In this page you will be introduced to the course,

In the first part, you will be introduced to the Filipino building traditions and beliefs, in here, you will learn how traditions
influence the public and private uses of land and space, how the Filipino concept of space differ from other countries,
does culture have to do with it, and how public spaces were used during the colonial periods and how it is in the
contemporary times. You will also learn in here how space in the house is used as a private space, and how it is planned
and organized. The next section will feature the Filipino traditions regarding the construction of houses from the ethic
Filipino to the colonial periods and how socio-political influence the building traditions of houses during these periods.
The last section will feature the Filipino building beliefs, in here you will learn how beliefs influence the planning
practices and how the different building elements are influenced by these beliefs.

FILIPINO BUILDING TRADITIONS AND BELIEFS

Filipino Traditions regarding Land and Space

 Public Spaces

o The Filipino concept of space is very different from Western ideas. We often express distance subjectively,
using the words, malayo (far) or malapit (near) instead of numerical measurements. This suggests vague
boundaries and limits of space.

o Traditional Filipino cultures share land communally instead of having private properties bounded by fences
and gates. This suggests that everyone in the village could share whatever resources are available from the
land. The responsibility for maintaining the areas which are designated as communal properties (shorelines,
riverbanks, etc.) rests on all the residents of the area.

o Even in contemporary Filipino communities where the boundaries of private lots are clearer, parties,
businesses, and other activities still spill over to the public areas like the sidewalks or even the streets.

o The Spanish colonial policy of settlement created the plaza complex. The plaza is the community center
surrounded by the imposing structures of the church, the friar's convent, the municipal hall, and the bahay na
bato of the ruling elite. Although some of the structures around the plaza have been converted to commercial
uses, its function as a gathering and meeting place for the community remains.

 Private Spaces

o The spaces inside the house serve a number of purposes-transforming and adapting according to the needs of
the users at any particular time. This is observable from the Bahay Kubo to the Bahay na Bato, and even in
modern houses - from squatters shanties to condominium units.
 o The traditional Filipino space is always transparent. The native cultural idea of living with a group- Whether a
village or family-encourages visible spaces where one can see everyone else. This also allows for the open
planning requirements of living in a tropical climate that keeps the house related to the natural environment.
However, it also means limited privacy.

o Traditional ethnic houses express the indigenous way of spatial organization. Territorial spaces are suggested
by symbols, never stated with the fences or walls but territorially are still respected by Passersby and other
residents in the area. Within the house, even the absence of walls or partitions, the use of different levels,
mats, or fireplace in the corner can distinguish one section from another.

Filipino Traditions regarding the Construction of Houses

 Ethnic Filipino Building Traditions

o Ethnic houses reflect the wisdom of skilled artisans who intuitively blend aesthetics and utility into a
harmonious whole. Decoration, while done sparingly often combines aesthetics and socio-political factors.

o The design and construction of houses are affected by animistic beliefs and assumptions. These govern the
choice of site and season for building rituals to be observed before and during construction, the orientation of
the house, and the distribution of interior spaces.

o Houses may be used essentially as shelter or may double as a social and cultural center.

 Building Traditions during the Spanish Period

o New structures were built during the Spanish period reflecting the major preoccupations and values of the
Spanish colonial life. Houses signified the wealth and social rank of the owner.

o The Bahay Kubo retained the features of the traditional house with the addition of awning windows, the silid
where the occupants could change clothes in private, the altar, and the other furniture and furnishings required
by the new hispanized manners.
 o The Bahay na Bato retained the usual post and lintel constructions of the Bahay Kubo with some innovations:

 Highly flexible interiors where rooms may be joined or separated by opening or closing wide doors;

 The addition of an Azotea, at the back of the house, the caida or antesala at the top of the stairs.

 Details such as the media agua, the ventanillas and the tiled roof which gave the Bahay na Bato an elegant
appearance without losing the airy and light qualities of the Bahay Kubo.

