Filipino Culture is Diverse
Some Filipino still live in caves, for some it remains a part of Filipino culture. I can’t help but think of someone that gave me a hard time because he disapproved of a Filipino tradition. Because it was not his tradition, it was not a tradition at all and his eyes my saying so was offensive. I think he was offended by the tradition and blamed me for it. What I’m leading up to is that there is a minute amount of Filipino living in caves. I find it very interesting. I would love to witness this dying Filipino culture first hand. I know that is not likely.
Some of the ancient ways of Filipino culture are still being practiced in the Philippines. In the mid 80’s there was a massive volcanic eruption in Luzon. Before the eruption, authorities had some difficulty in getting the mountain people in the area to leave their cherish mountain. Those mountain people didn’t seem to like lowlanders. Many did leave though. Others stayed and most of those that stayed died. One group I know of took refuge in a cave and most died in that cave. One family covered themselves in bat guano when the heat from the massive eruption found its way into their sanctuary, they were the only ones that survived the inferno and they too were burned.
Filipino Culture in Remote Palawan
Recently, 20 people died from an outbreak of diarrhea. This happened in a remote area of Palawan. Recent reports in the press
revealed that this occurred amoung a group of cave dwelling Filipino. Three hundred people were said to have been stricken with the illness.
What grabbed me are the reports of cave dwelling Filipino! I find it fascinating. Now, I have my doubts about just how cave dwelling these Filipino are. I suspect that most also have huts. I don’t know, I’ve never been there. I really want to go!
Palawan is known for its resorts and its back to nature eco tourism. Its reputation was blemished sometime ago by a kidnapping incident that some tied to the Armed Forces of the Philippines. I would love to visit there and visit the caves. I’d love to visit the caves in the more remote areas, where these “cave dwelling Filipino” still live but that isn’t likely to happen. I have no idea how safe it would be. Perhaps there are tour guides that provide that. Perhaps the terrain would be far too rugged for me. I suspect it would be too rugged for me.
I am going to post a gallery of pictures I found from Palawan. It is a beautiful place. I hope I can go there! I hope I can find out more about Filipino culture and these cave dwellers.
Other articles I’ve written about Filipino culture can be found here.
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Tagged with: Filipino • Filipino Culture • Palawan • Philippines
Filed under: Filipino Culture
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I would like to visit Palawan but have been put off by the prices of hotels there. Do you know if there are any cheap hotels there?
I’ve never been to Palawan, So no, I don’t know.
i hadn’t heard about the cave dwellers before but i’m not surprised,as you know there are countless numbers who have no homes at all or live stacked up like cordwood in squatter’s shacks but still one has to admire the attitude of most filipinos,happy and contented to a fault,the younger generation in the u.s. should,could and may yet learn something about this,i think one of the reasons i like the rp so well is it reminds me of how it was 50 yrs ago in e.tenn.not that i would care to revisit that exsistance,no indoor plumbing,no electricity and our dried fish and rice was cornbread and pinto beans.i doubt in this world will there ever be true equality for all.i was just now observering an old,old horse of mine,like her i too already know how the story ends but one still has to finish reading the book
Hi Ken!
I’m only 52 but I experienced some of what you’re talking about in Ms in the 60′s. My mother has spoke of her father going hunting with a hammer.
I remember the outhouse though. Not in my own home but when I went to my father parents who lived way back in the sticks. My gosh, I have such a love for that place now. I miss it deeply.
Us older folks could learn, I have learned, from Filipino. It is good to see you take that attitude. So many never look past the poverty to see the good in the Filipino people and there is a lot of good out there!
