We had a quick look at the videos and we selected some of those which we thought would give our visitors an insight into what makes the Philippines unique.

Here are some of our selections (more to come) last year:

Jess Santiago sings Only in the Philippines
Forum on Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) Extension with Reform held in Solair UP Diliman, Q.C.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH_AFjeyWFg

Boracay – Only in the Philippines
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXychyqCaW8

Fireworks display – only in the philippines
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DJGWYuohhM

Penitensiya – Holy Week only in the Philippines
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh1QYQ9ZyC4

2008 Giant Lantern Festival in City of San Fernando, Pampanga Philippines
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrNZf-MciZc

Do you know of other “only in the Philippines” videos that you want us to feature on this page? Contact us with the URL of the video.

Updated: 4 February 2010

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjTFKLzVNdY

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FROM the 1896 Revolution to the first Philippine Republic, the Commonwealth period, the EDSA Revolt, and the tiger cub economy, history marches on. Thankfully, however, some things never change. Like the classics, things irresistibly Pinoy mark us for life. They’re the indelible stamp of our identity, the undeniable affinity that binds us like twins. They celebrate the good in us, the best of our culture and the infinite possibilities we are all capable of. Some are so self-explanatory you only need mention them for fellow Pinoys to swoon or drool. Here, from all over this Centennial-crazed country and in no particular order, are a hundred of the best things that make us unmistakably Pinoy.

1. Merienda. Where else is it normal to eat five times a day?

2. Sawsawan. Assorted sauces that guarantee freedom of choice, enough room for experimentation and maximum tolerance for diverse tastes. Favorites: toyo’t calamansi, suka at sili, patis.

3. Kuwan, ano. At a loss for words? Try these and marvel at how Pinoys understand exactly what you want.

4. Pinoy humor and irreverence. If you’re api and you know it, crack a joke. Nothing personal, really.

5. Tingi. Thank goodness for small entrepreneurs. Where else can we buy cigarettes, soap, condiments and life’s essentials in small affordable amounts?

6. Spirituality. Even before the Spaniards came, ethnic tribes had their own anitos, bathalas and assorted deities, pointing to a strong relationship with the Creator, who or whatever it may be.

7. Po, opo, mano po. Speech suffixes that define courtesy, deference, filial respect–a balm to the spirit in these aggressive times.

8. Pasalubong. Our way of sharing the vicarious thrills and delights of a trip, and a wonderful excuse to shop without the customary guilt.

9. Beaches! With 7,000 plus islands, we have miles and miles of shoreline piled high with fine white sand, lapped by warm waters, and nibbled by exotic tropical fish. From the stormy seas of Batanes to the emerald isles of Palawan–over here, life is truly a beach.

10. Bagoong. Darkly mysterious, this smelly fish or shrimp paste typifies the underlying theme of most ethnic foods: disgustingly unhygienic, unbearably stinky and simply irresistible.

11. Bayanihan. Yes, the internationally-renowned dance company, but also this habit of pitching in still common in small communities. Just have that cold beer and some pulutan ready for the troops.

12. The Balikbayan box. Another way of sharing life’s bounty, no matter if it seems like we’re fleeing Pol Pot every time we head home from anywhere in the globe. The most wonderful part is that, more often than not, the contents are carted home to be distributed.

13. Pilipino komiks. Not to mention “Hiwaga,” “Aliwan,” “Tagalog Classics,” “Liwayway” and”Bulaklak” magazines. Pulpy publications that gave us Darna, Facifica Falayfay, Lagalag, Kulafu, Kenkoy, Dyesebel, characters of a time both innocent and worldly.

14. Folk songs. They come unbidden and spring, full blown, like a second language, at the slightest nudge from the too-loud stereo of a passing jeepney or tricycle.

15. Fiesta. Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow is just another day, shrugs the poor man who, once a year, honors a patron saint with this sumptuous, no-holds-barred spread. It’s a Pinoy celebration at its pious and riotous best.

