Childcare Community Ministry Philippines

The Philippines, located centrally in Asia is a home to more than 70,000,000 people. The Republic of the Philippines consists of 7,107 islands, 10% of which are inhabited. It is located north of Australia and Indonesia and South of Taiwan & Japan.

Manila, the capital city, has 17,000,000 inhabitants alone and is continuing to grow rapidly. Philippines is divided to 3 main areas Luzon (north), Visayas (center), Mindanao (South).

There are 2 seasons in the Philippines, Dry & Wet. The hot & dry summer months begins in March, with the hottest time being April & May. The wet season begins late June and ends in November. It's not uncommon for it to rain everyday for weeks. This is also the season for typhoons, which can at times leave a path of devastation behind them.

The temperature here in this country range from a high in the 90's in the hot season perhaps a low of 70 degrees in the early morning hours in December. During April / May it is normal for the temperature not to drop below 85 degrees night & day (Note: This is based on Manila weather patterns, this of course will be different in mountain area etc.)

Although, English is the medium for teaching in schools and universities the comprehension level is somewhat less in the provincial / remote areas. However, you can usually be understood by speaking slowly and clearly.

Historically, the waves of immigration of alien people (Indonesians, Chinese, Malays etc.) and the structure of the country, a series of islands, have brought about the multiplicity of languages and language groups. Today, there are 8 distinct languages spoken and about 80 dialects. The official language of the Philippines is Pilipino. This is made up primarily of Tagalog, a major language group on the main island of Luzon.

The Philippines is far from being a homogenous nation of people being divided by islands and diverse languages. There are 80 tribal groups in the nation and upwards of 5 million Muslim mainly living in the southern island of Mindanao.

Education is very important to Filipinos. Often the oldest child is held responsible for putting the younger siblings through the school once graduated. School begins in June and finishes the following April. There are 6 years of elementary school, starting at age 6. This followed by 4 years of high school & then 4 years of college. There are 2 million university students in the Philippines with 800,000 found in Manila. Usually, Filipinos are done with college at the age of 20.

Rice is the staple diet in the Philippines. There is also an abundance of tropical fruits, vegetable and fish. Pork & chicken are readily available, but not so common. Chinese influence can be seen in much of the food preparation. Frying is the most common style coking. Garlic and ginger are favorite seasonings in Filipino food.

The unit of currency is the peso. One hundred centavos is equal to one peso. The exchange rate is 50 pesos to 1 dollar. There are 5, 10, 25 and 1 & 5 peso coins. The bills range from a 10 to 1,000 with 20's, 50's, 100's and 500's in between. Each bill is easily recognized by its assigned color. It may look like monopoly money, but it spends very well.

If this is your first time to travel overseas, specifically to Asia, Manila will hit with full force the moment you step outside the airport buildings. The sight, the sounds, the smells of the great city will invade you. The heat & humidity, the noise, security guards with guns, the shear volume of people, and the unique smell of Manila are all part of your welcome to the country.

As you drive away from the airport, tired from your journey and perspiring in the heat, the traffic will appear chaotic. Although, road rules appear to be non-existent to the uninitiated there is a system that works remarkably well most of the time. For example, a red light is only a red light when you cannot safely cross the intersection! If you can, then consider it green. Surprisingly, there are remarkably few accidents.

If you keep your eyes open during the ride from the airport, you will notice small stores lining the streets selling food, drinks, newspaper etc. These are called sari-sari stores or tindahan. As you stop at traffic lights people will quickly come over and try to sell you anything from cigarettes, sweets, flowers or newspapers. Wait till its Christmas time and you can almost do your shopping while caught in the traffic. Filipinos are very resourceful people, never missing an opportunity to make few pesos!

Filipinos that you will meet will be polite, respectful, and eager to please. You will attract attention because you are a westerner and therefore seen as rich. Nothing will dissuade them from this point of view even though most of us are not wealthy!

Relationships with friends and family are all-important to the Filipinos and are to be preserved at all costs. People, not events, take precedence, which is often opposite to our own culture. So, be patient. Things will get done in time.

Welcome to the Philippines!

