Filipino people are known as settlers in many parts of the world.

They are like the chameleon who easily

adapts to different environments. They thrive to survive. Survival of the fittest is their banner.

The Republic of the Philippines was named to honor King Philip II of Spain in 1543. Filipinos are originally
from the southern part of Asia. People from countries like China, India, the United States and Spain
married Filipinos resulting in a great deal of stock blending. 79 indigenous ethnic groups compose the
Filipino people. According to Wikipedia, the last five hundred years of eventful history of the country
added an impact to the cultural blend of the Asian and Western population. The colonial reign of the
Spaniards in 1570-1898 as well as the Americans in 1903-1946, resulted in the expansion of Christian
values, which gave an identity to every Filipino. And the interaction with other countries' cultures, like
the ones from China, India, Indonesia and Malaysia, gave a specific Asian touch to the cultural heritage
of the Philippines.

GPI_filipino_Culture

Language

There are 175 estimated languages spoken in the Philippines. Almost all are classified as Malayo-
Polynesian languages. Among those languages, there are 13 indigenous languages with nearly 1 million
speakers.

For more than three centuries Spanish was the official language under Spain's colonial rule. It was
spoken by 60% of the population as either a first, second or third language in the early 20th century.
However, the use of Spanish began to decline after the United States occupation in the early 1900's. In
1935 the Constitution of the Philippines named English and Spanish the official languages. In 1939 the
Tagalog language was named the national language. The language was renamed "Pilipino" in 1959 and
finally "Filipino" in 1973. The present Constitution names Filipino and English as joint official languages.
Culture

The Philippines is a country that has varied cultural influences. Most of these influences are results of
previous colonization, deriving mainly from the culture of Spain and the United States. Despite all of
these influences, the old Asian culture of Filipinos has been retained and are clearly seen in their way of
life, beliefs and customs. Wherever you go, Filipino culture is very evident and has largely been
appreciated and even applauded in many parts of the world.

GPI_filipino_Culture2
Music, Arts and Literature

Filipinos are very fond of music. They use various materials to create sound. They love performing
dances (Tiniking and Carinosa) and group singing during festive celebrations. Settlers from Spain
introduced to them a variety of musical instruments like the ukulele, trumpet, drums and violin. Most of
their music is contemporary and they have also learned to write their own songs based on real life
events. People are also fond of folklore, which was influenced by the early church and Spanish literature.
Jose Rizal, the country's national hero, is famous for his literature and novels inspired from the
independence story of the country

Religion

The majority of Filipino people practice the Christian religion. Spain highly influenced the people to the
extent that the Philippines became one of the two predominantly Christian nations in the Asia Pacific,
the other being East Timor. According to Wikipedia, Christianity is the religion of about 80% of the
Philippine population (mostly Catholics) while Islam is the religion of 11%, and other religions and beliefs
comprise the 9% of the rest of the population.