headstart for the philippines

8/6/2019 Headstart for the Philippines

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HEADSTARTFOR THEPHILIPPINES

t : c .iCULTURAL NOTES

FIRST EDITIONFEBRUARY 1985

DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTEFOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER


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ACKNOWLEDGMENTPhotographs provided by the Northern

California Philippine Ministry of Tourism, SanFrancisco, CA.

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SOUTH

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8ATANC5 PROVo i"-~ATAN IS.

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LUZONPACIFIC

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SULU SEAMINDANAO

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Republic of the Philippinesiv


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GEOGRAPHYA few degrees above the equator and severalhundred miles from the Asian mainland, the Phil-ippines lie scattered north to south for a thou-sand miles and east to west for seven hundred.Eleven of the more than 7,107 islands andislets, only 700 inhabited, account for 96 per-cent of the land. The islands of the archipel-ago fall into three groups. The northernmostincludes Mindoro and Luzon. Luzon, where Manilais located, is the center of government and themost heavily populated and industrialized sec-tion of the country. The eight central islandsof the Visayan group--Samar, Leyte, Cebu, Bohol,Negros, Panay, Masbate and Palawan--are secondin development. To the south lie Sulu and Min-danao with vast but relatively unexploited agri-cultural and mineral potential.The terrain offers great contrasts. On thelarger islands, the narrow coastal lowlands riseinto mountain ranges and peaks. The highest,Mount Apo (9,600 ft.), is in Mindanao. The fer-tile, rice-producing plain in Luzon is the mostimportant agricultural area in the country.Dense jungles in the interior and rich sugarfields along the coast characterize the Visayanislands. Twelve volcanoes are active, and anumber erupt periodically. The islands are sub-ject to occasional earthquakes violent enough tocause substantial material damage and loss oflife.

Climbers scale Mt. Apo, Davao, Mindanao.1


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CLIMATEThe entire archipelago lies within the tro-pics. Loose cotton clothing is worn year-round,since the mean temperature in the lowlands aver-

ages a humid 80 degrees. November through Feb-ruary brings pleasant weather when the days be-come clear and relatively mild. April and Mayare apt to be hot and dry. The wet season,caused by monsoons, lasts from June to October.Every year an average of 21 typhoons strikes,lashing the islands with torrential rains anddestructive winds.

A seascape at sunset.

PEOPLEThe Philippines, home to the fif'teenth lar-

gest population in the world, contains more than49 million people, descendants of Indonesiansand Malays; of Indians, Arabs, Chinese, Japanese,Europeans, and Americans. The mixed racial her-itage is predominately Malay, and the cultureessentially Southeast Asian with strong Spanishand American influences.Ninety percent of the population, dispersedthroughout the islands primarily in the lowlands,shares a common history and religion as well assimilar social and cultural traits. In general,

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Historytattoos identified with headhunting, a traditionthat died out only recently, and the 27 familiesof the Tasaday, a stone-age group in Mindanao,had their first contact with the outside worldin the 1970s.

T~e most significant ethnic minority-in thePhilippines is the Chinese, who first came to'the islands as trader$ in the ninth century.Many who chose to identify with Filipino cultureintermarried to produce the Chinese-Filipinomestizo, a mixture-that integrated fully intosociety. Those Chinese who remained unassimi-lated, that is racially and linguistically dis-tinct, have historically been subject to pre-judice and discrimination.Traditionally oriented towards business and

commerce, the Chinese owners of the popular sari-sari stores (general stores} controlled retarr-trade in the islands for years. Easy credit,hard work, and attention to business resultedalso in their domination of the rice and cornindustries. Today Chinese financial institu-tions constitute a major source of capital inthe islands.

HISTORYThe history of the Philippines falls intofour distinct phases: the pre-Spanish, theSpanish (152l-l898), the American (1898-1941)and the years since independence (1946-present).

Pre-Spanish PeriodThe first people in the Philippines, theNegritos, are believed to have come about 30,000years ago from Borneo and Sumatra across landbridges. Subsequently, successive waves ofpeople of Malay stock came from the south in

boats called barangays. The scattered communi-ties they settled were also called barangays andwere ruled by chieftains known as datus.Chinese merchants and traders arrived andsettled in the ninth century A.D. In the four-teenth century, Arabs arrived, introducing Islamin the South and extending some influence eveninto Luzon. The Malays, however, were the dom-inant group when the Spaniards arrived in thesixteenth century.

