The social effect of noise
Most Filipinos are respectful of each other’s space, especially in public. There is a sense of hiya and pakikiramdam. Noise can agitate people, and, in worst cases, can make them aggressive. After all, it can be hard to think properly when there is too much going on. When our friend speaks or laughs too loudly in public, we often nudge them and remind them where they are.
Even Philippine folklore teaches us that spirits of nature do not like being disturbed by loud noises and rowdy behavior.
Yes, of course, it is also true we can be loud people, especially during our town-wide fiestas and our mealtime marehan. In a foreign country, we might even recognize a kababayan by their laugh. We tend to be louder when we know who we are with.
But the important thing is to have a good sense about how we should act in different places: marunong tayong lumugar. There are places and times when it is okay to make noise—celebrations, gatherings, outings, and so on… whenever we are surrounded by love and community.
And there are occasions when being too noisy is not acceptable.
Out-of-place noise
There are times when I would enter a cramped jeepney on a humid evening after a long, tiring day… and the driver would be blasting music through their speakers. Everyone riding with me is probably tired, too. They just want to get home.
On any other occasion—during a party, maybe—I would very much enjoy this music. But here, people have to shout where they want to be dropped off—and shout again when they have to go down. Sometimes, even the driver cannot hear them over the noise.
In restaurants, lobbies, and waiting rooms, some people scroll through TikTok or Instagram Reels, playing them at full volume, as though it were their home or sala. Some people even watch a basketball match or play a mobile game at full volume.
A singer singing a high note, massive applause, or even explosions—these are all forms of noise. And in the right place, they would be greatly appreciated. The explosion of fireworks elicits a different reaction from the explosion of bombs, and fireworks on Lunar New Year are much more appreciated than fireworks at midnight on a random Tuesday in June.
There is an appropriate time and place for the noise we make.
Being considerate
It feels rude to be the one calling this behavior out, but people just want to get to work, eat in peace, sleep at the right hour, or hear each other’s conversation… without being bombarded by unnecessary noise. We expect that it should be a matter of pakiramdaman. Of being considerate.
It is a very different thing when children are running around a mall or park just being themselves, when dogs bark at strangers, or when friends gather once in a while and take up space, singing karaoke. You can expect children to be disruptive; it is part of their normal development. Our pets are just being protective (or anxious). Friendly laughter and lively conversation are signs of a healthy community.
Some people thrive in chaos, and it seems we have accepted that our lifestyles, particularly in the urban setting, are fast, noisy, and brightly colored. When the band Hotdog sang about Manila, they said that it is the city’s noise that we keep looking for—hinahanap-hanap.
But there is also inconsiderate noise—the kind that does not consider its surroundings. ‘Yong parang hindi marunong makipagkapwa. That is exactly it: Maybe our sense of kapwa can be a great measure of whether or not a certain kind of loudness is appropriate.
As with everything, it is a matter of balance. When only one person speaks endlessly, the others are drowned out. When only one note is heard, there is no real music. It is the harmony of sound, the balance of meaningful silence and appropriate noise, that allows us to hear our kapwa.
