If you’re a Filipino, chances are you may have lived in a house that had a portion called the “silong.” Homes in the Philippines have a hollow portion at the lower level used to store farming implements, and livestock such as pigs, chickens, and dogs, root crops. Sometimes, the silong is used for the storage of firewood.
But there is another function of the Silong in terms of tropical design. It is actually used as a space to protect the house flooring from humidity during warm seasons and from cold during habagat seasons. In some Philippine languages, the word silong literally means “shelter,” or protection over sun and rain.
One of the more interesting things about the Silong is that it is often thought as the space in the house where the Sigbin appears. The Sigbin is a Filipino mythical creature often described as a creature that walks backwards with its head lowered behind its legs. It has an ability to be invisible from humans and it is believed to suck human blood.
The Silong has been adapted during the evolution of the Filipino house in the Spanish era called the bahay na bato (literally house made of stone). In the bahay na bato, the silong is hollow but not fully opened because it is covered with walls. Bahay na Bato-owning families used this portion to store jewels and coins.
In some instances, Bahay na bato owners were also said to have imprisoned tenants that were caught stealing from the landlord in the silong.
In a typical Filipino Vernacular dwelling called the Bahay Kubo, the space of the ground floor is hallowed and open with no walls. This is called a Silong. A silong is a multipurpose space that is used to store farming implements, livestock such as pigs, chickens, and dogs, root crops, and storage of firewood.
But there is another function of the Silong in terms of tropical design. It is actually used as a space to protect the flooring of the house from humidity during warm seasons and cold during habagat seasons.
One of the more interesting things about the Silong is that it is known to be the space in the house where the Sigbin appears. The Sigbin is a Filipino mythical creature often described as a creature that walks backward with head lowered behind its legs. It has an ability to be invisible from humans and it is believed to suck blood of humans.
The Silong has been adapted during the evolution of the Filipino house in the Spanish era called the bahay na bato. In the bahay na bato, the silong is hollow but not fully opened because it is covered with walls. It is used to store jewels of the famil and coins.
But another interesting thing about the silong of the Bahay Kubo is that it also was a space to imprisoned tenants that were caught stealing from the landlord.
A very interesting silong indeed.
Reference
Kwon, Dong-Hwan . 2011. “The Role of Protestant Mission and the Modernization among Mangyans in the Philippines.” Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary. http://www.apnts.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/documents/mediator_documents/volume09/Mediator_9.2.2_Kwon.pdf.
Martinez, Glenn. 2018. “Here’s A Complete List Of The 46 Parts of A Filipino House.” /www.realliving.com.ph. May 26, 2020. https://www.realliving.com.ph/lifestyle/arts-culture/here-s-a-complete-list-of-the-46-parts-of-a-filipino-house-a1618-20180821-lfrm?utm_source=Facebook-RealLiving&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20200524-fbnp-lifestyle-here-s-a-complete-list-of-the-46-parts-of-a-filipino-house-a1618-20180821-lfrm-fbprom&fbclid=IwAR2ae4ArZhIQrx-iCkvFT4KM_WRYM7-vNXAHQoaITl5eiIOqW81Z5PhwUfM.
Ruiz, Elvin 2019. “Dili ingun natu as wardens of nature.” International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Research Volume 5; Issue 3; May 2019; Page No. 58-62. http://www.socialsciencejournal.in/search/Dili%20ingun%20natu%20as%20wardens%20of%20nature.