Category Archives: Culture and Traditions

The Kabuki-sa (Tokyo, Japan)

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Kabuki-za (Kabuki Theater)

The fifth building on the site, it was first built as a wooden structure in 1889 but this was destroyed by an electrical fire on October 30, 1921.  Reconstruction began in 1922 but had not been completed when it again burned down during the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake.

Rebuilding was finally completed in 1924. Destroyed once again by the 1945 Allied bombing during World War II, the theater was restored in 1950, preserving the style of 1924 reconstruction.  It was, until recently, one of Tokyo’s more dramatic and traditional buildings.

The author

In the spring of 2010, the 1950 structure was demolished, due to concerns over the building’s ability to survive earthquakes as well as accessibility issues, and rebuilt over the ensuing three years. The new theater complex was opened on March 28, 2013 and staged its first performances on April 2, 2013.

Grace and Jandy

The new structure, designed by Japanese architect  Kengo Kuma (whose works include Tokyo’s Suntory Museum of Art and the Nezu Museum), kept the style of the 1924 structure which was in the Wafu-Momoyama style (with its signature extravagant façade), an ornate Baroque Japanese Revivalist style meant to evoke the architectural details of Japanese castles as well as temples of pre-Edo period.

The Kabuki-sa Tower looming over the theater facade

While the theater still looks much the same as in 1924, it now has the attached 29-floor Kabukiza Tower office block looming over it. The office building’s fifth floor gallery displays Kabuki costumes and props that have been used in actual performances as well as other culture-related exhibitions.

The theater’s ticket booth

The theater, consisting of three floors, has 1,808 seats, three height-adjustable stages, of varying sizes, as well as an even larger height-adjustable stage and a new revolving stage. Performances are held most days of the month.  If you aren’t sure about committing to an entire show, you can purchase single-act tickets (Hitomaku-mi) for  ¥1,000-¥2,000.

Kabukiza Theater: 4 Chome-12-15 Ginza, Chūō, Tokyo 104-0061, Japan. Tel: 03-3545-6800.  Website: www.kabuki-bito.jp.

How to Get There: The theater is a short walk from Higashi-Ginza Station Exit 3 on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line or the Toei Subway Asakusa Line.

Pamulaklakin Forest Trail (Subic Freeport Zone)

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Media group with Tata Kasoy at Pamulaklakin Forest Trail

Come morning of our third and last day at Subic Freeport Zone, after breakfast at Le Charme Suites, we proceeded to the Pamulaklakin Forest Trail, an eco-tourism park that is home to over 300 Aeta families under the Tribung Aetang Ampala.

Check out “Hotel and Inn Review: Le Charme Suites”

Upon arrival, we met up with the 64 year old Aeta tribal elder Dominador Liwanag.  Fondly called “Tata Kasoy,” he is a renowned instructor of the Jungle Environmental Survival Training (JEST) course offered to tourists and American servicemen.

Dominador Liwanag AKA Tata Kasoy

With the Aeta’s signature curly hair, small body structure and a dark complexion, this fully licensed guide was also friendly in nature.  Best representing the culture of the Aeta community in Subic, Tata Kasoy is frequently featured in various television programs.

Wearing his traditional red bahag (loincloth) and headscarf, he had an entertaining way of demonstrating to us how to survive in the forest.   Using the versatile bamboo, he showed us how to start a fire, make cooking utensils and prepare and cook food.

As part of his tribe’s belief in anitos (nature spirits), Tata Kasoy also demonstrated how to acknowledge and give thanks to the spirits before partaking of the cooked food. According to him, they oftentimes prepare another set of food as an offering to the anito.

The author (with bow and arrow) posing with Tata Kasoy

After the interesting demonstration of Aeta culture concluded, we had our pictures taken with Tata Kasoy who directed the session itself, posing with the weapons such as bow and arrow, knives and spears.

