THE

FILIPINO
CULTURE
MARYDEL C. CADIENTE

PHILIPPINES
A sovereign island in Southeast Asia situated in the
western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 7,107 islands that
are categorized broadly under three main geographical
divisions: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Its capital city
is Manila.
the country is bordered on the west by the South China
Sea, on the east by the Philippine Sea, on the south by
the Celebes Sea, and on the north by the Luzon.
With a population of about 100 million people, the
Philippines is the seventh-most populated country in
Asia and the 12th most populated country in the world.

The islands are volcanic in origin. Because the country is

volcanic, the small islands have a mountainous center with
coastal plains. Luzon has a broad central valley in the northern
provinces along the Cagayan River and plains in the midlands
near Manila, the capital. Mindanao and Panay also have central
plains. Northern Luzon has two major mountain ranges: the Sierra
Madres on the eastern coast and the Cordilleras in the center.
The highest peak is Mount Apo in Mindanao at 9,689 feet (2,954
meters).

LUZON
The economic and political center of the Philippines, being
home to the country's capital city, Manila.
> Divided into several ethnolinguistic groups. These groups
inhabit different areas of the island.
> Ilocanos predominate in the northern portion of Ilocos and the
region of Cagayan Valley, Pangasinense primarily inhabit
Pangasinan, while the Kapampangans primarily live in
Pampanga, and Tarlac. Meanwhile, Tagalogs are the majority in
Bulacan, the rest of Central Luzon, CALABARZON, and Metro
Manila, while Bicolanos predominate in Bicol. Other ethnic groups
are also present such as the Aeta ofZambales, the Ibanag of
Cagayan, and the Igorot of the Cordilleras.

VISAYAS
There are three administrative regions in the Visayas: Western
Visayas, Central Visayas and Eastern Visayas. The early people in
the Visayas region were Austronesians and Negritos who migrated to
the islands about 6,000 to 30,000 years ago.
> Residents are known as the Visayans.
The major islands of the Visayas
are Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, and Samar
Central blue
Eastern- green
Western- red

MINDANAO
Mindanao is named after the Maguindanaons who constituted
the largest Sultanate historically. It suggests that the name was
used to refer to the island by the powerful natives at the time.
In prehistoric times the Negrito people arrived. Sometime
around 1500 BC Austronesian peoples spread throughout the
Philippines and far beyond. Mindanao Island is also a sacred
home of Raja Bantogen the Meranaw largest non-Muslim and
Subanon Tribe; the aborigine of the Zamboanga Peninsulas
Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga
Sibugay, Island of Basilan, and northern provinces of Misamis
Occidental, Lanao del Norte, and Misamis Oriental.

PHILIPPINES BRIEF HISTORY

OVERVIEW

NATIONAL SONG
Lupang Hinirang (Tagalog, Chosen Land) is the national
anthem of the Philippines. Its music was composed in 1898 by
Julian Felipe, and the lyrics were adapted from the Spanish
poem Filipinas, written by Jos Palma in 1899.
On February 12, 1998, Republic Act No. 8491, officially set out
Tagalog lyrics as the National Anthem.

One of the Visayan Folk Songs

CLIMATE
CLIMATE
The weather is hot because of the country's closeness to the
equator. The temperatures are constant except during
typhoons. The dry season is from January to June; the wet
season with monsoon rain is from July to December.
Temperatures are cooler in November through January,
dropping below 30 degrees Celsius (85 degrees Fahrenheit).
The summer months of April and May have temperatures in
excess of 39 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit).
Typhoons occur from June through November.

COMMUNICATION
The Philippines has a sophisticated cellular phone industry and a
high concentration of users.
The official languages are Filipino, which is based on Tagalog with
words from other native languages, and English. English is used
in colleges, universities, the courts, and the government. The
country's seventy to eighty dialects are derived from Malay
languages. Three dialects are of national importance: Cebuano in
the southern islands, Ilocano in the north, and Tagalog, the
language of the National Capital Region.

