Answer:

As far as I know, it's because Philippine schools teach Filipinos that they are Malays which is very bogus and a complete misconception. Filipinos and Malays have the same origin that is, but Malays follow a completely different culture. Also, note that only Filipinos call themselves Malays. An American anthropologist would not be calling Filipinos Malays. Here are the reasons why Filipinos think that they are Malays.

"ETHNIC" MALAYS vs MALAY "RACE"

Also, "Malays" as an ethnicity and "Malays" as a race are commonly mistaken to be the same thing. The ethnic Malays, are an ethnic group from Southeast Asia who speak the Malay language or Malay dialect/creole as a native toungue. The Malay race is the ENTIRE region of Austronesia, meaning all the way from the African island of Madagascar to Hawaii's easternmost tip. Meaning that Samoans, Tongans, Fijians, Filipinos, Hawaiians and Madagascar Africans are all "Malays" by "race". So, "Malay race" is just a generic term for the Austronesian race so to speak.

MISCONCEPTION OF MALAY AND FILIPINO ORIGIN

Now, a common and generally old misconception about Malays is that (especially with Filipinos), they came from Indonesia and Malaysia and sailed up north to the Philippines. Then they populated travelled up north and populated the Philippines making the Filipino dance party alive. There's pretty much one word I'd use to describe this, "bogus". This lie also explains why many Filipinos refer to themselves as Malays, whether it be the ethnicity or the race. It's actually the other way around, Malays actually were from an origin in Taiwan who reached the Philippines and then later Borneo, Sulawesi and Sumatra. As well as Peninsular Malaysia and southern Thailand.

MALAY CUlTURE AND INFLUENCE

Also some of the culture of the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia share some things in common because all three countries share Malay backgrounds. Which is why Filipinos often refer to themselves as Malays. Filipinos and Malays both eat with their hands as a tradition and rice is served with nearly EVERY Malay/Filipino meal. This even goes into politics. For Malaysia/Indonesia and Philippines have different definitions of a Malay. In Malaysia and Indonesia, a Malay must speak Malay as a mother language and follows Islam. In Philippines, a Malay is a native to the Philippines, as neighboring countries south, Indonesia, Malaysia and southern Thailand. But remember, we sometimes mean "Malay" background by "sailing race", or the Austronesian race. You HAVE to always pay attention to which definition of "Malay" you refer to. So now we know, that ethnic Malays did NOT come to the Philippines from Indonesia/Malaysia, even though Filipino schools still continue to preach this bogus lie. However, there was A LOT of ancient historical and cultural interaction between Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. The Malays did come to the Philippines to rule the country prior to the Spanish colonization. But the Malays and indegenous groups of the Philippines were already seperate ethnic groups by this time.

SO ARE FILIPINOS ETHNIC MALAYS OR NOT!??

No, Filipinos are not ethnic Malays. They weren't Malays before, they are not Malays now. Filipinos are of "Malay stock" and this simply means that they share the same general physical and cultural traits with Malays. Sure, the Malays did govern parts of central and southern Philippines. But only the rulers and kings/sultans themselves were ethnic Malays, not the indegenous peoples of the Philippines. Ethnic Malays speak Malay (in any form or dialect) as a native language, and they follow the Islamic religion. Filipinos speak their own dialects, they don't even speak Malay as second language. They speak Tagalog as a second language. Even in Indonesian. They speak Malay (as Bahasa Indonesia) and most Indonesians aren't Malays they are Javanese. They are much closer to Malays than Filipinos, but they aren't called ethnic Malays and they don't have a problem with that. Most Filipinos are also Catholics, not Muslims. Although when it comes to Malay as a "race", yes Filipinos do belong to those.

SO ARE THERE ETHNIC MALAYS IN THE PHILIPPINES?

No there aren't. None at all. Islam is still a minority religion in the southern Philippines. Even the Filipino Muslims aren't ethnic Malays. Malays do not make a population in the Philippines at all. Most Filipinos aren't even closely related to ethnic Malays. Filipinos are closely related to the Chamarros from Micronesia, much more close than they are to ethnic Malays. In fact, Filipinos and Malays are simply cousins. The ONLYrelated ethnic group to Malays that exists in the Philippines are the Tausugs. Even in the Sulu Archipelago (a small island chain between southwestern Mindanao in Philippines and northeastern Sabah in Malaysia) there are no Malays. Malaysians from Sabah don't even consider themselves ethnic Malays. The Muslims from Mindanao don't even consider themselves Malays. In Indonesia, there a much close ethnic groups such as the Javanese, Balinese, Sunadnese and such. They all speak Malay, both the standard versions and the Indonesian register. But even they aren't considered Malays, and they don't call themselves Malays. They don't have a problem with that.