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HistorySpanish Period

Ferdinand Magellan claimed the Philippinesfor Spain in 1521, and for the next 377 yearsthe islands were under Spanish rule. This periodsaw conversion to Catholicism, and a colonialsystem developed with a strong centralized gov-ernment and considerable clerical influence.The Filipinos, restive under the Spanish, stagedmany unsuccessful uprisings, the most importantbeginning in 1896 under the leadership of EmilioAguinaldo.

Villas from the Spanish Colonial period are still in use today in Vigan, lIocos, theSpanish capital of the North.

American PeriodIn 1898, following the destruction of theSpanish fleet in Manila Bay by Admiral Deweyduring the Spanish-American War, the UnitedStates occupied the Philippines. In that sameyear Spain ceded the islands to the United Statesunder the terms of the Treaty of Paris.The subsequent occupation by the Americansdisappointed Filipino nationalists, among themGeneral Emilio Aguinaldo, who proclaimed a Repub-lic of the Philippines on June 12, 1898. In 1899he directed the Philippine-American War. Theoccupying forces put down the rebellion, and in1901 Aguinaldo swore allegiance to the UnitedStates.From the first, U.S. administration of thePhilippines was declared temporary and had as

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History

its goal the development of institutions WhlChwould permit the eventual establishment of ademocratic government. Therefore, u . s . officialsconcentrated on creating practical supports ofdemocratic government such as public education,a civil service and a sound legal system. Phil-ippine participation in the legislative processeswas encouraged, and by 1916 the legislature waslargely in Filipino hands. Filipinos alsoassumed gradual control of the civil service,which they dominated by the end of World War I.When the Catholic Church separated from thestate, the government purchased and redistributedmuch of the church land.

In 1935 Manuel Quezon was elected presidentof a commonwealth government designed to 'preparethe country for independence after a lO-yeartransition period. World War II intervened, andin May 1942, Corregidor, the last Americanstronghold, fell. u . s . forces in the Philippinessurrendered to the Japanese, who occupied theislands until 1945.

A World-War-II cannon rusts on Corregidor Island.6


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History

Larger-than-life statues on Red Beach, Palo, Leyte, commemorate the landing ofGeneral MacArthur and his forces ..

Th~ American ~emorial Cemetery in Makati, burial ground of 17,000men who felldunng the war In the Pacific.

As a result of the Japanese occupation, theguerilla warfare which followed, and the battlesleading to liberation, the country suffered greatphysical damage and a complete organizationalbreakdown. Despite this, the United States andthe Philippines decided to move forward withplans for independence. On July 4, 1946, thePhilippine Islands became the independent Repub-lic of the Philippines.7


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several Islamic governments, to achieve auton-omous status for the Muslims of Mindanao andadjacent islands. The other insurgent group,the small but growing Maoist-oriented CommunistNew People's Army, is scattered throughout thenation's rural areas. Urban terrorist gr~ups,which first appeared in 1979, are comprised ofdifferent factions, some from the middle class.They seek radical but essentially non-communistchange .

LANGUAGEFilipinos speak eight major indigenous lan-guages, all within the Malayo-Polynesian group.In order of the number of speakers, they are

Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano,.Ilongo, Bikolano,Waray-Waray,pampangan and Pangasinan. Each ofthe eight has a number of dialects: some dialectsof the same language are mutually unintelligible.The roots of many words are Sanskrit, and a feware Chinese and Arabic. All the languages pos-sessextensive literatures; the oldest and rich-est is that of Tagalog, the dialect of centraland southern Luzon.In an effort to promote national unity, thegovernment instituted Tagalog-based Pilipino asthe national language in 1939. (Pilipino, Eng-

lish and Spanish are the three official languagesof the Philippines.) Fifty-five percent of thepopulation speaks Pilipino, the primary languageof instruction in the schools, although English,Spanish and the local vernaculars are also man-datory.English is spoken by 45 percent of all Fili-pinos. It remains the most useful tongue forformal communication and is employed by profes-sionals, academics, government workers and busi-

nessmen.Spanish, traditionally the language of theupper-middle class, is spoken today by fewer thanone million people, mostly members of the social

elite.The Philippines has one of the highest liter-acy rates in Asia. About 88 percent of the pop-ulation speaks, reads and writes at least one

language.

Language

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RELIGIONAs a result of nearly 400 years of Spanishrule, the Philippines is the only predominately

Christian nation in Asia.

