Yeah, my grandmaster is Filipino and we were taught a lot about the culture and cuisine as well as Arnis. I have a longstanding appreciation of anything Filipino. Oh, and one of my cousins (through marriage on my wife's side) is Filipina.

I may be biased, but I think the Filipinos have the best no-nonsense martial art of all and I've studied Judo, Karate, Wing Chun and Muay Thai. I'm sure it has to do with the fact that the Philippines were conquered (for a time anyway) by all major Asian countries. I've never met an entire group of people so agreeable and so willing to accept others into their homes.

I love the Filipino people for their honesty and determination. Certainly there are those who don't abide by those two elements, but for the most part, Filipinos are among the warmest people in the world.

--
"A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art." ~ Paul Cézanne