Cultural Influences on Filipino Patients

Abstract

Essentially, the Filipino is an Asian with a strong Malayan base, derived from the highly complex culture of the Indonesian Madjapahit Empire. In the sixteenth century, the West started influencing the Philippines. The 300 years or so of Spanish hegemony began when Ferdinand Magellan first claimed the Philippine Islands for Spain in 1521. Then, as an outcome of the Spanish-American War, the Philippines was ceded to America for $20 million, a sale consummated without the knowledge or consent of the Filipino people. Another country that has exerted tremendous influence on Fili-