 |
| Thank you Wikipedia! :) |
Tarlac is a two hour drive from the country’s capital. It’s
very well known for being a melting pot of tongues and cultures – tagalogs, kapampangans, ilocanos, and
even a wee bit of pangasinenses mixed
in.
It is in this little gateway to the north composed of 17
municipalities and one city that brags a vast blend of traditions, including
both culinary and craft… In fact, so vast that there isn’t much associated to
Tarlac as Pampanga is associated to its parol,
Bulacan to its pastillas among many
others… perhaps save for its being full of sugarcane (a trait shared with other
Visayan provinces) and the place of origin of Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino.
 | ||
| Sugarcane is one of three main crops planted in Tarlac. Credits to Ms. Divine Ramos of DTI-Tarlac for the photo. |
 |
| Trail to Mt. Pinatubo via Capas, Tarlac. Credits to Ms. Divine Ramos of DTI-Tarlac for the photo. |
Tarlac’s identity crisis, God forgive the author’s inability
to coin a more euphemistic phrase, however can be seen as something reminiscent
of the country’s as well. The Philippines, rich and beautiful, seems to have the
trouble of having a heavily blurred cultural identity due to its being
colonized by three nations until its independence just a few decades ago… The
Philippines has had dreams of White Christmases, of royalty in their stone-walled
castles, and many other un-Filipino luxuries, and yet basked in a pool of
cultures, traditions and people that really scream “different.” In pretty much the
same way that the Philippines can never be branded of Spanish, American, or
Japanese culture, Tarlac can never be called a Kapampangan, Ilocano or Tagalog
province. In pretty much the same way that the Philippines can adopt and make
own the cultures of its former colonists, Tarlac can pretty much take what is
existing – be it Kapampangan, Ilocano, Tagalog or Pangasinense – and just say
that “It isn’t really Tarlac without all of these.”
To be continued...
No comments:
Post a Comment