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“The rattan basket criticizes the palm leaf basket, still both are full of holes.”
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PROUD AKO
The Filipino’s are proud and independence-loving
people with a rich cultural past deeply embedded in its people's present way of living and
are basically warm, friendly, intelligent, creative and humane. They excel in public relations work because, by nature,
they know how to entertain people. The
Filipino character is similar to the bamboo because it has flexibility, endurance, and harmony with nature. It bends
with the wind, but can survive a storm. Just like the bamboo, the Filipino nation goes along with the forces of nature
and politics. It copes with "fate" rather than fights against it.
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A person of Spanish descent born in the Philippines, is where the term "Filipino" originated. It was comparable to the "Creole" of the Spanish and French colonies in America. The meaning of the term
"Filipino" changed after the 18th century to apply to the Christianized Malays who constitute the bulk of the Philippine population.
Inhabiting the Philippines since the collapse of land bridges to the Asian mainland and Borneo, are a pygmy people, the aboriginal Aetas.
Migration of people of Malay and Polynesian
descent has come in waves with the present Filipinos, mainly descendants of Malay invaders,
divided according to language and religion.
The Visayans are one of the most important groups, numerically, who they live in the central
portion of the archipelago. The other numerically important group, the Tagalogs,
live in central Luzon.
The chief non-Malay groups are comprised of people of Spanish and Chinese descent.
Tribes of traditional warrior societies, the Moros were converted to Islam by
Arab missionaries in the 15th century. They live mainly in the southern portion
of the archipelago.
A small, but economically and politically important minority are a people of
mixed Filipino and Spanish or American ancestry, the Mestizos.
There is also a small number (about 1.5%) of Chinese who reside in the Philippines and they are also quite involved in business
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The people of South Cotabato
and the Filipino's in general, are among the most gracious in the world, you can experience their genuine hospitality during
your stay, the Filipino character is a bit of all the cultures put together. Our guests, travelers and local people are a
mix of all cultures, backgrounds and religions, with more in common than differences.
The
Bayanihan or spirit of kinship and friendship that Filipino's are famous for is said to be taken from their Malay forefathers,
the close family relations are inherited form the Chinese, while the devotion comes from the Spaniards, who introduces Christianity
in the 16th century.
As well as the spoken and written language, Filipinos use various gestures and
signs:
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Come: The hand movements which mean "go away" in the west, means "come
here" in the Philippines
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Eyebrows : The brief raising of the eyebrows is generally meant positively.
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Hissing: One hisses to gain attention,
for example, when calling to staff in a restaurant, taxi, people etc.
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Fingers: Not use the thumb to indicate
number - (
you indicate two beers with the ringfinger and the little finger (DONT use your middle finger! you never know what happend/trouble)
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Pointing: It is not good
to point with fingers in the Philippines - you indicate discreetly by pointing pursed lips in the direction you want,
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Paying in a reastaurant: When you
want to pay a bill, look out for one waiters and draw a rectangel in the air with your index finger and thumb.
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Open their mouths: If filipinos
dont understand a question, they open their mouths.
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Filipinos are friendly people. They’re
courteous, hospitable nature is extended to all visitors except, of course, for those with bad intentions. On the other hand,
there are quite a few things that you should observe in order to experience the friendliness and warmth of the Filipinos.
Listed below are a few pointers on the dos and don'ts of the country's social etiquette:
- Don't get paranoid or annoyed if people
stare at you because they find you interesting and want to take a good look at you
- Don't be punctual if you are asked to attend
a social function. You would be considered a polite guest if you arrived at least 30 minutes later than the arranged time.
- Do greet the elderly if they are present
at any social function as a show of respect to them.
- Do taste a bit of the food being offered.
If you like it, don't forget to leave some food on the plate to show you've had a lot.
- Do remember to remove your shoes before
entering someone's home.
- Don't remain quiet in the company of Filipinos
unless you want to show them that you are unhappy, bored or dislike somebody's presence.
First time visitors to the Philippines may find some of the local customs disturbing. The following are a few:
Like most Asian cultures you will
see women walking hand in hand or with their arms around each other, and men touching each other in public. This has nothing
to do with their sexual orientation and everything to do with the "loving family" nature of these warm tropical people.
Filipinos are expressive talkers, incorporating eyes, mouth
and hands in their speech. In this way, depth and nuance are added to something that cannot be said or put into words. Corteous
language and gentle demeanor are the norm, exaggerated movements and boisterous speech are frowned upon and considered especially
by the elder generation as uncoth (walang modo). Direct eye contact is alway avoided since it is an aggressive stance and
regarded as offensive. Pointed or direct remarks are avoided, and sensitive topics are best left untouched. It
goes a long way when developing relationships with Filipinos.
Filipinos consider themselves as among the happiest people in the
world.
Results of regional surveys conducted by MTV-Asia, ACNielsen and
the Economist magazine have indicated that Filipinos are the happiest people in Asia.
