MORE ABOUT THE PHILLIPINES

To help you enjoy your trip to the Philippines more, we have included more information about the culture, some vocabulary and the history.

THE CULTURE

In order to enjoy and fully understand the Philippines and its people, we suggest that, you need to understand their cultural traits. The cultural traits of a people are rooted in the history which has molded them. Filipinos and Americans share some decades together, but this period of time amounts to only a small fraction of the quite different histories which the two countries have experienced. Despite this difference, however, both cherish a heritage of many significant ideas and values rooted in Euro-Christian ethics. In addition, they both espouse certain ideals about democratic government, the value of education, freedom of the press, and personal liberty. Filipinos have a decidedly Western orientation, to the extent that "Asian-ness" is not a common identifying description among them.

Nevertheless, despite centuries of colonialism, Filipinos never allowed themselves to become carbon copies of their rulers. Although outward appearances may suggest otherwise a times, Filipinos social and cultural characteristics contrast quite sharply with those of mainstream America. A number of beliefs, values, and ways of dealing with day-to-day life which Filipinos consider normal would feel strange or curious to many Americans. Filipinos, like any other people, hold dear those things which they feel are deeply distinctive about their culture.

The fact that Americans are largely ignorant of the Philippines and its people is, itself, a factor affecting understanding and communication. The Filipinos they meet, however, usually have a storehouse of information -- and misinformation about the U.S. The initial imbalance in understanding gets even more complicated. The Filipinos will not expect Americans to know much about the Philippines. The Americans may hardly be embarrassed about at their lack of knowledge or feel any need to take corrective measures. The Filipinos, however, feel chagrined at their lack of knowledge -- of English, or about the States -- thinking they should be informed, particularly when dealing with an American.

The result of all this is the pleasant sensation of familiarity visiting Americans experience upon arrival in the country. Signs advertising American products, English widely spoken, and more subtly, they enjoy a status and receptivity perhaps unique in their travels. For Filipinos, America is the land of power, glamour, wealth, and opportunity. Even if the traveler tells them about the poverty, unemployment, and poor living conditions that exist in the U.S., Filipinos have trouble believing it, given their own difficulties. They figure that what is lacking in the Philippines will be abundant across the sea. At work here is not so much Filipinos naiveness, though there is some of that, but a persistent feeling buried in decades of tutelage that the U.S. ought to be all of the things they imagine and dream about.

Americans may find other evidence of an underlying inequality in the relationship, rooted in differing colonial roles. White Americans may be troubled by the fact that the color of their skin turns out to be rather important in the Philippines. This is linked to the fact that lighter colored skin is associated with power, authority and wealth. Filipinos are very aware of their different shades of brown skin and somehow associate color with class. In spite of all this, there is an enduring linkage between the two countries, almost a feeling of family -- a specialness that shows promise for a true and lasting relationship.

Following are some traits that are a result of the cultural difference one encounters in the Philippines:

KINAIYA -- Visayan for "the way it is"

It conveys the concept of customs, as well as the idea of "suchness" in referring to the peculiarities in someone's character. Filipinos do this or that because it is their kinaiya -- there custom, the way it is. Embodied in this expression is an acceptance of their beliefs, values, and social behaviors are givens, a view which the Filipinos share universally with other cultures. Just as people in general do what they do without being very aware of why Filipinos see their behavior as the way it is. They hold certain beliefs or adhere to certain values without being concerned about how these beliefs or values came to seem correct and normal.

INDIVIDUALISM

An American wanting to understanding Filipinos does well to start by remembering how important it is in the U.S. to be an individual -- and all that implies. From the earliest childhood, American values virtually begin and end with an emphasis on the self. The fact that a great deal of conformity exists in American society is not cause to discard the ideal. Because all this seems so natural and preferable to most Americans, it may be difficult to believe that there are those who think differently. Individualism and its expression in the U.S. may be the most profound value gap separating Americans from Filipinos. Americans interact in ways which follow logically from the centrality of the individual with directness, informality, and frankness ("tell it like it is"). The U.S. is defined as a "low-context" culture: a culture in which social institutions, structures and systems (the context) are given less emphasis than the person.

