Pilipino Kami
We are Filipino
A cultural guide for aged care providers with
practical activities and seniors stories
This is an initiative of the Commonwealth Government under the Community Partners Program
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Aims of the Pilipino Kami
(‘We are Filipino’) 2nd edition
Provide a cultural tool to guide residential care facilities
and other aged care providers in planning for cultural
celebrations with their residents.
Explain the Filipino ways of caring, family traditions and
culture.
Address the language difficulties of ageing Filipino seniors
especially those with memory changes and reverting back
to their native language.
Provide some case studies of Filipino seniors leadership
in the community, their experience of using various
forms of aged care services and how they maintain their
independence at home and in the community.
This publication is a result of consultations with local
organisations, including the key seniors clubs in the
Southeast of Melbourne: The Young Generation Filipino
Senior Citizens Club (Doveton); the United Filipino Elderly,
Inc (Springvale), Salaginto Caring Group (Knox), HACC
volunteers and community leaders since 2003.
The CPCA (Vic) also intends to revise this publication in the
future to ensure that the information is kept relevant and
helpful to service providers.
Editor
Pilipino Kami 2nd edition 2011
Editor: Norminda V. Forteza
Contributors: Ching Chavarria, Demetria Reyes, Conrado Aguilar, Krz Aguilar, Luis Forteza
© Centre for Philippine Concerns Australia Inc 2011 ABN 72 796 896 282
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Contents
The Philippines and its people: an overview
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Language and culture
5
Our family: We pray together, we stay together
6
Experiences of Filipino seniors
9
Practical tips in promoting aged care services to Filipino seniors
13
Popular group and individual activities
15
Cultural Meals
15
Important festivals Filipinos celebrated in Melbourne
17
How to organise a fiesta in your residential facility
17
Calendar of Filipino Festivals
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The Philippines and its people: an overview
The Republic of the Philippines, or ‘the Philippines’ as it is more commonly known,
is a country located in the mid-west of the Pacific Ocean. Geographically, it is an
archipelago consisting of more than 7,000 islands with a population of approximately
78.4 million people. The political capital of the Philippines is Manila, with a population
of approximately 10 million people on a total area of only 636 square kilometres.
The Philippines has a long history of Western colonial rule, and from this, interspersed
with the visits of merchants, evolved a people with a unique blend of East and West,
both in appearance and culture. Many different countries have participated in
establishing the Philippines of today.
The Philippines has been inhabited for over 300,000 years, and since then has been
under the control of various foreign powers, including the Spanish (led by Magellan)
in the 1500s and the Japanese during WWII. The Philippines finally achieved absolute
independence in 1946.
As a result, Filipino people are predominantly descendants of Malays, Chinese, and
Arabians (as well as Americans and Spanish).
The Filipino culture is a combination of all these different historical cultures, with
each of the following characteristics playing a vital part towards making what is
known as ‘a Filipino’.
The spirit of kinship and camaraderie, or ‘bayanihan’, that Filipinos are known for is
said to be taken from Malay forefathers. The close family relations are said to have
been inherited from the Chinese. The piety comes from Spanish missionaries who
introduced Christianity to the Philippines in the 16th century. Hospitality is also a
common Filipino character trait.
‘Bayanihan’- pronounced buy-uh-nee-hun.
Bayanihan is a Filipino word derived from
the word ‘bayan’ meaning town, nation or
community in general. Bayanihan literally
means ‘being a bayan’, and is used to refer to
a spirit of communal unity and cooperation,
helping each other to achieve a common goal.
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Language and culture
Filipinos are divided geographically and
culturally into regions, and each regional
group is recognisable by distinct traits and
dialects.
Languages Filipinos Speak
The Philippines has 8 major dialects: Bikol,
Cebuano, Hiligaynon (Ilonggo), Ilocano,
Kapampangan, Pangasinan, Tagalog and
Waray (see map right). The languages
being taught throughout the Philippines
are Tagalog and English.
The Cebuano dialect originated in
Cebu, which is in the Visayas. However,
it spread to neighbouring islands and
in the northern and eastern parts of
Mindanao. This was probably facilitated
by the American and Spanish policies
to christianize Mindanao. Meanwile, the Tagalog and Bikol dialect (Bikolandia)
boundaries seem to remain predominantly where they were centuries ago. This map
only shows the dialect majority in each region. Actually, southeastern Mindanao is
populated with Ilocano, Tagalog and other dialects, but Cebuano has become the
dominant dialect in that area. The Ilocano dialect has spread out from its origin on
the western coast (Ilocandia), which was also probably facilitated by the Spanish and
American policies.