Later, the young ones, accompanied by Aling Teresita, tried out the Mini-Jungle Tour, making a short 30-minute trek to explore the dense, pristine forest. I stayed behind with the senior citizens.  During the tour, the friendly and informative Aling Teresita pointed out some of the edible and medicinal jungle herbs.

Pamulaklakin Forest Trail: Binictican Drive, SBMA, Subic Bay Freeport Zone, 2222, Zambales.  Mobile number: (0929) 572-1105.  Admission: Sightseeing (PhP100/head), Mini Jungle Tour (PhP100/head), Ecology Tour (PhP250/head).

“Kaban ng Lahi: Archaeological Treasures” Gallery (Manila)

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“Kaban ng Lahi: Archaeological Treasures” Gallery

The “Kaban ng Lahi: Archaeological Treasures” Gallery, one of the long running exhibitions of the National Museum of Anthropology, was installed in 1998 in the then Museum of the Filipino People in celebration of the centennial of Philippine independence.

Check out “Museum of the Filipino People”

Architecturally designed to simulate a cave setting, where most of the burial objects exhibited were discovered, the gallery portrays secondary burial  jar collections as well as samples of other utilitarian vessels unearthed from different cave sites across the Philippines. It also features the importance of burial practices associated with the death of early Filipinos in the southern Philippines and other parts of the country practiced by our ancestors.

One of these practices is the secondary burial of the dead person which involves treatment and re-burial of the bones after the corpse had decomposed. The process includes cleaning, painting or treating of the bones known as bone washing. The practice of secondary burial always involved a ritual ceremony.

Leta-Leta Presentation Cup

Highlights of this gallery are a number of objects declared as National Cultural Treasures (NCTs) by the National Museum of the Philippines and regarded for their uniqueness and outstanding historical, cultural, artistic and historical value discovered from different sites in the Philippines – the Manunggul Jar, Maitum Anthropomorphic Burial Jar 21 (depicted with male genitalia), and Likha.

Maitum Anthropomorphic Pottery

Other NCTs, noted for their distinct and elaborate forms, include the 10 cm. high and 6 cm. wide Leta-Leta Stem Cup, the 8 cm. high and 3.5 cm. wide Leta-Leta Footed Jarlet and the 8 cm. high and 20 cm. wide Leta-Leta Presentation Dish (has a pedestal featuring narrow triangular patterned cutouts), artifacts excavated in 1965 by Dr. Robert B. Fox in Leta-Leta Cave. Situated in a limestone cliff on the east coast of Lagen Island in El Nido, Northern Palawan, archaeological materials recovered in this burial site include human remains, a stone adze, modified shells as grave goods as well as other intact pieces of pottery.

Maitum Anthropomorphic Pottery

The 29 unique anthropomorphic burial jars made of earthenware with design and form of human figures recovered in Ayub Cave in Pinol, Maitum, Sarangani Province (formerly South Cotabato) in 1991 by the National Museum of the Philippines. It has been found to be of the Metal Age period that dates from 500 B.C. to 370 A.D. Here, the head-shaped covers are of three types consisting of plain; with perforations; and those with different facial expressions. Another secondary burial jar in this collection has a shape of a human male torso, measuring about 43.5 cm in height and 36 cm in diameter with arms extended forward. These types of burial jars are not found in other burial sites in the country nor in other Asian countries. A diorama that shows how the burial jars were found arranged inside the cave by archaeologists.

Manunggul Jar

The splendid Manunggul Jar, one of the most precious jar collections, is a secondary burial vessel excavated from a late Neolithic burial site in Manunggul Cave of Lipuun, Quezon, Palawan dating from 890-710 B.C. This painted, incised jar has impressed decoration on its lid, on the top handle of which is an unusually compelling finial of 2 small but prominent round-eyed human figures representing souls paddling to the afterworld on a death boat.

Finial of 2 small but prominent round-eyed human figures representing souls paddling to the afterworld on a death boat

The branched-curl designs at the upper portion of the jar had been dabbed with hematic. The jar was found along with other highly developed earthenware burial jars and relics including bone fossils of at least 3 other individuals, pebble flake tools from the Late Pleistocene and early post-Pleistocene Period, deer bones, Sung and Yuan Dynasty porcelain and stoneware, spoons and other utensils.

