Culture & Identity of the Philippines
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Introduction
The Filipinos have vastly different ways of life depending on a huge number of things. The many islands divide the people geographically and many of these small islands are focused on local farming as nearly everything is accessible on foot. However, some of the larger islands are home to massive cities, such as Manila. Still other islands are tourist paradises and tourism drives the income and way of life. The people also differ due to occupation, income, and religion, as there is a significant Muslim minority in the southern islands.
Although visiting Manila may not lead you to believe there is any rural landscape in the Philippines, most of the country is quiet rural lands on the many smaller islands and just over half of the people live in rural areas. For these people life differs greatly from island to island and person to person, but most of these people work in agriculture. Life in agriculture means the daily way of life is quite reliant on the weather, the seasons, the rains, and what the earth gives. Long hours are often undertaken and there is a great deal of variety from season to season based on the rains and weather.
On the other side of the equation is the massive population in the cities. In these cities there are people from every economic class as some people are jobless and live in simple housing that does little more than protect them from the rain, while for others a nice car, clothes, and house are the norm. The cities also provide constant movement and energy, from work life to entertainment options. Of course what a person can afford to enjoy and what a person wants to enjoy among these many options is very personal.