National symbols
Joekerr
Pambansang Puno or
Philippine National Tree....... Narra or Angsana (Pterocarpus
indicus)
- Narra tree is a striking, large and strong shady tree. It is one of
the most wanted wood for furniture but because there are only a few
trees left, cutting down a Narra tree is no longer allowed. It is
mostly found in Bicol, Mindanao and the Cagayan Valley forests. The
Narra trees grow all over the Philippine islands and are mostly found
and grown in Bicol, Mindanao and the Cagayan Valley forests.
Pambansang Dahon or
Philippine National Leaf.... Anahaw or Fan palm (Livistona
rotundifolia in Latin)
- The Filipino word "Anahaw" (ana-how) are nice-looking, tropical palm
known for its round fan-shaped leaves. Its leaf has some uses like: to
fan yourself during hot days. The Tagalogs of Quezon Province even use
it to wrap their brown and delicious tikoy. Anahaw leaves are also a
widespread symbol in the Philippines that is often used in awards and
medals to represent high achievement, strength, and loyalty. The
Anahaw leaf features a large, round outline and is glossy green in
color. It spreads out grandly from the center of the shaft and opens
to a full crest divided shallowly at the ends and is known to be one
of the most beautiful plant in the Philippines.
Pambansang Prutas or
Philippine National Fruit (and my personal favorite)... Mangga
(Mangifera indica)
- Philippine Mango is a bizarre tropical fruit prevalently known to be
yellow in color which achieves its addictive taste through its
scrupulous harvest procedures. Philippine Mango is recognized
worldwide for its best qualities, which cannot be beaten by any kind
of mangoes around the globe. It is a wonder fruit of versatile ways to
enjoy its taste. Green mango can be served as a salad constituent,
while golden yellow mango has diversities of ways to relish its
uniqueness. It can be served as plain, processed, dried or frozen,
this delicious fruit is world known for its sweetest character.
Philippine mango is an ideal dessert served in many ways and has been
known as the “Fruit of the Gods”.
Pambansang Ibon or
Philippine National Bird....Agila ng Pilipinas or Philippine Eagle
(Pithecophaga jeffery)
- Philippine Eagle or also known as the monkey eating eagle stands
over 3 feet (1m) tall. It has a large, sharp, curved beak. It has
feathers that seem to bristle on its head. It is a giant forest raptor
and is considered excellent hunters. It is considered one of the
largest and most powerful eagles in the world and one of the world's
rarest and definitely one of the world’s most seriously endangered
vertebrate bird kind with only about 500 birds in the wild. It lives
in tropical rain forests and it lays only one or two eggs each year.
There are only a few of them now because of the disappearance of trees
in our mountains.
Pambansang Hayop or
Philippine National Animal.... can you guess? Kalabaw or Carabao or
water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)
- The carabao or kalabaw in Filipino is a tamed type of water buffalo
(Bubalus bubalis or sometimes bubalus carabanesis) in the Philippines.
Being the farm animal of choice for pulling the plow and cart used to
tow farm produce to the market, carabaos are warmly associated with
farmers. Its life span is 18 to 20 years and the female carabao can
deliver one calf each year.
Pambansang Isda or
Philippine National Fish.... Bangus or Milkfish (Chanos chanos)
- Deboned milkfish, or "boneless bangus," has become popular in stores
and markets because milkfish is known for being bonier than other food
fish in the Philippines. Bangus is a popular table fare among
Filipinos. To the biologist, it is a naturally strong fish since it is
capable in adapting and thrives even in the limited, unusual
environment of the fishpond. This feature is not frequently found in
most other fish class.
Pambansang Bulaklak or
Philippine National Flower.... (oh the memories)Sampaguita or Arabian
Jasmine (Jasminium sambac)
- Philippine Sampaguita flower is a white, star-shaped blossom which
has a sweet fragrance. It opens at night and droops in less than a
day. The white flowers are often made into wreath and its extract made
into perfumes. Sampaguita is not a tree but a woody vine. The flower
called was accepted as the National Flower of Philippines in 1934
which also happens to be the National Flower of Indonesia and Myanmar
(Burma).