16. Aswang, manananggal, kapre. The whole underworld of Filipino lower mythology recalls our uniquely bizarre childhood, that is, before political correctness kicked in. Still, their rich adventures pepper our storytelling.

17. Jeepneys. Colorful, fast, reckless, a vehicle of postwar Pinoy ingenuity, this Everyman’s communal cadillac makes for a cheap, interesting ride. If the driver’s a daredevil (as they usually are), hang on to your seat.

18. Dinuguan. Blood stew, a bloodcurdling idea, until you try it with puto. Best when mined with jalape쨚 peppers. Messy but delicious.
19. Santacruzan. More than just a beauty contest, this one has religious overtones, a tableau of St. Helena’s and Constantine’s search for the Cross that seamlessly blends piety, pageantry and ritual. Plus, it’s the perfect excuse to show off the prettiest ladies–and the most beautiful gowns.

20. Balut. Unhatched duck’s embryo, another unspeakable ethnic food to outsiders, but oh, to indulge in guilty pleasures! Sprinkle some salt and suck out that soup, with gusto.

21. Pakidala. A personalized door-to-door remittance and delivery system for overseas Filipino workers who don’t trust the banking system, and who expect a family update from the courier, as well.

22. Choc-nut. Crumbly peanut chocolate bars that defined childhood ecstasy before M & M’s and Hershey’s.

23. Kamayan style. To eat with one’s hand and eschew spoon, fork and table manners–ah, heaven.

24. Chicharon. Pork, fish or chicken crackling. There is in the crunch a hint of the extravagant, the decadent and the pedestrian. Perfect with vinegar, sublime with beer.

25. Pinoy hospitality. Just about everyone gets a hearty “Kain tayo!” invitation to break bread with whoever has food to share, no matter how skimpy or austere it is.

26. Adobo, kare-kare, sinigang and other lutong bahay stuff. Home-cooked meals that have the stamp of approval from several generations, who swear by closely-guarded cooking secrets and family recipes.

27. Lola Basyang. The voice one heard spinning tales over the radio, before movies and television curtailed imagination and defined grown-up tastes.

28. Pambahay. Home is where one can let it all hang out, where clothes do not make a man or woman but rather define their level of comfort.

29. Tricycle and trisikad, the poor Pinoy’s taxicab that delivers you at your doorstep for as little as PHPesos7.00, with a complimentary dusting of polluted air.

30. Dirty ice cream. Very Pinoy flavors that make up for the risk: munggo, langka, ube, mais, keso, macapuno. Plus there’s the colorful cart that recalls jeepney art.

31. Yayas. The trusted Filipino nanny who, ironically, has become a major Philippine export as overseas contract workers. A good one is almost like a surrogate parent–if you don’t mind the accent and the predilection for afternoon soap and movie stars.

32. Sarsi. Pinoy rootbeer, the enduring taste of childhood. Our grandfathers had them with an egg beaten in.

33. Pinoy fruits. Atis, guyabano, chesa, mabolo, lanzones, durian, langka, makopa, dalanghita, siniguelas, suha, chico, papaya, singkamas–the possibilities!

34. Filipino celebrities. Movie stars, broadcasters, beauty queens, public officials, all-around controversial figures: Aurora Pijuan, Cardinal Sin, Carlos P. Romulo, Charito Solis, Cory Aquino, Emilio Aguinaldo, the Eraserheads, Fidel V. Ramos, Francis Magalona, Gloria Diaz, Manuel L. Quezon, Margie Moran, Melanie Marquez, Ninoy Aquino, Nora Aunor, Pitoy Moreno, Ramon Magsysay, Richard Gomez, San Lorenzo Ruiz, Sharon Cuneta, Gemma Cruz, Erap, Tiya Dely, Mel and Jay, Gary V, Kris Aquino, Papa Wilie “wowowie”,

35. World class Pinoys who put us on the global map: Lea Salonga, Paeng Nepomuceno, Eugene Torre, Luisito Espinosa, Lydia de Vega-Mercado, Jocelyn Enriquez, Elma Muros, Onyok Velasco, Efren “Bata” Reyes, Lilia Calderon-Clemente, Loida Nicolas-Lewis, Josie Natori, Pacquiao.

