essay about philippines beauty

Essay on Beauty Of The Philippines

Students are often asked to write an essay on Beauty Of The Philippines in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Beauty Of The Philippines

The philippines: an introduction.

The Philippines, a country in Southeast Asia, is known for its stunning beauty. It is made up of over 7,000 islands, each one unique and beautiful. With its tropical climate, the Philippines is a paradise for nature lovers.

Natural Wonders

The country’s natural beauty is truly breathtaking. It has many beautiful beaches with white sand and clear blue water. There are also many mountains, forests, and rivers that are home to a wide variety of plants and animals. The Philippines is also home to the Chocolate Hills, a natural wonder that is a must-see for any visitor.

Cultural Heritage

The Philippines has a rich cultural heritage that adds to its beauty. Its history is a blend of Asian, European, and American influences. This mix of cultures can be seen in the architecture, music, dance, and food of the country. The Filipinos are known for their hospitality and their love for festivities.

Unique Wildlife

The Philippines is also home to a wide variety of unique wildlife. It is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, with many species found nowhere else on Earth. From the tiny tarsier to the majestic Philippine eagle, the country’s wildlife is as diverse as it is beautiful.

Vibrant Cities

The beauty of the Philippines is not just in its natural wonders and cultural heritage, but also in its vibrant cities. Manila, the capital, is a bustling metropolis with a mix of modern skyscrapers and historic landmarks. Other cities like Cebu and Davao also offer a mix of urban life and natural beauty.

250 Words Essay on Beauty Of The Philippines

The land and seascape.

The Philippines is a country full of beauty, from its lands to its seas. The land is full of green mountains, hills, and plains. It is home to many unique plants and animals. The seas are clear and blue, with many colorful fishes and corals. The country has over 7,000 islands, each with its own charm.

Rich Biodiversity

This country is known for its rich biodiversity. It has many different kinds of plants and animals that can’t be found anywhere else in the world. There are many forests, marine sanctuaries, and national parks where these can be seen. This makes the Philippines a paradise for nature lovers.

Unique Culture and Heritage

The beauty of the Philippines is not just in its nature, but also in its people and culture. The country has a rich history and heritage. It has many ancient traditions, dances, and music. The people are friendly and hospitable. They love to celebrate and share their culture with visitors.

Delicious Food

The Philippines is also known for its delicious food. The country has many unique dishes that are a mix of different cultures. These include adobo, sinigang, and lechon. These foods are a treat for the taste buds and a part of the country’s beauty.

In conclusion, the beauty of the Philippines is in its nature, culture, and food. It is a country that is full of life and color. It is a place that is worth visiting and exploring.

500 Words Essay on Beauty Of The Philippines

The natural beauty of the philippines.

The Philippines, a country made up of more than 7,000 islands, is known for its breathtaking natural beauty. It is home to lush green forests, vibrant coral reefs, and stunning mountains. The country’s natural beauty is so captivating that it often feels like a paradise on earth.

The Chocolate Hills in Bohol are a unique sight. They are a group of more than 1,000 small hills that turn brown during the dry season, looking like giant chocolate kisses. The Mayon Volcano in Albay, with its perfect cone shape, is another natural wonder that adds to the beauty of the Philippines.

Beautiful Beaches and Seas

The Philippines is famous around the world for its beautiful beaches. The white sand and crystal clear waters of Boracay, El Nido, and Siargao are some of the best beaches in the world. These beaches are perfect for swimming, sunbathing, and even surfing.

The country is also surrounded by rich seas that are home to diverse marine life. The Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a sanctuary for a variety of fish, turtles, and sharks. It is a diver’s paradise and a testament to the country’s commitment to marine conservation.

Rich History and Culture

The beauty of the Philippines is not just in its natural landscapes. The country has a rich history and culture that is reflected in its architecture and traditions. The Baroque Churches, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, showcase the country’s Spanish colonial past. The Ifugao Rice Terraces are a symbol of the country’s ancient farming practices.

Filipino festivals, known as fiestas, are colorful events filled with music, dance, and food. These celebrations are a showcase of Filipino culture and community spirit, adding to the country’s charm.

Friendly People

The people of the Philippines are known for their warmth and hospitality. They are always ready with a smile and are eager to help visitors. This friendly nature of the Filipinos adds to the overall beauty of the country.

Delicious Cuisine

Filipino cuisine is a blend of flavors from different cultures. It is a mix of sweet, sour, and salty, making it a delight for the taste buds. Dishes like Adobo, Sinigang, and Lechon are must-try foods that add to the country’s appeal.

In conclusion, the beauty of the Philippines lies in its stunning natural landscapes, rich history and culture, friendly people, and delicious cuisine. It is a country that captivates the heart and soul of anyone who visits. It truly is a paradise on earth.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

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Philippines Travel: The Beauty of the Country and its Wonderful People

• February 27, 2023
• Last updated: February 27, 2023
• Asia , Destinations , Philippines

Home » Travel Blog » Philippines Travel: The Beauty of the Country and its Wonderful People

Our trip to the Philippines started terribly. We got food poisoning from an Indian restaurant in Phuket where we arrived from Koh Lanta  to take our flight to Manila. Actually, we kind of ‘missed’ the flight. The traffic was fine that day, the guesthouse we lived was close (20 minutes of walking) and we arrived to the airport six hours before the departure.

What we overlooked, however, was that the departure time was 00.25 on the 1st of April, which meant we should have arrived at the airport the evening of the 31st. But we arrived on the 1st in the afternoon, when the plane was already long gone. April Fools Day was indeed foolish.

But it all turned out fine in the end; we caught a flight the following day, arrived safely to Manila at 4 am, spent ten hours at the airport, tasted a lot of Filipino food and took another plane to Caticlan and a local bus to Pandan in Antique, one of the four provinces of the Panay Island.

We loved the small town of Pandan and its barangays (a Filipino term for a village, district or ward) so much that we decided to do a tour of other small towns and villages so that we could stay in contact with locals and avoid crowds on the beaches that were filling up quickly due to the Easter holidays.

A vast number of Filipinos were travelling to see their relatives in different parts of the country or to spend their vacation on the beach, which coincided with very high rates for flights.

We spent the majority of our time with locals and we were incredibly touched by their stories, their humble yet bright personalities and vivacious energy. Now, we would like to thank them for some lessons that have influenced us.

To do that, we are dedicating this post to all of the dear people of the Philippines whom we met on the road. Many of you do not have the internet, a computer, and some of you have little to no electricity, but the world is small and we do believe these words will find you one day.

Traveling to the Philippines with a family? Then make sure you get the right visa. For more information, please check out Philippines eTA for Children Requirements . 

Philippines Travel: The Beauty of Wonderful People

Your smiles are charming.

We did nothing but smile on the streets, in the hotels, at the markets and in the bistros everyday. The elderly, children, vendors, and fishermen; all of you smiled after the first surprised look crossed your faces.

You welcome foreigners warmly

“Where are you from?” and your other curious questions started many conversations. After we responded, you proudly said, “Welcome to the Philippines!”

You love singing

A luggage porter at the airport sings, a shop assistant sings (at 4 am!), a guy selling tickets for a local bus sings, staff members in hotels sing. Not to mention that karaoke in small villages is as common as a bakery shop. There is even karaoke in the jungle!

Join some of the local tours in the Philippines:

• Oslob Whale Shark Swimming and Kawasan Falls Canyoneering
• From Bohol & Panglao Island: Full-Day Bohol Tour
• Boracay: Island and Beach-Hopping Boat Tour with Snorkeling

You are big basketball lovers

No matter how small or destroyed a town or village is after a typhoon, there is always a court for outdoor basketball. Over 30°C and hot sun? No problem. You still manage to start a game with some friends.

Heading to Thailand? Check out our comprehensive travel guide Thailand Independently

Your politeness is impressive

“Yes, ma’am”, “Yes, sir” was something we were getting used to for a while. And despite us requesting that you call us by our first names, you kept on with your high standards of politeness.

Heading to South-East Asia? Read more of our articles.

Why You Should Visit the Philippines as a Digital Nomad

• Things to do in Tibiao: Ecotourism in the Philippines
• Ecotourism in Southeast Asia: Tips on Destinations and Activities
• 15 Things to Do and Best Hotels in Koh Lanta, Thailand
• Things To Do in Kota Kinabalu: a City of Seafood, Beaches and Durian
• Free Things to Do in Singapore: Tips From A Frequent Visitor
• How to Visit Halong Bay from Hanoi, Vietnam
• Where to Stay in Singapore: The Ultimate Guide

Your wild nature is a magnificent experience

Lush, wild forests, saturated, green rice fields like those in Banaue , waterfalls and rivers, all in unspoiled beauty. There is much more to admire than just your beaches, especially your hills and hidden gems of small islands that offer spectacular views of the landscape, villages, rivers and unpaved roads, where only a local can manage to ride a motorbike!

Read more about Philippines in this guide of Boracay .

How helpful you are

Where to eat, what to see, how to get somewhere: you suggested tips and insider info without us even asking you.

Your faith in God is profound

It was a big visual change for us, to come to the Catholic Philippines from Buddhist Thailand. Buddhist string bracelets were replaced by crosses on necks, temples and altars became churches, chapels and statues of Jesus and Holy Mary.
The churches we visited in Panay and Manila were full and many young and children attended the masses, compared to some predominantly Catholic European countries.

You are impressively family-oriented

You used to work and live abroad and you’ve come back because of your aging parents or a family you have a strong bond with. No matter how good the job was you had, you prefer to take care of your loved ones until they get better.
Many of you also come back to retire in your homeland or plan to do so in the future.

It was not easy to explain to you that we left our homelands to travel around the world using only phone contact with our families.

Your women are so pretty

Those of you in the countryside and small provinces simply shine with their pure, feminine beauty with no artificial, cosmetic additions. In the cities this changes, but we consider this an inevitable side effect of commercial pressures in all large, global cities.

Join some of the tours to do in the Philippines:

• Puerto Princesa Underground River Day Tour
• El Nido: Island Hopping Tour A Lagoons and Beaches
• Manila: Old & New 4-Hour City Tour

You love sweet, salty and fat

We had heard so many contrasting opinions about your cuisine and honestly, the food we tasted was very nice. We especially enjoyed the homemade meal we tried at our Couchsurfing host in Manila, but very often the amount of sugar or salt in your dishes was too much for us.

You are great storytellers

Once you see there is someone who is ready to listen to you, you tell your story and you are not at all shy when talking about your private life.

You speak English even in small neighbourhoods

Sometimes it was a simple “good afternoon” that you loudly declared with a smile on your face, other times you started to chat about different countries and our travels. Whether it was kids running on the shore, ladies at the markets or a solitary man living alone in a forest, all of you were happy to share your time with us and made a great effort to have a conversation.

You guys can play with anything!

We might have been staring at you too much when you were playing with your flip-flops or with bottle lids. No need for expensive toys here!

You do your best to preserve hidden islands

In some areas, you follow strict ‘carrying capacity’ rules in order to preserve the natural treasures of waterfalls and forests. You restrict the number of tourists who can enter areas during a certain period of time and we think that’s an amazing approach! But we feel you must become more active in keeping trash out of your forest and rivers.

Oh, your jeepney!

What makes them so special is the way you paint them and how you pass the money to a driver via other passengers!

You always keep a positive spirit

When we saw your destroyed schools, huts and boats from typhoon Yolanda that hit you in November 2013, we had only one thought: the God you believe in so much could allow this to happen only to a people who have tremendous power to cope with tragedy.

You remember exactly what you were doing that day, where you ran to hide and how long the hell lasted in your barangay.

Now, almost six months later, when you’re still waiting for your shelter to be repaired or build from the scratch, you smile! You smile and you help those who have less than you.
“Bahala na,” you say. You really live the moment, not caring about tomorrow or the past.

Even if this might prevent you from planning for the future, you live your life fully, with love, open hearts and a willingness to help those who need it.

The things we learned about other cultures so far have been precious for us. But the things you have taught us are crucial for our self-development, too.

