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The Philippines
The Philippines was
first discovered and
named by the Spanish
explorer Ferdinand
Magellan. These
explorers brought
Catholicism to the
Philippines, preaching
with a cross in one hand
and a sword in the
other. Ceded to the US
in 1898 by the Spanish,
the US began to prepare
the Philippines for
independence. However,
in 1942 during WWII the
islands fell under
Japanese control as the
Filipinos and Americans
fought together to
regain the nation. On
July 4, 1946 the
Philippines became
independent, yet it
faced a rocky future.
From its time of
independence until now
the Philippines has had
a fairly unstable and
corrupt government, and
the economy has suffered
at the hands of many
self-serving
politicians. The nation
is still currently
troubled by rebel groups
such as the New People’s
Army and Muslim
separatists in the
south.
Several decades ago the
Philippines was
oppressed by the notorious
President Ferdinand
Marcos, who after been
elected two terms in
office declared martial
law and became dictator
of the Philippines.
Under his rule the
Philippine economy faced
both good and bad times.
Ousted from power in
1986 after 20 years of
rule and exiled to
Hawaii, his reign is
marked with much
bloodshed and rioting.
It is suspected that
Ferdinand Marcos
embezzled billions of
dollars from the
Philippines. |
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The Philippines is an
Archipelago of 7,107 islands
located in Southeast Asia
between the Philippine Sea and
the South China Sea. The islands
are categorized into three
regions, Luzon (the northern
most island), the Visayas (the
central islands), and Mindanao
(the southern most island). With
all its land area combined, the
Philippines is slightly larger
than Arizona.
With a population of 89.5
million citizens, the
Philippines is the third largest
English speaking nation. Its
capital city is Manila,
situated on the island of Luzon
and has an estimated population
of 11 million.
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Culture
The Philippines is a culturally
rich nation having a wide
variety of people groups.
However over the centuries, the
cultural identity of the
Philippines has been heavily
affected by the Spanish and the
Americans. There is still a strong
American influence amongst
Filipinos that has both a
positive and a negative affect.
While this influence has helped
to shape Filipino government,
law, economy and the freedom of
the individual, it has a strong
negative affect on the attitude
and self-esteem of the people.
In general, the Filipino sees
him or herself as inferior to
foreigners.
America is seen as the promise
land; the land flowing with milk
and honey. This causes many
Filipinos to be dissatisfied
with their lifestyle, inspiring them to leave the Philippines to
pursue a better life elsewhere.
As a result, many families here
in the Philippines have a
relative living abroad who helps
to provide for them here.
The standard idea of beauty in
the Philippines is strongly set
by the American entertainment
industry. White skin and long
noses are desirable traits,
birthing an entire industry of
skin whitening products. Most
actors and models in Philippine
entertainment are half Filipino
and half Caucasian. |
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Americans in the Philippines
easily stand out and are often
called “Joe” as in GI Joe. While in
major cities one may not hear
this term too often since Americans
are sometimes seen there, but
when in back-country towns and
tribal areas, one may have to
bear this title from every
passer-by. In stead of “Hey you”
it’s “Hey Joe!” In these areas
it is not common for them to see
Americans, so when they do, they
often get excited and try to get
one’s attention. I was once pinched by a person who was
so excited to see an American.
America has even had its
influence in the Christian
arena. Being the birth-place of
many major ministries, America
is commonly seen by Protestants
as the land of scriptural
knowledge and understanding.
Just being from American is a
ticket into the pulpit, which
opens many doors for
ministering, but it is the
result of a negative mind-set
that Americans are more
anointed.
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