I came across this latest Cross Culture Question by the Cross Culture Community, and I immediately thought that I may be able to share a thing or two about the Philippines. Though I won't really be able to share facts from a scholarly point of view, I will try to share some points based on my observations and experiences.
🌎🌎🌎 Cross Culture Question: What subcultures exist in your country? 🌎🌎🌎
Again, I am no history expert. In fact, it was one of the subjects I hated studying way back then. 🙈 But here's a fact, the Philippines has been colonized by the Spaniards for over 300 years until it regained its independence in 1896. Before that, the earliest inhabitants of the country were from the Asian mainland who traveled to Southern Philippines through land bridges.[1] Pre-colonial Filipinos were already involved in trading/barter, pottery and craftsmanship, they also settled in villages, had their own writing system, etc.
Chinese
Studies suggest that pre-colonial Filipinos were actively trading with the Chinese and other South East Asian countries. Until now there are lots of Chinese in the country that dominate lots of industries.[2] Filipino and Chinese cultures indeed fused together as they married and raised their families under both cultural influences. As a result, a lot of Chinese traditions and beliefs like Chinese New Year, Feng Shui, and other superstitions are widely practiced in the Philippines. Another major influence of the Chinese to the Philippines is on food. A lot of food that Filipinos eat like rice noodles (pansit), siopao, siomai, and other stir-fries are heavily Chinese influenced.
Spanish
Three hundred years under the Spanish influence definitely left a big imprint on our culture -- first and foremost in religion. The Spaniards were the ones who introduced Christianity to the Philippines. Hence, fiestas or feasts celebrating patron saints and other religious celebrations that are still widely practiced in the Philippines. Needless to say, Filipino cuisine also has lots of Spanish touch to it like hamonado, longanisa, empanadas, etc...
And oh, if you ask a Filipino what his family name is, chances are you will get a Spanish name for an answer -- Delos Santos, Dela Cruz, Alcantara, Garcia, Reyes... yup! All of these are Filipino surnames. There are also lots of Filipino words that are taken from Spanish like kutsara (spoon), chicharon (pork rinds), banyo (bathroom), trabaho (work/labor), kalye (street), among others.
American
After the independence from the Spaniards, the Philippines was also under the Americans after the Treaty of Paris (1899) ended the Spanish American War, until 1941 when the Japanese invaded the Philippines. Gen. Douglas Mac Arthur returned and led to liberate the Philippines and it was finally given independence as a republic in 1946. [3]
Those close to fifty years definitely majorly influenced the Philippines -- let's talk about fast food: hamburgers, hotdogs, and french fries; then clothing, education system, and of course the English language. Even the jeepney, which is a symbol of Philippine transportation was originally made from US Military jeeps from World War II.
There are lots of English terms that do not have direct Filipino translation like cake (keyk), ballpen (bolpen), computer (kompyuter), among others.
What About the Indigenous Filipinos?
There are still some parts of the Philippines where the ethnic Filipino tribes are living - mostly in the mountains or far-flung areas that the colonizers were not able to penetrate. They were able to keep their own cultural identities and live in their own ancestral lands. I have found this interesting article discussing the different indigenous tribes of the Philippines if soever you are interested.
Somehow, the Filipinos lost most of its "identity" due to hundreds of years of colonization but it could also be treated as a source of their strengths. They are very adaptable, resilient, and strong people. You can find them in almost every corner of the globe and manage to succeed. Not even the strongest typhoon can dampen their spirits.
I truly enjoyed answering this cross-culture question, because obviously, Philippines has lots of cultural influences under its umbrella. I hope this gave you an idea of how Filipinos are, and why they are, too. Hoping to see a lot of contributions to this question and get a glimpse of other cultures as well.
Until the next!
❤️Arlyn
