Filipino people

Filipinos
From left to right: An Ayta man, President Corazon Aquino, Bagobo chieftain Datu Attos, Muslim women's rights activist Yasmin Busran-Lao, President Sergio Osmeña, and actor Cesar Montano.
Total population
Philippines      91,077,287 (2007) [1]
Regions with significant populations
Significant overseas populations Note: No data available on number of Filipino descendants in Southeast Asia-Pacific, Latin America, China and Spain (approximation for Mexico)  United States 4,000,000 (2007) [USA]  Saudi Arabia 800,000 (2005) [SAU]  Malaysia 404,966 (2004) [2]  Canada 327,550 (2003) [CAN]  Japan 300,000 (2004) [JPN]  UAE 250,000 (2003) [ARE]  United Kingdom 200,000 (2007) [3]  Taiwan 158,116 (2003) [TWN]  Italy 200,000 [ITA]  Singapore 156,466 (2007) [2]  Hong Kong 130,810 (2005) [HKG]  Australia 129,400 (2007) [AUS]  Kuwait 91,789 (2004) [2]  Ireland 3,900 (2005) [IRL]  Indonesia 68,000 (2005)  Qatar 58,358 (2004) [2]  Germany 55,628 (2004) [2]  Guam 45,600 (2007) [GWM]  South Korea 41,000 (2004) [ROK]  Israel 37,155-50,000(2004) [2][4][5]  Bahrain 36,718 (2004) [2]  France 32,085 (2004) [2]  Lebanon 30,000 (2006) [LBN]  Austria 25,973 (2004) [2]  Spain 25,292 (2004) [2]  Greece 25,146 (2004) [2]  Macau 18,447 (2004) [2]  New Zealand 16,938 (2006) [NZL]  Sweden 5,186 (2004) [6]  Norway 9,482 (2007) [7]
Languages
Filipino/Tagalog, Bikol, Cebuano, English, Hiligaynon, Ilokano, Kapampangan, Pangasinan, Tausug, Waray-Waray, Spanish, and over 100 others
Religion
Predominantly Roman Catholic Various smaller Christian denominations Significant Muslim minority, Buddhist, others
Related ethnic groups
Taiwanese aborigines, Dayak, Indonesians, Malays, Chamorro, other Austronesians, Bisaya (not to be confused with Filipino Visayans)

Filipinos or the Filipino people (feminine: Filipina) are citizens of the Philippines, an archipelago in Southeast Asia.^[8] The terms may also refer to people of Philippine descent, regardless of citizenship. There are now over 100 million ethnic Filipinos worldwide.

Colloquially, Filipinos may refer to themselves as Pinoy (feminine: Pinay), which is formed by taking the last four letters of Pilipino and adding the diminutive suffix -y.^[8] The word was coined by expatriate Filipino Americans during the 1920s and was later adopted by Filipinos in the Philippines.

Filipino-Americans have a long, storied history in the United States. From the first Asians in California back in the late 1500s, to those rising up in U.S. politics, Pilipino Americans have had a strong influence on the United States as it is today. Farm worker's strikes, fights against oppressive legislation, and memorable community leaders have all shaped and will continue to shape the country.

Many Philippine languages lack /f/ as a phoneme. In these, /p/ is substituted and Filipino is denoted Pilipino.

History of Filipino Migration to the United States

Main article: History of the Philippines

1573 to 1811

Roughly between 1556 and 1813, Spain engaged in the Galleon Trade between Manila and Acapulco. Filipinos are not considered Asians- but Pacific Islanders. The galleons were built in the shipyards of Cavite, outside Manila, by Filipino craftsmen. The trade was funded by Chinese traders, manned by Filipino sailors and "supervised" by Spain. In this time frame, Spain recruited Mexicans to serve as soldiers in Manila. Likewise, they drafted Filipinos to serve as soldiers in Mexico. Thus the "crossbreeding" of Mexicans and Filipinos ensued. Once drafted, the trip across the ocean usually came with a "one way" ticket. The transplanted soldiers married into their new communities.

1587: First Filipinos ("Luzonians") to set foot in North America arrive in Morro Bay, (San Luis Obispo) California on board the Manila-built galleon ship Nuestra Senora de Esperanza under the command of Spanish Captain Pedro de Unamuno. 1720, Gaspar Molina, a Filipino from Pampanga province, oversees the construction of El Triunfo dela Cruz, the first ship built in California.