Filipinos are probably one of the few, if not the only, English-proficient oriental people
today. English is used extensively for education and business purposes.
Bilingual Filipinos
Although Filipino people are commonly bilingual (a Filipino language and English) or
multilingual (two or more Filipino languages and English), it should not be assumed
that a Filipino who speaks one language (or dialect) will speak another. There are
significant differences between languages, and the only way to clarify this is to ask
the client what their preferred language is.
An interpreter should be made available when requested and for participants with
dementia, a bilingual worker is important to facilitate communication.
In Australia, there is a high number of seniors who speak Visayan languages (Cebuano
and Hiligaynon or Ilonggo) as well as English and Filipino (Tagalog).
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Our family: We pray together, we stay together
Religion
More than 80% of the population is Catholic, a legacy from the time of Spanish rule.
The less common Christian denomination is the Protestant faith, constituting 9% of
the population. About 5% are of the Islam faith, which can be found predominantly in
Mindanao. The remainder of the population consists of smaller Christian evangelical
groups and Buddhists. The Filipinos are a highly religious, albeit highly superstitious
community. Many Filipinos access social support both formally, through Home and
Community Care based Friendly Visiting Programs, and informally, through religious
groups. The informal networking complements Home and Community Care services
by providing social connectedness to otherwise isolated Filipino senior citizens.
In Australia, Filipinos celebrate ‘Santacruzan’ a religious procession to signify
religiosity and celebrate the influence of Catholicism to families. Manhy seniors
clubs and social organisation re-enact this religious festival through a parade called
‘Santacruzan’ procession.
Below: Santacruzan
The Family and its Caring role
To the Filipino, one’s family is the source of personal identity, source of emotional
and material support and one’s main commitment and responsibility. The concept
of ‘family’ is central to Filipino well-being and these beliefs are then extended to
interactions outside of the family.
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A Filipino will have a very wide definition of family, which is referred to as an ‘extended
family’ in Australian culture. In Filipino culture, there is no distinction to how distantlyrelated a relative may be, as they are still part of your family.
The Philippines is generally a very poor country. There is no equivalent of the
‘Centrelink’ system in the Philippines. For this reason, one relies heavily on the
support of family to survive and therefore contributes significantly (financially and
otherwise) to the survival of other family members.
Filipino concept of ‘caring’
There is generally three aspects to the ‘care concept’, including the role of behaviour
contributing to harmony, respect for elders and those in authority, and the
importance of generosity and reciprocity. Many Filipino seniors commit to a monthly
‘padala’ (literally means ‘sending’ which refers to sending money overseas to support
grandchildren, family members and needy relatives.)
Respect for elders and superiors
Younger generations of Filipinos will address their elders with the prefix ‘Tito’ (Uncle)
or ‘Tita’ (Aunty) before their Christian names as a form of respect. Younger Filipinos
bow and take the right hand of their elderly relative and touch the back of the hand
to their own forehead and saying ‘Mano po’ or similar greeting.
Family support role of seniors
In Australia, most Filipino women aged 60 and above are the carer, or ‘taga-alaga’,
of their grandchildren. They are usually left at home to look after kids, drop them
to school and pick them up from school. They are also the housekeeper, or ‘taongbahay’, to ensure that the family home is neat and tidy and food is always ready when
the children and grandchildren come home from work and school. This is generally
accepted as the role of the children is to financially support the family, and the
grandparents fulfil their role.
The Filipino’s sense of reciprocal obligation and gratitude to their elderly relatives is
known as ‘utang na loob’, literally meaning ‘debt from within’. Through this, children
perceive a sense of obligation to care for their elderly relatives as they were cared for
themselves. It is therefore common in Filipino society for three generations of family
to live in the same house.
Social acceptance
A Filipino is perceived as a caring and secure person when they maintain happy and
stable relationships with others. Disruptive and conflict-based situations are believed
to reflect non-caring behaviours. The need not to be neglected or criticised by others
is a dominant influence on much of Filipino social behaviour. Filipinos are raised in
an environment where they depend on their relationship with others in order to
survive. They are restrained from making criticisms no matter how constructive, so
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standards of quality are not imposed. Trying to place oneself above others is not
socially acceptable, which further gives rise to inhibited life improvement procedures.
