Facts That Can Not Be Disputed About The Philippines’ Connection to Asia

      Share    November 10, 2009 | Culture

 



Attempting To Set The Record Straight

So much confusion abounds on the Internet about The Philippines and its People. I just have to set the record straight and educate those who think otherwise, who might have a more narrow, concentric view of Asians, when they are actually a broad, diverse group of ethnicities, countries and cultures.

Pilipinas kong Mahal!

Genetic Studies from Stanford University

A Stanford University study conducted during 2001 revealed that Haplogroup O3-M122 (labeled as “Haplogroup L” in this study) is the most common Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup found among Filipinos. This particular haplogroup is also predominant among Chinese, Koreans and Vietnamese. Another haplogroup, Haplogroup O1a-M119 (labeled as “Haplogroup H” in this study), is also found among Filipinos. The rates of Haplogroup O1a are highest among the Taiwanese aborigines and Chamic-speaking people.

Overall, the genetic frequencies found among Filipinos point to the Ami tribe of Taiwan as their nearest genetic ancestors.[26] These findings are consistent with the theory that ancestors of the Filipino people have originated on continental East or Southeast Asia before migrating to the Philippines via Taiwan. A 2002 China Medical University study indicated that Filipinos shared genetic chromosome that is found among Asian people, such as Taiwanese aborigines, Indonesians, Thais and Chinese.[27]

A variety of research study by the University of the Philippines, genetic chromosome were found in Filipinos which are shared by people from different parts of East Asia, and Southeast Asia. The predominant genotype detected was SC, the Southeast Asian genotype.[28]

The official population of mixed-blood individuals in the Philippines remain unknown. However, according to a recent study conducted by Stanford University Asia-Pacific Research Center, less than 3.6% of the Philippine population has varying degrees of European ancestry from Spanish and United States colonization.[29]

What does all this say?

Well, genetically speaking Filipinos originated from East Asia and Southeast Asia, including the aboriginal Ami tribe of Taiwan, and the peoples of what are now known to be Malaysia and Indonesia. And these people originated from mainland Asia. But there is also evidence of aboriginal tribes in the Philippines that pre-dates the migration of peoples from mainland Asia.

The Philippine Government’s definition of a Filipino

The Filipino is basically of Malay stock with a sprinkling of Chinese, American, Spanish and Arab blood.

The Filipino character is actually a little bit of all the cultures put together. The bayanihan or spirit of kinship and camaraderie that Filipinos are famous for, is said to be taken from Malay forefathers. The close family relations are said to have been inherited from the Chinese. The piousness comes from the Spaniards who introduced Christianity in the 16th century. Hospitality is a common denominator in the Filipino character and this is what distinguishes the Filipino. Filipinos are probably one of the few, if not the only, English-proficient Oriental people today.

MSN / Encarta’s Definition of The Philippines


Phil·ip·pines – country in Southeast Asia, in the western Pacific Ocean, in the Malay Archipelago. It comprises over 7,000 islands.

Wikipedia’s Definition of The Philippines

The Philippines (Filipino: Pilipinas [pɪlɪˈpinɐs]) officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean.

From The Philippine Government’s Official Website

The visitor to Metro Manila commonly sees the Philippines as the most westernized of Asian countries and in many ways, it is. But there is also a rich underlay of Malay culture beneath the patina of Spanish and American heritage. National cultural life is a happy marriage of many influences, as the indigenous Malay culture is assimilated and adapted to different strains in a practice typical of Malay temperament.

Part of Wikipedia’s Definition of Pacific Islander

Inhabitants of the following islands and regions are not considered to be Pacific Islanders: Russia’s Kuril Islands, Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, Indonesia, as they are not located within the three regions of Oceania (Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia).

Definition of ASEAN

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations,[1] commonly abbreviated ASEAN (generally pronounced /ˈɑːsi.ɑːn/ AH-see-ahn,[2] occasionally /ˈɑːzi.ɑːn/ AH-zee-ahn[3] in English, the official language of the bloc),[4] is a geo-political and economic organisation of 10 countries located in Southeast Asia, which was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.[5] Since then, membership has expanded to include Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

I sincerely hope you found this information useful…

More Information About Filipinos Can Be Found in the Following Articles

Posted by Randomguru | Comments (View Comments)

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  • Dario
    I agree with Rafael. The sample size (28 individuals) is statistically insignifact in my opinion for anyone to draw any kind of conclusive labels about 90 million Filipinos.
  • rpa4
    This is great! Very helpful indeed.
    However, how can we change the perspective of many countries about us? We are now considered the lowest level among our neigbors in terms of economy, education, and moral values. Should every Filipino needs to go back to school and study hard (er)? Should we change our system of government? Is changing the country's name will help us to redesign our country to become more competitive and have the edge? I really need help on this and I assumed that we are losing our own identity. People in our country just stick to being known as the only country that can speak English; the only country with most number of nurse potential; the only country with most number of telemarketers. Nowadays, every middle age Filipino will just tied himself to watch comedy or drama on TV. And talk excessively or listen to nonsense or immature dicussions. That will not help oneself to become universally competitive? What else do we have to offer? What can every individual do to lift our banner and really, proudly say " I Love the Philippines?"
  • rpa4
    "We are now considered the lowest level among our neigbors in terms of economy, education, and moral values."
    And by whom exactly are you "considered the lowest level"?
    Not by Indonesia or Thailand that are very much the same in terms of economic indicators. Not by Vietnam that is below. Neither Papua New Guinea and neighboring Pacific Islands, that are far, far below.
    Oh, I know, by Japan, that is 3.000 Kms away.
    Well, don't feel that bad, Japan considers just about any other country in the world to be at a lower level. And rightly so.

    And as far as education is concerned, Filipinos are among the most educated people in the area. Cebu, for example, is the top global IT outsourcing destination, in front of any other city in the whole world.
    They have always been, by the way. For example, the University of San Carlos in Cebu City is the oldest University in Asia. It was founded by the Spanish Jesuits on 1595. This makes the Cebu-based university older than Harvard University (1636) in the United States.

    And as for moral values, you obviously never been to Thailand. Or to Japan, for that matter.

    You know rpa4, if you really love your country, you should perhaps stop putting it down with those kind of lies.
    Facts are facts, and the Philippines are not considered the lowest level among its neigbors in terms of economy, education, and moral values.
    Quite the opposite, no matter how hard you try to belie about it.
  • If you bother to read the Stanford study, you'll see that "28 individuals from the Philippines were genotyped". 28 individuals out of 90 million? Hardly representative as a sample, I'd dare to say.

    The Philippine Statistics Department does not account either for the racial background or ancestry of an individual. The official population of all types of mixed-blood Filipinos that reside inside and outside of the Philippines remains unknown, but anybody who has lived there can tell the sharp differences in race and culture with the nationals of neighboring countries, such as Malaysia or Indonesia.
    Although Malays and Indonesians look the same, it is Impossible to mistake a Malay with a Filipino.

    Filipino people are unique on their own mix of races, and that is a good thing too.
  • mahatma
    How is an Asian supposed to look?

    Do you think an Indian, or a Tibetan, or a Thai is not Asian?

    Once again, my point is that region, and not just one's narrow view of what an Asian is supposed to look like, is the key factor.

    In America, there are many ethnicities who consider themselves American, just as there are many ethnicities who consider themselves Asian.
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