Philippine info section

Overview

With 7,107 islands, the Philippines has many cities, below listed are nine important cities in the Philippines, some of which are provincial capitals and center of commerce and finance as well as culture and history.

Manila - the national capital of the country, it is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, over 100 parks are scattered around the city.

Bacolod - dubbed as the City of Smiles because of the popularity of MassKara Festival; a festival held annually on October 19, not to mention also the famous Chicken Inasal.

Baguio - the country's summer capital because of it's cool weather, well-maintained parks and views and home of the indigenous "Igorot" people.

Cebu - known as the Queen City of the South, Cebu is the first established indigenous settlement discovered by the west in the Philippines.

Cagayan de Oro - known as the City of Golden Friendship, it is popular for whitewater rafting and is the gateway to Northern Mindanao.

Davao - one of the largest cities in the world in terms of land area, known for its 'Durian'.

Tagbilaran - site of the Blood Compact Treaty between Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and Rajah Sikatuna representing the Bohol-anon people (of Bohol).

Vigan - a historic Spanish colonial town in the north, UNESCO World Heritage Site, about 8 to 10 hours drive or bus ride from Manila.

Zamboanga City- also known as the Asia's Latin City which comes alive during the Fiesta Pilar a festival which is in honor of the holy image of Our Lady of Pillar.

Philippine is an archipelago, most of the cities are mostly accessible through plane, ships and RoRo (roll-on and roll off, a service which uses both bus and ship) from Manila. Inter-regional trips are also available

Media

Books

Filipino literature is a mix of Indian sagas, folktales, and traces of Western influence. Classical books are written in Spanish as well as in Tagalog, to this day most of Filipino literature is written in English. The Philippines thus is a Multi-cultural country with its roots stretching from Asia to Europe and to the Americas. History, Documentary

Red Revolution by Gregg R. Jones (ISBN 0813306442) - Documentary about the guerrilla movement; New People's Army (NPA), in the Philippines.

In Our Image: America's Empire in the Philippines by Stanley Karnow (ISBN 0345328167) - Shares the story of European and American colonization in the archipelago as well as the restoration of democracy after the overthrew of Marcos.

Literature

Noli Me Tangere by Jose Rizal

El Filibusterismo by Jose Rizal

Dekada '70 by Lualhati Bautista (ISBN 9711790238) - A story about a middle class Filipino family that struggled to fight with other Filipinos during the martial law during the time of Marcos.

The Day the Dancers Came by Bienvenido Santos

Cinema and music

The Filipino film industry is suffering because of its main rival; the Western film industry, since the 21st century every year only 40 films are produced down from 200-300 films a year in the 1990s. Western culture has also permeated the music industry in the Philippines. Many songs are in English. American Rock-n-Roll and, recently, rap and hip-hop are heard and performed. Traditional Filipino songs such as Kundiman (nostalgic/poetic songs) are still held dearly by the population but is, unfortuantely, slowly losing influence among the younger generations. Award winning films done by Filipino directors. The Filipino Film industry was booming the earlier days with over 200 movies per year produced and made but prior to the arrival of Western films, the Film industry collapsed in the 1990s but by the 21st century, successful attempts in reviving the independent Film industry were done. Filipino movies face fierce competition with western movies to this date.

Film

Ricky Lee - Himala(1982) —
Mike De Leon - Sister Stella L.(1984) — Movie about a nun's fight against the oppression and political injustice of the government.
Metro Manila Film Festival — Held annually during the Christmas season showcases local works of Filipino directors.
Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Festival
Cinemanila International Film Festival

Fancy horror movies? Just like its neighbouring countries the Filipinos enjoy watching horror and thriller movies.

Chito Roño - Feng Shui(2004) — is a big hit in Asia, the movie is about a married woman named Joy who discovers a Ba Gua; a mirror used in Chinese Geomancy, Feng Shui. She then discovers she becomes lucky but also that every lucky in return is death to people who had seen their faces in the mirror.
Yam Laranas - Sigaw(2004) — is another big hit too, its popularity led it to an American Remake; The Echo(2009). A movie about a guy who moves to an apartment who then hears noises and discovers things which other can't see nor hear.
By Various Directors - Shake, Rattle & Roll (Film Series) — have over more than 10 volumes from the late 1980s to this day, its format is somewhat like a TV-series if seen in a modern American TV set. It is premiered in the Metro Manila Film Festival where it competes with other local movies.

Music

Freddie Aguilar - Anak; had been translated to many languages and topped the billboard charts because of its popularity not only to Filipinos but to the whole world, the song is about a boy who was loved by his parents so much but as he grows old he disrespects them but as the song ends the boy comes back to his parents' arms after realizing all his mistakes, most of the listeners relate to the song and some have emotional breakdowns probably by relating to the song. It has an English version, this song shows the Filipino parents that even though you have mistakes they are always there to forgive and help you.

Hotdogs - Manila is a popular song in the 80s, it is about a man missing the bustling streets of Manila as well as its food, people and noise.

Culture

tinikling_filipino_dance The Philippines is a diverse country just like Singapore, making the country more of a Salad bowl. Every foreigner that has stepped in its history has taken the Asian identity of the Filipinos. People in the big cities, such as Manila, may seem heavily Westernized. However, many people from the city do come from rural areas and are still deeply rooted to traditional Filipino ways. Tribal people do their best to maintain their heritage and culture despite the unavoidable influence of modern western culture, travelling remote places and meeting tribes and experiencing their culture and heritage is the best way to see how the Filipinos lived before the arrival of the Spanish. Filipino culture can be seen in the Tinikling dance which also shows distinctive influence from the Indonesians, the dance is mistakenly known as the national dance because of its popularity, the dance is demonstrated by two or more people holding two or more bamboo sticks known as Kawayan, then they start moving the bamboo sticks as the dancers put their foot in between the bamboo sticks quickly out and in. Kamayan, a literal meaning for eating with hands, try this while in the Philippines , to experience the Filipino way of eating.

The Filipinos have also retained their animistic ways. Many believe heavily in the presence of spirits and existence of ghouls, elves, and spirits in nature. Some Filipinos are also deeply religious and devout people. Regardless of your own beliefs, as a visitor, observance of religious rules and respect for the Filipinos beliefs will be greatly appreciated.

Climate

Palawan-Philippines The climate is tropical, with March to May (summer) being the hottest months. The rainy season starts in June and extends through October with strong typhoons possible. The coolest months are from November to February, with mid-January to end of February considered the best for cooler and dryer weather. Locations exposed directly to the Pacific Ocean have frequent rainfall all year. This includes the popular Pagsanjan Falls southeast of Manila (though the falls will get you wet regardless).

The average temperatures range from 78°F / 25°C to 90°F / 32°C, and humidity is around 77 percent. Baguio, which is branded as the summer capital of the Philippines, tends to be cooler due to its being located in mountainous regions with temperatures at night going below 20°C (68°F). During summer, the country experience droughts, sometimes at extreme conditions, from March(sometimes early as February) to May(sometime extending to June) water supply drops with most of the power plants being hydro electric meaning during summer, you'll be experiencing regular black-outs (locally known as brown-outs), so it isn't much suggested to travel during the months of March to May.

Community

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