Philippino and Other Pacific Islanders
Practice of Circumcision
Past & Present
During the recent holidays, my friend brought with him a 22 year old Filipino guy. We were talking about how painful some things are, and my friend announced that Carlo knew how to handle pain as he had been circumcised when he was 12 years old. Carlo was rather embarrassed abou this announcement. He confirmed that it was his people's custom to circumcise boys when they were 12 and to do this in the ritual way. He said that his foreskin was drawn forward, the skin 'chopped' with a quick blow of a knife and he was told to run into the cold ocean. He said it hurt for a while, but wasn't that bad.
His circumcision left lots of inner foreskin lining, as you might imagine, but removed
a significant part of the outer skin leaving him with a moderately tight circumcision. The
frenulum is completely intact, and the circ scar is straight. It was an overall pleasing
circumcision.
His little brother (5 years younger than him) was circumcised the same way just five years ago. He also said that more and more Filipino families are having their sons circumcised at birth, or circumcised when they are 12 in the doctor's office.
One of the
strengths of the Circlist web-site is its good coverage of the ethnology of
circumcision - the practice of circumcision and related practices) as a social
custom in various societies around the world. I hope, therefore, that the
moderators will include material from the Demography and Sociology programme of
studies on gender and sexual health in four countries in South-Eastern Asia from
the Australian National University.
They include:
Male and Female Genital Cutting among Yogyakartans and Medurans Report in
English (Word version or PDF version)
Between the Thighs: Penile Circumcision, Implants and Sexual Gadgets [in the
Philippines]
Both reports are of particular interest to readers of this web-site, are
scientifically valid and highly interesting.
Tom
I would just like to share my experience that Filipino boys age 7 - 10 years old are circumcised by the group during summer time under the banana tree by a circumciser using dorsal slit method that takes only few seconds without anesthesia. They don't mind being seen by others kids to be circ too. Probably one thing nice about Filipinos being circ is that they chose to be circ. The parents are sometimes caught with great surprise that their son had themselves cut.
I guess the significance of being circumcised or intact greatly depends on
the place where you live and what is considered norm for a particular group of
people living together.
When I was still 7 or 8 years, I really felt that I should be circumcised since all the males around me were circumcised. At that time I believed being circumcised to be a macho guy and afraid to be called sissy. I myself didn't have problems with hygiene since my uncircumcised cock didn't smell at all.
It was not until I reached the age of twenty that I had the courage to go to
the doctor and have my self circumcised. After my circumcision, I do still
believe that being circumcised is basically social acceptance because if you
don't, you will be ridiculed here in the Philippines.
For this reason I have my two son circumcised. My eldest was done at birth
and my second son was circumcised at 10 years old. I realized that my second son
enjoyed more and he is happier compared to my eldest because he has experience
as a child how shameful he was not to be accepted by his classmates and friends
just because he was uncut.
I believe that what dictates one to be circumcised or not is his personal
preference, social acceptability and medical necessity.
Phil
The Filipinos were under Islamic rule when Spain took over. Magellan was killed by a Muslim chiefton. Under Islam any uncut guy that resisted conversion was to be killed. Christians and Jews were accepted as we are "of the book" meaning our religion stems from Abraham (Ibrahim). Pagans were to be converted or killed. When Spain took over they were unable to convince the locals to stop the practice which was illegal in Spain and the new world. Any Spanish citizen found practicing any form of Islamic or Jewish religious practice after baptism was tortured and then burned at the stake. Same for any Christian that varied from Catholic orthodoxy. Heretics they were called.
Back to the Philippines. The practice of circumcision continued and the locals justified it as being a Christian thing (Jesus was of course Jewish). The feast of the circumcision was celebrated I believe (I am a recovering Catholic) the 1st or 3rd of January. Not all Filipinos practice it, but it is undoubtedly done to the majority
of males usually about the time of puberty, but again many are doing it to
infants now too. I have met some interesting guys with stories to tell. One offered to get
cut if I'd like him too, but I was not about to ask as I liked him, but was not in love
and would not entice anyone under false pretenses. Those of pure Chinese or Spanish
ancestry don't usually cut, but the people of local ancestry or mixed background most do
circumcise.
Don't assume that the Filipinos who've joined the list are Muslim. Circumcision
in the Philippines is not related to religion. The vast majority of Filipinos are
circumcised - whether they are Catholic, Muslim, or whatever. It is a "coming
of age" ritual, and traditional for a boy to prove his manhood properly, it should be
done without anesthetic. My Filipino fiends tell me that it is increasingly done by
doctors in hospital, and at about the age of 12-14. I read somewhere that a
Filipina would find it shameful to marry an uncircumcised man.