Filipinos’ reliance on relationships make them primarily group orientated. If their
relationships are healthy, they generally feel secure.
The value of ‘hiya’
‘Hiya’ is the Filipino term encompassing a combination of powerful emotions. The
term literally means shame or embarrassment, but is so influential within the Filipino
culture that it “inhibits self assertion, as it is a kind of anxiety or fear of being exposed
and unprotected.” Research has shown that the value of ‘hiya’ accounts for the
underutilisation of services and non-participation to local providers.
Accessing outside help is seen as not coping and not meeting traditional family
standards and community expectations. You will find that Filipinos who come to your
attention as possibly needing services are very reluctant to access them, despite
the physical and emotional toll coping with their situation may be having on them.
Filipinos will go to great lengths to deny that they have a problem to ‘outsiders’, as it
is more acceptable to receive formal support from the Filipino community (through
Church groups etc.) than from what is perceived as ‘Anglo’ services.
The Filipino community and its people are very friendly and welcoming, and can
be uncomfortable with bureaucratic systems, rules and regulations and standard
procedures, as such procedures tend to be very impersonal. Often, Filipinos will only
access forms of organisational support when they are isolated from other Filipinos. This
is the most common way of services discovering potential clients, unless something
occurs which makes Filipino clients visible to service providers (i.e. a Filipino client
may be in hospital). This also highlights the need for Filipino workers in mainstream
service providers, as the workers can use their cultural knowledge and experiences to
bridge the gaps between cultural beliefs and Australian service provision.
Physical Contact
When talking to someone, it is common for Filipinos to touch the other person
involved in conversation on the hand, shoulder or on the lap. This social contact is
to initiate or reinforce friendliness and familiarity, and may happen between workers
and clients for this reason.
In the Filipino community it is also acceptable for females to hold hands and for males
to walk with their arms on each other’s shoulders. Physical contact between same sex
people does not suggest homosexuality but serves to reinforce affection and respect.
Cultural Tip: It is very common among Filipinos especially female to hold hands and
greet with a tap on the shoulder.
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Experiences of Filipino seniors
Story 1: Demetria (‘Metring’) Reyes
‘Volunteering makes me happy!’
‘Metring’ as everyone calls her,
arrived in Australia in 1994, and lived
with her son, Ray and his family in
Hampton Park for six years upon her
arrival. A widow and retired Budget
Officer of the Rizal Technological
University State College, she
dedicated her time in serving others
as part of her life goal to honour God.
Her commitment to volunteering
started when she became the
President of Young Generation
Senior Citizens Club in Doveton in
1998. Through this experience she learned about aged care services in Australia. In
2003, she started to try various activities in the Home and Community Care Program.
Through the City of Casey she learned about low cost of rent for seniors club to use the
John Pandazopolous Multicultural Seniors Hall. She listened to various information
sessions about “Ageing Positively in Casey” and took the challenge to share the
information and opportunities to her members. From 42 members, the club grew in
numbers and has currently nearly 100 members including the sons, daughters and kids
of the older persons. Every year she volunteers to organise the Annual Christmas giftgiving to children and newly arrived migrants. The highlight of her volunteering has
been the recognition of her contribution by the Governor of Victoria who presented
her the medal for her dedicated service in multicultural communities through various
management roles for Young Generation Seniors Club and the Centre for Philippine
Concerns Australia Board of Management.
Meals on Wheels and the Young Generation Seniors Club:
In 2003 Metring participated in an ‘Asian Food Trial’ of the Meals on Wheels service
a number of years ago but was unhappy with the preparation of the rice. Although
this seems minor, it was enough to discourage her from continuing with accessing
Meals on Wheels. In 2009, the CPCA revisited the issues in providing cultural
meals to seniors and initiated ‘Tastings of Meals on Wheels Drive’. For 8 weeks,
20 participants were served MOW by the City of Greater Dandenong through their
senior citizens club and found that the diversity of Asian meals satisfied their tastes
and expectations. The rice was cooked well, and the different vegetables offered in
the menu was excellent, food was fresh and nutritious. “I endorsed these meals in
our club and CPCA supported the initiative and my participants were served different
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Asian cuisines of their choice during our club social gatherings. In this way, we did not
have to prepare meals because it is getting difficult.”
At present Metring enjoys the company of others through the Filipino Carers Kitchen.