 Building Traditions during the American Period

o Chalet – indigenous concepts persisted and were embodied by the chalet or tsalet. The most prominent feature
is the front porch which may be extended on both sides of the house. This is an expression of the unique
Filipino concept of “space surrounding space”.

o Bungalow – this house brought the American concept of privacy which encouraged family members to have
his/her own room thus introducing hallways and corridors- spaces that exist solely as distribution points.
 Filipino Building Beliefs

The experienced Filipino architect is familiar with the common folk beliefs and usually follows them or applies these age-
old guidelines in the planning of one’s dream house.

Many of these beliefs are based on sound planning practices that do not have to be overly emphasized. Like, for example,
orienting the building to take in the healthful effects of the rays of the morning sun by having wide windows facing the
rising sun to take in the cleansing rays of sunlight during daybreak as well as to admit the prevailing southeast breezes to
cool your house.

It is more advantageous if two faces of the house take in the morning sun. This can be achieved if a corner of the house
takes in the morning sun. This can be achieved if a corner of the house faces east. In fact, most educated Filipinos are of
the belief that the more windows your residence has (or the larger they are), the better the chances of your house
absorbing natural and spiritual graces.

In Bontoc, the front door of the house must face against the flow of a nearby river according to ancient folk beliefs. In
Romblon, the roof of the house must slope following the direction of the incline of the nearby mountains. In the
Cordilleras, it is different. The ridge of the roof is always positioned at right angles to the ridge of the mountain on which
the house stands.

Among the Ibalois, a Benguet ethnic group in the Cordilleras, it is customary to give ample space underneath their houses
by elevating their floors to accommodate the future tomb of the owner to ensure perpetual guidance over the house the
dead leaves behind.

If one is building a house within a family compound or between two relatives, make sure that the roof is not higher than
theirs, otherwise, their lives will never progress or will always be worse. A sibling’s house must not be built so close to
that of his parents such that rainwater from the eaves of the main house pours onto the roof of the sibling.

 Posts

o In Southern Tagalog, posts are erected following this procedure: posts are laid with their bottom ends at the
footing on the ground, and the top ends pointing towards the east. The post nearest the east is the first to be
raised. The same procedure is followed for the other posts, one after the other in a clockwise direction as one
reads the plan. In Romblon, this practice is believed to make house windproof.

o The Tausugs equate the building of a house to the development of a fetus. They believe that the first to appear
in a woman’s womb is the navel. Hence, the first post to be erected should be the main post within the interior
of the house.

o In the Cagayan Valley, meanwhile, the first post to be raised is the one positioned nearest to the northeast. But
this is done after the footings have been sprinkled with wine.
 o The old folks of Bataan and Tagalog areas caution against having a solitary post in the middle of a room. It is
said to bring misfortune to the family. It is said that posts situated this way augur a “heavily laden” life
(mabigat ang kabuhayan).

o The Yakans do not use crooked wooden posts especially the ones with knotholes in them because they are
said to symbolize death.

o In the older communities of Bayambang, Pangasinan, it is commonly believed that termites (anay) will not
enter the house if the bottoms of all wooden posts are first charred. Informed master carpenters, however,
suggest that these bottoms not just be charred but tarred as well.

o Old people also cautions against cutting old posts for reuse so as not to lose one’s wealth.

 Stairs

o An orientation towards the east is also required for stairs.

o Ilocanos position their stairs so that they rise with the morning sun. To them, if it were the other way around,
meant turning one’s back on fate.

o Builders in Pandi, Bulacan, just like many typical Filipinos, believe that a stairway facing east is considered
bad luck because, they say, anything facing the early sun dries up ahead of all others, and in the same token,
wealth taken into the house will dry up much faster.

o If there is no way one can make the stairs face east, at least make them face any nearby mountain.

o If one’s lot abuts a river, position the stairs in a way that they are facing upstream. This is so in order that
good luck from the house would never be washed away with the river’s flow. In the same way, if the
proposed house is beside the sea, or if one is building a beach house, plan the stairs in such a way that they
run parallel with the shore.

o If the stairs are perpendicular to the shoreline, luck may flow in but also flow out with the tides.