People of the Philippines, you have helped us to realize that humanity is something that connects this world. We must remember that we are all the same, no matter which corner of the earth we were born in.

Pack & travel:

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Ivana Greslikova

• Published: February 27, 2023

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192 thoughts on “Philippines Travel: The Beauty of the Country and its Wonderful People”

amazing pics!!! your zest for travel is contagious 🙂

Thanks, Rommel.Glad our adventures inspire you 🙂 Cheers!

I missed the chance to meet you guys:( Hopefully on your next visit:)

Hi Melo, either in the Philippines or other country, it would be nice 🙂

Thank you very much. Beautiful photos and even more beautiful experience that you shared. I know you have a lot of stories to tell about the Philippines and our people. I’ve lived in Manila for a long time but settled in Iloilo City since 1998. Ive travelled the world but I hope to travel to every corner of my country in my lifetime. Thank you again for sharing a positive post about my country.

Thanks for reading, Paul! Wishing you to explore as much of your homeland as possible!

AMAZING PHOTOS!!! Too bad I missed you guys in the Philippines! Hope you had a great time! Fantastic post, will share it right now!

Hi Sab, many thanks! The world is small, so hopefully we will cross our paths one day 🙂 Enjoy Chiang Mai, it’s a great place for digital nomads… We stayed there for three months and had a fantastic time! Cheers!

There’s some incredible pictures in here that you both should be incredibly proud of, not only for their great composure, but more for the fantastic scenes that you’ve captured.

Hi Dale, thank you very much! We are happy we can share these moments with you and other people. We are very grateful we could witness the lives of Filipinos’ that gave us really a lot! Safe travels, guys!

Hi Ivana. It’s great that you have been to Pandan .My hometown is Sebaste 15 km away from the place . It’s amazing that you have contributed nice experience of our town. I have recently come back from Kalibo capital of Aklan.I built my house there and in the near future I am going home for good because I’m now retired,I love my country and for sure I like to live in the Phil. where can offer me many things.

Awww.. I feel so proud being a Filipino after reading this and looking at the pictures. You captured the essence of who we are as a country, and I was left in awe and sentimental about it! Thank you for this feature! 🙂

Sarah, thank you. We’ve been sincerely honoured that we could visit your country and to know your beautiful culture of warm hearts!

I’m so glad that I had the chance to meet u guys! Love this post and your pictures. I can subscribe every single word.

Filipino people are truly amazing.

I will definitely share this 🙂

Safe travels and I hope we will meet again!

Ciao, Clelia! Thank you, it was a pleasure to meet you and glad that we met in Pandan which turned out for us a wonderful place to start our tour in the Philippines! See you in Italy or in Asia again 🙂

very good blog! I recently been in the Philippines myself and I totally agree with your look on the country and it’s amazing people! it’s more fun in the Philippines 🙂

Hello, Mandy, glad you had similar experience! Thanks for your kind words, too 🙂

wow…. thanks for letting the world know how beautiful my country is <3

Salamat, Grasya!

Thanks for the wonderful pictures….I feel so proud and lucky to see my province ( Antique ) featured in your blog.

Salamat, Shela 🙂 We are pleased to get know your province, too!

You said the most beautiful words about distinct Filipino traits (as well some nooks and corners in the Philippines) that we Filipinos often fail to recognize and appreciate. Salamat. Thank you for reminding to take stock of our many blessings. It’s a blessing too welcome visitors in our country, but getting a heartwarming feedback on these visits is a bonus! God bless you on your future travels guys!

Thank you a lot! We loved these unknown ‘corners’ and remote islands we visited a lot. There’s is a lot to explore and the nature was just breathtaking! Hopefully more Filipinos will travel to these places, too.

We almost went to the Philippines after Japan, but we ended up in South Korea instead. There is so much to love of this country looking through your photos and the jeepney looks so funky, one day perhaps we’ll finally make it there 🙂

Aww, you guys will LOVE jeepneys! They are real pieces of art! I sincerely wish that you’ll make it there one day. Not only because of this incredible transport, but also for the nature and people that are truly spectacular 🙂

Yes, yes, 1000x yes! There are so many things to love about the Philippines and your post pretty much nails them all. The singing! The smiles! The sunsets! The only thing we didn’t really care for in the Philippines was the food, but I think that was really the only blemish on an otherwise wonderful country. (And we were still relatively new travelers, so maybe there were better options to be had and we just didn’t find them.) So glad you enjoyed your time in one of our favorite countries!

Hi Steph, we followed your adventures in the Philippines too and we can easily understand now why you do so!!

Aww.. This made me smile. Thank you. I brought a Chinese friend back home in the Philippines (Roxas City, Capiz) this Easter. She loves my countrymen too. She wants to go back and probably marry a Filipino fisherman. Haha..

If she met the same generous and funny guys as we did, then we are not surprised by your friend’s decision 🙂

Gorgeous photos! You definitely portray the Philippines as a beautiful place filled with smiling people. I’d love to visit someday.

Thank you, Anna. If you have a chance in the future, we can only recommend the Philippines!

Some of the friendliest, most giving people I’ve ever met were of Filipino descent (in Australia and the US). I can only imagine it’s a very friendly country by what I’ve seen of its expats. Whether they have a lot or little, Filipinos share and smile. They also introduced me to a whole new style of asian cooking.

That’s so nice to hear about your experience, Michael. I am sure you will love the country if you visit it one day 🙂

Our flight home from Phuket was just after midnight too. We caught our flight, but I kept worrying about going on the wrong day! Glad you had such a wonderful time in the Philippines. My husband’s family is from the Philippines, so I hope we will go some day. I am so not surprised there is karaoke in the jungle!!

Lucky you with the flight 🙂 I am sure your husband can bring you to many places where you can encounter a great hospitality of locals or be charmed by the landscape there!

Wow! I love how you’ve defined our country, culture and our ways. You’re such an amazing writter. I have this habit of skipping through words while reading blogs, but how you made me read your article, word for word, is really something! Salute!

Also, I would like to say Maraming Salamat… For loving and promoting Filipinos to the world. Who knows, maybe someday, the favor you and your colleagues are doing for us (including all other Asian nations), may be the start of a better treatment, respect and equality to Asians around the world.

Again, maraming salamat kaibigan… More power at mabuhay ka!

Daryl, thank you, your words are really kind. Me and Gianni, my partner, co-traveller and photographer of this website, do appreciate them. We will do our best to spread the word about not only Asian countries, but about all other places we visit, so people can be inspired to get know new cultures by their own and share their knowledge and experience, too. Salamat!

Thank you for yourkind words about our people. Little angel smiles coz she see s another angel. Take care.

Thank you, Pabs. We’ve been very grateful that we could get know your people a little bit. Kind greetings to you!

Pure joy to read this kind of blog …while reading I keep telling myself yes we are likes to sing … yes we do sing a lot food is extreme .. salty, sweet and fat- but our seafood is great right?

Thank you for your beautiful post.. hope this blog reach the hearts of other travelers around the world

Hi Czha, thanks for commenting. Right, your seafood was really good 🙂 Gianni was in 7th heaven when we were in Roxas and sampling all the specialities 🙂

Your beautiful words & photos brought tears to my eyes. It made me miss my country, my barangay & most especially my family since I live & work here in the UK. Salamat for sharing the Philippines to the world & good fortune in all your future travels 🙂

Ivy, thank you. Now you have made out eyes wet… Your country is just beautiful and I wish you could see your family and beloved ones as often as you want!

🙁 miss my home…

I’m so sorry to hear that so many people who are commenting here feel homesick, including you, Dennis. We have seen that the conditions for finding a good job are really challenging in the Philippines… On the flip side, you can spread your culture throughout the world and motivate other people to pay a visit to your homeland! All the best for you!

Thank you so much Ivana and Gianni , for being true and kind to others, but most especially for showcasing us Filipinos to the whole world! Hopefully someday, people around the world recognizes the true essence of “being human”, to love without conditions, to give without expecting in return, and to respect each other, no matter what country or place you came from. Again, maraming salamat, God bless you guys and may Almighty God always keep you safe on your travels!

Dondon, thank you for these kind words. We are confident people who will travel one day to the Philippines and those who’ve already been there can only spread a positive word about your country. At least this has been our experience and we are very grateful for that.

Thanks for discovering the true colors of the Philippines. Soon I will be happy to share to you perhaps giving you the tour information of the Eastern Visayas where Typhoon Haiyan first made its landfall way back. The most hidden of scenic spots wherein many of these were not yet captured by cameras….. be the first to show to the world this part of the country. I wish you to be back here in our Philippines which shows you the true colors of life…..

Hello, Yasee, from what we saw in the Panay island we have understood the place was affected a lot and some scenes and stories in small barangays made us very sad for a while. I believe that a positive attitude of locals together with some help of NGOs and individual support will bring back all necessary things that your people need.

thank you so much for your beautiful write-ups about my country, it made me so proud to be a filipina…..your photos were so enchanting…maraming salamat po uli!

Many thanks, Edwina! The Philippines are simply photogenic 🙂

upon looking those picture u make my tears pour down i really miss my contry my hometown thank you so much that u appreciate the beauty of our country hope in your future travel you can visit my province CEBU where a lot of tourist spot and adventures there salamat at mabuhay !

Hi Rose, I’m really sorry you feel homesick, hopefully you can enjoy your time back home soon. Thanks, we want to visit Cebu, too, since we have heard a lot about it! Take care and wish you to be surrounded by nice people so you do not miss your homeland too much!

Hello, thank you so much for your great appreciation and wonderful blog of experiences about my country, the Philippines. Your thoughts and nice words to our culture reminds us our love ones whom we left behind at home, with their smiles and joys in your very nice photos we can see. We are grateful indeed that you are not just a visitors to us and to our country but you try to live within us in your short journey to the Philippines by sharing your life experienced.

Daghan kaau salamat! Mabuhay and God bless!

Salamat, Gilbert! The love and family bond you are all showing to us is so beautiful! We really loved our time in Antique while staying with locals and by doing this we got a great chance to know your culture better. Take care!

my grand parents are from antique and ilo ilo,. and yes! i also had so much chances visiting our province, thanks for the positive feedbacks, i feel honored to come from such hidden paradise in the philippines, Godbless your journey 🙂

Thanks a lot, Jovs!

madamo gid nga salamat halin sa amon tagipusuon diri sa iloilo..in english more thanks to you from the buttom of our heart from here in iloilo….thanks for appreciating our city,culture,and our people

Hello, Jejun, many warm thanks!

While reading, tears kept flowing from my eyes without me knowing it. I am very emotional about your post on my beloved country. Hoping you will not forget us from now on, wherever your feet got you. Thanks a lot for the every very kind word you wrote. I was raised in small town of Tibiao in Antique. Madamo guid nga salamat!

Hi Danny! We have been keeping the Philippines in our hearts and minds till now, and the friendships we have made there are very precious for us, too. Tibiao!! Our favourite place 🙂 You can check our last post about our eco-adventures there. Take care!

Fantastic! I love the way you right story on what you experienced on your wonderful journey. I’m so glad on how you appreciate my fellow Filipino people. You are so lucky for witnessing our unique culture and been in some beautiful places of our dear country. That is one of my dream to visit those places  when I go back home for good. Right now am still working in a foreign land.

Many thanks kaibigan, Mabuhay!

More power and good luck to your next interesting trip.

Once again, Salamat! 🙂

Hi Marites, Antique welcomes everyone who wishes to explore it 🙂 Good luck with your job abroad and happy returns home!

This blog is so beautiful. Thank you for your beautiful comments about the Philippines. I appreciate your concern for our country. That some people do not care, politicians corrupt, illegal deforestations. We still have a long journey but I am sure it is people’s collective effort that will make the difference.

Francis, we all wish you only the best!

“Maraming salamat po!” 🙂

I am deeply moved with your story about our country. It makes one proud being a Filipino and for an article written as extensive and beautiful as this it makes one Filipino to start loving, exploring and sharing the beauty of her own country.

