Philippines
The
Philippines (
Filipino:
Pilipinas), officially the
Republic of the Philippines (
Republika ng Pilipinas), is an
island nation located in the
Malay archipelago in
Southeast Asia, with
Manila as its capital. It comprises 7107 islands called the Philippine Archipelago, with a total land area of approximately 300,000 square kilometers or 116,000 square miles.
The people of the Philippines are called Filipinos. Most Filipinos are descended from the indigenous
Austronesian-speaking peoples, but there are also many Filipinos of mixed descent, known as mestizos, through intermarriage with Chinese and Spanish.
The country was named "Islas de Filipinas," after
King Philip II of Spain. Spanish colonial rule began in 1565 and lasted for about three centuries until the
Philippine Revolution of 1896. The United States gained possession of the Philippines after the
Spanish-American War in 1898 and ruled the country for about five decades. Philippine culture has many affinities with the
West.
Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion, and English is an official language, along with Tagalog.
The Philippines today is a significant source of migrant workers; there are over 8 million
overseas Filipinos and their remittances exceed $12 billion a year, an amount that forms a significant portion of the Philippines'
gross national product.
Archeological and
paleontological evidence suggests that
Homo sapiens existed in
Palawan about 50,000 years ago. An
Austronesian-speaking people settled in the Philippines and maintained a maritime trading network with the rest of Southeast Asia as early as 5,000 B.C.E.
Ferdinand Magellan arrived in the archipelago in
1521.
Miguel López de Legazpi arrived in
1565 and formed the first Spanish settlements, and paved the way for colonization. Roman Catholic missionaries converted most of the inhabitants. In the next 300 years, the Spanish military fought off various local indigenous revolts and various external colonial challenges. Such challenges came from the British, Chinese, Dutch, French, Japanese, and Portuguese. The most significant loss for Spain was the temporary occupaton of the capital by the British during the
Seven Years' War. The Philippines was ruled as a territory of
New Spain from 1565 to 1821, before it was administered directly from Spain.
Manila Galleon began in the late 16th century. The Philippines opened itself to world trade on
September 6,
1834. A propaganda movement began in the Spanish mainland, which included
José Rizal. This was done in order to inform the government of the injustices of the administration in Philippines as well as the abuses of the friars. In the 1880s and the 1890s, the propagandists clamored for political and social reforms, which included demands for greater representation in Spain. Unable to gain the reforms, Rizal returned to the country, and pushed for the reforms locally. Rizal was subsequently arrested, tried, and executed for sedition on
December 30,
1896. Earlier that year, the
Katipunan, led by
Andrés Bonifacio already started a revolution, which was eventually continued by
Emilio Aguinaldo, who established a revolutionary government, although the Spanish governor general
Fernando Primo de Rivera proclaimed the revolution was over in May 17, 1897.
The
Spanish-American War began in
1898 and reached the Philippines when Commodore
George Dewey defeated the Spanish squadron at
Manila Bay. Aguinaldo declared the independence of the Philippines on
June 12,
1898, and was proclaimed head of state. Spain ceded the Philippines, together with
Cuba,
Guam and
Puerto Rico to the United States. By 1899, The
Philippine-American War ensued between the the two, which continued the violence of the previous years. That war ended when Aguinaldo was captured by American troops on
March 23,
1901. The colonial administration of the Americans introduced democracy in the Philippines. The status was turned into that of a
commonwealth in
1935, which provided for more self-governance. Plans for independence in the next decade were underway, although this was interrupted by
World War II, when
Japan invaded the country. Independence was granted on
July 4,
1946.
Since 1946, the newly independent Philippine state has faced some economic and political instability. There were also various rebel groups. The Philippines took part in the
Korean War as an ally of South Korea and the United States. The late 1960s and early 1970s saw the rise of student activism. By this time,
Ferdinand Marcos was elected president. This period was marred by civil unrest. Disbarred from seeking a third term, Marcos declared martial law on
September 21,
1972, and ruled the country by decree, and extended both his power and tenure by force. His authoritarian rule became marred with unmitigated, pervasive corruption, cronyism and despotism. In 1981, martial law was lifted, but Marcos remained as president after an
election in 1981.
Opposition leader
Benigno Aquino, Jr. was assassinated on
August 21,
1983 upon returning from exile. In January 1986, Marcos allowed for
"snap" elections, after large protests. The election was believed to be fraudulent, and resulted in a standoff between military mutineers and the military loyalists. Protesters supported the mutineers, and was accompanied by resignations of prominent cabinet officials.
