Indonesia's Tari Pakpak Reminds Me of the Philippines' Itik Itik

-

One look and one may think this is from the Bangsamoro Region. Instead, this is an Indonesian dance from Sumatra. A study of Filipino history reveals that Indonesians were among the settlers in the Philippines. That would explain why Muslim Mindanao would be like Malaysia and Indonesia in their culture.

As I look at the gestures, I'm reminded of my high school Buwan ng Wika (Month of the Language) programs. Several Filipino dances in Mindanao are similar to those of Malaysia and Indonesia. After all, most Filipinos share the same direct ancestry as Malaysians and Indonesians. 


As a Chinese Filipino, it's hard for me not to think of the Itik Itik dance. The two dances are similar yet different. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Real Talk: Kakampink Fanatics Aren't Above Personality-Based Politics

-
Image
Asia Society I didn't want to write this post. However, I feel some urgency, especially with some people who have low reading comprehension, and made Ad Homimen attacks against Senator Robinhood Padilla . Should it be a surprise to a nation where reading comprehension is in danger? Now, I'd like to write another topic. It's crazy how some Kakampinks may think they're above personality-based politics. However, take a look at the picture above this paragraph. It's no different from the Marcos fanatics, Duterte fanatics, etc. That's why there's the term Noytard, Dutertard, Marcostard, etc. The -tard is from retard , which means someone who was an intellectual disability . However, I think -tard is too good since a retarded person may actually be behaving more decently than people with a graduate school or doctorate degree, from highly prestigious universities . It makes me think of Gerry Cacandindin's posts on Facebook. Thankfully, his Facebook profile is o...
Read more

Why the OLDER Japanese Constitution is Better Than the Philippine Constitution

-
Image
Philippine Japanese Journal Some advocates against charter change often cite that some countries have an older constitution. One example is the USA. The other example, surprise for some, myself included, is Japan. Some may say that a new constitution isn't needed because some countries have an older constitution. However, reading through the Constitution of Japan and comparing it with the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines , one can think about quality over quantity. The Philippines had changed its constitution from 1935, to 1973 (which I believe was illegal), and the 1987 version (which sprang out of a desperate need). I recommend reading both links that I just sent, to understand my point! Can a shorter vs. longer constitution be the reason? As I read both, the Constitution of Japan is  surprisingly  not-so-complicated. The Constitution of Japan would only be composed of  16 pages  (printed on short bond paper). Meanwhile, the 1987 Constitution of the Philippine...
Read more

Harsh Lessons from the Chiong Sisters Case, from a Nobody's Perspective

-
Image
July 16, 1997, was when the Chiong sisters, Jacqueline Jimenea Chiong and Marijoy Jimenea Chiong, disappeared. I still believe the body in Carcar was actually Marijoy. Jacqueline may have been the victim of a no-body found murder case (read here ). I don't believe the claims that either one or two sisters are actually hiding in Canada. The proof is still moot at best . It's safe to assume that both have died. I watched Give Up Tomorrow (read here )   and fortunately, GMA-7 had featured their case in Case Unclosed (read here ) , all before the documentary was finished. I've seen both documentaries. However, I may prefer to look into Case Unclosed due to its more direct approach in giving the details. I'm not a lawyer and I don't think I'm fit to handle such cases. However, I've actually talked with some people who personally knew the Chiong Sisters (such as their high school classmates) or someone who personally knew their youngest sister, Debbie Jane Jimenea...
Read more

Don't be Silent: Sophia Maria Coquilla's Death Should Call to Review (and Revise) R.A. 9344

-
Image
The Wellness Vault Facebook Page This should be another wake-up call. Many years ago, the Vizconde Massacre happened (and honestly, it's still an unsolved case ). The crime happened at night, and until now, the suspects haven't been identified. It may no longer be the case with the late Sophia Marie G. Coquilla in Tagum City of Davao Del Norte . The incident happened on July 9, 2025 .  On July 11, 2025, Mayor Rey Uy of Tagum City, Davao, expressed his condolences . This should be a wake-up call that R.A. 9344 may have one serious flaw . This was also expressed in Sun Star from the same link I shared some time ago: “Hi Sen. Kiko Pangilinan author of Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act 2006 . Ang suspek 14 ug 17-anyos, unya unsaon naman ni ron? What the f**k gyod kaayo ng balaod nimo (Hi Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, author of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006. The suspects are 14 and 17 years old — what now? Your law is so f***ed up),” said one Leizel in a Facebook post capt...
Read more