Yes, to share and spread the voice about the Philippines is one of the best way how we all can show the love for the country! All the best, Kath 🙂

Maraming salamat for the kind words!i am so proud to b a filipino!i just came back from a week of palawan trip 5hrs ago when i saw and read your blog…the words that i dont know how to express about my own experience,you write them all down!and you inspire me to continue to travel,discover and experience all the different islands of my country!more power to your team and may u inspire more people to visit philippines!have a safe travel! 🙂

Hi Mers! Great to hear about your experience in Palawan! We are very happy to read that the post made your feet itchy 🙂 Take care and take a chance to travel whenever you can 😉

thank you so much for appreciating my country Philippines, yes I am a Filipino and proud to be an Ilonggo (ILOILO CITY), hope you could visit again…More power and God Bless you both in your upcoming journeys… Its more fun in the PHILIPPINES…

Many thanks, Jane 🙂 We will go back one day!

Maraming salamat po

Salamat, Paul!

such compliments do make us more proud of who we are as Filipinos thou we are facing poverty but we Filipinos still have all the reason to be thank full to Gods blessings in our land

You are doing great, Dawn, despite all the troubles you are facing there!

I have experienced travel through your eyes. Thank you for bringing me to wonderful places of my country. I am one of those filipinos who seldom travel or never ridden a plane. I can only count the few scenic places i’ve seen with my one hand. Your travels have not only seen beautiful places but witnessed the beautiful souls. God be with you and be safe. A very soul-enriching travel indeed.

Hi Ritchelle, I don’t know which part of the Philippines you come from, but wish you to travel whenever you have a chance! Yes, you are right, the people we have met are gorgeous and we are very honoured to get know better some of them.

Thanks for the kind words you have said about our country especially about the Panay Islands. You and your buddy is not only very kind but also very beautifu….God bless you.

Salamat, Reynaldo 🙂

Tears can’t stop falling from my eyes while reading this. My heart rejoiced with gladness that somebody could see the beauty that’s within Filipinos despite the negative impressions we keep on receiving. Thank you for finding time to know the heart of the Philippines, its PEOPLE. You have truly defined the Philippines. The pics are lovely. Thank you much.

Awww, Anne, it’s touching for us to read your comment, too. We are spreading the voice about the Philippines as much as we can, through this blog, but also while traveling and meeting other travellers who have never been there. Thank again for kind words and all the best for you!

I was very touch!!! On how you can put your experienced as I was feeling and actually experiencing it! The essence of your actual experience and writing it, made simple things significant to me. Thank you for opening my eyes!!!I have a beautiful country…Maraming Salamat po! Mabuhay .

Thank you very much for the feedback, Maria! Your country is charming for many people, may they be locals or foreigners 🙂

thank you for the nice write ups and blogs and pics shared about my country, the Philippines…. hope everyone can see the positive beauty of the place and not just the negative ones… mabuhay at maraming salamat!!!!

Salamat, Faith! We would like that more people go to explore your country and know your people. The land of the Philippines has a lot to offer!

Thank you for visiting our country and for visiting my hometown Roxas City, Capiz:) I’m just so proud that I was raised and have lived their! So missing fresh seafoods, the beautiful smiles, typical bbq by the beach, the beautiful beaches and sunset and of course my family back home:( I’m so glad that people coming from other countries appreciate and love my fellow filipinos and my country too! More power to you!

Thanks, Berna In Roxas we had a few awesome seafood feasts and we liked a lot the Olotayan island we visited one morning. Sadly, it was much destroyed by the typhoon last November. But the people there are just amazing! Take care.

One of the best blogs ive ever read! My tears just fall down while reading this and makes me wanna go home and explore my country. Thank you Ivana and Gianni!

Daisy, thank you very much, we are very pleased and happy to inspire also the Filipino expats to travel in their own country. I sincerely wish that you could go and travel through your country!

Thank you for visiting our place … im from iloilo ..its so amazing you guys experiencing our good hopitality as a filipino …. i wonder may be you miss to eat our very own la paz batchoy and pork litson …and some time visit our dinagyang festival im sure you will love it… thanks indeed of your post .

Hi Caesar, Oh, litson was Gianni’s favourite dish! We had a chance to eat it in different provinces and he loved it 🙂

Reading your blog made me homesick – in a good way. Not many travellers explore Iloilo City & I’m glad you guys did. I’m Filipino-Canadian but will always be an Ilongga by heart. I feel your sincerity & kindness through your words. Thank you for appreciating my home country. Safe travels!

Thanks for commenting, Gigi! I hope you have a chance to visit the Philippines and spend some time in Iloilo, too. Take care, wherever in the world you are 🙂

We, Filipinos are very emotional. So, when I was reading your post I felt like crying. We’re glad you came to our country and saw not only with your eyes and hearts. I shared your post with friends who shared them, too. May you continue traveling together and bless more people in your journeys. Thank you soooo much.

Thank you many times, Jodie! For your warm words and for helping us spreading the voice about the Philippines, too.

Hi! Maam Ivana, this story brings tears into my eyes. How I miss my homeland. How I miss living in a very rural life. Working abroad esp. In Middle East when you see nothing but desert and feel nothing but the heat of the sun, made me realize that even my country is not an oil- rich country or as rich as this country, we are still blessed of having beautiful and natural resources, kind hearted and not abusive people and above all else a God- fearing country. your experience and story brings me back to my childhood days when only an empty can, a flip flop, a piece of stick, and a friends can make you Happy for the day. I hope one day you can explore more in mindanao… Thank you! Mabuhay po kayo!

Argy, thank you for the feedback. Happy to hear the article has brought you good memories, but sad to hear you are living less joyful life now. Wish all will be fine around you and that one day you live the life in a country, where you will feel happy!

Next time you come to the Philippines I’ll invite you to my island in Negros Oriental…your story is very beautiful I can’t help myself but feeling imotional. The last time I went home was in 2011 after 10 years that I didn’t able to see my family. I’m planning of going back hopefully I’ll be there before New Years.. Anyways shoot me an email:) I would love to hear from you all..much ❤️❤️❤️

Hi Gayle, Good luck and hopefully you get back home for NY or even earlier to spend some nice time with your family! If you are interested, you can subscribe to our newsletter so you can receive more updates about our travels and projects 🙂

Thank you for the very kind words. I am one of those Filipinos out of the Philippines and this blog entry has made me miss more the simple way of life back home. Yes, no matter how many years we’ve been away, we always look forward to that one day when we go back home and never have to leave. Our family is one of the primary reasons why we leave, and the main reason why we want to go back. Again, thank you for visiting our country and it is nice knowing you and your group had a good time there!

Hi Zandro, All the best for you, your family back home and all beloved ones around you!

Am so glad you enjoyed the Philippines. Most Filipinos are respectful and humble and very welcoming, especially to foreigners and returning Filipinos(balikbayans). I have Filipino friends, though , who don’t think the way you appreciate the Philippines. And I feel sad. Please come back and see more of the Philippines! Cheers!!

Hi Charlie, thanks for commenting! I guess those who do not see the beauty in their homeland anywhere in the world are not satisfied for any reason. May it be a bad or no job, system, neighbourhood, relation etc. So we wish all those who do not feel comfortable in the Philippines to look at it in more positive way and feel more at ease at home soon.

We like people who like us. So when you said you enjoyed your travel to the Philippines and your encounters with the Pinoys (nickname for Filipinos), it is also because you treated the people you met with appreciation and respect. I am sure that the people you talked to will remember you with fondness too, in way they mirrored your kindness and friendliness.

Thank you for the kind words about my country 🙂

Safe travels to you….

Hello Love Joy, we are confident also in the opposite: our hosts and new friends were so friendly that we couldn’t be different to them 🙂 Many thanks!

Ur post about our country is something to be proud of, i couldnt help but 2 share it on my fb’s a/c ….thank u so much….

Many thanks for spreading the word, Juday!

What a great post: this really makes me want to visit the Philippines. Wonderful pictures and sounds like the people are wonderful!!

Thank you for the pictures and stories you shared about my province. Aside from Boracay, we have a lot to show to the world how beautiful Panay is- people, place and food. I am from Iloilo. “Salamat gid sa pagbisita. Halong!” -thank you so much for the visit. Take care!

Definitely, Ruby! There are so many places worth of visit 🙂 We did not make it to Boracay this time, but enjoyed the Philippines a lot, though 🙂

Salamat Ivana and Gianni for sharing this very nice photos and your kind worlds to my dear country. I work in a cruise ship and visited a lot of nice places around the world but there is really no place like home. Hope to see you both in the Philippines on your next visit. God bless you both and thank you again for this very nice blog.

Thanks, Kiko. Many happy voyages to you, too!

Thank you for your kind words and for sharing the world your experience of the Philippines. 🙂

Thank you very much for the feedback, Leo!

Thank you for your kind words. your blog about my country make us all proud to be Pinoys. truly that its more fun in the Philippines and there’s no place like Philippines. Thank you Ivana and Gianni! =)

Salamat, Jhara!

Our pocket is empty but our heart is full..this is the reason why is it that i am so proud to be a filipino. And thank u for letting the world knows what kind of personalities does the filipino have your kind words in every sentence is really appreciated..bearhugz♥

Well said, Von, hearts of Filipinos are absolutely gorgeous!

thank you for visiting philippines…awesome pics…next time you might extend your vacation in the philippines just imagine 7,107 islands… and you just only visited 2 islands hhmmm you missed the 7,105 islands..take care and god bless…

Thanks, Bro Grimes, we are slow travellers and take all easy 🙂 But we want to go back for sure 🙂

I guess all is been said in here.. I just want to thank you & Gianni for choosing my beloved country one of ur destination.. It’s an honored to to have you foreign visitors in my homeland.. Wish u both all the best. DAGHAN SALAMAT.

Many thanks, Ramil! We appreciated your comment!

Great read! Can’t help but to get a bit emotional while reading it, been away from home for a year now. It’s also my dream to travel and see the beauty of my country, thank you for giving me another reason to do so. Will explore when I get back. God bless you and Maraming Salamat!

Salamat, Charles! I wish you to travel across the Philippines as much as possible 🙂 Take care!

I would like to thank both of you for showing the good part in us. Thank you for taking some time to talked to us and appreciate in your most sincerest way. From our heart “Maraming Salamat Po!

Thanks for your feedback, Jun Seyan!

Salamat Ivana. Godbless

Thanks, Patrick!

Hello Ivana,

One can only read between your lines. It is with sincerity and honesty you describe the places, the people you came across. Many of us Filipinos were touched by your kind words. You expressed your appreciation to our beautiful country that we as Filipinos sometimes never have the time to fully enjoy, because we are so busy trying to make a living to better the lives of our parents and family.

Thank you for taking the time to write positively about our people who inspite of hardship are honest, giving and kind.

May the LORD guide you and Gianni in your travel as you spread wonderderful words about other culture.

Frank Massachusetts

Hi Frank, many thanks for these kind words and your blessing!

Thank you very much for taking time to visit my beloved homeland Philippines especially to the city of love ILOILO CITY♥♥♥

Thank you Mel, your comment is much appreciated!

Thank you so much for this wonderful article on your blog. I am an American that so much loves the Philippines it almost hurts! I have made many trips to the Philippines and you describe this amazing country and people so well. The Philippines is a beautiful country as far as landscape…but what makes the Philippines so good for me is the people. I have NEVER met people so warm, so gracious, so welcoming, and so so so positive as filipinos.

I wish more people in the world could visit the Philippines as you did…not just the nice resorts but down in the streets in the nitty gritty. What an amazing place and people. For those of you reading my post…if you haven’t been to the Philippines…Go! For filipinos that, for some reason, don’t realize how good your country is…open your eyes. Sure there is a lot of poverty…but you and the rest of the filipino people make your country amazing. I am proud to say I truly love the Philippines.

Hi Todd, wow, so kind words from you! I’m sure soon this country will be welcoming more and more travellers. I can see already now that more and more people choose Philippines as their vacation destination. And that’s wonderful!

