Yup. We’re going there. In this episode, we’re asking the big uncomfortable question: Why is the Philippines still poor?

We’ll go back to the hopes we had after independence, the political chaos we got caught in, and the systems that were never really fixed. This is part one of a bigger conversation about how history, power, and poor leadership shaped the reality we live in today.

SOURCES:

https://bti-project.org/en/reports/country-report/PHL

https://www.ibon.org/golden-years-the-real-long-lasting-economic-damage-wrought-by-marcos/?tztc=1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_the_Philippines

In Part 2 of our pilot, we pick up the mic right where we left off—but this time, we’re going deeper. Like, Spanish-meets-American-meets-Filipino-pride deep.

We’re talking vocal science: tone, technique, and our uncanny talent for mimicry (yes, even that one Tita who is Whitney Houston in her head). We also get into the role of contests, choir culture, and why even our beauty queens are expected to hit whistle notes on live TV.

Is it nature, nurture, or just non-stop karaoke since birth? Let’s find out—because if singing is our birthright, we deserve to know why.

SOURCES:

https://thelasallian.com/2024/03/09/mirrors-from-melodies-the-art-of-choir-as-a-reflection-of-filipino-culture-and-heritage/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_the_Philippines

https://newsroom.spotify.com/2019-03-27/the-opm-ballads-of-the-philippines-will-make-you-get-up-and-sing/

https://www.pep.ph/news/local/145902/korea-trained-filipino-boy-group-sb19-goes-viral-for-this-reason-a4097-20190907

https://www.loc.gov/collections/songs-of-america/articles-and-essays/musical-styles/ritual-and-worship/african-american-gospel

https://www.revolt.tv/article/2023-12-10/344818/13-rb-singers-who-started-in-the-church

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_idol

https://soundsandcolours.com/subjects/travel/the-role-of-music-in-latin-american-culture-73432/

In this first part of a two-part pilot, we kick things off with one of the biggest questions we love to ask (and brag about): Are Pinoys just naturally good at singing?

Spoiler alert: it’s deeper than just karaoke and pageants.

Join me, Phil Andrew, as we trace the roots of Filipino musicality all the way back to our pre-colonial ancestors (yep, even before karaoke was a national sport). We’ll talk epic chants, rituals, babaylans, and the very Pinoy art of emotional storytelling through music.

Whether you’re a belter, a bathroom balladeer, or just karaoke-adjacent, this episode unpacks why music feels like it’s in our bones—and maybe, just maybe, it is.

SOURCES:

https://nextshark.com/why-filipinos-are-so-good-at-singing

https://adobochronicles.com/2014/04/23/stanford-university-researchers-discover-music-gene-among-filipinos/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9136123/

https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/hudhud-chants-of-the-ifugao-00015#

https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/ullalim-the-epic-of-love-of-the-maducayan/

https://thecordillerareview.upb.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/4-TCR-IV-2_Saboy_Voicing-Ethnicity-Traditional-Referentiality-the-Ullalim-and-Kalinga-Ethnopop.pdf

https://www.aswangproject.com/sugidanon/

https://www.aswangproject.com/kudaman-summary/

https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/darangen-epic-of-the-maranao-people-of-lake-lanao-00159#

https://sulugardenfoundation.org/music/

https://jacklegpreacher.com/filipinoharp/manobo/Philippine_Music_at_the_Frontiers/Song.html

https://ibaloyreflections.blogspot.com/2012/07/bah-diw-she-kasal.html

https://www.reddit.com/r/FilipinoHistory/comments/xse30z/reason_why_filipinos_are_good_singers_from_an/

https://thetagbanua.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-tagbanua-race.html

[INTRO EPISODE]

Welcome to The Pinoy Code—a podcast that’s part cultural decoding, part personal unpacking, and fully obsessed with all things Filipino. And this? This is your soft-launch, origin-story, fourth-wall-breaking intro to the voice behind the mic.

In this intro episode, Phil Andrew (yep, that’s me) shares the very real, very unfiltered backstory of how this podcast was born—from awkward first attempts with a phone mic, to burnout, true crime detours, accidental method acting with a real-life crush, and back again.

You'll hear how I went from “Don’t Listen to Phil” to The Pinoy Code, why I’m using the word “code” instead of “episode,” and why the word Pinoy hits so much deeper than Filipino. Oh—and yes, there’s a little childhood trauma, some family plot twists, and a kiss that changed my name forever.

Whether you’re Filipino, part-Filipino, or just Filipino-curious, this is your official welcome. Come for the chika, stay for the cultural soul-searching. Let’s crack the code—together.