The Holy Cross ofWawa, mounted on a flower-decorated barge, floats down the8acaue River during festival time.Eighty-three percent of the population isRoman Catholic, and the Church influences everyaspect of social and political life. Most Fili-pinos adhere to a religion that is a blend ofold--folk tales and witches--and new--saints andthe Virgin. Each town and neighborhood (barrio)has a patron saint whose day is celebrated accord-ing to local custom and tradition.Several native churches account for about6 percent of total church membership. Theseinclude the Aglipayan Church, propounding anationalistic and unitarian doctrine, and theauthoritarian, highly political Iglesia ni Kristo.Islam, introduced by Arab traders and mis-sionaries into the South nearly 200 years beforeChristianity, remains confined primarily to Min-

danao and the Sulu Archipelago. Under Islamicinfluence, the close-knit community, comprisingabout 5 percent of the population, has preservedalmost intact its prehispanic values and culturalinstitutions.About 3 percent of all Filipinos are Protes-tant. A large number of prominent local andnational figures are members of the more than200 Protestant denominations introduced duringthe u.S. colonial period.

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FAMILY LIFEThe typical Filipino family lives in a ruralarea in a wood house with a galvanized metal roof.A single light bulb illuminates the two or threesimply furnished rooms; water is carried from a

public well. Chickens and perhaps a water buf-falo (carabao) occupy the surrounding area whererice is pounded and cleaned.Within the warm and affectionate family, com-posed of parents, their children and one or twograndparents, most authority is vested in-thefather. The wife, who controls the purse strings,serves her husband and children. Grandparentscompete in pampering their grandchildren andreceive deference in return. Taught conformanceand obedience at a young age, children performassigned tasks responsibly. The family cele-

brates social events, usually birthdays, weddingsand similar occasions, with feasting, singingand dancing in the household or barrio. Becausesocial mobility is realized through education,members make great sacrifices to keep a child inschool.

A carabao-powered mill.11


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The Filipina

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Filipinos maintain extended family ties ofvarying closeness with a hundred or more bloodrelatives, including third and fourth cousinsand in-laws and their families. Nonrelativeswho act as godparents or marriage sponsors alsoassume the status of family members. Relativesdepend on each other to grant support and pro-tection in times of sickness and misfortune, anda person in a position to offer a job or rendera service will undoubtedly favor a kinsman.Only about 10 percent of Filipino familiesbelong to the middle class, mostly urban, com-prised of government officials, professionalsand small entrepreneurs.Although Filipinos are often caught betweentraditional values and more modern ones associ-ated with social change, the family continues to

provide great personal security and to act asthe repository of sentiment and custom.

THE FILIPINACustomary law granted the Filipina of theMalay barangay rights equal to those of men.Women owned and inherited property, engaged intrade and industry, and in the 'absence of a maleheir succeeded to the chieftainship. As a token

of their deep respect, men walked behind thewomen.The colonial Filipina, in conformance withthe Spanish concept of refinement, developedqualities of shyness and diffidence. With thecoming of the American administrators, manyattended universities to become doctors, gover-nors, newspaper editors and corporate presidents.Subsequently the tragedy of World War II strength-ened feminine self-reliance. Throuqhout all herendeavors, the Filipina never lost sight of her

primary concern as wife and mother.Today women continue to exert influence inthe home and marketplace. Under the existinglaws of the country, however, a Filipina cannotdraw up a contract without her husband's consentand, should a couple separate, the wife isentitled to a smaller tax exemption than is herspouse. Few women serving in the armed forces ofthe Philippines have as yet been commissioned inthe higher ranks.


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The Filipina

A beauty queen, Reina Elena, bears a cross in the Festival of Santa Cruz de Mayo.

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Hundreds of years of diverse cultures, mixedracial strains and conflicting social demandsh~ve produced a resourceful and physically beau-t1ful woman, frequent winner of Miss Universeand other international beauty contests.

The best way to meet a Filipina is, of course,through a Filipino friend. On first impression,she may appear direct to the poin~ of outspoken-ness. An appropriate masculine response to such,forthrightness is honesty in turn and a respect-ful attitude. Another effective way to break theice and create a sense of ease is to show a sin-cere interest in Philippine culture. Spendingtime with a Filipina mean~ becoming involved withher social circle and relaxing with her family.At the proper time, declare friendship or moreby giving her flowers, or better yet, by givingboth her and her mother flowers.

