CULTURE OF THE PHILIPPINES ESSAY

In the culture of the Filipinos, there are evident influences. These influences set it apart from the
other nations or cultures. These influences manifest themselves in the robust life that embodies
the vibrant history of the nation, close family ties, and influences from the colonial masters. The
paper focuses on the significant spheres of life where the influences are most evident. The
paper will look at the robust culture of the Filipinos from different angles as outlined .

 A
The national identity of the Filipinos comes out visibly in the cultural sophistication and diversity
that is common among the population in Philippines. Cities designs that the people employ in
their construction are the ultimate expressions of the desire of the people to express them.
Urbanism is evident in Manila the capital city of Philippines. Manila qualifies to be viewed as a
dangerous city for its own citizens. With millions of people living in the city, there is heightened
pollution and other vices that make the city risky for the people. However, the notion held by
many people that the city is a death trap is a fallacy. The city also acts as an incubator for the
culture of the people. Urban culture is divergent from the conventional village culture. The views
of the urbanites lean towards the western influences. Melanesian culture is also evident in the
Philippines (Rodell, 2002). The people are distinct in their looks in that they have blond hair that
is mostly found in Europe. This distinct ethnic group adds to the diversity of the Filipinos. The
other group of people that adds to the diversity in the area includes the Austronesians. They are
among the minority tribes in Philippines (Rodell, 2002).
 B
Philippines are made up of 7107 islands found on the Pacific Rim in Southeast Asia. The major
islands account for the greatest share of inhabitants with most of the islands uninhabited. The
volcanic nature of most of the islands makes them uninhabitable. The country borders china,
Taiwan, Malaysia, and Indonesia. There are over 175 listed languages in Philippines. Four of
them do not have any known speakers. However, there are few known speakers of the
indigenous language. This factor coupled by the difficulty in difficulty in determining the exact
language to use led to the adoption of English as the official language. Filipino is also used in
most of the urban areas. This language is a standard version of Tagalog (Rodell, 2002). The
population of the Philippines is eighty one million as per 2000 census. Life expectancy in the
nation is 67 years. The most important symbols for the Filipinos include the national flower, the
flag and the heraldic code. However, the most significant symbol is the national flag that has
white, red and blue colors. Flag ceremonies take place daily in schools and once per week in
governmental offices (Rodell, 2002).
 C
Rice is the staple food for the Filipinos. It is not a meal unless rice features therein. The crop
also features among the primary source of livelihood for the population. Unemployment is
rampant in the country. Most of the people that have some form of employment rely on
agriculture, fishing and forestry. The remainder of the employed people relies on mining and
light industries for their livelihoods (Rodell, 2002). Christmas and Idd fitr and Idd Mubarak are
among the principal ceremonies for the people depending on the faith that they profess. The
independence celebration is the most important nonreligious ceremony. However, the people
have different celebrations conducted by the individual tribes or clans.
 D
Social classes exist in the Filipino society. The ranking of a person into any of the classes
depends on the economic power that he, or she bears. Education is also relevant in determining
the class of a person (Rodell, 2002). The political system has some influences from the western
nations. However, the democracy in the country is always under attack since the country has
witnessed many conflicts in the past that pit the government against the guerrillas and the
military. The common trend of war made the country develop codes on the flag that indicates
the times of peace and war. This aspect tellingly points towards the precarious nature of the
government military relations. The representative government accords a lot of respect to the
military class as it is evident in the government spending (Rodell, 2002).
 E
Like most of the nations in Asia, the gender roles in Philippines are distinctive. Men play
different roles from their female counterparts. The traditional role of the men is to fend for their
families. The women take care of families by playing the general yet crucial role of
homemakers. The traditional roles of either gender are under constant changes. The changes
are indicative of the extent of the western culture influence on the people (Rodell, 2002).
 F
The primary job demands make most of the people living in towns to leave the children with
their parents in the rural areas. This approach to infant care places the burden on all the family
members. The fact that the children stay with their parents makes it imperative that the children
have to attend the preschool years with their elder relatives. The Filipinos lay a lot of emphasis
on education since it is the surest way of gaining upward mobility. This approach to education is
the main reason behind the high literacy levels among children under the age of ten years. The
education system displays both eastern and western influences. The children from the poorest
families do not attend school despite education being compulsory to all until the attainment of 12
years. The elementary education takes six years while secondary education takes four years. It
is rare for public schools to have kindergartens and preschools. The language used in the
schools includes Filipino and English (Rodell, 2002).
 G

Filipinos are deeply

religious people. They profess Christianity, Islam, and traditional religious beliefs. The majority
of people are Christians mostly Roman Catholics. The minority religions are the Sunni Muslims
are among the minority religions. In roman Christian homes, the members say the rosary at 9
pm. The children grow up with the knowledge and practices of the Roman Catholic. There are
also a few protestant factions. The most practiced rituals are the customary Muslim and
Christian rituals although there are some people that believe in the traditional faith healers.
Burial rituals have a pivotal role in the society since the people believe in life after death (Rodell,
2002).
 H
The ruling classes have provided the people with means of accessing medical care with ease.
This feat was made attainable by the use of subsidies to enable all the people access medical
care at no cost irrespective of the economic power of the people. This is the main driver behind
the high life expectancy. The males have a life expectancy of 64 years while the females have
life expectancy of 70 years (Rodell, 2002).
 I
There are different secular holidays that the Filipinos celebrate. Happy New Year is a holiday
that the people celebrate with their families this day is combined with the Rizal Day on 30
December. Happy New Year is celebrated by use of firecrackers and gunfire sounds. The fall of
Bataan Day is the other significant holiday in the Philippines. This is an observation of the death
of Bataan. The people also celebrate L5y6abor Day. The other holiday that has a lot of
significance among the Philippines is the Independence Day that celebrates liberation of people
from the Spanish rule. The Filipinos of Chinese descent observe the New Year in the Chinese
calendar. However, this is not a national holiday. Islamic festivals are also relevant for the
Filipinos that profess Islam (Rodell, 2002).
References
Rodell, P. (2002). Culture and customs of the Philippines. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press.