Pambansang Pagkain or
Philippine National Dish... (sorry DSP).... Lechon or Roasted pig
- The lechon is a very popular and famous food among Filipinos. Lechon
(litson in tagalong) is roasted whole pig cooked over burning
charcoals. It is a dish that is almost a fixed part and menu
centerpiece of any Filipino celebration which is usually prepared for
fiestas, family celebrations (like parties and marriages) and also a
favorite dish during Christmas. Lechon is the Spanish name for pig, in
the Philippines it means a spit-roasted pig. Lechon is prepared by
filling the inside of the animal pig with herbs and vegetables. The
pigs are slowly hand roasted on top of charcoal for hours till their
skin turns into reddish brown and the inside flesh becomes tender.
Philippine Lechon is often served with a thick liver sauce cooked with
vinegar, sugar and herbs.
Pambansang Tirahan or
Philippine National House... Bahay Kubo or Nipa Hut
Bahay kubo is a shelter made out of bamboo and palm leaves. It is a
good place to take rest and eat typical food in the farm because of
its material which allows good ventilation. The roof of the first
Philippine houses, nipa huts, or bahay kubo, were high inclined and
typically open gabled to allow for ventilation. The steeply sloping
pitch also protected from the wind and rain in the typhoon season. The
roof also provides wide extension roof space to provide shade from the
hot sun.
Pambansang Sayaw or
Philippine National Dance... Tinikling
- The Tinikling is a dance from the Philippines which includes two
people hitting bamboo poles or piece of wood, using them to beat, tap,
and slide on the ground and against each other in harmonization with
one or more dancers who will step over and dance in between the poles.
When the bamboo closes, the dancers must be fast enough to not get
their foot or feet caught. As the tinikling dance continues the
banging of the bamboo becomes faster and harder, the sound of clashing
bamboo excites the crowd and the quickness of feet demonstrated by the
dancers awes them. The tinikling name came from birds locally known as
Tikling. The term tinikling literally means "tikling-like".
Pambansang Kasuotan Para sa Mga Lalaki or
Philippine National Costume for Men....Barong Tagalog
- Barong Tagalog is an untucked or loose shirt of delicate fabric
showing Chinese, airy tropical appearance Indo-Malayan and elongated
effect of Hindu influences and the decorative captivity of European
men's clothing. The barong appears to have preserved its fundamental
look since it was first worn. Almost unnoticeably, through the years,
the barong's round neck, straight long sleeves and mid-thigh hemline
were resourcefully customized with collar, cuffs and side slits.
Pambansang Kasuotan Para sa Mga Babae or Philippine National Costume
for Women
Baro at Saya
- Baro't Saya is a collarless blouse and skirt which means baro at
saya (blouse and skirt). From the original, half-naked style, the bare
upper torso was slowly covered with a short-sleeved, collarless blouse
called "baro". The whole look has developed into a many-layered
collection of the kimona or inner shirt, the baro outershirt with its
typically delicate materials, fine embroidery and wide sleeves.
Pambansang Laro or
Philippine National Sport or Game....SIPA
- Philippine Sipa is hacky-sack game but, instead of a footbag, a
metal stud,bottle cap, coin-like object (washer) with a tail or a
bunch of rubberbands or colorful threads attached and knotted together
is used. This is then kicked (sipa) into the air by the player as many
times as he can without the "sipa" falling on the floor.
Pambansang Sasakyan or
Philippine National Vehicle ( no not the Jeepney)...Kalesa
- Philippine kalesa is a horse-driven carriage that looks like an
inclined cart, was introduced during the 18th century. The kalesa has
two round wheels on each side and two rows of seats that can
accommodate four persons. The driver sits on a block of wood located
at the front of the cart near the horse. This was one of the methods
of transportation introduced in the Philippines in the 18th century by
the Spaniards that only nobles and high ranked Spanish officials could
afford. The Ilustrados, who are the rich Filipinos who had their own
businesses, used the kalesa not only for traveling but as a way of
transporting their goods as well. They are hardly ever used in the
streets nowadays except in tourist spots and some rural areas.
