Filipino Character

  Filipinos have a strong sense of family and community They are very gregarious and like
to talk and hang out with family and friends. They love to fool around, gossip, make jokes
and tease one another. Rumors spread quickly. Some say Filipinos are happy-go-lucky
people who are often pessimistic about today but always optimistic that tomorrow will be
better.
  People living in urban areas are more exposed to cosmopolitan values. They tend to be
less traditional and more modern. Those living in rural areas, on the other hand, still value
tradition Even though life appears to be a struggle, many people are happy with their lives.
 Catholicism has a strong influence of the Filipino character. According to Thank God I'm
Filipino: “The Philippines is one the most religious countries in world, particularly in
Catholicism and Islam. Families would encourage and strengthen the values of their
children and would at least have one day a week for worship and at the same time
strengthening family ties. Religion is the foundation of most of the country’s morals and
values and sometimes, the church greatly affects the minds and opinions of the general
populace, affecting its decisions. Sadly, this also applies to the government as they are
troubled by whatever the Church’s stand is in every matter, as people see their opinion to
be the “right” one. Thus, many of our politicians go with whatever the Church says, fearing
that they would lose vote if they go against it.
 The Philippines is the only Christian nation in Asia and Filipinos have high spiritual fervour.
They observe holy days (business establishments are normally closed on Maundy
Thursday, Good Friday, Easter, All Saints’-All Souls’ Days and Christmas). Sunday is
considered both a religious and a family day. As much as possible, avoid working on that
day because most Filipinos go to church and do things together as a family. [Source:
Canadian Center for Intercultural Learning.

Filipino Culture
 The culture of the Philippines comprises a blend of traditional Filipino and Spanish
Catholic traditions, with influences from America and other parts of Asia. The
Filipinos are family oriented and often religious with an appreciation for art, fashion,
music and food.

 Filipinos are also hospitable people who love to have a good time. This often
includes getting together to sing, dance, and eat. The annual calendar is packed with
festivals, many of which combine costumes and rituals from the nation’s pre-
Christian past with the Catholic beliefs and ideology of present day.
 The culture of the Philippines is a combination of cultures of the East and West.
[1]
 Filipino identity was created primarily as a result of pre-hispanic cultures, colonial
influences and foreign traders intermixing and gradually evolving together. In pre-hispanic
times, the Philippines was a divided set of nations, islands and tribes being ruled by their
own kings, chieftains, lakans, rajahs, datus and sultans. Every nation has its own identity and
some are even part of a larger empire outside of what is now the Philippines. Manila, for
example, was once part of the Islamic Sultanate of Brunei, and the Sulu Archipelago was
also part of the Hindu Majapahit. The advent of Spanish colonial rule in the islands marked
the beginning of the Philippines as an entity, a collection of Southeast Asian countries united
under Spanish Empire.
  Chinese influence has been felt throughout Southeast Asia through trade, specifically by
the Ming dynasty and other earlier dynasties from as early as the 9th century. The blending
of indigenous, colonial and external influence is very evident in the historic arts and traditions
of the country.
 The Philippine archipelago was first settled by Negritos; today, although few in numbers,
they preserve a very traditional way of life and culture. After them, the Austronesians arrived
on the archipelago. The Austronesian culture is strongly evident in the ethnicities, languages,
cuisine, music, dance and almost every aspect of the culture. These Austronesians engaged
in trading with other Austronesians, particularly in the neighbouring nations in Maritime
Southeast Asia. They also traded with the Mainland Southeast Asia, as well
as Japan, China, the Indian subcontinent and Arabia. As a result, some of these cultures
marked their influences on Filipino culture. This gradually evolved with indigenous belief
systems and developed into Anitism, which became the dominant religion for more than a
millennium.
 Current logo for the Philippine Registry of Cultural Property
 The Spanish Empire, via the Viceroyalty of New Spain, conquered the islands between the
16th and 19th centuries (Batanes being one of the last places to be colonized in the mid-
1800s), resulting in Christianity to spread and dominate throughout the archipelago and
influenced the religion and beliefs of the natives. Then, the Philippines became a U.S.
territory for almost 50 years. Influence from the United States is manifested in the wide use
of the English language, media and in the modern culture and clothing of present-day
Philippines.

