Speech of Atty. Dominador D. Buhain
(on the occasion of the Book Launching of “ Various Religious Beliefs and Practices in the Philippines”, September 10, 2008, St. Louie University, Baguio City)
On behalf of Rex Book Store, Inc., I would like greet all of you a pleasant morning and I would like to thank St. Louie University for welcoming us here together with the delegates from the Asean Book Publishers Association (ABPA) who happened to be here in Baguio for our strategic planning scheduled for tomorrow. Gathering such as this truly strengthens our common mission in producing a wealth of published materials that serve as a strong framework and firm foundation for today’s readers most especially our young generation.
It gives me great pleasure to introduce our most-recently published coffee table book entitled: Various Religious Beliefs and Practices in the Philippines Volume I. I gratefully acknowledge the men and women behind its completion for without them this book will never have materialized.
There is no simple definition that can describe the numerous religions in the world. For many people, religion is an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, practices, and worship that center on one supreme God, or the Deity. For many others, religion may involve a number of gods or goddesses. Some people may also have a religion in which no specific God or gods are worshiped. There may be people who practice their own religious beliefs in their own personal way, largely independent of organized religion. To make a simple generalization, all people who follow some form of religion believe that a divine power created the world and influenced their lives. Thus, they believe that their religious practices and rituals can be a form of thanksgiving, if not a way of life.
For the benefit of our Asean delegates, please allow me to briefly introduce the historical background of our country because this will help the readers of this book to appreciate and understand its contents. Philippine History tells us that the pre-colonial Filipinos already had a set of beliefs and mores about gods, spirits, and other elementals inhabiting the earth. Whether these supernatural beings are benevolent or malevolent, our ancestors accorded them with respect through sacrifices, prayers, and rituals. With all these indigenous practices, came Islam from neighboring Indonesia, Christianity from Spain (Catholicism) and from the United States (Protestantism), and from the locally-founded religious sects (Aglipayans, Iglesia ni Cristo, and many more). Added to these, is the strong Marian devotion of Filipino Catholics to the Mother of God, an aftermath of pre-colonial tradition, with women and mothers playing important roles in family and tribal affairs.
In spite of the introduction of these religions to the Filipinos, the ritualistic system of worship of our people did not change. It even continued to synchronize the nuances of rituals and ceremonies prevailing in every faith that were handed down to us by our colonizers, giving almost every region in the country its own version of folk religiosity.
As a young growing boy, I was exposed in the book publishing industry at such an early age and thus literally surrounded by numerous books of various genre. I was raised by parents who inculcated in my young mind the importance of reading so as to be exposed to different customs, traditions, religions, and cultures of people. Not only have I become fond of reading but I, likewise, have developed this passion for travel and at the same time become an incessant art collector. The feeling is exhilarating and the learning and growing process is endless.
Moreover, in the course of my readings and travelings within the Philippines, I have come across a number of reading materials that have repeatedly written about the same religious beliefs and practices in the country. This has caught my attention and my curiosity. Realizing that the history of tradition and beliefs are unfolded, built, and spread about by dwelling on the less known and written about practices, I thought of producing an entirely new material focusing on the authentic and informative rituals that continue to exist in our country today but remain to be unknown among many. This book, Various Religious Beliefd and Practices in the Philippines Volume I, has become the fulfillment of such thought.
For generations, some of our people have practised religious rituals and traditions which to some may look bizarre and astonishing. Some of our religious rituals have caught world media attention and are even seen by people in other parts of the world as taboo, like the reenactment of the passion of Christ celebrated every Lenten season in Central Luzon where a penitent who plays the Christ is actually nailed to the cross.
It is my pride and my pleasure to introduce this new book, a tableau of Filipino religious beliefs that will ultimately serve as Rex Book Store’s small contribution to that part of history. This book will take you to a journey on the road less traveled and reveal to you spiritual and religious beliefs less known even among Filipinos.
The seven chapters of this book discuss in detail how indigenous rituals, festivals, and rites came about and developed. The reader will find picturesque pages that portray in vivid color how each religious practice is done so delicately. Running through the pages will help the reader see more clearly the truth behind religion and its teachings. The reader will be amazed with the deeply-rooted, cultural, historical, and spiritual ground of the Filipino people with diversified creeds and beliefs in spite the rapid growth and modernization. Lastly, it is inspiring to learn these beliefs and practices where our country’s past can gracefully, harmoniously, and beautifully blend with the present.
To conclude, it is hoped that all various religious beliefs and ceremonies practiced in this age of electronics and globalization that were included in this book should not be taken as fanatical devotions for those who believe in them. Instead, the readers can consider them as ways of expressing and increasing fervor and love of the Filipino to the Almighty. At the end of the day, may our readers find it enlightening to note not only how each religious belief is different from the other but how it may also be similar to theirs. Therefore, understanding one another’s belief and practices can further lead on to more meaningful understanding between and among people of different faiths. The ultimate goal of achieving peace and unity among the peoples of the world from various religious groups and affiliations can hopefully be attained.
Maraming Salamat po sa inyong lahat.