Circumcision is common in the Philippines among Christians as well as Muslims - I'm
sure it predates the introduction of Islam (or Christianity for that matter) to the
country. It is done in late childhood or early teen years. There is a film 'Perfumed
Nightmare' which I believe is about Filipino circumcision. Photos from the film are
available in the CIRCLIST Archives.
A boy at age 7 - 11 subjects himself for circumcision due to peer pressure. Usually together with some other uncircumcised boys they arrange their own circ rites with the local circumciser. Most of them don't even let their parents know when and where. The boys are taught how to clean their penis. The circumciser examines their penis to see if the skin is loose and separated from the glans. Then the prepuce is inserted into the eye hole of a coconut shell and using a homemade knife quickly slices off the prepuce. The coconut shell prevents the glans from being accidentally cut when the procedure is done. The remaining prepuce retract and exposes the glans well. The gaping wound is approximated and we apply the thin-like hairy fibers found at the base of the coconut leaves to stop the bleeding. The freshly circumcised penis is then wrapped using guava leaves which is kept close by on a clean cloth. The boy goes home wearing the t-shirt of his father or an adult t-shirt to cover the newly circumcised penis. The boys are told to clean the wound daily with running water or are asked to take a bath using sea water when available. With this technique you have a semi loose circumcision where the glans is exposed completely when flaccid, however with small amount of remaining skin bunches up just behind the corona.
The cost of circumcision vary from "thank you" to that of a quart of Tuba (native wine coming from the coconut tree), to a tobacco leaf, or a pack of cigarettes, to a few pesos.
I understand that in the Pacific Islands circumcision is performed around the 7th or
8th year and is a very important part of the culture. Having met a number of Pacific
Islanders it is interesting to observe that Tongan males appear to be cut very differently from the other Island groups. They appear to have a bunch of skin hanging beneath the glans as they ritually perform only a dorsal slit which allows the foreskin to 'droop' underneath the bared glans.
Those in Fiji who live away from towns also use
dorsal slit as a circumcision method. Those in towns get the more standard, complete
circumcision, and Fijian women then know if their man was done by the tribe's chief or
father or by doctor. In one village, they used to do it at 15, but have now lowered it to
age 6. Half the village is Muslim, the other half Christian. The Christians believe that
circumcision is required by the religion (and in fact, if you've only read old testament,
I guess it is, since old testament is part of Christianity). And they believe that god is
to come by year 2000 and want to make sure their sons are done as early as possible so
that they are cut when god comes back, hence the lowering from 15 to 6. Most Fijian women
will not sleep with an uncut Fijian. However, those of Indian origin are uncut if they are
not Muslim. They call cheese/smegma: RICE !.
Some villages use medicinal plants to numb the pain and they have festivities for the
new man after he comes back a few days later. A lot of places do not have electricity so
they really live on their own.
Dorsal slit is the easiest method of circumcision since only one incision is needed. It
however, does not provide the neatest looking results.
I guess a lot of Asians are getting circumcised these days.
Hospital statistic shows increasing circumcision during childbirth in urban developing
areas and urbanized center. People realized the value of regular, good hygiene effect of
circumcision.
As for the Filipinos are 95% if not 99% circumcised. It has been part of their culture
even before Magellan landed the Philippines in 1521. Circumcision practice is however not
the same as what is being done in America.
90% use dorsal slit technique since most of them are done in the rural setting with a
minimal fee. You can see a lot of skin hanging underside. Those who leave in the poverty
level is not excused from circumcision.
Circ age range from 7 years old to 12 years old using a home made knife or bolo. As the
boy squat the prepuce is pulled back then the knife with the sharp edge facing up is
placed on top of the glans. The skin is pulled forward with one hand holding the retracted
skin and knife under the skin. Using the other hand, the circ hold a piece of wood usually
from a branch of a guava tree. With one, two or three blows the skin is cut into two and
the glans is exposed. The boy is now circumcised.
Phil
One
of the very important aspects of circumcision is peer pressure.
My
Phillipino girlfriend is very keen on my circumcised penis - I am
English
and cut as an adult more than 20 years ago. Her son was cut
a
few years ago and the importance of peer group pressure is immense.
He
was 12 years old when he was converted to ”roundhead" status.
