THROUGH THE LOCAL LENSES: KAPAMPANGAN VLOGGERS ON THE RISE

BY ROSALINO D. KIT III & KRISTINE NOEME G. EYOG

If visiting Pampanga is included in your bucket list this year, the savory Sisig will always be in the picture! There may be different variants of how Sisig is cooked nowadays, but known for its flavourful taste, one of the most distinct characteristics of Kapampangan Sisig is the use of a pig’s head, particularly the ears.

However, they say that there is more than what meets the eye. Kapampangan culture is not solely revolving around good foods, but to ask about festivals and fiestas? This is when most Kapampangans are well-bonded together! These vibrant celebrations say a lot about the place as they mirror its exceptional customs and traditions while commemorating the richness of Pampanga!

To enjoy your stay in Pampanga, tourist spots are of great interest to guests who come to the province. Visiting the lands of Clark Freeport Zone will be a memorable experience as this offers various activities to relish. Additionally, museums like Museo de Bacolor and Museo Ning Angeles will allow you to learn more about Pampanga’s history and identity. With this in mind, you can still enjoy the ambiance of Pampanga even in the comfort of your home because Kapampangan vloggers are only one click away, giving us an excellent encounter in uncovering life in the province of grubs.

Mekeni, Tuki ka, Malaus Ka Pampanga with our Kapampangan content creators: Harmony Santos and Nicole Jeanvic Ramos.

Harmony Santos

Harmony Santos is a 20-year-old Kapampangan vlogger from Angeles City, Pampanga who started making content in 2018. The actions vloggers take in service to their heritage were touched on in the interview when she was asked about the importance of Kapampangan culture to their channels and roles as vloggers. Harmony elaborated: “It is important in the sense that I would want to share my heritage with other people, to make others know more about what the Kapampangan culture is. And also, how beautiful and diverse the different subcultures of the Philippines are.”

In exploring more about the significant things she impacted in promoting the Kapampangan culture as a vlogger, she indicated that through producing videos about her daily life as a Kapampangan, her audiences from other countries get to have knowledge about Kapampangan culture, especially how Kapampangan food fascinated her audience’s taste while growing her channel. Furthermore, aside from food and traditions, what she explored to an extent in the local culture is the Kulitan or known as the Súlat Kapampángan. The fact that we have our own form of writing was something she wanted to impart and give rise to her viewers since Kulitan is not being taught in mainstream institutions.

“People create content for social media to share their experiences either because they are paid to do so or because they love doing it. There is no definitive reason why an individual creates content,” she quipped as she was asked about the reason why she chose to create content about her local heritage. To her, even though Kapampangan culture is continually growing, it is perceivably the role of a local content creator to be most aware of the changes. It is not only about you being responsible for their entertainment, but also the substantial information you will disseminate to your viewers in fostering the culture.

Nicole Jeanvic Ramos

One to also put on the list is Nicole Jeanvic Ramos, a Kapampangan digital content creator who also makes videos about her daily Kapampangan lifestyle.

We had the chance to ask her if vloggers or other content creators are indebted to their culture to promote to their audiences. Nicole’s response was on the relevance of promoting culture and how it should be seen as vital when being an online influencer: “Social media caters to everyone around the globe and I believe as a content creator, it is crucial to take responsibility for our culture as this may help international audiences recognize and be informed on our lifestyle and traditions. This also serves as an awareness about various cultures every country has.”

She specified that the premier way of advocating the Kapampangan culture is through empowering first the Kapampangans. To her, the essence of influencing your fellow folks is the first collective step in appreciating the local culture. Thus, in her vlogs, she stipulated different places to visit in Pampanga, as well as those that were not yet fond to many. Additionally, Nicole also gave thought to her impact as a vlogger and how that enabled her to influence her local audiences. “I think being a content creator gives me the strength to impact my viewers. My heritage as a Kapampangan is one aspect that I will cater to. It is very important to preserve the history and culture of the Kapampangans,” she said.

The local content creator has mentioned that her impact as a vlogger had been to bring attention and cater to her Kapampangan audience in pursuit of helping them to document their own experiences as well. “I know there are still a lot of people out there that are scared to do things they really love because they think more about how others see them. Like me, I was once scared too but I chose to be brave, Kapampangans are known to be positive and risk-taking. Life is short to worry about other people, [and] it is now the time to care more and see yourself.”

Culture can mean different things to many people even when it provides itself with an objective view. But to many, we each have our own responses towards our heritage and how that may connect with others in our community or even the rest of the world. With the accessibility of platforms and content creation, everyone is met with the opportunity to put themselves out there and reach countless people from miles away. From the insights of these content creators, we can learn about how promoting culture and even challenging tradition is not just a responsibility, but an act of initiative. The chance to speak about the shared thoughts and practices of our people is a step to take that could not only benefit ourselves but also people outside who can learn a lot about what we value as people. So, we thank the creators who got the chance to be interviewed about their experiences and opinions on Kapampangan culture. Feel free to also check their channels out, and do not be afraid to put the word out there, Angeleneans!