1763: First permanent Filipino settlements established in North America near Barataria Bay in southern Louisiana.

1781: Antonio Miranda Rodriguez chosen a member of the first group of settlers to establish the City of Los Angeles, California. He and his daughter fell sick with smallpox while enroute, and remained in Baja California for an extended time to recuperate. When they finally arrived in Alta California, it was discovered that Miranda Rodriguez was a skilled gunsmith. He was reassigned in 1782 to the Presidio of Santa Barbara as an armorer.

1796: The first American trading ship to reach Manila, the Astrea, was commanded by Captain Henry Prince.

1812: During the War of 1812, Filipinos from Manila Village (near New Orleans) were among the "Batarians" who fought against the British under the command of Jean Lafitte in the Battle of New Orleans. 1870, Filipinos studying in New Orleans form the first Filipino Association in the United States, the "Sociedad de Beneficencia de los Hispanos Filipinos."

1888: Dr. José Rizal visits the United States and predicts that the Philippines will one day be [a United States] colony in his essay, The Philippines: A Century Hence.

1898: The Philippines declares its independence (June 12, Kawit, Cavite) only to be ceded to the United States by Spain for $20 million. United States annexes the Philippines.

1899: Philippine-American War begins.

1902: Cooper Act passed by the U.S. Congress makes it illegal for Filipinos to own property, vote, operate a business, live in an American residential neighborhood, hold public office and become a naturalized American citizen.

1903: First Pensionados, Filipinos invited to attend college in the United States on American government scholarships, arrive.

1906: First Filipino laborers migrate to the United States to work on the Hawaiian sugarcane and pineapple plantations, California and Washington asparagus farms, Washington lumber, Alaska salmon canneries. About 200 Filipino "pensionados" are brought to the U.S. to get an American education.

1916: The US "recruited" Filipinos for service during World War I. Very few survived and returned to the Philippines.

1920s: Filipino labor leaders organize unions and strategic strikes to improve working and living conditions.

1924: Filipino Workers' Union (FLU) shuts down 16 of 25 sugar plantations.

1926: California's anti-miscegenation law, Civil Code, section 60, amended to prohibit marriages between white persons and members of the "Malay race" (i.e. Filipinos). (Stats. 1933, p. 561.).

1928: Filipino Businessman Pedro Flores opens Flores Yo-yos, which is credited with starting the yo-yo craze in the United States. He came up with and copyrighted the word yo-yo. He also applied for and received a trademark for the Flores Yo-yo, which was registered on July 22, 1930. His company went on to be become the foundation of which would latter become the Duncan yo-yo company.

1929: Anti-Filipino riots break out in Watsonville and other California rural communities, in part because of Filipino men having intimate relations with White women which was in violation of the California anti-miscegenation laws enacted during that time.

1932: The U.S. Congress passes the Tydings-McDuffie Act, known as the Philippine Independence Act. The act limited Filipino immigration to the U.S. to 50 persons a year (not to apply to persons coming or seeking to come to the Territory of Hawaii).

1936: Philippines becomes self-governing. Commonwealth of the Philippines inaugurated.

1939: Washington Supreme Court rules unconstitutional the Anti-Alien Land Law of 1937 which banned Filipino Americans from owning land.

April 1942: First and Second Filipino Regiments formed in the U.S. composed of Filipino agricultural workers.

May 1942: After the fall of Bataan and Coregidor to the Japanese, the US Congress passes a law which grants US citizenship to Filipinos and other aliens who served under the U.S. Armed Forces.

1946: The Philippines becomes independent. Republic of the Philippines inaugurated; America Is in the Heart by Carlos Bulosan published.

1948: California Supreme Court rules Califorinia's anti-miscegenation law unconstitutional ending racially based prohibitions of marriage in the state (although it wasn't until Loving v. Virginia in 1967 that interracial marriages were legalized nationwide). Celestino Alfafara wins California Supreme Court decision allowing aliens the right to own real property.

1955: Peter Aduja becomes first Filipino American elected to office, becoming a member of the Hawai'i State House of Representatives.

1956: Bobby Balcena becomes first Filipino American to play Major League baseball, playing for the Cincinnati Reds.