o Also, it is not advised to place a large window in the wall directly facing the stairs so that good fortune will
not easily go out that window.

o Most Western countries consider it bad luck to walk under a ladder. Actually, this can be taken more as a
safety precaution than a superstition. Locally, one should not make a passageway any area under the stairs. In
homes, neither should rice be kept there because it translates to treading on the grace of God whenever one
goes up or down the stairs.

o It is believed that the dried umbilical cord of a son or daughter of the house owner inserted in the staircase
will strongly bind the stringer with its supporting girder.
 o There are guidelines, too, governing the number of steps in one’s stairs. Starting with the first landing, count
the steps using the words oro (gold), plata (silver), and mata (death). The perfect last step should be oro.
Ending up plata is not too bad either but, understandably, do not ever end up with mata. This ruling is strictly
observed especially if it involves the first steps going into the house. If your home has a slight elevation,
choose four steps but never three.

o The Yakans of Mindanao, however, believe in odd numbering of steps. They also require an odd number of
bedrooms. Chinese Filipinos, on the other hand, count their steps by fours.

 Doors

o It is advised that doors should not face each other.

o The people in the north associates this with the easy passage of a coffin through two doors that directly face
each other.

o Avoid positioning the main gate of the lot opposite the main entrance of the house itself. In Sta. Maria and
San Miguel, Bulacan, however, wide doors facing each other are considered lucky, especially if they lead to
the terrace or garden.

o One’s door also should not directly face one’s neighbor’s to avoid future conflicts with the said households
and to avoid wrestling with each other for the possession of the luck that passes in front of both houses.

 Living Rooms

o Sunken rooms, like basements, are looked at as pockets of caves where evil spirits can hide. It is balanced off
only when an exit lower than the said room is provided.

o Some Ilocanos do not want basements altogether because of the belief that only coffins should be found under
the ground.

o Old folks of Sta. Maria, Bulacan advise that the floors of the living and dining rooms must be of the same
level. They say the imaginary “ball of fortune” must be able to freely roll across both floors.

o Overly ornate living and dining room ceilings, especially those with cornices, moldings, and other superficial
decorations are avoided as it tends to make the ceiling look like a coffin. Even the “mansard” or flat type of
roof invented at the turn of the century is avoided as it reminds people of a coffin.
  Beds and Bedrooms

o When the bedroom door is opened, one would face neither the foot nor head of the bed. There should always
be ample space between the door and the bed itself.

o The bed headboard does not rest against a window opening.

o Neither should you put any bed under a cross beam, regardless of whether the beam is of wood or concrete,
and position the bed so that the occupant will not be lying perpendicular to the beam.

o For houses with second floors, it should be observed that no drainage pipe runs inside or under the floor
where the bed is located. Drainage pipes contain unclean fluids associated with bad energies which may affect
the good spirits of the people sleeping over these pipes.

o Do not place bedrooms in the basement portion of the house. It is always preferred (luck-wise) that the
bedroom floor is higher than the living room.

o Non-sleeping rooms like library, den, foyer, storage, etc. can be at a lower level than that of the living room.

 Bright Dining Rooms

o As anyone who knows Filipino cuisine, Pampangos love to cook (and eat), so most of their dining rooms are
situated in the sunniest and brightest locations of the house. Ilocanos, on the other hand, prefer subdued
lighting because they consider eating a solemn occasion.

So now you already have an idea why Filipino building traditions and beliefs are important factors when designing our
house, furthermore, look around your respective houses and try to make an assessment which of the aforementioned topics
where applied in your houses. Ask your elders e.g. grandparents and parents or even your neighbors who have this kinds
of beliefs and how they tried to apply them.

Thank you, until the next topic.

Reference/s:

Excerpted from the book Oro, Plata, Mata: Filipino Building Beliefs published by the National Commission for
Culture and the Arts.

Dela Rosa, Claudette. (2015). Architectural Interiors. Retrieved from

https://www.scribd.com/document/248422462/1-Architectural-Interiors-and-the-Theories-of-Architecture-
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