I’ll be honest, I’ve been hiring in the Philippines since 2005 and I’m not that good with Philippines geography.
It’s kind of like most of the rest of the world and their knowledge of US geography.
(When I’m in Europe:)
“Where are you from?”
Utah
“Is that close to California?”
Uhhh…sort-of.
Or, Filipinos when they’re going to visit the US:
“We’re flying in to San Francisco, then we’ll visit Los Angeles and Las Vegas and New York and Miami.”
Uhhh…that’s like saying “We’ll go to Tokyo and Seoul and Brisbane”.
But alas…no, they have no idea.
Just like you have no idea about their geography.
So here’s a quick lesson on Philippine Geography.
The Philippines is divided into 17 political regions, which are distributed among the three island groups: Luzon (north), Visayas (center), and Mindanao (south).
If there’s only one thing to remember, it’s 3 regions: Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao.
My OFS tell me you can tell what island group a region belongs to based on its number…but I’ve never once had someone tell me “I’m from 4. Cagayan Valley”.
Here’s a little more detail.
Luzon
Luzon is the biggest island group with 8 regions. This is where you’ll find Filipinos who mostly speak Tagalog.
- National Capital Region (also called Metro Manila)
- Cordillera Administrative Region
- Ilocos Region
- Cagayan Valley
- Central Luzon
- Calabarzon
- Southwestern Tagalog or MIMAROPA
- Bicol Region
Visayas
This is the smallest island group you can find in the middle of the country. This is where you find the 2nd largest metropolitan city in the Philippines (Cebu), and the Filipinos here mostly speak Cebuano (a form of Bisaya language).
Unlike Luzon, one big island, the Visayas is a group of small islands. Within it are
- Region 6 (Western Visayas),
- Region 7 (Central Visayas), and
- Region 8 (Eastern Visayas).
Mindanao
This is the 2nd largest island in the country. You’ll find most of the Philippines’s Muslim and indigenous populations here.
- Zamboanga Peninsula
- Northern Mindanao
- Davao Region
- Soccsksargen
- Caraga
- BARMM or the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Again, if nothing else, just remember the three island groups: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
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Knowing this, does it matter where you hire an Online Filipino Specialist? No.
Universities and colleges are scattered across the country. You shouldn’t limit your search to cities like Manila or Cebu, where competition for talent is fierce. Hiring from outside these urban areas may be beneficial due to less competition and a lower cost of living.
Internet speed isn’t a concern either. Most of the country is now equipped with fiber; even the most remote islands have access to Starlink.
Knowing where your OFS are can help you understand their culture better. It also helps during a typhoon or earthquake, so you know whether they’ve been affected.
Even then, most of the country is resilient and prepared for disasters. They will recover quickly.
You can use this information as one of your interview questions, as a way to get to know them. Ask them questions like:
- Where they’re from
- What life in their hometown is like
- What their family life is like
- What do they like about living in their hometown
Regardless of where they live, you will find them at Onlinejobs.ph. We have the biggest database of Filipino workers.
John