After going to our field trip, we started asking about what really happened to the Philippine language? Based on previous research, we learned that the structure hasn’t really changed and that many words were just adopted. Other than that, we asked how has our language affected us, Filipinos? We noticed that when our country declared a national language, it violated the principle of linguistic relativity causing linguistic insecurity. This is seen in the lives of people in the Philippines wherein 90% of the population live differently from people in our social class.
More than just that, seeing the model house Imelda built and Intramuros, it shows that the Philippine government has been recently making a conscious effort to protect our heritage by sharing it with the citizenry. Although the promotion of different cultural sites is a good starting point, there is still much more needed to be done. There is a need for the local government units to value our heritage and patrimony since this is equally a local and national issue. Since national identity is strengthened and protected in the grass-roots level, we should always advance within our contexts, which starts with local units.
In the end, from everything we learned, we answer that Philippine heritage is like Tsinelas. From a simple perspective it represents Filipinos because it is something common and used by everyone everyday. From the simple to the colorful designs of the Tsinelas, it represents the different personalities that Filipinos have and how the Philippine heritage has developed from one that was plain in the pre-colonial to one bustling with life.
It has shown that although it has a simple purpose, it is not a matter of footwear for us but has a more intrinsic value to Filipinos because they are essential to us. Like our Philippine heritage, it should not be viewed at face value or function but how Filipinos give importance to it and how it should be appreciated from time to time. Moreover, it reflects Filipino traits such as how we like having our comfort and how we can be creative by making use of it in different ways (like playing games with slippers).
Tsinelas has been a source of convenience. In a sense for our Philippine heritage, we appreciate it only when there is a seeming need to. For example, when it is required for school, when we have to take guests around, or when we simply fancy it but we do not revere it like jewels or value it like a book, where we treat it as something that is important and from which we can learn. In that sense, Philippine heritage is merely a Tsinelas, which we wear at our own convenience and not really take care of it like they way we do with other things that we value.
Tsinelas although can be locally made, is thought to be more top-quality if it is foreign, which should how our Philippine heritage is affected by our colonial mentality. Also, Tsinelas is a global material culture which is somehow much like Filipinos who has been a product of the influence of many cultures and at the same time today employed in many parts of the globe. Finally, one last analogy is that we step on Tsinelas and that it used to protect our feet. Like the Philippine culture, no matter what and how much it is stepped on by others, it still a foundation of who we are and remains to protect our heritage.
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