Thanks, Ivana for the article. I came from a small town in Aklan-Buruanga, you passed thru it on the way to Libertad and Pandan. I live here in cold Chicago. You truly love the Philippines. Someday I will come home and spend the rest of my life there!

Hi Winston, thanks, I am very glad you’ve liked reading the post. Wishing you beautiful time in Chicago and may your dream to stay in your homeland in the future come true. All the best for you and your beloved ones !

Thank you for the kind words about my motherland. I’ve lived in the US ever since I was 9 (almost 22 now), but my Filipino pride stays true and strong. I love reading about travelers’ experience in the Philippines; it always gives me the biggest smile! It makes me proud to be from a country that treats everyone so well, even though, as you pointed out, we’ve had our share of tragedies. I don’t know the next time I get to visit the Philippines, as I am currently in college, and in the process of trying to get into Pharmacy school. However, seeing entries like these makes me feel at ease. I may be thousands of miles away, but I’ll always be a Filipina.

Thank you, Erv and wish you lot of success at your college and hopefully you’ll get a chance to see the Philippines one day again!

Thanks Ivana…you are one of the reason why we, the Filipino people continues to smile…without highfalutin words you were able to describe and praise the quality of our natural essence – in simple terms about a simple people…mabuhay ka Ivana, you are welcome to come back a million times…

Many warm thanks, Victor, we felt great among Filipinos and it’s a country which we definitely wish to explore more 🙂

This is absolutely beautiful! Thanks for bringing such a wonderful group of photos and people into my life through this post!

Thanks a lot Chanel!

Incredible photos! We travelled to Palawan last year and just thought it was so beautiful. I’d love to travel some more of the Philippines, I’m sure you could spend months and months island hopping there!

Wow, I bet you had a great time in Palawan, Charlie. We had to skip it last year, as we arrived just for Easter and flight tickets cost a fortune at that time 😀 Yeah, you’re right, you can do an epic islands hopping in the Philippines. I wonder if there is a person who did all of those 7107 islands. That could be a life challenge, right?

Thank you for this blog! I got inspired about the stories that you’ve shared. I love my country Philippines and I’ll love it forever! Cebu is a nice island to!

Thanks for your comment, Rodjie, we hope we’ll have a chance to travel to this part of Philippines, too.

Loved reading this. Currently living in the Philippines. Really well written and stunning photos ! Shared 🙂

Thanks Tom, you’re too kind. Which part of the Philippines are you living in?

Well-written travel blog about our beautiful country. I admire you for seeing beauty in every situation! Life should be lived like that. Best regards.

You didn’t miss a thing in your article and great photos! The Philippines has so much to offer, really. Try visiting Boracay, with its stunning white sand beach and thriving night life! See you soon again!

Hi Leo, thanks, you’re too kind. We were actually very close to Boracay, in a barangay called Pandan, where we stayed for for some time instead of visiting the white beaches. We’re also not big party lions and we prefer to stay with locals in calmer areas 🙂 Cheers!

We love the Philippines and will be back! Our adventures took us kayaking from remote island to Island for 8 days. Exploring The Chocolate Hills on a motorbike then We completed our PADI Advanced Open Water in Puerto Galera, Philippines! Also staying with a old Leper Colony on Culion Island. Finding a Piece of Africa on Calauit Island. To Helping build a school with Hike + Bike= Build A School on Busuanga. All so much in one country and more to come! Nice people and great adventures.

Looks like you spent there at least half year, David 🙂 So many things done! I’m curious about the BUild A School project, do you have a post on your blog about this? Would love to read more!

I love the Philippines! Great article and beautiful pics.

Thank you, Fabio!

Wonderful colors!

Found your blog via the Two Monkeys Travel Group. You captured the charm of the Philippines beautifully! Thanks for this post. 🙂 Filipinos are indeed God-fearing, family-oriented, hospitable, and warm. Hope you can visit our country again soon!

Thanks a lot for stopping by, Patricia! We do hope to come back, too 🙂

I agree, the people in the Philippines make it my favorite country in the world, and are why I live there

Thanks for reading, Dante! It’s nice to hear you have such positive experience with the Philippines.

I have lived here for 2 years (from the USA) and it is just a great place to live. Of course there are some small things you must get used to, but overall I love it.

Wow, two years must be long enough to get the country under your skin 🙂 Hope you’re having a great time there!

I just came across this post about my native people yesterday. Thank you for seeing the good in them despite the flaws. Thank you for the heart-filled tribute you have generously given. Your tenderness and love for people show themselves through your posts, and I admire your willingness to see and show the world that which is good in others. Honor well-said; a post well-read! Thanks!

Thank you a lot for commenting, Omar. We do appreciate your kind words. Honestly, our time in the Philippines was special thanks to local people and their warm nature towards foreigners. Thanks again!

Very touching blog about my country and my people. You did not only captured amazing pictures during your stay in the philippines___you have captured my peoples hearts, too! Your experience about riding the jeepney made me laughed so hard…the passing of the money by the people all the way to the driver! The same amazement i had probably during my first jeepney ride long time ago, when i was just a little girl. So glad you had a wonderful time during your stay. Wish you and all your companion a happy and safe journeys in the future. God speed!

Thank you for sharing this very wonderful story. Thank you! Thank you! 🙂

Shared and Tweeted! Reading this made me teary-eyed… could be PMS but, I just had the feels. Thank you for seeing my country and my people beyond our faults and flaws. We have a lot to offer as a nation, unfortunately ..what makes us unique as a country has also been our downfall and gets the better of us in more ways than we can help ourselves. I hope you find yourselves back in our shores to tell the world more about my Pinoys. Big ups to your article and your beautiful pics <3

I agree….even tho im not fr your beautiful country..this hits my heart too..Super Apir!

wonderfully written blog and beautiful pics of the beloved Philippines..Thank you for sharing this Ivana

More than a year after you dropped by our islands, and people are still loving your blog about our country, including myself. You are so perceptive, appreciative and sensitive, qualities that enabled you to relay your sentiments very well. I assure you that the responses that you received are reflections of the beautiful qualities my countrymen see in you. Thank you for the warmth that you share about a country of very warm people.

What an admirable way to travel and experience a new place . You’ve opened my eyes to the beauty of a place I still call home and I can’t wait to re-visit places I’ve been to with a deeper appreciation of the people who make me proud of who I am. Thanks much and keep loving what you do.

By the way it was a Filipino, Roberto del Rosario, who invented the karaoke machine! One of the origins of the yoyo stems from the Philippines …in a local dialect yoyo means ‘come back’ …and that is what I advise you to do with the Philippines – its endless tropical magic is supported by a people friendly beyond compare! I write a blog on my site about the country and have been living here 19 years and am still exploring so many new beautiful places and islands. If you travel to every islad in the country for 48 hours each it will take you 40 years just to see the Philippines….hang on I’d better get out there again …..bye – go well, stay well. and enjoy life’s journey!

Hi Bruce, thanks so much for reading and commenting! Well, no surprise karaoke was invented by a Filipino 🙂 Wow, 19 years in the Philippines! So, theoretically, you should have already travelled to cca 3,500 islands according to your calculation. We definitely want to go back and explore other islands, so we might get in touch with you for some tips in the future. Thanks again for stopping by and best of luck in your adventures in the Philippines and everywhere you go!

I soon married a Filipino woman. She is very honorable and dignified . She having Noble family And Farmer And Personality . I was fascinated by she . Philippines . A great country and thousands Beautiful island And kind people And hot Blooded . hospitable . Intimate . The good women and Accountability in life . Have Feeling And Lover Their husbands . Philippines People Looking for quietness and comfort . And Hard work and great effort They do For a decent life . ….. I am inviting all people of the world. For dating. With the great nation of the Philippines And See the beauty of the islands Philippines . .. Thank you

Nice post about our country… We maybe not the strong economically but in faith we are STRONG.. Will share this 😀

Reading your stories game my eyes a sting and i was just able to hold on the tear that was to fall. You hit it on the nail guys. Reading your story somehow made me feel proud that I am A Filipino! Im nor here in ireland working far from my family back home. I guess reading your stories made me miss home more…Thanks for a very touching work!

Thank you for this post! You are an amazing person. Please continue travelling and writing good things about the best places you visit 🙂

Thanks a lot for the feedback and kind words, Jacy!

What I nice article about my home country! Thank you for this post. Should you visit Philippines again, try to vist the northern part of Philippines as well.

Thanks for reading, Jhes, we’ll definitely explore more once we’re back there 🙂

Hi Ivana, thank you for your interest in our country, it’s really nice to see foreigners visiting & writing about my beloved country. next time visit Batanes or Cebu or both ha ha… like you, me & my fiance loves to travel, (just got back from cebu) he he. planning to visit sagada this June & davao on September. and if my pocket permits Hinatuan Enchanted in surigao del sur ph

Teary eyes when about to finish reading. Thank you for the kind words and great article, glad you came and keep safe for all your travels.. Reading this in 2016

Awww, thanks for reading, Mariss and for your touching words… We will be back!

I am a Filipino and I’m really glad that a foreign people like you appreciate the beauty of Philippines even those of tragic or bad things for us…u saw what we can’t see in our country.. Thank you for your wonderful words about my country..

Nice photo of a jeepney ?

wow! incredible scenery beautiful and I feel happy to be on this website.

I really like your post about the “The Beauty of the Philippines and its Wonderful People” Very interesting article with wonderful photos. Thanks for sharing very informative blog.

i was moved y the way you described narrative your experience in the Philippines.thanks for sharing your experiences and memories you have and continue having in the future.may god bless you and keep you safe in stay.

WOW this post made my day. I am a Filipina and an avid traveler as well and I came across your blog while researching for future trips. And when I found out you visited my country, I was curious about how you find it so I clicked on it. Then I found this post and it MADE ME CRY. Thank you so much for this post. It really touched me. I have been to so many wonderful countries already and your post made me realize that I in fact live in a very beautiful country.

Thank you for expressing to the world who we truly are as Filipinos. I am from Iloilo though I reside in Canada now. We have a place there so next time you visit, you have a home with my family. We are connected on Twitter (@aesta1).

Hi guys 🙂 thanks for posting nice words and pictures of the real Philippines. I love this country so much.

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I want to take you on a journey through the breathtaking beauty of the Philippines.  As the title suggests, this country is a place of endless beauty, with each region offering its own unique features. It’s truly a diverse paradise. As you embark on your travels, prepare to be amazed by stunning beaches, majestic mountains, and even the hidden gems of small islands inhabited by warm and friendly locals.

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Philippines beyond clichés series 1 #5: Beauty

New Mandala - 28 Sep, 2018

NC: Joining us here at the headquarters of New Mandala at the ANU is Yves Aquino . So, Yves is a physician and a bioethicist currently based at the Philosophy Department of Macquarie University in Sydney. His work examines the ethics of surgical modifications among Asian women. And somehow, I managed to persuade him to swing by the capital to join us for a half hour conversation about beauty. So, Yves, welcome to Canberra.

Yves Aquino (YA): Thank you, Nicole for inviting me here. I’m so happy to be here.

NC: Alright. So, the stereotype we’re unpacking today is this: in the Philippines, to be beautiful is to look like Pia Wurtzbach . Now, for the uninitiated in the Philippine cultural landscape, Pia Wurtzbach is the winner of Miss Universe in 2015 for the Philippines. So, she is 5 feet 7 inches tall, has brown eyes, straight black hair, she has toned arms and a flat belly, she’s young, has perfect skin, perfect teeth, and she’s biracial. Her father is German and her mother is Filipina. And there’s an impression that to be beautiful in the Philippines means to look like her. So, Yves, does this make sense?

