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While millions of people live in big cities in the Philippines, many Filipino people work on the land and live in villages along the rivers, most of them either fishing for a living or farming for their family needs.
The famous 'Chocolate Hills' of Bohol
On the island of Bohol, near Cebu, the traditional houses have walls made of woven bamboo, with roofs of thatched nipa palm leaves. Families grow rice, maize, fruit such as bananas and coconuts, and vegetables such as corn. Village people share tools and equipment. Any extra food they produce is sold at a market, where clothing, cooking oil and utensils are also available. Handicrafts are made to be sold at the markets as well.
The men on
Bohol tend the fields or their fish farms of prawns and tigerfish or they fish in
rivers and the sea. Blacksmiths turn metal from used cars into
knives of different shapes. The women weave nipa palm leaves into
thatch for roofs, and sell it. Many also keep small roadside shops,
called sari-sari, which means a general store selling many
varied products.
Nipa palms growing beside the river on Bohol
The children on Bohol, like all Filipino children, attend school from six years of age. Most attend church schools, for which they must pay. The school day is from 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Students wear a uniform, as do the teachers. High school students do one hour of military training each day, from 4.00 to 5.00 p.m.
The village people share religious and cultural fiestas and gather together for weddings, funerals and other events.
Public transport buses link most of the villages to each other and to the towns. They are crowded and slow, with rooftop racks piled high with produce.
On the island of Luzon, about 10 hours
drive from Manila is Banaue. Here the Ifuagao people still
dress in their traditional clothes and live in traditional houses.
Banaue is famous for its rice terraces, which have been called
the 'eighth wonder of the world'. The terraces have been cut into
the mountains 12 000 metres above sea level. The Ifuagao people
began cutting them by hand about 2000 years ago, using primitive
tools. The Ifuagao people still grow rice and tend these terraces
much their ancestors did centuries ago.
Acknowledge this
source in your bibliography like this:
A Brief Look at
the Philippines (2000).
[Online], Available: www.kidcyber.com.au
Facts in brief about the Philippines
Find out more about the Philippines
Updated 3 November 2000