The Philippines

A brief cultural tour

Manila, the capital
Statistics
! The people are called Filipinos
! They speak English and Tagalog, along with native
dialects depending on where in the country they live
! It is the 12
th
most populated country in Asia
! The literacy rate is 90% and is the highest in all of Asia
! The currency is the Philippine Peso (PHP) and about 44
pesos equals one US Dollar
Example of Tagalog
! Anak ni Lucy
(Daughter of Lucy)
! Salamat (Thank you)
! Oo. (Yes)
! Hindi. (No)
! Magkano? (How much?)
History
! The Philippines is an archipelago where the
indigenous people lived
! 1300-1565 = Arab Sultans came to the Philippines
and converted people to Islam and began
colonizing, but not all people converted to Islam
! 1565-1889 = Spain arrived and because not all
Filipinos were Muslim, it was easy for Spain to take
over. They ruled the Philippines for over 300 years
and converted most Filipinos to Catholicism.
History continued
! But the Spaniards were fearful that if they taught
the Filipinos Spanish, that the people would rise up
and have a revolution, like in Mexico. So almost no
Filipinos learned Spanish.
! Instead Priests learned Tagalog and other Filipino
dialects to communicate with the people.
! 1898 = Spain is now involved in a war: The Spanish-
American War which began in Mexico & spread to
the Philippines.
History Continued
! The Spaniards knew they could not win the war, so
instead they sold 5 of their territories to the United
States of America:
1. Philippines
2. Cuba
3. Puerto Rico
4. Guam
5. Marianas Islands
Under U.S. Control
1898-1946
! 1898-1935 = The Filipinos easily took up American
customs including learning English, watching
Hollywood movies, drinking Coca-Cola, etc. There
was a boom in construction during this time and
Manila was considered The Pearl of Asia because of its
beauty.
! 1935-1946 = World War II destroyed Manila. During
the war, the Japanese gained control of the
Philippines. In order to get the country back, the U.S.
bombed buildings, churches, towns, and more with
the purpose of killing the Japanese who were hiding
out in the buildings.
The National Hero
! The United States picked Jose
Rizal to be the National Hero
of the Philippines because:
1. He was already dead
2. Posed no threat to the U.S. in
terms of the Filipinos rallying
behind him to revolt
3. Was a writer and aristocrat,
not a common person
! Rizal Day is on December 30
th

to mark the date when the
Spanish executed him.
The Effects of the War
! When the Japanese realized they would not win the
war, they began slaughtering Filipinos in their homes.
They would take long swords and toss a baby in the
air and slice it in two. Over 1 million Filipinos had
died, which includes the deaths done by the
Americans.
! Manila was destroyed by the bombs. After the War it
became the 2
nd
worst destroyed city in the war after
Warsaw.
! In 1946 America recognized the Philippines as an
independent country.
Culture
! Because of the history of the Philippines, Filipinos
have a mixture of Mexican, Spanish, Arabian, and
Asian traditions and customs.
! One popular mode of transportation is the Jeepney
and Tricycle as a way to travel around the city and
country.
! Since the country is a set of 1000s of islands, many
people live in small towns close to the ocean.
A Jeepney
Food
! Eating is a popular pass-time in the Philippines
since its a way for families to gather together.
! Popular dishes served are Pancit Bihon, Chicken or
Pork Adobo, Lupia, and all kinds of seafood.
! The Filipinos have Breakfast, Lunch, Merianda, and
Dinner. While traveling with my family, we also
included tea time with biscuits! It was a lot of
eating!
Food
Christmas Dinner
Boracay
The Philippines include four
sections of the country:
1. The Northern Part called
LUZON
2. The Middle Islands called
THE VISAYAS
3. The Southern Part called
MINDINOA
4. A big island in the west called
PALAWAN
The Poverty
! While the Philippines are
beautiful and the people are
generous and kind, over 40% of
the population is living in
poverty and lives on less than $2
a day.
! The reason for this is because of
corrupt government after
gaining independence.
! The Philippines is slowly on the
road to recovery from WWII and
corruption, but it will take lots
of work!
Things to Do in the
Philippines
Sight-See & learn
about the culture
Eat & spend time
with the people
Things to do
Relax on the Beach Water Sports
Things to do
Experience Nature
Attend Cultural
Performances
Compiled by Ms. Nobleza
2013-2014