the Filipino persona, and an aspect of the Filipino culture that can make any Filipino proud. The following are selected entries from the book:
Banog
Banog, the monkey-eating eagle, is considered as the biggest eagle in the world. First discovered by John Whitehead in Samar in 1896, it can also be found in Leyte, Luzon, and Mindanao. Because of its huge size, it is sometimes called garuda, manaol, haribon, and malambagook. The Philippine Eagle Foundation propagates the eagles through artificial insemination. “Pag-asa (1992),” “Pagkakaisa (1992),” and “Pangarap (1999)” were successful products of this process.
Bangang Manunggul
The bones of the departed are placed inside the Bangang Manunggul, considered as one of the national treasures. First discovered in 1964, the jar was found inside one of the caves in Lipoon Point, Palawan, facing the South China Sea. The jar is painted with hematite and its lid is adorned with two human forms in a boat—one is rowing the boat, while the other figure’s arms are crossed over his chest—depicting their journey toward the next life.
Bayanihan
An old Filipino tradition, bayanihan refers to a spirit of community unity, taken from the word bayan, referring to a town, nation, or community. Several neighbors literally carry a house on stilts to a new location. The family who owns the house usually hosts a small fiesta in gratitude for those who had helped them.
Dr Jose P Rizal
Dr Jose Protacio Mercado Rizal y Alonzo Realonda, hailed as “The Pride of the Malay Race,” wrote the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.
Dr Rizal was the seventh of the 11 children of Don Francisco Mercado and Doña Teodora Alonzo. Like many Filipinos, Rizal’s first teacher was his mother who taught him his letters and his prayers. He received a degree in Bachelor of Arts from the Ateneo Municipal de Manila. He also studied medicine at the University of Santo Tomas and at the Universidad Central de Madrid in Spain, receiving a degree in Licentiate in Medicine and a degree in Licentiate in Philosophy and Letters.
On Dec. 26, 1896, Rizal was subjected to a mock trial and, on Dec. 30, 1896, at 7:03 in the morning, Rizal was shot in Bagumbayan Field by a firing squad on the orders of Governor General Camilo de Polavieja.
EDSA People Power
A peaceful revolution broke out on the streets of the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) from Feb. 22 to Feb. 25, 1986. About two million people gathered in EDSA to protect the military insurgency led by Juan Ponce Enrile and Fidel Valdez Ramos, which eventually led to the ending of President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos’s 20-year dictatorial rule.
Juan dela Cruz
Juan dela Cruz, coined by Robert McCulloch Dick and his cartoonists in the early 1900’s, is the generic name for the Filipino people. Juan dela Cruz is a naïve-looking man wearing a salakot, slippers, camisa de chino, and native trousers. McCulloch Dick coined the name after he discovered that it was the most common name in court dockets and police blotters.
Katipunan
Popularly known as the Katipunan, the Kataastaasang Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan, the forerunner of the 1896 Philippine Revolution, was the first organization against Western authority in Asia.
The Katipunan was founded on July 6, 1892, by Teodoro Plata, Ladislao Diwa, Andrés Bonifacio, and other members of La Liga Filipina, at a house in Calle Azcarraga in Tondo, Manila.
Pasko
Christmas celebration in the Philippines is considered to be the longest and the most jovial in the world. Pasko is ushered by the colorful parol, festive noche buena, nine-day simbang gabi, and the mouth-watering bibingka and puto bumbong. Reflecting the devotion to the Catholic faith, Filipinos patiently attend the simbang gabi, celebrating the noche buena, the traditional Christmas Eve.
Payyó
Serving as a symbol for society and tradition, the Banaue Rice Terraces in the Cordilleras is considered as one of the most exemplary engineering structures of farming system sculpted on the side of the mountain. Referred to as payyó for Ifugaos and payáw from the people of Benguet, it became a World Heritage site of Unesco in 1995.
University of Santo Tomas
Directed by Archbishop Miguel de Benavides of Manila in 1611, the Dominican Order established the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest existing university in Asia and the largest Catholic university in the world in terms of student population located in one campus.