YA: That’s a very topical question. But whether she represents the ideal Filipino beauty, I think it’s a yes and no. Or at least not necessarily because we have to—if we want to understand Filipino beauty, we have to sort of review our historical—sort of our cultural history and geography. We are a post multi-colonial country with several invaders and probably we will have another one in the next few years. (laughs)

NC: (laughs)

YA: We also have migration of Chinese, Indians, and Arabs in the past, meaning we are a multi-ethnic group. We are also an archipelago, which creates physical, cultural, and linguistic borders within our own country. So, it means we have a broad range of what it means to be beautiful. But is she beautiful based on Filipino standards? I think definitely yes. And in a way, being a mixed race means she has, as we say, the Goldilocks of ethnic features. She does not look too Chinese or too Malay or native, she does not look too white, so she is just right. She’s somewhere in the middle at least in terms of skin tone and facial features. And I’m not sure if you remember, we have the  Alamat of the Kayumanggi  or the Legend of the Brown Skin. In that story, back in the day, we were—as kids, we were taught that when God was creating humans, the first batch was unsuccessful. It was uncooked. We call it in Tagalog  hilaw.  And that’s the white people.

NC: Because it’s pale.

YA: Yes. And then the second batch also did not work. It was overcooked or burnt. In Tagalog, we call it  sunog.  And that’s the black people. And then the third batch became successful. It’s what we call  katamtaman  or just right. So, those are the brown skinned people or the  kayumanggi.  And in a way, it’s sort of reflecting a colour pride to go against the colonial mentality that white is beautiful.

NC: Or racial superiority?

YA: In a way it is racial superiority as well.

NC: Because I remember this story in preschool. This is what they ingrained to younger kids saying that you have to be proud of your skin tone forgetting that the range of Philippine skin tones vary.

YA: Yeah, exactly. And of course, we have—as I’ve said—because as an archipelago, we have different skin tones for different regions as well. So, we have to take that into consideration. And third, she is beautiful insofar as beauty pageants are concerned. I think Filipinos are great in terms of categorising beauty. So, you have beautiful for marriage, you have beautiful for employment, you have beautiful for TV and film, acting, and you have beautiful for beauty pageants.

NC: Oh my god! Let’s unpack that. What does that mean?

YA: So, she’s beautiful because she’s quite tall. She is meant for beauty pageants and that’s what she represents. And in the Philippines, I think people sort of venerate and revere that kind of beauty, not necessarily envying it. Not a lot of people who find her beautiful want to be her. A lot of people, gay men and women look up to her as if she’s a goddess.

YA: Unreachable, but beautiful.

NC: I think that’s interesting because in the previous podcast, we had Hannah Bulloch on the program and she’s an anthropologist and one of her—or part of her work talks about colonial mentality when it comes to the Filipino concept of identity and one of her arguments is how American lifestyles embodies, serve as reference points for ideals of affluence and beauty. Does that still hold? The American standard of beauty? The colonial mentality we get from—colonial tradition has become the standard for what beautiful looks like.

YA: That makes a lot of sense because it’s a combination of race and class superiority. If—as you’re familiar, when it comes to colonialism, a lot of times, the colonisers reinforce existing hierarchies. So, even before Spanish and American colonisation, we already have social hierarchies. We have the  maharlika , the elites. And we have the working class,  payak . And then you have the  alipins , the slaves. And a lot of times, they are judged based on their skin colour. And so, when it comes to whiteness, it’s not just about Western features, it’s also about elite features. For the elite, they stay at home. They don’t till the lands, they don’t go fishing so, they don’t get dark skin tone. So, in a way, it’s a combination of both. Being white means being rich and being white also means being Americanised.

NC: And of course, I want to unpack the concept of biracial beauty. I remember in the Philippine pop culture scene, there has been a lot of debate about why can’t the Philippines claim space globally featuring the “real” Filipinos. And I’m doing air quotes here. The “real” Filipinos. And I remember when it comes to football, players like Phil and James Younghusband, who are also biracial, half British, half Filipino, are being criticised for not being “real” Filipinos. Or I think in the context of Australia, there has been an SBS feature about the most popular Australian you’ve never heard of which is—who’s Anne Curtis who has a million [9.7 million] followers on Instagram. So, I guess there’s this anxiety or tension within discussions in the Philippines of who are “real” Filipino looks like. So, how does your work speak to that?

YA: It’s entanglement of a lot of issues because especially when it comes to Filipino pride, it’s quite selective. So, for as long as something is positive, any amount of Filipino blood will be claimed by Filipinos. But we have to understand that Filipinos is also a heterogeneous population. Some would immediately sort of latch on to the Filipino-ness of some international celebrities but others would claim that they are not authentic Filipinos. So, there’s a combination of that. But a lot of these issues is really based on appearances, isn’t it? A lot of Filipino celebrities who are well-known worldwide who are not considered as beautiful, a lot of them are popular because of their talents. So, you have Manny Pacquiao, you have Lea Salonga, who I find very beautiful but she is far known more as a singer than obviously as a beauty contestant. She was never a beauty contestant. But in other cases, like Anne Curtis, for example, or the Azkal boys, it’s because of their appearance that they are being criticised. They are beautiful but they are not necessarily pure Filipinos. So, there’s a tension. Yes, we want them to sort of claim they’re being a Filipino but at the same time, we hold ourselves back because they don’t look like the rest of us.

NC: And how does this speak to the broader of Southeast and East Asia? You’ve examined notions of beauty in these contexts as well.

YA: So, there’s a shared sort of preference for whiteness that Filipinos sort of share with East Asia and Southeast Asia. And that’s still quite dominant. So, as I’ve said, it’s a combination of sort of class issue and sort of Western feature issue and Philippines is part of that sort of sphere.

NC: And does the colonial tradition have anything to do with it? Or has it been evolving a lot when it comes to the more mainstream Hollywood cultures?

YA: It’s a combination of both. This interesting thing about Filipinos—or at least the Philippines in comparison to say, South Korea, which was never colonised. It’s hard to distinguish them at this point because as you’ve said, the importation of Hollywood ideals of beauty is so dominating that we don’t know if it’s a factor of us just being part of the modern globalised industry or is it because of our history of being colonised? So, I think it’s a combination of both.

NC: Yes, rather iterative.

NC: And of course, there’s a political economy argument to be made here. And I’m sure you notice this that every time we go home to Manila, we see a lot of billboards that advertise laser liposuction for the arms,  Thermage  treatment to chisel the jaws, skin whitening, and even vaginal reconstruction. And advertisement is right there, a billboard is right there in one of the biggest highways in the Philippines. So, how big is the beauty and cosmetic industry in the Philippines?

YA: I don’t have the exact numbers but based on conversations with my colleagues in plastic surgery, it’s definitely growing. But we also have to thank, I guess  Dr. Vicki Belo   for allowing cosmetic surgery and cosmetic procedures to not only enter the mainstream, but to be visible. Because back in the day, there is a lot of stigma when it comes to plastic surgery. People don’t want to admit it, people don’t want any obvious, visible markers of surgery. But now, I think people are more open to discussing it. A lot of—I think a few celebrities have come out in admitting that they’ve had surgeries done on their faces or other body parts.

NC: Right. Of course, you are a physician yourself and you’re very much embedded in the medical community in the Philippines. And what you’re telling me is this: the rise of celebrity doctors really mainstreamed cosmetic surgery in the Philippines. So, it is really kind of a turning point when it comes to this industry. Would you call it an industry?

YA: It is an industry. But it’s also its own monster. Because any cosmetic service provider that advertises, they’re not usually part of the medical community or the medical specialty that they’re claiming to be. So, Dr. Vicki Belo is not part of the  Philippine Dermatological Society or Philippine Plastic Surgery Society [ Philippine Association of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgeons, Inc. ] because any member of those societies are not allowed to advertise. But as long as you are a doctor and you want to claim to be a cosmetic surgeon, no one is stopping you. So, we have to make a distinction and I don’t want to sort of betray my medical profession for that.

NC: Of course. And I think this is where your bioethics voice is very important. I read your piece published in the  Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics Journal  where you argued that surgical modifications, particularly “big eye” surgery among Asian women is pitched as a remedy to pathologise Asian features. So, if I may pull a quote from your article, you argued that “the combination of medical jargon and aesthetic references, employed by cosmetic surgeons have the tendency to conflate beauty and health” (p. 218). So, what does that mean?

YA: In my research, I make a distinction when it comes to forms of conflation. The first one is conflation based on the concepts. So, it’s a conceptual conflation when we use medical language to describe beauty concerns. In my Master of Research thesis, I did a text analysis of cosmetic surgery websites in Australia and South Korea. And what I found was the use of disabling language like deficiency, deformity, lack, excess. All those words that you actually find in describing pathological conditions in a lot of medical textbooks. So, that’s one at least on the conceptual level. Usually, in terms of Asian cosmetic surgery or Asian eyes, a lot of surgeons in websites describe Asian eyes as lacking of folds or sub-optimal or aesthetically deviant. So, it sounds scientific, objective, and to some extent, medical as well. The other type of conflation is more practical. So, that’s when you offer diagnostic evaluation that you usually use for medical conditions. It’s like using X-ray, using computers and algorithms to measure, you know, different proportions of the face. And the second part of that practical conflation is offering medical intervention as if they are “corrective” or restorative. So, in a way, that contributes to the idea that ugliness or sort of racial features are like deformities associated with injuries, disorders, or other kinds of diseases.

In terms of the second question, I think in the Philippines, we are still not as explicit. It’s not as similar to the medical framing that you find in the US, Australia, or even South Korea, where surgeries are extremely popular. I think our notion of beauty and ugliness in the Philippines are still more entangled with other social factors such as class and socioeconomic status, urban versus rural origins, and being a mixed race. So, if you look at skin whitening as an example, which is really popular in the Philippines, the way it’s marketed is not really about looking healthy. A couple of years ago, GlutaMax, it’s a very popular skin whitening product, had this marketing slogan that says Kutis Mayaman or the skin of the wealthy or the rich. It features the photo of Gretchen Barretto, a popular Filipina actress. And there were posters of that, a lot of those posters in the Philippines. I think in the Philippines, being a developing country, health still does not have a strong currency when it comes to beauty as much as it does in developed countries. So, as of the moment, marketing cosmetic procedures does not have to rely on it. The value of physical appearance based on relational and socioeconomic benefits, I think that’s enough to sell these services.

NC: But is there pushback as well? Because I think in the same way that Hollywood is trying to pluralise its concept of beauty, we’ve seen Vogue and Vanity Fair covers that feature different kinds of women from different kinds of backgrounds. Do we see a similar pushback in the Philippines?

YA: I think so. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of the scandal of a new telenovela in the Philippines.

NC: Right. Bagani .

YA: Bagani. So, that one, they tried to put on darker skin tone on the actors and a lot of Filipinos pushed back against that, saying that it just showed how a lot of our actors are still fair-skinned to the point that none of the actors that we have as of the moment can authentically portray a dark-skinned indigenous population. So, I think a lot of people are growing and stating that we should have more democratised notions of what is beautiful.

NC: And of course, we couldn’t possibly talk about notions of beauty without putting a gendered aspect here. And so far, I’m assuming that people who are prone to these stereotypes and pressures to look a certain way are women. And do you see similar patterns when it comes to men? Are there emerging cultural patterns that pressure men to look a certain way or conform to a particular standard of beauty as well?

YA: I think there is. Based on the recent survey by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery , there is a growing number of male patients undergoing cosmetic surgery. But make no mistake, women are still 85% of consumers for cosmetic surgery. So, let’s not make the claim that it’s being democratised because it still disproportionately affects or involves women. But there is a growing number of procedures for men like hair replacement for baldness, penis enlargement, and also surgeries for gynecomastia. But what’s interesting is that a lot of feminists working in bioethics and cosmetic surgery find that a lot of male procedures are more accepted as medical procedures. They feel that appearance concerns of men are much more organic than women. Which is fairly interesting and it’s quite consistent with how—with the uneasy relationship of medicine and the female body.

NC: Can you unpack that a bit? Why is there an uneasy relationship?