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COURTESY AND CUSTOMFilipinos, who live up to their well-deservedreputation for hospitality, often go into debt to

entertain others. Many islanders unconditionallyopen their hearts and homes to friends.Although individuals of other cultures recog-nize and extend similar courtesies to some degree,foreign visitors with different cultural outlooksmay inadvertently act contrary to their Filipinohost's expectations. Misunderstanding may beavoided by recognizing some underlying assump-tions of Filipino attitudes.Traditional values that guide Filipino be-havior emphasize obligation and gratitude, sen-

sitivity to insults and reluctance to act in waysthat might offend others. Those who performsocially unacceptable acts are sUbject to anintense sense of shame.Utang na loob refers to the debt of gratitudeincurred when one person aids another. In Fili-pino society, especially rural, personal securityrests on the assurance that people will help eachother. A gift is usually presented with noagreed-upon form of repayment. Acceptance indi-cates the receiver's willingness to reciprocate:rejection implies severance of ties with thegiver. Upon reimbursement, the original donorbecomes the debtor, and the cycle begins again.A recipient with limited means is not ex-pected to reciprocate as a matter of course, buthe must acknowledge his debt and maintain anattitude of obligation. A debtor who does notmake restitution when asked, though, is consid-ered ungrateful and socially irresponsible.Utang na loob aside, Filipinos also enjoy doingfavors without concern for repayment. Still,most islanders are embarrassed if unable to re-ciprocate when the occasion demands.Pakikisama is the art of smooth social trans-actions. Lack of courtesy or consideration isperceived as a challenge to personal honor (amorpropio). Allowing others their share of sel~esteem and dignity helps maintain social balanceand acceptance. Consequently, in order to pre-serve an agreeable social climate, Filipinosoften agree with the views of others that totallyoppose their own. However, maintaining harmonyin this way often makes it difficult to recognizewhether a bargain has been made or not, and if made,

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A beauty queen, Reina Elena, bears a cross in the Festival of Santa Cruz de Mayo.

Hundreds of years of diverse cultures, mixedracial strains and conflicting social demandsh~ve produced a resourceful and physically beau-t~ful woman, frequent winner of Miss Universeand other international beauty contests.

The Filipina

The best way to meet a Filipina is, of course,through a Filipino friend. On first impression,she may appear direct to the poin~ of outspoken-ness. An appropriate masculine response to such ".forthrightness is honesty in turn and a respect-ful attitude. Another effective way to break theice and create a sense of ease is to show a sin-cere interest in Philippine culture. Spendingtime with a Filipina mean~ becoming involved withher social circle and relaxing with her family.At the proper time, declare friendship or moreby giving her flowers, or better yet, by givingboth her and her mother flowers.

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COURTESY AND CUSTOMFilipinos, who live up to their well-deservedreputation for hospitality, often go into debt toentertain others. Many islanders unconditionallyopen their hearts and homes to friends.Although individuals of other cultures recog-nize and extend similar courtesies to some degree,foreign visitors with different cultural outlooksmay inadvertently act contrary to their Filipinohost's expectations. Misunderstanding may beavoided by recognizing some underlying assump-tions of Filipino attitudes.Traditional values that guide Filipino be-havior emphasize obligation and gratitude, sen-sitivity to insults and reluctance to act in waysthat might offend others. Those who perform

socially unacceptable acts are subject to anintense sense of shame.Utang na loob refers to the debt of gratitudeincurred when one person aids another. In Fili-pino society, especially rural, personal securityrests on the assurance that people will help eachother. A gift is usually presented with noagreed-upon form of repayment. Acceptance indi-cates the receiver's willingness to reciprocate;rejection implies severance of ties with thegiver. Upon reimbursement, the original donorbecomes the debtor, and the cycle begins again.A recipient with limited means is not ex-pected to reciprocate as a matter of course, buthe must acknowledge his debt and maintain anattitude of obligation. A debtor who does notmake restitution when asked, though, is consid-ered ungrateful and socially irresponsible.Utang na loob aside, Filipinos also enjoy doingfavors without concern for repayment. Still,most islanders are embarrassed if unable to re-ciprocate when the occasion demands.Pakikisama is the art of smooth social trans-actions. Lack of courtesy or consideration isperceived as a challenge to personal honor (arnorpropio). Allowing others their share of sel~esteem and dignity helps maintain social balanceand acceptance. Consequently, in order to pre-serve an agreeable social climate, Filipinosoften agree with the views of others that totallyoppose their own. However, maintaining harmonyin this way often makes it difficult to recognizewhether a bargain has been made or not, and if made,

