Taken From: http://www.ex-designz.net/filipinofacts.asp

Filipino Interesting Facts

In the Philippines, Filipinos were introduced to the English language in 1762 by British invaders, not Americans.

What is the world's 3rd largest English-speaking nation, next to the USA and the UK? The Philippines.

The USA bought the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Guam from Spain in 1898.

The Filipino-American Independence War from 1898 to 1902 ensued, killing 4,234 Americans and killing how many Filipinos? 16,000 were killed in action and 200,000 died from famine and pestilence. (The Philippines lost and was colonized until 1946.)

Los Angeles, California was co-founded in 1781 by a Filipino named Antonio Miranda Rodriguez, along with 43 Latinos from Mexico sent by the Spanish government.

What antibiotic did ! Filipino doctor Abelardo Aguilar co-discover? Hint: Brand is Ilosone, named after Iloilo. Erythromycin.

The one-chip video camera was first made by Marc Loinaz a Filipino inventor from New Jersey.

The first ever international Grandmaster from Asia was Eugenio Torre who won at the Chess Olympiad in Nice, France in 1974.

This son of two Filipino physicians scored over 700 on the verbal portion of the Standardized Achievement Test (SAT) before age 13 - Kiwi Danao Camara of Punahou School, Hawaii... Edward Sanchez, a Mensa member, bagged the grand prize in the first Philippine Search for Product Excellence in Information Technology.

Who was the Filipino-American dancer who scored a perfect 1600 on the SAT? Joyce Monteverde of California.

Who invented the fluorescent lamp? Thomas Edison discovered the electric light bulb and the fluorescent lighting was thought up by Nikola Tesla. But the flu! orescent lamp we use today was invented by Agapito Flores (a Cebu man named Benigno Flores of Bantayan Island, according to the Philippine Daily inquirer), a Filipino scientist. Americans helped then-Philippine leader Ramon Magsaysay to develop it for worldwide commerce.

(Yes! Many foreigners have noted that the Filipino population has Asia's highest rates of inventors and international beauty queens.) Two Filipina beauties, Gloria Diaz and Margie Moran, chosen as Miss Universe in 1969 and 1973.

Pure- or part-Filipino celebrities in American showbiz include Von Flores, Tia Carrere, Paolo Montalban, Lea Salonga, Ernie Reyes Jr., Nia Peeples, Julio Iglesias Jr., Enrique Iglesias Lou Diamond Phillips, Phoebe Cates and Rob Schneider.

The first Filipino act to land a top hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in the 1960s was the group Rocky Fellers of Manila.

Sugar Pie deSanto (father was from the Philippines), The Artist Formerly Known as Prince (according to the October 1984 article "Prince in Exile" by Scott Isler in the magazine Musician), Jaya,Foxy Brown and Enrique Iglesias followed.

Pure Filipinos who made success in minor charts were Jocelyn Enriquez aka Oriental Madonna, Buffy, Pinay and (Ella May) Saison.

Latina-American pop star Christina Aguilera lost to Filipina vocalist Josephine Roberto aka Banig during the International Star Search years ago. In a mid-1999 MTV chat, she said that competing against someone of Banig's age was "not fair."

Besides gracing fashion magazine covers, this international supermodel from Manila had walked the runways since the 1970s for all the major designers, like Calvin Klein, Chanel, Christian Dior, Christian Lacroix, Donna Karan,Gianni Versace and Yves Saint Laurent - Anna Bayle.

Who is the personal physician of United States Pres. William Clinton? Elea! nor "Connie" Concepcion Mariano, a Filipina doctor who was the youngest captain in the US Navy.

The first Filipino-American in US Congress was Virginia Rep. Robert Cortez-Scott, a Harvard alumnus.

Distinguished British traveler-writer A. Henry Savage Landor, thrilled upon seeing a Bicol landmark in 1903, wrote: "Mayon is the most beautiful mountain I have ever seen, the world-renowned Fujiyama (Mt.Fuji) of Japan sinking into perfect insignificance by comparison."

Mayon volcano has the world's most perfect cone.

Filipinos had their first taste of Mexican chili and corn during the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade (1564-1815). In return, Mexico's people had their initial taste of tamarind, Manila mango and a Filipino banana called racatan or lakatan.

