MANILA, Philippines - There is an elusive but palpable quality that proclaims our Filipino-ness, the identity that differentiates us from all others.

Expressing Filipino-ness goes beyond "barrio fiesta" performances and cultural shows. It is an expression of the Filipino lifestyle that is reassuring and comforting to fellow Filipinos, wherever they may be, and which makes foreigners take note of how rich and textured the way we live is, making our people unique.

The expression of Filipino-ness takes as many forms as there are Filipinos, from our hospitality to our Filipino attire or Filipino surroundings. Whatever the form, it is the Filipino lifestyle that shines through.

Sociologists define lifestyle as the way a group of people lives. It is a shared and accepted mix of behaviors that includes social relations, attitudes, values and mutual ways of doing things, including how people like to dress and eat. Lifestyle, therefore, establishes a sense of self and creates cultural symbols that resonate with Filipino identity.

Amarela

Very obvious are the Filipino cultural symbols at Amarela Resort in Bohol, which combines contemporary architecture with a superlative collection of antique and modern Boholano religious and folk art.

The architecture of Amarela, straightforward and contemporary, skillfully evokes the vernacular balay na tisa of the Spanish colonial era-steep hipped roof, large second-floor windows, and solid-walled ground floor-done in today's simple, commercially available materials.

Designed in the boxy architecture of the balay na tisa, Amarela goes a step farther into tradition by following the Filipino penchant for transparency.

Interior walls disappear. Spaces inside the structure flow into each other. Double doors, glass panels, and wooden fretwork always provide beguiling view of what lies beyond, ultimately throwing the entire area open to the stunning, infinite vista of sea and sky.

If the architectural references to tradition are too subtle to be discerned, it nevertheless strikes a familiar chord. Much as Filipinos look for comfort food, Amarela's may be called comfort architecture.

And comforting Amarela is. Its collection of outstanding hardwood furniture in the distinctive Bohol primitive style is for sitting or dining on. Museum-quality pieces of Boholano folk and religious art, and an amazing collection of antique architecture details are incorporated into the structure itself.

Amarela is a successful example of expressing Filipino-ness, or Filipino lifestyle, in a thoroughly modern setting.

Panglao

Panglao Island Nature Resort expresses Filipino-ness in a different manner.

Taking its design cues from clusters of bahay-kubo in rural villages, the familiar bamboo-and-nipa cottages that wind along the Bohol coastline are not only a familiar sight to Filipinos. Foreign guests find the image evocative of the Philippines, its tropical beaches, and culture.

The image of Panglao Island is immediately and unmistakably Filipino.

Panglao Island's clusters of wood-clad and nipa-roofed cottages interconnected by landscaping evoke rural Philippines, inviting guests to wander about the resort's hectares of lush tropical green.

In the style of the traditional Filipino bahay-kubo, the architecture skillfully combines modern construction and up-to-date amenities with the look and material that evoke the wood-, bamboo-, and thatch-handcrafted houses of old.

Large and lofty pavilions with exposed bamboo and wooden framing house reception and dining areas. Mostly open to the sea, they are cooled by natural breezes and shaded by a veritable jungle of mature trees.

The setting of Panglao Island evokes traditional Filipino lifestyle well. It puts across both image and experience of Filipino-ness so well that the resort touches a psychic comfort zone which keeps Filipino and foreign clients coming back.

Escaño house

Three generations of Cebuanos have been guests at the Escaño house on Juana Osmeña Street. The house was open at all times to friends of each of the seven Escaño children, so something was always happening there. The young would sit on the terrace steps and sing until dawn or would party away.

Designed in the 1950s by the Manila-based Viennese architect Ernest Korneld, a covered patio, which was the perfect place for all kinds of activities from theater rehearsals, bridge games and family reunions, wrapped around the house.

What made this house outstanding was the warm, unconditional welcome that Jess and Gloria extended to anyone who wished to be a part of their family. There always was a plate or two for people who would invariably stay over for a meal.

The house is now Casa Escaño, a bed-and-breakfast. The wrap-around terrace is now Don Merto's restaurant which serves all the old family recipes.

The same people who have literally grown up in this house still congregate there, this time, instead of sitting down to the extra plate at dinner, ordering and paying for it instead.

The old camaraderie and hospitality of the house and family are the hallmarks and the raison d'être of the place. Guests appreciate that down-home Cebuano hospitality.

The Filipino-ness of Casa Escaño is not in Filipino-inspired surroundings, as in Amarela and Panglao Island. It is in the warmth, sincerity and hospitality the family effortlessly showers on its guests.

Filipino-ness comes in many forms that we take for granted.

Being more aware of our Filipino-ness is to become more aware of our culture and national identity, which makes a great first step into developing that missing sense of pride of place that is necessary for making us realize that we are such a great people.

For information: Amarela Resort (www.amarelaresort.com); Panglao Island Nature Resort (www.panglaoisland.com); and Casa Escaño (www.casaescano.com).

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