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Arts

just what the exact terms are. Because of thisparticular difficulty in communication, Filipinosoften use middlemen to mediate agreements. Then,if negotiations fail, tensions are minimized be-cause the parties involved have had no contactwith each other. Take care not to violate paki-kisama by being critical or sarcastic or by play-ing practical jokes that embarrass individuals infront of others.Hiya, sensitivity to social propriety, con-cerns how one's actions appear to others. It ismanifest in the feelings of guilt, shame, alien-ation and inferiority that accompany the commis-sion of a socially unacceptable act. Accusing aperson of not having hiya is a strong insult,signifying that he does not know the differencebetween right and wrong.

The Cultural Center of the Philippines, showcase for the performing arts, alsohouses a museum, gallery and art library.

ARTSModern artistic expression in the Philippinesis grounded in the struggle to fashion a nationalculture from disparate heritages. NOw, as in thepast, sculpture, architecture, dance, literatureand other art forms reflect both local innovationand contact with outside traditions.

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Arts

A Spanish colonial church in Morong.

An American-stylebuilding.

A modern buildingcomplex in Makatiis built open to theair.

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Food and Restaurants

Aspects of daily life, for example, plantingand harvesting are acted out in the dance, stillan integral part of Philippine social life. Twowell-known troops, the Filipinescas and theBayanihan Company, perform ethnic works such asthe pantomime of the movements of a small wadingbird, the tinikling, and the kandigan, a Muslimwedding dance with East Indian influences.

Dramatic entertainments frequently performedin many languages throughout the islands are theSpanish-influenced moro-moro, which tells thestory of a Christian-Moorish love affair, and thezarzuela, a folk opera in three acts. A Tagalogserenade, the kundiman, was incorporated into thezarzuela to enliven the dramatic action.The nineteenth-century novels of Jose Rizal

are the masterpieces of Philippine literature.Interesting also as a social and historical doc-ument, his first novel, Noli Mi Tangere (TouchMe Not), exposes the excesses of the Spanish co-lonial period. The development of a nationalliterature initiated by Rizal's generation wasdisrupted when English became the primary lan-guage and the short story the most popular form.Then Tagalog gained, and at present still holds,adherents among journalists and writers.Strong nationalistic feelings continue toprovide stimulus to conserve traditional art forms

and to discover new ways of expressing Philippineidentity. In 1969, Mrs. Imelda Marcos, wife ofthe President, dedicated the Cultural Center ofthe Philippines in Manila. Supported both byprivate donations and government sponsorship, theCenter maintains cultural landmarks, encouragesthe performing arts and promotes and developsyoung artists.

FOOD AND RESTAURANTSFilipino cooking blends the cuisines of Chinaand Spain. Pancit molo, for example, is muchlike chow mein, and lumpia are smaller versionsof Chinese egg rolls. Leche flan, a sweet cus-tard dish, is typically Spanish, as is rellenongmanok, chicken stuffed with hard-boiled eggs,pork, sausages and spices.In one method of preparation, adobo, pork,chicken or fish is marinated in a mixture of soysauce, vinegar and garlic. Seafood such as

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Alcoholic Beveragesshr~mp, crab, lobster, lapu-Iapu and tuna, iscooked simply and quickly to preserve the naturalflavors. Numerous recipes call for the use ofone of the dozens of varieties of bananas; forexample, kare-kare combines peanut sauce, fermentedshrimp paste, banana heart and oxtail. Like-wise, the ubiquitous coconut enriches many dishes.Vegetables, many familiar to Americans, includecamote, a delicately flavored sweet potato. Thestaple of the Filipino meal is rice or, in someareas, corn, which may be eaten at all threemeals. Dessert often consists of succulent trop-ical fruit--sweet pineapples, mangoes, papayas,mangosteens and jackfruit. The cooling, semi-liquid halo-halo combines chopped fruit, shavedice, milk, ice cream, and sometimes sweet beans.

Filipino meals are not served in courses;rather, the whole meal, at room temperature, islaid out all at once.

Turo-turo counters, where food is displayedcafeteria style, feature a complete assortmentof native dishes. The diner can ask names andprices and choose individual items at his discre-tion.Restaurants in cosmopolitan Manila serveSpanish, Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese,Indonesian and Mexican food as well as Filipinospecialties.

Igorot tribesmen from the mountain provinces around BagDio prepare for a /echon(pig) roast.