Filipino Values
 As a general description, the distinct value system of Filipinos is rooted primarily in personal
alliance systems, especially those based in kinship, obligation, friendship, religion
(particularly Christianity), and commercial relationships.[22]
 Filipino values are, for the most part, centered around maintaining social harmony, motivated
primarily by the desire to be accepted within a group.[23] The main sanction against diverging
from these values are the concepts of "Hiya", roughly translated as 'a sense of shame', and
"Amor propio" or 'self-esteem'.[23] Social approval, acceptance by a group, and belonging to a
group are major concerns. Caring about what others will think, say or do, are strong
influences on social behavior among Filipinos.[24]
 Other elements of the Filipino value system are optimism about the future, pessimism about
present situations and events, concern and care for other people, the existence of friendship
and friendliness, the habit of being hospitable, religious nature, respectfulness to self and
others, respect for the female members of society, the fear of God, and abhorrence of acts of
cheating and thievery.

Pre- Colonial
 The history of the Philippines between 900 and 1565 begins with the creation of the Laguna
Copperplate Inscription in 900 and ends with Spanish colonisation in 1565. The inscription
records its date of creation in the year 822 of the Hindu Saka calendar, corresponding to 900
AD in the Gregorian system. Therefore, the recovery of this document marks the end
of prehistory of the Philippines at 900 AD. During this historical time period, the Philippine
archipelago was home to numerous kingdoms and sultanates and was a part of the
theorised Indosphere and Sinosphere.
  Sources of precolonial history include archeological findings, records from contact with
the Song Dynasty, the Bruneian Empire, Japan, and Muslim traders, the genealogical
records of Muslim rulers, accounts written by Spanish chroniclers in the 16th and 17th
century, and cultural patterns which at the time had not yet been replaced through European
influence.

Colonial
 The history of the Philippines from 1565 to 1898, also known as the Spanish Philippines or
the Spanish colonial period, was the period during which the Philippines were ruled as
the Captaincy General of the Philippines within the Spanish East Indies, initially under New
Spain until Mexican independence in 1821, which gave Madrid direct control over the area.
 Forty-four years after Ferdinand Magellan discovered the Philippines and died in the Battle of
Mactan during his Spanish expedition to circumnavigate the globe, the Spaniards
successfully annexed and colonized the islands during the reign of Philip II of Spain, whose
name remained attached to the country.
 The Spanish colonial period ended with the Philippine Revolution in 1898, which marked the
beginning of the American colonial era of Philippine history.

Post- Colonial
 Efforts to end the Hukbalahap Rebellion began during Elpidio Quirino's term, however, it was
only during Ramon Magsaysay's presidency was the movement suppressed. Magsaysay's
successor, Carlos P. Garcia, initiated the Filipino First Policy, which was continued
by Diosdado Macapagal, with celebration of Independence Day moved from July 4 to June
12, the date of Emilio Aguinaldo's declaration, and pursuit of a claim on the eastern part
of North Borneo.
 In 1965, Macapagal lost the presidential election to Ferdinand Marcos. Early in his
presidency, Marcos initiated numerous infrastructure projects but, together with his
wife Imelda, was accused of corruption and embezzling billions of dollars in public funds.
Nearing the end of his term, Marcos declared martial law on September 21, 1972. This
period of his rule was characterized by political repression, censorship, and human rights
violations.
 On August 21, 1983, Marcos' chief rival, opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr.,
was assassinated on the tarmac at Manila International Airport. Marcos called a
snap presidential election in 1986. Marcos was proclaimed the winner, but the results were
widely regarded as fraudulent. The resulting protests led to the People Power Revolution,
which forced Marcos and his allies to flee to Hawaii, and Aquino's widow, Corazon Aquino,
was installed as president.
 The return of democracy and government reforms beginning in 1986 were hampered by
national debt, government corruption, coup attempts, a persistent communist
insurgency, and a military conflict with Moro separatists. The administration also faced a
series of disasters, including the sinking of the MV Doña Paz in December 1987 and the
eruption of Mount Pinatubo in June 1991. Aquino was succeeded by Fidel V. Ramos, whose
economic performance, at 3.6% growth rate, was overshadowed by the onset of the 1997
Asian financial crisis.
  Ramos' successor, Joseph Estrada, was overthrown by the 2001 EDSA Revolution and
succeeded by his vice president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, on January 20, 2001. Arroyo's 9-
year administration was marked by economic growth, but was tainted by graft and political
scandals. On November 23, 2009, 34 journalists and several civilians were killed in
Maguindanao.
 Economic growth continued during Benigno Aquino III's administration, which pushed for
good governance and transparency. In 2015, a clash which took place in Mamasapano,
Maguindanao killed 44 members of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force,
resulting in efforts to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law reaching an impasse. Former Davao
City mayor Rodrigo Duterte won the 2016 presidential election, becoming the first president
from Mindanao. Duterte launched an anti-drug campaign and an infrastructure program. The
implementation of the Bangsamoro Organic Law led to the creation of the
autonomous Bangsamoro region in Mindanao. In early 2020, the COVID-19
pandemic reached the country causing the economy to contract by 9.5% in terms of gross
domestic product since records began in 1947.

