Influenced Culture in the Philippines

The Philippines is a south-eastern Asian county made up of 7,100 islands about 500 miles off of the coast of Vietnam. The capital of the Philippines is Manila, and its most populous city is Quezon City. Both cities are located on Luzon, the country's largest island. The Philippines got its name from Philip II, the king of Spain during the Spanish colonization in the 16th century. The Philippines were under Spanish rule for over 300 years, and under American protection for another 48 years after. This caused the Philippines to develop many western cultural affinities overtime. There are many aspects of the country that gives it its own culture, such as the location of its many mountainous islands and unique food, but the most cultural impact comes from other countries that colonized or occupied the Philippines before they finally became independent. They didn't become fully independent until the United States gave them independence after the Japanese occupation during World War II.

Spain, circled in yellow, was the first major country to colonize the Philippines from 1565-1898. This was the longest the Philippines have been governed by a single country, therefore having the most impact on the Filipino culture. The United States of America, circled in Blue, was the second country to colonize the Philippines from 1898-1941. The Philippines were passed from Spain to The United States after the Spanish-American War. Before the U.S. could provide the Philippines with their independence, Japan took over during World War II and occupied the Philippines from 1941-1945. After four years, the United States overpowered Japan and gave the Philippines independence in 1946. The Philippines have been an independent country since, and have now developed their own culture with the influence of these three countries.

Spain was the first to colonize the Philippines all the way back in 1565. Because Spain controlled the Philippines so early and for so long, they were a massive influence to the modern Filipino culture. The biggest influence still seen to this day is religion. The majority of religion practiced in the Philippines is still Roman Catholic, at 79.5%. This is highly apparent because the goal for Spain at the time of their rule was to covert as many countries into Roman Catholicism as they could. Another Spanish influence is seen in the arts, as most forms of Filipino art is heavily Spanish. The paintings and architecture are reminiscent of classic Spanish pieces and can be attributed to artists that came from Spain to create art and construct buildings with Spanish influence. There other influences that can still be seen from the long Spanish rule in the 16th-19th century, but because the Spanish used the church to rule and govern, the biggest source of influence left is that of the Catholic churches and architecture.

The Spanish rule finally came to an end after the Spanish-American war concluded with America taking control over the Philippines. At this time, the main goal of the United States in the Philippines was to turn the country into a self-sufficient capitalistic democracy. The U.S. did this by creating infrastructure that would improve the literacy and economy of the country. As a result, literacy doubled to about half by the 1930's and a fourth of the educated population could speak English. This was a massive influence for the Filipino culture, as English became the dominate language alongside the official Filipino language of Tagalog. The Untied States did not focus on religion like Spain did, but they helped create religious freedom for the people of the Philippines. They also created influence for a government and educational system for the Philippines throughout their rule. As time went on an technology improved, the Americans brought influence to clothing and food to the Philippines as well. The biggest influence that can be seen today is found in the Philippine government and economic system. Throughout American rule in the 20th century, the main goal was to bring democratic and capitalistic ideas to the Philippines, and they did so successfully. It wasn't seen right away and the government still varies from nationalist to federalist as history goes on, but the influence of American ideas are still there.

Once World War II hit, the plans for the Philippines to finally gain independence went downhill as Japan invaded the Philippines and took control. There isn't nearly as much cultural influence that the Japanese occupation had on the Philippines as Spain or the United States had. This is because Japan did not offer any support to the Philippines during the short time they occupied the Philippines during the war, as these were times of conflict. However, there has been a good amount of influence that is seen today to come out of it through infrastructure and trade. There was not enough time for Japan to establish any permanent influence, but they did manage to improve infrastructure by building major highways, bridges, airports, railways, and ports. This was to improve transport of troops and goods during the war for Japan's benefit, but after the war it served the people of the Philippines well as an improved means of trade and transportation. A notable relationship that can be seen today between the Philippines and Japan is their trade. Japan is the Philippines highest percentage of total exports, at 15.5%. This may not directly relate to the influence of Filipino culture, but the amount of exports and trading between the two countries serves as a good relationship that can positively influence the Filipino culture indirectly.

The Philippines finally got their independence after Word War II with the help of American and Ally forces overtaking Japanese forces that occupied the Philippines. Since then, the Philippines have developed their own culture that is shaped from the western influences of Spain and America that previously ruled over the country. This blend of western and Asian cultural ideals is what makes the Philippines so unique to this day. Whether it be the religious and artistic influence from the early Spanish colonization, or the economic and cultural mannerism influences from the American rule; the Philippines has a deeply rooted culture where East meets West.

Below is a brief infographic that summarizes the current economy of the Philippines. With the cultural impact that the west has had on the Philippines, their economy was also influenced by western power, primarily the U.S. during their democratic rule. This extra graphic is to inform about the current condition of their economy, and that even though they are now an independent country with their own rich culture, they still have a large population of people that are suffering in the lower class and affected still negatively affected by other world powers.