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGESA domestic beer, San Miguel, is known inter-nationally for its fine, natural flavor. Widelydistributed throughout the islands, its alcoholiccontent varies depending on where it is sold.Cerveza Negra is a darker version of San Miguel.

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Sports

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Native alcoholic beverages include tuba (fer-mented coconut juice); basi (fermented sugar cane);kasuy (derived from cashew nuts); and the verypotent lambanog (distilled from fermented rice) First-class restaurants keep cellars amplystocked with Philippine, European and Americanwines.

SPORTSCockfighting, endemic to the Philippines longbefore the arrival of the Spaniards, is still themost popular sport in the islands. On every week-end and holiday aficionados converge with near-religious zeal on the cockpits (galleras) of thebarrios and towns. No program is ever drawn up.Betting, which is legal, is often conducted on

the honor system with participants expected toremember the odds of their transactions.

Two gamebirds engage in a fight to the death.

Cockfigh-ts (tupadas) are decided when one ofthe cocks, each with a double-bladed spur attachedto his claw, turns tailor is maimed to submission.The winning cock must then confirm his superiorityby pecking twice at the defeated bird. If thevictor refuses, the battle is ruled a draw.Other well-known native games are sipa, aform of volleyball played with the feet, andarnis, fencing with rattan staffs.Baseball games between universities are playedin Manila's Rizal Memorial Stadium. Basketball,volleyball, tennis, bowling, boxing and jai alaiare also favorite pastimes, and golf is gainingin popularity. The championship golf course atJohn Hay Air Base in Baguio is among the 50 courseslocated throughout the islands.


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Emilio Aguinaldo (1869-1964), patriot and political leader and Luis ManuelQuezon "(1878-1944),first president of the Republic of the' Philippines.HOLIDAYSNational

New Year's Day (January 1). Families tra-ditionally spend New Year's Eve at a midnightsupper. Bataan Day (April 9). This day commem-orates the 1942 fall of Bataan and the infamousDeath March. Labor Day (May 1). In a public ceremony,the president awards those who have contributedto the improvement of conditions for the working

person. Independence Day (June 12). Origip'a:.llycelebrated on July 4, the date the cou~~ry gainedits freedom from the United States i~ 1946. In-dependence Day was later changed co June 12, theanniversary of the severance of cies from Spain

in 1898. Philippine-American Friendship Day (July 4).Historic ties are reaffirmed by laying wreaths onthe graves of the World-War-II dead at the Amer-ican Memorial Cemetery in Manila. Jose Rizal Day (December 30). The novelsof Jose Rizal--physician, scientist and linguist--sparked the revolution against Spain. He wasmartyred by the Spanish in 1896. National Heroes' Day (November 30). ManyFilipino heroes and patriots are honored on thebirthday of Andres Bonifacio, founder of theKatipunan, an organization dedicated to the over-throw of Spanish authorities.

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Holidays

Religious

Patron Saints' Days. Fiestas held on feastdays of the patron saints of towns and barriosmix amusements and religious rituals Holy Week (Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday) This period is solemnized with fasting, prayers,passion plays and special services.

Dancers at the three-day-Iong Festival of Ati-Atihan in Kalibo, Aklan .

All Saints' Day (November 1). During theday Filipinos pay homage at family graves; atnight children play Halloween-type pranks.

Christmas (December 15 to January 6).Friends and relatives observe Christmas Day byexchanging gifts and blessings in a quiet butfestive manner.

Carabao pay tribute to their patron saint San Isidro during the Carabao Festival inBulacan province.

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Sightseeing

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More than 17,000 Americans who died in thePacific campaign in World War II are buried inthe American Memorial Cemetery atop a knolloverlooking Manila.

Across the bay lies the Bataan Peninsula, andat the mouth of the bay, Corregidor Island, wherethe Pacific War Memorial displays memorabilia ofWorld War II.

The Pines, oldest and best-known hotel in Baguio.

The most popular tourist spot outside Manilais the summer resort of Baguio City, a four-hourdrive over treacherous mountain roads. Pine-tree-covered mountains surround Camp John Hay, vaca-tion place of u . s . military personnel. A shortdistance north of Baguio are the Banaue Rice Ter-races, laboriously carved from the mountains thou-sands of years ago by Ifugao tribesmen.

The adventurous traveler will enjoy shootingthe boulder-strewn rapids in a dugout canoe atPagsanjan, where the river winds to PagsanjanFalls through 300-foot-deep gorges overgrown withferns, vines, orchids and begonias.


