Handpainted Santa Klaws ornament with kalesa, kubo or sabongero.

In the Philippines, Father Christmas is very real. In fact, his legal name is Santa R-Kayma Klaws and he was born in the southern province of Zamboanga. Half Pinoy and half Irish, he rides his motorized sleigh of an air conditioned bus and appears at corporate events and on behalf of charity missions to support Filipino children.
 
KALESA
Santa depicted with the kalesa, or the traditional horse-drawn carriage.
 
KUBO
Santa depicted with the kubo, the Philippine traditional house made of a nipa roof and bamboo walls. The architecture keeps the home on stilts cool in the hot summers and warm during the rainy season.
 
SABONGERO
Santa depicted at the sabong or cockfight - the country's most popular betting heritage sport. In the Philippines, the sabong is a fight to the finish, a game whose feathers are only trumped by the machismo within the arena.