PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES

People in the Philippines are collectively called Filipinos, with men also referred to as Filipinos
and women known as Filipinas. Philippine is used as an adjective pertaining to the country.
Filipino is used as an adjective regarding the people, in some cases in particular reference to
Christian Filipinos (Muslim are known as Moros) . Around 95 percent of the population lives on
the eleven largest islands.
Most Filipinos are of Malay descent (like Malaysians and Indonesians), with a sprinkling of
Chinese, Spanish, American and Arab blood. Three hundred years of Spanish occupation left
behind the Roman Catholic religion and 75 years of American presence has left the English
language, yet Filipino culture and people have an identity that is very much its own, and the
people on each island have their own distinct character. Before it was forged into a colony and
later a nation, the Philippines was a group of islands, with different ethnic groups that lived largely
independent of one another on individual islands, groups of islands and different regions on big
islands. The ethnic breakdown of country still more or less follows the pattern set by the
archipelago's early inhabitants.
More than 100 cultural minority groups are scattered throughout the country. Filipinos are
ethnically similar to Malays but culturally they are more like the Spanish. They are generally
smaller and more slender than Europeans and have brownish skin, dark eyes and heavy, straight
black hair. It is hard to distinguish accurately the lines between stocks. From a long history of
Western colonial rule, interspersed with the visits of merchants and traders, evolved a people of a
unique blend of east and west, both in appearance and culture. [Source: Philippines Department
of Tourism]
Nationality: noun: Filipino(s); adjective: Philippine. Many Filipinos call themselves Pinoys. Ethnic
Groups: Christian Malays constitute 91.5 percent of the total population; Muslim Malays 4
percent; Chinese 1.5 percent; and others 3 percent. Ethnic groups: Tagalog 28.1 percent;
Cebuano 13.1 percent; Ilocano 9 percent; Bisaya/Binisaya 7.6 percent; Hiligaynon Ilonggo 7.5
percent; Bikol 6 percent; Waray 3.4 percent; other 25.3 percent (2000 census). Languages:
Filipino (official; based on Tagalog) and English (official); eight major dialects — Tagalog,
Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan; Religions:
Catholic 82.9 percent (Roman Catholic 80.9 percent, Aglipayan 2 percent), Muslim 5 percent,
Evangelical 2.8 percent, Iglesia ni Kristo 2.3 percent, other Christian 4.5 percent, other 1.8
percent, unspecified 0.6 percent, none 0.1 percent (2000 census). [Source: CIA World Factbook]
Lonely Planet called Filipinos ‘among the most ebullient and easy going people anywhere.’
According to the Philippines Department of Tourism: “Don’t be shy about coming up to a Filipino
and starting a conversation. We’re not just fun, we’re officially friendly too. Forbes.com ranked us
the friendliest country in Asia – eight in the world! [Source: Philippines Department of Tourism]
Philippine society was relatively homogeneous in 1990, especially considering its distribution
over some 1,000 inhabited islands. Muslims and upland tribal peoples were obvious exceptions,
but approximately 90 percent of the society remained united by a common cultural and religious
background. Among the lowland Christian Filipinos, language was the main point of internal
differentiation, but the majority interacted and intermarried regularly across linguistic lines.
Because of political centralization, urbanization, and extensive internal migration, linguistic
barriers were eroding, and government emphasis on Pilipino and English (at the expense of local
dialects) also reduced these divisions. Nevertheless, national integration remained incomplete.
[Source: Library of Congress]
See Separate Articles under MINORITIES and FILIPINO CHARACTER AND PERSONALITY
Historical Development of the Philippine People
Through centuries of intermarriage, Filipinos had become a unique blend of Malay, Chinese,
Spanish, Negrito, and American. Among the earliest inhabitants were Negritos, followed by
Malays, who deserve most of the credit for developing lowland Philippine agricultural life as it is
known in the modern period. As the Malays spread throughout the archipelago, two things
happened. First, they absorbed, through intermarriage, most of the Negrito population, although a
minority of Negritos remained distinct by retreating to the mountains. Second, they dispersed into
separate groups, some of which became relatively isolated in pockets on Mindanao, northern
Luzon, and some of the other large islands. Comparative linguistic analysis suggests that most
groups may once have spoken a form of "proto-Manobo," but that each group developed a
distinct vernacular that can be traced to its contact over the centuries with certain groups and its
isolation from others. With the advent of Islam in the southern Philippines during the fifteenth
century, separate sultanates developed on Mindanao and in the Sulu Archipelago. By the middle
of the sixteenth century, Islamic influence had spread as far north as Manila Bay.
Spain colonized the Philippines in the sixteenth century and succeeded in providing the
necessary environment for the development of a Philippine national identity; however, Spain
never completely vitiated Muslim autonomy on Mindanao and in the Sulu Archipelago, where the
separate Muslim sultanates of Sulu, Maguindanao, and Maranao remained impervious to
Christian conversion. Likewise, the Spanish never succeeded in converting upland tribal groups,
particularly on Luzon and Mindanao. The Spanish influence was strongest among lowland groups
and emanated from Manila. Even among these lowland peoples, however, linguistic differences
continued to outweigh unifying factors until a nationalist movement emerged to question Spanish
rule in the nineteenth century. *
Philippine national identity emerged as a blend of diverse ethnic and linguistic groups, when
lowland Christians, called indios by the Spaniards, began referring to themselves as "Filipinos,"
excluding Muslims, upland tribal groups, and ethnic Chinese who had not been assimilated by
intermarriage and did not fit the category. In the very process of defining a national identity, the
majority was also drawing attention to a basic societal cleavage among the groups. In revolting
against Spanish rule and, later, fighting United States troops, the indigenous people became
increasingly conscious of a national unity transcending local and regional identities. A public
school system that brought at least elementary-level education to all but the most remote barrios
and sitios (small clusters of homes) during the early twentieth century also served to dilute
religious, ethnic, and linguistic or regional differences, as did improvements in transportation and
communication systems and the spread of English as a lingua franca. *