By contrast, the Filipinos lives in a "high-context" culture. From early childhood, Filipinos learn the importance of the groups or contexts in which they live -- family, neighbors, the BARKADA (peers), associates at work, and other, larger loyalties and identifications. Filipinos consider themselves individuals, but within a group.

THE FAMILY

For Filipinos the initial group, and the one which remains central throughout life, is the family. Few Americans maintain the close contact, loyalty, and mutual support which Filipinos take for granted within their families. The family is the ultimate place of security, and a consideration of the needs of the family, often over one's own wishes and interest, is a serious obligation. As the Filipino matures, the family group remains bedrock and serves as a model for the development of other friendships and associations.

AUTHORITY

Authority in a Filipino home gravitates toward age and usually the males. A younger child is expected to heed the guidance of older children, who in turn yield to the mother, aunt, uncle or the father. Maturity does not fundamentally change these relationships. Filipino culture also tends to find the authority for action in group consensus. Identification with and loyalty to one's BARKADA (friends) is very important. Authority also resides in established institutions within the society, such as, for a great many Filipinos, the church.

HARMONY IN RELATIONSHIPS

To a Filipino, harmony in relationships is more important than "rugged individualism" that most Americans express. All that goes into smooth inter-personal relationships (S.I.R.) stem from three following values which are of primary importance to the Filipino:

  1. PAKIKISAMA (getting along with others). It is a value and a goal. "Getting along" is not something which just happens among Filipinos: it must be fostered. PAKIKISAMA is pursed by being conscious of it as a value and goal, showing sensitivity to "hiya" and "utang na loob", being aware of and respectful to authority and age, how one speaks and acts, etc.
  2. HIYA is self-esteem or face. It connotes a number of related ideas concerning how one appears in the eyes of others. Fear of embarrassment, of losing face in a given situation is strong. In the Philippines, pride takes on a significance which which goes all beyond the American norm. The Filipino term, "amor-propio", has a literal meaning of "self-respect". Face and amor-propio are closely connected. It is very important to behave in a way that insures that everyone's face and amor-propio are not threatened.
  3. UTANG NA LOOB is the maintaining of a relationship by balancing obligations and debts. A consciousness of obligations and the giving and receiving of tangible and intangible favors are highly characteristic of Filipino society. Utang na loob permeates all aspects of the culture.

FOLLOWING ARE SOME FILIPINO WORDS YOU MAY ENCOUNTER:

ENGLISH WORDS THAT TAKE ON UNIQUE MEANING IN THE PHILIPPINES:

ADVICE FOR ENGAGED AMERICAN MEN AND FILIPINA WOMEN by Jim Viaplana O'Bannon

CONGRATULATIONS on your up-coming nuptials! As you embark on the sea of matrimony, please take the following advice in the spirit it is given, from one who had a great and sometimes painful experience with a Filipinas, who has an American father and a Filipina mother, and who is currently engaged to one of those delightful and confusing creatures.

ADVICE TO THE FILIPINA BRIDE

You need to remember that the American version of Man is more independent and set in his ways but will treat you as more of an equal and let you know exactly where you stand. Also remember that no matter how long he has lived with you, he will never be Filipinized enough. Hopefully the following will help you maintain a harmonious relationship.

a. Poker night is sacred and if it falls on your anniversary, re-schedule your anniversary dinner party.

b. You understand the "barkada" system, so let him out (Pink Ticket night) to be with his friends at least once a week. And if he's generous enough to bring you along, forgive his crude language and his making fun of you; it's an American Man thing!

c. He will scratch, belch, and pass gas and think it's funny, so live with it!

d. He will not understand why he has to be disturbed, while reading SPORTS ILLUSTRATED/PLAYBOY/ the comics, just because the toilet pipe broke and the bathroom is overflowing: so grab a wrench.

e. If he doesn't notice a new dress or the fact that you shaved your head bald, remember that American men were not raised to notice the little things.

f. He will prefer comfort over fashion, so don't be surprised if he prefers that 10-year-old shirt with holes over the new $50 Pierre Cardin shirt you bought him for his birthday. Also, it's guaranteed that he will forget that you bought it for him for his birthday. Only force him to be "fashionable" for visits with YOUR family and YOUR friends.

g. It is your right to choose what to watch on television EXCEPT when there is Sports on. The definition of Sports is any activity that keeps score and includes darts, lawn bowling, fishing, etc. If you have cable TV with two 24-hour Sports channels, buy another TV! DO NOT talk to him during a televised sporting event but wait for the commercial break and keep it short and sweet.

h. It is his right not to go shopping with you for anything that requires color coordination, browsing, or lasts longer than 20 minutes.

i. DON'T kid/nag him about his drinking: he will just drink more to show you who's the boss and then ask you to pamper him when he doesn't feel good the next day.

