The Filipinos

What Are Filipinos Like?

2011-07-01T19:38:00.001-07:00

Nothing is as difficult as self-appraisal and to answer question in the little of this article. I thought it best to start by asking it. With no particular pattern in mind, I asked a number of foreign friends to give me their impression of the Filipino. I was told that we are friendly, good-natured, loyal, idealistic, sentimental, socially gracious (even the lower classes), un willing to accept responsibility, lacking in self-reliance, less hard working than the Chinese, more intelligent than the Malay, imitative but less so than the Japanese religious but not so mystical as the Indians, and in general, the most adaptable of all the races in the Orient.

A Spaniard thought we were very like the Spanish: an American thought we were not American enough. A Frenchman remarked we were the only people in Asia with a sense of humor at least only ones who could laugh at themselves, which when one thinks of it, was probably the pretties compliment of all.

Source: Pari's Blog

Interesting Facts About Filipinos

2011-07-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

Founded in 1595 by Spaniards, the University of San Carlos in Cebu City, Philippines is older than Harvard and is the oldest university in Asia.

University of Santo Tomas in Manila, established in 1611, is Asia’s second oldest.

In the Philippines, Filipinos were introduced to the English language in 1762 by British invaders, not Americans. – What is the world’s 3rd largest English-speaking nation, next to the USA and the UK? The Philippines.

The USA bought the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Guam from Spain in 1898. The Filipino-American Independence War from 1898 to 1902 ensued, killing 4,234 Americans and how many Filipinos? 16,000 were killed in action and 200,000 died from famine and pestilence. (The Philippines lost and was colonized until 1946.)

Los Angeles, California was co-founded in 1781 by a Filipino named Antonio Miranda Rodriguez, along with 43 Latinos from Mexico sent by the Spanish government.

What antibiotic did Filipino doctor Abelardo Aguilar co-discover? Hint: Brand is Ilosone, named after Iloilo. Erythromycin.

The one-chip video camera was first made by Marc Loinaz, a Filipino inventor from New Jersey.

The first ever international Grandmaster from Asia was Eugenio Torre who won at the Chess Olympiad in Nice, France in 1974.

This son of two Filipino physicians scored over 700 on the verbal portion of the Standardized Achievement Test (SAT)before age 13

Kiwi Danao Camara of Punahou School, Hawaii… – Edward Sanchez, a Mensa member, bagged the grand prize in the first Philippine Search for Product Excellence in Information Technology.

Who was the Filipino-American dancer who scored a perfect 1600 on the SAT? Joyce Monteverde of California.

Who invented the fluorescent lamp? Thomas Edison discovered the electric light and the fluorescent lighting was thought up by Nikola Tesla. But the fluorescent lamp we use today was invented by Agapito Flores (a Cebu man named Benigno Flores of Bantayan Island, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer), a Filipino scientist.

Americans helped then-Philippine leader Ramon Magsaysay to develop it for worldwide commerce. – (Yes! Many foreigners have noted that the Filipino population has Asia’s highest rates of inventors and international beauty queens.)

Gin S. Quesada from Pozorrubio, Pangasinan owns 2 patents in his name along with 5 others. The AFP’s tactical transceivers were patented with the Bureau of Patents, Trademarks, and Technology Transfer.

Two Filipina beauties, Gloria Diaz and Margie Morgan, chosen as Miss Universe in 1969 and 1973.

Pure- or part-Filipino celebrities in American showbiz include Von Flores, Tia Carrere, Paolo Montalban, Lea Salonga, Ernie Reyes Jr., Nia Peeples, Julio Iglesias Jr., Lou Diamond Phillips, Phoebe Cates and Rob Schneider.

The first Filipino act to land a top hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in the 1960s was the group Rocky Fellers of Manila. Sugar Pie de Santo(father was from the Philippines), The Artist Formerly Known as Prince (according to the October 1984 article “Prince in Exile” by Scott Isler in the magazine Musician), Jaya, Foxy Brown and Enrique Iglesias followed.

Pure Filipinos who made success in minor charts were Jocelyn Enriquez aka Oriental Madonna, Buffy, Pinay and (Ella May) Saison.

