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| Ethnic Groups: |
| 91.5% Christian Malay, 4% Muslim Malay ,1.5%
Chinese and 3% other. |
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| The
Filipino is basically of Malay stock with a sprinkling of Chinese,
American, Spanish and Arab blood. The Philippines has a population
of 70 million, 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. |
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| 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. All in all the
Philippines has 111 dialects spoken, owing to the subdivisions
of these basic regional and cultural groups. |
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| Some 80 percent of the population is Catholic,
Spain's lasting legacy. About 15 percent is Moslem and these
people can be found basically in Mindanao. The rest of the population
is made up mostly of smaller Christian denominations and Buddhist.
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| 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 people of the
Filipinos, or people of the Philippines. |
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| 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. |
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| The Spaniards introduced Christianity (the Roman
Catholic faith) and succeeded in converting the overwhelming
majority of Filipinos. At least 80% 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. »
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