Roman Catholic 80.6%, Protestant 8.2% (includes Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches 2.7%, National Council of Churches in the Philippines 1.2%, other Protestant 4.3%), other Christian 3.4%, Muslim 5.6%, tribal religions .2%, other 1.9%
The Filipino word for ‘religion’ is relihiyon.
The Philippines is a predominantly Christian nation as a result of 300 years of Spanish rule.
There is a Philippine Independent Church, known as Iglesia Filipina Independiente or Aglipayan Church (after its first head Gregorio Aglipay); it is affiliated with the Anglican Communion.
Another independent church was founded in 1914 by Felix Manalo; it is a unitarian religious organization known as Iglesia ni Cristo.
Missionaries of the Jehovah’s Witnesses arrived in the Philippines during the American colonial rule (1898-1945). There are now 150,000 members in the country.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has 600,000 Mormon members in the Philippines.
CHRISTIAN TERMS IN PHILIPPINE RELIGION
Marian festivals
a variety of festivals honoring the Virgin Mary
mga santo
saints
pasyon
story of the life and death of Jesus Christ
pabasa
public reading of the story of the life and death of Jesus Christ during the Easter season
sinakulo (from the Spanish cenaculo)
religious plays staged during festivals and important religious events such as Christmas and Easter (Cenacle refers to the dining room where the Last Supper took place)