ADVICE FOR THE AMERICAN BRIDEGROOM

You need to remember that the Philippine version of Woman can be heavenly and the envy of your friends or you can end-up in the doghouse and not know why. Also, remember that no matter how long she has lived with you, she will never be an American woman. Hopefully, the following tips will help keep you out of trouble 50 percent of the time.

a. If you're not in trouble at least 50 percent of the time, she will be suspicious and feel that you are guilty of something.

b. Filipinas are raised to think that all men are children and need mothering, so congratulations on your new "kindergarten" status. So when she tells you to pick up your socks, brush your teeth, etc., promise her you'll do it later and 75 percent of the time she'll do it for you (except brush your teeth). However, you must follow up on the last 25 percent or she will remind you about it six months later in front of your friends.

c. You are NEVER right, even if you have affidavits from the leading scientists backing your position. So just be satisfied, knowing in your mind that you're right. Just nod and put a silly grin on your face, it will drive her crazy because you agreed with her but she knows you haven't changed your mind.

d. If you make a promise to her, you'd better keep it. However, understand that her promises are subject to waivers, exceptions and just how she feels at the time.

e. Under the Filipino culture, truth is subject to the person's perception of the circumstances. Here, "white lies" enjoy a greater latitude and acceptance so don't expect to know her true age until 1997 or so.

f. Her cooking is ALWAYS great no matter how much she downgrades it. (See "e": Truth). Otherwise, risk burnt/half cooked food for the rest of the week/month (See "g").

g. Filipinas don't talk out their hostility, they just give you the cold shoulder, don't talk to you for days (you may want to start an argument just before football season), and are very good at playing the martyr. Although, most of the time, you may not be aware of what you did wrong, don't mention that to her or you'll be in double-trouble. If you should slip and mention it, immediately lock-up all the pesticides and rat poisons.

h. When she's mad at you and you try to comfort her and she shrugs you off, she expects you to try again (in about 10 minutes) and again until you have groveled enough (ABOUT 4 HOURS) to EARN her forgiveness. THEN it's still not over, you must be "loving" (read: subservient) for about the next 24 hours.

i. The extended family is more important to her and she won't understand why you aren't excited/running out to buy a gift for the new baby of her third cousin's brother-in-law's niece. Also, you will have overnight/week/month visitors from the Philippines (and the U.S.), some that even she hasn't met; like her third cousin's brother-in-law's niece's best friend/colleague from work/somebody the niece met at a party. You CAN'T win this one, so just try and keep the cost down.

THE JEEPNEY: PHILIPPINE HERITAGE ON WHEELS
by Ana Conejero

One experience foreign visitors shouldn't miss while in the country is a ride on the Philippine's "numero uno" form of public transport -- the jeeney. For how else can they truly admire and appreciate the islands' myriad sights and sounds but through the Filipino way?

Excessively elaborate and decorative, the jeepney is folk and pop art on four wheels -- a steel contraption with colorful curtains, flashy flags, an alter, miniature stallions, painted landscapes, disco lights and blaring music. The connoisseur sophisticate would describe it as "gaudy art", but the more imaginative would term it "baroque". But whatever you prefer to call it, the jeepney is definitely and uniquely Filipino. There is no other like it in the world.

A ride on a prime example of the species can be entertaining, enlightening or even a journey into philosophical realms. When seated up front, you may notice all or any of the following: 1.) it seems that every available space on the windshield is covered by techni-colored stickers and hanging knick-knacks and 2.) the dashboard is a showcase of bric-a-brac, with an alter as centerpiece.

