Southeast Asia is the location of a small country called the Philippines. Formally, Republic of the Philippines, the archipelago consists of roughly 7,100 islands that are located in the southwest Pacific Ocean just Southeast of China. Natives of the country are called Filipinos. The term formerly originated when lowland Christian Spaniards, called indios, began referring to themselves as "Filipinos" (Dolan 76). The ethnic background of a modern day Filipino is as complex as a typical American's; it is a combination of numerous cultures. So the term "Filipino" means little more than does the term "American" (Bullen 36). The first known settlers on the islands were the Negritos, the aboriginal Filipinos, who arrived about 30,000 years ago (Guillermo 2). Since then, many different types of people have continuously inhabited the islands such as Chinese, Malaysian, Indonesian, Japanese, Spanish, as well as American for over 25,000 years (Levinson 153). Therefore, through centuries of interracial mating, the modern Filipino has become a unique blend of various cultures, resulting in a diverse population.

The Land: Pre-History of the Philippine Arch

Today, various ethnic tribes still choose to live isolated from modern civilization, preserving their culture and abiding by their traditional laws. They still live in the mountainous regions of the country or in the vast and luscious rain forests. Each tribe consists of 15 to 40 people in the immediate group ranging from infants to elders. Mangayan is the collective name given to Mindoro's indigenous Proto-Malayan people. The Mangayans can also be found on the islands of Panay and Luzon. The more recent Malays are somewhat common and are widely spread across the nation. Tribes such as the Igroto live in the jungles of Baguio, Batangas, and Tarlac on the main island of Luzon. The Bontoc tribes are on the islands of Samar, Leyte, Masbate, and a few in the forests of Negros. The Tinguians can be found mainly in the island of Palawan, but some are known to have migrated to Mindanao. These are just some of the many ethnic tribes that inhabit the Philippine islands (Levinson 135).

The Japanese infliction on the Philippine culture transpired during the harsh years of World War II from 1941 to 1945. The event that is commonly remembered by Filipinos occurred on December 8, 1941 when Japan launched a surprise attack on the Philippines, just ten hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Of the four, the Japanese intrusion was the most rememberable. During the war, Japanese soldiers would invade innocent Filipino homes. Mainly homes in the mountainous areas and farms along the grassy planes. Eventually, these invasions would lead to innocent Filipino deaths of all ages. The Japanese would also sexually abuse the women even children during their violent raids. After the war, a small number of the female victims survived. Today, there is less than five percent of the population are Japanese mixed (Dolan 540).

Because Philippines was under the rule of Spain for 333 years, the Spanish inflicted the most influence on Filipinos. Religion played a significant role in Spain's relations with and attitudes toward the indigenous population; a little over ninety percent of the current total population are Roman Catholic. Certain beliefs in their religion have become traditions to most Filipinos today. Language had also highly influenced Filipino people; numerous words in modern Tagalog have a striking resemblance to Spanish. In addition, interracial marriage also occurred during these times. Spanish-Filipino, also known as Spanish Mestizo, is an offspring of the two joint races, and can be distinguished by their fairer complexion, taller stature, and aquiline nose structure. That is why Filipinos are thought to have been descended from the Spanish (Dorai 333).

Officially called Republic of the Philippines, this small island country in Southeast Asia is an archipelago consisting of some 7,100 islands and islets lying about 500 miles off the coast. The total land area of the Philippines is 115,800 square miles. It lies in the southwest Pacific Ocean bounded by the Philippine Sea to the east, the Celebes Sea to the south, and the South China Sea to the west and north. During the Spanish rule, the archipelago was named Islas Filipinas, or Philippine Islands, in honor of Philip II of Spain. Filipino is the term for the citizens of the country and originated when lowland Christians referred to themselves as "Filipinos" (Dolan 76). Because of the separation of the

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