PHILIPPINES – GENERAL

December 2025 xe.com
1 US$ = 59.3 PHP (PESO)
1 CA$ = 42.85 PHP

Intangible Cultural Heritage
Aklan piña handloom weaving. Piña is a textile made from pineapple leaf fibres and woven using a handloom. Farmers harvest the leaves of the pinya Bisaya, a specific pineapple species, and extract the fibres by hand. The fibres are weighed using a local unit of measurement and a method involving old coins of different denominations. The knowledge and skills of piña handloom weaving are primarily passed on within families. Children grow up observing older family members engaged in pinya Bisaya cultivation and piña weaving, and eventually learn the craft under their guidance. The practice is also transmitted through the Schools of Living Traditions, It is the preferred textile for making formal attire and is a vehicle for innovation
Buklog, thanksgiving ritual system of the Subanen. Buklog is an elaborate thanksgiving ritual system of the Subanen, an indigenous people in the southern Philippines. The head of a host family, usually a village chief called ‘timuay’, plans the ritual system to express gratitude to the spirits. The rituals ensure harmony among family, clan and community members, as well as among the human, natural and spiritual worlds. They include asking the spirits for permission to gather materials from the forest, presenting coin offerings, inviting the spirits of the departed to feast, invoking spirits of water and land, and music and dance. Afterwards, participants dance on an elevated wooden structure called the ‘Buklog’ – a sacred and social space – which resonates with a sound believed to please the spirits. This is followed by a community dance marking the renewal of spiritual and social relationships within the community.
Darangen epic of the Maranao people of Lake Lanao. The Darangen is an ancient epic song that encompasses a wealth of knowledge of the Maranao people who live in the Lake Lanao region of Mindanao. This southernmost island of the Philippine archipelago is the traditional homeland of the Maranao, one of the country’s three main Muslim groups.
Comprising 17 cycles and a total of 72,000 lines, the Darangen celebrates episodes from Maranao history and the tribulations of mythical heroes. In addition to having a compelling narrative content, the epic explores the underlying themes of life and death, courtship, love and politics through symbol, metaphor, irony and satire. The Darangen also encodes customary law, standards of social and ethical behaviour, notions of aesthetic beauty, and social values specific to the Maranao. To this day, elders refer to this time-honoured text in the administration of customary law.
Meaning literally “to narrate in song”, the Darangen existed before the Islamization of the Philippines in the fourteenth century. Specialized female and male performers sing the Darangen during wedding celebrations.
Hudhud chants of the Ifugao. The Hudhud consists of narrative chants traditionally performed by the Ifugao community, which is well known for its rice terraces extending over the highlands of the northern island of the Philippine archipelago. It is practised during the rice sowing season, at harvest time and at funeral wakes and rituals. Thought to have originated before the seventh century, the Hudhud comprises more than 200 chants, each divided into 40 episodes. A complete recitation may last several days.
The School of Living Traditions (SLT). Involves informal, community-managed learning centres where practitioners can transmit their communities’ knowledge, intangible cultural heritage, skills and values to younger generations.
Tugging rituals and games. In the rice-farming cultures of East Asia and Southeast Asia, these are enacted among communities to ensure abundant harvests and prosperity. They promote social solidarity, provide entertainment and mark the start of a new agricultural cycle. Most variations include two teams, each of which pulls one end of a rope, attempting to tug it from the other. The intentionally uncompetitive nature of the event removes the emphasis on winning or losing, affirming that these traditions are performed to promote the well-being of the community, and reminding members of the importance of cooperation. 

Experiences:
Practice Arnis is the national martial art of the Philippines which emphasize weapon-based fighting with sticks, knives, bladed weapons, and various improvised weapons, as well as “open hand” techniques without weapons.

Culinary Delights:
Balut are the fertilized developing egg embryo that is boiled or steamed and eaten from the shell. It is commonly sold as street food, often eaten with salt and vinegar, most notably in the Philippines, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The length of incubation before the egg is cooked is a matter of local preference, but generally ranges from two to three weeks.
Halo-Halo is a popular cold dessert in the Philippines made with crushed ice, evaporated milk or coconut milk, and flavouring such as ube jam, sweetened kidney beans or garbanzo beans, coconut strips, sago, gulaman (agar), pinipig, boiled taro or soft yams in cubes, flan, slices or portions of fruit preserves, and other root crop preserves. The dessert is topped with a scoop of ube ice cream. It is usually prepared in a tall clear glass and served with a long spoon. Haluhalo is considered to be the unofficial national dessert of the Philippines.