Founded in 1595 by Spaniards, the University of San Carlos in Cebu City, Philippines is older than Harvard and is the oldest university in Asia. University of Santo Tom! as in Manila,established in 1611, is Asia's second oldest.

Who's the Filipina senator popular for her colorful jargon, delivered in a mile-a-minute speed and in a weird Harvard-meets-Ilonggo accent? Atty. Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

The first female president of the Philippines sworn into 0ffice in 1986 was Corazon Cojuangco Aquino.

In a March 31, 1997 article, The New York Times reported that the CIA manipulated Philippine elections: "(CIA operative Col. Edward Lansdale) essentially ran the successful presidential campaign of Defense Minister Ramon Magsaysay in the Philippines in 1953."

Who was the first Asian and/or Filipino to snatch America's Pulitzer Prize? Philippines Herald war journalist Carlos P. Romulo in 1941. (He was also the first Asian to become UN President.)

The first two Filipino-Americans to garner the same award 56 years later were Seattle Times' Alex Tizon and Byron Acohido, ! who is part-Korean.

Filipino writer Jose Rizal could read and write at age 2, and grew up to speak more than 20 languages, including Latin, Greek, German, French and Chinese. What were his last words? "Consummatumsst!"("It is done!")

"What's still most impressive to me about the Philippines is the friendliness of the people, their sense of humor...," wrote Honolulu journalist John Griffin in a 1998 visit to Manila.


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Thoughts?

Please allow me to add another fact in your list.

Eduardo San Juan - Designer of the winning Lunar Rover prototype that later became the basis of the production vehicle constructed by Boeing and other NASA contractors.

He's a graduate of Mapua Institute of Technology School of Mechanical Engineering.

Awsome.

I like the academic/non-pop-star-culture type facts.

really? interesting. never knew that. i know a filipino guy who made the ointment for warts. i think he used cashew extract.

Im not sure if this true but i heard about a filipino inventor who claimed that he made designed an engine that could take water as fuel. I have no link but Im hoping that someone has link.

Edward Caro - "Space Engineer"
On June 25, 2002, the provincial government of Cavite awarded Edward Caro a plaque of recognition for his 42 years of service at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the United States where he helped launch the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission or the Explorer. Caro, 70 and a native of Cavite retired from NASA in 2001. In return, NASA during the same year conferred Caro the Distinguished Science medal, reportedly the highest honor it gives to its employees.

turning water into usable fuel is impossible. water is higly stable element requiring much energy to break the bonds and form another substance. joke lng tlg un. it'll be a big waste of time and effort venturing in this kind of experiment. kaya ndi sinuportahan ng gov't toh.

This are all interesting. I know filipinos are very much talented and hardworking. I just moved in from the US for some work here in phils and all the people (so far) I have met are all very good and nice. Thanks.

usually its the other way around.

did filipinos invent patis? fish sauce?

yes, "aling tentay" invented patis after the japanese occupation. she stored some salted fish in jar and later turned into fragments then turned into our so called patis:) remember, tentay patis. patis ata ung surname niya.




[quote]Mole Remover
In 2000, Rolando dela Cruz developed an ingenuous formula that could easily remove deeply grown moles or warts from the skin without leaving marks or hurting the patient. His formula was extracted from cashew nut (Annacardium occidentale), which is common in the Philippines. The formula won for dela Cruz a gold medal in International Invention, Innovation, Industrial Design and Technology Exhibition in Kuala Lumpur in September 2000. In March 1997, dela Cruz established RCC Amazing Touch International Inc., which runs clinics engaged "in a non-surgical removal of warts, moles and other skin growths, giving the skin renewed energy and vitality without painful and costly surgery." http://www.txtmania.com/trivia/inventions.php
[quote]

"Filipino Computer Guru" Diosdado Banatao

http://www.geocities.com/fasa_usc/culture/banatao.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dado_Banatao

i dont know if this is true...but i received this kind of mail!!!

Is this true?????????????????????????????????????????????????

The richest unknown filipino.





Three Filipinos are among the 793 billionaires, by Forbes Magazine, namely: Lucio Tan at $1.7 billion (no. 451); Henry Sy and family, $1.5 billion (no. 512); and Jaime Zobel de Ayala and family, $1.3 billion (no. 606).