Latina-American pop star Christina Aguilera lost to Filipina vocalist Josephine Roberto aka Banig during the International Star Search years ago. In a mid-1999 MTV chat, she said that competing against someone of Banig’s age was “not fair. Besides gracing fashion magazine covers, this international supermodel from Manila had walked the runways since the 1970s for all the major designers, like Calvin Klein, Chanel, Christian Dior, Christian Lacroix,Donna Karan, Gianni Versace and Yves Saint Laurent – Anna Bayle.

Who is the personal physician of United States Pres. William Clinton? Eleanor “Connie” Concepcion Mariano, a Filipina doctor who was the youngest captain in the US Navy.

The first Filipino-American in US Congress was Virginia Rep. Robert Cortez-Scott, a Harvard alumnus.

Distinguished British traveler-writer A. Henry Savage Landor, thrilled upon seeing a Bicol landmark in 1903, wrote: “Mayon is the most beautiful mountain I have ever seen, the world-renowned Fujiyama (Mt.Fuji) of Japan sinking into perfect insignificance by comparison.” Mayon has the world’s most perfect cone.

Filipinos had their first taste of Mexican chili and corn during the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade (1564-1815). In return, Mexico’s people had their initial taste of tamarind, Manila mango and a Filipino banana called racatan or lakatan.

Who’s the Filipina senator popular for her colorful jargon, delivered in a mile-a-minute speed and in a weird Harvard-meets-Ilonggo accent? Atty. Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

The first female president of the Philippines sworn into office in 1986 was Corazon Cojuangco Aquino. Her maiden name is Chinese…

In a March 31, 1997 article, The New York Times reported that the CIA manipulated Philippine elections: “(CIA operative Col. Edward Lansdale) essentially ran the successful presidential campaign of Defense Minister Ramon Magsaysay in the Philippines in 1953.”

Who was the first Asian and/or Filipino to snatch America’s Pulitzer Prize? Philippines Herald war journalist Carlos P. Romulo in 1941. (He was also the first Asian to become UN President.)

The first two Filipino-Americans to garner the same award 56 years later were Seattle Times’Alex Tizon and Byron Acohido, who part-Korean.

Filipino writer Jose Rizal could read and write at age 2, and grew up to speak more than 20 languages, including Latin, Greek, German, French and Chinese. What were his last words? “Consummatum est!” (“It is done!”)

What’s still most impressive to me about the Philippines is the friendliness of the people, their sense of humor…,” wrote Honolulu journalist John Griffin in a 1998 visit to Manila.

Source:pinoysabroad

The Philippines

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An archipelago of 7,107 islands, the Philippines stretches from the south of China to the northern tip of Borneo. The country has over a hundred ethnic groups and a mixture of foreign influences which have molded a unique Filipino culture.

Before the Spanish explorers came, Indo-Malays and Chinese merchants had settled here. In 1521 the Spaniards, led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, discovered the islands. The Spanish conquistadors established a colonial government in Cebu in 1565. They transferred the seat of government to Manila in 1571 and proceeded to colonize the country. The Filipinos resisted and waged Asia's first nationalist revolution in 1896. On June 12, 1898, Emilio Aguinaldo declared the Philippines independent from Spain and proclaimed himself president. After ruling for 333 years, the Spaniards finally left in 1898 and were replaced by the Americans who continued to colonize the country for another 48 years. The Americans brought over their educational system, their legal system, and their democratic form of government. On July 4, 1946, the Americans finally recognized Philippine independence.
Considered as the third largest-English speaking country in the world, the Philippines has world-class facilities and services such as excellent accommodations, fine restaurants, modern shopping centers and communications services, efficient congress and exhibition organizers, and reliable tour operators.
The country is divided into three geographical areas; Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. It has 16 regions and 79 provinces. Its capital is Manila.

Source:www.dotpcvc.gov.ph

The Philippines in the World

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The Philippines is readily accessible from the travel capitals of the world. Traveling time to Manila from Hong Kong is 2 hours; from Singapore, 3 hours and 25 minutes; Bangkok, 3 hours and 15 minutes; Tokyo, 4 hours and 15 minutes; Sydney, 9 hours and 35 minutes; London, 14 hours; Paris, 14 hours and 45 minutes; Frankfurt, 14 hours and 10 minutes; San Francisco, 11 hours and 50 minutes; Los Angeles, 12 hours and 35 minutes; and New York, 18 hours.

Source:www.dotpcvc.gov.ph