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A visit to Lake Taal, the water-filled craterof Taal Volcano with its protruding active cone,should include a sidetrip to Las Pinas to viewthe unique bamboo organ.

Santo Nino.

Artifacts of Spanish rule abound in Cebu City,the Philippine Islands' first settlement, on CebuIsland. Places of historical interest there ~n-clude the Taoist Temple, Magellan Cross and SanAgustin Basilica, repository of the republic'soldest religious relic, the image of Santo Nino.

Vacationers enjoy a white-sand beach in the Santa Cruz Islands.

Zamboanga on the western tip of Mindanaoserves as the gateway to the land of the Moros.Noted for seashells and unspoiled tropicalscenery, its other attractions include vintas,outriggers with rainbow-striped sails, and a tax-free, barter-trade market.

Sightseeing

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SHOPPINGMost Filipinos buy food every day at open-airmarkets. Supermarkets, which are more expensivealthough still reasonable by American standards,are confined to the larger cities. Department

stores that sell both local and foreign items arelocated throughout the islands.Handicraft stores offer particularly goodbuys in abaca* place mats, rugs and bags; rattanand bamboo furniture; shell craft; bronzeware;gold and silver jewelry; and the national cos-tumes for men (barong tagalog) and for women(terno), often sewn from shimmering pineapple-fiber cloth. Clothing and furniture of excellentworkmanship are made to order in a remarkablyshort time.For the economy-minded, markets and cottageindustry centers in provincial towns are excel-lent sources of local products at low cost.

An open-air market with displays of produce and crafts.

Often prices in markets and small/stores arenot fixed, and bargaining, carried out with asense of humor and fairness, is acceptable.Many shops offer discounts to military personnel.Business hours are from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.,Monday through Saturday. Some tourist shops arealso open on Sunday.

*Abaca, also called Manila hemp, is a fiber ob-tal.ned from the leafstalk of a banana native tothe Philippines.26


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Tricycles color-coded to different traffic zones transport passengersthrough theside streets of towns and cities.

TRANSPORTATIONComfortable, air-conditioned automobiles withdrivers may be hired for short or extended tripsat rent-a-car offices located in Manila and othercities. The islands have a limited number ofhighways, most surfaced with earth and gravel.Automobile travel is sometimes restricted duringthe rainy season.Taxis, hailed in the street or summoned by

telephone, ply the major routes in cities andsmall towns. On some islands horse-drawn car-riages replace taxis.The most popular form of transportation inthe cities, colorful, mobile-art jeepneys, carryfrom six to eleven passengers for a fixed fee.In the larger cities they follow establishedroutes.City buses, many air-conditioned, run onregular schedules.Intraisland ships connect the main ports ofthe islands. Passenger accommodations vary incomfort.Philippine Airlines offers flights to 41cities throughout the country. Fifteen inter-national airlines serve Manila from points allover the world.Light aircraft and helicopters are availablefor charter in Manila.

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DRIVINGThe land of continuous religious festivalsand a thousand species of orchids is also theland of defensive driving. Drivers unfamiliarwith the highway system--few paved roads or traf-fic lights and signs--should proceed witfi caution.When a breakdown occurs on the road, no road-side telephones are available for summoning help,nor does a car-towing system exist. Because gasstations are concentrated in urban areas and law-enforcement officials are few and far between,often the only hope for a stranded motorist is afriendly driver who stops to offer aid.Automobile owners in the Philippines are ex-pected to comply with well-defined procedures andregulations.

Register automobiles with the provincialgovernment. Purchase Philippine license plates. Obtain a Philippine driver's license. Buy compulsory automobile insurance. (In-surance requirements are explained at t.hecar-registration office.) Obey local traffic laws and speed limits. Be alert to unfamiliar dangers such ascarabao ambling across the highway. Report accidents to the nearest policestation immediately.

A highway near Manila.

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HEALTH

Manila's facilities are considered satis-factory to treat most medical and surgical prob-lems. Doctors and hospitals are listed i n theyellow pages of the telephone directory.

Makati Medical Center is the local hospitalmost often used by U.S. government personnel.Its emergency room offers prompt round-the-clockservice.Water in Manila and a few other designatedareas is safe for drinking. Outside these loca-tions boil or chemically treat public water.Also, take precautions before eating produce:peel, soak, scrub or cook fruit and vegetablesand make sure that fish and meat purchased inlocal markets is fresh.

Fish vendors and their customers.

