The People of the Philippines

The People of the Philippines by the Philippine Tourism Promotions Board

1 The Filipino is basically of Malay stock with a sprinkling of Chinese, American, Spanish and Arab blood. The Philippines has a population of 70 million, and it is hard to distinguish accurately the lines between stocks. From a long history of Western colonial rule, interspersed with the visit of merchants and traders evolved a people of a unique blend of east and west, both in appearance and culture.

2 The Filipino character is actually a little bit of all the cultures put together. The bayanihan or the spirit of kinship and camaraderie that Filipinos are famous for is said to be taken from Malay forefathers. The close family relations are said to have been inherited from the Chinese. The piousness comes from the Spaniards who introduced Christianity in the 16th century. Hospitality is a common denominator in the Filipino character and this is what distinguishes the Filipino. Filipinos are probably one of the few, if not the only, English-proficient Oriental people of today. Pilipino is the official language, with English considered as the country`s unofficial one.

3The Filipinos are divided geographically and culturally into regions, and each regional group is recognizable by distinct traits and dialects – the sturdy and frugal Ilocanos of the north, the industrious Tagalogs of the central plains,the carefree Visayans from the central islands and the colourful tribesmen and religious Moslems of Mindanao. Tribal communities can be found scattered across the archipelago. The Philippines has more than 111 dialects spoken, owing to the subdivisions of these basic regional and cultural groups.

4 Some 80 percent of the population is Catholic, Spain`s lasting legacy. About 15 percent is Moslem and these people can be found basically in Mindanao. The rest of the population is made up mostly of smaller Christian denominations and Buddhist.

5 The country is marked by a true blend of cultures; truly in the Philippines, East meets West. The background of the people is Indonesian and Malay. There are Chinese and Spanish elements as well. The history of American rule and contact with merchants and traders culminated in a unique blend of East and West, both in the appearance and culture of the people of the Filipinos, or people of the Philippines.

The Origin of This World ( Maranao )
From the Anthology of Philippine Myths by Damiana Eugenio

1According to Maranao folklore, this world was created by a great Being. It is not known, however who exactly is this great Being. Or how many days it took him to create this world.

2 This world is divided into seven layers. The earth has also seven layers. Each layer is inhabited by a different kind of being. The uppermost layer, for example, is the place we are inhabiting. The second layer is being inhabited by dwarfs. These dwarfs are short, plump and long-haired. They are locally known as Karibanga. The Karibanga are said to possess magical powers. They are usually invisible to the human eye. The third layer of the earth which is found under the sea or lake is inhabited by nymphs. These nymphs also possess certain magical powers. It is stated in the story of Rajah Indarapatra that he met and fell in love with the princess nymph with whom he had a child.

3 The sky also consists of seven layers. Each layer has a door which is guarded day and night by huge mythical birds called Garoda. The seventh layer of the sky is the seat of heaven which is also divided into seven layers. Every layer in the sky is inhabited by angels. Maranaws believe that angels do not need food. They all possess wings with which they fly.

4 Heaven which is found on the seventh layer of the sky is where good people`s spirits go after death. Saints are assigned to the seventh layer while persons who “barely made it” are confined to the lower most layer which is found at the bottom of heaven.

5 It is in heaven where we find the tree-of-life. On each leaf of the tree-of-life is written the name of every person living on earth. As soon as a leaf ripens or dries and falls, the person whose name it carries also dies.

6 The soul of every person is found in tightly covered jars kept in one section of heaven. This particular section of heaven is closely guarded by a monster with a thousand eyes, named Walo. Walo, in addition to his thousand eyes, has also eight hairy heads. The epic Darangan speaks of Madale, Bantugan`s brother and, Mabaning , Husband of Lawanen, entering this section and retrieving the soul of Bantungan.

The Story of Creation ( B`laan )

1 In the very beginning there lived a being so large that he cannot be compared with any known thing. His name was Melu, and when he sat on the clouds, which were his home, he occupied all the space above. His teeth were pure gold, and because he was very cleanly and continually rubbed himself with his hands, his skin became pure white. The dead skin which he rubbed off his body was placed on one side in a pile, and by and by this pile became so large that he was annoyed and set himself to consider what he could do with it.

2 Finally Melu decided to make the earth; so he worked very hard in putting the dead skin into shape, and when it was finished, he was so pleased with it that he determined to make two beings like himself, though smaller, to live on it.

3 Taking the remnants of the material left after making the earth he fashioned two men, but just as they were all finished except their noses, Tau Tana from below the earth appeared and wanted to help him.

4 Melu did not wish ay assistance, and a great argument ensued. Tau Tana finally won his point, and made the noses which he placed on the people upside down. When all was finished, Melu and Tau Tana whipped the forms until they moved. Then Melu went to his home above the clouds, and Tau Tana returned to his place below the earth.

5 All went well until one day a great rain came, and the people on the earth nearly drowned from the water which ran off their heads into their noses. Melu, from his place on the clouds, saw their danger, and he came quickly to earth and saved their lives by turning their noses the other side up.

6The people were very grateful to him, and promise to do anything he should ask of them. Before he left for the sky, they told him that they are very unhappy living on the great earth all alone, so he told them to save all the hair from their heads and the dry skin from their bodies and the next time he came he would make them some companions. And in this way there came to be a great many people on the earth.