The Spanish Influences in Philippine Cultures

The Philippines has successfully established its own legitimacy to be declared and recognized by the United Nations as a State. It has people who recognize its State policies and constitution and adhere to them wholeheartedly. On its economic aspect, the country is engaging in international economic activities such as participating in a free trade market system by being a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the newly established Chinese development institution called the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

When it comes to culture, the Philippines is an outstanding one. Its cultures and traditions are widely practiced and even patronized by non-Filipinos. The Filipinos speak many local languages and dialects. They also have their own clothing, forms of amusement, eating techniques and many more that are distinct only to the Filipinos. However, these possessions are not original to the Filipinos. There are some which are totally Filipino in origin but contain foreign elements or a mix between or among cultures.

Almost all of the Philippine cultures including the Filipinos' ways of thinking are the influences of the Spanish cultures. The Spaniards brought the Philippines into the attachment of the Western culture. Particularly, the Spaniards introduced their own Philosophy of life to the Filipinos as well as their habits, language, clothing, ways of amusement including games, religion, arts, and even cooking.

Filipino ethnic cultures were then mixed with Spanish cultural elements. They borrowed almost of what the Spaniards did have. As time passed by, these were no longer Spanish but retained the characteristics of both Filipino and Spanish cultures. These modern cultures, which were Spanish and Filipino in origin, today have been recognized as Filipino yet colonial in function and impact.

Filipinos' Surnames and Change of Native Names

Before the Spanish invasion to the Philippines, the Filipinos had no surnames. The native Filipino parents were acquainted in naming their sons and daughters according to their physical characteristics, qualities, or to some coincidental events. For instance, if a baby girl was born with a tan skin then the name to be made for her was nearly the same with that skin color. Additionally, if a newly born male baby was looking strong, that baby would be named Si Malakas. The lack of surnames confused the Spaniards especially those names that are the same. As a result, they prepared a long list of surnames for the Filipinos to choose from.

Changes of name of the native Filipinos also happened when the Spaniards replace their names into the names of Saints such as Santo Tomas, San Jose, San Carlos and many more. While there were still native Filipino names that were retained, the Spaniards, however, changed their spelling to fit in to the Spanish standard.

Spanish Language Influence

The Filipino language, derived from the Tagalog language, which is the national language today, was even a Spanish influence. The Filipino vocabulary came from the Spanish language and was only changed in spelling over time. Among other Filipino languages influenced by the Spaniards are Ilocano, Bicolano, Sugbuhanon, Hiligaynon, Visaya and many other dialects existent within the country.

Learning the Spanish language as much as Spanish education as a whole was not really made public to the Filipinos. However, Some natives, who had direct contacts with the Spaniards, learned the language. Such attachment led the Filipino natives to adopt some of the Spanish vocabulary and mixed them to the Filipino languages. Also, the Spaniards inevitably talked to the natives in a Spanish language during the trading and other dealings with them in the market and also in churches. This made the Filipino to learn the foreign language slowly.

Catholicism and its Patriarchal Politics and Cultures

The Spaniards brought with them the Catholic religion to the Philippine. They introduced it to the Filipinos which led to some uprisings of the natives who did not want the new belief system. Luckily for the Spaniards, the indoctrination of Catholic faith to the Filipinos happened. Along with the building of the churches, the political life of the country was also revolutionized with religious teachings.

There was a union between the Church and the State during the Spanish era, so the constitution or the body of law of the colony was mainly Catholic in orientation. The Philippine government, aside from being ruled by the friars and the governor-general from Spain, was dominated by male servants. This patriarchy has continued to exist nowadays even though women are already allowed to have a government seat but to sum up all the positions in the government, women are only less in number.

The Philippine constitution today still contains Spanish elements. One example is the prohibition of the same-sex marriage. The Philippine laws lie deeply on the religious set-ups which is rooted during the Spanish time. One can hardly erase it totally from the present state. On the other hand, today's cultural orientations in the Philippines is still patriarchal. Men are portrayed as stronger than women as if the women can never exceed the capacity of men. This idea can also be noticed in the current ways of enculturation of the young Filipinos.

Fiesta Culture

The social lives of the native Filipinos during the colonization of the Spaniards only revolved around the church since the priest or friars was the so called over-all manager of the whole community. The fiesta was one of the religious events of the Catholic church. All Filipinos must attend to it or else, they would be labelled as rebels or traitor. The fiesta was always the honoring of the town patron saints respectively held in different barrios or towns. This has given birth to other occasions done together in fiesta such as food gathering and street parades. More contribution of the Spanish people to the Filipinos are noticeable in the current educational system, arts and poetry, clothing, dances, houses and others.

The overall impact of the cultural changes brought by the Spaniards in the Philippines could be both beneficial and destructive. On the positive side, the Filipino people have merged into one nation as the three islands, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao became one in name -- the Philippines. Spanish cultures have served as their framework for further developments.

Furthermore, different uprising of the native Filipinos have strengthened their motivation to defend the land and plans for progress without fear against the colonizers including the later sets of invaders --the Americans and Japanese. On the negative side, these cultures have given ways for exploitation, monopoly of power, patriarchy, negative positioning of women in the society, and the feeling of inferiority over other people.

No matter how good or bad the Philippine history is with the Spaniards, the important thing is that the Filipinos were able to progress themselves and have reached to what they are today.

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Written by @juvyjabian

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