Philippines : All About Filipino Ingenuity(Part I)

This Hub is all about Filipino ingenuity, innovation, and inventions. Filipino people are multilingual ethnic group located in the beautiful island Philippines. The country is known for its 7,107 islands, beautiful beaches and endowed with natural resources which made it one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the world. Its people--like the numerous local languages they speak and the thousand islands in their territory--has limitless ingenuity.

• Farming--was the main source of livelihood for the Filipino Ancestors. Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras was the most iconic farming capital in the country. The farmers utilized terrace farming in the steep mountainous regions to grow crops. A living legacy of Filipino ingenuity. Nowadays, only few Filipino locals remain in growing crops and working in farms. Most Filipinos have adopted the trend of globalization, industrialization and BPO. Filipinos now work in Industries in and outside the country.

Filipinos have used several means of transportation due to the mountainous terrain and the scattered geography of the islands. Trains, buses, jeepneys, taxis, and motorized tricycles are commonly available in major cities and towns. In some cases cows, carabaos (water buffalo) and horses are used in remote places where the roads aren't paved.

• Carabao --(Water Buffalo) is the most important animal for the Filipino farmers. The Carabao have been domesticated by Filipinos since pre-Hispanic times. It's used by Filipino farmers to plow their fields. The Carabao in the photo below is used as a means of transportation. In most cases, a cart is attached to carry cargoes as well as humans.

• Jeepney--is a widely used means of public transportation in the country nowadays. It started right after World War II when the American troops sold and given surplus military jeeps to the local Filipinos. They pimped the jeeps to accommodate several passengers, added metal roofs and decorated the vehicle with vibrant colors. Since then, it had evolved in many forms, shapes and sizes.
• This one among countless products of Filipino ingenuity is vital in the transportation system of the people in the country today.

• Scooters and Motorized tricycles --are used for public transport that easily fit narrow streets in barangays and in small towns. Scooters (125 cc) are widely used in all areas of the country. It's design varies from place to place. 

The country is abundant in natural resources and the ingenious Filipino have a lot of creations with what they are endowed with.

• Clayton Tugonon of Cebu City, Philippines wants people to see the importance of nature and recycling. He does that quite very well and amazingly sophisticated. He has done chairs out of sling shots, décor out of used bottles, table lamps out of termite houses, mosaic out of waste stone, and many more.  He had created many signature label pieces for Justychair--check out above photo. 
• His latest creation is a customized car made from the coconut flower's stalk (butay) and rattan strips (uway), a dashboard made from a blend of two-toned shells, and a steering wheel and shift knob made from Shagreen (pagi). He does thinks outside the box!

In many of the world's shantytowns, roofs are made of corrugated iron sheets, which will keep out the rain just fine but also most of the natural light. At daytime, the inside of the house is so dark that one can't tell whether it's day or night. In the Philippines, one ordinary guy have thought of a solution that amazingly brightens up hundreds of houses.

Filipinos are known as hardworking people. Maybe because they are faced with tough situations so they find ways to live through. In hard times, Filipino Ingenuity is very useful in their daily lives and it is limitless. So this hub will always be a hub in progress.