Pistang Tomas: A Symbol of Our Culture

         The annual Pistang Tomas was held last February 12, 2018 to February 15, 2018. For our Trends class, we were tasked to buy three products from the different stalls and make a blog post describing the product. When we went to the Quadricentennial Park, it was a very refreshing and new take for us. This was my first time witnessing Pistang Tomas, finding out just recently that it was an annual celebration since the year 2012. I was able to roam around the area, having the chance to observe and really look into each of the stalls twice. As I was walking around, I became so fascinated by the products that I wanted to buy all of them. I have always loved the authenticity of handmade products, especially those from our very own country. There are even products that I have never seen before, which is very astonishing considering this is Manila and there is scarcity for products that you only usually see in provinces. I enjoyed it a lot, it was just a bit sad that I did not have enough money to buy a lot of the products since they were not really cheap, but of course they were affordable. I just really did not have enough money for extra expenses. Nevertheless, I absolutely wanted to buy at least one product for every stall. I have always enjoyed basking in the Filipino culture because I have always believed that it is very unique and beautiful. The Pistang Tomas was, for me, a symbol of our culture. A representation of who we really are as Filipinos, our identity without any of the colonies’ influences. 

      This product is a beaded tree. From all the products I have seen and bought, this one is my favorite. I loved the evident intricate work done in this product, and the fact that this whole stall was filled with products made from beads. I was able see and remember the ‘partner community’ of this stall and it was the Paranaque City Jail Female Dormitory. I was able to find out that they were really handmade by the members of this community. It was very astonishing to find out that all the products in this stall was handmade but then again, I believe in the hard work and talent of Filipinos. I wanted to buy this one because I thought it would be a great piece of decoration to put in our home, and I found it very beautiful and attractive. It is amazing, how much hard work could do. This product made me realize that there are a lot of things you could do despite having probably little resources; it only takes hard work and creativity. One way to be able to spread word about this product is through taking photos and posting it on social media. We live in the digital age, with no inconveniences in posting everything under the sun, and I think this will be its advantage. I believe that if more people knew about these products, it will be easier to make the females from Paranaque City Jail Dormitory trend. They would get the credit and recognition they need, and their hard work and creativity in what they do will absolutely pay off. 

        This next product is a bracelet from She Works, Inc. This product is the most interesting one for me because I realized that we are finally becoming open to the realities of female trafficking. I was able to research this organization and I saw that these products too, were also handmade. I found out that She W.O.R.K.S stood for something and that is Women Of Reliability, Knowledge and Skills. They were considered an Empowerment Program, a training program for women survivors of human trafficking who want to make a change in the world through leadership and service for the community. They primarily focused on executing training programs that would help them become more equipped in making the women and the youth become instruments of change, to become stronger and to grow a deeper relationship with God. I was also able to find out that they always held trainings and seminars, as well as fellowship events. Upon seeing these products, I was very surprised by the concept of their organization. You seldom see societal issues being openly discussed so it was an absolute moment of relief, knowing that there are still people fighting for our women, fighting for our rights as a people. I wanted to buy this product because I want to be a symbol of change. I want be able to advocate a cause in a very subtle but also in a way that would speak volumes. I believe that these kinds of products will trend easily because we now live in a world of outspoken and open-minded people; people who are able to openly express themselves and what they stand for. If these products were sold to a larger audience, especially to the youth, it will absolutely sell far more than the positive reception this organization got from University of Santo Tomas.

        The last product I got was this indigenous accessory from another one of the ‘partner communities’ of the University. I was not able to get the exact name of their organization but I was able to ask the lady what the material of the ring is, and she told me it was brass. This product was able to attract my attention because of the way it looks; it absolutely looked a lot like it came from the hands of people from the indigenous areas, and that’s what made it look so sophisticated. It is the type of accessory that you would wear on a daily basis. When I saw this, I was surprised to find out how affordable they were. It was as if they did not deserve that little money In exchange for their efforts and creativity. It was one of those products that you do not see a lot but it was one that should definitely be mass-sold. A way to help these products trend is by making people know the history of these accessories. This is by, of course, social media. Social media has always been an outlet and avenue for a lot of things, and advertising the efforts and creativity of these indigenous people is one way to use these social media applications we use.

         These organizations deserve far more than what we, as people, are giving them. They deserve the appreciation and gratitude for striving to preserve the rich and beautiful culture of our country. They deserve all the respect and credit that we can give since they were able to maintain their authenticity despite our past being flawed with colonies that washed away our independent and original culture. These organizations are, in themselves, an absolute symbol of our identity as Filipinos, and we must always strive to preserve who we are as a nation.