In what would otherwise be an uneventful ride, you'll be entertained by every single witticism and wisecrack immortalized on the stickers and by the collection of miscellany (cartoon characters, liquor/beer bottles, etc.). If you're done with a thorough inspection of the driver's compartment, you can bet your money's worth that your mind will turn to more philosophical wanderings. Like, try to explain the unfathomable mystery of how-on-earth the driver beside you can see through all the stuff stuck to the windshield, continue on his neck-breaking speed and avoid hitting other similarly speeding vehicles or, worse, pedestrians.

If you happen to be seated in the passenger compartment, there are a lot of things to keep you occupied. For starters, gaze out the window at the passing scene, or scan the interiors of the jeepney, -- a painting may catch your eye, or better yet, study your fellow passengers (it might prove a valuable lesson in oriental psychology), even eavesdrop on the conversations, which may range from the hottest gossip or a diatribe against a government personality (i.e. if you understand the dialect).

A testimony of Filipino ingenuity and artistry, the jeepney is a post-war phenomenon assembled from abandoned American G.I. Jeeps. Faced with the shortage of any kind of public transportation at the end of World War II, some enterprising Filipinos hit on the idea of cutting the American Jeep in half, lengthening the body with sheet metal and welding it back again. Thus, the jeepney came to be.

Ever the irrepressible artist, the Filipino painted landscape and Philippine scenery all over it. Ever the interior decorator, he added curtains and miscellaneous objects here and there. Ever the music lover, he installed a blaring sound system complete with disco lights. And ever the religious devotee, he put in an alter with an image of any saint.

Call it "baroque" or "gaudy". But one thing is sure, the cheeky jeepney excitingly captures the essence of being Filipino. It is national heritage on wheels.

CRISIS OF THE COCONUT
Reprinted from the Manila Bulletin USA

There is no more versatile tree in the world than the coconut. The Philippines, it is said accounts for up to eighty percent of the coconut oil traded in the world market.

The coconut is sometimes called the "tree of life". It is a source of food and medicinal water, industrials oils, soap, fuel, coir, furniture, brooms, festive decorations, roofing, and more recently, lumber and other construction materials. The new sensation is a coconut by-product, the nata de coco, whose sales in Japan rose from zero to $18 million in just over a year. This is a delicacy taken from the coconut juice and produced as a cottage craft in the Southern Tagalog Provinces.

But don't let this minor streak of optimism mislead you. The Philippine coconut industry has long been in trouble. As a source of export income, it has been shrinking rapidly as a percentage of the total. In the decade of the Eighties, Philippine production of coconut oil stagnated at about a million tons, while palm oil produced by Malaysia and Indonesia rose steeply from half a million to ten million tons.

There are still about four hundred specific industrial applications of coconut oil that are not interchangeable with other oils. But in the world market of fats and edibles, estimated at 40 million tons a few years ago, the share of coconut oil has slipped from a high of seven percent, down to about three percent.

It is known that the industry has made some people tremendously rich. But the vast majority of some 16 million Filipinos in sixteen provinces dependent on coconut have remained bone-poor. Promised new varieties that would multiply productivity and incomes have not reached fruition. Indeed a lot of small coconut farmers are cutting down their trees to sell as sawn lumber at prices far more remunerative than waiting for the coconut to ripen and be turned into copra.

The World Bank has been lending money to resuscitate what appears to be a moribund industry through research and development. But there have been no results so far; the nata de coco phenomenon owes nothing to the government or to any international loan. It is the product of folk ingenuity, pioneered by an obscure Filipino lady chemist from Laguna.

The coconut tree will always be one of the marvels of nature, God's precious gift to the Filipino people, and I do not foresee a time when it will no longer give shade to our country-side. But economically, the coconut industry, which began in 1745 when a Spanish governor-general, Corcuera, ordered the planting of coconut trees nation-wide, the industry is now lost in a fog of contradictory government signals and policies.

Coconut oil has definitely lost out to palm oil in the international market; the living conditions of millions of Filipinos dependent on coconut are even more marginalized than before; and nobody really knows the extent of destruction committed by those cutting down their coconut trees to escape the constraints of agrarian reform and to earn quick rewards from the sale of lumber.

