<p>I've heard this argument PLENTY of times, and I wonder what you guys think. My friend says that we're Pacific Islanders, but I disagree. Is the Philippines technically part of Asia or just an archipelago on the Pacific Ocean?</p>
<p>Filipino=Asian, except for NIH MD/PhD med school applicants.</p>
<p>Geographically it makes sense that the Philippines to be classified as part of the Pacific Islands since its so far away from the main continent. However, nearly all countries recognize it as part of Asia. </p>
<p>Furthermore, the United States officially defines Filipinos as Asians.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Asian. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. It includes "Asian Indian," "Chinese," "Filipino," "Korean," "Japanese," "Vietnamese," and "Other Asian."
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Black</a> or African American persons, percent, 2000</p>
<p>Personally I don't think the Philippines should be classified as part of Asia.</p>
<p>As a Filipino this sucks because I cannot put myself as Pacific Islander in my college applications. Doing so will give you a big boost in admission, while being "Asian" will dramatically decrease your chances.</p>
<p>It's so weird. Technically, all of us Filipinos are of "Austronesian" descent. I totally agree with you about the big boost in putting Pacific Islander on the application, heh. </p>
<p>What I truly find absurd is the ignorance of the Philippine identity where I live. Where I live, the majority of Asians are from Southeast Asia, and so a lot of people assume I'm Cambodian or vietnamese. When I tell them I'm Filipino, they're completely flabbergasted--first by my spanish last name (one person thought I was a cambodian adopted by a spanish family), secondly because I'm Catholic (another stupid assumption that all asians are buddhist <em>rolls eyes</em>) and thirdly because they don't even know that the Philippines exists.</p>
<p>and it's even harder trying to join cultural stuff in my school. I tried to join the Asian Dancing Club in my school, and the heads of that club were like, "if you want to do a filipino dance, you're gonna have to start your own club." Ugghh.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Technically, all of us Filipinos are of "Austronesian" descent.
[/quote]
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<p>There is also a sizeable no. of Fils w/ mixed or whole Spanish, white American or Chinese ancestry, not to mention aborigines who belong to the negrito classification.</p>
<p>Malays and Indonesians are also Austronesian and they are considered Asian.</p>