FOOD
Filipinos do not consider it a meal if rice is not served.
> The food is eaten from a spoon. The traditional method of
placing food on a banana leaf and eating with one's hands is also
used throughout the country. It is acceptable to eat food with
one's hands at restaurants as well as in the home.
> At midmorning and in the afternoon, people eat merienda. Since
Filipinos are fond of sweet foods, a mixture of instant coffee,
evaporated milk, and sugar may be served.

Fruits are abundant all year. Several kinds of banana are eaten,
including red and green varieties.
Mangoes, the national fruit, are sweet and juicy. A fruit salad with
condensed milk and coconut milk is very popular on special
occasions.
Vegetables are included as part of a soup or stew. Green beans and
potatoes are commonly eaten foods. The leaves of camote, a sweet
potato, are used as a salad and soup ingredient. Ube, a bland bright
purple potato, is used as a colorful ingredient in cakes and ice
cream. Halo-halo, which means "mixture," is a popular dessert that
consists of layers of corn kernels, ice cream, small gelatin pieces,
cornflakes and shaved ice. Patis, a very salty fish sauce, is placed
on the table to be added to any of the dishes.

SPECIAL OCCASIONS
Lchon, a suckling pig that has been roasted until the skin
forms a hard brown crust, is served at important occasions.
Strips of the skin with attached fat are considered the best
pieces. The importance of the host and the occasion are
measured by the amount of lchon served.
Blood drained from the pig is used to make dinuguan Sticky
rice prepared with coconut milk and sugarcane syrup is
wrapped in banana leaves.
Glutinous rice is grown especially for use in this traditional
dessert. Gin and beer are available for men and are
accompanied by balut, a duck egg with an embryo.

LIFESTYLE
> In a traditional Filipino family, the
father is considered the head and the
provider of the family while the mother
takes responsibility of the domestic
needs and in charge of the emotional
growth and values formation of the
children. They both perform different
tasks and being remarked separately by
the children. Children see their mothers
soft and calm, while they regard their
fathers as strong and the most eminent
figure in the family.

Because of this remarkable closeness, parents sometimes have

difficulties letting go of their children and thus results to having
them stay for as long as they want. For this somehow explains why
grandparents are commonly seen living with their children in the
Philippines. Unlike the way people grow old in the west where they
are provided with outside homes and care giving, Filipino elderly
enjoy their remaining lives inside their houses with their children
and grandchildren looking after them.
Inside the family, the parents are expected to receive the highest
respect from the children along with the elder siblings; as they are
given more responsibilities to look after younger siblings when
parents are not around.
Children fighting back or addressing parents or elder siblings with
arrogant tone are not at all tolerated. They are also not allowed to
leave the house without their parents permission. Upon arriving
home, conservative families expect children to practice the kissing
of hands or placing their parents or elder family members hand to
their foreheads with the words mano po as a sort of greeting.

 Another trait Filipinos made themselves exceptional from others is

their strong respect for elders. Children are taught from birth how
to say po and opo.
More over, Filipinos keep close connection with other relatives.
People believe that it is one's duty to keep things operating
smoothly.
Time consciousness and time management are not important
considerations. A planned meeting may take place later, much
later, or never.
Hospitality
Resilient, the adability to adapt to changes
Warm smiles and optimistic
Belief in the most High (God)

CULTURAL BELIEFS
These beliefs have come from the different saying and
superstitions of our ancestors that aim to prevent danger from
happening or to make a person refrain from doing something in
particular.
Pregnancy
An expectant mother should not act as sponsor in a baptismal
ceremony to avoid difficulty in delivering her baby or to avoid
the death of the fetus or of the newly baptized child.
Taking pictures of a pregnant woman will cause an abortion or
a difficult delivery.
A visitor must not sit or stand on the ladder or at the door, but
come inside so that delivery will not be hard.