In areas that are rapidly industrializing, such as the Southern Tagalog provinces, the coconut no longer matters as a product; it is the land, as real estate, that does. The temptation is too great to cut down the tree and sell the trunk, not the fruit.

A NEW LOOK FOR AN OLD CITY
by Ben Salgado

By the year 2000, Cebu City will be a modern metropolis with a well-paved road network that follow international standards and traffic codes.

A new bridge spanning through the Mactan Channel will make travel time between the two islands more speedy; likewise with motoring to and from the southern part of Cebu on a coastal expressway passing through a huge 330 hectare reclaimed industrial zone in Talisay.

High-rise buildings housing business, financial and commercial institutions will be annexed to residential towers, shopping and recreation centers while public parks and playgrounds provide breathing spaces with its greenery.

This will be the scenario in the near future as soon as the massive expansion programs envisioned to propel Metro Cebu towards being an international-class city are implemented. These projects will be implemented by the Metro Cebu Development Project (MCDP) which prepared the detailed engineering plans with the help of Japanese financiers and consultants. These major projects are directly in line with the developmental framework of Philippines 2000 and are now being assessed by the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (OECF) and given top priority by the Ramos administration.

Cebuanos are already feeling the impact of various projects with the steady stream of urban development in the past 10 years which had given Cebu its "boomtown" image.

With an international airport linking the city to major cities worldwide, first-class hotels and resorts that attract tourists and foreign investors, export processing zones, international port and unlimited human resources, the island's economic scenario has the potential to make it into another Hong Kong or Taiwan.

Light metal engineering, plastics, packaging, food and furniture manufacturing plants as well as shopping and residential establishments like hotels are foreseen to be set-up in the area. With the new highway and reclamation project of 330 hectares the city hopes that be the turn of the century, Cebu will have a more sleek, modern and cosmopolitan with all the signs of a real bustling and booming metropolis. Cebuanos will be proud to call it their home; it will be a city for visitors to feel right at home.

DIVING SITES IN THE PHILIPPINES
Batangas

The world-renowned scuba diving paradise in Batangas is located in Balayan Bay in Anilao, Mabini town. Balayan Bay is considered the birthplace of scuba diving in the country because it was the first area to be developed as a scuba diving destination. Fish and corals are plentiful and varied in the area. Just 130 kilometers south of Manila, there are at least 20 reasons why Balayan Bay in Anilao is a scuba diving attraction: over 20 dive sites within 30 minutes by boat give it an irresistible pull. Some of the area's dive sited include Ligpo Island, Cathedral, Mianit, Caban Cover, Layag-Layag Point, Layag-Layag Reef (Bahura), Sombrero Island, Sepik, Mapating Rock, Papaya Point, Culebra Island and Malahibong Manok Island, Matoko, Verde Island, and Maricaban.

Bohol

Bohol has Cabilao Island, Panglao Island and Balicasag Island. Cabilao has hammerhead sharks, tunas, dolphins, groupers and mackerel. Panglao's water is crystal-clear with visibility of up to 100 feet. Near the cliffs are schools of tuna, mackerel and surgeon fish. At 90-100 feet are big snappers, groupers and black-tip sharks. There are also schools of dolphins and pilot whales. balicasag has a thriving fish community where jacks, barracudas and mackerels are found. The submarine cliffs are indented with caves and overhangs where groupers, napoleon wrasses and snappers hide.

Cebu

Dive sites in Mactan Island, Olango Island Group and Moalboal are so many to select from. If you don't want to go far, the Maribago area in Mactan Island offers coral reef and black coral garden in deep water. The Olango Island Group across Hilutangan Channel opposite Mactan Island has beautiful coral gardens and a thriving fish community. But strong currents often cause some danger. Moalboal is located some 90 kilometers south of Cebu City. In the area, you can go to Pescador Island, Panagsama Beach, Sa-avedra/Bas Diot, Tapanan/Tongo Point, Badian Island, Capitancillo Islet, Bantayan Island and Gato Islet.

COCKFIGHTING: RP'S KING OF COUNTRYSIDE SPORTS!

The crowd roared as a white rooster stood over a red and black bird and killed it with a blow from a razor-sharp blade strapped to its leg.

The referee held both roosters up. The white cock pecked twice at the red chicken's lifeless body and up in the stands, money changed hands.

Cockfighting is the king of sports in the Philippine countryside, with tens of thousands of cockpits scattered across the nation's 7,100 islands doing brisk business every Sunday.

"It's like a fiesta. It has to be the most popular sport in this country," said Freddie Yulo, a sugar planter in the town of Binalbagan on the central island of Negros. It was his white rooster, "Sunshine," which had won.

It is the betting that that draws the crowds and the bets are made through intricate hand signals in the pentagon-shaped cockpit arena.

In a four-cock derby, each participant fields four roosters. winning a fight earns 1 point and whoever has the most points at the end of the day takes the grand prize, which reached a record P7 million ($254,500) in the central city of Cebu last year.

"The betting is tremendous," said Felix Yusay, a hotel manager who breeds roosters part-time.

The arena erupts in a cacophony as the audience begins placing bets on the next fight. Odds can swing quickly and the favored rooster can easily become the underdog.

Outside the pit, the smell of greasy grilled chicken competed with smells from an open-air toilet.

Roosters raised for kamikase-like courage are imported from the United States and bred to be heavily built around the wings while remaining light on their feet.

They put cheese and apples in their dishes, said Yusay, adding some are fed better than the children of their owners.

The formula to produce winning roosters is simple, he said. Good breed, good conditioning, good placing of knife. All that must come together. A lot of people believe winners breed winners.

In a tree-lined grove on the farm of congressman Mariano Yulo and his three brothers in near by Hinigaran town, tents stretched for nearly a mile (1.6 km) around which gamecocks stood at attention. Mariano Yulo is Freddie Yulo's uncle.

The island of Negros, which takes pride in being the home of the country's sugar barons, is also the top breeding place for gamecocks. The top six breeders in the country all live on the island, said those involved in the fighting. This is the chicken center of the country, Yulo said, adding that each specially bred fighting cock can cost P3,000 to P5,000 ($110-$180).

Mariano Yulo said he was introduced to cockfighting by a younger brother and is now an avid fan who loves the festive atmosphere around the pit. "I have been in cockfighting for the past 25 years. This is excellent public exposure," he said of the farmers and businessmen in the arena.

He fidgeted during the first of his rooster's turn in the derby in Binalbagan. The cock was named MMY after his initials. It was wounded early in the battle striking back in a flurry of feathers to kill the other rooster.

"I thought for a while I would lose. I bet P2,000 ($72) on my rooster," he said with a laugh.

One fan counted his remaining money closely for the long afternoon of fights still ahead. "I bet until the money runs out," he said.

SOUTH SEA PEARLS
by M.M.M. Ramos

Unlike diamonds and other precious stones, which are produced by volcanic eruptions or compressions in the earth's crust, the pearl is the only gem produced by a living organism. The South Sea pearl is a glimmering, lustrous object from the sea that seems to embody the glow of the full moon.

In the Philippines, the Sulu Sea is the cradle of this lustrous gem. In its raw state, this beauty is found more than 40 meters below the surface in the oyster beds of the waters around Jolo, Zamboanga, Tawi-Tawi and Davao. Badjaos, the sea gypsies who spend most of their lives in or on the water, use crude swimming gadgets such as wooden-framed goggles, a stone as a ballast and rope as a lifeline when they dive for the oysters. The live oysters are bought to the pearl farms, where they are nursed for a year to adjust to the new environment. Once the Molluscs are in the right physiological condition, pearl technicians then perform the grafting -- impregnating the oysters with a nucleus made by freshwater mussels found only in the Mississippi River. The oysters nuture the pearls for years. Each pearl takes three years to form. However, the length of time does not guarantee the quality of the pearl. Each piece remains a mystery until it is out of the shell. Colors are white-gold, cream, pale blue, silvery grey, champagne, black, grayish, bluish, and peacock-green. Shapes are round, oval, button, pear, circled or girdled and baroque. size usually run between 11mm to 16mm ; baroques reach up to 40mm. Pearls have their orient -- the light that penetrates and bounces back to the outside; and luster, or radiance. A pearl with a flawless skin that emits a "glow" and really shines commands a big price.

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