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-Capital: Manila (most densely populated city in the world)

-Made up of 7,000+ islands

-East of Vietnam, South of China

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-Population: 10 million +
-Language: English, Tagalog

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Tropical Climate with two seasons: Wet and Dry

Wet: June - Oct
Dry: late Nov - May

-April and May are the hottest months of the year (average daily temperature of 100 degrees)

-Very humid

-Boracay: Beautiful beaches, great for tourism

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1600s: Spanish Rule began, influenced political, economic, social, and cultural changes

1898: United States purchased the Philippines for 20 million dollars with the intent to transition them to freedom

July 4, 1946: made independent from America

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Many families do not own a car or one car is shared among many family members.

Use Jeepneys to get around (similar to SEPTA buses in US)

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Music with drums, flutes, buzzers -Works songs about planting
-Ritual music: weddings, funerals, spirit deterrents

After the coming of the Spaniards, music transformed with Hispanic flair

During American regime (1898-1946), music transformed again
-American influenced pop music (Pinoy Pop)
-Similar to popular American pop music
-Music was introduced into the curriculum

Overall, Filipinos listen to similar music as Americans rather than native music

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Flat, round-shaped woven object that sorts rice from unwanted objects like dirt or stones

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-In 2013, Philippines extended the education cycle from 10 to 12 years

-Academic Year : June-March

-performance rates have consistently dropped due to chronic under funding

Education Statistics:

-Elementary school completion rate below 70% in 2005

-Secondary school enrollment rate 58.5%

-Participated in the TIMSS assessment, rank 34th out of 38 for Math, 43rd out of 46 for Science

-Structural changes based off of these results

-Mandated Kindergarten in 2011

-Increased per student spending ($180 in 2003 to $246 in 2013)

-Student/teacher ratios decreased: 38:1 to 29:1

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Roman Catholic: 80.6%
Islam: 5.6%
Other: 13.8%

The Philippines was under Spanish rule for over 300 years and converted most of the people to Roman Catholicism, which is still the prominent religion today.

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-Family gatherings and practices are the number one priority regardless of how “closely” related (e.g. a cousin is treated the same as a sibling)

-Religious (Church on Sunday, sometimes 2-3 of the week)

-Very respectful (specific words “po” and “opo” used in sentences to display respect to elders)

-gestures pagmamano: raises back of hand to forehead to show respect for elder

-All celebrations are reserved for a full day (birthdays, reunions, weddings) and accompanied with a large spread of food

-LOVE to celebrate

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Regional differences:

-North Philippines: more vegetables, more subtle flavors

-South Philippines: spicier, incorporates more coconut milk

-Many Filipino dishes are ones that can be cooked in large portions and use cheaper ingredients (vinegar, soy, garlic, onion are staples in many dishes)

-Fish sauce (patis) / Fish paste (bagoong) for additional salt/flavor to dishes

Dinuguan: a pork stew in a broth made from pig’s blood with pork belly

Balut: cooked, fertilized duck egg