YA: So, when it comes to hair loss, I think society is quick to accept that hair loss is not merely an aesthetic concern, that it also has to do with testosterone and biochemical factors. So, it sounds much more organic as opposed to female concerns about their nose or their breasts or their vagina. It sounds like society still deems that as purely about vanity. So, when I say medicine has an uneasy relationship with the female body, there’s a longstanding history in medicine where it’s the male body that is deemed as the normal body and the female body is a sort of deviance. The female body’s a failed body of a man. So, when you talk about vagina, it’s an organ that failed to develop as a penis. So, there’s that sort of problematic history when it comes to medical view of—medicine’s view of the female body. Which is interesting it’s being reflected in cosmetic surgery.

NC: Right, of course. And I think we also discussed earlier, or we touched on briefly earlier about the competing notions of beauty in the region and we also looked at East Asia when it comes to this. I’m particularly curious about the concept of the eye. Why of all features of the body is the eye considered most problematic or contentious especially in East Asia?

YA: Firstly, I think the general notion that the eyes are the windows to the soul still holds true. (laughs)

NC: Is that a medical claim? (laughs)

YA: I think it’s influential because when people talk to each other, eye contact is really important. But more importantly, it’s the eyes that are still the main subject of ridicule. So, a lot of Asians living in Western countries, they are called names such as chinky eyes or slanty eyes and people who are mocking them pull their eyes to the side to sort of mimic that Asian feature. So, in a way, because it’s a point of ridicule, it’s much easier for cosmetic surgeons to justify that, “See, there is an emotional suffering and emotional pain associated with this Asian feature. We have to do something about it. Let us offer surgical procedure to sort of relieve the suffering.” Whether or not that’s true, it’s still obviously up for debate.

NC: I read this in American Asian Studies on how the stereotype on the other hand for East Asians would they are the successful, good migrants who do well in school. So, in a way, there’s one stereotype of the good student who has oriental features versus the beautiful student who—that are very different things. Either you’re smart or your beautiful. So, does that stereotype still hold true today? Especially for diasporic communities in Western contexts?

YA: I think it’s different when it comes to the experiences of Asian women and Asian men. So, when it comes to Asian women, a lot of times they oscillate between exoticised and being deemed unattractive. So, being exoticised in the sense that they’re seen as beautiful in a very specific ethnic context. But when it comes to the stereotype of being successful, I think in a way that works for them, especially when it comes to corporate jobs where appearance can only be an advantage to some extent. You can’t be too beautiful. You can’t be distractingly beautiful. So, because they can be viewed as unattractive to some extent, that works to their advantage. I think it might be worse for men in some sense because Asian men are historically viewed as emasculated or asexual. So, they’re not masculine because of their fine features and a lot of times, even the eyes, it’s associated with being passive, with being at some point intellectually inferior. Because people say having a flat face looks like something who is not emotional. It does not register the kind of, you know, joy that you see in a lot of Western faces.

NC: Which sort of literature reinforce that? So, aside from fashion magazines of course.

YA: It has been studied in sociological research in the US and Australia. There’s this publication by Eugenia Kaw in the US, I think that was published in 1996 [1993], that looked into how cosmetic surgeons in the US justify surgical procedures for Asians. And that’s one of the claims. It’s that the Asian face appears to have this sort of association with behavioural and intellectual deviance.

NC: Yes. And of course, we started the podcast by talking about Pia Wurtzbach. So, I would be remiss not to raise the issue of beauty pageants and how the Philippines has always seen beauty pageants as a point of pride. And in a way, this is where the argument that the Philippines is more comparable to its Latin American neighbours rather than its Southeast Asian neighbours. Because we are neighbours to Latin America culturally albeit not geographically and perhaps the colonial tradition has something to do with it. So, what are your thoughts? Why are the beauty pageants such a big deal in the Philippines and why was it such as big deal that Thailand suddenly breaking in the scene as well?

YA: I think in the Philippines, we have a very uneasy relationship with physical appearance. I think we have to take into consideration that we are predominantly Catholic. So, bodily exposure has to be taken in a very specific context and beauty pageantry allows for a legitimate and sort of official venue for us to celebrate the body and you have the gown competition, you have the bathing suit competition, and you also have the question and answer. So, in a way, it’s a venue that allows us to celebrate beauty and physical attractiveness without the shame that we usually attach to it. So, that’s why it’s a big thing for us. But with the Thailand, I don’t think I have any specific opinion on that but it’s just unusual because—but it’s also surprising why—I think it’s highly overdue because in terms of cosmetic surgery, Thailand is still like one of the capitals in Southeast Asia.

NC: For medical tourism.

YA: Yeah, for medical tourism. So, I think it’s long overdue that they are breaking into the international beauty pageantry.

NC: And from the philosophy of ethics perspective, how can we judge beauty pageants? Because of course, there’s this standard feminist argument on how this reduces women to a meat market of bodies that are being judged. But of course, there’s this counter narrative, like what you mentioned, it’s a celebration of female body and sexuality and we should just stop being prudes about it. So, what are your thoughts on this from the ethics perspective?

YA: From the ethics perspective, I think in the Philippines, it’s not as apparent but if you look at Latin America, including Brazil, Venezuela, and Colombia, because of beauty pageantry, it increases the popularity—not even popularity, but the need for cosmetic surgery. Because for a lot of Latin American countries, which are still developing countries, a lot of times, beauty pageantry is the way out. It’s the way for economic success. So, for these countries more and more, beauty is being associated with health. It’s being associated with well-being. I think we are still far from this but in Latin American countries, they are viewing beauty pageant contestants as not only the ideal but the norm of beauty. So, even if you don’t want to enter contestants, it sometimes feels like you have to conform to those standards and it increases the burden for a lot of individuals to align with these standards which obviously increases the need for cosmetic surgery. So more and more, I think we are collapsing the distinction between what is necessary surgery and what is aesthetic surgery or surgery for the purposes of vanity.

NC: And part of it is also normalising surgery, cosmetic surgery for everyday Filipinos. Are there other stereotypes you wish to critically examine?

YA: I think I want to go back to that bit where we talked about us being predominantly Catholic. A lot of times, when people discuss beauty, it’s usually about race or about gender. But I think we have to take into consideration us being predominantly Catholic and the notion that I think a lot of Filipinos still hold the—or still suffer from the Madonna/Whore complex .

NC: Can you explain that?

YA: So, Madonna/Whore complex is this notion that there’s a specific kind of attractiveness that is appropriate for marriage and there’s one that is appropriate for sexuality. So, there’s the sexual beauty versus the virginal beauty. And that’s why I think a lot of Filipinos can categorise what kind of beauty they want to marry in and what kind of beauty they just want to view from afar, or they want to view from TV. And I think because of how—because of the shame that we sort of inherited from our Catholic tradition.

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NC: And I think what I’m getting from you here is that you’re challenging, in a way, this notion that the concept of beauty is just imposed on people and people uncritically accept that standard of beauty. It’s very Frankfurt School in a way that we are conditioned to all want to look like Pia Wurtzbach or whichever kind of celebrity there is. What I’m getting from you is there are different contexts, have different demands on the particular sorts of appearances that legitimise your status in a particular community.

YA: That’s right. I think you have to give credit to Filipinos as well as thinking beings. That they do manage to idolise certain beauty without necessary being bogged down by it. A lot of Filipinos still have to live the day to day life. They have to work, they have to deal with the traffic, they have to deal with relationships, and they’re not always preoccupied with thinking with beauty.

NC: And I guess the same is true when we talk about expectations with women. As you mentioned earlier, there is expectation of the decent woman, the kind of woman that can marry into a decent family. So, those traditional structures are very much present but on the other hand, there is also a space to something more experimental like in the arts and culture, where women can express sexualities in different ways. Are we headed towards that direction? Especially—sorry, I have to bring it up—especially in a context of a sexist president. Where does this leave the politics of appearances in what seems to be an openly misogynistic society?

YA: The thing about misogynism in the Philippines, discounting our current president, it’s a bit tricky. It’s hidden in a lot of ways. It’s not as apparent as it is in Western Countries because female opportunities are quite present when it comes to education, when it comes to employment, even when it comes to politics. We have a lot of female politicians. So, the misogyny is not as direct. So, in a way, women are allowed to be beautiful, are allowed to be sexual to some extent. But I think it’s changing because obviously because of internet. And a lot of people are travelling outside the country more and more, bringing with them the cultural and the aesthetic ideals they encounter in different countries. And I think with the importation of films not only from the West but also from Asia, we have a lot of Korean telenovelas. Now, we have Chinese media coming in as well. So, I think it’s expanding, our notion of beautiful, our notion of ways to express what it means to be beautiful in the Philippines. So, I think we are in a constant flux.

NC: Right. And I think that’s worth celebrating to a certain extent. Well, we’ve come to the end of the program. I guess in summary, Yves, can you help us make sense of this statement: In the Philippines, to be beautiful is to look like Pia Wurtzbach. To what extent does that statement make sense?

YA: I think it means that for Filipinos, our beauty ideal is both outwards and outward-looking. That is, we focus on the superficial and we constantly seek external, even international validation.

NC: Alright. Well, thank you for joining us, Yves! And thanks to all our listeners for tuning in the first season of our podcast. Till next time.

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Why The Philippines Dominates World Beauty Pageants

While other countries religiously support events like the Super Bowl and the World Cup , Filipinos are devoted to a different kind of competition — the beauty pageant. Despite its appeal fading nearly everywhere else, Filipinos remain devoted to the art of pageantry. And with the country’s “beauty queens” raking in international awards left and right, The Philippines is as seasoned a candidate as a nation can get.

Every year, Filipinos the world over huddle together to watch the glitz and sparkle of the Miss Universe competition. In an annual countdown, the three other major international pageants (Miss Earth, Miss International and Miss World) precede the main event – the Golden Globes to the Oscars. Together, these grand events make up what is known as the “Big Four” of beauty pageants, in which the Philippines holds several titles. Throughout history, the country has garnered the top crown a total of 14 times: four for Miss Earth, six for Miss International, one for Miss World, and three glorious coronations on the Miss Universe stage.

The Philippines and International Pageants

The Philippines has, rather consistently, held an exemplary track record in the world of pageants, always making it to the top 10, at the very least. Since the commencement of the Miss Earth pageants in 2001 for example, only thrice did the country fail to make it to the top 10. And in the Miss Universe pageants, held to be the most prestigious of the Big Four, the Philippines has placed without fail since 2010. Venus Raj (2010), Shamcey Supsup (2011), Janine Tugonon (2012), and Arielle Arida (2013) in particular, made a proud nation when they were crowned runners up year after year. And to the thrill of millions of Filipinos, in 2015, the country finally took home the crown.

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Being the third Filipina to carry the title–following Margie Moran (1973) and Gloria Diaz (1969)–bringing back the crown after over four decades to a nation of pageant aficionados was a huge hullabaloo. Pia’s homecoming after her Miss Universe win drew in crowds that could match those of a grand parade for the Queen of England. But then again, in Pia’s country, she too was royalty.

In more minor international pageants, Filipinos perform just as impressively. In November, Winwyn Marquez was crowned 2017’s Reina Hispanoamericana, not only as the first Filipina earning the title, but as the first Filipina to join the competition altogether. This year was the Philippines’ debut in the said pageant, and Winwyn made sure it was a good one. The Philippines is also currently the country with the most titles at the Miss Tourism International pageant, with three Filipinas having earned top crown: Angeli Dione Gomez (2013), the late Rizzini Alexis Gomez (2012), and Maria Esperanza Manalo (2000). And in the 2017 Miss Globe competition, Philippine bet Nelda Ibe was hailed 1st runner-up. The Philippines came in 3rd runner-up in 2016’s Miss Globe, and was the winner the year before. And in May 2017, John Raspado was declared Mr. Gay World, making him the first Filipino to win the contest since its commencement in 2009.

