Cultural Profile of the Philippines Essay

The Philippines is a country with diverse culture. The country is divided into regions and provinces wherein each region or province has distinct cultures of their own. Greatly influenced by the Spanish colonization in the 14th to 18th century, the country has a lot of colorful festivals that showcase that the cultures and products of the regions. Part of the Filipinos’ diverse culture is their languages. Officially, Filipino and English are the major languages. Filipino is a compendium of more than 180 dialects but most of the words are based on Tagalog, the lingua franca of the National Capital Region, the seat of the government. Majority of Filipinos speak eight major dialects namely Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango and Pangasinense. English, on the other hand, is used as a medium of instruction in many educational institutions and as language in documents of the government (â€Å"About the Philippines†). Impact on Business Communication Because the Philippines has been colonized by many nationalities, it has adopted a lot of cultures. With that, Filipinos become flexible in dealing with other people with other cultures and social backgrounds. Moreover, they have the willingness to learn especially that labor has been one the major exports of the country. Many Filipinos are becoming competitive in the global market and business. In terms of relationships, Filipinos possess strong interpersonal relationships that make it more advisable for them to be introduced first to a third party than having them introducing themselves. However, Filipinos value relationships so much be it with their families of relatives or even in business. They do not focus only to business but they make ways in knowing their business partners deeper even to their personal affairs. They believe that when they know the people they are dealing with; it is easier for them to communicate their ideas for the business. They value their relationships not only for the present business deals but also for the future. They are used to referring people they know to be employees in their businesses (â€Å"Philippines — Language, Culture, Customs, and Etiquette†). In business, they also make sure that they are presentable at all times and they prefer face-to-face meeting from making phone calls or email; that is one way they can build relationships to people and business colleagues. Since they are relational, sometimes they are more particular with the personalities rather than the company they represent (â€Å"Philippines — Language, Culture, Customs, and Etiquette†). In the global business, the flexibility, adoptability and professionalism of Filipinos could be advantages especially about their being relational. They will open more areas of communication among their fellow employees and to other people outside the company which they believe can help them in their work. Also, they can easily learn other languages that may be required in doing business because their culture has already thought their tongues to be more adoptive to environments. References Kwintessential Cross Cultural Solutions. (______. ) Philippines — Language, Culture, Customs, and Etiquette. Retrieved May 14, 2008 from http://www. kwintessential. co. uk/resources/global-etiquette/philippines-country-profile. html Wow Philippines. (______. ) About the Philippines. Retrieved May 14, 2008 from http://www. tourism. gov. ph/discover/h