How Spanish Modern Filipinos are

Bahay-kubo was formed to become Bahay na Bato, babaylans became friars, scattered river settlements converted into reduccion, with sabong and other gambling areas introduced, these are just some of the influences of the Spanish era that are still present in the Philippine setting. Housing, religion, cuisine, education, architecture and even changes in names of the Hispanic way have been infused to the pre-colonial set. These have been deeply ingrained in the Filipino society today that serves as the links of the future to the past, allowing the new generation of Filipinos to relate on a different level on how life was before. The sense of continuity of these influences in one generation to another are evident and present in the wide variety of practices, customs, beliefs and traditions that have been tied to the Philippines for centuries.

Fashion and Clothing

From bahags and tapis to camisas and until today's minimalist fashion, the influence of the Spanish culture that served as a transition stage of clothing has left its mark on the modern Filipino fashion. The highlights in this are the Maria Clara, a balance between the indigenous and western design of female outfit; terno, for more of a casual look; the Barong Tagalog, which is made up of fibers and extensive needlework in design that is the national attire of the Philippines. These attires are still worn today in formal occasions to represents high regards and respect to the event or the ceremony.

Tapis (Source: https://philippinefolklifemuseum.org/portfolio-items/tapis/)

Maria Clara Gown(Source: https://philippinefolklifemuseum.org/portfolio-items/maria-clara/)

SONA 2019: The Robredos (Source: https://filipinotimes.net/lifestyle/2019/07/23/eyes-guests-2019-sona-fashion/)

Surnames
There were accounts in the system of naming the pre-colonial Filipinos as recorded in Catalogo Alphabetico de Apellidos that was dated in 1842. The Spanish had a difficult task to record who was who for the naming of the early Filipinos were simple yet tricky, that were based on three categories. According to Flores (2016), a professor in San Franciso State University who studied the naming of the early Filipinos, the first way of giving a person a name is dependent on the area he/she is residing. An example would be Sato Tabing Ilog, and when he moves his residence to the forest he will be Sato Ginubatan. He is the same person but there will be two people recorded in the registry, which became very tricky in documenting. The second one would be the traditional method of naming a person according to who his/her grandfather or father is, e.g. Anak ni Tasyo or Apo na Ando. The last category would be based on the unique characteristic a person had and an example would be Totong pilay or Pedro ngongo. Then Governor General Narciso Claveria asked Madrid a list of names to assign the Indios with surnames to make recording of names more efficient to be used in collecting taxes. These names were handed to the Filipinos by decree and is still evident in the modern-day surnames.

Catalogo de Apellidos (Source: pilipino-express.com)

Language

After three centuries of being under the Spanish empire, many words have been brought to the vocabulary of Tagalog especially. The new number system was introduced, religious words also were added alongside the common terms for things found inside homes. Some Tagalog terms are also derived from Spanish words like barrio (Baryo) and escuela (eskwela). The introduction of F instead of just utilizing P, also became a prominent part of the spellings and pronunciations of some words. These words like kutsara, bintana, abiso, abante, are common words that are of use until today by the Filipino people.

Common acquired Tagalog Words from Spanish (Source: https://historum.com/threads/spain-and-the-philippines.171224/)

Cuisine

The merienda time or the mid-afternoon snack came from the Spanish influence which would comprise of ginataan or bibingka. Snacks and desserts that are milk-based have become the staple merienda go to food like pastillas, polvoron, and baked goods such as pandesal and ensaymadas. Our present-day viands also come from the Spanish and Mexican influence and examples would be the chicken adobo, tinolang manok, which are served in every karenderya in the nation, and the lechon or roasted pig when fiestas are celebrated. We are what we eat, and the Filipinos prepare and embrace such dishes which dates back to the Spanish colonial time because of the impact of the influence to the country's cuisine it has imparted.

Desserts and dishes of Spanish Influence (Source: http://reeseisreal.blogspot.com/2012_02_01_archive.html)

These modern practices, customs, beliefs and traditions are colonial in origin but are now considered and accepted now as Filipino. These influences also have established themselves as important in the Filipino lives since the roots of what bind the nation intersects to the colonial period. It is up to the present generation to let these flourish, grow and maintain the bridge to the past, the national identity, the Filipino culture. Nurturing what has been passed on to the new set of Filipino folks, one must be responsible to impart contributions in preserving these practices and tradition, and be proud of being a Filipino of diverse origins.

References:

Flores, P. (2016). How Filipinos Got Their Surnames. Accessed on October 7, 2019 at http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/how-filipinos-got-their-surnames

n.a. (n.d.). Spanish Influence on Filipino Food. Accessed on October 7, 2019 at https://www.asian-recipe.com/philippines/spanish-influence-on-filipino-food.html