Banton Boat Coffin

Two of 17 small hollowed hardwood (molave) log coffins (dating from the 14th-15th centuries), are also permanent display here.  Generally shaped into a boat with triangular lid and usually carved with reptilian motifs of snake, lizard or crocodile, they were found at the Hanging Cemetery, a cliffside burial cave located a short distance from Banton town (Romblon). They indicate that early inhabitants practiced secondary burial.  Also found were artificially-deformed skulls, two burial jars and pieces of 13th-14th century Chinese and Siamese tradeware.

Kulaman Limestone Burial Urns

The Kulaman Limestone Burial Urns, distinct because they are constituted of limestone carved into various sizes, shapes, and decorations, and used as secondary burial containers, were discovered in the Caves of Kan-fenefe and Kan-nitong in the mountain range locally known as Menteng, located in the Kulaman Plateau (known to be inhabited by the Manobo and other ethnolinguistic groups) in Kalamansig,, Sultan Kudarat, Mindanao.

Kulaman Limestone Burial Urns

The jars are either round or square, with vertical fluting or geometric patterns on the side. On average, the jars are about 60 cm. tall and 25 cm. wide and their lids vary in decoration, from simple handles to elaborate gabled (roof-like) or conical forms, occasionally stylized with anthropomorphic (human form) or zoomorphic (animal form) elements.

Masuso Pots

One of the lesser known but perhaps one of the most mysterious artifacts in the Kaban ng Lahi collection are the Masuso Pots, breast-shaped ceramic objects the origin and cultural significance of which are still unknown, the result of looting and destruction of archaeological sites. There are two variations – one with four breasts and another one with breasts facing seven directions.

Masuso Pots

Interestingly, historical evidence suggests that these artifacts are somehow related to the breast pots unearthed in Peru and in the Lausitz region of Germany as well as with variations also discovered in Romania, Ukraine, and Nigeria.  All show evidence that the pots were most likely used as sacred water vessels or ritual pots, with the breast symbolizing the life-giving power of water.

“Kaban ng Lahi: Archaeological Treasures” Gallery: Northeast Wing Gallery, 3/F, National Museum of Anthropology, Agrifina Circle (or Teodoro  Valencia Circle, adjacent to the National Museum of Fine Arts building),Padre Burgos Drive, Rizal Park, Ermita, Manila. Tel: (02) 8528-4912 (02) 8527-1232 (Ethnology Division) and (02) 8527-0278. E-mail: nationalmuseumph@gmail.com and nationalmuseumph.anthropology@gmail.com.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10 AM – 5 PM. Admission is free.

“Lumad: Mindanao” Exhibit (Manila)

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“Lumad: Mindanao” Exhibit

The “Lumad: Mindanao” Exhibit, a permanent exhibition at the National Museum of Anthropology, was inaugurated last December 12, 2015 in partnership with the Office of Senator Loren Legarda, now Deputy Speaker and Representative of Antique.  It features over 200 material from the National Ethnographic Collection.

Betel Chewing

The term lumad, a Visayan word meaning “born from the earth,” was first used to refer to them in 1986 at their first political assembly to discuss issues concerning their cultural determination within their respective ancestral land. Comprising about 14.38% of the population in the upland and lowland areas of the Agusan, Cotabato, Davao, Misamis, Surigao and Zamboanga Provinces, Bukidnon, Compostela Valley, Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani, they distinguish themselves as belonging to the indigenous non-Muslim group from Mindanao.

Local Pottery

It includes a comprehensive ethnolinguistic map and language tree of both Lumad and Bangsamoro groups collated from different historic, ethnohistoric, ethnographic and linguistic sources; and historic and contemporary photographs from the archives of the National Museum of the Philippines, the Field Museum of Natural History, University of Michigan Digital Collections and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Southeast Asian Studies Image Collection.

