 Discover literature as a means of connecting to a significant past.

Identifying Our Fellow Filipinos

Brainstorm with a partner to determine who our fellow Filipinos are and where they reside
in our country. Match items in columns A, B, and C then write your answer on a one-fourth
sheet of paper.

A B C
Ethnic Group and Region
Province
A. Maranaws in A. Western Visayas
Lanaodel
Norte

B. Ilongots in B. Cagayan Valley

Cagayan

C. Negritos in C.AutonomousRegion
Capiz of Muslim Mindanao
Task 2. Knowing Further Our Fellow Filipinos

Complete the chart below. Use a whole sheet of paper

WHAT I KNOW WHAT I WANT TO KNOW
. What do you know about the… What else do you want to know about
them?
Maranaws?
Negritos?
Ilongots?

Task 3. Our Unique People

Read quietly the short article below to locate information that will help you
determine whether you will agree or disagree to the following statements.

1. The Filipinos are uniquely diversified.

2. The Filipinos are religious in nature.
3. The diversity of the Filipinos in culture, language, and religion is a
hindrance to the country‘s unity and progress.
4. The strength of the Filipino culture lies in the resiliency of its people who
overcame the colonizers‘ oppressive rule.
5. Acceptance of differences in culture, belief, and language can only start
with awareness.
 The People of the Philippines
by the Philippine Tourism Promotions Board

1 The Filipino is basically of Malay stock with a sprinkling of Chinese, American, Spanish
and Arab blood. The Philippines has a population of 70 million, and it is hard to distinguish
accurately the lines between stocks. From a long history of Western colonial rule,
interspersed with the visits of merchants and traders evolved a people of a unique blend of
east and west, both in appearance and culture.

2 The Filipino character is actually a little bit of all the cultures put together. The bayanihan
or spirit of kinship and camaraderie that Filipinos are famous for is said to be taken from
Malay forefathers. The close family relations are said to have been inherited from the
Chinese. The piousness comes from the Spaniards who introduced Christianity in the 16th
century. Hospitality is a common denominator in the Filipino character and this is what
distinguishes the Filipino. Filipinos are probably one of the few, if not the only, English-
proficient Oriental people today. Pilipino is the official national language, with English
considered as the country's unofficial one.

3 The Filipinos are divided geographically and culturally into regions, and each regional
group is recognizable by distinct traits and dialects – the sturdy and frugal llocanos of the
north, the industrious Tagalogs of the central plains, the carefree Visayans from the central
islands and the colorful tribesmen and religious Moslems of Mindanao. Tribal communities
can be found scattered across the archipelago. The Philippines has more than 111 dialects
spoken, owing to the subdivisions of these basic regional and cultural groups.

4 Some 80 percent of the population is Catholic, Spain's lasting legacy. About 15 percent
is Moslem and these people can be found basically in Mindanao. The rest of the population
is made up mostly of smaller Christian denominations and Buddhist.
5 The country is marked by a true blend of cultures; truly in the Philippines, East meets
West. The background of the people is Indonesian and Malay. There are Chinese and
Spanish elements as well. The history of American rule and contact with merchants and
traders culminated in a unique blend of East and West, both in the appearance and culture
of the people of the Filipinos, or people of the Philippines.