This article reflects the thoughts of Teacher Maita, shaped by her experiences as a teacher, writer, and cultural advocate.
As a teacher, I've had the privilege of teaching various art subjects to diverse groups: volunteering in public schools for grade school art, conducting therapeutic arts sessions for street children, and recently teaching senior high school. Among all the subjects, my favorite to teach is "Developing Filipino Identity in the Arts."
However, I have recently felt that, as a nation, we are losing our Filipino identity. Our youth seem to be increasingly drawn only to what is "in" or popular. Netflix and TikTok dominate their lives, and when asked about history, their knowledge is often either incorrect or nonexistent. Many think our history began in 1521 AD.
There was a 75-year gap between Magellan's death and Legazpi's conquest of Manila. And historians will argue that Manila only fell, or our colonial history actually started, at the fall of Macabebe. But before that, we were not unknown to Europe; we even appeared on Columbus' maps. But that is a controversial topic for another article. For now, I will focus on our identity as Filipinos.
Ask a high school student to draw a pre-colonial Filipino, and they often depict someone topless or wearing a "bahag." Why? Are they going swimming? The Boxer Codex reveals that the Spaniards noted how elaborate and long Tagalog and Visayan clothing were. How rich in colors, how intricate the embroidery, how interesting the Piña cloth was.
This is a yearly assignment I assign my student. Pick a culture and draw the Filipino pre-colonial interpretation. A student showed me a drawing of Mayari, the Visayan Goddess of the Moon. When I asked about the details, she explained, "These are Whang Od's tattoos, and the background is Baybayin." I sighed and explained that she was mixing three different cultures. While it’s great to create something new, it became clear that she had taken popular media elements and combined them into one drawing. This is a recurring issue; I see similar instances in every batch of students. (At least three in every batch) Is our culture reduced to what is popular? What about what is sacred and distinct?
Why do they prefer Netflix shows over local stories? Why can't they celebrate epics like the Epic of Ibalong, Handiong, Lam-Ang, Tudbulul, and more? Who needs Ariel when we have Amansinaya? Who needs Godzilla when we have Lakandanum? Our lower mythology creatures rival any kaiju. I asked my students to talk to their parents, older aunts, and grandparents to learn about their origins. With over 180 ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippines, each has unique traits that contribute to our identity.
I am not advocating for getting stuck in the past, but I encourage our youth and older generations to explore our heritage without the lens of colonialism. Dr. Jose Rizal once said that if we can't look back to who we were, we will never arrive at our destination. We cannot look to the future without exploring our past.
So, I challenge the youth: What is your Filipino identity? Make that popular. Propose that to Netflix.
By Maita Rue