She has a sound knowledge of Home and Community Care services, and in her
position as President, has encouraged other Filipinos to use them.
“My pride and joy is to see my fellow
seniors achieve wellness, learn new
things and have fun together.”
Mrs Reyes established the Angklung
bamboo band in 2009.
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Story 2: Mrs Consejo (‘Ching’) Chavarria
‘Active in my home, active in the community’
Ching migrated to Perth, in Western Australia, in
1976 with her children. She has 3 children, and 9
grandchildren, and 5 great grandchildren all living close
by in Melbourne. Ching worked as a chemist on arriving
in Perth and retired in 1989, aged 60. By the time she
retired, Ching’s grandchildren were teenagers and she
wasn’t required to look after them.
Ching lives independently and still leads an active life.
She enjoys Bingo twice a week, a Planned Activity Group
each fortnight, and an outing with each of her three
children once a week for either shopping or lunch. Ching
also confesses to being a ‘TV addict’ and spends hours
each evening.
In previous years, Ching was reluctant to request for
service even though she has an awareness of these services because her family
provides her with sufficient support.
She started getting involved in seniors advocacy work at age 70 with the Centre
for Philippine Concerns Australia to promote the changing needs of senior Filipino
migrants. As a prominent community leader and Chairperson of the Centre for
Philippine Concerns Australia, Ching dedicates long hours to plan and prepare
for the annual fiesta celebration for the Filipino community to educate the wider
community that cultural celebrations are important in the wellbeing of seniors. This
gives many seniors and community members an opportunity to express themselves
in cultural, musical and artistic forms. The CPCA’s unique emphasis on culture
and health as part of community education makes this event very informative.
As a crusader she rallies
the community to raise
awareness about significant
health issues such as
dementia.
Ching on ABC Radio advocating
for better policies and program
for seniors specially those
with dementia from culturally
and linguistically diverse
backgrounds.
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Story 3: Mrs Genciana (‘Sianing’) Paigan
‘This is home’
Sianing (pronounced ‘Shan-ning’) is known as the “Queen of Ukulele” in the
community. A very talented musician and singer, she loves playing the Ukulele. During
club meetings, she would play the ukulele and entertain her friends.
Nanay Sianing arrived in Australia in 1981 on a family visa. Sianing cared for her
grandchildren from when they were just between 8 and 10 years of age. Although
she lived with her daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren she dedicates time to
be with friends and be active in the community. Her family is aware of local Council
services and have been using a variety of community based aged care services through
the Home and Community Care program. Sianing used to attend two Planned Activity
Groups weekly – one with the
South Eastern Region Migrant
Resource Centre and the other
through Casey Council Adult
Day Activities. For two years,
she was a regular and happy
customer of City of Casey’s
meals on wheels. She and her
family was pleased that Meals
on Wheels takes her asthma
into consideration when
preparing the food.
In our interview with her in
2003 she said: “I enjoy my life in Australia as a senior because of opportunities to
socialise and the activities at MRC. I especially enjoy dancing/music, trips, movies and
concerts.” These days, Sianing enjoys the prime of her life in Villa Maria nursing home
in Berwick. Her daughter and members of their senior citizens club visits with the
support of the Filipino Community Partners Program. This maintains her connection
with the community and cheers her up when sad. Transition to a residential aged care
facility has not been easy but her daughter,
when asked about their decision to place
her in a nursing home said, ‘‘Supportive
friends from the Senior’s Club made a big
difference.’’
Above: Sianing sings with her best friends
at the club;
Left: Sianing at Villa Maria with daughter:
“This is home.”
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Practical tips in promoting aged care services to
Filipino seniors
Interpreting and Translating Services
For most Filipinos, English is their second language and they are very good at it.
For many seniors they find it embarrassing and somewhat shameful if they ask for
an interpreter in English because of self-pride (‘amor propio’). This will be more
successful if the service provider has worked to build a trusting relationship with the
client.
For people with dementia and their carers, use of interpreters during sessions and
consultations is very important as seniors revert back to their native languages. It is a
common misconception by service providers that all Filipinos only speak Tagalog, and
therefore only provide a Tagalog-speaking or Filipino interpreter.
Clarification on terms:
Filipino – term used to call the nationals of Philippines, also the term of our national
language. Thus, we have Filipino speaking Tagalog, Filipino speaking Visayan, Filipino
speaking Ilocano, etc.