36. Pinoy tastes. A dietitian’s nightmare: too sweet, too salty, too fatty, as in burong talangka, itlog na maalat, crab fat (aligue), bokayo, kutchinta, sapin-sapin, halo-halo, pastilyas, palitaw, pulburon, longganisa, tuyo, ensaymada, ube haleya, sweetened macapuno and garbanzos. Remember, we’re the guys who put sugar (horrors) in our spaghetti sauce. Yum!

37. The sights. Banaue Rice Terraces, Boracay, Bohol’s Chocolate Hills, Corregidor Island, Fort Santiago, the Hundred Islands, the Las Pi?s Bamboo Organ, Rizal Park, Mt. Banahaw, Mayon Volcano, Taal Volcano. A land of contrasts and ever-changing landscapes.

38. Gayuma, agimat and anting-anting. Love potions and amulets. How the socially-disadvantaged Pinoy copes.

39. Barangay Ginebra, Jaworski, PBA, MBA and basketball. How the verticaly-challenged Pinoy compensates, via a national sports obsession that reduces fans to tears and fistfights.

40. People Power at EDSA. When everyone became a hero and changed Philippine history overnight.

41. San Miguel Beer and pulutan. “Isa pa nga!” and the Philippines’ most popular, world-renowned beer goes well with peanuts, corniks, tapa, chicharon, usa, barbecue, sisig, and all manner of spicy, crunchy and cholesterol-rich chasers.

42. Resiliency. We’ve survived 400 years of Spanish rule, the US bases, Marcos, the 1990 earthquake, lahar, lambada, Robin Padilla, and Tamagochi. We’ll survive Gloria.

43. Yoyo. Truly Filipino in origin, this hunting tool, weapon, toy and merchandising vehicle remains the best way to “walk the dog” and “rock the baby,” using just a piece of string.

44. Pinoy games: Pabitin, palosebo, basagan ng palayok. A few basic rules make individual cunning and persistence a premium, and guarantee a good time for all.

45. Ninoy Aquino. For saying that “the Filipino is worth dying for,” and proving it.

46. Balagtasan. The verbal joust that brings out rhyme, reason and passion on a public stage.

47. Tabo. All-powerful, ever-useful, hygienically-triumphant device to scoop water out of a bucket _ and help the true Pinoy answer nature’s call. Helps maintain our famously stringent toilet habits.

48. Pandesal. Despite its shrinking size, still a good buy. Goes well with any filling, best when hot.

49. Jollibee. Truly Pinoy in taste and sensibility, and a corporate icon that we can be quite proud of. Do you know that it’s invaded the Middle East, as well?

50. The butanding, the dolphins and other creatures in our blessed waters. They’re Pinoys, too, and they’re here to stay. Now if some folks would just stop turning them into daing.

Only in the Philippines? You bet it is.

Filipinos signify ‘Yes’ by raising the eyebrows or lifting the head upwards slightly. The hand movements which mean ‘Go away’ to us signify ‘Come here’ in the Philippines.

The thumb and middle finger are not used to indicate numbers. Instead of pointing with your finger, indicate discreetly by pointing pursed lips in the direction you want.

One hisses to gain attention, for example, when calling a waiter in a restaurant. When you want to pay the bill, draw a rectangle in the air with your index finger and thumb.

If Filipinos don’t understand a question, they open their mouths.

So what do you think? Very unique, isn’t it?

The rice terraces are considered the “Eight Wonder of the World” and are a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The rice terraces start from the base of the mountain range and reach up to several thousand feet high. Their length according to some estimates if put end to end would be equivalent to half the size of the globe.