Because the tropical environment is ener-vating and recovery from exercise may not occuras rapidly 3.S in a temperate climate, it is wiseto avoid overexertion. Serious burns may followeven relatively short exposure to the sun. Fre-quent cool showers, air-conditioned rooms andloose cotton clothing are the best defensesagainst skin rash.Skin infections are not unusual in the tro-pics. Immediately clean, disinfect and covereven the smallest wound.

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CURRENCYThe basic monetary unit in the Philippinesis the peso {denominations of 2, 5, 10, 20, 50and 100~hich is divided into 100 centavos(denominations of 5, 25, 50 and 100). -Exchange

rates usually fluctuate around ~7-ll to the u.s.dollar, but can go as high as ~10-15. Check thecurrent rate before making a trade.Most major credit cards are accepted. Com-mercial banks offer the highest rates for trav-eler's checks. Many hotels, restaurants andshops also cash traveler's checks but at lower

rates.

A two-peso note.

TELEPHONE SERVICEThe period for telephone installation rangesfrom six weeks to six months or more. Singlelines are almost impossible to obtain; most sub-scribers share with another party.Local service is frequently disrupted. Wheninstruments become worn or unusable, repairs maytake an inordinate amount of time.Telephone service between Manila and othermajor Philippine cities is not always dependable.

Most international calls must be placed only atcertain scheduled hours each day. Telephoneexchanges on military bases are open twenty-fourhours a day for international calls.The Military Affiliated Radio System (MARS)is an inexpensive way'of talking to friends andrelatives in the United States. The personreceiving the call, which is transmitted HAM-style, pays collect charges only from the WestCoast MARS receiving station.

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Bibliography

32

Farwell, George.Today. New York: Mask of Asia. The PhilippinesFrederick A. Praeger, 1966.Grossholtz, Jean. Politics in the Philippines.Boston: Little Brown and Company, 1964.Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philip-pines. Your Hospitality Guide to the Philippines.No city, no date.Ignacio, Melissa. The Philippines: RootsHeritage. San Jose: pilipino Developmentciates, Inc., 1977.Insight Guides. Philippines. Hong Kong:Productions, 1980.

of MyAsso-APA

Language and Interculture Research Center.People of the Philippines. Building Bridgesof Understanding. Provo: Brigham Young Univer-sity,1977.Lardizabal, Amparo and Tensuan-Leogardo, Feli-citas, eds. Readings on Philippine Culture andSocial Life. Manila: Rex Book Store, 1970.Macaraig, Serafin, ed. Philippine Social Life.Manila: Macaraig Publishing Company, Inc., 1956.Ministry of Tourism. Pasyalan GuidebooksuTravelguidebooks. Manila; no date.N~nce, John. ~he Land and People of the Philip-p~nes. Portra1ts of the Nations Series. Phil-adelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1977.National Media Production Center. The FiestaIslands: Festivals of the Philippines. Manila:no date.National Media Production Center. The Philip-pines Today. Vol. 2, No.2. Manila: no date.Ravenholt, Albert. The Philippines: A YoungRepublic on the Move. The Asia Library. Prince-ton: D. VanNostrand Company, Inc., 1962.Roland, Albert. The Philippines. New York:The Macmillan Company, 1967.Superintenden~ of Documents. PhilippinePostReport. Wash~ngton: U. S. Government PrintingOffice. January 1981.


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u. S. Embassy Women's Club. Sightseeing In andAround Manila. Manila Guide Series.Manila: 1967.Vreeland, Nena, et ale Area Handbook for thePhilippines. 2nd ed. Washington: U. S. ~overn-ment Printing Office, 1976.Zaide, Gregorio. Philippine History: Develop-ment of Our Nation. Manila: Bookman, Inc., 1969.

Periodicals"All About Asia's Latin Ladies." Off Duty:Welcome to the Philippines. Hong Kong: OffDuty Publications, no date, p. 8.National Media Production Center.pines. "The National Language."August 1974.

New Philip-Vol. 18, No.1,

"The Philippines." The New York Times, Section 11,June 1953.united States Department of State.Notes: Philippines. 'i-vashington:Public Affairs, August 1981.

BackgroundBureau of

Dictionaries and GrammarsDe Guzman, Maria Odulio. An English-Tagalogand Tagalog English Dictionary, revised 1982.Manila: G. O. T. Publishers, 3225 Nana Exten-sion. (First section contains a grammar outlineand special and idiomatic expressions)

Bibliography