Amis Tribal Feelings Dance

-
Image
This is another fun tribal dance video. I guess my obsession with Taiwanese milk tea (and the tea leaves are grown from Mt. Alishan) got me into this. Also, the tea brand Tealive (which is a Malaysian brand) got me more interested in this video.  Using Google translate, the song title "部落情懷" (Bùluò qínghuái) means "Tribal Feelings". It's a good thing to have Google translate these days especially when one is trying to learn the Chinese language. 
Read more

Why Using CTTO Isn't a Valid Source at All

-
Image
Right now, I'm having an argument with a certain old man (wearing a toga, presumably graduating from a doctorate degree) on Facebook. One thing I noticed in some of his Facebook posts is the use of CTTO more often than not. Maybe, I can start giving a sample of his arguments since there are many. One of his posts would go like this: All nations have protectionist policies, its their inherent rights. It is the role of the business to use strategies to work within these policies.... ctto... Back then, I remembered I erroneously used Yahoo as a source in my high school term paper. Later on, a college professor placed an X mark on Yahoo and Google as a source . It's because Google nad Yahoo are search engines . Now, we have CTTO which means Credit To The Owner. If we're to really credit the owner, why not post a link or acknowledge the site where it was taken from? For example, the meme above is by 8LIST.PH.  It's very eays to say CTTO to make myself look smart. However, I ...
Read more

Don't Expect a Mahathir-Type Leader, Under the 1987 Constitution!

-
Image
ABS CBN News Happy 100th birthday, Mahathir Mohamad! It's something that not so many people live up to 100, or more. The late Fidel V. Ramos passed away on July 31, 2022, at the age of 94. Ramos's advanced age may be the reason why the Omicron variant (which isn't supposedly fatal) ended his life. I'm posting this image of Ramos and Mahathir for one reason--Ramos wanted charter change back in the 1990s. However, plenty of anti-charter change commercials came in, the late Raul Roco said we only need a change in people, and we have Hilario G. Davide Jr. (who's in his late 80s but still active), and the idea that having a president who will rule for more than six years, is supposedly scary. Please, have they even thought that the late Pol Pot ruled Cambodia for just four years, but carried millions of deaths , that would make the late Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.'s 20-year reign  look tame (read here )? I've read posts on Facebook saying the Philippines just needs l...
Read more

"Give Up Tomorrow" Deleted Scene: An Illiterate Woman's Plight

-
Image
This deleted scene involves a woman with lower learning as the woman called herself. Fortunately, there are English subtitles for those who can't understand the Cebuano dialect. For some reason, this scene never made it into the final cut. Yet, this scene provided valid evidence that something was very fishy about Davidson Rusia's story.  Back then, I remembered the Chiong Sisters' case was dramatized on national television. Yes, it was done during the trial . That's why it shocked me when I learned that Juan Francisco G. Larrañaga aka Paco was innocent of the crime. I was shocked when I learned that a friend of mine was also with Paco in Manila on July 16, 1997. It was the night when the crime happened. His brother-in-law, Miguel Syjuco, was pretty confident because Paco was in school . A woman was made to sign an affidavit by the police? Okay, I still believe that the body was really that of Marijoy Jimenea Chiong. Even if it were Marijoy, the fact that this woman has...
Read more

The Search for the Mysterious Merkado CTTO

-
Image
Success Consciousness The old man in the toga has already blocked me on Facebook. Right now, I'm wondering who is this "reliable source" known as Merkado CTTO. Okay, he spelled it out as CTTO Merkado. CTTO means credit to the owner. However, I prefer to call it Merkado CTTO instead of CTTO Merkado. My reasoning would be that CTTO could easily be edited as the surname Cotto . Maybe, let's call this person Merkado Cotto. The fact that we don't know him reminds me of an incident in the past. I could remember the late presidential candidate Atty. Miriam Defensor-Santago or MDS for short. She always reminds me of my feisty former economics teacher who chastised me for the better. I'm still thankful for my fierce economics teacher who actually helped me after she had to flunk me. The incident, more than a decade ago, had Atty. Harvey Keh of the Kaya Natin (We Can) movement. It was during the impeachment of the late Renato Corona. There was this Mr. Anonymous source....
Read more