The Rise of the Local ‘Beau-con’

It is said that to excel in what you do, you must love what you do — the Philippines and pageantry is a shining example. The country’s love affair with beauty pageants is long, and needless to say, passionate. It dates all the way back to the 1908 Manila Carnival (organized to celebrate Philippines-US relations and to exhibit provincial achievements in commerce and agriculture), in which a contest was held in search for the Carnival Queen. This quickly became one of the carnival’s most-anticipated events, and was the budding stages of the Philippines’ relationship with the world of pageantry.

Eventually, beauty contests (locally known as “beaucons”) were springing up like mushrooms, becoming a staple at town fiestas and popular events at barangay (small district) celebrations. Today, there are all kinds of pageants in the Philippines, from Mr. Gay to Gandang Lola (Beautiful Grandma) (in fact, a Filipina lola was crowned winner at the Grandma Universe 2017 pageant held in Bulgaria in January this year). Many Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) communities have even taken the pageant culture with them abroad, organizing their own beauty contests in their foreign countries of work. More than just an interest, pageantry seems to have ingrained itself in Filipino blood.

A Nation’s Fascination

In trying to understand why this love for beauty pageants is so great, many factors seem to play a role. For one, it is something Filipinos are good at. And in grander international competitions, this gives Filipinos all over the world a sense of national pride. For a country which has suffered centuries under colonial rule, a large population of which still carries some deep-seated feeling of being the underdog, acclaim and recognition counts for something. The world of pageantry allows the Philippines a sense of not only being capable and at par, sharing the stage with the rest of the world, but even a sense of victory — a feeling withheld from them for a great part of their history.

But what about the much smaller beaucons constantly organized by towns and barangays and even OFWs abroad? Aside from bringing the community together, for many they serve as a source of entertainment and escape from reality — which for many in the Philippines living below the poverty line, isn’t always so great. It becomes a breather from life’s complications and for a moment, they get to focus solely on a world of beauty, crowns, and dreams.

But whatever the inherent reason for Filipinos’ love for beauty pageants, there’s one that can’t be denied — it’s a lot of fun to watch, especially when you’re on the winning team. Think of your favorite sports team and try to remember what it feels like watching them play, especially when they’re playing well. It’s exhilarating and you might even feel somehow part of the victory. That’s what Filipinos get from the world of beauty pageants.

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Beauty of the Philippines

Essay by Kier Paloma Aca-ac   •  July 4, 2019  •  Essay  •  299 Words (2 Pages)  •  1,336 Views

Essay Preview: Beauty of the Philippines

Do you want to be mesmerized by the beauty of batanes ? To experience the crystal clear water and beautiful sand bar of kalanggaman Island ? Or to witnessed how beautiful the Niagara falls of the Philippines, the Tinuy-an falls ? Visit now the 7,107 island of the Philippines and for you to be convince more. I will expound more about the places stated.

BATANES, a picturesque setting in the northernmost island province of the Philippines remains to be a dream travel destination for many. From its green rolling hills under the blue skies to harmonious landscapes and seascapes to cobblestone-walled houses topped with cogon roof to the quaint way of living of the Ivatans (locals), the “home of the winds” continues to amaze visitors.

KALANGGAMAN ISLAND, is  shaped like a bird, reason why its name is derived from the local word “langgam”  that means bird. This sandbar off the coast of Palompon, Leyte has gained popularity in recent years, but it has long been a local secret.  Kalanggaman is hemmed in by palm-studded, cream sand and lapped by swirling, crystal sea.

TINUY-AN FALLS, the little Niagara Falls of the Philippines. One of the most visited tourist spot and attraction in Surigao Del Sur. Located at Barangay Borboanan in Bislig city. The waterfalss spans at 95 meters wide with a 55 meters plunge fromits three cascading falss. The water that drapes and cascades through the three waterfls features a curtain of white froth that makes Tinuy-an Falls worth the long travel. Aside from this, the whole area is teeming with lush vegetation and tall trees that makes the waterfalls more appealing.

So what are u waiting for ? Pack your things and book your flights. To see the wonders of the Philippines for as long P50,000, book now for reservations. Just contact us.

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Beyond the Sash and Crown: A Cultural Examination of the Possible Impacts of Beauty Pageant in the Filipino Society

Abstract: Our country has witnessed a burst of enthusiasm for beauty pageantry, which is already present in the Filipino society for more than sixty years. An ordinary Filipino is already accustomed into witnessing women in heavy make­up, glamorous dresses and skimpy clothes strutting along the stage. Nowadays, beauty pageants are no longer limited to women; men as well as gays are also widely welcomed in the arena. In spite of the gains one can acquire from joining beauty contests, the social implication of the burgeoning cultural emphasis on physical beauty is actually disturbing. Beauty pageants have already exceeded their boundaries of providing enjoyment and are now able to penetrate our way of thinking and advance capitalistic principles which validates why people should give extra attention and be cautious of beauty pageants. This research aspires to contribute to the existing knowledge about beauty pageantry in the Filipino society and its long lasting effects. The whole research focused on the beauty pageants for women around ages 15­28. It made use of qualitative methods such as content analysis of existing studies about beauty pageants and surveys among Filipino youth and young adults who have an experience in beauty pageants and those who are fascinated by it to see how pageants affect the individual’s emotions, value system and identity formation. The purpose of this study is to examine the ideals of feminine beauty created by beauty pageants and investigate the relationship between pageants and gender discourses, national identity and culture and consumerism; and also how it connect to issues and struggles which are present in individual's life outside the purview of the contest. It was able to investigate how pageant contestants were sexualized and objectified. Furthermore, it shall reveal how prevalent pro­Western beauty ideology is to young Filipinos of the present generation. Keywords​: Beauty, beauty pageants, beauty myths, culture, identity, discourse, ideology, feminism, objectification, sexualisation, Western, Western beauty, consumerism, media, capitalism, colonialism, ethnocentrism

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This paper discusses how factors such as colonization and media exposure have affected the Filipino standards of beauty using the cultivation theory. The paper was written as a requirement for my theories class.

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Many of the images in films, magazines, and the Internet have the same idealization of beauty: tall, thin, blonde, high cheek boned faces, and white skin. Minority women are especially underrepresented in the film and modeling industry, and should they appear in any ads, their physical appearance adheres to the standards of white beauty. The research on race, gender, and sexuality show there is a global standard of beauty that emphasizes light skin, eyes, and hair as ideal traits. Asian women in particular are objectified and stereotyped as exotic and submissive in photos, while also perpetuating the idealization of white beauty, as seen in ads that sell products to lighten skin or the way that they are photo-shopped. There is a growing body of research on idealized women in advertising and the mental health effects on women, but little on Asian women, particularly Filipinos, and white beauty. In what ways do Western, European, and Filipino films, websites, and magazines construct standards of white beauty, specifically for Filipinos? Using theories of colonialism and feminism to uncover the dominant influence of white beauty, this article uses examples from popular films, magazines, and websites from the U.S., Europe, and the Philippines to uncover the ways these industries shape ideal beauty for Filipino women. Concluding this analysis, this article prompts ways that these industries can change these ideologies.

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Centuries have passed and the obsession for beauty never ceases. The pressure to look good has been intensified and the hype continues as the world becomes digitally connected via the internet. Our concept of beauty becomes very easily affected with just one click of a button. Consciously or unconsciously, we have succumbed to the media’s influence of shaping our thoughts. In line to that, it is therefore safe to say that the current trend and basis of a true Filipina beauty as in arched nose, sharp face, long legs, slender body and fair skinned are influences of the Spanish and American. It is a de facto phenomena experienced by Filipinos. However, if our concept of beauty really has changed, then from what notion did it change from? Through lexical data, this paper aims to provide basic parameters of the concept of beauty in the indigenous Philippine society.

Jevy Timbangan

Throughout history, the definition of 'what is beautiful' seems to change in alignment with society's definite standard of beauty. Since then, it has been known that beauty is one of the things individuals seek because it is a power on its own. In the Philippine context, the colonial mentality has something to do with the beauty standard instilled in the minds of Filipinos. Colonial mentality is known as a form of internalized oppression, contributing to the strong perception of ethnic and cultural inferiority, which profoundly influences the Filipinos on their perception of 'What is beautiful'. Filipinos did not just become the subject of colonization but rather continued to live along with its adverse effects.

WSQ: Women’s Studies Quarterly

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This article explores the cultural politics of beauty among fat bakla subjects in the urban Philippines. Drawing on firsthand observations, we provide a descriptive account of a beauty pageant for plus-size queer and gender nonconforming contestants. We argue that these subjects, by putting their bodies and subordinate statuses on display, have constructed a fat bakla counterpublic. In the first section, we provide an ethnographic description of the pageant setting. In the following sections, we examine the themes that emerged from candidate performances, particularly those that reveal the intertwined nature of gender, class, sexuality, race, and fat bodies. Finally, we examine how participants used the pageant as a platform for advocacy, constructing a counterpublic for a wide range of identities and embodiments.

Various studies on the Philippine concept of beauty have been published all throughout the years. The obsession with whitening products and even going under the knife just to achieve the perfect nose shape has been popular recently. Perhaps, we all agree that due to the three hundred yearlong influence of the Spaniards and the occupation of the Americans soon after has reshaped our idea of beauty. However, a very important question was never asked. From what previous concept did it change from? How did it change until the American period? This paper focuses on the various aspects of beauty in the 16th-19th century Philippine society, before and during the colonization of the Spaniards.

T.U.S.M. Judy Virtucio

Final Paper of a beginner in research. It's all about how University of the Philippines Cebu Students perceive International Beauty Pageants (IBPs), whether IBPs empower or objectify women.

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Pinoys’ passion for beauty pageants explained

By ALEX Y. VERGARA Published Oct 30, 2020 7:04 am Updated Dec 06, 2021 6:04 pm

A lot of people in the Philippines have a very strong obsession with beauty pageants. You might even say they are fanatics!

Whenever there's a pageant, the whole country seemed to breathe and live Miss Universe, Miss Earth, or any other beau cons as we followed our country's bets. No doubt, t here is an atmosphere of excitement in the air.

In 2019, Miss Universe Philippines went down in Philippine beauty pageant history as a reset button of sorts. It marked the first year of a new decade after Philippine beauty queens began a 10-year placement streak in Miss Universe—the 11th this year—arguably the most prestigious and most popular global beauty contest of its kind.

This longest placement streak ever in Philippine beauty pageant history—2010 to 2021—has produced two Misses Universe and several runners-up as well as a number of top-6, top-10 and top-20 finishers.

And we’re not even talking of Filipino beauty queens who did well in the three other so-called alpha pageants: Miss International, Miss World and Miss Earth.

If you’re having trouble recalling how this Miss U placement streak started, go to the YouTube video dubbed “We Love You Maria Venus Raj 22 Philippines.”

Intense passion for their respective bets boils over on social media in the form of cruel, even gutter language, often posted anonymously or through troll accounts to bring down their favorites’ rivals.

Composed of four avid “beau con” watchers—that’s beauty contest to the uninitiated—who lost themselves to the point of nearly pulverizing the mattress they were sitting on soon after Venus was called last in the top 15 in 2010, the video went viral with close to four million views to date.

(Watch video here .)

Understandable reaction

It even spawned a spoof that doubled as a TV and online ad for an American fast-food chain, also starring the four friends led by designer Veejay Floresca. 

To fellow beau con fans, Veejay and company’s spontaneous reaction was quite understandable. Prior to Venus’ achievement, the Philippines hadn’t placed for 10 long years in Miss U. For a nation that once styled itself in the early 1970s as an Asian beauty pageant powerhouse, the decade-long drought was unthinkable.

But you don’t have to be a beau con fan to be amazed and amused at how these Filipino fans—a microcosm, if you will, of the avid Pinoy beau con watcher—conducted themselves. In many ways, their cheers, shrieks, jumps, congratulatory hugs and tears of joy are emblematic of the Pinoy passion for beauty pageants and beautiful women.

Miss Universe Philippines 2020 Rabiya Mateo (center) with Billie Hakenson, Pauline Amelinckx, Michele Gumabao and Ysabella Ysmael.