Multi-Cultural, Multi-Regional Filipinos

The Filipino character is actually a little bit of all the cultures put together. The bayanihan or spirit
of kinship and camaraderie that Filipinos are famous for is said to be taken from Malay
forefathers. The close family relations are said to have been inherited from the Chinese. The
piousness comes from the Spaniards who introduced Christianity in the 16th century. Hospitality
is a common denominator in the Filipino character and this is what distinguishes the Filipino.
Filipinos are probably one of the few, if not the only, English-proficient Oriental people today.
Pilipino is the official national language, with English considered as the country's unofficial one.
[Source: Philippines Department of Tourism]
The Filipinos are divided geographically and culturally into regions, and each regional group is
recognizable by distinct traits and dialects - the sturdy and frugal llocanos of the north, the
industrious Tagalogs of the central plains, the carefree Visayans from the central islands, and the
colorful tribesmen and religious Moslems of Mindanao. Tribal communities can be found
scattered across the archipelago. The Philippines has more than 111 dialects spoken, owing to
the subdivisions of these basic regional and cultural groups.
The country is marked by a true blend of cultures; truly in the Philippines, East meets West. The
background of the people is Indonesian and Malay. There are Chinese and Spanish elements as
well. The history of American rule and contact with merchants and traders culminated in a unique
blend of East and West, both in the appearance and culture of the Filipinos, or people of the
Philippines.
Hospitality, a trait displayed by every Filipino, makes these people legendary in Southeast Asia.
Seldom can you find such hospitable people who enjoy the company of their Western visitors.
Perhaps due to their long association with Spain, Filipinos are emotional and passionate about
life in a way that seems more Latin than Asian. The Spaniards introduced Christianity (the Roman
Catholic faith) and succeeded in converting the overwhelming majority of Filipinos. At least 83
percent of the total population belongs to the Roman Catholic faith. The American occupation
was responsible for teaching the Filipino people the English language. The Philippines is
currently the third-largest English speaking country in the world

Philippines’s Multitude of Ethnic Groups

Each of the Philippines 50 or so ethnic groups has its own language or dialect, with no single
ethnic group making up a majority of the population. The main groups are the Cebuano (24.1
percent of the population), Tagalog (21 percent), Ilocono (11.7 percent), Hiligaynon or Illongo
(10.4 percent), Bucolano, or Bikolan (7.8 percent), Pamanga (3.2 percent). Other groups make
up 21.8 percent of the population. The include (in descending order based on population):
Pangasinan, Ibang, Aklan, Hantik, Samabal, Ivantan, Itawas and Isinai. Bisayan, or Visayan, is a
generic label that encompasses Cebuans, Panayans and Samarans. The largest non-Filipino
minorities are Chinese, Americans, and Spanish.
To Filipinos, each ethnic group is associated with distinct cultural and character traits and
stereotypes. The Ilcocanos in the north, for example, are regarded as sturdy and frugal. The
Tagalogs of the central plains are considered industrious, while the people of the Visayans are
thought of as carefree and fun loving. The Tagalog dominate the Philippines culturally and
politically because they are ethnic group indigenous to the Manila area.
Like their counterparts in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, the Chinese minority are very active
in trading and business and their influence far exceeds their numbers (about a half million
people). In the remote highlands there are still some tribes relatively untouched by the modern
world. The Tasadays, a stone-age tribe, weren't "discovered" until 1971 (although some of the
claims originally made about them have been questioned); the Ilongots continued to hunt heads
up until the middle seventies; and Negritos still live a pygmy-like existence in the forest.

