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The Chinese Filipinos has always been one of the largest ethnic Filipino groups in the country with Chinese immigrants comprising the largest group of immigrant settlers in the Philippines. They are one of the three major ethnic groupings in the Philippines, namely: Christian Filipinos (73% of the population-including indigenous ethnic minorities), Muslim Filipinos (5% of the population) and Chinese Filipinos (22% of the population-including Chinese Mestizos). Today, most Chinese Filipinos are locally born. The rate of intermarriage between Chinese settlers and indigenous Filipinos is among the highest in Southeast Asia, exceeded only by Thailand. However, intermarriages occurred mostly during the Spanish colonial period because Chinese immigrants to the Philippines up to the 19th century were predominantly male. It was only in the 20th century that Chinese women and children came in comparable numbers. Today, Chinese Filipino male and female populations are practically equal in numbers. These Chinese mestizos, products of intermarriages during the Spanish colonial period, then often opted to marry other Chinese or Chinese mestizos (as was the case with the ancestors of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal). Generally, Chinese mestizos is a term referring to people with a partial Chinese ancestry.

By this definition, the ethnically Chinese Filipinos comprise 1.3% (1.1 million) of the population. This figure however does not include the Chinese mestizos who since Spanish times have formed the middle class in Philippine society nor does it include Chinese immigrants from the People's Republic of China since 1949.

Most Chinese in the Philippines belong to either the Fujianese or Cantonese dialect groups of the Han Chinese ethnicity. Most unmixed Chinese in the Philippines come from the province of Fujian in China and are thus called Fujianese, or Hoklo. They speak the Lan-nang (Philippine) variant of the Minnan Chinese dialect, which is further subdivided into several sub-dialects. The most common Minnan (Southern Fujianese) dialect in the Philippines is the Xiamen dialect, which is mutually intelligible with the Quanzhou dialect, another common dialect in the Philippines. The rest of the unmixed Chinese in the Philippines are mostly of Cantonese origin, with large numbers of descendants originally from the Taishan city of Guangdong province in Southern China. They speak the Cantonese dialect group/language, although many are raised to speak only the Minnan dialect. Most are not as economically prosperous as their Fujianese cousins in Philippine society. Some ghettoes of the Cantonese people are found in Santa Mesa, Manila and in Tondo. There are also a minority of Cantonese who have Portuguese ancestry - they are the Macanese from Macau. Other non-resident Chinese in the Philippines, such as expatriates and envoys are of Beijing, Shanghainese, or origin from other Provinces of China.

source: wikipedia.com

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Language



Most of the Chinese in the Philippines trace their ancestry to the southern part of Fujian province in China, also known as the Min-nan region. The Lan-nang (traditional Chinese: 咱儂話; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lán-lâng-oē; literally "our people's language") variant of Hokkien is the lingua franca of the Chinese Filipino community. The rest are descendants of migrants from Guangdong, Hong Kong, or Taiwan. The other Chinese dialects that can be heard in the Chinese-Filipino communities are Mandarin Chinese (which is taught in Chinese schools in the Philippines and spoken in varying degrees of fluency by Chinese Filipinos), Taiwanese (which is mutually intelligible with the Quanzhou and Xiamen dialects), and Cantonese. The vast majority of the Chinese in the Philippines are also fluent in English as well as Tagalog, and for those residing outside of Metro Manila, the local language of the region, like Ilokano, Hiligaynon, Cebuano (Cebu, Davao, and Iligan), and Chabacano (Zamboanga), Waray-Waray (Calbayog and Tacloban).


 



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CHINESE SURNAMES



Most Chinese Filipinos today have single syllable Chinese surnames, the most common of which are Tan (陳), Poa/Pua (潘), Ong (王), Lim (林), Go/Ngo (吳), Ng/Uy/Wong (黃), Gao/Kao (高), Chua/Cua (蔡), Sy/See/Si (施), Co (許) and Lee/Dy (李).


 Chinese Filipinos as well as Chinese mestizos who trace their roots back to Chinese immigrants to the Philippines during the Spanish Colonial Period usually have multiple syllable Chinese surnames such as Chuacuco, Chuatoco, Cojuangco, Dyloco, Dytoc, Dy-Cok, Gueco, Gokongwei, Limcuando, Ongpin, Quebengco, Sycip, Tambengco, Tambunting, Tanbonliong, Tantoco, Yuchengco, Tanciangco, and Yupangco, among such others. These were originally full Chinese names which were transliterated into Spanish and adopted as surnames. There are also multiple syllable Chinese surnames that are Spanish translations of hokkien words. Surnames like Tuazon (Eldest Grandson), Dizon (Second Grandson), Samson (Third Grandson), Singson (Fourth Grandson), Gozon (Fifth Grandson), Lacson (Sixth Grandson) are examples of Hokkien words with Spanish translations used as surnames for some Chinese Filipinos who trace their ancestry from Chinese immigrants to the Philippines during the Spanish Colonial Period also.

 In contrast, more recent immigrants have single syllable Chinese surnames. Many Chinese mestizos (as well as Spanish-Chinese and Tornatras) have also either inherited or took on Spanish or indigenous surnames, such as Martines, Madrigal, Santos, or Zarate. A lot of Chinese Filipinos also took on Filipino surnames the moment they were naturalized. Today, it is difficult to identify who are Chinese Filipinos based on surnames alone.

To determine who Chinese Filipinos are, one should know their background and family history and culture.

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General Manuel Tinio, a General of the Philippine Revolutionary Army and an active member of the KKK during the Philippine Revolution against Spain. General Tinio was a Chinese-Filipino. He was then elected as Governor of Nueva Ecija in 1907.

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