Filipino Heritage
 The Philippines is home to numerous heritage towns and cities, many of which have been
intentionally destroyed by the Japanese through fire tactics in World War II and the
Americans through bombings during the same war. After the war, the government of the
Empire of Japan withheld from giving funds to the Philippines for the restoration of the
heritage towns they destroyed, effectively destroying any chances of restoration since the
pre-war Philippines' economy was devastated and had limited monetary supply. On the other
hand, the United States gave minimal funding for only two of the hundreds of cities they
destroyed, namely, Manila and Baguio.
 Today, only the centres (poblacion or downtown areas) of Filipino heritage towns and cities
remain in most of the expansive heritage cities and towns in the country. Yet, some heritage
cities in their former glory prior to the war still exist, such as the UNESCO city of Vigan which
was the only heritage town saved from American bombing and Japanese fire and kamikaze
tactics. The country currently lacks a city/town-singular architectural style law. Due to this,
unaesthetic cement or shanty structures have taken over heritage buildings annually,
destroying many former heritage townscapes.[neutrality  is  disputed] Some heritage buildings have been
demolished or sold to corporations, and have been replaced by commercial structures such
as shopping centers, condominium units, or newly furnished modern-style buildings,
completely destroying the old aesthetics of many former heritage towns and cities. This is
one of the reasons why UNESCO has repeatedly withheld from inscribing further Filipino
heritage towns in the World Heritage List since 1999. Only the heritage city of Vigan has a
town law that guarantees its singular architecture (the Vigan colonial style) shall always be
used in constructions and reconstructions.
 While Silay, iIloilo City, and San Fernando de Pampanga have ordinances giving certain tax
exemptions to owners of heritage houses. In 2010, the Philippine Cultural Heritage Act
passed into law, effectively giving protections to all cultural heritage properties of the
Philippines. However, despite its passage, many ancestral home owners continue to approve
the demolition of ancestral structures. In certain cases, government entities themselves were
the purveyors of such demolitions
Filipino Language
 Filipino (English: /ˌfɪlɪˈpiːnoʊ/ ( listen);[2] Wikang Filipino, locally [wɪˈkɐŋ ˌfiːliˈpiːno]), is
the national language (Wikang pambansa / Pambansang wika) of the Philippines. Filipino is
also designated, along with English, as an official language of the country.[3] It is
a standardized variety of the Tagalog language,[4] an Austronesian regional language that is
widely spoken in the Philippines. Tagalog is the first language of 24 million people or about
one-fourth of the Philippine population as of 2019,[5] while 45 million speak Tagalog as
their second language as of 2013.[1] Tagalog is among the 185 languages of the
Philippines identified in the Ethnologue.[6] Officially, Filipino is defined by the Commission on
the Filipino Language (Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino in Filipino or simply KWF) as "the native
dialect, spoken and written, in Metro Manila, the National Capital Region, and in other urban
centers of the archipelago".[7] As of 2000, over 90% of the population could speak Tagalog,
approximately 80% could speak Filipino and 60% could speak English.[8]
 Filipino, like other Austronesian languages, commonly uses verb-subject-object order but
can also use subject-verb-object order as well. It has head-initial directionality. It is
an agglutinative language but can also display inflection. It is not a tonal language and can
be considered a pitch-accent language and a syllable-timed language.
 Filipino is officially taken to be a pluricentric language, as it is further enriched and developed
by the other existing Philippine languages according to the mandate of the 1987
Constitution.[9] The emergence of varieties of Filipino with grammatical properties differing
from Tagalog has been observed in Metro Cebu[10] and Metro Davao.[11] These and Metro
Manila together comprise the three largest metropolitan areas in the Philippines.

