Prepared by Labatt Ofelia B. DomingoJanuary 2017

¨ To provide employers/companies in Dubai and Northern Emirates with information on values, customs and traditions of Filipinos

¨ To enable employers/companies to appreciate the Filipino Culture.

¨ To foster harmonious relations between workers and employers in Dubai

¨ To promote the Philippines as a possible Tourism destination for employers/companies

¨ 1. The Philippines at a glance

¨ 2. Filipino Traits – Regional Context

¨ 3. Customs and Traditions

¨ 4. Filipino Workforce

¨ 5. Top Tourism Destinations in the Philippines

The Philippines Filipino: Pilipinas [ˌpɪlɪˈpinɐs]), officially the Republic of the Philippines (Filipino: Republika ng Pilipinas), is a sovereign island

country in Southeast Asia situated in the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of about 7,641 islands[ that are categorized broadly under three main

geographical divisions from north to south: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The capital city of the Philippines is Manila and the most populous city is Quezon City, both part of Metro Manila. Bounded by the South China Sea

on the west, the Philippine Sea on the east and the Celebes Sea on the southwest, the Philippines shares maritime borders with Taiwan to the

north, Palau to the east and Malaysia and Indonesia to the south.

¨ Dominant ethnic groups by province.¨ According to the 2000 census, 28.1% of

Filipinos are Tagalog, 13.1% Cebuano, 9% Ilocano, 7.6% Visayans/Bisaya (excluding Cebuano, Hiligaynon and Waray), 7.5% Hiligaynon, 6% Bikol, 3.4% Waray, and 25.3% as "others"which can be broken down further to yield more distinct non-tribal groups like the Moro, the Kapampangan, the Pangasinense, the Ibanag, and the Ivatan.[There are also indigenous peoples like the Igorot, the Lumad, the Mangyan, the Bajau, and the tribes of Palawan.

¨ Phjtlippine culture is a combination of Eastern and Western cultures. The Philippines exhibits aspects found in other Asian countries with a Malay heritage, yet its culture also displays a significant number of Spanish and American influences.

¨ Traditional festivities known as barrio fiestas (district festivals) to commemorate the feast days of patron saints are common. These community celebrations are times for feasting, music, and dancing and the Moriones and Sinulog festivals are a couple of the most well-known.

¨ Some traditions, however, are changing or gradually being forgotten due to modernization. The Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company has been lauded for preserving many of the various traditional folk dances found throughout the Philippines. They are famed for their iconic performances of Philippine dances such as the tinikling and singkil that both feature clashing bamboo poles.