Filipinos' home life centers around family. Elders in the family are highly respected and generally live in the homes of the adult children. Children often reside in their parents' home until marriage. Many social activities are based around family.
Filipinos are known to be devout Roman Catholics. Their Good Friday processions are world-famous for including re-enactments of the Crucifixion. All major religious holidays are observed and celebrated. Churchgoing in the Philippines is often not restricted to just Sundays; many Filipinos attend daily Mass, although this trend is decreasing.
Filipino Values and Culture
To a person who is not familiar or aware of the Philippine culture, understanding Filipinos is like playing a game one has never played before and of which the rules have not been explained very well. Understanding the values of Filipinos pose a challenge, to enjoy the game without missing the joys and fun of like living in the Philippines.
A stranger or foreigner who has a knowledge of or exposure to the Filipino society’s customs, etiquette, and manners, is less likely to experience intense culture shock.
The Philippine Islands and Filipino Profile:
The Philippines is composed of 7,107 islands with a total land area of 296,912 square kilometers (1.6 kilometers equal 1 mile). This makes it a little larger than the British Isles and a little smaller than Japan. Its land area is eight times larger than Taiwan, 2/3 the size of either Thailand or Spain, but less than 1/30 of the size of the United States or Mainland China.
The country is bounded on the west by the China Sea, on the east by the Pacific Ocean, and on the south by the Celebes Sea. It lies a little above the equator and is 965 kilometers (600 miles) off the southeast coast of the Asian mainland. It is about 160 kilometers (100 miles) below Taiwan, and 24 kilometers above Borneo. Just being above the