Pinoy Nostalgia - Cultural Icons

When it comes to cultural icons they do not come much bigger than this!

When I saw this picture in the Facebook group PHILIPPINES OLD PHOTOS AND MEMORIES I knew I had to share it with you. I asked Chester to select his favourites (there were about 10 pictures in this category alone) and group them so they were easier to view in the blog. Some of you will remember the images from your childhood and I urge you to share them with your older relatives. Teachers feel free to share them with your students to remind them what life was like before Netflix, Play station and Spotify took over the world.

I did a little research into the Beatles concert in Manila in 1966 and found that:

"The English rock group the Beatles toured Germany, Japan and the Philippines between 24 June and 4 July 1966. The thirteen concerts comprised the first stage of a world tour that ended with the band's final tour of the United States, in August 1966. The return flight from the Philippines to England included a stopover in Delhi in India. There, the Beatles indulged in two days of sightseeing and shopping for musical instruments while still under the attention of the press and local fans.

The concerts were well attended yet provided the band with little in the way of artistic fulfilment. The program was in the package-tour format typical of the 1960s, with two shows per day, several support acts on the bill, and the Beatles' set lasting around 30 minutes. The band's setlist included their new single, "Paperback Writer", but no songs from their recently completed album, Revolver. Often marked by poor playing, the shows highlighted the division between what the group could achieve when performing live as a four-piece with inadequate amplification and the more complex music they were able to create in the recording studio.

The tour signalled a change in the Beatlemania phenomenon, as violent measures were used to control crowds for the first time and the band became a symbol of societal division between conservative and liberal thinking.

In Manila, the band's nonattendance at a social engagement hosted by Imelda Marcos led to a hostile reaction from citizens loyal to the Marcos regime, government officials and army personnel. The Beatles and their entourage were manhandled while attempting to leave the country and forced to surrender much of the earnings from the group's two shows at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

On their return to London, the Beatles were outspoken in their condemnation of the Philippines. As a result of the events in Manila, the band lost faith with their longtime manager, Brian Epstein, and made the decision to end their career as live performers that year. "

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles%27_1966_tour_of_Germany,_Japan_and_the_Philippines ( accessed 29.05.2021)

They say the Philippines has the most hospitable citizens in the world but did you know there are two shortcuts to open up a topic that can easily endear you to a Filipino? Two B's - Boxing and Beauty pageant.

Philippines has always produced the best boxing legends in the world, one of which is Manny Pacquiao who, when he fights, would have a nationwide record of zero-crime rate. Every household, cafeteria, business establishment, park, mall, is glued to a single tv screen and watch Manny live in the ring.

Manny Pacquiao has created history becoming the only boxer

to be a champion in four different decades.

(source: https://www.sportbible.com/boxing/boxing-news-legends-take-a-bow-reactions-manny-pacquiao-becomes-only-boxer-to-be-a-champion-in-four-decades-20200103)

The second B goes to Beauty pageants which is quite self-explanatory because of Filipinos innate charm, confidence and congeniality. At most, Miss Universe has been an annual event for Filipino pageant fans to dedicate a day of hooking up on TV awaiting for their placement bets. In retrospect, 4 beautiful Filipinas were crowned the coveted title.

Rumour has it that when the Philippines wins a place in the pageant, hairdressers are so filled with joy that they give free haircuts as throw away congratulations for the country's representative. Likewise, never get a haircut after their loss or risk getting a bad haircut from broken hearted fans.

Four Filipina winners namely Gloria Diaz, Margie Moran, Pia Wurtzbach and Catriona Gray.

Speaking of queens, the Philippines had its own monarchy, not in government system but in ENTERTAINMENT. They would aptly bestow titles to Kings, Queens, Prince and Princesses to TV and movie stars, theater actors, singers, dancers and other forms of entertainment.

There's Comedy King, Action King, Queen of Philippine Drama, Telenovela Princess, Popstar Princess, Box-office royalty, Superstar, Megastar, Diamond star and many more. That's how colorful and sometimes crazy Philippine entertainment is and this has been going on for more than 75 years!

Even at 20 pesos a ticket, back in 1966 , many people could not afford such an event so made their own entertainment like these boys at PARAÑAQUE BEACH back in 1949

The picture is from the Sunday Times Magazine news clip on April 3, 1949, five years after World War II.

It will be remembered that Parañaque has become a haven for Metro Manila residents every summer. Beach resorts such as El faro, Jale, Aroma and others have sprung up in the Barrio of San Dionisio and Tambo.

Roxas Boulevard started to be extended in 1959 in the portion of Max's restaurant until Barangay Tambo lost the Beach to Baclaran.

In 1983, when the Manila-Cavite Road, better known as the Coastal road, opened, the beach resorts from San Dionisio to Las Piñas disappeared.

I remember taking a bus from Pasay through Las Pinas and Paranaque to Tagaytay for a view of Manila Bay and some wonderful Bulalo with Karl back in 2015, but, sadly, I have lost the pictures.

Chester asked me to include sporting Icons here so how about these ladies playing basketball a long time ago in the Philippines. This is another Black and white photo which has been coloured! Contrast their modest sports wear back then to a modern day volleyball team in Palawan.

Notice how the boys like showing off their Abs and Legs, unlike the ladies

ANG MAGBABAKYA SA MAYNILA

The "Bakya" or wooden clogs used to be extremely common in the Philippines and their manufacture was a considerable local industry in Manila and other provincial centers.

The woods used are generally whitish or light colored, rather soft and light, and of fairly straight and even grain. Tuwi is by far the wood used most, at least in Manila, followed by binunga (Macaranga spp.), cupang, santol, malasantol, balinghasay, balacat, lanete, calantas, and, in Laguna Province, anabiong (Trema amboinensis).

(Post credited to Pearl of the Orient Philippines)

Well that's all for our Six Flashback Friday's- we hope you have enjoyed them. Thanks, as usual, to Chester in Marinkana for the photo collages, our Jeep Beep Beep and providing the material for The British Kabayan Facebook page and You tube ( click the links at the bottom and do not forget to like and Subscribe!). Thanks also to Dionefel Rizo in Palawan for his volleyball team photo.

Finally my thanks to everyone who contributed the old pictures to the Facebook group PHILIPPINES OLD PHOTOS AND MEMORIES.