He
lives
in a village near Manila and one day called by her house - we
were in Hong Kong at the time and indulging in mutual release of
our
sexual tensions. A group of four or five of his
friends decided to
visit the village circumcisor that afternoon. They
negotiated a
small
fee and lined up to have their foreskins chopped off in the
usual
way. In turn they stripped off their shorts and kneeled down
to
submit their penises. In exactly the way of the video clip in
circlist
a knotted rope was slipped over their young foreskins, to
be
stretched forward before being chopped off with a single blow
from
a large kitchen knife.
The
wounds were not stitched but healed quickly, with frenums
shortened
by the circ.
My
girlfriend would like my circ to be tidier but is not concerned
over
the circ of her son. For her it is natural for an adolescent
boy to indulge in the ritual removal of his foreskin.
Upon
discussion she feels that her son's natural instincts to have
his foreskin removed in this way is totally normal whilst I should
be cut (which she prefers) using better surgery and operative style
We
will probably go for my recirc to her requirements - a quick
look at the "cosmetic surgery" columns of local papers shows
that
this can be done.
Regards
Andy
Can you tell us where
this tradition comes from as you would think that as these Philipinos are
Christian they would not be circumcised. You could understand it if the were
Muslim.
It has possibly come from the
culture of the Philippine Islands before the Spanish era. The native tongues of
the Philippines are part of the Austronesian family of languages, which also
includes the various Polynesian languages, and Polynesians are known to practice
circumcision as part of their adult initiaton rites. The Filipino culture is
that of the 'mertizsos'- a mix of European and native practices. The southern
part of the Philippines were never effectively controlled by Spain and has
remained a Muslim stronghold and part of the larger Malay world which spans
across Indonesia to Malaysia and Singapore.
Tom
Curiosity over Pals Circumcision Leads to Homosexual Encounter
i had an experience
and I am straight. In Asia there are lots of bathhouses and friends go together
to bathhouses. As you know I'm still uncircumcised and my friend was circumcised
at the time. At bathhouses you're are suppose to strip down naked. He was
circumcised when he was born. He wanted to touch my penis and like hold
it. I didn't know why. I also wanted to examine his penis a little closer so at
the bathhouse we just touched each other dicks. He was circumcised not too high
but not too low. It was cool though. This sounds disgusting but we sucked each
other out in the bathroom. (we're not gay). Then after the session we
described what it felt like. We tried our best but it was not a good experience
trying to think your best friends a girl sucking you dick. He said my dick
tasted awful because I wore my foreskin over my glans and it gets smelly
downthere. But I think its common in Asia that guys hold other peoples penises.
I saw these 2 kids i don't know how old, i estimate about 9 year olds 1 not circ
and one circ. The one who wasn't circ was eyeing the one who was circ and they
touched each other genitals. i don't know how common it is in America but I know
for sure its common in the Philippines.
Anonymous
Yeh, I guess
majority of us must have had dick held by another person by both sexes.
I would like to share an experience of a friend of mind in the Philippines
That after being circ age between 7 - 12 years old, immediately after the
wound has healed, they start to masturbate in groups and compare each
other's dick to see whose bigger. And this goes for a couple of years. One of
their most memorable experience is that they hold other's dick in group
and start beating till it cums. This continues until they start courting girls
and eventually got married with no trace of homosexual desire. It is but
just a part of growing up. So our dick being hold by another person is no
malice....I guess.
Phil
I am a
Filipino male, who was circumcised at age nine. (I have to tell you,
though, that ALL Filipino males are circumcised, or else he will be teased
to kingdom come.) Most boys in the Philippines are circumcised at age nine,
or when they get to the fourth grade. It seems that the Filipinos put a lot
of importance on this practice, which, for many males are their rite of
passage from childhood to adulthood. The circumcised young man is now able
to show off his cut dick, by being able to shower with the rest of the guys
in public baths or having their first taste of sex. Filipino women know for
a fact that a boy/man should be circumcised, so they definitely know what to
expect when they see the male genitalia. God help the guy who is not cut,
for he will forever be the butt of jokes among his peers and lady friends.
I have no
problem with circumcision at all. It has more advantages than
disadvantages. For one, it is so much easier to keep the circumcised penis
clean at all times. Smegma does not get the chance to accumulate around the
glans of the penis, and we sure do know how that smells. Secondly, a cut
penis is so much more aesthetically beautiful to look at. An uncut dick is
like a face that is covered with a piece of cloth or plastic.
While I
like my "cut" status, it does not mean that I have problems with guys who
are not cut. I do respect their beliefs and practices.