Composed, for the most part, of gay men, whether openly or not, these fans are also the ones who inspire and propel the country’s beauty queens to exceed themselves and shine on stage on pageant night, be it in neighboring Bangkok or in far-off Las Vegas.

Miss Universe Organization president Paula Shugart certainly wasn’t kidding when she called Filipinos “the best pageant fans in the world.”

Their sheer number alone, which became very much evident when they came out in droves to cheer on Pia Wurtzbach and Catriona Gray during their respective homecoming parades, is unmatched except perhaps in certain Latin American countries whose people also equate winning Miss Universe to clinching the World Cup.

Origins of beau con’s appeal

When did this Pinoy passion for beauty pageants begin? Where did it originate in the first place? What are beau cons’ unique appeal to Filipino fans, who are known to call in sick for work to host or join viewing parties?

We interviewed three beau con watchers whose professions often orbit the galaxies where these beauty queens are born, honed and thrust into primetime for the ultimate beauty showdown of their young lives.

For Jay Patao, a journalist, beauty pageants are an American invention when our then colonizer created Miss America in 1921. In less than five years, the country followed America’s lead by crowning its first Miss Philippines in the person of Anita Noble in the annual Manila Carnival in 1926.

“We assimilated so much of American culture in their five decades here compared to more than three centuries of Spanish rule,” says Jay. “Our love for fiestas and revelry is very Spanish, while our affinity for Hollywood glam traces itself, of course, to America.”

Rooted in Pinoy psyche

Eric Pineda, fashion and costume designer, educator and wardrobe and costume consultant for Miss Earth, agrees. The love for beauty pageants is deeply rooted in the Filipino psyche.

“During the American Commonwealth period, we already had searches for Carnival Queens held at the Luneta as a prelude to the Christmas season,” he says. “But back then, the ladies and their escorts came from elite families. Referred to as las hijas de buena familia , these young women like Pacita Ongsiako de los Reyes represented the ideal Filipina—beautiful, well-bred, educated and usually mestizas of Spanish, American, or Chinese ancestry.”

Miss Universe Organization president Paula Shugart certainly wasn’t kidding when she called Filipinos ‘the best pageant fans in the world.’

It took just a nudge for these beauty pageants to soon morph into beau cons, adds Eric, as Manileños and even Filipinos from nearby provinces trooped to the Luneta to watch the festivities and root for their favorites.

“It was a big thing even then, and the Pinoy fervor for these pageants survived even after the war,” he says. “By then, almost every town fiesta had its queen who was crowned not only because of her beauty, but because of her family and supporters’ ability to sell ballots to fund charity projects. The practice continues to this day in the provinces.”

From school pageants and those held in remote barrios to national pageants aired live on TV and streamed these days through social media, Filipinos never seem to get tired of seeing beautiful women parade annually in front of them, designer Noel Crisostomo observes.

“Our passion for pageants, I think, was further validated in the ’60s and early ’70s when Gemma Cruz, Gloria Diaz, Aurora Pijuan and Margie Moran won,” says Noel.

Traced to traditions

Eric even attributes our innate love for pageantry to religious traditions, such as Santacruzan and Flores de Mayo, handed down to us by Spain. Both events center on women, usually the town’s fairest maidens.

“It’s no coincidence that one can see a similar fixation for beauty queens and pageantry among people in Latin American countries, most of which were colonies of Spain and Portugal,” says Eric.

Jay adds: “Since the Philippines is basically a Latin country in the middle of Asia, our love for celebrating beauty can be traced to our Spanish colonial heritage.”

As a developing country, we’re not yet in a position to compete with Japan, the US and most European countries in, say, the Olympics and World Cup, adds Jay. The country’s preoccupation with beauty stems from the fact that Filipinos need something to buoy their spirits and national pride.

“Having proven countless times that the level of Philippine pulchritude is world-class, the country’s beauty queens have also learned to parlay their initial success to other arguably bigger and more important arenas once their reigns are over,” says Jay.

Jay goes on to ascribe the Filipino penchant for putting beauty queens on a pedestal to the country’s matriarchal society. “Filipinas are getting more empowered than ever these days in practically every field they specialize in.”

Stepping stones and platforms

Unlike before when well-bred ladies considered joining beauty pageants as some sort of rite of passage before marriage and raising families of their own, most of today’s women see beauty pageants as stepping stones or, as not a few wannabe beauty queens love to say these days, platforms to amplify their voices on certain causes and hopefully raise their stock in whatever careers they choose to embark on soon after passing on their crowns.

Margie is probably the last of her kind to come from a de buena background. Over the decades, the beau con scene has opened up, luring its fair share of nameless but ambitious women from the middle and even lower classes.

The democratization, if you will, of beauty pageants has inspired countless pretty girls even from the country’s remotest barangays to travel to Manila and give beau cons a try. As long as you’re tall, shapely, beautiful and with a fairly good education, you’re now welcome to join and try your luck.

“Because TV and the internet have become more accessible with each passing year, most young girls these days grew up watching pageants,” Noel observes. “Many of them dream of the prestige winning a pageant brings as well as the thought of bringing pride and honor to their families and communities. It also opens doors to a future career, particularly in showbiz, media and politics.”

Designer Noel Crisostomo attends to Miss Universe Philippines second runner-up Michele Gumabao at Queen Street West, his shop in San Juan, before the MUP coronation.

Young women’s enthusiasm for joining pageants, in turn, has given birth to an entire sub-industry of impresarios and trainers on beauty, poise, runway or pasarela, styling and Q and A skills.

Whereas aspirants of yesteryears only had to deal mainly with fashion designers and talent scouts, they now find it indispensable to join beauty queen training camps established and run by dedicated beau con fans themselves who have taken their love for pageants to the next level by helping train wide-eyed girls become, as the oft-used phrase goes, the best versions of themselves.

Like rival schools

Like rival universities, these training camps have often found themselves at odds with each other in luring the best girls and producing the most finalists and winners in both national and international beau cons. Such concerted efforts from countless Pygmalion figures and their Fair Ladies have had, for the most part, a lasting positive impact.

“As a whole, I’ve seen how our girls develop into poised, articulate ladies after their pageants,” says Eric. “Majority of them will retain their poise and bearing, the ‘ tindig beauty queen.’ In Miss Earth’s case, I’ve seen how our queens continued with their environmental advocacies long after they’ve relinquished their crowns. Karen Ibasco and Catherine Untalan, for example, aren’t only beautiful ladies, but also graduated with honors from their respective universities.”

But it isn’t lost on our respondents that the beau con world, like all forms of entertainment, has its dark side, too. At the end of the day, it’s still up to the woman whether she uses her influence for good after her reign, or squanders it completely on shallow pursuits and head-scratching choices and endeavors.

As for not a few beau con watchers, their intense passion for their respective bets has found ways to boil over on social media, often in the form of cruel, even gutter language and below-the-belt commentaries posted anonymously or through troll accounts to bring down their favorites’ rivals.

Pinoys’ uncouth side

“Filipinos’ passion for pageants have no doubt helped boost the confidence and reputation of our beauty queens as they compete abroad,” says Noel. “But because of social media, the Filipino’s cruel side has also been exposed. Our collective egos have also swelled once we became a powerhouse country. And the sad part is, we just don’t clash with other people. We also duel online, exchanging harsh, unprintable words, with fellow Filipinos.”

“Because of social media, everyone nowadays has become an armchair commentator,” adds Eric. “Overnight, every bading (gay) has become a beau con expert.”

Since we’re still living in a supposedly free country, everyone is entitled to his opinion. Such freedom of expression, no matter how sometimes flawed or unkind, has truly made for a livelier, gayer Philippine beau con scene.

TAGS: Miss Universe Miss Earth MISS WORLD MISS INTERNATIONAL PAGEANTS

ALEX Y. VERGARA

Contributing writer

Alex is features editor of PeopleAsia and PeopleAsia Enclaves magazines. He worked for the country’s leading broadsheets for close to 30 years and was the resident fashion critic for one of them.

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New York Today

Flaco is gone. for some fans, his legacy lives on in ink..

A tattoo shop in Brooklyn offered original designs of the owl. Flaco admirers who got them said the bird was a symbol of freedom.

By Lola Fadulu

Good morning. It’s Friday. Today we’ll look at a tattoo parlor in Brooklyn that offered original designs of Flaco the Eurasian eagle-owl at a discounted rate.

Duke Riley, the owner of East River Tattoo in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, had always been obsessed with birds in the urban landscape and closely followed the story of Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl.

He never did get to see Flaco in person but had still been saddened when the owl died in February , he said.

Now, more than a dozen people have new tattoos of Flaco — whose escape from the Central Park Zoo and life on the loose enthralled New Yorkers — after Riley’s tattoo parlor offered original designs of the owl at a discounted rate on Thursday.

“I just wanted to give people an opportunity to sort of commemorate his life,” Riley said.

The tattoos are just one example of Flaco’s legacy. Fans have created T-shirts, mugs and other merchandise. Legislation that had been introduced in Albany that would require bird-friendly material to be used in more buildings in New York State was renamed the FLACO Act — “Feathered Lives Also Count.” The New York City Council introduced a bill that would deploy contraceptives to rodents in place of rat poison, in the hopes of shrinking the rat population and protecting wildlife, like Flaco, from being poisoned.

Despite the rainy, gloomy weather on Thursday, nine people stood outside the tattoo parlor before 11 a.m., waiting for the sign-up sheet to be posted. Ion Sokhos, a 45-year-old photo and video producer who lives in Boston, was one of those in line. He had arrived in the city the night before just for the tattoo.

Sokhos said that he had been captivated by Flaco’s story, that he generally loved owls for their silence and watchfulness and that he was a longtime fan of Riley’s work. Sokhos hopped in his car on Wednesday afternoon and drove more than four hours to get the tattoo. He said he had been shocked to learn that the artwork would cost just $150.

“It’s a hell of a bargain,” said Sokhos, who already has six tattoos. “I was prepared to pay four times that.”

Riley said that he typically charges $600 per hour but wanted to offer the tattoos at “a more approachable range.” He said he would donate all of the money he earned from the tattoos to the Wild Bird Fund, a New York City-based bird-rescue organization, and would let the other artists in his studio offering Flaco tattoos decide how much of their earnings to donate.

At least three other artists at the studio offered the tattoos, and Flaco fans could choose from at least seven original designs, which were posted on the parlor’s Instagram page.

Kari Nicolaisen, 29, said she had learned about the offerings from her sister, who sent her the social media post. Nicolaisen previously worked near the Central Park Zoo and saw Flaco in the park soon after he had been released.

She said that the bird represented freedom and that she had been drawn to him because of his beauty. “I’m glad that he survived so long,” she said.

She drew parallels between her life and Flaco’s caged life and said that in some ways, his freedom had inspired her to quit her job.

“It was just not the right place for me,” she said. “I didn’t see the outdoors during the day, didn’t have a window, and I think there’s just more to life than that,” she said. “You’ve got to live.”

Prepare for showers and a possible thunderstorm. It will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 65 degrees. At night, expect lingering clouds and a chance of showers, with a low around 50.

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Dear Diary:

I was on the F train and very tired.

I fell asleep and did that leaning-on-the-passenger-next-to-you thing that you see other people do and hope you never do yourself.

I apologized profusely to the unlucky woman whose shoulder my head had grazed.

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Not five minutes later, her head was on my shoulder and she was snoring gently.

— Jan Weinstein

Illustrated by Agnes Lee. Send submissions here and read more Metropolitan Diary here .

The newsletter yesterday misstated the square footage of Meow Parlour. It is 1,800 square feet, not 18,000. It also misstated the status of the cats in the cafe: All of them, not just some of them, are up for adoption.

Glad we could get together here. Andrew Keh will be here Monday. L.F.

P.S. Here’s today’s Mini Crossword and Spelling Bee . You can find all our puzzles here .

Johnna Margalotti and Ed Shanahan contributed to New York Today. You can reach the team at [email protected].

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Lola Fadulu reports on the New York City region for The Times. More about Lola Fadulu