A CALL TO ARMS:FILIPINO ORIENTALISMThe Concept of the Oriental and Asian Architecture

It is unease and ire that I feel whenever Filipino architecture is renounced, from its validity to its very existence. Who could blame me when the architecture I hope to further embody and contribute to is denied even by Filipinos themselves? The admission of some people that Filipino architecture is inferior to other forms of architecture is a distressing case, more so when our profession is the one who thinks so. The sad truth is that the practice of Filipino architecture in our own country is still orientalist.Orientalism demarcates a line between the Orient and the Occident. Asian architecture, regarded as the Orient, is seen to be inferior to the Occident, or Western architecture. It was B. Fletcher who first published this in his book History of Architecture on the Comparative Method for the Student Craftsman and Amateur. Here he referred to different Asian architectures as exotic and grotesque, putting emphasis on intricate details that he describes to be just a cover for the structural framework beneath. In looking at Filipino architecture we see how orientalism is still present. That we hold foreign styles higher than our own shows how Filipino architecture is still orientalist. More than three centuries of colonialism has ingrained in us the preference for anything foreign, believing them to be superior. We favor structures with foreign styles that are not only ill-suited for our context but also lacking in meaning. People, I think, also have a backwards view on what Filipino architecture is. We sometimes refuse to acknowledge more modern structures as Filipino just because they dont look like our own idea of what Filipino is, and that is the ever eternal bahay kubo. To restrict ourselves to this definition of Filipino architecture denies our ability to innovate and push the boundaries of our own architecture. We are ultimately boxing and isolating what is Filipino to the past. Our building codes and laws also borrow heavily from American standards, if not being completely patterned from them. It is obvious how this will adversely affect the practice of our profession. The conditions in the U.S.A. are certainly different from what we experience here in the Philippines, from the amount of rainfall and sunlight we receive to how the earth beneath us behaves. Recognizing our buildings sustainability against foreign standards such as LEED is also proof of how western guidelines are inappropriately applied to our context. Building guidelines not suited to our context will eventually become detrimental to us in the long run. When we build structures that cannot respond adequately to our conditions, we commit a great disservice to the Filipino people.Looking at the bigger picture, we can s that the problem is systemic in nature. Orientalism not only pervades architecture but also the other institutions of our nation. Our mindsets are aligned with western ideals and there is no intensive national effort to preserve and propagate our identity. Heck, were the only country who pushes for the removal of the teaching our national language in our educational system!While we cannot deny that globalization is the way to economic growth, we are ultimately creating a nation that has no regard for its own identity. An empty victory, if you ask me. If we do not make an effort to teach our countrymen the beauty and significance of our own culture and traditions, our identity will eventually become lost in obscurity. Dr. Jose Rizals reminder to us: ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa paroroonan, rings true and is more relevant than ever, as we pursue our education to become future Filipino architects.

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