For those of you who enjoy eating you have come to the right place - Filipino lifestyle revolves around food. For every occasion, important or not, there is food. As visitors you will be given lots of meals to eat. It is likely to be faced with food that you've never seen before. If you are unsure how to eat the dish, just observe those around you and do as they do.

Meals are eaten with spoon & fork or in some cases with just your hands. Many Filipinos prefer to eat this way, especially on provincial / remote areas, so don't be offended if they eat their entire meal with their hands even though they are eating utensils provided. Remember - fingers were made before forks.

Often in the province your host will not eat with you because they are shy to do so. Invite them to join you but don't force them to if they object.

As westerner, we tend to compliment the host / hostess at the end of the meal. In the Philippines, this is more commonly done at the start just after you've tasted the food.

Unless you are eating at a restaurant, the food will be brought to the table and you will serve yourself. The idea is a lot of rice and a little of a lot of dishes, not the other way around! Also, Filipinos tend to just take a little of one thing at a time and after they've finished that, they take something else. You may want to follow this idea to save yourself from taking too much of something you find you would rather not to eat. However, remember - your missions' call and experience includes the food. Open display of dislike of the food is a cultural no-no. Eat with grateful hearts - as unto the Lord.

2. Poverty and Beggars

Poverty is wide spread, but so is graft and corruption. So what's the connection between the two? Simply this, many people posing as beggars are simply part of one of the many syndicates operating in the Philippines. For sure, your eyes will be opened if you feel to give; it is best to give through the local ministries you will be working with. Giving directly to the blind and disabled would be an exception to this, but we encourage you to give something in kind (no money please!).

3. Communication

English is spoken in the Philippines, but it is the Filipino version of the language. Thus, it has few peculiarities and some very distinct phrases, which you will get used to hearing.

a. Personal Pronoun

In the major languages of the Philippines, there is no distinction between the pronouns for male and female. That is the word for he and she is "siya". Thus, because Filipinos are not used to differentiating between the two, it's not uncommon to hear someone say - " he gave birth to twins yesterday" or talking about their father saying, " she still doesn't have work". So, it's ok, men don't get pregnant in the Philippines, and yes fathers are men not women although the used English would tend to indicate otherwise!

b. Confusion of P's and F's

P and F are not distinguishable in Filipino and some find it difficult to distinguish the difference in English as well. This means you at times drink "Fepsi" and eat with "spoon and pork". One of the funniest, or is that "puniest" stories I've come across concerning this use of English, was an experience one of my missionary friends had when she was trying to find a video of the musical "Fiddler on the Roof". When she asked if they had it, the shop assistant repeated the name, but instead of using the first F unfortunately interchanged it with P with quite results.

c. The use of Yes and No

This cause great confusion at times. Let me give you an example, you ask someone, You haven't swept the floor yet?" they reply "yes". You look at the floor and it's still very dirty. You conclude that they are not only lazy but lying as well. But this is the case. No. Because in fact, what they were saying was, "Yes, I haven't swept the floor yet", which naturally gives an entirely different meaning.

In the above illustration, our answer would be no, meaning I haven't swept it yet. Often then, the use of these two is reversed to our way of thinking. If in doubt, please get clarification.

Also, Filipinos out of desire to please, will often to say yes when they really mean no. That is, if you ask them to go somewhere with you, or ask a taxi driver does he know where such and such is, the answer will be "yes" when they really mean "no". They say yes because they don't want to say no to your face. Conversely, they will also say no when they'd really like to say "yes" but feel it might be asking too much, e.g. "Would you like a drink or some food" they will say no even tough they really want some. So to make the offer a genuine one, ask again.

To summarize, yes means no and no means yes, but be careful, sometimes yes really means yes and no is definitely no. Confused? Yes, I mean no. It's OK, so are the rest of us!

Western Humor on the whole doesn't work because so much of it is cultural in content. You may find when preaching that they will remain completely silent during your funniest stories and laugh uproariously at a very serious part of communicating cross culturally. Keep going because the Holy Spirit will be touching hearts no matter what the external reactions may be. In fact, Filipino will tend to laugh at serious moments as a way of easing the tension (keep this in mind during the drama).

