Objective

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to define and discuss different concepts and issues
regarding ethnicity and ethnic groups in the Philippines.

What is ethnicity?
What is race and how is it related to ethnicity?
What are the issues regarding ethnicity?
What are the ethnic groups in the Philippines?

Find out the answers in this lesson!

Ethnicity and Race

Every society consists of people from different families, ethnic groups, and races. This makes
society very diverse and unique.

Ethnicity

Ethnicity refers to a group of people, also called the ethnic group, who have a common or
shared culture, language, history, religion, and tradition.
Here, people are divided into groups based on different social factors.

Examples: Filipinos, Malays, Anglo-Saxons, and Muslims.

Race

Race refers to a group of people that shares the same physical attributes, such as skin color,
height, and facial features.
People are grouped into different races based on their physical appearance.
Human beings are classified into three major racesCaucasoid, Mongoloid, and Negroid.
These classifications are based on the color of the skin, the shape of the face and eyes,
texture of the hair, and other prominent physical features.
Two people belonging to the same race may be part of different ethnic groups. For example, Asians
belong to the Mongoloid race but consists of different ethnic groups like the Japanese, the Chinese,
and the Malays. They all share the same physical features but have different cultures, histories, and
languages.

Ethnolinguistic Groups in the Philippines

There are more than 180 ethnic or ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippines, which are based on the
language each group uses.

There are eight major ethnolinguistic groups in the country:

o Ilokano,
o Kapampangan,
o Pangasinense,
o Tagalog,
o Bikolano,
o Ilonggo,
o Cebuano, and
o Waray.
Other smaller ethnolinguistic groups are
the Ibanag, Ivatan, Sambal, Subanon, Maguindanaoan, andZamboangueo.

There are also indigenous groups in the country that may belong to the same ethnolingguistic
groups, but have different cultures or traditions. Some of them are the Mangyans of Mindoro,
the Igorots of the Mountain Province, and the Moros of Mindanao.

Issues About Race and Ethnicity

Ethnicity and race are categories that divide people based on their social affinities or physical
similarities. However, differences in ethnicity and race make some people believe that one ethnic
group is superior than others. This belief creates discrimination and prejudice against people from
minorities who are perceived to be of inferior ethnicity or race.

There are different types of discrimination against ones ethnicity or race.

Racism

Racism is discrimination or prejudice based on ones race.

In the 1970s, white Americans (Caucasoids) discriminated black Americans (Negroids) who
were descendants of immigrants from African countries.

Ethnocentricism

Ethnocentrism is discrimination or prejudice based on ones culture.

Recently, Muslim extremists discriminate Christians and non-Muslims in Muslim countries
because of their religion.
In the Philippines, Muslims experience prejudice and discrimination in Christian-dominated
regions like Metro Manila. Because of the ongoing conflict in Mindanao between the
government and Islamic militants, Christians tend to think that all Muslims are terrorists.
On the other hand, some Christians and ethnic groups are discriminated and prejudiced
against in Muslim-dominated areas.

Discrimination against ones race or culture may cause crimes against it.

Genocide

Genocide is the elimination of a group of people from the same race, ethnic group, religion,
or nation.
It is an extreme action against people from another ethnicity or race.
The Holocaust during the World War II, executed by the Nazis of Germany led by Adolf
Hitler, killed millions of Jews all over Europe.

Ethnic cleansing

Ethnic cleansing is the harassment, rape, or forced migration of an ethnic group to banish
them from a certain area or territory.
This happens in certain areas in Africa.

Explore!
Research about your family. Look into the ethnicity of your parents as well as your grandparents. Is
there anyone from your family who is part of a different race or ethnic group? If so, how did your
parents introduce you to the different cultures and languages of your family?
Try it!
Pick five of your classmates or friends and ask them about Philippine languages that they know. Ask
them to share a characteristic or practice that distinguishes their ethnic group from other groups.

What do you think?

In your opinion, what are the advantages and disadvantages of being ethnocentric?

Keypoints
Ethnicity refers to a group of people, also called the ethnic group, who have a common
culture, language, history, religion, and tradition.
People from the same ethnic group share a common culture, language, religion, belief,
andtradition.
There are more than 180 ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippines.
Race refers to a group of people that shares the same physical attributes, such as skin color,
height, and facial features.
Racism is prejudice or discrimination against people of other races with the idea that ones
race is superior than others'.
Ethnocentrism is similar to racism, but it discriminates based on differences in culture.
Ethnocentrism and racism may lead to genocide or ethnic cleansing which are crimes
against a specific ethnic group or race.

What is the category of people with shared cultural attributes?
Multiple Choice
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Q2

What is the category of people who share the same physical characteristics?
Multiple Choice
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Q3

What is the discrimination or prejudice against anothers race?

Multiple Choice
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 Q4

Adolf Hitler persecuted the Jews based on their religion. They were considered a minority in Germany at the
time.
Which among the following concepts was described in the example above?
Multiple Choice
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Q5

Pol Pot, who led Cambodia in the 1970s, created a peasant society by forcing all whom he considered as e
nemies"the intellectuals and people living in the citiesto go back to the provinces and work on farms. Arou
nd 2 million people died of starvation, fatigue, and execution.
Which among the following concepts apply in this example?
Multiple Choice
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Q6

Some indigenous people in the Philippines, like the Lumads of Mindanao, are forced to leave their homes du
e to militarization and, in some cases, commercialization of their lands.
Which among the following concepts apply in this example?
Multiple Choice
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Q7

Lolita is Tagalog. Her favorite food is fried pork chop. She hates her cousin, Ainah, who is Muslim, because
she does not eat pork.
What concept is shown in this example?
Multiple Choice
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Q8

Joaquin is Spanish. He was born in Spain and was brought by his parents to the Philippines. His parents for
bade him to play with Ramon, an Filipino, and Mei, a Chinese, because they are not Spanish.
What concept is shown in this example?
Multiple Choice
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Q9

Colonial mentality is the belief that ones country is inferior compared to powerful countries, thus developing
the mindset that ones culture and products are of lesser quality. This mentality developed in colonized count
ries like the Philippines.
 With which concept can this belief be compared to?
Multiple Choice
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Q10

Which among the following statements are true for both ethnocentrism and racism?