Romy (New
York, USA)
Teen Tightens Up
Circ with Ring in Philippines
First of all, the
Zhenxi ring is not Korean. It's a Chinese device. But main distribution of
it is in Korea, because the practice for which it is used is more a way of life
in Korea than in China (though China, I suppose, is slowly picking up).
My experience with the Zhenxi ring was for my 2nd circ. As
you may probably know, circ is a custom with Filipinos. Uncut guys are teased
here. Boys entering puberty are subjected to the operation. The tradition has
a Muslim root. The Philippines was widely Muslim before the colonization by
Spain.
Boys were done by the local doctors we call "Arbularyo".
Only a razor is used in the operation, no anesthetic. It was a pull-and-cut
thing (like with the Muslims). However, in time, parents, specially the
mothers, empathized with the pain the boys go through, so the cut style was
reduced to a dorsal slit (which leaves the entire foreskin hanging under the
glans). It was enough of an initiation to manhood, but the result is non at all
pleasing. Nowadays, some boys, specially those in the provinces and in the slum
areas, are still done in this traditional way. However, more and more parents
are sending their sons to clinics or hospitals to be done by a medical doctor.
But most doctors use the dorsal slit style, too, to make the operation look
traditional still. Only a few doctors are wise enough to use the Gomco clamp.
I was done by a doctor freehand when I was 11. I felt no
pain. But I didn't like the result. And I didn't have the courage to overcome
the embarrassment of having it done again. I would definitely be teased, I
thought. So I found the Zhenxi ring a blessing.
Early this Y2K, I decided I would redo myself using the
ring. I fortunately got hold of one by coordinating with Zhenxi Corp., and 2
weeks ago I did it. I'm still healing. Since the Zhenxi doesn't utilize
sutures, the wound takes a longer time to heal. I suppose it would also leave a
rather wide scar. (I'll tell you all about it when I'm fully healed.) For now,
the result looks good: medium tight, medium high...clean and erotic! Like
I said though, the pain during the first few days that the ring was on me was
excruciating. It was made bearable only with a large dose of over-the-counter
pain relievers and anti-inflammatory medicine.
The pain disappeared completely within 5 days, then
returned for a couple more days when I cut off the necrotized skin and took off
the ring. And there's a little irritation every time the wound touches the
clothing, so I wrap it with gauze.
Xinjin (Philippines)
PS Someone inquired about the general cost for a boy
to be circumcised in my country. About the cheapest you can have it done by a
medical person would be around 40$ US. You can get clipped with a Gomco
clamp or get a dorsal slit in a clinic.
From
the Bohol Sunday Post (Philippines)
May 7, 2000
IN MAYANA
UCCP organizations hold tuli, free clinic
By AVID VALLENTE
JAGNA - Two groups from the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP)
conducted a free operation tuli and medical clinic for residents in Mayana and
neighboring communities last April 29.
The outreach, held as part of the church's healing ministry, was sponsored by
the Bohol Conference Inc. (BCI) in cooperation with the Christian Professionals
Fellowship (CHRISPROFEL).
Some 74 boys lined up for the annual "rites to manhood" while 86 patients
availed of the free medical check-up.
Aside from extending free circumcision and consultation, the group also
distributed free medicines, vitamins, milk and cerelac to the residents.
The volunteer doctors who joined the group were Doctors Jaime and Aida Calamba
of the Cong. Simeon Toribio Memorial Hospital (STMH) in Carmen town, Dr. Gideon
Robillos of the Tagbilaran City Social Security System, Dr. Zoilo Sabuya and Dr.
Golda Tirol of the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital (CGMH). The
consultations were done by Doctors Allan Torrefranca of the STMH, Jelpha
Robillos of CGMH and Aida Ramiro of Ramiro Community Hospital. Assisting the
team of physicians were nurses Analiza May Balatero, Genalyn Vito, Vilma Baluma,
Naomi Simporios, Carlita Vallecera, Analyn Suaffied and Jay Arce.
The day-long activity was held inside the Mayana barangay hall.
(photo caption)
VIEW FROM THE TOP RITES TO MANHOOD. (Top) Volunteer
physicians perform the "Operation Tuli" on young boys
as part of an outreach mission conducted by the Bohol
Conference Inc. with the Christian Professional
Fellowship of the United Church of Christ in the
Philippines. (Bottom) Free medicines and milk were
distributed to residents during the activity held at
the Mayana Barangay Hall. (FOTOS/JUN ARCE)
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