Buling Buling

We recall Manila’s rich cultural history every year when Pandacan observes the traditional "Buling Buling" Dance Festival. The name comes from the Tagalog verb “buli” which means: to buff; to polish and make shiny.  Colloquially, its derivative “buling-buli” was an adjective that refers to a “well buffed pair of shoes” as well as to a person who is well dressed.

Old timers in the district of Pandacan claim that the festival started in the 1800s when Pandacan was home to many a luminary in art and culture, among them Francisco Baltazar (aka Balagtas), Ladilao Bonus (Father of the Filipino Opera), Lope K.Santos (Filipino Language Theorist), Bonifacio Abdon (Father of Modern Kundiman), playrights Miguel Mansilungan and Pantaleon Lopez.  It was dubbed the “Little Italy of the Philippines” and in the 1890s an all women “Orkestrang Babae” directed by Raymundo Fermin was immortalized by painter Simon Flores. 

While the celebration of Buling Buling subsided at the turn of the 19^th century, it was revived in the late 20^th century.  To date, local associations, schools and businesses in Pandacan continue to support the festivity.  Buling Buling can be a major attraction to tourism, if only it had the support of the national government such as the Deprtment of Tourism and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.