page_title: Pasalubong
section_title: Cultural significance
hierarchical_section_title: Pasalubong / Cultural significance
caption_attribution_description: English: Baliwag Pasalubong Center (Pagala, Maharlika Highway) Pasalubong in Barangay Pagala, 14°58'14"N 120°53'26"E Baliuag, Bulacan, Bulacan province, (accessed from Cagayan Valley Road, Baliuag-Pulilan-Guiguinto, Bulacan) Pan-Philippine Highway, also known as the Maharlika "Nobility/freeman" Highway or Asian Highway 26, Cagayan Valley Road (Note: Judge Florentino Floro, the owner, to repeat, Donor Florentino Floro of all these photos hereby donate gratuitously, freely and unconditionally all these photos to and for Wikimedia Commons, exclusively, for public use of the public domain, and again without any condition whatsoever).
context_page_description: Pasalubong is the Filipino tradition of travellers bringing gifts from their destination to people back home. Pasalubong can be any gift or souvenir brought for family or friends after being away for a period of time. It can also be any gift given by someone arriving from a distant place.
  Pasalubong are also associated with the balikbayan, Overseas Filipinos returning to the Philippines, and may refer to items that migrant workers bring home to their families, friends, relatives or even non-relatives that they feel especially close with.
context_section_description: The tradition of giving a pasalubong is of great cultural importance for Filipinos as it strengthens the bond with the immediate family, relatives, and friends. In rarer instances, it can even be used to forge stronger relationships with someone you may not know that well, as with someone you may be meeting for the first time.
  The gesture of handing out pasalubong emphasizes the gladness at reuniting with one's loved ones and the relief at being back home safe. It is also a sign of thoughtfulness. While pasalubong are not compulsory or even expected, failing to bring pasalubong for someone can sometimes be perceived negatively. Particular importance is given to gifts for children, and the anticipation of getting pasalubong from a parent coming home is often a cherished childhood memory for most Filipinos.
  By bringing gifts with regional significance (e.g. things that cannot be acquired locally), the person coming home can also share part of his travels. It similar to the western concept of souvenirs except that it is not meant for personal remembrance but for sharing the experience with others, especially as the different islands and regions of the Philippines can have different languages, local customs, and cuisine specialties. The pasalubong serves as a 'sample' of another region's specialty, bringing different Filipino cultures closer together. They can also simply be gifts likely to be appreciated.
  Unlike western gifts, pasalubong are not wrapped, but are given as is. The person who gives the pasalubong can also freely partake of the gift.
caption: Various items sold at the Baliuag Pasalubong Center in Baliuag, Bulacan
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