGE Philippine Popular Culture
COLLEGE OF ARTS, SCIENCES AND EDUCATION Vanessa Bianca G. Salvacion
teenagers are the ones greatly influenced by what is presented by the pop genres. Nevertheless, pop
culture impacts the society in both positive and negative manner. All that pop culture expresses should
influence the thoughts, trends,behaviors and tastes among other living styles aspects of the people in the
society in a positive way.

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ALDERSGATE COLLEGE Philippine Popular Culture
COLLEGE OF ARTS, SCIENCES AND EDUCATION Vanessa Bianca G. Salvacion

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