Tagalog – most common language spoken by Filipinos also known as Filipino. When
we say Filipino language, we refer to Tagalog. In Census, people put in “languages
spoken” – Tagalog, Visayan (Cebuano, Ilonggo)
Ethnicity – Filipino
Referrals, Assessments, Counselling, Homevisits
Family members view processes like assessments, referrals, counselling and home
visits positively when it is explained that in Australia these programs aim to support
the family.
It should be clearly stated that the purpose of a home visit and/or assessment is to
give information about possible future services they might need, and not because the
family has a problem. There is a perception in the community that when an older
person has become frail and usually lives alone, this person will be taken away by the
government and will be placed in a nursing home.
Terms and words to avoid
1. ‘Elderly’ or ‘people with a disability’ in front of clients, terms which are acceptable
to aged care service providers, could be problematic. ‘Elderly’ Filipinos prefer to
be referred to as ‘senior citizens’ as they view themselves (and are, in the Filipino
community) as important, contributing members of society. To the Filipino, ‘elderly’
or ‘frail-aged’ carries the implication that they are weak and no longer physically
capable of contributing to the family.
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2. Personal Care
Filipino seniors would initially refuse services to help them in bathing, dressing up,
and maintaining hygiene because they had a strong preference for family members
to assist.
3. Nursing home and residential care Facility
Service providers could also gain a negative reaction from clients when mentioning
residential care or nursing homes. Organise a guided tour for family members to
inspect these types of potential future accommodation. Locate a service which
may already have either Filipino residents who could provide companionship and/or
Filipino staff.
4. “Do you understand?”
Asking this may be a harmless question for workers to ask clients when working crossculturally, but to Filipinos this may be perceived as an insult. A better way to clarify
that information is understood is to encourage questions – “Are there any questions?
It is okay to ask for more information on…”
It is also important to note that a common behaviour in the Filipino community is to
say “Maybe…” or “I don’t know” when they really mean “No” or “I can’t”. The reason
for this stems from the cultural aversion to offending others.
“We need a lot of time to tell our story… and we go in circles trying to find the
right words or the right time and the confidence to say a particular need”, a senior
participant said What this means [in a friendly visiting program, case management, or
any interview] is that a worker needs to allow sufficient time and provide a welcoming
environment for a Filipino client.
Completion of forms, name order and nicknames
Clients applying for or requesting services are required to complete forms which often
request ‘middle, last, second names’.
Filipinos do not usually have middle names. There may be exceptions to this, so it is
easier to ask the client but be aware that traditionally, the ‘middle name’ of a Filipino
will be the surname of their mother.
Last names are actually the surname of their father, and are usually referred to as
their ‘family name’. Traditionally there are no second names.
When working with Filipino clients, the name they may give you during initial contact
may in fact be their nickname, instead of their birth or Christian name. Nicknames
in the Philippines can often be very different to their Christian name, and there will
be a connection linking the two names if you ask your client for the relationship.
The source of a nickname can relate directly to their Christian name, can be a
repetitive shortening of one syllable of their name or a combination (e.g. ‘Virginia’
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can become Virgie, Gee-Gee or Jane). One explanation received for this is that there
can be duplication of names within the Filipino community, and nicknames can help
to differentiate between people who have the same birth name.
Examples of this are:
Modern name: John James Gonzales
• First name – John
• Second name – James
• Last name – Gonzales
Traditional name: Virginia C. Gonzales
• First name – Virginia
• Nickname – Jane
• Second name – none
• Middle name – Conrado (mother’s family)
• Last name – Gonzales
Popular group and individual activities
The most popular activities among senior clubs and home visiting groups are:
• Group singing and karaoke;
• Group cooking, preparing and having meals together;
• Dancing (line dancing, cha-cha and ballroom dancing);
• Low impact exercise;
• Water exercise in the pool is preferred by younger members in their early 60s (although many will not wear bathers but prefer t-shirts and shorts - traditionally, Filipinos do not want to show skin in public); and
• Visiting friends.
Cultural meals
Generosity, reciprocity and the importance of food
Traditional Filipino food will always be served with rice or noodles, and consists of a
wide variety of soup dishes, meat and vegetable dishes or fish dishes. Filipinos do not
use chopsticks, but prefer using spoons and forks to eat all meals.
In general, Filipinos are very hospitable people, who are very social and friendly
towards anyone they come into contact with. They enjoy social gatherings, especially
if they include singing and dancing.