Metalsmithing

They also feature their tangible and intangible cultural heritage and a narrative on the widely disputed history of the Tasaday. The Lumad Mindanao gallery also displays ethnographic, archaeological, herbaria, and zoological collections.

Lumad Weapons

The exhibit features “the material culture of 13 of the roughly 19 major Lumad groups (Ata, B’laan, Bagobo, Banwaon, Bukidnon, Dibabawon, Higaonon, Mamanwa, Mandaya, Manguwangan, Mansaka, Manobo, Matigsalug, Obo, T’boli, Tagakaolo, Talaandig, Tiruray and Subanon/Subanun) from the National Ethnographic Collection which aims to explore the significance of Mindanao natural reserves and resources to Lumad identity.”

Bagobo Basket Weavers (Isabelo Quiles, 1991)

It also presents “previous and recent historical and anthropological data, particularly on their experiences, encounters, and established linkages and ties with neighboring groups and foreigners throughout the years; and in the process attempt to give an insight into how perceptive the Lumad peoples are of their place and purpose.”

“Lumad: Mindanao” Exhibit: Manila Electric Company and Lopez Group of Companies Galleries, 3/F, National Museum of Anthropology, Agrifina Circle (or Teodoro  Valencia Circle, adjacent to the National Museum of Fine Arts building),Padre Burgos Drive, Rizal Park, Ermita, Manila. Tel: (02) 8528-4912 (02) 8527-1232 (Ethnology Division) and (02) 8527-0278. E-mail: nationalmuseumph@gmail.com and nationalmuseumph.anthropology@gmail.com.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10 AM – 5 PM. Admission is free.

“Manlilikha ng Bayan (National Living Treasures)” Exhibit (Manila)

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Manlilikha ng Bayan Hall (National Living Treasure) Exhibit

The “Manlilikha ng Bayan (National Living Treasures)” Exhibit, opened last June 1, 2016, features the work and lives of 13 people awarded, since 1993, the Gawad Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) or the National Living Treasures Award  (institutionalized through Republic Act No. 7355 in April 1992) in recognition of their contribution and preservation of culture.

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A Manlilikha ng Bayan is defined as a citizen engaged in any traditional art uniquely Filipino whose distinctive skills have reached such a high level of technical and artistic excellence and have been passed on to and widely practiced by the present generation in his/her community with the same degree of technical and artistic competence.

The 13 awardees are:

