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 outcomes
1. Define and frame the concepts of culture, popular, and popular culture.
2. Identify the different branches of popular culture
3. Understand and appreciate the history and evolution of Pop culture in the Philippines.
4. Discuss the relationship between Media and Pop Culture.

Learning Focus
What is Popular Culture?
Popular culture is a 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 the subculture lens, popular culture is seen as a set of practices by artists or other kinds of culture
makers that results in performances and on 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
sociological 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 (John Storey, Cultural Theory and Popular Culture 8th ed.)
1. Popular culture is simply culture that is widely favored or well-liked by many people: it has no negative
connotations.
2. Popular culture is whatever is left after you’ve identified what “high culture” is: I this definition, pop
culture is considered inferior, and it functions as a marker of status and class.
3. 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 elites to suppress or take
advantage of the masses.
4. Popular culture is folk culture, something that arises from the people rather than upon them: pop culture
is authentic (created by the people) as opposed to commercial (thrust upon them by commercial
enterprises)
5. Pop culture 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.
 6. Pop culture 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 Philippines Popular Culture

“Building a culture has to start with a foundation, and that foundation must necessary 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 and 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 development 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 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 19 th 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 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 advert 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
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
commercialization, or vulgarization 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
dscover 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 sister and “kuya” for older brothers to show respect.
4. Hospitable
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 become Filipinos are very
creative. When it comes to music, they use materials, usually raw, to create sound. This is just one of the many
example of indigenous practices in the Philippines.
Filipino are also fond of folklore, which was influenced by the early church and Spanish literatures.
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 literatures
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 (Maranao
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 ( cariñosa, 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” –
derived from the Spanish “paño” –uelo, which means scarf, or alampay is a Filipino lace – like embroided neck
scarf or shawl worn around the shoulder over the camisa (blouse). And it Symbolizes feminism.
Barong tagalog was an almost see-through polo but throughout the centuries, the Barong Tagalog has
evoleved. Buttons and collars were added, as well as intricate designs on its piña 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 Filipino 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
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 gap. Interdisciplinary in nature, the journal pays attention to
the interconnection of popuar 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
Positive aspects:
1. The media shows us constructive information. It can boost self-esteem. Heighten interest levels in a
particular subject, or encourage them.
2. It is a getaway to places unknown, foreign and magical with knowledge of what goes around us
without being physically present in that place.
3. Video games today are increasingly active-oriented, making students get off their behind and
engage in games that require physical movement.
4. Media also help us engage with other people around the world, and be more open and
understanding towards other cultures.
Negative Aspects:
1. Students are influenced easily by what they see on television or the internet, mimicking such acts
on their elders, or other students.
2. Obesity is on the rise for students who plant themselves in front of the television.
3. Media can influence one to do things that aren’t moral, like getting into substance abuse.
Culture affects media
1. Culture is the set of learned behaviors, beliefs, attitudes, values and ideals that are characteristics
of a particular society or population.
2. Media cannot escape the cultural influence. Culture provides media with sources for content.
3. All contents are derived from culture including entertainment, news and advertisement.