Palm trees, Bombay Sapphire waters, coral gardens as vibrant as stands of tropical fruit... these are the things that tempt most visitors to the Philippines, the ‘Pearl of the Orient’. But beyond these paradisical images lie many indigenous cultures.
The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,641 islands scattered across the Philippine Sea, on Asia’s eastern edge. Human remains have been found dating back at least 50,000 years, long before Austronesians began arriving, followed by Chinese traders. However, it was the Spanish who left an indelible mark. Arriving in 1521, they claimed the islands, named the