Spanish Influence on the Philippines

The Spanish have had a huge influence on Filipino culture. The time that the Philippines was
under Spanish rule makes up a major part of their history. Spain had control of the Philippines for
more than 300 years, so it’s no surprise that many Filipino customs, traditions, and cultural norms
can be traced back to the Spanish. They left their mark probably more so than any other foreign
nation to which the Philippines was subjected. [Source: by Rebecca, Philippines Baguio Mission,
2009-2011, the missionary website, preparetoserve.com \=/]
Spain was one of the most powerful nations in the world in the 1500s and 1600s when it . At this
time, different nations would race each other to be the first to settle in and claim different areas.
According to historians, there were three objectives for taking the Philippine islands. First and
foremost, it was seen as an opportunity to spread the Roman Catholic church, which had become
quite powerful in Europe. The other objectives may have been to gain wealth through the spice
trade in Asia, and also to gain political power by conquering and laying claim to as many lands as
possible. The following are a few specific ways that Spain influenced the Philippines during its
reign: \=/
Language: It is no surprise that over this long period of time, the Spanish language made its way
into the Filipino dialects. Today it is estimated that about 20 percent of Tagalog words are
Spanish. In fact, the common Tagalog greeting “Kumusta” was derived from the Spanish “Como
esta” (How are you). Here are a few very common words that came from Spanish (the spellings
have been Filipino-ized): Diyos (god), eskwela (school), gwapo (handsome), kalye (street),
kabayo (horse), kwento (story), karne (meat), pamilya (family), sapatos (shoes), bintana
(window), and many, many more. \=/
Numbers, Name and Money: The Spanish money system (based on pesos) was adopted into the
Filipino lifestyle as well as the use of Spanish numbers in business and money transactions.
Today, using Spanish numerals is the marketplace norm. It is also interesting to note that the
Spanish were the ones who appointed Manila as the capital city of the Philippines. They also
named the islands “Filipinas” after Prince Philip os Asturias, who later became the King of
Spain. \=/
Catholicism: Did you know that the Philippines is the only predominantly Christian nation in Asia?
That’s because when the Spanish took over, they brought their long tradition of Catholicism with
them. It was part of the Spanish conquest to convert all the natives to Christ through their
Catholic tradition. Today as a result, the Catholic church still remains a very powerful force in the
Philippines. For example, divorce is illegal there because of the Catholic church’s influence in the
government and law-making. Filipinos still celebrate and participate in many Catholic holidays
and customs. Practically everywhere you go you will see big Catholic cathedrals. In many homes,
you’ll see pictures of the virgin Mary or the last supper, and many people carry around rosaries
with them. On public transportation are plastered posters of Jesus and Mary and religious
sayings. Because of the Spanish conquest, there is a strong tradition of Christianity among the
Filipino people. \=/
Last names: One very interesting thing that the Spanish changed about the Philippines was the
use of native last names. In 1849, the Governor sent out an order that all families were to choose
a new last name from a list of Spanish last names (in order to create a more organized system of
keeping track of people). As a result, today there are many Spanish last names still in use, such
as Garcia, Cruz, Reyes, Mora, Vasquez, Valdez, Flores, Ramos, Perez, Villanueva, Ortiz, etc.
However, there were some Filipinos who did not want to change their native last names, and so
today there are still some native names remaining. Examples of native Filipino last names include
Macaraeg, Matapang, Masipag, Dimaguiba, Guinto, Magsaysay, Makapagal, Batungbakal, etc. \
=/
Western culture: During the Spanish rule, westernized culture gradually began to seep into the
Filipino way of life. Western music, dance, art, recreation and customs were adopted by Filipinos.
Even their beliefs and perspectives about life experienced a bit of a drift away from Eastern
muslim philosophies to a more westernized perspective. One example of this was the
abolishment of slavery. Classes between the rich and poor, however, remained.
Education: During the Spanish reign, they established Catholic-run schools. Friars and nuns were
the teachers at these schools. The Filipino people were literate before the Spanish ever arrived,
but the Spanish added new subjects to their academia such as math, Spanish, and business. In
time, the Spanish also set up colleges (segregated by gender). One of the more well-known of
these colleges is the university of Santo Tomas, which was established back in 1611.
Food: The Spanish brought with them their own cuisine and many of these foods were adopted
into the Filipino diet. Here’s a list of some of them: corn, flour, squash, avocado, sausage, beef,
guava, sapodilla (chico fruit), papaya, cabbage, cocoa, potatoes (white), ham, coffee, beer, bread
(made from wheat flour), pickles, sardines. The Spanish also introduced forks, spoons, plates,
and cups to the Philippines. To this day, forks and spoons are used when eating (but not knives).
However, some Filipinos still prefer to eat the truly native Filipino way, without utensils.