1965: Congress passes Immigration and Nationality Act which facilitated ease of entry for skilled Filipino laborers.

1965: Delano grape strike begins when members of Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee, mostly Filipino farm workers in Delano, California walked off the farms of area table grape growers demanding wages on level with the federal minimum wage. Labor leader Philip Vera Cruz subsequently served as second vice president and on the managing board of the United Farm Workers. 1965- Filipino farm workers under the leadership of Larry Itliong go on strike in Delano and win Cesar Chavez joins Itliong to from the United Farm Workers Union. Filipino American Political Association (FAPA) is formed with chapters in 30 California cities. Immigration Act of 1965 raises quota of Eastern Hemisphere countries, including the Philippines, to 20,000 a year.

1967: The Philippine American Collegiate Endeavor (PACE) founded by Filipino American students at San Francisco State College. PACE is the first Filipino American student organization in the United States.

1974: Benjamin Menor appointed first Filipino American in a state's highest judiciary office as Justice of the Hawai?i State Supreme Court.

1975: Governor John A. Burns (D-HI) convinces Benjamin J. Cayetano to run and win a seat in the Hawai?i State Legislature, despite Cayetano's doubts about winning office in a white and Japanese American dominated district; Kauai's Eduardo E. Malapit elected first Filipino American mayor.

1981: Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes are both assassinated June 1, 1981 inside a Seattle downtown union hall. The late Philippine Dictator Ferdinand Marcos hired gunmen to murder both ILWU Local 37 officers to silence the growing movement in the United States opposing the dictatorship in the Philippines.

1987: Benjamin J. Cayetano becomes the first Filipino American and second Asian American elected Lt. Governor of a state of the Union.

1990: David Mercado Valderrama becomes first Filipino American elected to a state legislature on the mainland United States serving Prince George's County in Maryland. Immigration reform Act of 1990 is passed by the U.S. Congress granting U.S. citizenship to Filipino WWII veterans resulting in 20,000 Filipino veterans take oath of citizenship.

1991: Seattle's Gene Canque Liddell becomes first Filipino American woman to be elected mayor serving the suburb of Lacey City.

1992: Velma Viloria becomes first Filipino American and first Asian American elected to the Washington State Legislature.

1993: Mario R. Ramil appointed Associate Justice to the Hawai'i Supreme Court, the second Filipino American to reach the court.

1994: Benjamin J. Cayetano becomes the first Filipino American and second Asian American elected Governor of a state of the Union.

1999: US Postal worker Joseph Ileto murdered in a hate crime by Aryan Nations member Buford Furrow.

2000: Robert Bunda elected Hawaii's Senate President and Simeon R. Acoba, Jr. appointed Hawai'i State Supreme Court Justice.

2003: Philippine Republic Act No. 9225, also known as the Citizenship Retention and Re-Acquisition Act of 2003 enacted, allowing natural-born Filipinos naturalized in the United States and their unmarried minor children to reclaim Filipino nationality and hold dual citizenship.

2006: Congress passes legislation that commemorates the 100 Years of Filipino Migration to the United States.

2006: First monument dedicated to Filipino soldiers who fought for the United States in World War II unveiled in Historic Filipinotown, Los Angeles, California.

Ancestry

Majority of Filipinos are descended from Austronesian-speaking migrants who came in successive waves from the island of Taiwan, ultimately hailing from the Fujian coast of China. They are most closely related to the Ami tribe which are one of the Austronesian aborigines of Taiwan, with whom they share similar physical appearance, prehistoric culture, and certain linguistic patterns, such as grammar and vocabulary. According to the Stanford University study mentioned below, Filipino and Ami genetic composition are exactly similar, except for a tiny fraction.^[9]

The Filipino's original genetic composition was also said to be of Japanese, Indian, Chinese,and Malaysian

Genetic Studies

Some genetic studies, based upon very small samples of the population, have begun to provide clues to the origins of Filipino people. Much remains to be learned by larger studies of valid statistical significance about the ancestry of the various Austronesian Philippine ethnic groups.

