WHAT ARE THE THREE THINGS YOU WOULD CALL YOUR COUNTRY UNIQUE?

2008-01-22T03:45:00.000-08:00

Philippines-3 islands, 17 regions, 81 provinces, 136 cities, 1494 municipalities and 41,995 barangays – all in this small archipelago with big things to show to the world

Like every country, the Philippines posesses something unique which we can call our very own.

Philippines is the HOME OF NATURAL BEAUTIES

This country has innumerable natural scenic spots coupled with the unique beauty of the people which is a convergence of Malayan, Indonesian, Japanese, American and Spanish races.

The Philippines may not have the Eiffel Tower of Paris or the Great Pyramids of Egypt but beneath this small country lies hundreds of breath-taking places worth visiting by tourists coming all the way from all corners of the globe.

Some of the more popular tourist destinations are:

1. BAGUIO CITY – This city, dubbed as the Summer Capital of the Philippines illustrates ambience of people wearing warm outfits all year round. When the rest of the Philippines is sweating with heat, Baguio maintains a cooler weather. It has many popular attractive tourist destinations such as Baguio Cathedral, Asin Hot Springs, Camp John Hay, PMA, Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary, Bell Church, Burnham Park, and Mt. Santo Tomas.

2. PALAWAN- It is a paradise, a sanctuary to an amazing variety of fauna and flora found nowhere else in the world. For a long time, Palawan’s bountiful resources, abundant wild life and extraordinary natural beauties are kept alive.

3. PUERTO GALLERA-it is known as the Galleon Port. It is a marine-reserved, endowed with coves and shallow coral reefs for snorkelling and has fine sandy beach.

4. HUNDRED ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK- This National Park, located in the
province of Pangasinan covers a land area of 1,884 hectares with 124 islets (during low tide and 123 during high tide). The islands are scattered along Lingayen Gulf and are believed to be about two million years old. Of the 124 islands only 3 have been developed for tourists: Governor Island, Quezon Island and Children’s Island.

Philippines is the HOME OF DIVERSIFIED CULTURE

The Philippines is not only known for its natural beauties but more importantly, it is known for its unique culture. The country is a home of various fiestas and languages. Nevertheless, these differences have intensified the Filipinos’ unity as they learn to appreciate the uniqueness of one’s culture.Some of the known festivals from the different places of the country are the ff

1. ATI-ATIHAN FESTIVAL - This celebration is in honour
of Sto. Nino Revellers, don colourful costumes. It is being held on January 16 to 22 in Kalibo, Aklan.

2. SANTA CRUZAN - This is a procession commemorating St. Helena’s finding of the “True Cross” .This is held in Manila and other places in the country on May 1, 8,15,22,29.

3. CARABAO FESTIVAL - Inthis festival, farmers pay tribute to their patron saints. There is a procession of carabao carts bearing a myriad local producs. This is held in Angono, Rizal on May 14.

4. PANAGBENGA- the flower festival of Baguio

It is also evident that variations in language has never become a barrier among Filipinos. There are eight major languages (Bikol, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Ilokano, Kampampangan, Pangasinan, Tagalog and Waray) in the Philippines subdivided into ethno languages. The languages being taught in the Philippines are Filipino and English.

The Cebuano language originated in Cebu which is in the Visayas. However it spread to neighboring islands and in the northern and eastern parts of Mindanao. This was probably facilitated by the American and Spanish policies to Christianize Mindanao.
Meanwhile the Tagalog and Bikol dialect(Bicolania) boundaries seem to remain predominant they were centuries ago. This map only shows the dialect majority in each region. Actually, southeastern Mindanao is populated with Ilocano, Tagalog, and other dialects, but Cebuano has become the dominant dialect in that area.. The Ilocano dialect has spread out from its origin in the western coast (Ilocandia), which was also probably facilitated by Spanish and American policies.

Examples of the ethno languages are Igorot(Mt. Province), Davaweno(Davao), Ibaloi(Benguet) and Manobo(Bukidnon).

The Philippines is a HOME OF WELL TREASURED AND WORTH PRESERVING VALUES

The Philippines is not only blessed with wich cultures and traditions and bountiful resources but also with attributes worth preserving.

The WARMTH AND HOSPITALITY of Filipinos are known throughout the world. Guests are piled with food and drinks and often a place in the host’s own home. It may be genosity to a fault, but there is nothing more pleasing to Filipinos than knowing that their guest is never wanting for anything.

The Filipinos have a STRONG SENSE OF FAMILY RELATIONSHIP. Three generations often come together. Aunts and uncles act as second parents as they help raise and discipline the children. The grandparents and elderly members of the family are the family’s source of history and stories and are taken care of until their last days. Visitors and guests to family gatherings would do well to pay their respects to the elderly clan members. Pagmamano, taking the elder person’s right hand and bringing it to your forehead, is a great sign of respect. Similarly, calling them lolo (grandfather) and lola (grandmother) and adding the honorific po to your sentences denotes your recognition of their age and rank in the clan. Other Filipino terms which express respect are kuya or manong ( for elder brothers) and ate or manong ( for older sisters).

Filipinos are EXPRESSIVE TALKERS, incorporating eyes, mouth, and hands in their speech. In this way, depth and nuance are added to something that cannot be said or put into words. Courteous language and gentle demeanor are the norm; exaggerated movements and boisterous speech are frowned upon and considered especially by the elder generation as uncouth (walang modo). Direct eye contact is always avoided since it is an aggressive stance and regarded as offensive. Pointed or direct remarks are avoided, and sensitive topics are best left untouched.

Like the many preserved cultures and traditions of the Filipinos, these traits remain undestroyable. Up to now, these traits remain as Filipinos’ identification traits wherever they go.

deseret

WHAT ARE THE THREE THINGS YOU WOULD CALL YOUR COUNTRY UNIQUE?