Built about 2,000 years ago, the rice terraces are demonstration of the engineering skill and ingenuity of the early inhabitants of the area. Streams and springs found in the mountains were taped and channeled into irrigation canal that run downhill through the rice terraces. //Sources: National Statistical Coordination Board, Cordilleras; UNESCO

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iacTmleIPTg

Here’s a video we saw at YouTube which we thought is worth sharing on this site.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXychyqCaW8

“Kundiman Magandang Diwata” Jocelyn ng Baliwag, Magandang Diwata”, a kundiman circa 1800.

Full text from YouTube post:

“From 1896 to 1898 the most famous Kundiman, which fired the patriotic sentiments of the Tagalog revolutionaries in the struggle for liberation from Spanish colonial rule, was Jocelyn ng Baliuag. Officially known as Musica del Legitimo Kundiman Procedente del Campo Insurecto (Music of the Legitimate Kundiman that Proceeds from the Insurgents), Jocelynang Baliwag was the favorite Kundiman among the revolutionaries of Bulacan during the Philippine Revolution of 1896 – earning it the title “Kundiman of the Revolution.”In the guise of a love and courtship song, it features lyrics dedicated to a young and beautiful Filipina idolized in the Bulacan town of Baliuag named Josefa ‘Pepita’ Tiongson y Lara who symbolizes the image of the beloved Motherland, the Inang Bayan ng Katagalugan or Filipinas.

JOCELYNANG BALIWAG P- Pinopoong sinta, niring calolowa Nacacawangis mo’y mabangong sampaga Dalisay sa linis, dakila sa ganda Matimyas na bucal ng madlang ligaya. E- Edeng maligayang kinaloclocan Ng galak at tuwang catamis-tamisan Hada cang maningning na ang matunghaya’y Masamyong bulaclac agad sumisical. P- Pinananaligan niring aking dibdib Na sa paglalayag sa dagat ng sakit ‘Di mo babayaang malunod sa hapis Sa pagcabagabag co’y icaw ang sasagip. I- Icaw na nga ang lunas sa aking dalita Tanging magliligtas sa niluha-luha Bunying binibining sinucuang cusa Niring catawohang nangayupapa. T- Tanggapin ang aking wagas na pag-ibig Marubdob na ningas na taglay sa dibdib Sa buhay na ito’y walang nilalangit Cung hindi ikaw lamang, ilaw niring isip. A- At sa cawacasa’y ang kapamanhikan Tumbasan mo yaring pagsintang dalisay Alalahanin mong cung ‘di cahabagan Iyong lalasunin ang aba cong buhay.

The kundiman is a love song and/or a patriotic song that generally expresses lamentation, a longing, a plea, or sorrow. Influenced by the culture of the times and the temper of the Filipino, the kundiman’s purpose was never trivial and ordinary. During the Spanish colonial regime, the kundiman, “Jocelyn ng Baliwag” was disguised as an expression of love for a lady from Bulacan; it was actually an expression of love for the motherland and the hope of setting her free from the Spanish conquistadores. The kundiman’s beat is triple time, in minor key, and its lyrics are poetic, swaying smoothly with either a silent note or a mezzo forte. It is usually sung by a highly trained and skilled vocalist, accompanied by an equally trained and skilled string orchestra, or a pianist, a violinist, and/or a guitarist. No; ordinary vocalists and musicians cannot perform the kundiman. It requires more than just a singing voice and the ability to pluck some strings. If other nations have their opera, the Philippines has its kundiman, uniquely its own.”

Did you know that the Tarlac High School, formerly the Tarlac Provincial High School was the first public high school that was ever established in the Philippines?

In October 1900, Mr Frank R. White was named deputy division superintendent for Tarlac Province and during his incumbency the Tarlac Provincial High School was opened on September 1, 1902, with Mr White as principal of the high school.