Philippine National Gem...South Sea pearls
- The color of south sea pearls is white to golden. Their
extraordinary sizes are normally large which is between 9mm to as much
as 19mm which made Philippine pearls very expensive. South Sea Pearl
is very valuable. Its beauty and elegant gleam honor its reputation as
"the queen of pearls". There are two basic groups of Philippine South
Sea cultured pearls: white and black. Their colors range from white
and silvery blue to pale gold. The golden or light-yellowish varieties
abound in Philippine and Indonesian waters while white or silvery hues
occur mainly in Australian waters.
Pambansang Sapin Sa Paa or
Philippine National Footwear...Bakya or wooden clogs
- Bakya or wooden clogs footwear is made from local light wood like
santol and laniti. It is cut to the desired foot size before being
shaven until smooth. The side of the bakya is thick enough to be
carved with floral, geometric or landscape designs. Afterwards, the
bakya could then be painted or varnished. Uppers of plastic or rubber
will then be fixed firmly using clavitos or tiny nails and the bakya
is now ready to wear. The word bakya may also be used in the
Philippines to indicate something that is of "low-class",
"unsophisticated" or "cheap".
Pambansang Awit or Philippine National Anthem...Lupang Hinirang
- The entire song is translated into English as "Land of the Morning".
In English, Lupang Hinirang is Beloved Country and Filipinas in
Spanish. Julian Felipe from Cavite composed the music to our national
hymn. Jose Palma wrote the poem entitled Filipinas. We sing our
Philippine national hymn to indicate our unity as a nation. It is
generally sung during flag-raising ceremonies and whenever there is an
official and important event. Filipinos place their right hand on
their left chest as they sing the Philippine national anthem, Lupang
Hinirang and we remember our heroes who gave their lives for our
independence.
"Lupang Hinirang"
Composed by Julian Felipe on June 12, 1898
Bayang magiliw, perlas ng silanganan.
Alab ng puso, sa dibdib mo'y buhay.
Lupang hinirang, duyan ka ng magiting
Sa manlulupig, di ka pasisiil.
Sa dagat at bundok, sa simoy at
sa langit mong bughaw,
may dilag ang tula at awit
sa paglayang minamahal.
Ang kislap ng watawat mo'y
tagumpay na nagniningning.
Ang bituin at araw niya
kailan pa may di magdidilim.
Lupa ng araw, ng lualhati't pagsinta,
buhay ay langit sa piling mo.
Aming ligaya na pag may mang-aapi,
ang mamatay ng dahil sa iyo.
Philippine Hymn
(English Version)
By Camilo Osias and A. L. Lang
> Land of the morning
Child of the sun returning
With fervor burning
Thee do our souls adore.
Land dear and holy,
Cradle of noble heroes,
Ne'er shall invaders
Trample thy sacred shores.
Ever within thy skies and through thy clouds
And o'er thy hills and seas;
Do we behold thy radiance, feel the throb
Of glorious liberty.
Thy banner dear to all hearts
Its sun and stars alight,
Oh, never shall its shining fields
Be dimmed by tyrant's might.
Beautiful land of love, O land of light,
In thine embrace 'tis rapture to lie;
But it is glory ever, when thou art wronged
For us, thy sons to suffer and die
Filipinas
(Spanish Version)
Por Jose Palma
Tierra adorada
Hija de sol Oriente,
Su fuego ardiente
En ti latiendo esta.
Patria de amores!
Del heroismo cuna,
Los invadores
No te hallaran jamas.
En tu azul cielo, en tus auras,
En tus montes y en tu mar
Esplende y late el poema
De tu amada libertad.
Tu pabellon, que en las lides
La victoria ilumino,
No vera nunca apagados
Sus estrellas y su sol.
Tierra de dichas, de sol y de amores,
En tu regazo dulce es vivir;
Es una gloria para tus hijos,
Cuando te ofenden por ti morir.
Philippine National Motto...Maka-Diyos, Maka-Tao, Makakalikasan, at
Makabansa (For the Love of God, People, Nature and Country)