really loving that even the Department of Tourism is supporting SB19, but can I just talk about how much I love the concept of a galingbayan box
the culture of Filipinos working abroad is to occasionally send gifts to their families back home in bulk, packed inside a box called “balikbayan.” The word balikbayan is a portmanteau of balik (return) and bayan (country), so essentially, it’s a repatriate box. Balikbayan boxes contain all sorts of things, usually food, clothes, bags, etc. And the gifts are often not just for the sender’s immediate family, but also for their entire extended family. (I myself have received clothes, lotion, and perfume from aunts and cousins now living abroad even though we aren’t that close.)
but now, with SB19 spearheading the export of Filipino music, it’s the turn of those from the country to be the one sending gifts. As SB19’s new tagline says, “From the Philippines to the world,” and the galingbayan box reflects that. The word galingbayan, as you might’ve already guessed, is a portmanteau of galing (from) and bayan (country), essentially “a box from the country.” But galing also has another meaning, which is “excellence,” so galingbayan can also mean “the country’s excellence.”
the term is so witty and culturally sound that whoever thought of it deserves a big raise
