Maria-Clara de la Cruz

Philippines is a fanmade character for the anime and web comic, Hetalia Axis Powers. She represents the Philipines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. Her human name is Maria Clara de la Cruz or Maria for short.

Appearance
Maria has dark gold eyes and long, black hair. She is often seen in a traditional Baro't Saya. She imbibes the both the physical features of an Asian and a Latin. Together, she has a small frame, but is curvy

at the same time. Her small stature is an advantage since it renders her to be very agile and quick. She is a little bit shorter than Honda Kiku (Japan).

Personality and Interests
Maria is outspoken, can be very stubborn sometimes and is known for her hospitality and violent edge. It is thought that she appears to be very frightening when mad. She has been trained in many things that allow her a great ad vantage against her opponent. She could even take down much bigger countries because of her speed and agility. Even so, she tends to be very guillable and fails to read the atmosphere, which is why other countries bully her. Maria is very fond of food, especially Fillipino dishes. She loves making all the food so she could give it to others. Food also seems to be one of the things that can cheer her up when she is depressed or calm her down when she's angry.

Maria is terrified of insects, spiders especially. She also has a deep fear of Duwendes (mythical Philippine dwarves). At first, she did not belive in them, until one day she accidentally destroyed a Duwende's home. Because of that she ended up having terrible luck that lasted for a long while. Note: Arthur can see these little dwarves and finds them quite interesting.

China (Wang Yao)
Main Article: China

Yao was the earliest of Maria's friends and traded with him back in the days. Yao took a liking to Maria and tried teaching her about the Chinese way. Then Antonio discovered her and swept her away from him. Yao tried to fight back but failed miserably due to lack of resources. But Maria still carries a lot of his teachings to this day and still greatly cares for him. She still enjoys visiting him, and because of frequent visiting, has developed a crush on him.

Spain (Antonio Fernandez Carriedo)
Main Article: Spain

Maria was raised by Spain for a long time, and inhereted a lot of traits from him as a result. At the beginning, she was quite bitter about Antonio taking her, but warmed up to him. Antonio was very overprotective when it came to the other nations trying to conquer her. In turn, she is fairly affectionate toward him, and thinks of him as a fatherly figure. Nowadays, they maintain a platonic relationship.

Mexico (Alejandro Fernandez[?])
Alejandro was introduced by Antonio to Maria as his "Little Sister" when she was discovered. He did fair trade with Maria in her early Spanish-colonial days as she was an important strategy point for good business. He and Maria liked to spend a lot of time with each other, exchanging more than just objects. They shared ideas and dreams. It was because of her that inspired him to try to break off Antonio and declare himself an independent country. Even after all that, they still maintain a close "sibling" bond in modern day.

''Note: Mexico's human name is unconfirmed, but the above is commonly used. Others include: Alfonso Hernandez''

United States of America (Alfred F. Jones)
Main Article: America 

Maria used to idolize America so much to the fact that she adapted some of his culture. Alfred is her best trading partner and a lot of stuff in her house are from America. She doesn't like to admit it but it's quite obvious that she still relies on him a lot. Maria thinks that she somehow eternally indebted to Alfred because of everything he has done for her. So whenever he visits, she welcomes him joyfully. Even though he tends to exploit her kindness, she looks forward to his visits. She doesn't want to admit it, but she has a "little" crush on Alfred. She highly respects him and tends to call him "Kuya" (meaning older brother).

Australia (Daniel Smith[?])
Daniel has helped Maria alongside Alfred in WWII. Even though they shared a kiss during WWII, their relationship remains somewhat platonic. Maria is very grateful towards him as well and always enjoys his visits. Together, they supported Timor Leste's recognition as an independent country and as a member of ASEAN. Maria also notes (quite reluctantly) that he looks a lot like Antonio.

''Note: Australia's human name is unconfirmed. The above is a commonly used fanterm. Others include : Bruce/Cody Walters'' || Jack/Steve Kirkland

Japan (Honda Kiku)
Main Article: Japan 

After Antonio left and Alfred just about ready to give her independence, Japan conquers her. He manages to seize her vital regions then tries to drive out Alfred. Exhausted, Douglas McArthur promises "I shall return". Kiku is then faced with the prospect of a very hostile Maria. He tries to win her trust and offers her gifts, but she just throws them all away. Even though they have a rough past, they maintain a healthy friendship in modern days. He and Maria are now what society considers today as "otakus".

United Kingdom (Arthur Kirkland)
Main Article: England

England endured a short stay with Maria, three years to be exact. When Antonio found out, he became outraged and fought hard to drive the British out. Arthur fought back with equal vigor but eventually gave up as he saw the losses being made. Maria may not remember very well, but she occasionally has a recollection of Arthur's time, so she acts kind towards him whenever they meet.

Canada (Matthew Williams)
Main Article: Canada

Despite the fact they don't have much history together, Maria and Matthew formed a close relationship when Maria was still working in Alfred's house. She learned how to distinguish one from another, and with that Matthew became friends with her. He treats her like a sister. He is thankful for the nurses and caregivers that Maria send to his house so that his citizens get quality healthcare, thus he prefers her nurses over other nationalities. Maria enjoys his visits, and Matthew enjoys hers. But he has to keep some distance from her sometimes just so that Alfred won't get too jealous.

N. Italy (Feliciano Vargas)
Main Article: N. Italy

Maria and Feliciano grew up together, thus Feliciano calls her "sister" or "sorella". Maria has many OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) sent to Italy, majority of them being female. Feliciano likes it when she comes over to cook and always asks her to make pizza or pasta for him. He is very friendly towards her and Maria, in turn, joyfully makes any dish he wants. She never gets tired of making his recipes as she enjoys them as much as he does.

S. Italy (Lovino Vargas)
Main Article: S. Italy 

Like Feliciano, Lovino and Maria grew up together under Spain's house. After Antonio brought Maria home, he treated her like a princess; thus Lovino grew jealous of her and grew up having negative feelings towards her. But over time he grew into liking her because of her personality and positivity towards all things, her cooking and because sleeping on her chest feels like sleeping on soft pillows. And even though he thought she was a pushover at first, he learned that Maria can be just like Antonio if she wanted to, which he finds attractive though he would never admit it.