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Through
the years, the Filipinos were under colonization of different and more powerful
countries, one of which (and the first) was the Spaniards. After 300 years of
subjugation to the Spaniards, the Philippines and the Filipino people were
never the same as before. They adapted to the way of living of their
colonizers. Of course, in 300 years why wouldn’t we expect the Filipino people
change according to these colonizers’ practices. Given the amount of time of
subjugation, it expected for Filipinos to live according to these changes or
influences even up to the present. Some prove to be good, some are bad, and
some uumm depends on perspectives. Since many believe that the Spaniards are
these evil colonizers who took away our freedom, confused our identities or in
shorter terms “destroyed everything”; let us destroy the Spaniards’ reputation
even further.
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Many
wonder when the term “Filipino Time” started. Well, according to some sources,
Filipino time started during the Spanish colonization when arriving late
constitutes with you being a very important or powerful person. Apparently,
during those times the more late you were, the higher your social status is.
Other sources would argue that Filipino time developed because during social
gatherings, Filipinos or Indios would be asked (or required) to arrive 30
minutes to an hour later than their Spanish colonizers. Although for me, the
latter would explain so much why Filipinos are always late to gatherings or
group meetings; am I right? However, whichever is true, the sources agree on
one thing; that Filipino time did start during the Spanish colonization era. For those who wonder, the term “Filipino
time” was not invented until the Americans came and were irritated by the lack
of punctuality of the Filipinos.
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In
another light, the Spaniards have given us gatherings to look forward to,
events to celebrate, times to just be happy and enjoy all the sounds, colors,
lights, the music and of course the dancing! These celebrations influenced by
the Spaniards are called fiestas. These festive events bring joy to the
Filipino people because they are able to enjoy a lot of good food with good
company including, of course, their loved ones. Fiestas give us the perfect
excuse to visit distant relatives whom we haven’t seen the whole year or maybe
even longer. Even in just a day of celebration, it brings us closer to the ones
we love and makes us feel more connected since fiestas are celebrations based
on a local culture. In Pateros, we celebrate the Fiesta of Sta. Martha and my
family hosts a celebration wherein we prepare and serve food popular to the
Pateros people including the famous balut. In my family’s experiences
throughout the years, the preparations for these fiestas may sometimes be
stressful but for sure when that day finally comes, all the hard work would be
worth it. For sure all of us enjoy these festivities!
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And in
another other light, the Spaniards brought to us Catholicism. As a Catholic and
a firm believer of the Lord I would say that Catholicism is indeed a blessing
to the Filipinos. But I cannot speak for the whole population of the Filipino
people so this paragraph will be solely based on my opinions only. In our times
today, I would say that it seems outrageous to believe that nature could be our
god, things like trees, winds or seas. I could not imagine modern Filipinos
still praying to the same trees, the same flowers, mountains as ancient
Filipinos did before. The Spaniards gave us (or me) something to believe in.
Some may say that the Lord is the same as the trees the ancient Filipinos pray
upon before; or that there is no proof that God really does exist. And I would
say that what you are saying is absolutely true in which I can only argue, I
believe because I want to and I choose to believe.
With all
this it can be concluded that the Spaniards did not only bring horrors and
terrible experiences to the Filipinos (although what they did was pretty
horrible), but they also gave us some things to look forward to (like the
fiestas) and something to ponder upon (religion). No matter what happened, it
is all part of the past now, OUR past so it is still best to never forget about
it because it is a part of whom we are now. No matter the influences the
colonizers have given us, the Filipinos will always be the Filipinos. Our
identity is not lost in the past as some of us would believe, our identity is
here with us in the present. We are Filipinos!
References:
Batongbakal, L. (2016, October 20). The Intriguing History of Filipino Time. Retrieved from https://newsbits.mb.com.ph/2016/10/11/the-intriguing-history-of-filipino-time/
Tan, B. (2016, March 23). Why Filipinos Follow Filipino Time. Retrived from https://medium.com/@btantheman/why-filipinos-follow-filipino-time-d38e2c162927
Sison, S. (2015, April 23). Can We Get Rid of Filipino Time?. Retrieved from https://www.rappler.com/views/imho/90791-get-rid-filipino-time
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