East Meets West: Cultures Clash and Combine in the Philippines By Dexter Penaranda Filipino society is a complex heterogeneous mixture of many different traditions and cultures. For while the population remains true to it's Pacific Islander racial roots, the influx of various Western and Eastern ideas and innovations introduced by dominant cultures have given our society a unique cultural perspective. It is a perspective tempered by tradition and rooted in the family. The Western tradition became imprinted in our society through the efforts of Spanish missionaries and later, after the War of 1812, by American companies with the backing of American soldiers. The influence of the Spanish and Americans pervade Filipino life even today. Words and technologies borrowed from both cultures are integral parts of Filipino society. Yet Filipino society still retains much of it's Eastern heritage, especially in the provinces. There, the closeness to nature, which is a trademark of Eastern philosophy, remains. Tied to the land through crops and forests, life in the provinces is more primitive (building materials are natural wood and food is harvested from the bounty of the land not the grocery store). Thus, East meets West in Filipino culture, combining the best traits of both traditions. The Eastern philosophies symbolize our continuity to the land and the past. Western innovations and ideas have keyed the Filipino culture to change and spurred growth into the future. East and West; past, present, and future clash and combine in the Philippines, the Pearl of the Orient.