The Filipino is basically of Malay stock with a
sprinkling of Chinese, American, Spanish and Arab blood. The Philippines has a
population of over 91 million, and it is hard to distinguish accurately the lines
between stocks. From a long history of Western colonial rule interspersed with
the visit 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 Ilocanos 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.
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 Buddhists
.