  • Ginaw Bilog (1993) – a Hanunuo Mangyan poet from Mansalay, Mindoro who took it upon himself to continually keep scores of ambahan (a poetic literary form composed of seven-syllable lines used to convey messages through metaphors and images) poetry recorded, not only on bamboo tubes but on old, dog-eared notebooks passed on to him by friends.
  • Masino Intaray (1993) – a gifted Pala’wan poet, musician and bard artist from Brookes Point, Palawan who is an outstanding master of the basal (a gong music ensemble), kulilal (a highly lyrical poem expressing passionate love) and bagit (a strictly instrumental music depicting the rhythms, movements and sounds of nature, birds, monkeys, snakes, chirping of insects, rustling of leaves, the elements and the like)
  • Samaon Sulaiman (1993) – a Maguindanao musician from Mama sa Pano, Maguindanao who achieved the highest level of excellence in the art of kutyapi (a two-stringed plucked lute) playing. His extensive repertoire of dinaladay, linapu, minuna, binalig, and other forms and styles, interpreted with refinement and sensitivity, fully demonstrate and creative and expressive possibilities of his instrument.
  • Lang Dulay (1998) – a traditional t’nalak textile weaver from T’boli, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, who knows a hundred designs, including the bulinglangit (clouds), the bankiring (hair bangs), and the kabangi (butterfly), each one special for the stories it tells. Using red and black dyes, she spins her stories with grace and her textiles reflect the wisdom and the visions of her people.
  • Salinta Monon(1998) – a Tagabawa Bagobo textile weaver from Bansalan, Davao del Sur, who built a solid reputation for the quality of her work and the intricacies of her designs. Of the many designs she weaves, her favorite is the binuwaya (crocodile), which is one of the hardest to make.
  • Alonzo Saclag (2000) – a Kalinga master of dance and the performing arts from Lubuagan, Kalinga, who has made it his mission to create and nurture a greater consciousness and appreciation of Kalinga culture, among the Kalinga themselves and beyond their borders. He has also endeavored to revive the dying craft of gangsa (Kalinga gong) making.
  • Federico Caballero (2000) – a Sulod-Bukidnon epic chanter from Calinog, Iloilo who ceaselessly work for the documentation of the oral literature, particularly the ten epics of his people, rendered in a language that, although related to Kiniray-a, is no longer spoken. Together with scholars, artists, and advocates of culture, he painstakingly pieces together the elements of this oral tradition nearly lost.
  • Uwang Ahadas (2000) – a Yakan musician from Lamitan City, Basilan skilled in playing the kwintangan kayu (an instrument consisting of five wooden logs hung horizontally, from the shortest to the longest, with the shortest being nearest the ground),  agung and gabbang (a bamboo xylophone).
  • Darhata Sawabi (2004) – a Tausug textile weaver from Parang, Sulu proficient in making the pis syabit, the traditional cloth tapestry worn as a head covering by the Tausug of Jolo, as well as used to adorn native attire, bags, and other accessories.
  • Eduardo Mutuc(2004) a Kapampangan metalsmith from Apalit, Pampanga who dedicated his life to creating religious and secular art in silver, bronze, and wood. His intricately detailed retablos, mirrors, altars, and carosas are in churches and private collections. A number of these works are quite large, some exceeding forty feet, while some are very small and feature very fine and delicate craftsmanship.
  • Haja Amina Appi (2004) a Sama mat weaver from Tandubas, Tawi-Tawi who is recognized as the master mat weaver among the Sama indigenous community of Ungos Matata. Her colorful mats with their complex geometric patterns exhibit her precise sense of design, proportion and symmetry and sensitivity to color. Her unique multi-colored mats are protected by a plain white outer mat that serves as the mat’s backing. Her functional and artistic creations take up to three months to make.
  • Magdalena Gamayo (2012) – an Ilocano textile weaver from Pinili, Ilocos Norte who exemplifies the best of Filipino abel weaving tradition in Ilocos. Magdalena prefers to work with linen because it is obedient to the master weaver’s touch. She uses a loom with a sturdy wooden frame with three-foot pedals with wide horizontal beams to support the warp and an even longer lengthwise frame to keep the threads in place.
  • Teofilo Garcia (2012) – also called Apu Pilo, this Ilocano from San Quintin, Abra makes tabungaw (gourd casque), a unique, functional and elegant, all-weather headpiece that shields one from the rain and the sun.  The native gourd is hollowed out, polished, and varnished to a bright orange sheen to improve its weather resistance. The inside is lined with finely woven rattan matting, and the brim sports a subtle bamboo weave for accent.

Kwintangan kayu of Uwang Ahadas

This exhibition has been made possible through a partnership with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the highest policy-making and coordinating body for culture and the arts of the State tasked with the administration and implementation of the award, and the Office of the Senator Loren Legarda.

Eduardo Mutuc and his work

The NCCA, through the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Executive Council, conducts the search for the finest traditional artists of the land, adopts a program that will ensure the transfer of their skills to others, and undertakes measures to promote a genuine appreciation of and instill pride among our people about the genius of the Manlilikha ng Bayan.

Tnalak weave of Lang Dulay

On display are some of the finest examples of our traditional artistry such as mats, textiles, costumes, looms, ornaments and musical instruments made y some of the most skillful artists from local ethnic communities across the country as well photos and short biographies of the awardees.