All gatherings of Filipinos will involve eating and sharing food, as eating a meal brings
family and friends together. The origin of this belief can also be traced to the poverty
that most Filipinos experience, which encourages generosity, and in turn, reciprocity.
Filipinos believe that, in accordance with notions of harmony and caring, food should
always be shared when they are together.
Serving of food
Filipino clients have a preference for buffet rather than ‘a la carte’. This way they can
help themselves to what they like (‘kanya-kanyang kuha’), without the possibility of
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insulting the cook by not eating a certain dish or being in a position of ‘having’ to eat
a dish they don’t like.
Filipinos also use a spoon and fork for most meals, rather than knife and fork, or
chopsticks. Having a knife and fork is more difficult to use when eating the rice and/
or soup dishes whichare popular in the Filipino culture.
Suggested drinks are water (‘tubig’), Pepsi/Coke, Sprite/lemonade and Fanta/orange
drink. Juice is seldom chosen, although pineapple juice is the exception to this. White
tea or coffee is also popular.
Sharing and offering of food
It is important in the Filipino community that food is accepted when offered. This
relates specifically to workers and volunteers working with Filipinos. Not accepting
the offer of food is seen as a form of rejection, and a reflection that you do not like
the person who is offering you the food. It is more polite to say that you will try only
a small amount, as you are not really hungry or for whatever reason.
Powerbreakfast
Filipinos start their day with a heavy
meal called powerbreakfast. Traditionally,
workers wake up early and work all day
with breaks during lunch, afternoon siesta
with meryenda (snack) and then dinner.
Pandesal (Bread) with Filipino Sausage
Longganisa has been popular with
community gatherings, nursing homes
and mixed cultural settings.
• To cook, boil longganisa in 1/2 cup of water on a pan or wok. Water will soon
evaporate then oil will ooze from the longganisa. Fry it on its own oil or add a few
tablespoons of cooking oil and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until the
sausage casings turn brownish.
Longganisa serving tips:
• Longganisa is ideally served with steamed rice or Fried Rice topped with sunny
sideup fried egg.
Pandesals are available at local Filipino shops in
Dandenong and Springvale stores and they come in
packs of 12 or 10.
To make the Pandesal sandwich simply cut the
longganisa in half, butter the pandesal and place
longganisa. This will make a great breakfast with
coffee or to others it is lunch.
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Important festivals Filipinos celebrated in Melbourne
• Philippine Independence Day: Health and Culture gathering – hosted by CPCA,Knox
• Sinulog: hosted by Association of Visayan in Victoria, every 3rd Sunday of January
• Fiesta: 25 November hosted by Filipino Community Council of Victoria, Flemington
• Pasko sa Nayon: ‘Christmas in the Village’ organised by the Bayanihan Australia Community Network, Federation Square
How to organise a fiesta in your residential facility
• Plan and allocate resources, decide what type of festival you would like, consult with
an ethnic organisation for advice
• Invite cultural performers - usually seniors clubs have cultural ambassadors, see list
of Filipino seniors clubs below.
• Music - Filipino music can be borrowed or purchased from Filipino shops.
• Cultural Foods are important - tastings are good introductory activity, see sample
recipe in this booklet.
• Culture and Health Information - this is an opportunity to blend in a brief 10-15
minute talk about health and wellbeing
• Partnering with other organizations - Filipino seniors clubs and associations are
great partners because they have willing and creative volunteers who are more than
happy to render service at no cost, however, transport provision is important for
volunteers. They usually come in small groups of 8-10.
Where to buy Filipino food and groceries
• Masagana Fil Asian & Seafood, Boronia Village Shopping Centre, Shop 4,
159 Boronia Rd, Boronia, Vic 3155
• Lenny’s Filipino Grocery, The Hub Dandenong
• Mely’s Filipino Asian Grocery, Hampton Park, John Alexander Enterprise
• Pilipino Sari-Sari Store, 6/21 Springvale Rd, Springvale, Vic 3171
Where to find cultural performers
Centre for Philippine Concerns Australia Inc, 186 Foster St, East Dandenong
Mrs Consejo Chavarria Ph: (03) 9791 8366, (03) 9791 8344
Young Generation Filipino Seniors Club of the South East (YG)
Mrs Demetria Reyes Ph: (03) 9794 5084 Mob: 0485 6406
Sining Pilipino
Krz Aguilar & Ado Aguilar Ph: (03) 8521 3003, (03) 8511 4969 Mob: 0402 659 048
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Calendar of Filipino Festivals
New Year(Bagong Taon) 1st January
New Year in the Philippines is a celebration in fireworks and pyrotechnics. At the
Roxas Boulevard, people are treated to pyrotechnics competition at the Manila Bay.
