Religion
The Philippines country has 90.07% of its population being of the Christian religion. The Sunni Muslim community in the country constitute 5.57% while 4.37% are reported to be of other or no religion (Ting et al., 2016). Mosques are located throughout the country with the Muslims celebrating their religious holidays on the legalized days. The Protestant missionaries arrived in the country in 1901 while the Catholic denomination followed later introducing clinics and schools. The Roman Catholic is the main denomination among the Christian population since the country is the only Christian nation in the Asian continent (Ting et al., 2016). The Philippines has a constitution that allows the freedom of religion; it is meant to create a peaceful environment of worship for every citizen.
Culture
The culture name in the Philippines is Filipino. The country was named in honor of King Philip of Spain in 1543. The official language in the country is Filipino based in Tagalog with words drawn from English among other native languages. According to the Filipino culture, unless rice is served with other foods, they do not consider it a meal. Fast foods have also become part of the Filipino culture with all the meals containing rice. Graphic arts reflect the different religious themes with the contemporary artists using different mediums to reflect the political and social life. Their culture is also reflected by the hand-woven textiles, wood carvings, and decorative items. The Filipino culture views the father as the head of the family and the mother as the teacher and manager of the family (Kalmahara, 2011).
Views on Mental Health
The Philippines have a policy on mental health. The laws governing the provision of mental health among the Philippines’ citizens are different. The country also spends 5 percent of its total budget on mental health as well as the maintenance of the mental hospitals (WHO, 2006). Most of the mental health facilities in the Philippines are working in their capacity to provide services for all the different members of society such as women, children, and adolescents.
References
Kalmahara. (2011, March 16). Philippine Culture, Values, and Beliefs. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oGoF1cM2Vs
Ting Jr, M. T. G., Bagsic, A. C., Eguilos, M. M., Jaen, R., Respicio, M. L. P., & Tan, C. R. T. (2016). Modernity vs. culture: protecting the indigenous peoples of the Philippines. European Journal of Economic and Political Studies, 1(1), 77-98.
World Health Organization. (2006). WHO-AIMS report on mental health system in the Philippines.