A Stanford University study conducted during 2001 revealed that Y-chromosome Haplogroup O3-M122 (labeled as "Haplogroup L" in this study) predominates among Filipino males. This particular haplogroup is also predominant among Chinese and Korean males. That finding is consistent with the theory that people migrated from China south into the Philippines. 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. Overall, the genetic frequencies found among Filipinos point to the Ami tribe of Taiwan as their nearest genetic relative.^[9]

A 2002 China Medical University study indicated that certain Filipinos shared a particular gene marker that is also found among Taiwanese aborigines and Indonesians, and concluded that Taiwan aborigines are of Austronesian derivation.^[10]

A 2003 University of the Philippines study based on 50 participants each from the islands of Luzon and Cebu provided some insight into the various places of origin of early Filipinos. Some rare genetic markers were found which are shared by people from the different parts of Central and East Asia, reinforcing their mainland Asian origins. ^[11]

Languages

Main article: Languages of the Philippines

According to Ethnologue, there are more than 170 languages spoken in the country. English and Filipino are the official languages, with "Taglish" (a portmanteau of Tagalog and English) as a lingua franca, and many other major regional languages also serve as working languages where English or Filipino is not as entrenched. Ilokano, for example, is widely spoken as a second language in Northern Luzon. The Cebuano is considered the lingua franca of Visayas and Mindanao.

Filipino, the national language, as of 2008 is heavily based on Tagalog with only minor contributions from other languages, such as Spanish and English. The language is evolving, however, and is assimilating terminologies from various sources both national and foreign. For instance, terms used only by, say, the Bisaya (from southern Bicol, the Visayas island group, and north Mindanao) which were not generally used 20 years ago have now become part of the everyday Filipino lexicon.

Other major languages of the country include Ilokano (also spelled Illocano or Ilocano), Hiligaynon, Waray, Kapampangan, Bikol, Pangasinan, Tausug, Maguindanao, Maranao, Chabacano, Kinaray-a, kan-kan-a-ey| benguet, Chavacano, and many others.

Diaspora

Main article: Overseas Filipino

Filipinos form the largest ethnic group in the Northern Marianas Islands, the second largest in both Palau and Guam, and the second largest Asian American group in the United States. They also form significant minorities in Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Israel, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Spain, France, and even Ireland.

Filipinos in the Americas

The arrival of Filipinos in the Americas began during the Spanish colonial era. At that time, many Filipino men were hired as sailors to man ships bound for the "New World". Upon arrival, many sailors mutinied, others settled there after marrying locals.

However, Filipino migration only began in the mid-1800s, beginning with the United States. In 1903, "pensionados" arrived there as students in colleges and universities. Laws against marriage to Whites (a group which included Hispanic Americans) were enforced throughout California and the West. Starting in 1906, Filipinos were hired as laborers for plantations, farms, salmon canneries, and the like. In the post-World War II era, Filipino nurses and other health care workers began immigrating. Filipinas comprise a large portion of women who come to the U.S. via international marriage agencies^[12]. Many of the Filipinos who settled in the United States during Martial Law imposed by the Marcos regime are Spanish Filipino mestizo families whose businesses were taken over by the government.

Filipinos remain one of the largest immigrant group to date with 80,000 people migrating per annum. About 75% consist of family sponsorship or immediate relatives of American citizens while the remainder is employment-oriented. A majority of this number prefer to live in California, followed by Hawaii, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Washington, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Colorado, Nevada, Alaska, Maryland and Virginia. Tagalog, on which Filipino is primarily based, is the fifth most common language spoken by Americans at home.

There is also a significant population of Filipinos in Canada, mostly belonging to Chinese Filipino ancestry .

Filipinos in Oceania

Filipinos have been settled in the islands of Oceania, particularly in Micronesia. Also, the vast majority of Filipino exiled patriots were sent to Oceania. As a result, they now form the largest ethnic group in the Northern Marianas Islands, as well as the second largest in both Palau and Guam. To this day, about five in ten Northern Marianas islanders have a direct Filipino ancestor.

There is also a sizeable Filipino minority in Australia, primarily settling in Sydney and New South Wales. They form roughly 1% of the Australian population, although this proportion is highly debated because of the number of Filipinos indicating Spanish as their ancestry .

