OMG Teaching Mama

PASINAYA PARA SA KINABUKASAN! 🍃🎊

Ngayong Pebrero 7-8 mas liliwanag ang ating kinabukasan sa mas malaking pagbubukas ng buwan ng sining. Inihahandog ng CCP ang mas pinalaking taunang pista ng sining at kultura sa bansa, ang CCP PASINAYA 2026 OPEN HOUSE FESTIVAL: PAGLIKHA SA KINABUKASAN!

Abangan ang mahigit dalawang daang palabas, palihan, palitan, paseo museo, pamilihan, pagtitipon, palaro, at ang paglulunsad ng iba’t ibang paligsahan ngayong taon.

Manatiling nakatutok sa aming official social media pages para sa mga susunod na CCP Pasinaya 2026 updates.

Isang marangal na pagpupugay kay Jose Rizal. Maging inspirasyon sana ang kanyang buhay upang maglingkod tayo sa bayan nang may husay at dangal. 🇵🇭

Illustration by Blooey Singson

Simoy ng Pasko

We visited Intramuros last night to witness the "Christmas Harmonies". Since we had time to spare, we grabbed the opportunity to drop by at the Manila Cathedral. It was actually our first time to enter the Cathedral's premises. Adding to the Christmas vibe was the Meralco Liwanag Park. The park is just outside Manila Cathedral and a 5-minute walk away (lucky us) from Fora de Intramuros and Centro De Intramuros. The Meralco Liwanag Park is open daily from 6 PM to 11 PM, and will light up the holiday season until 6 January 2025. While we're at it, we didn't miss to scour through the local mercato for a quick bite before we head to the event.

We wrapped up the night with swooning spells. The event featured extraordinary chorale groups who showcased their vocal prowess through beloved Christmas ensembles. Sobrang galing nilang lahat!And we hope they get to be champions on all of their future competitions kasi super deserve. Up until now LSS pa din ang kids sa performances nila. 😍

BTW, this event was free (grabe almost 3 hours of pure talent po yun) and was sponsored by the Intramuros Administration in partnership with the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Thank you po!❤️🎄

If you are interested with events like this, follow Intramuros Administration for their monthly updates😊

📍Foro De Intramuros
Anda St, Intramuros, Manila

📍The Manila Cathedral
Beaterio St. Intramuros, Manila

📍Meralco Liwanag Park
Plaza Roma, Intramuros Manila

As the year winds down, it’s easy to look at what’s unfinished and feel behind.

But homeschooling isn’t a race — it’s a long obedience, a quiet faithfulness, a season of planting.

Not every lesson bears fruit right away.
Not every win shows up on paper.
And rest is not wasted time.

If this year felt messy, slow, or incomplete, hear this:
You didn’t fail. You planted.

And seeds, in their own time, grow. 🌱

"At the heart of the park is a working pottery factory and studio, where skilled Kapampangan potters transform local clay into handcrafted terracotta pots, plates, vases, and more. Each piece is shaped using age-old techniques passed down through generations—kneading, wheel throwing, hand-molding, and kiln firing."

From Playdoh to real earth-approved clay!
It was indeed a day to remember for the boys. Their hands were messy, but I'm sure their hearts were twice full❤️

Visit Pampanga Pottery and Agritourism Park and experience hands-on workshops with master potters!

For directions, group reservations, or inquiries:
📍pampangapottery.com
📍Pampanga Pottery

We want!

#𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝟏𝟖𝟒𝟗, 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐫-𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐨 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢́𝐚 𝐲 𝐙𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐮́𝐚 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 “𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝” 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐚́𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐚𝐛𝐞́𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐨 𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐨, 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬.

It is a common misconception abroad that Filipinos are a “Spanish-speaking” people simply because of their Spanish surnames. While the Spanish language gained some prominence in the Philippines during the colonial period, records show that widespread adoption of Spanish surnames only began after 1849.

Narciso Clavería y Zaldúa, known for his administrative acumen, served as Spanish governor-general of the Philippines from 1844 to 1849. Among his notable achievements was rectifying inconsistencies in laws, resolving jurisdictional disputes, and redrawing provincial boundaries. He also synchronized the Philippine calendar with the rest of the world by eliminating December 31, 1844, to correct the archipelago’s day-long lag caused by the outdated European day monitor.

A key problem Clavería identified was the “general lack of individual surnames that distinguished families.” Many Filipinos adopted saints’ names arbitrarily, resulting in the recurrence of identical surnames among unrelated individuals.

To address this, Clavería’s decree of 21 August 1849, ordered the distribution of surnames from a catalog that included Spanish and selected indigenous names compiled by the religious orders. The decree instructed local leaders:

“𝙀𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙘𝙖𝙗𝙚𝙯𝙖 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙞́𝙖, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩, 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙥𝙩, 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨.”

This systematic naming convention had enduring effects. For instance, in provinces like Albay, Sorsogon, and Catanduanes, surnames beginning with “A” often originated in the provincial capitals, “B” and “C” along the coasts, and “R” in Oas, Albay.

While the decree brought order to record-keeping, it also symbolized a significant cultural shift in the Philippines. The imposed surnames marked the erasure of many indigenous identities, replacing them with Christianized Spanish names—an enduring reminder of the Philippines’ colonial history.









𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀:

🔸 Catalogo alfabetico de apellidos, 21 November 1849, via Filipinas Heritage Library, https://issuu.com/filipinasheritagelibrary/docs/catalogo_alfabetico_de_apellidos?e=18015266/13622223

🔸 The Houses of Lakandula, Matanda and Soliman (1571-1898): Genealogy and Group Identity, by Luciano P.R. Santiago, https://www.jstor.org/stable/29791998

🌟📚👀

𝟱 𝗗𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗼! 🤍 Guhit, Bulilit, Guhit! Ang Buhay na Pag-ibig ni Kuya Robert opening reception.

Mounted in partnership with All Together in Dignity (ATD) Fourth World Philippines () and Museo Pambata (), the exhibit will showcase artworks by INKies, reflecting learnings from Kuya Robert over the years, including the childlike joy that comes from creating art for children, the importance of storytelling through illustration, and even art as advocacy.

Guhit, Bulilit, Guhit! is slated to run from November 22, 2025 to February 7, 2026 at the Balay Yatu Mini Galleries at Museo Pambata, Roxas Boulevard cor South Drive, Manila.

The Fieldtrip Supremacy 🚙✨

Take them on journeys, not just shopping trips. 💛✨️