I was 5 years old when my parents brought me home to Taloctoc, the home village of my father. These observations I’m going to mention may no longer be in practice in that far flung village, which is north of Manila, Philippines. It has been years since I last went home.

1. Bathing in birthday suits.

Be they adults or children. It was customary to bathe without any underwear. There was no malice and no embarrassment at all. Even the everyday clothing was limited to the bare essentials.

“Ginamat” ( a rectangular woven material) which was fastened at the waist, was used to cover the lower body of women, and the g-string (a thin, long woven cloth) which covered the male sexual parts and was fastened at the waist too.

Very rarely that an upper shirt or blouse was used, especially for married women. No one looked at anyone in a malicious way, however.

The innocence and pureness of the native mind were reflected in this practice.

2. Coconut shells acted as containers for food and liquids.

The coconut shells were polished and scrubbed and were very durable containers, either for hot dishes or cold ones. Water tasted different from these containers too.

Earthen jars acted as pots for cooking and stones acted as stoves. Firewood were used in cooking.

These showed the innovativeness of the natives.

3. There were no drugs for therapy.

When someone was ill, there would always be a certain remedy to it. This maybe a plant, or a material concocted by the “Mandadawak” (native doctor). And most of the time, the sick person got well.

4. Shoes were not worn

It was good to feel the soft, damp earth when you walk barefooted, the experience was refreshing.

5. Houses were left wide opened and not a single thing got lost.

I was really amazed at the honesty of the people there. Even a child was taught to respect the properties of other people. If you forgot something somewhere, it would surely find its way back to you.

6. There were no written agreements or legal papers

Verbal agreements were the only means of contract but these were honored and respected.

Nowadays, we have the notarized papers, complete with a witness and everything, still people don’t follow the agreement. Who are more civilized now?

Marriage ceremonies were done without priests or ministers or lawyers but the bonds they had formed were lasting and their vows were forever, “till death do them part.”

If I were to compare today and before, I can conclude that in some aspects, people during the olden times were more “civilized” because they honored their words and respected other people’s rights.

Photo by: Juanito Gaces Jr.

So called civilization brought change slowly and although there are many industrial and technological advancements, our values and character had changed for the worst. This is my personal opinion, what do you think?