Alonzo Saclag

NOTE: On May 28, 2021, the gallery was upgraded to include the weave masterpieces of three Manlilikha ng Bayan from Mindanao in 2016.  The three are:

  • Ambalang Ausalin (2016) – a Yakan textile weaver from Lamitan City, Basilan who is able to bring forth all designs and actualize all textile categories typical to the Yakan. Using the back strap tension loom, she can execute the suwah bekkat(cross-stitch-like embellishment) and suwah pendan (embroidery-like embellishment) techniques of the bunga sama
  • Estelita Bantilan (2016) – a B’laan mat weaver from Malapatan, Sarangani who weaves thin strips of the pandanus romblon into some of the biggest, most subtly beautiful mats to be seen anywhere in Southeast Asia today. Her devotion to the idea of mats as gifts, rather than as commodities for sale, is the same concept of making that allowed her to refine her art to a technical and aesthetic sophistication vested in remarkable visual restraint.
  • Yabing Masalon Dulo (2016) – a B’laan weaver from Polomolok, South Cotabato, she is an expertin the making of fine, colorful warp ikat textiles from lutáy (abaka to other Philippine peoples).

Pis syabit of Darhata Sawabi

“Manlilikha ng Bayan (National Living Treasures)” Exhibit: 3/F, National Museum of Anthropology, Agrifina Circle (or Teodoro Valencia Circle, adjacent to the National Museum of Fine Arts building),Padre Burgos Drive, Rizal Park, Ermita, Manila. Tel: (02) 8528-4912 (02) 8527-1232 (Ethnology Division) and (02) 8527-0278. E-mail: nationalmuseumph@gmail.com and nationalmuseumph.anthropology@gmail.com. Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10 AM – 5 PM. Admission is free.

Visita Iglesia 2017 (Cavite)

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It was time for the pious Roman Catholic Lenten tradition of Visita Iglesia, a visit to seven churches on the evening of Maundy Thursday but, it being a long weekend, I decided to do it on the early morning of Good Friday.  That way I would avoid the Wednesday evening to the whole day Maundy Thusday heavy traffic due to the influx of tourists leaving for their choice vacation spots.  For company, I brought along my son Jandy.

Jandy at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Kawit

My Visita Iglesia destination again was to be Cavite. I decided to explore the towns along the province’s southeast coast, traversing the length of the Cavite Expressway (Cavitex) to Bacoor, then making stopovers at Kawit, Noveleta, Gen, Trias, Tanza and Naic, then traveling inland for another stopover in Maragondon.

Gen. Trias Church Complex

From Maragondon, I backtracked a bit then went south for a stopover in Indang, then north again passing by the provincial capital city of Trece Martires, then east for another stopover in Dasmarinas City and north for a last stopover in Imus City before going home. In all, we visited 9 churches in all, 8 of them with historical and artistic significance.  They are:

  1. Church of St. Mary Magdalene (Kawit) – the baptismal site of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo (March 29, 1869).  His birth certificate is kept in glass cabinet on the left side of the altar.
  2. Church of the Holy Cross (Noveleta)
  3. Church of St. Francis of Assisi (Gen. Trias) – declared a historical structure by the National Historical Institute in 1992, its convent was the site where the Banda Matanda (Old Band) practiced the Marcha Filipina before it was played in Kawit during the Declaration of Philippine Independence on June 12, 1898.
  4. Church of the Holy Cross (Tanza) – also called the Diocesan Shrine of St. Augustine, it was declared as a Marked Structure (of Historical Significance) by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines on May 3, 1980.
  5. Diocesan Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (Naic) – its convent was used as the headquarters of Andres Bonifacio and the Naic Conference was held there after the Tejeros Convention of March 22, 1897.
  6. Church of the Assumption of our Lady (Maragondon) – the best preserved church complex in the province, the church was listed by the National Museum as a National Cultural Treasure on June 30, 2001.
  7. Church of St. Gregory the Great (Indang) –  has elegantly carved doors, impressive carvings on the choir loft balcony and elegant and impressive rose-colored trompe l’oil paintings (done during the 18th century) on its ceiling. The walls and pillars of the church also have several commemorative gravestones.
  8. Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (Dasmarinas City) – the site of a bloody battle where Spanish troops defeated Filipino troops led by Captain Placido Campos and Francisco Barzaga on February 25, 1897. In 1986, it was designated as a Marked Historical Structure by the National Historical Institute.
  9. Cathedral of Our Lady of the Pillar (Imus City) – designated as a Marked Structure (of Historical Significance) by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines on November 13, 2006.

