Summer Vacation Equals Tuli

Bata-bata Tuli Ka Na Ba?

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Another academic year has ended. It's now summer and vacation time - a time to relax from those assignments, quizzes, exams and projects in school. 

But, for most young Filipino boys, it is a time wherein they would transition to manhood. But why do these young Filipino boys wanted to have themselves circumcised and what really is circumcision in the first place?

Circumcision, is defined by the Medline Plus as the removal of the foreskin (prepuce), which is the skin that covers the tip of the penis. Locally injected anesthesia is used to reduce the pain and physiologic stress. 

In the Philippine culture context, failure to undergo circumcision will put you in the center of bullying.  Your peers will bully you and will call you “supot” (uncircumcised) once they have undergone the process. It is a cultural belief in the Philippines that the transition from boy to manhood is not thoroughly fulfilled without circumcision according to themommist.com.

Ninety three percent (93%) of Filipino males are circumcised according to the GMA Network's State of the Nation on GMA NewsTV.

Types of Circumcision in the Philippines

The traditional way of circumcision
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A.   Traditional – also known as “de pukpok”, the traditional Filipino way of circumcision using a labaha (barber's blade) to cut the foreskin of the penis and leave it open. While this is done, the boy is asked to chew on guava leaves to be placed on the cut and afterwards wrapped by a piece of cloth. Guava leaves are then boiled and used as antiseptic wash.

The surgical way of circumcision

B.    Surgical – this is done by using sterile instruments and induction of local anesthetic agent to mask the pain felt during the cutting of the prepuce.Two types of surgical circumcision; (a).Dorsal Cut - cutting the dorsal prepuce (b.) German Cut - cutting all excess prepuce around the glans penis. 

Circumcision is usually done during summer breaks and vacation to avoid missing attendance in school. Summer is also the peak of the circumcision season or better known in the Philippines as “Operation Tuli” organized by different organizations, elected government officials and other missionaries.

Myths and Truths

There are a lot of myths revolving around the culture of circumcision. Here are a few myths uncovered:

Health Education prior to circumcision

1. A boy will grow taller after circumcision.
           Usually a boy aged 9-14, sometimes aged 16 up to 17 undergoes this procedure, wherein the peak of changes in the body including growing of hairs, changes in body built and increasing of their height called puberty stage in occurring. 

2. Uncircumcised men will be getting a hard time getting a woman pregnant. 
          Circumcision doesn't affect the fertility of a man. There are many factors to be considered why a woman is having a hard time to get pregnant. Some of these include sperm count & motility, and genetic factors. Even you are aren't circumcised you can get someone pregnant if you don't have any abnormalities in your sperm.  

3. Circumcised penis will swell unusually or "mangangamatis" when exposed to girls. 
         Swelling is an abnormal enlargement of a part of the body, typically as a result of an accumulation of fluid according to google.com. They called it "pangangamatis" comparing to the skin of the tomato. This is a common reported post-circumcision effect but is not related, in anyway to exposure to girls.


Proper health education, to boys undergoing the procedure and their parents is necessary for them to be able to discuss to their siblings that the above-mentioned are just a myths. A child, prior to circumcision must be informed and must be willing to undergo such procedure. Post-circumcision care is also necessary to avoid infection. 

Watch the traditional way of circumcision here:

Sources: 
1. www.netdoctor.co.uk

2. www.google.com
3. www.nlm.nih.gov
4. www.kalusugan.ph
5. www.gmanetwork.com