Unlike most other countries in the region, the Philippines’ indigenous culture was almost completely transformed by the Spanish and American influences it was subject to for centuries. Under American occupation, the Philippines rose to become one of the most westernized nations in Southeast Asia. Yet, especially among Muslim and upland tribal groups, certain old Malay traditions related to dance, sculpture and music still remain. Under the patronage of the Roman Catholic Church, architecture drew on religious icons for expression.
Philippine tribes have retained some of the older traditions of oral storytelling, and art forms such as rattan weaving, woodcarving, and textile weaving. Filipino music has synthesized the best of its Spanish and American past although unique folk dances such as tinikling (bamboo or heron dance) and singkil (court dance), which continue to be popular. With around 120 ethnic groups and mainstream communities such as the Tagalog, Ilocano, Pampango, and Visaya, the quest for a common identity is forged oddly through another American legacy – English. The Philippines is now the third-largest English speaking country in the world.