Sergio of Hawaii is one of these half-blooded Filipinos. He is half-Filipino and half-Mexican. To show his two races, he had his tattoo designed with combination of his two country’s flags. This one is very unique as he managed to combine the two flags that results to a very great and symbolic design.

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.

Jesse (Southern Cailfornia)
by Tiki Tattoo in Lacey, WA 

Are we really related?

If you go online and use the words Filipino and Polynesian as keywords, you’ll actually find out that Filipinos are being questioned as to whether have Polynesian lineage as well since we have the same resemblance. Some say we are and others say there’s no connection at all. A number of blabbermouths argues that we are both.

The truth is, Filipinos are Asians but also geographically located in the Pacific Ocean or Oceana (Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia) in which inhabitants are called Pacific Islanders. And so, since our country lies within the boundaries of Pacific Ocean, did just make us Pacific Islanders or Polynesians? No. Though Philippines is located within the boundaries of Pacific Ocean, it isn’t a part of Oceania. Polynesia is polys or many and nesos or island and not many Asians just like some of us believe.

Jason (San Diego)
Ruivivar by Skin N Art
“RUIVIVAR and I’m proud to be a Filipino. This tats is my last name and we’re quite a few in our hometown. So I decided to write it in modified Spanish way and also to show that no matter where I am or who I’m with, I’ll say that I’m proud to be Pinoy.” 

Did he not know Third Watch?

If not, then he may not know Anthony Michael Ruivivar, one of the main casts of the NBC’s TV drama series Third Watch which last aired May 2005. And he may be interested in knowing the actor since both of them are of kin to Juan dela Cruz.

Anthony Michael’s father is of Filipino, Chinese, and Spanish descent while his mother is German and Scottish. The actor played the role of Carlos Nieto in the show which allowed him to show off his ethnicity that includes of the Filipino characteristic. Too bad he isn’t that visible on the screen now as he was before. 

We wonder if the inked Ruivivar is trying to pull a trick that he hasn’t heard of the actor Ruivivar.

Marn (Toronto, Canada)
Sun, 3 Stars, Consummatum Est by Chris of Adrenaline
“My ink represent my love for the Philippines. And the Latin script below is what Jose Rizal said before he was shot.”

Rizal’s reign, is it finished? Uh-oh. When we hear the name Jose Rizal the first thing that pops up in our minds is the word hero. Little did we know that for some, he is the real Son of God. In the Philippines, a group based in Bataan called Banal na Iglesia ng Bathalang Buhay venerates Rizal as if he is the real Messiah.

If one takes a deeper look, members of the group or Rizalians’ belief is quite intriguing. Rizal as the Son of God may not be acceptable for devoted Catholics as he was excommunicated by the Church throughout his time. Just imagine the chaos that might have occurred when Rizal was proposed to be elevated to sainthood during the 1980s.

Only in the Philippines!

Pete (Hawaii)
Pinoy/Pride with Philippine Sun and Stars by Felipe

What’s up with the ambigram? Admit it or not, it started to gain popularity when Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons was released a few years back. The book contains the famous ambigram of Illuminati which, when inverted, reads just the same. But has ambigram something to do with us, Filipinos? Answer is yes.

Ambigram is becoming a famous tattoo subject for most. See Parokya ni Edgar vocalist Chito Miranda’s surname inked on his right arm. In no time, the internet will be bombarded with Filipinos tattooed with ambigram since it is the in-thing.

Since we already are speaking of being a part of the fad, Philippines is now being tagged as a nation of copycats. We have the Pinoy Idol, Survivor Philippines, Kakasa ka bas a Grade 5 and more. We need not to tell you their counterpart. Funny? Not. Whatever happened to Filipino’s creative side?

Gerald Genus (Sac-Town, Cali)
by Cross Creek Tattoo in NC
“The Flag in tribal-ish style, a little bit different than the rest.”

Speaking of TRIBAL, did you know that as of 1990s a 100 plus highland tribal groups or a 3% of indigenous people have been known to be living in the Philippines?

Various tribes of various culture ranges from Luzon to Mindanao. We have the Bontoc, Ibaloi, Ifugao and more from our Igorot tribes of Cordillera, the T’boli and B’laan which are the two indigenous groups found in Mindanao, and let us not forget the Aetas that are mostly located in Zambales. The list goes on and we don’t want to bore you enumerating all.

Thumbs up for the Philippine government for their continuous effort of preserving our tribal groups. Indigenous people are encourage to speak in their native language, dress in their traditional clothing, and celebrate their tradition and culture.

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.

Anonymous (Los Angeles)
Three Stars with a Sun and Flag by Mexicano Shop
“Proud to be Pinoy.”

It’s not always the Filipinos who are left by their conquerors acquiring their culture. We are leaving marks as well. Filipino’s impact on Mexican culture is very evident especially in the Pacific Coast. Residents there can be seen drinking tuba from coconut trees. They also are enthralled by kite-flying with the use of papel de China. Mexicans named their fishing boats panga which is believed to be of Filipino origin.

An Acapulco college teacher mentioned that Filipinos or Filipino-Mexicans are being largely ignored despite the major role they played during Mexico’s struggle for independence way back 1800s. Around 200 Filipino-Mexicans joined Gen. Jose Maria Morelos’ army in its Western Mexico fight.

I wonder why Japan, American, and Spain have friendship days with the Philippines. What about Filipino-Mexican Day? Is there a thing as such?

Gerald Genus (Sac-Town, Cali)
by Cross Creek Tattoo in NC
“Just because it can be seen while I’m in uniform.”

Who else can we think of when we see PINOY PRIDE inked on knuckles? No doubt, it’s just him; the people’s champ, Manny Pacquiao.

PacMan—a professional boxer, recording artist, actor, and politics enthusiast—is rated by the Ring Magazine as world’s #1 pound-for-pound boxer who has won five world titles in five different weight divisions.

Pacquiao also endorses several commercial products, print and broadcast. His biggest yet is Nike’s Fast Forward campaign wherein other sports moguls like Kobe Bryant, Liu Xiang, Maria Sharapova, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Roger Federer starred.

Ranking at 57th in Forbes Magazine’s Celebrity 100 list along with Angelina Jolie and Tiger Woods, who would have thought that this General Santos native used to be a porter who earns less than anyone else?

Indeed, he’s a real Pinoy Pride.

Gerald Genus (Sac-Town, Cali)
“For my Catholic Religion. To forever wear a cross on my neck.”

Getting inked is something. A tattoo of a seemingly-necklace with a cross as the pendant is another thing. It just shows devotion to Catholicism.

Despite being a predominantly Catholic nation, Philippines was able to produce just one saint in Lorenzo Ruiz’s persona.

He was born of a Chinese and Filipino parents, both Catholic. Ruiz’s devotion started out as early as his childhood days when he became an altar boy and later on a calligrapher for the Dominican friars.

Also known as San Lorenzo de Manila, Ruiz was beatified in the Philippines during Pope John Paul II’s 1981 Papal visit. This ceremony was the first beatification held outside the Vatican City. The saint was canonized due to his resistance of giving up his Catholic faith which lead to his gruesome death after painful tortures enacted by the Japanese.