Spanish Identity Entangled in Filipino Culture

Hola? Como estas? Today i am very pleased to tell you that i have completed my 6 units intermediate Spanish language in my foreign language subject. The knowledge i have acquired enables me today to share to you my leanings in the subject.

The Philippines located in Southeast-Asia composed with more than 7000 islands and a very diverse location is a known for its beautiful geographic setup and optimistic people but the country itself is famously known for its rich and challenging history. Philippines is faced with adversity from the colonization era.

The Coming of Spaniards

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Although Philippines had already have contacts with foreign people even the arrival of Spaniards, like the exchange of goods with the Arabs as well as the Barter System with some Chinese but it was really the Spaniards that brought a lot of challenged to the natives.

Led by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and order by the king of Spain, they venture on a long Journey in discovering the other part of the world. Originally looking for the Spice island in Malacca but ended up in a different path and landed in a different way of what was originally wanted to be.

It was a long Journey for Magellan, leading the expedition together with five Ship, they set to conquer the world. This journey was recorded and written by Pigafetta. he expedition took more than year of travel as we can see in the picture the route that they have gone through. In the service of the Spanish king, Magellan successfully landed in the shore of Samar in 1521 which marks the start of the long start of new history. Upon landed Magellan knew that he has to do something in the New land.

1521: Marks the Spanish era in the Philippines

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The Philippines became the most essential territory of Spain at that time whose as the same time is competing with its main rival Portugal fro the power domination. Following the success expedition, more Spanish expedition came to the Philippines.
To name a few we have spanish expedition of a mere 600 strongmen led by Miguel López de Legazpi departed Barra de Navidad, New Spain to which later arrived tin the shore of Cebu. It was mark as the strong start of the the colonization era.

Throughout the years , the Spanish regime in the country imposed policy and laws for the natives. One of them is the encomienda system, Poly y Servicio and many more. Marjority of these new law focused on the labor and work force which also imposed taxes and and financial burden for the natives.

Struggles Towards Filipino Identity

Moving forward, for more than 300 years it is very clear that the line has been drawn. After gaining its independence on June 12, 1898 the Philippine became the first country from Asia who gain their Independence from the western colonizers but the struggles continued for the Philippines as the Japanese and American regime took over the country. mixing a new dimension and struggle for the Filipino natives. But you know what really strikes the Filipinos? Its the Lost of the Filipino identity. With the long History of Spanish and American imperialism, is the subsequent awakening of intense waves of cultural colonization, Filipinos are in spite in the verge of losing their roots. History attests to this sentiments of their mental struggles. Filipino and the Philippines is a society is demonstrated by the dilemma and challenges of the nation-building spirit within as the country continues to progress.

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Its very evident how our culture is interconnected with the Spanish. It is like a mirror of their image that Filipinos are portraying for. if we could just imagine it, our neighboring Asian countries have their own original and preserved identity and in which our they know to aggressively brand themselves like specifically the North and South Korea, japan and even China who were also part of the European imperialism before , not only through words but through imagery of their culture and tradition.

Spanish Identity Entangled in Filipino Culture

Christianity was introduced

Imagine the Philippines if the Philippines was not colonized? We maybe still practicing animism right now, like practicing or preaching to the objects, stones, trees and other as our attribution. this is one of the agenda of The Spaniards, to spread the religion that they have. part of the 3G as well. Christianity as religion in the Philippine clearly made several impact and changes as it wash out the old pagan belief of the entire nation too. Several changes and practices were imposed that clearly uplift the status of the nation.

Education for Filipinos

Aside from the religion brought to us by the Spaniards, gradual changes has also been made one of them is education for the Filipinos, before education was just practiced at home wherein mothers have the obligation for education their children. schools had been made which was very evident and with the Parish priests teaching or doing their obligations for the natives. Education for the filipinos just proved that natives are intellectually capable as to the Spaniards. But the downside of this is that during the introduction of education, Spanish culture and language as well as religion were the main topics focused and were discussed by the priest making much more confusion that enter twinned with our culture.

Civilizing the Filipinos

Every Westerners has always had this goal of civilizing the people of their new territory either its from the British, French, Portuguese or the Spanish. The Spanish brought new knowledge and taught the Natives in their own way. imposing Christianity, education and their authority. Other evident is that the introduction of the Government system to the country. Filipinos enables to have glimpse of how does the westerners organized their way of governing in politics.

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Clearly it is crucial to understand how this Western imperialism had great contribution to the Country but at the same time it led to a further confusion and struggles towards that Filipino sense of nationality or well-being. I have to say that we Filipino have a lot of struggles today and one of the factors to that is our lack of self-identity.

But another rationale their is that we need to accept and indulge it as part of our our culture now If we want to solve on our identity, we can also look back to the good contribution by the foreign.

Thank you for reading!

Reference

• JPA(2006)The Search for the Lost Filipino Identity. Retrieved from https://jpacaba.wordpress.com/2006/04/26/the-search-for-the-lost-filipino-identity/