Moving on with my blog on lifestyles, I thought about sharing a few things about my native country's history, cuisine, architecture, fashion, etc. I do hope that you will find this Philippine islands series interesting.
The beautiful islands of the Philippines, Gem of the Pacific. My home country has 7,100 islands located in Southeast Asia's Ring of Fire. It has about 4000 years of history from its first settlers to 21st century Philippines.
The Filipinos came from different waves of tribal communities and races. The first recorded settlers of the islands were the aboriginals called Aetas, then the Malays and finally the Indonesians. During its earliest development the Philippines was ruled by independent kingdoms headed by the sultan or datu, the kingdoms developed their own laws, writings and way of life. These kingdoms traded agricultural products and gold with neighboring countries like Borneo, China and India and even as far away Arabia. In 1521 the islands were conquered by Spain and was named Las Islas Filipinas in honor of King Felipe II and shortly thereafter Manila was named its capital.
For the next 300 years the Philippines was under Spanish rule. Finally in 1898 the Americans came and bought the islands from Spain under the Treaty of Paris agreement. The United States then an emerging world power, ruled the islands and made the country part of the US Commonwealth. It was 1945 when the Philippines became a free country and Republic, one of the first countries that gained independence after World War II.
Considered a third world country but definitely developing, poverty and unemployment is very high and the government is reportedly corrupt. On a positive note and generally speaking, the Filipinos are the most resilient, friendly and peace loving people in the world. Hospitable, loyal as friends and dedicated to their profession.
Allow me to give you a glimpse of Philippine style and lifestyle. It can be an experience!
Photo Credit: Bolog Island in Palawan, Philippines
Photographer: Jayson Tan
Photo Link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaysontan/
I would like to think so. Maybe, it still is.
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