In the humble hut

Looking at photographs of my maternal family in the early 90s, I noticed how simple life was. Surrounded by a variety of fruit-bearing trees — Coconut, Mango, Java plum, Star apple, and Bugnay — and flower-bearing ones — Yellow bell, Rosal, and Ilang-ilang — they built a resting place in this bountiful backyard in Dagupan where they spent their afternoons keeping away from the heat of the sun. The image of them inside a humble square-shaped dwelling made of bamboo piqued my attention, not only because of their number but also the structure's integrity.

The bahay kubo, coined as “the lowland Philippine vernacular hut,” has been defined by several scholars (Cabalfin 2020, 2). One defining feature of bahay kubo is its cube-like shape. Mallari (2006, 10) said that for so long, “ethnographers and historians” believed “kubo” came from the Spanish word “cubo,” meaning “cube.” However, in analyzing the etymology of the term, its prehispanic origin was affirmed (Cabalfin 2020, 5). Hila and Javellana (2020) wrote that “the basic features of the bahay kubo had already been established even before the Spaniards came.”

The bahay kubo played several roles in pre-sixteenth century Philippine society. As a dwelling place, it utilized materials from the environment, such as bamboo, palm leaves, and grass. The choice of materials and elevation also differed depending on the climate, terrain, vegetation, and fauna (Hila and Javellana 2020). Boquet (2017, 441) stated that it has a “domestic touch” and a sustainable quality, such that it is built in symbiosis with its surroundings.

The kubo also strengthened certain values in the community, such as social interaction. Hila et al. (1992, as cited in Boquet 2017) stated that “Filipino house space is open and multifunctional.” This is evident as to how the kubo is designed — only having a single room; this, as Boquet wrote, adheres to the “idea of family as a single unit.”

Vasquez (2014), in his proposed evaluation rubrics, cited five factors that he thought were significant to the Philippine domestic space. These are security, comfort, privacy, communication, and family cohesion. The bahay kubo, based on his evaluation, scored high in terms of communication and family cohesion.

The kubo also reflected the religious culture of the community. Lasco (2011, 4) said that a house’s architecture is an expression of religion. The tripartite universe (the upperworld, the underworld, and the earthly realm) is reflected in the three-tiered organization of the kubo: the area beneath the house, the dwelling, and the area between the ceiling and the roof.

When the Spaniards came to colonize the Philippines in 1565, the bahay kubo underwent some transformations. One notable addition was the altar, which consists of “the crucifix, flowers, candles, pictures of saints, and a statue of the Virgin Mary” (Purdue Filipino n.d.). With this, the bahay kubo gained the description “Christian indigenous house” (Hila and Javellana 2020). During the Spanish era, the kubo became associated with the poor or the lower class, given the rise of bahay na bato — the home of the elites.

Sánchez Gómez (1998, 196) wrote in Cuadernos de Historia, “Rich mestizos especially would have homes constructed with resistant material (stone or brick), in which luxury and ostentatiousness were evident.” Bahay na bato, as Lasco (2011, 13) argued, is essentially the bahay kubo covered with concrete.

Today, bahay kubo has been ingrained in the design aesthetics of various architecture. Francisco Mañosa said that “Filipino values, Philippine climate, and the use of indigenous materials” is clearly manifested in the bahay kubo, which makes it “the origins of Philippine architecture” (Cabalfin 2020, 11-12). With this, he advocated for its return. Leandro Locsin also incorporated the native hut in his modern designs. The bahay kubo itself and its configurations reflect the country’s history, which should be preserved in the midst of rapid urbanization.

This brings the evolution of the kubo to a sad reality. It has now been identified with barong-barong houses or slum dwellings made of scrap materials — a depiction of present-day poverty (Boquet 2017). Hila and Javellana (2020), on the other hand, phrased this in a positive light: “They also prove that, with creativity and ingenuity, dwellings may be fashioned out of recycled materials.”

I don’t know where that 90s photograph is right now; perhaps deeply buried in the piles of albums in our cabinets. Nevertheless, it gave me a glimpse of yesterday. Moving forward, the problematization of the kubo as an icon of nationalism should be addressed.

Beyond the humble hut lies a question: is it truly ours?

References:

Boquet, Yves. 2017. “Spatial Structures of the Philippines: Urbanization and Regional

Inequalities.” In The Philippine Archipelago: 419-464.

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51926-5_14.

Cabalfin, Edson. 2020. “Bahay Kubo as Iconography: Representing the Vernacular and the

Nation in Philippine Post-War Architectures.” In Fabrications 30: 1-24. DOI:

10.1080/10331867.2020.1721054.

Gómez, Luis Ángel Sánchez. 1998. “The Structure of Pueblos de Indios in the

Philippines during the Spanish Colonial Period. In Cuadernos de Historia, 191-208. http://www.academia.edu/8700440/.

Hila, Corazon, Rodrigo Perez, and Julian Dacanay. 1992. “Balai vernacular: images of the

Filipino's private space.” Manila: Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Hila, Corazon, and Rene Javellana. 2020. “Indigenous Traditions and Transformations in

Philippine Architecture.” In Cultural Center of the Philippines Encyclopedia of

Philippine Art (Digital Edition). Manila: Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Lasco, Lorenz. 2011. “Ang Kosmolohiya at Simbolismo ng mga Sandatang Pilipino:

Isang Panimulang Pag-Aaral.” In DALUMAT E-Journal 2.1. https://ejournals.ph/article.php?id=6202.

Mallari, Joel. 2006. “Linguistics and Ethnology against Archaeology: early Austronesian

terms for architectural forms and settlement patterns at the turn of the Neolithic Age

of the Kapampangans of Central Luzon, Philippines.” Draft paper to the Tenth International Conference on Austronesian Linguistics. https://www.sil.org/resources/archives/26056.

Purdue Filipino. n.d. “Basic Filipino Story.” Accessed March 5, 2023.

https://purduefilipino.com/filipino-history.

Vasquez, Harvey. 2014. “What does your soul look like?: Evaluation and Quantification of

the Philippine Domestic Space Through an Architectural Rubrics.” https://www.academia.edu/13455668/.