PREGNANCY
An expectant mother should not participate in funeral
activities. Doing so would endanger the mother and the baby
during delivery. If a pregnant woman wears clothes which
were hung overnight, the fetus will be affected.
It is believed that when denied the food a pregnant mother
likes, her child will salivate profusely and will be prone to
vomiting.
A pregnant woman should eat all the food on her plate, so
that when she delivers, everything will come out, leaving her
womb clean.
A comb is submerged in coconut milk with sugar to make the
mother's breast full of milk.

GENERAL:
Sleeping after taking a bath during daytime or at night will
result in blindness.
Let a dog lick your wounds, and the wounds will be healed.
Sleeping with wet hair makes one crazy.
When one is wounded during high tide, much blood will ooze
out.
Taking a bath at night will cause anemia or low blood pressure.
Taking a bath on New Years Day and/or Good Friday will
cause one to get sick.
Asthma can be cured by putting a cat near the throat and the
chest and at the same time reciting a prayer.
Sore eyes can be cured by washing the eyes with the first
urine early in the morning.

WEDDING
Brides shouldnt try on their wedding dress before the wedding
day or the wedding will not push through.
Knives and other sharp and pointed objects are said to be a bad
choice for wedding gifts for this will lead to a broken marriage.
Giving an arinola (chamberpot) as wedding gift is believed to
bring good luck to newlyweds.
Altar-bound couples are accident-prone and therefore must
avoid long drives or traveling before their wedding day for
safety.
The groom who sits ahead of his bride during the wedding
ceremony will be a hen-pecked husband.
Rains during the wedding means prosperity and happiness for
the newlyweds.

Rains during the wedding means prosperity and happiness for the
newlyweds.
Throwing rice confetti at the newlyweds will bring them prosperity
all their life.
The groom must arrive before the bride at the church to avoid bad
luck.
Breaking something during the reception brings good luck to the
newlyweds.
The bride should step on the grooms foot while walking towards
the altar if she wants him to agree to her every whim.
A bride who wears pearls on her wedding will be an unhappy wife
experiencing many heartaches and tears.
Dropping the wedding ring, the veil, or the arrhae during the
ceremony spells unhappiness for the couple.

The member of the couple stands first after the ceremony,

will die ahead of the other.
A bride who cries during the wedding will bring bad luck to
the marriage.
It is bad omen for the newlywed couple if their parents cry
during the wedding.
Upon entering their new home, the couple should go up the
stairs alongside each other so that neither one will dominate
the other.
An unwed girl who follows the footprints of a newlywed
couple will marry soon.
If a woman is widowed during the new moon, she will marry
again.
A person who habitually sits at the head of the table during
meals will never marry.

RELIGION:
The Philippines is the only Christian nation in Asia. More
than 85 percent of the people are Roman Catholic. The
rosary is said in the home at 9 P.M. , just before the family
retires for the night. Children are introduced to the statue
of "Mama Mary" at a very early age.
Each barangay has a patron saint. The saint's day is
celebrated by a fiesta that includes a religious ceremony.
Large amounts of food are served at each house. Friends
and relatives from other barangays are invited and go
from house to house to enjoy the food. A talent show,
beauty contest, and dance are part of the fun. Carnival
rides and bingo games add to the festivities.

Muslim provinces celebrate Islamic religious holidays as legal

holidays. In smaller communities, Muslims gather in small
buildings for services.

Animism, a belief that natural objects have souls, is the oldest

religion in the country, practiced by indigenous peoples in the
mountains of Luzon.

Animism, folk religion, and shamanism remain present as

undercurrents of mainstream religion, through the albularyo,
the babaylan, and the manghihilot.

