Philippines Travel & Tourism Guide

Travel Quotes:

When traveling with someone, take large does of patience and tolerance with your morning coffee. Helen Hayes

Travel becomes a strategy for accumulating photographs. Susan Sontag

Philippine Culture - People

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.

Source: Tourism.Gov.Ph

Luzon Hotels and Resorts, Philippines Travel
Baguio Hotels and Resorts, Banaue Hotels and Resorts, Bataan Hotels and Resorts, Batangas Hotels and Resorts, Cavite Hotels and Resorts, La Union Hotels and Resorts, Laguna Hotels and Resorts, Laoag Hotels and Resorts, Makati Hotels and Lodgings, Manila Hotels and Accommodations, Mindoro Hotels and Resorts, Ortigas Hotels and Resorts, Ilocos Hotels and Resorts (Pagudpod), Palawan Hotels and Resorts, Pampanga Hotels and Resorts, Pangasinan Hotels and Resorts, Puerto Galera Hotels and Resorts, Quezon City Hotels and Lodgings, Subic Hotels and Resorts, Tagaytay Hotels and Resorts, Tarlac Hotels and Resorts

Visayas Hotels and Resorts, Philippines Travel
Bacolod Hotels and Resorts, Bohol Hotels and Resorts, Boracay Hotels and Resorts, Cebu Hotels and Resorts, Guimaras Hotels and Resorts, Iloilo Hotels and Resorts, Leyte Hotels and Resorts, Negros Hotels and Resorts

Mindanao Hotels and Resorts, Philippines Travel
Cagayan de Oro Hotels and Resorts, Davao Hotels and Resorts, Zamboanga Hotels and Resorts

Travel Quotes:

I still make sure to go, at least once every year, to a country where things cannot be taken for granted, and where there is either too much law and order or too little. Christopher Hitchens

“Everyone carries his own inch rule of taste, and amuses himself by applying it, triumphantly, wherever he travels. Henry Adams