Lucio Tan, known as the tobacco and brewery king and owner of Philippine Airlines, and other interests in hotels, academe, made his empire through hard work, patience, fortitude and discipline, and so did Henry Sy, the biggest retail tycoon, in banking, property development and other interests.

Don Jaime Zobel de Ayala may have been born into it, but his empire in property development, banking, malls, automotive and others were the result of a vision for enterprise, and because his two sons, Jaime and Fernando, share the same work ethic and vision as their father.

For the Philippines, regarded as a poor country, to produce three billionaires, is something to be proud of.
* * *
There is, however, one Filipino, who is totally unknown to many, who may have been missed by Forbes Magazine among its list of billionaires. This Filipino with his Filipino wife, now a Fil-Am living at Atherton, California in a $20 million house (Bill Gates, the no. 1 in the list at more than $50 billion has a $50 million house in Seattle), is estimated to have a $5 billion fortune, according to those who knew him, because of a computer chip he invented used by every computer you buy.

His name is Conrado "Dado" Banatao, born in an Ibanag barangay called Maladbac at the town of Iguig, north of Tuguegarao, Cagayan province, who had to work as a parish priest sacristan to be able to pay for his tuition and other needs to be able to study at the Ateneo de Tuguegarao.

According to lawyer-sportsman-businessman "Boy" Reyno, who knew him in school, Banatao belonged to "Class C" of average students. After graduation in 1961, he went on to study electrical engineering at Mapua Institute of Technology after which he was hired by PAL and worked in California. Soon enough, Banatao worked at the Silicon Valley where he made his fortune.

Banatao flies his two Lear Jets to New York and other US capitals and has about 20 venture capital firms to his name. He is relatively unknown, because he doesn't go around publicizing his name. He had been to the Philippines several times, trying to interest tycoons like Jaime Zobel de Ayala to join hands with him. In fact, he's a trustee of Ayala International.

Bank and insurance taipan Al Yuchengco wanted Banatao to be his partner at Mapua, but the latter declined because he had no time for the academe. However, Banatao is willing to share with Filipinos his experience. He has been donating a lot to worthwhile Filipino projects.

Banatao's story could well go down in Philippine history as the story of a poor boy who worked real hard, had a vision, patience, fortitude and discipline and would well be the richest Filipino alive, but is never mentioned by Forbes.

Possibly because he may now hold american citizenship???

uhm.. actually, its possible.. meron na yan dito sa tate.. kaya lang di pa siya on the market kasi masyadong mahal pa.. mga at least a million dollar daw un kung ibebenta.. haha..

napanood ko lang sa patalastas...

gagamitin ata ng military.. chuva.. haha.. kasi advantage daw kasi hindi maingay.. lalo na kung nagtratravel sila in packs.. so.. mas maganda daw un kasi hindi maingay..

Patis or fish sauce is found all over Southeast Asia

Retiring in the Philippines
A regular $1,000 a month retirement pension in the U.S. could go a long way
in making the life of a retiree very comfortable if he chooses to stay in
the Philippines.


Now that the cost of living in the United States has gone beyond the reach
of an average worker, the idea of retiring in the Philippines has become
very enticing to a lot of Filipino Americans. One of the foremost proponents
of retirement in the Philippines is David Paraiso. David has conducted
meetings with private as well as Philippine government officials to fine
tune plans for this purpose in terms of government policies, proposed laws
as well as contributions of the private enterprise. He has even made a
presentation about the concept, with no less that the President of the
Philippines, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, in Malacanang.
This Sunday, September 17, 2006, he is inviting everyone who might be
interested to hear about these plans during a community meeting to be held
at the Kalusugan Community Services office on 1419 8th Street, National City
(near the corner of Palm Avenue. The meeting will be held from 1 p.m. to 4
p.m. The members of the public are invited to walk in and listen as well as
contribute ideas regarding the concept. Call 619-851-9546 for more
information.