Meeting and Greeting Greetings in a social context will depend upon the ethnicity of the person you are meeting. In general, most Malays are aware of Western ways so the handshake is normal. There may be slight differences though and a few things to bear in mind include: * Malay women may not shake hands with men. Women can of course shake hands with women. Men may also not shake hands with women and may bow instead while placing their hand on their heart. Men and women may shake hands, although the woman must extend her hand first. Many older Chinese lower their eyes during the greeting as a sign of respect. Among all cultures, there is a general tendency to introduce: • the most important person to the lower ranking person. • the older person to the younger person.

• women to men. Names The way names are used also varies between ethnicity's: Malays * Many Malays do not have surnames. Instead, men add their father's name to their own name with the term "bin" (meaning 'son of'). So Rosli bin Suleiman, would be Rosli the son of Suleiman. * Women use the term "binti", so Aysha bint Suleiman is Aysha the daughter of Suleiman. Gift Giving Etiquette Gift giving to Malays: * If invited to someones home for dinner, bring the hostess, fruit, pastries or good quality chocolates. * Never give alcohol. * Do not give toy dogs or pigs to children. * Do not give anything made of pigskin. * Avoid white wrapping paper as it symbolizes death and mourning. * Avoid yellow wrapping paper, as it is the color of royalty. * If you give food, it must be "halal" (meaning permissible for Muslims). * Offer gifts with the right hand only or both hands if the item is large. * Gifts are generally not opened when received. Meeting and Greeting Within the business context most Malaysian businesspeople are culturally-savvy and internationally exposes. Your experience may very well depend upon the ethnicity, age, sex and status of the person you are meeting. The best approach is always friendly yet formal. A few tips include: * Initial greetings should be formal and denote proper respect. * If in a team, introduce the most important person first. * Many Malays and Indians are uncomfortable shaking hands with a member of the opposite sex. * Foreign men should always wait for a Malaysian woman to extend her hand. Foreign women should also wait for a Malaysian man to extend his hand.To demonstrate respect Chinese may look downwards rather than at the person they are meeting. * It is important that professional titles (professor, doctor, engineer) and honorific titles are used in business. Malays and Indians use titles with their first name while Chinese use titles with their surname. Business Card Etiquette * Business cards are exchanged after the initial introductions. * If you will be meeting Chinese, have one side of your card translated into Chinese, with the Chinese characters printed in gold. * If you will be meeting government officials, have one side of your card translated into Bahasa Malaysia. * Use two hands or the right hand only to exchange business cards. * Examine any business card you receive before putting it in your business card case. * The respect you show someones business card is indicative of the respect you will show the individual in business. Act accordingly. * Never write on someones card in their presence. Communication As an extension to the need to maintain harmonious relations, Malaysians rely on non-verbal communication (i.e. facial expressions, tone of voice, body language, etc). Such a communication style tends to be subtle, indirect and. Malays may hint at a point rather than making a direct statement, since that might cause the other person to lose face. Rather than say "no", they might say, "I will try", or "I'll see what I can do". This allows the person making the request and the person turning it down to save face and maintain harmony in their relationship. If you are unsure about the affirmative response you received, you may want to continue the discussion, re-phrasing the question in several different ways so that you may compare responses. If the response was given because the Malaysian did not know how to respond in the negative without causing offense, this may come out. Alternatively, they may have someone else give you the bad news. Silence is an important element of Malaysian communication. Pausing before responding to a question indicates that they have given the question appropriate thought and considered their response carefully. Many Malaysians do not understand the Western propensity to respond to a question hastily and can consider such behaviour thoughtless and rude. Malaysians may laugh at what may appear to outsiders as inappropriate moments. This device is used to conceal uneasiness. Do not show anger in public as it makes Malaysians uncomfortable and creates a feeling of powerlessness. There is a greater chance of achieving a good outcome if you are calm, whereas little is resolved by shouting.

Business Meetings * It is a good idea for the most senior person on your team to enter first so that he or she is the first to greet the most senior Malaysian. This gives face to both parties as it demonstrates respect towards the Malaysian and shows that you respect hierarchy within your company. * It is customary for leaders to sit opposite each other around the table. * Many companies will have their team seated in descending rank, although this is not always the case. * Expect the most senior Malaysian to give a brief welcoming speech. You need not reciprocate. * There will be a period of small talk, which will end when the most senior Malaysian is comfortable moving to the business discussion. * Meetings may be conducted or continue over lunch and dinner. * Meetings, especially initial ones, are generally somewhat formal. Treat all Malaysian participants with respect and be cautious not to lose your temper or appear irritated. * At the first meeting between two companies, Malaysians will generally not get into in-depth discussions. They prefer to use the first meeting as an opportunity to get to know the other side and build a rapport, which is essential in this consensus-driven culture.