On June 12^th we celebrate the Independence Day of the Philippines! We wish a great day to all our amazing Nobel team members from the Philippines who are celebrating and we take this opportunity to express how happy we are to have you in our multicultural team.

Last year, on the occasion of the Philippines National Day, we learned about this beautiful country’s history and geography, but this year we want to actually experience what it’s like to be living in the Philippines nowadays.

We asked our lovely Nobel Country Ambassadors from the Philippines – Ruth Laus to help the rest of the Nobel team get familiarized with her home country. Join us below in discovering some interesting aspects of the Filipino culture, daily life, cost of living, travel attractions, music and more:

• In the Philippines, there’s this superstition called “pagpag” (the shaking off of dirt). It means going elsewhere after attending the wake before heading home to shake off the spirit of the deceased lest it follows you home.
• The biggest Filipino celebration of the year is Pasko (Christmas), which normally starts as soon as the -ber months (September to December) begin. People living in the Philippines tend to start buying gifts as early as Sept to be given on December Christmas parties.
• All around the country, the dish called “Lechon” is being enjoyed and valued as it symbolizes the bond between communities when it comes to fiestas and also symbolizes the joyfulness of gatherings. A Filipino celebration is not complete without the presence of “Lechon”. Crispy in the outside, juicy in the inside.
• Currently, trending musical artists for teenagers are the ones from BTS, Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars.
• Most popular sports in the Philippines are basketball, now that it’s NBA season, volleyball and Boxing (Manny Pacquiao being the most popular professional boxer in the country).
• If you plan to visit the Philippines, it’s useful to know the average prices for accommodation and means of transportation. Regarding public transportation, the Philippines has this public ride called “jeepney” that costs 0.20 cents for the first 4 kilometers. Taxi fare is 0.80 cents for the first kilometer.The price of a hotel room depends on the city you’ll be staying. It also depends on the classification of the hotel. 5-star hotel rates in Manila are from 156.65 USD per person per night with free breakfast.
• Filipinos are used to living with extended families. They usually build 2-3 houses on the same property for the extended members of the family to stay. They are also used to having a guest room to make sure they can host and accommodate visitors even for a night or two.
• People in the province usually leave their hometown to study in the city and to have better opportunities.
• The educational trajectory of the average person in the Philippines looks something like this:
  • Toddler, Nursery, Kindergarten, Elementary (7 yrs old to 14 yrs old)
  • Junior High School (15-16 yrs old)
  • Senior Hight School (17-18 yrs old)
  • College
  • Masters/ Doctorate
• Every day fashion in the Philippines includes regular t-shift or sleeveless and jeans, rubber shoes, slippers. They usually wear what is comfortable.
• Videoke or Karaoke is a must during birthdays, fiestas and even during Christmas season. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Almost everybody in the Philippines goes to the gym, ride their bicycles for trekking and make it a point that there is always a Saturday relaxing day with friends out of town or every payday.
• Recommended places to visit in the Philippines:
  • Palawan – perfect beach destination, instagramable and budget friendly, too.
  • Boracay – party and relaxation at the beach
  • Sagada Mountain Province – mountainous and quiet place if you love nature trips
• National animals include the Philippine Eagle, the Tarsier primate, the carabao water buffalo and the Philippine tamaraw, also a type of buffalo.
• “Kultura” is a recommended specialty store in Manila that provides and sells local produce from different provinces in the Philippines.
• The most common and special words tourists are fond of are:
  • “mahal Kita” – I love you
  • “maraming salamat” – thank you very much
• “Basta” is a special word that is used when you don’t want to explain or say a word at all. The word ‘Basta’ originates from the Spanish word for “enough”, but in Filipino, its meaning has become a lot more versatile. You can call upon “basta” during moments when you’re too lazy or tired to explain yourself. It’s an expression that can be loosely translated as, “just because.” (examples: Why didn’t you go to the doct