The children
With more than 32 million children aged 14 and under, you can expect to see these little cherubs everywhere. Pampered by doting parents, they occupy a large place in society. Good-natured, the children have fun with anything, always on the lookout for a new game: wheel races balanced with sticks and foot races on the beach are going well. These very resourceful kids get into the habit of helping with household chores at a very young age. While the government has passed several laws in recent years to protect children (including 13 laws on cybercrime and child exploitation, a law against child marriage, and a law for the education of children with disabilities), the country still faces many challenges to their well-being. For example, nearly one million children live on the streets and 3% of children are forced to work.
Education
School attendance is compulsory between the ages of 5 and 17, and the school year begins in June and ends in March or April. Schooling is a concern for parents, who sometimes find it difficult to afford the cost of sending their children to school. Indeed, public schools - which are free of charge - do not always have a good reputation, especially at secondary level. As a result, parents often have to send their children to private schools, which are numerous but expensive, and often of a higher standard. Despite this inequality and difference in standards between public and private schools, the country maintains a good quality of education compared to its neighbors, with less than 3% illiteracy over the age of 15. Education is based on the American model, and is divided intoelementary school,high school,colleges and universities. However, even if the number of schools and teachers is on the rise, education in the Philippines is still far from exemplary: there are still too many children who don't go to school because they work or because they don't have access to schooling, especially in rural areas. At the same time, in 2023, the country will have 327,000 elementary school infrastructures, and only a third of these schools are in good condition. The remainder are in need of renovation. There is also a shortage of space and equipment.
The condition of women
Politicians, scientists, spokeswomen, mayors of towns and villages, influential journalists... many women hold all the key positions. The presence of women on the public stage is an important indicator of progress towards gender equality. The Philippines is an exception in Southeast Asia when it comes to the status of women, having won the right to vote in 1933, even before the country's independence. By way of comparison, in France, women only gained the right to vote in 1944. This reality should not obscure the fact that the status of women in the Philippines remains highly precarious (unequal pay, unequal opportunities, discrimination, sexism, confinement to the family home, prostitution, etc.). And the weight of the Catholic Church in particular makes itself felt. For example, the Philippines is one of the few countries without a divorce law, and abortion is forbidden (with no exception for cases of malformation, incest or rape). Every year, more than a million abortions are performed clandestinely, and more than 2,000 women die from complications. In short, there is still a great deal of progress to be made to improve the status of women.
The family structure
Marriage is an end in itself, an obligatory passage, a tradition, a culture. From the age of 18, few people escape it. Some wait impatiently for their majority, others do not even bother and marry with the mutual consent of their parents. Having several children is the logical consequence of the event. Faced with this social conformity, the single person is intriguing. He is the object of a certain suspicion. However, the new generation is less conformist. Some young Filipinos even live in concubinage. Divorce is forbidden (with a few exceptions and subject to very long and costly procedures). In these conditions, however, few are those who leave the traditional family model. And the sense of family, which is very strong, is transmitted from generation to generation. This largely explains why few young people feel the need for independence when they come of age (18). The insecurity of employment and the difficulties of daily life push them to remain within the family. As a result, it is not uncommon for several generations to live under the same roof.
The LGBTQ+ community
Same-sex relationships have never been a crime, and are therefore fortunately legal in the country. With the exception of rural or conservative areas, the LGBTQ+ community is fairly well integrated. There are many associations and progress is constant, despite pressure from the Church. For example, in 2016, Geraldine Roman became the first transgender woman elected to Congress, and several towns and villages have a gay personality at their head. However, many issues of discrimination, inequality and violence remain to be resolved to achieve full acceptance and equality.
Philippine hospitality
Avoiding the pitfalls of stereotypes and nationalistic clichés, we can nevertheless say that, on the whole, Filipinos stand out for their hospitality and joie de vivre. Sadly accustomed to natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes, they also demonstrate great resilience in the face of nature, which they know to be indomitable. Bayanihan, a concept deeply rooted in Filipino culture, refers to the spirit of camaraderie, community and mutual aid. Faced with everyday difficulties or natural disasters, they are always ready to help others.
