Philippines - The Pearl of the Orient

I'm not really that patriotic.  I was born in Manila City and grew up and raised in Quezon City, an adjacent city.  Both of my parents are Filipino, and so I would guess I'm a pure Filipino.  A short article about my country, probably won't make me look too patriotic.

The Philippines is a south east asian tropical country composed of more than seven thousand islands (7,000). It was colonized by Spain and subsequently ceded to the United States of America and later gained their independence.

The Philippines is composed of three group of islands, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The Philippines capital, the City of Manila (Manila City), is located in western Luzon. The area around Manila is called the National Capital Region (NCR) or the Metropolitan Manila (Metro Manila). Metro Manila is composed of 17 cities and municipalities, notable of which are Makati City, the Philippines's financial district, and Quezon City, the former capital and the largest urban area.

DIALECTS

In the Philippines, different dialects are used. Although a lot of people can speak English, the national dialect is Filipino, which is mostly Tagalog dialect. Tagalog are usually spoken by people of Metro Manila. If you go north of the country, there are Kapangpangans of Pampanga, Ilocanos and Panggalatok of Pangasinan. In the south, people speak Bisaya, Ilonggo, and Chavacano.

FILIPINO HOSPITALITY

The Philippines is known worldwide for its unmatched hospitality. When Filipinos have visitors, they would do everything in their power to make them comfortable and would entertain them as much as they could. I remember a visit to relatives in the province when my mother, who immigrated to the U.S., was visiting here in the Philippines. As soon as we arrived, "merienda" (snacks) were immediately served to us. Since it was a chance visit and no one knew we were arriving, in no time at all, you could see the whole household in frantic activity. My nephews were already holding a broom and started cleaning the room where we would be staying. One of my cousin was sent to the market to buy fresh fish and seafoods, as the other cooked rice in a big ceramic pot. Someone was already gathering fruits and vegetables in the backyard which was to be serve to us.  This is hospitality in the utmost sense of the word. 

FAMOUS FILIPINO

Today, the most famous Filipino who is known world wide is Manny Pacquiao, a boxer from the southern Philippines. He is now the number one Pound-for-Pound boxing champion.

POLITICS

The Philippines is holding another Presidential election next year, 2010.  The son of former Philippine President Corazon Aquino who died more than a month ago is said to be running for the presidency.  His possible main opponent would be the former Senate President Manny Villar.  Also rumored to take a shot at the presidency is the former Philippine President Joseph "Erap" Estrada, whose presidency was cut short when he was charged with Plunder and subsequently jailed.  He was later given presidential pardon by the current president, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.