We are sometimes sarcastic in our humor. PLEASE AVOID using this, even among fellow team members while in the Philippines. Your words will be taken very literally, so if it's directed at them, they may be very hurt, and if they overhear you using it with other team members, your testimony as Christian will take a dive in their eyes.

Basically do not use it. Filipinos know English, but not necessarily our slang. Steer clear of idioms and contractions, too. Anything, you say will be take literally, so try to and think before you speak. An example of idiom that has raised a few eyebrows is to say as an excuse for being late, "Sorry, I'm late, I got held up on the way".

Another expression that we use is "I'll give you a ring", meaning that you'll telephone them. Understanding that Filipinos interpretation of English is literal one, he or she will either be very confused about what you mean or will wait for the nice ring you are going to buy them. So if you are talking about using the telephone, do just that.

Some common phrases:

1. "I will be the one" means that you'll be the person to do whatever is needed. For example, if you want to pay for the meal or drinks for the group, say, "I'll be the one". Or if you want to carry the bags again, simply say, "I'll be the one".

2. "I'll just go ahead" generally means that they are leaving now. An American equivalent I "See ya later".

3. "Where will you get down?" means where will you be getting off the bus or jeepney.

4. Opening and closing isn't just what you do to books and doors in the Philippines. You do it to lights, faucets, and fans. That is, instead of turning on the light, you open it. Instead of turning off the fan, you close it. The expression "kill the light" may also be used instead of "close" the light.

5. Filipinos, to our way of thinking, can ask direct questions. They are not being rude, just interested and friendly. For example, a series of questions to someone they have just met may include, How old are you, Are you married, if answer is no, Why not, if yes, How many children do you have, if you have none, they may ask why you don't have any. They may ask how much your house cost. They may also comment on the size of your nose or stroke the hair on your arms.

If all of this proves too much for you, you can simply avoid answering the questions by changing the subject. This is very Filipino and will cause no embarrassment or problem to those you are conversing with.

f. Non-Verbal Communication

In any culture, non-verbal communication, such as physical gestures, play an important role in effective dialogue. They are so natural that mostly we don't even realize we are using them. But in another culture, we not only don't know them, but we can severely misunderstand what people mean when they use them.

This is common form of greeting. However, it can also mean yes. For Example, if you asking in a particular store for an item and they have what you are looking for, they may reply with a simple raise of the eyebrows.

2. The use of eyes or mouth for pointing.

When asking for directions, watch the eyes and mouth to know where to go. Or if you are asking a Filipino to choose between two or more items, he may simply select by use of the mouth or eyes. It may be considered rude to point with the finger at something so this is the alternative.

3. Use of downward hand motion to call someone over.

Never do this as we do in America with your index finger.

4. The "ssst" sound.

This is used to get someone's attention rather than yelling "hey, you". So, don't be surprised if a local team member calls you in this way.

4. Personal Space

One of the more obvious differences in the Philippine culture is the amount of physical contact between people of the same sex. The next American guy who freaks out because a Filipino guy puts his hand on his knee or even holds hid hand while walking down the street won't be the first or the last. This is merely a gesture of warmth and friendship - girl-to-girl and guy-to-guy. As Christians who have come to the Philippines to touch peoples' lives, be careful how you respond.

Americans in comparison are very individualistic. The difference between the two cultures is perhaps best illustrated by the use of eggs. We are hard-boiled, separate and distinct while the Filipinos are fried eggs - sunny side ups whose white has all run together. Their lives are so close and interconnected, it's often hard to tell where one ends and the other begins.

As a result of this, the personal space of a Filipino is very limited. When they talk to you, they will be almost standing on your toes and probably hold your hand or place their hand on your knee or shoulder, given of course, that you are of the same sex. Our immediate reaction is to want to take a few paces back because our personal space is larger. We think they are pushy and they think we are cold and distant.

In a jeepney for example, even though there is plenty of room, someone will get on and sit right next to you. Or at a church service where no one has yet arrived, two girls will come in and share the same chair.

This is something we seem to never have enough of and yet Filipinos appear to have an abundance of, in that they are never in a hurry to go anywhere or to do anything!