Ideal retirement place


During my recent visits to the Philippines, I found out that the home
country is an ideal retirement place for Filipino Americans. This is because
of the low-cost of living in the country, compared to America. A regular
$1,000 a month retirement pension in the U.S. could go a long way in making
the life of a retiree very comfortable if he chooses to stay in the
Philippines. In the United States, that amount could barely cover
oneâEUR™s living expenses like housing and food. In the Philippines
however, one could employ a maid for about $60 a month with plenty to spare
for leisure activities and dining out.
I always lament the fact that in San Diego, there are hardly enough good
places to dine out. Of course we have the Gaslamp Quarter District in the
downtown area, but other than that, there are a few dining places that would
suit the Filipino taste. The first class restaurants are either too
expensive or the food are not that delicious compared to the eateries in the
Metro Manila area.
We sometimes go to Café Sevilla, a Spanish restaurant, but the only food I
enjoy there is its freshly baked bread dipped in olive oil. The Spanish
dishes, like the escargot, are too salty for my taste. Its lamb chops, pork
chops or even paella are too oily. Of course San Diego has dim sum
restaurants, like Jasmine and Emerald Restaurants both in the Convoy area.
But other than these two, there is no other Chinese restaurant that I could
recommend.

Average dinner

An average dinner in San Diego costs about $15 per person. But in Metro
Manila, one could have a wide variety of choices for only about $3 person.
And the food are much better, much more delicious than the so-called first
class restaurants in America.
During one of my stays in the Philippines, I was brought to the New City at
the Fort. It is the site of the former Fort Bonifacio, an expansive army
camp sold to private developers. It is now teeming with various eateries,
high-rise condominiums and office buildings. Even late in the evening, it is
still full of patrons, mostly young professionals, enjoying their dinner and
drinks under the moonlight.
I like the way Manila Mayor Lito Atienza developed the so-called Board Walk,
a part of Roxas Blvd. near the Malate Church and the Cultural Center areas.
He put restaurants and parks, where one can have dinner or drinks as he
watches the world-famous Manila Bay sunset. In one part of the reclaimed
area on Roxas Blvd., a new development called Bay City has been opened. It
is composed of office buildings, the biggest shopping mall in Asia,
restaurants and other facilities. The development, I was told, would equal,
if not surpass the one at The Fort.

Exciting experience

One of the more exciting experiences a balikbayan can have in the
Philippines is visiting the public market. Well, there are several eateries,
one in Baclaran, another in Sucat, Paranaque called âEURoeDampa,âEUR where
one could enter through a wet market, buy fresh seafood like oysters, clams,
crabs, mussels, shrimps, fish and others and have them cooked at a
restaurant inside.
Everyone will agree that the seafood in the Philippines is much fresher and
sweeter compared to the frozen and sometimes stale variety available in the
United States. The oysters in the U.S. in fact are much bigger, but less
sweeter compared to its small, fresh counterpart in the Philippines. So are
the shrimps, clams, mussels and others since they are eaten a few hours
after they are caught. The ones in the U.S. are eaten months after they are
caught since they have to be transported several thousands of miles away.
Another place where eating out is a feast in the Philippines is in the
Malate area near Adriatico Street. Before the war, the place used to be the
residences of the elite in Manila. Now, those old houses have been converted
into restaurants that serve delicious but cheap food. I could not forget my
experience sipping beer on the second floor of a bistro overlooking the
street. Even at one a.m. there were still a lot of young couples hopping
from one bar to another as though there would be no tomorrow.

Two times

Last year, I went to the Philippines two times spending three weeks each
time. I traveled up to Baguio in the north and to Boracay Beach in the
south. A year prior to that, I went as far south as Cebu and Agusan City. I
liked what I saw and experienced. There are a lot of good, cheap eateries
where one can eat, and nice places to see all over the country. In Paranaque
alone, I was amazed by a variety of eateries near the BF Homes area, as
though Filipinos do not do anything but eat. A balikbayan could treat his
relatives, neighbors and friends to a dinner in a restaurant, and his bill
would not even cost more than a hundred dollars. In the U.S., a hundred
dollar dinner would be good only for say about six people.
In addition to the restaurants, the area in Paranaque where the housing
developments of Plaza Crest and Presidio at Brittany Bay are located is also
near the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Casino Filipino, the commercial
areas of Makati, Ayala Alabang, Baclaran and even shopping malls like
Shoemart.

