Reviving Our Roots
- JP de la Rama
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Why Filipino Mythology Still Matters in a Globalized World
“In a world overflowing with borrowed stories, our own myths are the roots that keep us from being washed away.”
Setting the Stage
Filipino mythology has always been one of the most fascinating aspects of our culture.
It’s rich, mysterious, and deeply woven into who we are—but sadly, it’s also something that’s slowly being forgotten.
These days, when you look around, kids—and even many adults—are growing up shaped almost entirely by Western media, anime, K-pop, or whatever's trending internationally.
It’s not inherently wrong; global culture is inspiring.
But somewhere along the way, our own stories, our own monsters, our own lore… slowly faded into the background.
And as an artist and parent, I can’t help but feel the weight of that loss.
When Our Own Stories Disappear
I grew up listening to stories told by adults—Filipino myths, horror tales whispered during brownouts, legends that both terrified and fascinated me.
Back then, TV shows were overflowing with local cultural gems:
Batibot taught us language and values.
Sineskwela taught us science through Filipino contexts.
Magandang Gabi Bayan scared us senseless every Halloween with real-life and myth-based stories.
And of course, the iconic Shake Rattle & Roll, which shaped an entire generation's love for local horror.
But now?
The loudest stories are from everywhere but here.
Kids know more about zombies, yokai, kaiju, demons from American shows, eldritch horrors from Western literature, or creatures from Japanese games—yet they’ve never heard of a Tikbalang or Manananggal.
We became consumers of other cultures while almost forgetting our own.
And as an artist, you see how fast this shift happens.
Before you realize it, Filipino stories become “old-fashioned,” “irrelevant,” or “not cool enough.”
But that’s the danger—once we stop telling our stories, they stop existing.
Passing on the Fire (Even If They Shrug It Off)
That’s why I’m doing my best to share Filipino mythology with my 5-year-old daughter.
Sure, she shrugs it off sometimes.
She’s more interested in superheroes, robots, princesses, and whatever colorful character Netflix has on rotation.
But I keep going. Why?
Because culture survives through repetition.
Through stories told again and again.
Through parents planting seeds, even if they don’t bloom right away.
Our myths are just as interesting—sometimes even more so—than foreign ones.
We don’t need Minotaurs when we have the Tikbalang, a towering horse-headed creature whose knees reach its head when it crouches.
We don’t need foreign vampires when we have aswangs that terrorize entire provinces.
We don’t need Western ghosts when we have the White Lady, the Kapre, and the Duwende hiding in mounds and trees.
And as artists, this is where we thrive:
We preserve, reinterpret, and breathe life back into culture through storytelling, illustration, animation, and worldbuilding.
Filipino culture is worth keeping alive—because in a world overflowing with global stories, our own roots are the very thing that makes us unique.
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