IT’S MORE FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES

Rhaze Ann Tantiado BSNED 1-A

Clear blue skies with clouds formed into different pictures; a jolly sun, with the most

brilliant sunshine that lights up nature; grateful and pleasant people, with the brightest smiles

that build up their unique culture. These from the Philippines, a place where you can learn the

real meaning of life, and how to appreciate things around. A week’s exchange program, a

lifetime’s awakening.

Before digging the beautiful people and spots in the Philippines let us first reflect on

Philippine colonial history, Stanley Karnow in his book In Our Image: America’s Empire in

the Philippines characterized it as being “300 years in the convent, 50 years in Hollywood.”

By this he meant to convey the impression that the Philippines had languished under

colonialism, hidden in the convent and entertained by Hollywood, while the world had

dramatically changed.

Spanish colonialism was cast off in 1898, only to be replaced by US colonialism that

lasted until 1946. Like many post-colonial experiences with democracy, that in the

Philippines collapsed in 1972 with President Ferdinand Marcos’ declaration of martial law.

His viciously kleptocratic regime was finally forced from office by a popular revolt in 1986.

About the origin of the Philippines, it is named after King Philip II (1527-1598) of

Spain. The country was discovered by the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan in 1521

(while in Spanish service). Later tension arose between Portugal and Spain and in 1542 Spain

re-claimed the islands for themselves, naming them after its then king.

During world war ll, U.S. Douglas McArthur after struggling against great odds

to save the Philippines from Japanese conquest, he abandons the island fortress of

Corregidor under orders from President Franklin Roosevelt. Left behind at

Corregidor and on the Bataan, Peninsula were 90,000 American and Filipino

troops, who, lacking food, supplies, and support, would soon succumb to the

Japanese offensive.

During his journey leaving the island of fortress, he was informed that there

were far fewer Allied troops in Australia than he had hoped. Relief of his forces

trapped in the Philippines would not be forthcoming. Deeply disappointed, he

issued a statement to the press in which he promised his men and the people of the

Philippines, “I shall return.” The promise would become his mantra during the next

two and a half years, and he would repeat it often in public appearances. And he

became famous because he returned to liberate the Philippines in 1994 after it had

fallen to the Japanese.

However, even if how dark or prosperous the past is, it’s been part of the

history of the country. The most important is how you get lessons about the past,

apply it from the present and to become wiser to the future.

Historically, the total number of islands in the archipelago was held to be 7,107. The

Philippines is the third largest English-speaking country in the world. The country is divided

into three geographical areas: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. And in 176 local languages

here in the Philippines, Filipinos much love playing around with English.

The topography of the bigger islands– is characterized by alluvial plains, narrow

valleys, rolling hills and high mountains. And in 500 coral species in the world, there are

more than 400 are here. An in all 12,000 plant species there are 201 mammals, 581 birds are

here in our country. Including sea cow, whale, shale, mouse, deer, and eagle.

The Philippines don’t only have white sand, but also shores that have a pinkish tinge,

black, brown, etc. The Philippines is also a world’s number one tropical beach because of its
different features of the beaches. A lot of tourists came here just to witness and experience

the beautiful spots and moments to keep. Also, the perfect shape of cone isn’t found in the ice

cream cone, but in the famous Mayon Volcano that were located in Albay. And the haycock-

shaped hills-mounds of a generally conical and almost symmetrical shape can be found in

Bohol called the Chocolate Hills.

One of the most unique features of the Philippines is that, a festival is commonly part

of the Filipino culture. Here in the Philippines fiesta is commonly about the celebration of a

city or province’s patron saint. By this, we can obviously see how religious the Filipinos are.

Example festivals are the Flower, Gian, Mask, Rice and many more festivals in every

Provinces.

Attitude is one of the most profound lessons I have learnt throughout the short video

in the Philippines. Wherever you are and whomever you are with, you can feel the Filipinos’

passion towards their jobs and country. No matter what they are–sales staff, taxi drivers,

security guards or simply strangers passing—Filipinos wear lovely smiles on their faces.

Filipinos also became famous because of the different foods and their being

hospitable. Their kind of hello is to ask their visitors if they already have eaten. This positive

attitude made the Philippines unique. And the people here love to sing and the

waiters/waitresses here dance for the entertainment of their customers.

These are just some of the fun facts about the traditions, cultures and customs of the

Filipinos and a brief history of the Philippines. It’s really more fun in the Philippines because

you’ll never run out of things to do. You will love not just the beautiful spots, but also the

people and their positive attitudes and traits. So, everyone would come to have fun by visiting

the country, Philippines.