Families reunite or gather in homes to partake of the ‘Media Noche’ (Midnight Meal)
– a sumptuous meal of native foods and delicacies to welcome the new year in the
spirit of fullness and prosperity. Even the poor had their simple Media Noche to
welcome the New Year.
Holy Week (Semana Santa) April
Semana Santa means Holy Week starting on Palm Sunday and ends on Easter Sunday.
It is a time for deeper and serious atonement and reparations especially for Catholic
Filipinos.
Good Friday
On Good Friday or the day before penitents – mostly men but with the occasional
woman – are taken to a rice field in the barrio of San Pedro Cutud, Pampanga and
nailed to a cross using two-inch (5 cm) stainless steel nails that have been soaked in
alcohol to disinfect them. The penitents are taken down when they feel cleansed of
their sin.
Independence Day (Araw ng kalayaan) 12th June
In Kawit, Cavite on June 12, 1898 General Emilio Aguinaldo was proclaimed President
of the Philippine Republic at his ancestral home. The flag of the Philippines was first
unfurled before a huge crowd. The flag was made in Hongkong by Marcela Agoncillo,
Lorenza Agoncillo, and Delfina Herboza. The National Anthem (Lupang Hinirang)
composed by Julian Felipe which was then known as the ‘Marcha Filipina Magdalo’
was played by a marching band from Malabon.
All Saints Day (Undras or Araw ng mga santo) and All Souls Day (Araw ng mga
Kaluluwa) 1st and 2nd November
A 2-day event in the Philippines. The week before people clean and paint the graves
of their dead relatives. Thousands throng to cemeteries all over the country to honor
ancestors and relatives who have died. People bring flowers, wreaths, light candles,
pray for the dead and masses are said are said and tombs are blessed. This event
connotes food, music and family picnics and reunions among the tombs.
Christmas (Pasko) 25 December
In the Philippines, people start to decorate their homes and play Christmas songs in
October. Christmas trees and lanterns stay up until end of January.
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Other significant and prominent religious festivities and observances:
Ati-Atihan 3rd Sunday of January
A feast held in honor of the Santo Niño in the town of Kalibo. It is the wildest among
Philippine fiestas and considered as the Mother of All Philippine festivals. Celebrants
paint their faces with black soot and wear bright, outlandish costumes as they dance
in revelry during the last three days of this two week-long festival.
Dinagyang 4th Sunday of January
The Dinagyang is a religious and cultural festival in Iloilo City. It is held both to
honor the Santo Niño and to celebrate the arrival on Panay of Malay settlers and the
subsequent selling of the island to them by the Atis.
Sinulog 3rd Sunday of January
“Viva Pit Señor!” That’s what you’ll hear people chant in a Sinulog Festival. It is the
month when one of the grandest festivals of the Philippines is celebrated in honor
of the Santo Niño. A dance ritual that reminisces the time when Filipinos embraced
Christianity.
Moriones Holy Week
An annual festival held on Holy Week on the Marinduque island. Men and women
dress in costumes and masks replicating the garb of biblical Roman soldiers. The
Moriones or Moryonan tradition has inspired the creation of other festivals in the
Philippines where cultural practices or folk history is turned into street festivals.
Pahiyas 15th May
A celebration of thanksgiving for good harvest. It is celebrated in Lucban, a province
in Southern Luzon. Streets of houses are exquisitely adorned with fruits, vegetables,
agricultural products, handicrafts and kiping, a rice-made decoration, which
afterwards can be eaten grilled or fried. The houses are judged and the best one is
proclaimed the winner.
Penafrancia Fluvial 3rd Saturday and Sunday of September
The Peñafrancia Festival in Naga City, Camarines Sur, Bicol Region. During the festivities,
people attend church services, followed by parades on the streets, fireworks, and
feasting.
Santa Clara 17th May – 19th May
The Obando Fertility Rite is a Filipino dance ritual. This event is celebrated every year
during the month of May. The fiesta participants wear traditional dance costumes
and dance on the streets in the form of a religious procession. It is a fertility dance
wherein most are asking the patron saints for a son or a daughter, a husband or a wife
or good fortune.
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