In another survey (SWS, nov. 2001) 57% of those asked claimed they
were proud of their Filipino identity, only 9% said they were not proud and 1% claimed they were not proud at all. The following
qualities of the Filipinos are cited: God-centered, industrious, faithful, has convictions, responsible, peaceful and law
-abiding, and loving and caring.
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Barrio Fiesta, (Village Festival).
Experience the gaiety of a town celebration recaptured in lively music and dances, costumes, cockfights, bamboo lanterns,
and an array of native food served in true fiesta style - on banana leaves - and eaten in true fiesta spirit - kamayan style
(with bare hands). The fiesta is part and bundle of Filipino culture. Through good times and bad times, the fiesta must go on. Each city
and barrio has at least one local festival of its own, usually on the feast of its patron saint, so that there is always a
fiesta going on somewhere in the country.
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Having fun and giving people a memorable time,
sharing what they have and connecting with their guests. This is a communal spirit that holds
the Filipino people toghether, in good times and bad, and they extend
it to their visitors as well.
Seldom you will meet people so ready to smile,
joke, laugh and befriend travelers. If you believe that one of the most important travel experiences it to make friends and to learn about people, their
backgrounds, religions and homeland, besides relaxing and dwelling on
the beach, tour anciënt temples and visit historic museums, then the Philippines
is your destination, your country and the Filipinos are your people.
Filipinos are not only warm and friendly, but also and talented and gifted in singing and dancing. They are also known
for their mouthwatering native foods and delicacies. The blending of Chinese and Spanish food delicacies with local flavours,
and with abundance of fish and cruestaceans from surounding sea makes Filipino cuisine a unique dining experience.
Filipinos are fond of giving and attending parties. Any event can be an excuse
for having a small or big party - the baptism of an infant, a birthday, a daughter's debut, a wedding , or an engagement.
Even a promotion in a job, passing a government exam, getting one's first paycheck or recovery from illness is enough reason
to give a party.
Filipinos
also extend the circle of social alliances with friendship. Friendship often is placed on a par with kinship as the most central
of Filipino relationships. Certainly ties among those within one's group of friends are an important factor in the development
of personal alliance systems. Here, as in other categories, a willingness to help one another provides the prime rationale
for the relationship.
The Filipino's are divided geographically and culturally into regions,
tribal communities can be found across the archipelago. There are more than 111 dialects spoken, owing to the subdivisions
of these basic regional and cultural groups, the country is marked by a true blend of cultures, in the Philippines East meet
West.
Hospitality is a common denominator in the Filipino character
and a trait displayed by every Filipino and this makes these people legendary in South East Asia, seldom you can find such
hospitable people who really enjoy the company of their Western visitors.
Filipinos on the whole are very friendly and open toward foreigners. Actually, there is no country in Southeast
Asia where foreigners are so well accepted as in the
Philippines. In everyday life, the Filipinos tend to rate foreigners over themselves. Philippine
hospitality is uncomplicated. At times, Filipino hospitality may lack the refinements of a long cultural tradition. But definitely,
hospitality is a primary and mandatory custom. Their smile is not politely distant, but spontaneous and from the heart.
Halo-Halo is a Filipino word that means mixture, it is also
the name of a popular dessert, it really describes the Filipino people. They look like Asians, worship like Spaniards, speak
and write English like Americans and have an outlook that is international. Their warmth, graciousness
and hospitality will make your stay a delight.
The people of South Cotabato have diverse
heritages. Ilonggos from Panay and Negros
in the Visayas settled the municipalities of Norala, Banga, Surallah, Sto. Niño and the province's capital, Koronadal, and
the Visayan dialects of Hiligaynon and Kiniray-a are the province's major communication medium. On the other hand, people
from the Ilocano speaking regions of Luzon settled in Tampakan, Tantangan and Tupi, and the Ilocano
dialects may still be heard spoken in these towns. The Visayan dialect of Cebuano is also the main dialect of the municipalities
of Tupi and Polomolok, which are near to Cebuano-speaking General Santos City.
The Maguindanao tribe is the major Muslim Filipino tribe in the province. Although many of
them still wear their traditional costumes and practice their native customs, others have come to adapt the more liberal practices
of their Christian neighbors such as wearing shorts and sleeveless shirts, eschewing the use of the headscarf, and attending
dances/mixed gatherings. Other indigenous Filipino tribes are the T'boli and B'laan tribes in Lake Sebu and T'boli municipalities, famous for their brassworks, beadwork
and t'nalak weave. The people of these tribes wear colorful embroidered native costumes and beadwork accessories. The women
of these tribes, particularly, wear heavy brass belts with brass 'tassels' ending in tiny brass bells that herald their approach
even when they are a long way off.