Birthday

January 26, 2004, I could not forget. It was the birthday of my mother. I
planned to visit her at the Manila North Cemetery and say a prayer. I took a
cab in front my hotel in Makati and when I told the driver my destination,
he was scratching his head.
âEURoeEh, medyo malayo na ho sa area ko iyong Cementerio Del Norte (That
place is beyond my normal area), he said apologetically. âEURoeKung puwede
lamang, dagdagan ninyo iyong bayad (If it possible, give me an additional
fare).âEUR
I was quite hesitant to agree, and I tentatively asked: âEURoeHow much
additional fare are we talking about?âEUR
âEURoeKung puwede lamang, dagdagan ninyo ng beinte pesos (if it possible,
add twenty cents in your fare),âEUR he replied.
I was surprised by the minimal amount. I found out that taxi drivers would
be happy to earn 300 pesos, approximately $5.35 per day. If one can support
a family with only $5.35 per day income, a retiree from the U.S. who gets
$33.33 per day pension ($1,000 a month), would have a ball! He can have a
maid, driver and will be able to dine out as often as he wants and go
anywhere he may decide on weekends. In the U.S., $1,000-a-month retiree can
find himself staring at a blank wall of a nursing home all day because
thatâEUR™s the kind of âEURoegolden yearsâEUR life he can afford in
America.

Housing developments

The prices of homes in the Philippines, I also learned, are much lower than
the ones we have in the United States. While the average home in San Diego,
old homes, in fact, is half a million dollars, one could buy a town home in
Baguio for $19,000; a two bedroom townhouse at Presidio at Brittany Bay near
Laguna de Bay for $23,000 or a walk-up apartment at the gated, luxurious
enclave of Plaza Crest for $59,000. Those prices are almost the cost of a
car in the United States, yet one can buy brand new homes in the Philippines
for those amounts.
A few years ago, I was enticed to buy a lot in San Felipe, in Baja
California in Mexico. It is near the beach, and it cost me about $90,000. I
would need at least another $150,000 to build a modest house on it. Yet, I
could not own the property. According to Mexican law, I would have to lease
it for fifty years, renewable for another fifty years till perpetuity.
However, in going over there, I have to pass through a lonely Mexican
highway, with at least three checkpoints along the way. Young Mexican
soldiers with guns would check oneâEUR™s vehicles for drugs. I was
supposed to feel safe, but I was not. If I already have a vacation home over
there, I plan to give the keys to my daughters to take their friends for a
spring break or a weekend vacation in the place. But I would not have a
peace of mind worrying about them as they pass through the lonely stretch of
highway with young Mexican soldiers with guns at different checkpoints along
the way. I did not realize until too late, that for only about $50,000,
one-fifth of the cost of my Mexican vacation property, I could buy a
luxurious town home in the Philippines, with all the safety and the low cost
of living I could avail of.
This is why I look forward to retiring in the Philippines a few years from
now. Not only will I enjoy the company and hospitality of my countrymen. My
investment, moreover, will go a long way in providing construction-related
jobs, and in the process help improve the economy of my beloved country.
To know more about the Philippine retirement concept, attend the community
meeting at Kalusugan Community ServicesâEUR™ office, 1419 8th Street in
National City (near Palm Avenue) from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow, Sunday,
September 17, 2006. Call 619-851-9546 for more information. - vs________________________________

LPG as fuel for motor vehicles? Is it only it the Philippines? Increasing number of taxicabs and private vehicles are switching from gasoline to LPG to fuel their vehicles nowadays due to cheaper rate. LPG costs PHP25+/kg compared to PHP40+/liter of gasoline. LPG can support 9-12 kms/kg while gasoline can support 10-14kms/liter. Almost all taxi drivers that I've interviewed with said that they can earn more up to PHP300-500 than their usual income per day when they were still using gasoline. Its a good alternative but I think its more risky. I don't know I haven't heard and read of any documentaries about the risks of using LPG as fuel for motor vehicles. Is LPG used as fuel for motor vehicles only in the Philippines???

ahhh...possible pala. kaso sobrang mahal tlg un kasi highly stable ung water. kung usa, magsspend sila tlg ng dolyares, especially sa military gagamitin.

This is awesome! Thanks for posting this!