The Philippines is an archipelago made up of 7,107 islands with only 2000 islands being inhabited while 2500 islands are still unnamed. It is made up of 80 provinces and 120 chartered cities, with Manila as the capital.
Perched on the Pacific Rim, Philippines is a country of many influences and myriad faces which is worth to explore. “Three centuries in a convent followed by 50 years in Hollywood”. Given the over three centuries of Spanish rule and 48 years of American government, it is not surprising when a Filipino seems more Latin then Asian. Nearly everything belonging to the first settlers has preserved, including the language and culture.
Climate
The Philippines is a tropical country with hot and dry climate. However, the Filipinos generally recognise 3 different seasons. The summer season (hot and dry climate) ranges from March to May, the rainy season from June to October and the cold season (dry and cooler climate) from November to February.
People
There are approximately 80 million inhabitants in this country. Half of the population lived in the Luzon region with about 12 million living in the greater metro Manila area. The people are basically of Malay descent, with evidence of Chinese, Spanish, Arab and American mix. It is represented by 111 linguistic, cultural and racial groups.
Languages
Official languages of the Filipinos are English and Philipino. At least 70 other dialects or languages are spoken. Eight of the major dialects include Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango and Pangasinan.
The primary religion is Christianity. About 83% of the people are Roman Catholic, 9% Protestant, 5% Muslim and 3% Buddhist or other religions.
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The Philippines is separated into 3 main regions:
Luzon– The largest and northernmost island where capital Manila is located
Midanao– The second largest island
Visayas– The tightly-packed islands in the centre
Visayas
It is the most popularly known islands among tourists. Visayas comprises of 7 major islands and is being divided into Eastern, Central and Western Visayas. Eastern Visayas made up of Samar and Leyte islands. Central Visayas made up of Cebu and Bohol islands. Western Visayas made up of Negros, Panay and Masbate. The most visited islands in the Visayas are Cebu and Boracay (tip of Panay).
Cebuis the oldest city in the island. It is also the commercial and education centre of the Visayas as well as the hub of air and sea travel throughout the south. Cebu offers visitors plenty to see, such as the oldest street in Philippines, oldest fortress in the country and pristine rainforests that haven become a haven for wildlife.
However, due to overwhelming industrial growth, the unique blend of ancestral heritage has propelled to international recognition, in another words, being commodified.
Boracay, an island in the northwest tip of Panay is a paradise for many sun-worshippers from all over the world. Shaped like a butterfly drawn in powder-fine white sand, Boracay has become a fabled paradise for both budget and posh resort travellers. Very often, it is describe as the best beach in the world.
However, as Boracay gets an increasing number of visitors coming in, the resorts, restaurants and bars that had sprung up in hasty competition to serve the hordes of tourists were recently found to have been dumping their sewage into the sea.
Midanao
Being known as a land of superlatives, it is second largest area in Philippines. It is grouped into the southern and central Mindanao, Northern Mindanao and Caraga, and the Zamboanga and The Sulu Islands.
Southern and central Mindanaoin which the region is an absorbing mix of yesterday and today, from primitive handicrafts to internet cafes, endangered species to modern resorts, fundamentalist revolutionaries to international industries.
Northern Mindanao and Caragais a region of mixed cultures which offers a hoard of natural treasures, plus the contrasting pleasures of simple, remote communities and busy, industrialized cities.
Zamboanga and The Sulu Islandsis Mindanao’s southwester tip and is a rich cultural mosaic. They have a variety of indigenous peoples who shares its wealth of fertile agricultural land and the bounty of its seas.
Luzon
Luzon, which is the largest island in the archipelago, occupies 35% of the nation’s total land area and half of its population. One of the key cities, also the capital of the country, Manila, is situated in the Luzon region as well. Luzon region is then further divided into the Ilocos region, Northeast Luzon, Central Cordillera, Bicol Peninsula and the rest of the untouched islands.
Manila, which is the most cosmopolitan area in the whole of Philippines actually still consist of an area, known as Manila’s Environs, south of Manila, which is still rich in culture and traditions. Manila is a city where the conservative ‘Old world’ influences is melded with the ‘New world’ trends, without losing its most ancient traditions.
Palawan in The Philippines
Palawan is an elongated island province that lies on the southwest corner of the Philippine archipelago. Palawan is the most well preserved major island group in the Philippines.The rain forest, caves, coral reefs, mangroves, beaches and clear blue waters are its best assets.Palawan is also known to have one of the most beautiful seascapes in the world.
It is being divided into Northern Palawan and Southern Palawan. Puerto Princesa is the environmentally progressive, sprawling capital of Palawan and is an excellent base for exploring the beaches, bays, caves and jungles at the centre of the island. It has also gained the distinction of being a model city and an ecotourism haven.
Attractions or places which are worth visiting in Palawan include:
El Nido– A place with crystal clear waters, wonderful dive sports and many world class resorts. It is noted for its over expensive and edible birds’ nests that is harvested on majestic limestone.
Honda Bay– The cleared waters, fine sand beach which offers the panoramic view that would definitely leave a lingering impression
Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park– It is a UNESCO World heritage site known for its beauty and richness of marine life. It has pristine waters, lagoons, a line of extinct underwater volcanoes and two coral islands with a magnificent 100 metre perpendicular wall. It is also being voted as one of the ‘New seven wonders of the world’.
Manila is The Philippines capital and is located on the western side of Luzon Island. The city is one of the most populated cities in the Philippines and is home to more than 14 million people.
The city of Manila was known by different names. The city was known for its trading since the 13th century, having an established and well organised flourishing civilization and also was known as Gintu which translated into ‘Land of Gold’. The name of the city was derived from the Tagalog phrase ‘may nila’ which means ‘there is nila’ as Nila, which is a plant that grew on the shores of the nearby bay and was used for soap making.
The Philippines was colonized by Spain for over three hundred years, occupied by the British for brief two years and Japanese and Americans for a short period of time. It was only until 1946 when Philippines gained its independence. This is why Manila is a huge city with varied culture and heritage.
The official Manila language is Filipino. Some people believe Filipino to be a mixture of all the Philippines languages, dialects, English and Spanish. But actually, Filipino is another name for Tagalog – one of the indigenous languages.
Taglog is one language which is formed by English, Arabic, Old Malay, Chinese, Tamil, Sanskrit and Japanese. It also has close association with languages like Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Bikol and Waray-waray. As it is a Malayo-polynesian language, it is also related to other Austronesia languages like Tetum, Hawaiian, Malay, Samoan, Paiwan, Chamorro, Fijian, Tahitian, Indonesian and Malagasy.
Back in 1937, the First National Assembly selected Tagalog as the national language. Later in 1961 Tagalog was called Philipino and then in 1972 it was again renamed as Filipino.
People in Manila do not just speak Filipino. Some of them speak other languages such as Chinese, Spanish or English which can be counted as the second official language of Manila. Now in Manila, the people from the middle and upper class are bilingual and sometimes multilingual.
However, English is mainly spoken in government organisations, schools and during business transactions while Books are written in Tagalog. The national media of Philippines also used Tagalog as the principal language.
Manila, which is the prime and industrialized city in the Philippines, is popular with its highly outstanding colleges and universities that offer excellent quality education as well as affordable tuition fees. Some of these colleges and universities even offer extensive research programs and world class curriculums. Due to the presence of these educational institutions, most students from other regions of the country travel to the city to enrol in the prestigious university of the city. These colleges and universities also accept foreign students in search for outstanding academic performances.
In Philippines, the education system is made up of six years of elementary school, four years of secondary school and higher education like college and university. The first four years of elementary school are made compulsory for children.
Universities and collges in Metro Manila include:
University of the Phillipines Manila (UPM)
Ateneo Manila University
University of the Philippines (Quezon City)
University of Santo Tomas (Oldest university in Asia)
As The Philippines is a lively, vibrant and happy country, many festivals and events are celebrated. Therefore, almost every week in a year, there would be an event going on. They celebrate religious, cultural and historical events. Some of the major events and festivals are stated below.
Religious Festivals & Events
Due to colonization by the Spanish, it causes a formation of a major religion group – Roman Catholic. This is the reason why most of the festivals celebrated at Manila are usually related to Catholicism.
Feast of the Black Nazarene
This is the most famous of all Manila festivals. It is celebrated on 9th of January each year. The life size image of the Black Nazarene shows a ‘black’ Jesus Christ carrying a cross and this image is brought out in procession on its feast day and Good Friday. Black Nazarene is also known as the patron saint of Quiapo.
The statue was brought to Manila by a Spanish priest in 1607 aboard a ship. The ship caught fire, burning the image and thus came to be known as the Black Nazarene. Though the image was burnt, the people decided to preserve and honour it. Since then, miraculous things have been reported to those who touch the image.
Every year, thousands of devotees from all walks of life go to the district of Quiapo to take part in the procession as a way of strengthening their faith or fulfilling their vow to Lord.
The devotion to the Black Nazarene is long time practice of the Filipino Catholics and they believe that through their faith with Jesus Christ, there will be peace and harmony among families, long life and good health among people, deliverance from all calamities and disasters, and prosperity, joy and love among nations.
Feast of the Sto. Nino
This is celebrated on the third Sunday of January every year. This event is centred on the district of Tondo, Manila where replicas of the Sto. Nino or “Little Child” are huddled together in various costumes atop a flowery float and paraded around selected streets in Tondo. Sto. Nino is considered as a representation of the ‘Infant Jesus’. This colourful festival fills the streets with dancers, tots, teens, and senior citizens, in bright costumes depicting clothes in early Hispanic times.
Grand Marian Feast
This is a religious Manila Festival devoted to the Virgin Mary. The widest array of different Marian statues displayed on flowery and brightly lit floats. The floats are intricately designed and paraded around the streets of Intramuros. Thousands of Marian devotees from around the country attend to see this event.
The celebration is supposed to fall on the birth date of the Virgin Mary as announced by the Roman Catholic Church. The parade starts from the Manila Cathedral, goes around the Walled City, and ends up also in the same cathedral.
Bailes De Los Arcos
Bailes De Los Arcos or “Dance of the Archs” is a traditional event passed on from generation to generation. It is a feast dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, and the "Virgen" Dela Rosa for her kindness. Daughters of devotees are required to carry on the tradition when they reach their teen years. Bailes De Los Arcos focused on young women trained to perform a peculiar dance for a year and then dedicate it to the saints. It is a colourful religious dancing event where devotees offer a pledged ritual in return for favours asked from the saints.
Cultural Festivals & Events
Buling-Buling in Pandacan
January of each year is the month of Buling-Buling in Pandacan, Manila. Among Manila Festivals which centred on cultural dances, this event is highlighted by dance performances on the community stage depicting the hospitality of Manila folks since early times up to the present. Buling-Buling is now the official cultural dance of Manila.
Historical Festivals & Events
Manila’s Chinese New Year
This is also known as Manila’s Liberation Day. Every 3rd day of February, a historic event is celebrated in Manila. Among historical Manila festivals, the event highlights the important decision of General Douglas MacArthur to prioritize the liberation of Manila over that of Formosa in World War II. Hence, in 3rd February 1945 Manila was liberated by American Forces from the Japanese. However, this event is observed with simple ceremonies.
Manila Day
Every June 24, Manila Day is celebrated with special ceremonies and programs at the Luneta Park and Manila City Hall. Also among historical Manila festivals, it is declared a holiday in the city.
Manila festivals allow people to celebrate their religious, cultural, and historical triumphs. A visit to these islands is more enriched sharing in these traditions.
Manila Independence Day
June 12, 1898, is a glorious date in the history of the Filipino people. On this day, President Emilio F. Aguinaldo proclaimed the freedom of the Filipino people. The Philippine national flag was hoisted and the country’s national anthem was played. We yearly celebrate Philippine Independence Day to bring to the awareness of our people that freedom is a most precious right.
Summary of the Festival and Events happening all year round in Manila:
INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINES
Thursday, December 9, 2010, 11:00 PM