Corazon Aquino, the recognized winner of the snap election, took over government, and drafted a new constitution, after the
1986 EDSA Revolution. Marcos, his family, and along with some of his allies were exiled to Hawaii.
The return of democracy and government reforms after the events of 1986 was hampered by massive national debt, government corruption, coup attempts, a communist insurgency, and a Muslim separatist movement. The economy improved during the administration of
Fidel V. Ramos, who was elected in 1992. However, the economic improvements were negated at the onset of the
East Asian financial crisis in 1997. The
2001 EDSA Revolution led to the downfall of the following president,
Joseph Estrada. The current administration of president
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has been hounded by allegations of corruption and
election rigging.
|
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the current President. |
The government of the Philippines is organized as a
presidential-
unitary republic, where the
President functions as
head of state, the
head of government, and the
commander-in-chief of the
armed forces. The president is elected by popular vote to a 6-year term, during which he or she appoints and presides over the
cabinet of secretaries.
The
bicameral Congress comprises the
Senate and the
House of Representatives; members of the former are elected at large and those of the latter by geographical district. The 24 senators serve 6-year terms, with half retiring every three years, while the House of Representatives comprises 250 members serving 3-year terms.
The
judicial branch of government is headed by the
Supreme Court, with a
Chief Justice as its head and 14 associate justices, all appointed by the President from nominations submitted by the
Judicial and Bar Council. Other courts include the Court of Appeals, the Regional Trial Courts and the Metropolitan Trial Courts.
|
Noli de Castro, the current Vice President. |
As of June 2006 President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is hoping to get agreement to amend the constitution to a
unicameral parliament under a
federal setting similar to the German constitution. The country would be split into "states" with each one having a local legislature responsibility for certain functions. Included in the amendments are plans to remove/ease the current ban on foreign ownership of property, land and commercial organizations in the Philippines. Plans have been announced to decentralize government by moving departments from Manila to the provinces, such as the Department of Tourism to Cebu City, the Department of Foreign Affairs to Angeles City, and the Department of Agrarian Reform to Iloilo City.
The Philippines is a founding and active member of the
United Nations since its inception on
October 24 1945 and is a founding member of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The Philippines is also a member of the
East Asia Summit (EAS), an active player in the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the
Latin Union and a member of the
Group of 24. The country is a
major non-NATO ally of the U.S., but also a member of the
Non-Aligned Movement.
The Philippines, along with the nation of
Malta, is one of two nations in the world where all civil marriages are for life, because civil divorce is banned.
The Philippines is currently in a dispute with
Taiwan,
China,
Vietnam and
Malaysia over the
oil- and
natural gas-rich
Spratly Islands and
Scarborough Shoal, and with Malaysia over
Sabah. The Sultan of
Sulu, who received Sabah as a gift in 1703 having helped the Sultan of
Brunei defeat a rebellion, has given the Philippine Government power to reclaim his lost territory. To this day, the
Sultan of Sulu's family receives "rental" payments for Sabah from the Malaysian government.
Administrative divisions
 |
Provinces and regions of the Philippines |
The Philippines is divided into a hierarchy of local government units (LGUs) with the 79
provinces as the primary unit. Provinces are further subdivided into
cities and
municipalities, which are in turn composed of
barangays. The barangay is the smallest local government unit.
The Philippines is divided into 17 regions with all provinces grouped into one of 16
regions for administrative convenience. The
National Capital Region however, is divided into four special districts.
Most government offices establish regional offices to serve the constituent provinces. The regions themselves do not possess a separate local government, with the exception of the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
¹ Names are capitalized because they are
acronyms, containing the names of the constituent provinces or cities (see
Acronyms in the Philippines).
² These regions formed the former
Southern Tagalog region, or Region IV.
³ Palawan is moved from Region IV-B as known as MIMAROPA to Region VI. Starting November 2005, Region IV-B will be called MIMARO, decreased from 5 to 4 and Region VI are increased from 7 to 8.
On
July 24,
2006, the
State of the Nation Address of
President Arroyo[2006 State of the Nation Address of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo : Philippines : Gov.Ph : – State of the Nation Address of President Arroyo] announced the proposal to create 5 economic
super regions in order to concentrate on the economic strengths of each super region:
* North Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle – Agriculture
* Metro Luzon Urban Beltway – Commerce
* Central Philippines – