PHILIPPINE CULTURAL DIVERSITY

“Philippine Culture as a Unity in Diversity” – Samuel K. Tan (2008)

The Philippines is full of various cultures. Culture is, in the words of E. B. Tylor "that

complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom and any other

capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society" (Tylor, E. B.,1974). The

Philippine culture is very diverse, with over eighty groups native to the country. The Philippine

nation consists of twenty ethnic states, each able to promote its own languages and culture. By

doing this, the Philippines will be able to preserve and sustain its cultural diversity. And every

nation has its own culture that they nourished and treasured much. Diversity of culture occurs

because Filipinos practice different kinds and styles of culture. They may be called Filipinos as

one but have different social ethnic and beliefs.  One of the reasons why Philippine culture is

diverse is that the other countries influence us. The influences of these countries are visible in the

various practices of Filipinos up to the present. The Spaniards brought the Spanish language,

Catholicism, and other religious celebrations such as fiestas. The Chinese brought trade and

commerce to the country as well as their affirmation of the importance of respect and family

(Ramnac, 2015). In addition, the American influence is evident in the use of the English

language and the presence of contemporary pop cultures such as fast food, music, movies,

basketball, and media. English is widely used in commerce and education. Most of the people

can speak English. Only a few can speak Spanish (Poethig, R.,2005).  Koreans also have a great

influence on the lifestyle of Filipinos, they are fun imitating their hairstyle, language, dramas,

and music. However, our country seemed like it had lost its cultural identity and people became

more interested in foreign cultures. Thus, this quote will help us to understand the importance of
having cultural diversity and it can enlighten our minds about how cultural diversity unites

Filipinos.

Since the culture of the Philippines is very diverse, does this cultural diversity bring unity

or create divides? Based on Philippine books and other related platforms about the culture of

unity practiced, but how can this quote “Philippine culture as a unity in diversity” if a simple

difference caused a lot of issues and turmoil just to fix the main point root of it? In what way

does Philippine Culture become unity in diversity? Is being a citizen country with a diverse

culture beneficial?

Moreover, the Philippines indeed regardless of being a country has different cultures, but

with this diverse culture, we Filipinos can’t deny the fact that there is still racial discrimination

up to this despite many programs and acts being pushed fighting for racial/ethnic equality.

Youths today tend to have a broader perspective of different cultures as they open and indulge

themselves in socializing with different ethnicities/racial based on my own experience. From this

view, Education does not only improve one’s intellect, but it is also an open door for people of

different races and ethnicities to recognize that each different person has what makes them

beautiful and interesting. We should stand for ourselves not just relying on the slow process

development of the government we have ever since. However, we can say that this Philippine

Cultural Diversity benefits individuals in a way that they become more productive, creative and

it improves their cultural insights. In addition, Maureen Wild asserts that when employees

respect each other and get along in the workplace, it’s amazing how productivity increases and

employees are more courteous to customers (Wild, 2006). Furthermore, this diversity of culture

builds unity in the way that we Filipinos, even though we have different cultures it helps us

recognize and respect that is not necessarily in our own. It is our way to interact with others, we
build bridges to trust, respect, and understand across cultures. In these situations, it facilitates

understanding and prevents misunderstanding. And the best evidence that we can see unity

despite cultural diversity is “bayanihan” wherein the citizens work as one and they help their

neighbor wholeheartedly. It is the reason why unity is seen in the Philippines even with different

cultures. 

Meanwhile,  in this context, we are able to identify the means of the Philippines' different

cultures as well as the diversity of the different ethics that we have in our country. We have

learned on this topic that no matter what culture we have, we still need to respect and adapt to the

culture of others. We can apply this in real life in a way that we will understand and unite with

other people to have new experiences. For example, if we saw someone who's wearing different

clothes and hairstyle, we are not going to laugh at her instead we are going to appreciate their art

in clothing. Thus, we must accept our differences. Additionally, we can say that this activity is

really challenging but we are grateful to do this task because we are able to develop our reading

and analytical skills. In addition, we were able to collaborate with each other by sharing our

ideas and thoughts about the quote that we chose after reading the text despite our situation.
References
Poethig, R. (2005). Philippine Culture. Retrieved from https://studymoose.com.culture.diversity.2

Ramnac, Z. (2015). Cultural Diversity in the Philippines. Retrieved from

https://dameandedimarmokarjay.wordpress.com

Tan, S. K. (2008). A History of the Philippines. University of the Philippines Press.

Tylor, E. (1974). Philippine Culture and its Cultural Diversity. Retrieved from
https://www.bartley.cm/essay/The Philippine-Culture-and-its-Cultural- Diversity-
P3NRQ9TYS4PP

Wild, M. (2006). Philippine Cultural Diversity Benefits. Retrieved from

https://www.philippineculturalbenefits.com.ph