A retablo covered in blue cloth at the Church of St. Gregory the Great in Indang

It being the Holy Week, all these churches were opened for pilgrims. One drawback was all, if not most, of its statuary and images can’t be viewed as they were covered in lavender or blue cloth.

Panumpaang Bayan of Tanza

Though all closed (it being a holiday), we were also also able to pass or drop by other museums and historical sites:

  1. Bonifacio Trial Museum (Maragondon) – where Andres and Procopio Bonifacio were court martialed by a military court presided by Gen. Mariano Noriel from May 5 to 6, 1897.
  2. Museo de San Francisco de Malabon (Gen. Trias)
  3. Aguinaldo Shrine (Kawit) – the birthplace of Philippine Independence.
  4. Noveleta Tribunal (Noveleta) – was where, on August 31, 1896, Noveleta-born Gen. Pascual Alvarez, under orders from his uncle Gen. Mariano Alvarez of the Sangguniang Magdiwang, killed the Guardia Civil Capt. Antonio Rebolledo within the hall of this building.
  5. Panumpaang Bayan (Tanza) – the convent  beside the Church of the Holy Cross here, on March 23, 1897, Gen. Aguinaldo and Gen. Mariano Trias took their oath of office in a solemn ritual, before Fr. Cenon Villafranca, as President and Vice-President, respectively, of the revolutionary government that replaced the Katipunan.
  6. Tejeros Convention Site (Rosario) – the site of the historic March 22, 1897 Tejeros Assembly (or convention) that established the first Philippine government that replaced the Katipunan with a government that would meet the manifold demands of the revolution.  The site is also considered as the birthplace of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Temporary traffic due to a Good Friday parade of carrozas

Though there wasn’t much traffic the whole day, we did have to wait for about 15 mins. in Imus as we watched a Good Friday procession of carrozas pass us by.

CCP Museo ng Kalinangang Pilipino (Pasay City)

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Diwa: Buhay, Ritwal at Sining

The Museo ng Kalinangang Pilipino (Museum of Philippine Culture), an integrated humanities museum established in 1988, gathers together the works of Filipino traditional artists and preserves Filipino artistic traditions; studies and interprets these to provide a deeper understanding of Filipino national culture evolving with and for the people; and strengthens the people’s awareness of the integral, dynamic role of creativity and artistic expression in national life and culture.

Bpagapel (Maguindanawon healing rite)

“Diwa: Buhay, Ritwal at Sining” (Spirit, Life, Ritual and Art), a permanent exhibit, presents an overview of aspects of Philippine traditional culture and showcases significant Filipino artistic traditions as well as explores the development of Philippine art and aesthetics in the socio-cultural context.   

Komedya of Peñaranda, Nueva Ecija

Different artistic forms are presented as a result of the Filipino’s interaction with five conditions/concepts – Bayan (Nation), Buhay at Kamatayan (Life and Death), Kamag-anakan at Pamayanan (Kin and Community), Lupa (Land), and Kaluwalhatian (Divinity).

Ifugao House

On display are sunduks (grave markers) and models of indigenous houses (the Agta lean-to, the Higaonon treehouse, the Badjao houseboat, the Ivatan house, the Mandaya house, the Ifugao house and the Maranao torogan).

