This tattoo by Steve Ruivivar of New York City is an example of Ambigram style tattoo. It says his last name and he said he was very hooked with this after reading Angels and Demons few years ago.

“You have to represent who you are! Be proud to be who you are!” This is the message of Rob Palomo along with the picture of his tattoo with words “Pinoy Pride” and the Philippine flag at the middle. True, nothing beats the spirit of being a Filipino especially when you’re outside and representing our country. Being nationalists is one way of showing love and support to our country. So make yourself a quality product of the Philippines and make your homeland proud of you!

Archgie (California)
3 Stars and a Sun by Ink Assassin

Its old-fashioned feel and historic charm style are some of the reasons why this type of font is famous and can be seen almost everywhere in the tattoo community. But very little is known on how the Old English Text font started. Nevertheless, one thing can best describe it: it was wonderfully made and developed.

Being compared to the famous Cloister Black by Morris Fuller Benton (1904), the Old English Text is classified under the Serif category as Blackletter and is known for its ornate capital letters and diamond-shaped serifs. Blackletter is one of the main kinds of Gothic letters and characterized with fiddly bits in the middle which are noticeable in Old English Text.

This font designed by William Caslon under Monotype Corporation Foundry is compatible with both Macintosh and Windows operating systems using the TrueType (.ttf) and OpenType (.otf) formats.

Jerweezee (San Diego CA)
Filipino Sun/Alibata/Tribal by Salvation Ink San Diego “The Kuya”
“We have the Filipino sun on the back and on the arm the word Pinoy with Alibata of kids name and Filipino/Hawaiian fusion tribal.”

Ancient Filipino script shouldn’t be called in any other way but Baybayin.

Baybayin was coined alibata by a National Language Institute member Paul Rodriguez Versoza in 1939. The said term was based on a Maguindanao alphabet related to the Arabic alif, ba, ta. There are no supporting evidences though on Versoza’s theory of baybayin and the Arabic language’s relation.

The word baybayin originated from the Tagalog root word baybay which literally means spell. And the shapes of the baybayin characters have a similarity to the ancient Javanese Kavi script. Usage of baybayin is known to have started as early as the 1400s.

The baybayin is a syllabic writing system called abugida and made up of 17 characters which can increase into 45 when the characters are combined with vowel-modifying marks called kudlits.

Baybayin.com offers more information about this ancient script.

Sharjah UAE
My name and My kid’s initials and My sign (water sign)
by Mike from Dubai
“I just want to share it with every one! And I’ll post the other one that I will be getting.”

Prophet Muhammad clearly stated that getting inked is forbidden and sinful as it attempts to modify and destroy Allah’s creation. It is against Allah’s law to place something on your body that was not originally there during birth and to attempt to beautify something which was already perfected. There is no known punishment or retribution for those who will violate the law though.

This is the very reason why tattoos done in any nation that is part of the Arabian Peninsula would cost seventy percent more expensive than any other countries because tattoo artists in the Arab countries are usually few and located in far distances.

Muslims or not, especially those who are residing in an Arab nation, may want to consider getting a henna tattoo as an alternative. Muslims are known to be henna tattoos’ first users.

Jeng (Texas)
3 Stars and the Sun by Monster Tattoo

Mirasol is sight of the sun in English translation. But it can also be a sunflower and even someone else’s last name just like the owner of the tattoo above (now you know his complete name). Having said this, have you ever wondered why most of the Filipino last names are of Spanish origin?

Back then, during the colonial period, Spanish officials were going gaga every tax collection activities since members of the same family did not have the same last name. The father can be a Bonifacio and the son can be a Rizal. So, to make things more organized, Governor General Narciso Claveria issued the Alphabetical Catalogue of Surnames, mainly of Spanish names. It has been said, though not proven, that Filipinos should pick up a name from the catalogue and the rest of the members of their families must bear the same last name.

Jon Juan (Vallejo CA)
3 Stars and the Sun and the Philippine Eagle by Allied Ink

Considered as critically endangered, with only 180 to 500 species remaining, the Philippine Eagle still holds the crown of being the national bird of the country as proclaimed by then President Fidel Ramos.

First called as monkey-eating eagles as they were believed to have preyed on monkeys when first discovered, the Haribon belongs to the Accipitridae family—world’s largest eagle. They can also be compared to human beings sharing the same practice of monogamy. Once paired, they’ll be partners for the rest of their life cycles. Life expectancy for these birds is calculated to be from 30 to 60 years.

One of the famous captive-bred eagles to be released in the wild was named Kabayan. Unluckily, he was electrocuted. Anyone caught killing this endangered specie will serve twelve years in jail with hefty amount of fines.

Randy Mack (Hawaii)
Love My Roots by Eguy Ipalari, Waipahu, Hawaii
“Thanks Homeboy. I’m proud of where I came from wherever I may lay down”.

Did you know that the first Philippine map, which was 27 inches wide and 42 inches long, was drawn by Nicolas dela Cruz and Francisco Suarez back in 1734?

Pinoy, a demonym for Filipino people, was first used in the 1920s by Filipino-Americans who were part of the first wave of Filipino migration to the United States. Take out the last four letters of Filipino, pino, and add up the letter Y to form the word. For many, Pinoy is similar to Mexican-American’s usage of Chicano.

No need for us to discuss who forms the roster of the Pinoy Pride. We might want to divert our attention from these already-known Filipino celebrities into the nameless heroes who are continuously giving out their best for the country.

Charlee (Ontario)
Filipino Flag by Pleasure & Pain

Okay. We all know that the three stars represent LuzViMinda, the three largest regions. Its sun’s eight rays are the first eight provinces that revolted against the Spanish regime. Is there anything new or more interesting about the Philippine Flag that we need to know than these usual stuff?

There are certain places that, by law, must display the Philippine Flag and have it illuminated at night. The shades of the colors red and blue have been changed several times, which was dependent to the leaders and whatever country ruling the Philippines. Zambales and the Moslem Islands tried to be the ninth ray claiming that their provinces were also at war during the colonial era. Both petitions were rejected. A Flag Law forbidding the Filipinos to use or display the flag anywhere lasted for 12 years.

There are always more than the infamous three stars and a sun of the Philippine Flag that are worth-knowing. Let’s not be that frivolous.

Rowjie (Manila, Philippines)
Home Girls by Island Tattoo (Philippines)

Filipinos are proud or, to say the least, known for having close ties with families and relatives even if it requires one to dig six feet under. It is only in the PH where you can see a one-floor apartment with 7 families living in it. As stated by the Philippine law, when one steps at the age of 21, he or she will be legally independent from his/her parents. That doesn’t pretty much apply to today’s Filipino society for even a 29-year old married man with four kids prefers to live with his parents under one roof.

And having the names of your late grandmother and mother inked on your back is one notable way of showing your appreciation to the sacrifices they made when they were still around. Anyway, to his Home Girls, RIP.