Filipino Food
 Filipino cuisine (Filipino: lutuing Pilipino/pagkaing Pilipino) is composed of the cuisines of
more than a hundred distinct ethno-linguistic groups found throughout the Philippine
archipelago. However, a majority of mainstream Filipino dishes that compose Filipino cuisine
are from the cuisines of the various ethnolinguistic groups and tribes of the archipelago,
including the Ilocano, Pangasinan, Kapampangan, Tagalog, Bicolano, Visayan (Cebuano,
Hiligaynon and Waray), Chavacano and Maranao ethno-linguistic groups. The style of food
making and the food associated with it have evolved over many centuries from
their Austronesian origins (shared with Malaysian and Indonesian cuisines) to a mixed
cuisine of Chinese, Spanish and American influences, in line with the major waves of
influence that had enriched the cultures of the archipelago, as well as others adapted to
indigenous ingredients and the local palate.[1]
 Dishes range from the very simple, like a meal of fried salted fish and rice, to fish curry,
chicken curry, complex paellas and cozidos of Iberian origin created for fiestas. Popular
dishes include: lechón[2] (whole roasted pig), longganisa (Philippine sausage), tapa (cured
beef), torta (omelette), adobo (chicken or beef braised in garlic, vinegar, oil and soy sauce,
or cooked until dry), kaldereta (meat stewed in tomato sauce and liver
paste), mechado (larded beef in soy and tomato sauce), pochero (beef and bananas in
tomato sauce), afritada (chicken or beef and vegetables simmered in tomato sauce), kare-
kare (oxtail and vegetables cooked in peanut sauce), pinakbet (kabocha squash, eggplant,
beans, okra, and tomato stew flavored with shrimp paste), ', sinigang (meat or seafood in
sour broth), pancit (noodles), and lumpia (fresh or fried spring rolls). Various food scholars
have noted that Filipino cuisine is multi-faceted and is the most representative in the culinary
world for food where "east meets west".
Filipino Sports
 Filipinos are known to be lovers of sports and many have carved their names in the international
sports scene. Think of Manny Pacquio, one of the world’s greatest boxer, and chess grandmaster
Wesley So. But aside from boxing, basketball, chess, swimming, and others, Filipinos are also
fond of their homegrown sports. Here’s our list of Filipino sports you really should know.
 Arnis (Eskrima)The Philippine version of martial arts is Arnis. Dubbed the country’s
national sport, arnis is a weapon-based form of combat used for fighting since 1610. Due
to the country’s diverse local dialects, is it also know as Eskrima among other names.
 Sikaran. This martial arts sport, which has been around since the 16th century in Rizal,
Philippines, uses feet rather than the hands. One distinct technique in sikaran is the
“Biakid kick” move which aims to hit the back of the opponent’s head.
 Sipa or “to kick” is a native sport which is closely related to Sepak Takraw of Indonesia.
The game is undertaken with two teams opposing each other, with a net in the middle of
a court. The goal is to kick a rattan ball back and forth until it land on the floor of the
opponent’s side
 Silat is an indigenous martial art which involves players striking their opponents through
fixed hand positions. It is also practiced in Brunei, Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia.
This sport has been included in the Southeast Asian Games.
 Dumog. Traditional wrestling in the Philippines is called dumog. Combining Filipino
martial arts techniques, the aim in dumog is to pin an opponent to the ground. Strategies
include pulling, grabbing, pushing and pinning the opponent down through targeting their
the body parts they use for control.
 Palo-sebo. During festivities especially in the provinces, palo-sebo is a common sport
played by locals. It features greasy poles, usually made up of bamboo, with a bag of
prizes pinned on top of it. The aim is to climb the greasy pole and whoever gets the prize
in the quickest time is the winner of the game.
 Sungka. is a game for two, played using a wooden block with 16 holes that can hold
pieces of either pebbles, marbles, or seeds. Two of the holes (called ‘heads’) remain
empty, each player protects their own ‘head’. The goal is to gather as many pebbles etc
in their ‘head’ as the player can in order to win the game. The game is also played in
other Asian countries like Thailand, Indonesia, and Myanmar.

