Catholicism It is part of the Filipino identity by Gie Best
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"I'm Filipino, and I'm Catholic." This way of identifying one's self may sound so politically incorrect, but being Christian and Catholic
is part and parcel of the Filipino cultural, political and universal identity.
The Philippines was under the yoke of the Spanish Conquistadores for more than 300 years. At some point, the Filipino
resilience and patience under this yoke gave way to discontent, which eventually led to the overthrow of the Spanish regime in the
Philippines through a bloody revolution in 1898.
The brunt of Spanish colonialism, however, left its marks on the psyche and persona of the Filipino culture and people. The
changes in values and preferences showed up in the social, political and religious practices of the newly proclaimed free and
found expression in education, entertainment, the arts and other significant areas of modern life. Filipinos emerged from that era
sharing Spanish names with the people of Spain and other countries in South America, instead of names similar to their
neighboring countries in Asia, such as Japan, Korea, Thailand and Cambodia. Verbal telling of time, calendar days and dates and
rural business numeric system being used in barrio tiendas in the Philippines are still in Spanish to this day. They maintain habits
and attitudes such as the mañana (do it tomorrow/later) habit, mid-morning and mid -afternoon merienda (snack) and the
leisurely after-lunch siesta (nap) from the old practices of the hacienderos (wealthy landowners).
The Philippine urban scenery also took some visible branding of Spanish domination in popular arts and artifacts. Architectural
designs of churches and business buildings, as well as the elegant homes of the elite display echoes of Spain. The Filipinos
preserved the buildings and objects with traces of Spanish designs in art and architecture and considered them as treasures of
the past. They have become part of the Philippine heritage from Spain.
The new generation of Filipino-Americans in the United States, and in other parts of the world, continue to sustain specific habits,
values and social observances that are Spanish in origin. Some fair-skinned Filipinos in the homeland and abroad acknowledge
and wear with pride their mestiza/mestizo looks as inherited traits from a Spanish grandmother or grandfather. Filipino traditional
forms of celebration and entertainment often include and showcase young students dancing the Estudiantina and wearing "Maria
Clara" gowns, complete with delicate, lace-trimmed parasol. On formal occasions, the more mature ladies exude poise and
elegance in their butterfly sleeved terno, doing the Rigodon de Honor and cooling themselves demurely with a wide Spanish
abanico (fan). Some women even wear a mantilla for added fashion flair. They observe Fiesta and take great gastronomical delight
in cooking and serving Leche flan and Paella.
There are, however, far deeper, more significant and permanent imprints of the Spanish colonial stint in the Philippines. Culture
and faith exist hand in hand. They are not exclusive of each other. For this reason, the evangelizing European missionaries of the
Catholic Church ventured into unknown lands and waters with the imperialistic, economically and politically motivated
conquistadores to blaze new religious trails in the Asian horizon. In 1521, the missionary friars, specifically the Franciscan and the
Dominican orders, reached the Philippine shore aboard the Spanish Galleon Santa Maria, to evangelize and baptize the natives of
the Philippine islands in the rites and rituals of the Catholic faith and tradition. The ancient Filipinos, through the teachings of the
evangelizing Spanish friars, embraced the faith and lived according to the tenets of Catholicism. The inherent wisdom of the
Filipino forefathers recognized the basic need for and the spiritual benefit of keeping Catholicism in a place of great influence,
prominence and permanence in the culture and faith of the Filipinos.
The Philippines became the first and still the only predominantly Catholic country in Asia. It now has a Filipino canonized saint, St.
Lorenzo Ruiz, a catechist who died a martyr's death, together with three other Dominican priests. The Catholic Church in the
Philippines is often used as an example in the programs of EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network), the largest Catholic global
television network in the world, for the institution of Perpetual Adoration of the Eucharist in all of its parishes throughout the country
and for praying daily the 3 p.m. devotion to the Divine Mercy. EWTN and national television networks still contend that the largest
gathering of people to ever take place, on record, was the visit of Pope John Paul II in Manila, Philippines during the World Youth
Day celebration in 2002. And who can forget the non-violent revolution at EDSA in 1986? Through the leadership of the late Catholic
Cardinal Jaime Sin, a strong, faith-oriented effort ignited the fire for a colossal display of non-violent people power revolution that
ended the infamous Marcos dictatorship on that victorious event in Philippine political history.
The Catholic faith is an integral part of the Christian-Filipino heritage and identity within the great global and universal community
of the people of God. The tangible marks of Christian Catholicism in the culture and persona of the Filipino are worth wearing and
parading with pride, as much, if not more, than any other positive foreign cultural influences that are being kept alive by Filipinos as
a legacy from the past. As a Filipino and a Catholic, I believe that it is both a blessing and a privilege to carry this Christian identity
within us and to allow it to reflect who we are whatever our lifestyle is or wherever we may be. It is one pamana (heritage) from the
homeland, among many others, that can be a uniting and of lasting benefit to us individually and as a people. It is something that
we cannot afford to set aside with timidity, in exchange for human respect and for the sake of being politically correct.