See also

• Tagalog
• Filipino mestizo
• Chinese Filipino
• Filipinos of Japanese descent
• Filipinos of Spanish descent
• South Asians in the Philippines
• Bangsamoro
• Ibanag people

• Overseas Filipino
  • Filipino American
  • Filipino Mexican
  • Filipino Australian
  • Filipino British
  • Filipino Canadian
  • Filipinos in Hong Kong
• Philippine nationality law
• Pinoy
• Women in the Philippines

References

• Peter Bellwood (July 1991). "The Austronesian Dispersal and the Origin of Languages". Scientific American 265: 88–93. 
• Bellwood, Peter; Fox, James; & Tryon, Darrell (1995). The Austronesians: Historical and comparative perspectives. Department of Anthropology, Australian National University. ISBN 0-7315-2132-3. 
• Peter Bellwood (1998). "Taiwan and the Prehistory of the Austronesians-speaking Peoples". Review of Archaeology 18: 39–48. 
• Peter Bellwood & Alicia Sanchez-Mazas (June 2005). "Human Migrations in Continental East Asia and Taiwan: Genetic, Linguistic, and Archaeological Evidence". Current Anthropology 46 (3): 480–485. 
• David Blundell. "Austronesian Disperal". Newsletter of Chinese Ethnology 35: 1–26. 
• Robert Blust (1985). "The Austronesian Homeland: A Linguistic Perspective". Asian Perspectives 20: 46–67. 
• Peter Fuller (2002). "Asia Pacific Research". Reading the Full Picture. Canberra, Australia: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies. Retrieved on July 28, 2005.
• "Homepage of linguist Dr. Lawrence Reid". Retrieved on July 28, 2005.
• Malcolm Ross & Andrew Pawley (1993). "Austronesian historical linguistics and culture history". Annual Review of Anthropology 22: 425–459. doi:10.1146/annurev.an.22.100193.002233. 
• John Edward Terrell (Dec. 2004). "Introduction: 'Austronesia' and the great Austronesian migration". World Archaeology 36 (4): 586–591. 
• Zaide, Sonia M. (1999). The Philippines: A Unique Nation. All-Nations Publishing. http://books.google.com/books?id=otdEGQAACAAJ. 
• ^a ARE - Jose N. Franco Jr (28 April 2007). "Jan-Feb 2007 remittances by Filipinos in Dubai grow 96pc", Khaleej Tomes. Retrieved on 2007-05-09. .
• ^a AUS - "Year Book Australia, 2007 Contents >> Population >> Country of birth". Australia Bureau of Statistics (2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-08..
• ^a CAN - "Population by Ethnic Origin". Asia pacific foundation of Canada. Retrieved on 2007-05-08..
• ^a GWM - "Country Profile: Guam - People". CIA Factbook. Retrieved on 2007-05-12..
• ^a HKG - "Hong Kong Yearbook 2005 - population". Central Statistics Office (2005). Retrieved on 2007-04-12.
• ^a IRL - "Principal Stastics of Ireland by nationality". Retrieved on 2007-04-12.
• ^a ITA - Lawrence Casiraya. "Microsoft training centers cater to 200,000 OFWs in Italy". Inquirer.net. Retrieved on 2007-08-14..
• ^a JPN - "Undocumented Filipinos cross the great divide in Japan", Philippines Today. Retrieved on 2007-05-09. .
• ^a LBN - Maila Ager (August 3, 2006). "'Standby fund’ for OFWS in Lebanon gets House committee nod", Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved on 2007-05-09. .
• ^a NZL - "QuickStats About Culture and Identity", Statistics New Zealand Tatauranga Aoteroa (August 3, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-12. .
• ^a ROK - "Secretary Albert Assures Filipinos in Korea of Continued Government Protection for Their Interests", Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (August 3, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-12. .
• ^a SAU - "International Religious Freedom Report 2005 - Saudi Arabia". Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. Department of State (2005). Retrieved on 2007-05-09..
• ^a TWN - Alien Workers in Taiwan-Fukien Area by Industry and Nationality (JPG and PDF format), 2006 February, CLA, Taiwan.
• USA
  • ^a1 "Selected Population Profile in the United States - Population Group: Filipino alone or in any combination". U.S. Census Bureau (2005). Retrieved on 2007-05-09. "Population Group: Filipino alone or in any combination: 2,807,731".
  • ^b1 "Background Note: Philippines". U.S. Department of State, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (May 2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-02. "There are an estimated four million Americans of Philippine ancestry in the United States, and more than 250,000 American citizens in the Philippines."

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