Written by: Pallavi
Edited by: Sofia
We have a sea of culture here at ISM. There are so many different cultural clubs present and events being hosted year-round. However, amongst all of that activity, celebrating our home country, the Philippines, tends to get lost in the crowd, making it difficult to appreciate and expand our knowledge of where we live and the beauties this wonderful place we call home has to offer. Not to worry though, for Pista is the perfect annual celebration that lets us all take a moment to remember the joys of the Philippines, including the food, culture, music, and more that are seen around the country.
The Philippine Cultural Club (PCC) puts an immense amount of work into this event with many students and teachers alike counting down the days each year until this momentous occasion. The day is filled with games and performances, beginning in the afternoon for high school students, whilst middle schoolers get the whole day to partake in Filipino-related activities.
The whole school parade commences after lunch which can be spent looking at what the Barrio Fiesta has to offer. The parade involves ES, MS, and HS students parading around in the Philippines’ national costume (or Pista shirts) with flags and banners or even wearing fun hats like sombreros, whilst the high school concert and symphonic band students play traditional Filipino marches to accompany them.
For the rest of the day, students and teachers are free to roam around the campus looking at the stalls and trying new Filipino delicacies before getting the chance to watch enchanting performances. In an end-of-day assembly, performances from the jazz band and several dance classes captivate all faculty members and students. Not only do they bring a new performance each time, but all their song choices are chosen with regard to Filipino culture with some even featuring choreography commonly found in Filipino dances, remaining true to the purpose of Pista.
Filipiniana is a day of celebration here at ISM, and students and teachers who have had the ability to enjoy it before, look forward to the commemoration. A sophomore, Audrey, says, “Filipiniana last year opened my eyes to more about the culture, and I had a lot of fun spending the day with my friends trying new food!” The day is filled with excitement for her, as both a spectator and a performer who gets to to perform twice at the assembly. “I have learned a lot about the culture from performing in music and dance. The song choices and dance moves make me see much more about the culture beyond the surface,” she added. Music and dance, albeit rather unconventional ways to express differences in traditions, give people an insight into the way of life in the country, scaling deeper into one’s understanding of the Filipino culture.
Additionally, since Pista is one of the only school events dedicated to celebrating Philippine culture, new faculty and students at ISM get a grand chance to immerse themselves in the culture. Mr. Holton, a new member of the ISM faculty, has only spent four months in the country and has yet to escape the bustling city of BGC. Food is a central part of culture, and so despite his lack of knowledge of Filipino culture, Mr. Holton looks forward to the different types of food that will be served as it “provides a moment where you can talk to people about their culture.” Food is a way to share interesting stories and tales about the many different experiences people have had, connecting us to people and places and allowing us to celebrate different aspects of every country, not just the actual meal. Mr. Holton has not noticed many Philippine-centric events in the school, but he is incredibly excited to finally get an opportunity to understand the culture better.
PCC spends a lot of time in the build-up to Pista doing fundraising activities, and they raise large funds. This year, they are selling shirts with their new design related to the theme ‘Tahanan’ which translates to ‘home,’ as well as brand new chocolate bars made with localized ingredients. Each year they make incredibly high sums of money from this event, but where does all this money go? Luca, a member of the PCC council, says that “80% of all the funds go to service partners.” The service partners that PCC works with are Papaya Academy, the Victoria SyCip Herera Scholarship Fund, and the Natural Disaster Relief Fund. All the funds from Pista are split between these service partners, providing tremendous help. Although it may seem that this event is only run to celebrate the local culture, PCC does a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure that the funds they raise go to creating positive change by helping people in need.
ISM’s sea of culture is exemplified by our many different backgrounds, but the one thing that brings us all together is Pista. We are able to celebrate our home country and immerse ourselves into the culture, even if it’s just for a day. As the whole 2,000-person ISM student body and faculty get to enjoy this experience together, everyone gets to be included in this celebration of the place we call home. Pista is the perfect celebration to have, and it reminds people as well, that this beautiful country is part of our identity, and we should appreciate all the beauty it has to offer.