The people of South Cotabato still retain
many of the practices and traditions of their particular tribal heritages, although infused with a flavor that is distinctly
Mindanaoan and the product of cultural interaction between the immigrants and the indigenous peoples of the area. One vivid
example of this is the predominant use of the native 'malong', the colorful, tubelike garment used as a skirt by the indigenous
tribes, in place of a blanket or sleeping bag.
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The warmth and hospitality of Filipinos are known throughout the world.
Guests are plied with food and drinks, and often, a place in the host's own home. It may be generosity to a fault, but there
is nothing more pleasing to Filipinos than knowing that their guest is never wanting for anything.
Resilient and optimistic in the face of adversity, Filipinos are spontaneous
and convivial in their celebration of life, best exemplified in festivals and fiëstas.
Filipinos are generally superstitious people. This may be due to the fact that before Christianity
was introduced, the ancestors of the people believed in the powers of nature, and this belief was not totally vanquished by
the church. Filipinos still adhere to numerous widely-held folk beliefs that have no scientific or logical basis. To this
day, some are still practiced primarily because of "there's nothing to lose if we comply" attitude.
Filipinos have many superstitions, such as beliefs pertaining to weather, food,
and people among other things. Some of those are:
SUPERSTITIONS
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Whatever
you do on New Year's Eve , is what you will do for the rest of the year. Need eat the fruits with the rice and viand (One must eat fruits with the rice and meat)
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If
one marries a woman with black under the eyes will fast be widowed.(If you marry a woman with dark eyebags, she will surely
be a widow)
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To prevent evil in a new home, you must kill a chicken or another animal before you move into the house.
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At midnight on New Year's Eve, the family should have food on the
table to ensure an abundance of food throughout the year.
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When walking one person in field, and person finds one mound, what must be done is don't touch it , avoid because it
may be house of person earth. If there is no chance of avoiding it, say you "please excuse my passing by."
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On
New Year's, open window, doors, cabinets, and put food, round food, out on the table.
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Turn your plate when there is leaving, (Always turn your plates around when someone is leaving)
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Wearing polka dots on New Year's Eve brings lots of money in your pocket.
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No get the food of the pregnant; cause sleep (Don't take food from a pregnant
woman; or you will be sleepy)
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When
opening the umbrella inside the house, out come the insects, (If one opens an umbrella inside the house, insects that bite
will come out).
FILIPINO
Throughout the colonial era, the term "Filipino" originally referred to Spaniards born in
the Philippines, also known as insulares, criollos or español filipino. This distinguished them from Spaniards born in Europe
who were known as peninsulares. By the late 19th century, the term Filipino began to widely refer to the indigenous population
of the Philippines. According to journalist Ambeth Ocampo, José Rizal was the first to do this.
Today, Filipino is also used to signify the nationality and citizenship of one who is from
the Philippines. This means that not only indigenous Filipinos are included but also others foreign ethnic groups such as
the Chinese.
Colloquially, Filipinos may refer to themselves as Pinoy (feminine: Pinay). The word was coined by expatriate Filipino Americans during the 1920s and was later adopted by Filipinos
in the Philippines. Another term for Filipinos is Flip. This term also has its origins in the 1920s and may be considered
offensive by some Filipinos due to its derogatory connotations and murky origins. Some Filipinos also call themselves Noypi.
It is by interchanging the letters in Pinoy.
The Filipino character is also distinct through the people's spirit of kinship and camaraderie
and the sense of close family relations. Filipino characters may vary from one region to another. The Northern people or the
people from Luzon are noted for their industriousness. Visayans or the people
from the Visayas region are carefree and fun-loving while those from Mindanao are proud and brave people.
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MYMP, Nakapagtataka
M.Y.M.P. (Make Your Momma Proud), is one of the fave acoustic acts in the country today. The band plays smooth soothing
renditions, that would surely heighten your appetite for good acoustic music. The edge of M.Y.M.P. from others who joined
the acoustic movement is their passion to create music, which is audible and high quality and the honesty in every performance.
Other than that, they can actually perform solo. Juris with her effortless soprano voice makes it all and Chin on guitars,
you'll never ask for anything else except to crave for more from this band.
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The Filipino Language
There are more than 100 different languages and dialects spoken in the Philippines. Tagalog is spoken by 15 million Filipinos, and English is understood
by 13 million. The ten major tongues are Tagalog, Cebuano, spoken in Cebu, Bohol, Negros Occidental, Eastern Leyte, and parts
of Mindanao; Hiligaynon spoken in Negros Occidental and the Panay provinces; Waray spoken in Samar and Western Leyte; Bikolano,
spoken in Bicol provinces; Kapampangan, spoken in Pampanga and Tarlac; Ilokano, spoken in Pangasinan, part of Tarlac, La Union
and the Ilocos provinces; Maguindanao, spoken in some of the Moslem regions; and Tausog, spoken by the Muslims of Zamboanga
and the Sulu archipelago. These languages are mainly of Malayo-Polynesian and Sanskrit origin, but many have assimilated words
from the Indian, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, and English languages.
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