Lowland Christian Population of the Philippines

Although lowland Christians maintained stylistic differences in dress until the twentieth century
and had always taken pride in their unique culinary specialties, they continued to be a remarkably
homogeneous core population of the Philippines. In 1990 lowland Christians, also known as
Christian Malays, made up 91.5 percent of the population and were divided into several regional
groups. [Source: Library of Congress *]
Because of their regional base in Metro Manila and adjacent provinces to the north, east, and
south, Tagalogs tended to be more visible than other groups. Cebuanos, whose language was
the principal one in the Visayan Island area, inhabited Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor, Negros Oriental,
Leyte, and Southern Leyte provinces, and parts of Mindanao. Ilocanos had a reputation for being
ready migrants, leaving their rocky northern Luzon homeland not just for more fertile parts of the
archipelago but for the United States as well. The home region of the Ilongos (speakers of
Hiligaynon) included most of Panay, Negros Occidental Province, and the southern end of
Mindoro. Their migration in large numbers to the Cotabato and Lanao areas of Mindanao led to
intense friction between them and the local Muslim inhabitants and the outbreak of fighting
between the two groups in the 1970s.
The homeland of the Bicolanos, or "Bicolandia" was the southeastern portion of Luzon together
with the islands of Catanduanes, Burias, and Ticao, and adjacent parts of Masbate. The Waray-
Warays lived mostly in eastern Leyte and Samar in the Eastern Visayas. The Pampangan
homeland was the Central Luzon Plain and especially Pampanga Province. Speakers of
Pangasinan were especially numerous in the Lingayen Gulf region of Luzon, but they also had
spread to the Central Luzon Plain where they were interspersed with Tagalogs, Ilocanos, and
Pampangans. *
As migrants to the city, these lowland Christians clustered together in neighborhoods made up
primarily of people from their own regions. Multilingualism generally characterized these
neighborhoods; the language of the local area was used, as a rule, for communicating with those
native to the area, and English or Pilipino was used as a supplement. Migrants to cities and to
agricultural frontiers were remarkably ready and willing to learn the language of their new location
while retaining use of their mother tongue within the home. *

Philippines Man Holds World’s Shortest Man Title For Several

Months
In June 2011, a Philippines man Junrey Balawing was named the world's shortest man by the
Guinness World Records. AFP reported: “A teenager from a poor family in the rural Philippines
has been declared the world's shortest man as he turned 18. Guinness World Records presented
Junrey Balawing, who is 59.93 centimeters (23.6 inches) tall, with a certificate at his birthday
party. Mr Balawing stopped growing when he was two, his father said. He is more than
7centimeters shorter than the previous record holder, Khagendra Thapa Magar from Nepal, who
had held the record since last October. Relatives say he has difficulty standing and walking, but
the community was protective of him. [Source: AFP, June 12, 2011 |=|]
 "Officially he is the world's shortest man," declared Guinness World Records official Craig
Glenday in front of cheering relatives and friends at his birthday party in the rural town of
Sindangan on Mindanao island in the southern Philippines. Well-wishers, including politicians,
presented him with cash gifts which his family said would add to their meagre savings, AFP news
agency reported. |=|
"Thank you to all of you for supporting my son, the world's shortest man," Mr Balawing's father
said. Mr Balawing blew out a candle on his birthday cake and said "I'm tired". His father said he
had been a sickly child and doctors had not been able to say why he stopped growing. His three
siblings are all of normal size. |=|
In February 2012, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported: In the next few weeks, Balawing “is flying
to Italy to rub elbows—literally, if he can—with the world’s tallest man, who towers at 251.46
centimeters (8 feet 3 inches). The son of a blacksmith in Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte, the
18-year-old Balawing will have a photo session in Italy with Sultan Kosen, a behemoth farmer
from Turkey. Kosen is said to be one of only 10 confirmed cases in history of humans reaching
243 centimeters (8 feet) or more. “There is an invitation for the Balawings—Junrey and his
parents—to go to Italy (in April). That’s what we are attending to right now,” Mayor Nilo Sy of
Sindangan was quoted by ABS-CBN News as saying. It said it would be Balawing’s first ride on
an airplane. [Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer, AFP, February 10, 2012 |=|]
“But Balawing’s claim to being the world’s shortest man has been challenged by Chandra
Bahadur Dangi, a 72-year-old man from Nepal, who claims to stand at just 56 centimeters (22
inches). Guinness World Records experts confirmed last week they planned to travel to Dangi’s
village in the impoverished southwestern valleys of Dang district to measure the pensioner, who
says he weighs just 12 kilos. If his measurements prove correct, Dangi would eclipse Balawing
but would also be the shortest human adult ever documented, taking the accolade from India’s
Gul Mohammed, who was measured at 57 centimeters before he died in 1997 at the age of 40.

THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES

http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/philippines/pro-people.htm

The Filipino is basically of Malay stock with a sprinkling of Chinese, American, Spanish, and
Arab blood. The Philippines has a population of 76.5 million as of May 2000, and it is hard to
distinguish accurately the lines between stocks. From a long history of Western colonial rule,
interspersed with the visits of merchants and traders, evolved a people of a unique blend of east
and west, both in appearance and culture.
The Filipino character is actually a little bit of all the cultures put together. The bayanihan or
spirit of kinship and camaraderie that Filipinos are famous for is said to be taken from Malay
forefathers. The close family relations are said to have been inherited from the Chinese. The
piousness comes from the Spaniards who introduced Christianity in the 16th century. Hospitality
is a common denominator in the Filipino character and this is what distinguishes the Filipino.
Filipinos are probably one of the few, if not the only, English-proficient Oriental people today.
Pilipino is the official national language, with English considered as the country’s unofficial one.
The Filipinos are divided geographically and culturally into regions, and each regional group is
recognizable by distinct traits and dialects – the sturdy and frugal llocanos of the north, the
industrious Tagalogs of the central plains, the carefree Visayans from the central islands, and
the colorful tribesmen and religious Moslems of Mindanao. Tribal communities can be found
scattered across the archipelago. The Philippines has more than 111 dialects spoken, owing to
the subdivisions of these basic regional and cultural groups.
The country is marked by a true blend of cultures; truly in the Philippines, East meets West. The
background of the people is Indonesian and Malay. There are Chinese and Spanish elements
as well. The history of American rule and contact with merchants and traders culminated in a
unique blend of East and West, both in the appearance and culture of the Filipinos, or people of
the Philippines.
Hospitality, a trait displayed by every Filipino, makes these people legendary in Southeast Asia.
Seldom can you find such hospitable people who enjoy the company of their Western visitors.
Perhaps due to their long association with Spain, Filipinos are emotional and passionate about
life in a way that seems more Latin than Asian.
The Spaniards introduced Christianity (the Roman Catholic faith) and succeeded in converting
the overwhelming majority of Filipinos. At least 83% of the total population belongs to the
Roman Catholic faith.
The American occupation was responsible for teaching the Filipino people the English
language. The Philippines is currently the third-largest English speaking country in the world.
In 1998, the Philippines’ population stood at 77,725,860. These numbers are spread unevenly
throughout the Philippines with a large portion of the country being uninhabited. Roughly 40
percent of the nation was urban during the late 1980s. In 1990, Manila’s entire population
(greater) was 7,948,398 with 1,601,234 in Manila proper. As of 1998, the population of Metro
Manila was approximately 10 million.
A person of Spanish descent born in the Philippines, is where the term “Filipino” originated. It
was comparable to the “Creole” of the Spanish and French colonies in America. The meaning of
the term “Filipino” changed after the 18th century to apply to the Christianized Malays who
constitute the bulk of the Philippine population.
Inhabiting the Philippines since the collapse of land bridges to the Asian mainland and Borneo,
are a pygmy people, the aboriginal Aetas. Migration of people of Malay and Polynesian descent
has come in waves with the present Filipinos, mainly descendants of Malay invaders, divided
according to language and religion.
The Visayans are one of the most important groups, numerically, who they live in the central
portion of the archipelago. The other numerically important group, the Tagalogs, live in central
Luzon.
The chief non-Malay groups are comprised of people of Spanish and Chinese descent.
Tribes of traditional warrior societies, the Moros were converted to Islam by Arab missionaries in
the 15th century. They live mainly in the southern portion of the archipelago.
A small, but economically and politically important minority are a people of mixed Filipino and
Spanish or American ancestry, the Mestizos.
There is also a small number (about 1.5%) of Chinese who reside in the Philippines and they
are also quite involved in business.