INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE POPULAR CULTURE

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.

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", 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.
 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, 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 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, televi sion
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 W orld 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 tumed 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
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, TNalak 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
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 f or
content.
 All contents are derived from culture including entertainment, new and advertisement.