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Philippine Barong Tagalog [Part 1 of 2 series]

The Clearing Point

R. CHAM G. ZUÑIGA VI, Ll.B., MLGM, Ph.D.


The Barong Tagalog

[Part 1 of 2 series]


What is Barong? Barong refers to Barong Tagalog. It describes the formal men's wear of the Philippines. It derived from the words 'Baro ng Tagalog', meaning dress of the Tagalog. Barong was actually the contraction of the words Baro ng, which literally means 'dress of.' To say Barong is actually not correct. But now as part of lingua franca, it refers to one of the beautiful formal shirts of the Filipino people.

The Barong Tagalog has evolved from pre-Hispanic native wear to the Philippines national wear. Throughout its evolution, various factors have influenced the look and meaning of the Barong Tagalog.

There was an anecdotal source which says that Barong Tagalog was first brought to the Philippines in the late 16th century by Filipino seamen who served on the Spanish galleons. The Filipino seamen also brought back the Mexican outfit called the Guayabera. This outfit is worn without tucking in. Many of the Spanish officials assigned to Philippines came from Mexico and it cannot be denied that some of them worn the Guayabera. It would only be logical to conclude that many of these Spanish officials, especially the Mexican mestizos who were sent to the Philippines, wore this Mexican outfit.

The Filipinos known for their being innovative made several changes in the Mexican Guayabera. The first modification was the removal of the pockets and then made the front cut (opening) only halfway. Then, the pockets were removed in the Philippines for obvious reason. The Guayabera-like outfit was not sturdy enough considering the flimsy fiber material. Because pockets are meant to carry items, like those found in the Western coat (also known as "Americana" in the Philippines), it is not advisable for Barong Tagalog to be made with pockets. Because of the non-availability of the cotton, the Filipinos made use of native fibers instead. And later, designs were added which made Barong more attractive and colorful than the original Guayabera.

But do you know that Barong Tagalog was popularized as formal wear by Philippine President Ramon del Fierro Magsasay during his term from 1955-1957, who wore it to most official and personal affairs, including his inauguration as president of the Philippines?

And do you know that President Manuel L. Quezon during his November 15, 1935 inauguration wore a Barong Tagalog which was popularly known as Commonwealth Barong Tagalog with the design of the Commonwealth and American flag?

President Quezon gained his real power, 'national prestige', and status after he declared the Barong Tagalog as the Philippine National Dress. Thereafter, Barong Tagalog became officially a symbol of the Filipinos' resistance to colonization.


During the term of President Diosdado Macapagal, the Barong Tagalog became a staple men’s wear on formal affairs.


President Ferdinand E. Marcos proclaimed in the year 1975 the Barong Tagalog as the Philippine National Attire. He declared June 5 - 11 as Barong Tagalog week. Perhaps he was the only Philippine President who promoted the wearing of the Barong Tagalog like how he showcased his collection of barong from the time he was a congressman.


While President Fidel V. Ramos wore barong tagalong during important occasions in Malacañang, however he was noticed to have injected an informal twist to the Barong Tagalog by folding the sleeves. And so with President Joseph Estrada who oftentimes was seen with folded long sleeved Barong Tagalog.



(for feedback, the author may be reached at chamzun@gmail.com

2 comments:

  1. Actually, the story you have with the Guayabera is twisted. It was the other way round. There was a theiory that Guayabera might have been made as a localization of the Barong since it was originally called Filipina. Barong Tagalog is in fact 2 centuries older than Guayabera.

    This theory however has not been acepted by many since Filipinos don't care about Guayabera and they do not insist. That is why the origin of Guayabera are often debated between Yucatan in Mexico or in Cuba.

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  2. I agree with Mon above, also Chinese historical sources documents the Barong Tagalog worn by the Tagalogs in Mait before the Spaniards even arrived in Philippine shores. So it is a prehispanic dress attire, it was not given to us by Spaniards or Mexicans.

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