Sunduk (grave marker) of Tausug of Sulu)

CCP Museo ng Kalinangang Pilipino: 4/F, Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Bldg., CCP Complex, Pasay City. Tel (Visual Arts & Museum Division): (632) 832- 3702, (632) 832-5094 and (632) 832-1125 local 1504,1505 and 1508.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10 AM to 6 PM. Admission: PhP40 for adults and PhP30 for students and children. If there are performances at the Main Theater, exhibit hours are extended up to 10 PM. Mobile number: (0920) 470-0690.  E-mail: ccp.exhibits@gmail.com.

A Good Friday Roadside Scene (Tarlac)

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On our way back to Manila from our Holy Week vacation at Lingayen (Pamgasinan) with my kids Jandy and Cheska, we encountered, along the highway in Camiling, a group of barefoot Filipino men  marching along the road, one carrying a heavy wooden cross while others were whipping their already bloody backs.  Curious, we stopped and parked our Toyota Revo along the road to join the crowd of onlookers observing this annual, gory Good Friday religious ritual.

A gory Good Friday roadside staple

During the Lenten season, many Filipino devotees (including some women), as a form of worship and supplication, perform religious penance during the week leading up to Easter Sunday.  However, these practices, widely believed by devotees to cleanse sin, cure illnesses and even grant wishes, are discouraged by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines who describe them as “inappropriate.”  However, these practices cannot be easily relinquished as it is already embedded in local culture and tradition. 

The man with the cross

Normally, those carrying the cross wear a maroon robe but the man we observed was, like the others, just naked from the waist up.  His face, also like the others, was covered by a piece of cloth with a crown of leaves on their head.  Bloody gashes, from the repeated strikes of their whips, could be seen on the backs of the flagellants who believe that their sacrifice would, somehow, grant salvation for their sins.

The self-flagellants

The self-flagellation ritual starts with the tying of ropes around the arms and legs of the flagellants (the one carrying the cross was similarly tied).  Then, with a blades, wounds are inflicted on their backs.  They then march, under the scorching heat of the sun, for about 4 to 5 hours.  Every 500 m. or so, they stop to rest.

The Pugutan (Gasan, Marinduque)

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After our Nagtangco Island hopping tour, we returned to our resort, had dinner and then left again for the next town of Gasan to watch the Pugutan, the re-enactment of the beheading of the Roman centurion Longinus, which was held at an open-air stage.


The past days, the physically draining habulan (chase) was re-enacted wherein Longinus merrily races through rice fields and the streets, pursued by moriones, to the delight of onlookers.  Part of the play is a simulated fight between the escaping Longinus and the moriones.  He is captured three times, escapes each time and is eventually captured on the fourth try and brought before Pilate.  


The Pugutan we were watching is the continuation of this play.  Longinus is escorted up the open-air stage by a brass band  where he is presented to the people and subsequently tried.  The dialogue is in Tagalog.  As Longinus refuses to renounce his faith, he is ordered executed.  He is given the opportunity to say some last words and a prayer before his beheading (pugutan).  At his funeral, Longinus’ body is borne on a bamboo stretcher by moriones devotees.  

The Good Friday Parade of Carrozas (Torrijos and Boac, Marinduque)

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From Poctoy White Sand Beach, we again boarded our Tamaraw FX for our return trip back to Boac.  At Sta. Cruz town, our progress back to Boac was substantially delayed by a parade of carrozas (carriages) of saints, another Good Friday staple, gathering at the town’s Church of the Holy Cross (built in 1714, has 1.5 to 2-m. thick walls and was renovated except for its original tower) and was just getting underway.  

A Good Friday parade of carrozas at Sta. Cruz

Approaching Boac, we again encountered another parade of carrozas.  In both cases, instead of fretting, we just got down the Tamaraw FX and patiently watch the parade’s progress.  The parade at Boac was somewhat different than the other parades I’ve attended in the past as, aside from carrozas carrying statues of saints and the Sto. Entierro (bier of the dead Jesus Christ), it included a contingent of moriones (some riding Roman chariots).

Carroza bearing the Sto. Entierro
Chariot bearing 2 moriones

It was just about evening when the parade finally passed us by and we were able to proceed to our resort.