The Cultural Role of PansEat Tagapo to the Cultural Identity of Santa Rosa City, Laguna
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.67167/vertex.535Keywords:
cultural identity, traditional food, PansEat Tagapo, cultural heritage, mixed-methodsAbstract
This study aimed to examine the cultural role of PansEat Tagapo and its relationship to the cultural identity of residents in Santa Rosa City, Laguna. It focused on how the dish contributes to cultural significance, traditions, and symbolic meaning, and how residents express their cultural identity through heritage awareness, generational continuity, and adaptation to modern influences. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, specifically an explanatory design combining quantitative and qualitative methods. A survey was conducted among 100 residents using a structured Likert-scale questionnaire, while semi-structured interviews were also conducted to further contextualize and validate the findings. The quantitative data were analyzed using weighted mean and Pearson correlation (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). The results showed that respondents strongly agreed on the cultural role of PansEat Tagapo (WM = 3.31) and their cultural identity (WM = 3.37). All computed correlation values were greater than the critical value of 0.194, indicating a statistically significant relationship between the cultural role of the dish and the cultural identity of residents. Interview results further revealed that PansEat Tagapo serves as a symbol of family tradition, cultural pride, and community connection among residents. The study concludes that PansEat Tagapo plays an important role in maintaining cultural identity and should be preserved and promoted within the local community, as it contributes to both cultural sustainability and social cohesion. Future studies may further explore its economic and tourism potential in cultural heritage development. It also highlights the importance of community-based cultural documentation in strengthening local identity and supporting sustainable heritage preservation initiatives within the local context.
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