wow cool only 52,i’ll be 65 in 17 days but luckily still kicking lol [be it slowly]when i was a kid i would trade a couple eggs or empty pop bottles for a couple 22 shells [yeah they sold them loose in those days]2 cents each but don’t you know i made every shot count!i can relate to being poor very well and i can see the same features in the faces of many filipinos as in lots of back home folks,i think you know what i mean,i remember when my mom was dying of cancer and my dad would look so sad because he hadn’t the 2 dollars for her a morphine shot.damm i’m getting sentimental in my old age
Ken..I can remember them days….I had a single shot 22 rifle by stevns I belive..not sure….but in them days….some places paid you a bounty on mag pies and crows..( I am sure that is over with now..the enviro’s people could care less about a mag pie or crow picking the eyes out of a new born cafe!! )I think it was 5 cents bounty …any way…I used to buy 22 shorts when was young..they were the most cheap, but still had a kill factor ( but you had to hit the mag pie or crow in the head…yep a head shot with the 22 shorts…..when i got rich some times…hahaha by that mean had a couple of dollars in my pocket would buy 22 long rifles shells or 22 longs…..and some times hollow points…hahah yep the good old days….it was fun being a kid in the 50′s……
oh god..I meant calf.
dan,hi yes back in the day seems a lot better now than it really was,i think it was definately a different era,a coca cola was a nickel,but a nickel wasn’t always easy to come by,squirrals,rabbits and occasionally a few fish was the only meat we ever had except sometimes on sunday mom would kill a yard chicken,i can still remember the very first hambuger i ever ate,i still like cornbread and soup beans but i wouldn’t want to go back to eating that everyday.
i like walking around there and just observing filipinos and them also wondering about me,i’m sure they would never guess in a million yrs that i know exactly what their lives are like,lol i tell my g/f about my childhood but i can tell shes doubtful,i also like looking at some of their ingenious little devices and problem solutions,have you saw how they vulcanize tires or if their big truck breaks down they just fix it right there [on the road] lol no worries,just disasemble the engine/trans or what ever
Filipino are very resourceful! I’m amazed at things Filipino build out of scraps.
I saw a Christmas tree made out of used cola cans this past Christmas
It looked nice too.
lol diarhea of the mouth huh,one thing i’ve watched for be it a 50 yr old pedalcar driver or porter etc,i’ve never observed any resentment or insolence because they are poor and [to them] i’m quite affluent
One on one you don’t see much resentment but it is out there not so much about wealth though. Some of the comments I’ve received lately on my YouTube videos shows it.
Most admire you, envy you is what my GF tells me.
Many Filipino think we have a lot more than we do. Shortly after I started living in the Philippines, I saw a news story about a company that was renting designer purses. You know, some of them sell for thousands of dollars. Jessie, was shocked. I tired to view it through Filipino eyes. I know that I can’t ever fully do that but if I made $4 a day and saw that kind of extravagance, I’d think Westerners had never ending cash too.
If you want to go to Bogo from Cebu you have pretty much one highway to take. Then look at the USA, a trip of the same distance has hundreds if not thousands of choices.
Most American’s don’t appreciate just how wealthy the USA is.
Don’t worry about that, you can’t comment too much!
thanks rusty
wow you have a lot of stuff/info here,my pc is so slow [dialup]its hard for me to access/load especially pic’s,i’m in the process of trying to sell most of my belongings/junk.as u know the economy is so bad now that everyones reluctant to buy things,it looks like i’ll be just coming there for another visit this trip,i’m curious how did you make a clean break? tie up all the loose ends etc.btw the airfare seems to be getting higher by the day
Have you tried selling it on Craig’s list?
That’s where I sold what I could and just left the rest of it. That’s how I made my clean break. That $1000 computer desk that I couldn’t move nor sale still hurts my soul but only a little.
Have to sell it cheap. Set a date and go.
You can disable pictures from displaying in you’re browser. That is what I’d do. I just tripped the cost of my hosting so I things would be faster. I’m also trying to tweak settings to make it faster. I’m actually hosting some of the content on a faster server too.
another thought/question,i have weeded out most of the more unnecessary medications,except b/p meds,can good [non counterfit]meds be obtained there,i’m thinking perhaps i can make some arrangements with the v.a. in manila.thanks as always ken
Yeah, you can get your meds here.
yeah,i think thats whats going to come to,i’ve worked a life time to accumulate what little i have but most of it i have not much interest in now,i do have a fairly good pension but i wouldn’t mind having a little [just in case] money squirreled away,i’m also a disabled vet and if push comes to shove i can go to the v.a. hospital in manila,my g/f friend there in cebu is thrifty to a fault and i have no doubt we can manage,i’m just kindof going through a bad case of what ifs right now.ken