Faith Healer & Anting Anting Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho.mp4

Fr. Fernando Suarez - The Amazing Healing Priest.mp4

HEALTH AND MEDICINE

People who live far away ride a bus for hours to reach the hospital.
Funds for ambulances are raised by lotteries within each barangay or
are provided by congressmen and are used only for the people who
live in that area.
Private hospitals are considered superior to public hospitals.
Paying patients are not discharged from hospitals until the bill is paid in
full. Patients have kasamas (companions) who remain with them during
the hospital stay.
People tend to manage themselves first, or going to the albularyo, etc.
before going to the doctor
The most prevalent health problem is "high blood" (hypertension).
Tuberculosis is another health concern;
Malaria and dengue fever are prevalent because there is no effective
program for mosquito control.
Use of Herbal Medicine

THE NATIVES
.Aeta, Kalinga and Ifugao
A Glimpse into Three Indigenous Cultures of the Philippines (In.
mp4
Mailap na Mangyan (Dokumentaryo ni Kara David) 1.mp4
Mailap na Mangyan (Dokumentaryo ni Kara David) 2.mp4
TBoli - TNALAK A Short Documentary about Tboli's emblem and
Masterweaver Lang Dulay by JoeferTacardon.mp4
Puerto Princesa's Sinika and Pangkat kalinangan performing
Banwa Ko.mp4
At Home Under The Water, Philippines on BBC Ocean Planet.mp
4
- BADJAO

MALAY
Malays are an ethnic group of Austronesian people
predominantly inhabiting the Malay Peninsula, eastern
Sumatra, southern most parts of Thailand, south coast
Burma, island of Singapore, coastal Borneo including Brunei,
West Kalimantan, and coastal Sarawak and Sabah, and the
smaller islands which lie between these locations - that
collectively known as the Alam Melayu. These locations
today are part of the modern nations of Malaysia, Indonesia,
Singapore, Brunei, Burma and Thailand. The early Malay
communities were largely animists, believing in the existence
of semangat (spirits) in everything.

IGOROT
Igorot, or Cordillerans, is the collective name of several
Austronesian ethnic groups in The Philippines, who inhabit the
mountains of Luzon. These highland peoples inhabit the six
provinces of the Cordillera Administrative Region: Abra,
Apayao, Benguet, Kalinga,Ifugao, and Mountain Province, as
well as Baguio City. The Igorots may be roughly divided into
two general subgroups: the larger group lives in the south,
central and western areas, and is very adept at rice-terrace
farming; the smaller group lives in the east and north. Prior to
Spanish colonisation of the islands, the peoples now included
under the term did not consider themselves as belonging to a
single, cohesive ethnic group. They may be further subdivided
into five ethnolinguistic groups: the Bontoc, Ibaloi, Isnag (or
Isneg/Apayao), Kalinga, and theKankanaey.

Mangyan is the generic name for the eight indigenous groups

found on the island of Mindoro, southwest of island of Luzon, the
Philippines, each with its own tribal name, language, and customs.
The ethnic groups of the island, from north to south, are: Iraya,
Alangan, Tadyawan, Tawbuid (called Batangan by lowlanders on
the west of the island), Buhid, Hanunoo.

Bajau

The
,also spelled Badjao, Bajaw, Bajao, Bajo, Badjau, or
Badjaw), and also known as Sama or Samal, are a Moro
indigenous ethnic group of Maritime Southeast Asia. The Bajau
live a seaborne lifestyle, and use small wooden sailing vessels
such as the perahu and vinta.
The Bajau are traditionally from the many islands of the Sulu
Archipelago in the Philippines, as well as parts of the coastal
areas of Mindanao and northern Borneo. In the last 50 years, many
of the Filipino Bajau have migrated to neighboring Malaysia and
the northern islands of the Philippines, due to the conflict in the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

TAGBANUA
The Tagbanwa tribes, or "people of the world," are found in
central and northern Palawan. They practice shifting
cultivation of upland rice, which is considered a divine gift,
and are known for their rice wine ritual called pagdiwata.
Central Tagbanwas are found in the western and eastern
coastal areas of central Palawan. Calamian Tagbanwa, on the
other hand, are found in Baras coast, Busuanga Island,
Coron Island, Linipacan Calibangbangan, a Cultural
Preservation area (off limits to foreigners and the largest
Contiguous grouping), and in some parts of El Nido.

PROUD TO BE A
FILIPINO
WATCH Foreigners speak, sing in Filipino (1).mp4

THANK
YOU