Filipino Music
 Gong music. Philippine gong music can be divided into two types: the flat gong
commonly known as gangsà and played by the groups in the Cordillera region and the
bossed gongs played among the Islam and animist groups in the southern Philippines.
Kulintang refers to a racked gong chime instrument played in the southern islands of the
Philippines, along with its varied accompanying ensembles. Different groups have
different ways of playing the kulintang. Two major groups seem to stand out
in kulintang music. These are the Maguindanaon and the Maranaw. The kulintang
instrument itself could be traced to either the introduction of gongs to Southeast Asia
from China before the 10th century CE or more likely, to the introduction of bossed gong
chimes from Java in the 15th century. Nevertheless, the kulintang ensemble is the most
advanced form of ensemble music with origins in the pre-colonial epoch of Philippine
history and is a living tradition in southern parts of the country.
 The tradition of kulintang ensemble music itself is regional, predating the
establishment of the present-day Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia. It transcends
 religion, with Buddhist, Hindu Animist, and Christian ethnic groups in Borneo, Flores,
and Sulawesi playing kulintangan; and Muslim groups playing the same genre of music
in Mindanao, Palawan, and the Sulu archipelago. It is distantly related to
thegamelan ensembles of Java and Bali, as well as the musical forms in Mainland
Southeast Asia, mainly because of the usage for the same bossed racked gong chimes
that play both melodic and percussive.
 The Rondalla is a traditional string orchestra comprising two-string, mandolin-type
instruments such as the banduria and laud; a guitar; a double bass; and often a drum for
percussion. The rondalla has its origins in the Iberian rondalla tradition and is used to
accompany several Hispanic-influenced song forms and dances.
 Harana and Kundima. The Harana and Kundiman are popular lyrical songs dating back
to the Spanish period and are customarily used in courtship rituals. The Harana is rooted
in the Mexican-Spanish from Spain, traditional and based on the rhythmic patterns of
the habanera. The Kundiman, meanwhile, has pre-colonial origins from
the Tagalophone parts of the country, uses a triple meter rhythm, and is characterized
by beginning in a minor key and shifting to a major one in the second half. But make no
mistake, harana and kundiman are stylistically different. Whereas harana is in 2/4/ time,
kundiman is in 3/4. The formula is verse 1 on minor key (e.g. C Minor) followed by verse
2 on parallel major key (C Major) midway through. In the 1920s, Harana and Kundiman
became more mainstream after performers such as Atang de la Rama, Jovita Fuentes,
Conching Rosal, Sylvia La Torre, and Ruben Tagalog introduced them to a wider
audience.
 Tinikling. The Tinikling is a dance from Leyte which involves two individual performers
hitting bamboo poles, using them to beat, tap, and slide on the ground, in coordination
with one or more dancers who step over and in between poles. It is one of the more
iconic Philippine dances and is similar to other Southeast Asian bamboo dances.
 Cariñosa. The Cariñosa (meaning "loving" or "affectionate one") is the national dance
and is part of the María Clara suite of Philippine folk dances. It is notable for the use of
a fan and handkerchief in amplifying romantic gestures expressed by the couple
performing the traditional courtship dance. The dance is similar to the Mexican Jarabe
Tapatío, and is related to the Kuracha, Amenudo, and Kuradang dances in the Visayas
and Mindanao Area.