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Kumusta from the Philippines!
Greetings from Baguio City, Philippines!  Baguio City is the “summer capital of the Philippines” located in the mountains of northern Philippines.  At a mile above sea level, Baguio City has natural air conditioning and is extremely proud of its clean air and low crime, despite 75% of its population being younger than 40 years old.  Baguio City is also known for its educational institutions, ex-pat community, and recreational activities that draw in people from all over the Philippines.

Culture: The Philippines are the second-largest archipelago in the world, with over 7000 tropical islands.   Most Filipinos are descendants of Indonesians and Malays who migrated to the islands in successive waves over many centuries and largely displaced the aboriginal inhabitants. The largest ethnic minority now is the mainland Asians (called Chinese), who first came to the islands to trade. Arabs and Indians also traveled and traded in the Philippines.  As a result of intermarriage, many Filipinos have some Asian mainland, Spanish, American, Arab, or Indian ancestry.
 
Ministry: More than 90% of Filipinos are Christian, the majority of which are Roman Catholic, as a result of the nearly 400 years of Spanish and American rule. The major non-Hispanicized groups are the Muslim population, concentrated in the Sulu Archipelago and in central and western Mindanao, and the mountain aboriginal groups of northern Luzon. Small forest tribes still live in the more remote areas of Mindanao.    Kalinga-Crossover Ministry rescues Guest Relations Officers (GRO) and provides access to healthcare, education, skills training, counseling, human rights and legal advocacy. Kalinga means care and its mission is to assist GROs in their crossover from a life of domestic servitude or prostitution into a life of dignidad – dignity. Their message is maganda ka which means you are beautiful! In addition to the Women of Dignity ministry, Kalinga-Crossover is also reaching out to “ladyboys,” gay prostitutes dressed in drag, through Men of Integrity and the children of GROs through Children of Hope. Their ministry is one of restoration and redemption. We will partner with Kalinga-Crossover, going into the Red Light District to minister to GROs, teaching Alternative Learning System (ALS) educational classes similar to GED classes in the states, making home visits of GROs for case management purposes and counseling, and working with GROs and ladyboys who come to the Health Center for free smear tests for STDs.

 
Language:  The official languages of the Philippines are Filipino, belonging to the Malay-Polynesian linguistic family, and English.  There are also eight major dialects – Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan.  Here in Baguio City, most people speak Ilocano.  The four principal indigenous languages are Cebuano, spoken in the Visayas; Tagalog, predominant in the area around Manila; Ilocano, spoken in northern Luzon, and Maranao and related languages spoken in Mindanao. Since 1939, in an effort to develop national unity, the government has promoted the use of the national language, Filipino, which is based on Tagalog. Only a few Filipino families use Spanish or Mandarin as second languages.  Some common Filipino phrases include:
  • Hello: Kumusta hô.
  • Goodbye: Paalam na hô.
  • Yes: Ohô/Opô.
  • No: Hindi hô.
  • Excuse me: Mawaláng-galang na nga hô
  • Sorry: Iskyua/Sori hô
  • Thank you (very much): (Maráming) salamat hô
  • You’re welcome: Waláa hong anuman.
  • What’s your name?: Anóng pangalan ninyó?

Food: Philippine cuisine has evolved over several centuries from its Malayo-Polynesian origins to a mixed cuisine with many Hispanic cultural influences, due to the many Latin American and Spanish dishes brought to the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period. It has also received varying degrees of influence from Chinese, American, and other Asian cuisine. Filipinos traditionally eat three main meals a day plus an afternoon snack. Dishes range from a simple meal of fried fish and rice to rich paellas and cocidos. Popular dishes include lechin (whole roasted pig), longganisa (Philippine sausage), tapa (cured beef), torta (omelette), adobo (chicken and/or pork braised in garlic, soy sauce, and vinegar or cooked until dry), kaldereta (goat in tomato stew), mechado (beef or pork cooked in tomato sauce), pochero (beef in bananas and tomato sauce), afritada (pork or beef simmered in a tomato sauce with vegetables), kare-kare (oxtail and vegetables cooked in peanut sauce), crispy pata (deep-fried pig’s leg), hamonado (pork sweetened in pineapple sauce), sinigang (pork, fish, or shrimp in tamarind stew), pancit (stir-fried noodles), and lumpia (fresh or fried spring rolls). Filipino cuisine is distinguished by its bold combination of sweet, sour and salty flavors, and in general most dishes are not heavily spiced.