When I was in
elementary school, we were given pen pals. I got one from the Philippines, and
we wrote back and forth for years. I would always send her little things like
pennies, keychains, whatever I could fit in an envelope that didn’t weigh much.
She would send me little things like shells, little paper beads and stuff like
that. Occasionally, I’d send her a dollar or something. We wrote back and forth
for years. In 1991, Mt. Pinatubo erupted, and it was the second largest
eruption of the 20th century. It spewed more particulate in the air
since the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 (I was super fascinated by this event
after I read Twenty-One Balloons). I
never heard from her afterwards.
The islands were
given its current name by the Spanish, who arrived during the mid-1500s. They
named them after King Phillip II of Spain. It had changed names several times,
but nothing too incredibly far from this name. After WWII, it officially became
the Republic of the Philippines.
The Philippines are
a group of over 7600 islands in South Asia. Taiwan lies directly north of the
island chain; Palau is to the east; Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei lie to the
south and southwest; Vietnam is to the west; and China lies to the northwest.
The South China Sea stands between the Philippines and mainland Asia; the Sulu
Sea and Celebes Sea stand between them and Indonesia and Malaysia; and the
Philippine Sea is between these islands and other Pacific Islands to the east,
extending up to Japan. Because of its proximity to the equator, it stays warm
all year round and has a tropical climate. And because of its location along
the Ring of Fire, they experience frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity.
One of the earliest
peoples to call this group of islands their home was the Negritos, who are
thought to have originally come from Africa. Other Austronesians from China,
Taiwan, and elsewhere throughout southeastern Asia began to settle there later
on. For the most part, each island or group of islands were pretty isolated and
independent from each other, like island states. They traded with Indonesian,
Malaysians, Chinese, Japanese, and other Pacific Islanders. Eventually Indian
and Arab traders arrived and set up small ruling territories as Hindu and
Islamic states during the 14-16th centuries. In the early 1500s, the
Spanish arrived to expand Christianity and claim the land for Spain. Of course,
the Spanish had to put up a fight to be there. And even after they established
new trading partners with Latin America, they put down quite a few revolts and
fought with the Moros (Muslim rebels) for hundreds of years. As a result of the
1898 Treaty of Paris negotiated after the Spanish-American War, the Philippine
Islands were handed over to the US. The US did manage to suppress some of these
rebellious states and was given Commonwealth status in 1935. The Japanese
invaded during WWII, and the Bataan Death March was considered one of the most
tragic loss of life events during the war (est. 5600-18,000 American and
Philippine POW deaths). By the end of the war, it’s estimated more than a
million Filipinos have died. After the war, the US recognized its independence,
and it became a part of the UN. However, they have had trouble with stability
in government. During Corazon Aquino’s term as president, the US finally
abandoned their military base (something we should do everywhere). Today, their
controversial president Rodrigo Duterte continues to make the headlines over
his aggressive War on Drugs policies.
The capital city is
Manila, located on the northern island of Luzon (the largest island in the
Philippines). The name may refer to the phrase “place where there are flowering
mangrove trees.” Located on Manila Bay, it’s one of the densest cities in the
world. It has many examples of European-style architecture along with one of
the largest Chinatowns in the world. The city has a modernity that rivals other
major cities while still holding on to its traditional shops and
restaurants.
The Philippines are
transitioning from an agricultural based economy to one that’s based on
industry and services. They are strong exporters of fruits, coconut oil, copper
products, petroleum products, garments, and electronic equipment (including
semiconductors). They are also really expanding their science and technology
sectors. After WWII, the Philippines had one of the strongest economies in
Asia, behind Japan. Since then, they’ve went through some recessions and
growth. Goldman Sachs considered the Philippines as one of the Next Eleven
economies.
Although it’s
listed as a secular state on the book, the majority religion is Christianity.
Nearly 80% follow Catholicism (as introduced by the Spanish), and around 10%
follow Protestantism (as introduced by the Americans). There is a significant
number of Muslims (10%) living in the Philippines, mostly living in a couple of
states. There are also Buddhists, Baha’is, Hindus, Jews, and followers of
traditional religions.
Both Filipino
(Tagalog) and English are listed as official languages. There are actually 186
languages in the Philippines, but only 182 of those are still spoken (four of
those have died off). Chavacano is a Spanish Creole that was spoken there.
Because it was part of Spain for so long, Spanish used to be a lingua franca,
but it has since lost that status. However, there are still quite a few Spanish
loan words in the Filipino language that are still used today. Arabic is used
mainly in Islamic Schools, and a number of other languages are taught as
foreign languages.
Cell phone advertisement in the Philippines. |
There are so many
things about the Philippines that make it stand out, well, on one of those
“little known facts that have a great impact” kind of level. The yoyo has its roots
as a Filipino hunting weapon. The antibiotic erythromycin was created in 1949
by a Filipino doctor who worked for Eli Lilly and has saved the lives of millions
of people who are allergic to penicillin. Filipinos also text more than the US
and Europe combined (I’d get along well here). And if you think we push the Christmas
season, you’d probably scream if you knew some Filipinos start their
celebrations in September – a retailer’s dreamland (or nightmare, depending on
how you look at it).
Up next: art and
literature
No comments:
Post a Comment