A simple blog about our round-the-world trip. We will update when we can. Since our readership is international, we will write mostly in English. However, from time to time, we will write in Molière's language and Mickiewicz'. Feel free to comment and ask us questions about our destinations and "coups de coeur". Don't worry, we will also tell you if we ever find ourselves in... a putrid dwelling (for our colleagues at work); a s*** hole (for our close friends). :)
Bonne aventure!
I always thought that the Philippines were this unique story where Spain meets Asia. There’s no denying that the Philippines proudly displays its Spanish heritage. But besides the churches, the names of the streets, and the few buildings left standing after WW2, there is always a feeling that Spain is so…passé here in the Philippines and that another country has had a much bigger influence in the Philippines lately: the United States of America.
It starts with the language. Let me make one thing clear: Filipinos speak the best English in Southeast Asia. They use Shakespeare’s language to communicate important information in light rail stations, shopping malls, or bus stations. Clerks in stores speak to customers –Filipino or not – in English. Filipino seems to be used as a last resort, for example when a customer has more difficulty understanding English.
And English isn’t just the language of business; English is spoken by almost everybody in the Philippines. We met 10-year-old kids in traditional villages of northern Luzon who spoke excellent English. Oh and kids love to give the “high five”. It is funny to see etiquette go out the window when kids – unknowingly – replace the formal “sir” with “hey man”, a clear indication to the visitor that American TV shows are pretty popular in this part of the world.
However, if language was the only thing in common with the United States, I would have a pretty weak case. Consider country music.
Country music is much in vogue in the Philippines. Many radio stations play songs with the steel guitar we come to associate with Nashville, Tennessee. And country music isn’t only popular with the old or depressed, even kids love to listen to it. How about a young village girl listening to country music from a portable radio while she works in a rice paddy?
Filipinos also love an all American sport: basketball. Even politics has U.S influence written all over it. Filipinos elect “congressmen” in the “House of Representatives”. The country is also divided in “congressional districts”.If things go awry, they can "impeach" the President. And just like the United States, the Philippine government is divided into three branches: the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches.
Clearly, Filipinos have taken the best in American politics. Unfortunately they also added a local flavor: corruption. According to a World Bank study in 2008, corruption in the Philippines is considered to be the worst in Southeast Asia. Means of corruption in the country include graft, bribery, embezzlement, backdoor deals, nepotism, patronage.
Left, right, front and centre, it is obvious that the United States has left a lasting impression on Filipinos. Some say at the expense of local culture.
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