The locals of the Philippines are called Filipinos. Their primary ancestors are the Malays who came from the southeastern Asian country or what is now called Indonesia. Even before Ferdinand Magellan, a Spanish explorer who discovered the country in 1521, the Philippines was already inhabited by Chinese businessmen, which resulted in a mixed Chinese-Filipino descent. During the Spanish colonial period, inter-racial marriages brought forth the emergence of the country’s Spanish-Filipino group, commonly referred to as mestizos/mestizas. A small percentage of Filipinos are also part American and part Japanese respectively, as a result of the American and Japanese occupations of the Philippines in World War II. Arab and Indian blood have also been slightly added to the racial mixture of the Filipinos, due to trade that took place between the different cultures.
Inside the Filipinos’ diverse society, anyone who has not seen Filipinos will be surprised by how unique and heterogenous they are as a group of people. From their physical appearances, to their cultural practices and beliefs, one can see a truly diversified blend of people and customs. In effect, Filipinos take pride in the ability to naturally adapt to any given cultural circumstance.
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