What does it mean when someone says the Philippines is more westernized than other Southeast Asian countries?

Datu Ulap

 · 

Follow

describes similarities of ASEANn21h

What does it mean when someone says the Philippines is more westernized than other Southeast Asian countries?

They are typically referring to a couple of points, as far as history and culture go:

• The largest religion in the Philippines was imported from a Western country, Spain. Catholicism takes up over 80% of the population and in fact, the Philippines is one of the nations with the largest Catholic nations in the world. This orients their religious practices closer to Latin America and large chunks of Europe than Southeast Asia, though religious syncretism with local beliefs have made Filipino Catholicism more unique.

• The proliferation of English, and the lasting legacy of the Spanish language. English proficiency remains among one of the highest in Asia. Spanish loanwords have entered the vocabulary of many local languages, and there is even a Spanish-creole language called Chavacano. Many surnames in the Philippines have Spanish origins. Many first names in the Philippines are English in origin.

• Being a colony for as long as it has, the Philippines does have more visible western influence, notably Spanish and American. Spanish influence is seen in religion, certain folk dances, rondalla music, certain food and baking traditions, naming traditions, and festivals about patron saints. American influence is seen in the proliferation of fast food chains in the country, the English language, the democratic government, malls, pop culture, and jeepneys.

Although there are numerous ways in which the Philippines has western influence and is more westernized compared to most of its Southeast Asian neighbors, the Western influence is only one part of the mosaic that is the culture as a whole.

• Austronesian culture and traditions remain the base culture for the Philippines. From outrigger boats and expert navigation skills, traditional stilt homes, ancestor veneration, wet rice agriculture, tattooing, gong ensembles, to the use of Austronesian languages among the vast majority of the country, and even the domestication of jungle fowl, Austronesian heritage is prevalent in the Philippines.

• In contrast to heavily individualistic countries that make up the majority of Western countries, the Philippines is heavily collectivist, much like its Southeast Asian neighbors. The family and the barangay, or the community, are a huge part of Filipino culture. This collectivist culture manifests into concepts like bayanihan, pasalubong, and utang na loob.

• Centuries of trade and migration from China, mostly Fujian province, have brought a large amount of Chinese influence in the culture. This is shown in certain foods and cooking techniques, Hokkien loan words for kinship and other terms, the existence of some Chinese surnames in the country, local architectural features such as sliding capiz-shell windows and octagonal and free-standing bell towers for churches, the display of round fruits, mahjong being a popular game, and even feng shui being used in modern settings.

How has the Philippines' culture been influenced by China and Japan?

https://www.quora.com/How-has-the-Philippines-culture-been-influenced-by-China-and-Japan

• Additionally, the Philippines shares many similarities with its neighbors, particularly Indonesia and Malaysia. The way of greeting elders is the same around this part of Southeast Asia.

What are the similarities of the Philippines and Indonesia in terms of culture, tradition, and belief?

https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-similarities-of-the-Philippines-and-Indonesia-in-terms-of-culture-tradition-and-belief