Basically, we are event-oriented and they are people-oriented. Time is not important to them, people are. Because of this, things rarely start on time. If a meeting is advertised for a 7:00pm start, it may begin at 7:30 or 8:00pm. Be flexible and go with the flow. Take a book to read while you wait or write a postcard to Mom. If you've arranged to meet someone at a certain time, wait. They will probably be late.

Westerner is automatically equated with being an American. You will probably hear people calling out after you, "Hey, Joe!" This is merely a greeting for you as an American - a leftover from the soldiers in World War II, and it's given to both guys and girls. Just say "Hi!" and smile back.

Unless you are prepared to share your food with the people around you, avoid eating in front of others. If you are eating, always make sure you offer some to them. The correct thing to do in this situation is say, please have some, they will likely say no and you may need to repeat the question again to be sure. This done, you can continue to eat and every one is happy. It's a little bit like the ritual we go through when we see someone and we ask, "How are you" and they reply "Fine" even they are probably not. But all the same, the question is asked and the answer is given because it's polite to do so. Rarely is the pattern broken.

8. Bargaining in Markets

No doubt, most of you will want to do some shopping while you are in the Philippines. If you want to bargain for goods, you'll need to go to the markets. Shopping centers and malls prices are fixed, or in other words you pay the price that's marked on the item.

Just to complicate things, not everything in markets can be bargained for. So just to make sure ask, "What is your last price?" If they say it's fixed, then you can't bargain.

Start bargaining at a low price and work your way up. If you start bargaining and they meet your price, you'd better be prepared to buy. Note that the sellers will never sells you anything at a price where they are making nothing on the deal. If they refuse to lower their price, walk away. If they can do better on the price for you, they will call you back.

Be polite in all of your transactions and remember that even though you are just shopping, you are still representing Christ. Have fun and get some good bargains!

For some, this is the biggest problem they will face in the Philippines. The motto for the American Express Card needs to be applied to toilet paper, "do not leave home without it". Carry toilet paper in your bag / backpack.

If you are looking for the bathroom / toilet, you won't find one. They are called CR's short for Comfort Room. Not that most of them are very comforting. However, you will find clean ones in most fast food outlets and large department stores.

The Filipino by nature is quite modest. Although, bathing suits are being sold in increasing numbers, it is still normal for women to swim in shorts and T-shirts. So, if you go to the pool / beach, you may want to take a T-shirt along to slip over your swimsuit. Basically, you will be the center of attention because of your color; so don't add to the excitement by dressing inappropriately. Shorts can be worn when it is your shopping / sightseeing day. On all ministry days, we need everyone to please wear long pants / nice jeans. On Sunday, girls should wear a dress or blouse and skirt (you can change later in the day if there is no evening ministry)

Also, although people of the same sex in the Philippines will often be seen in physical contact with each other, this is not the case for people of the same sex. It is still rare in the provincial areas to see, for example, boy friend and girl friends holding hands. This is changing in the cities, but it is more the exception than the rule. So, in order not to offend, it is best to restrict any physical contact with people of the opposite sex.

Particularly, avoid showing affection to Filipinos of the opposite sex through physical contact. This will be misinterpreted as you showing interest in them and because you are a westerner, they will not need any encouragement on this area. It is common in guys particularly and in some cases girls on teams to receive love letters from some of the people you've been ministering to. Unfortunately, the goal of many Filipinos is to immigrate to the States or another western nation, and the most common way of doing so is through marriage to a westerner.

So, please keep this in mind and avoid being careless in how you relate to Filipinos and how you relate to members of your own team.

a. Wallets in front pockets

b. No unnecessary jewelry in crowds

c. Purses (bag) securely closed and carried to the front (same with cameras)

d. Do not openly discuss money

e. Be cautious of exposing the contents of your bag and wallets in public

Keep in mind that all of the above are generalizations of the Filipino culture. Be aware too, that culture is expressed through people. People with different personalities will act and express things differently.

The important is to be flexible, go with the flow, observe and inquire. Meaning - if you are not sure what to do, observe what the Filipinos do and do the same, or if you are still not sure, ask.

Above all else, going overseas is a tremendous learning experience for you. So, relax and enjoy it.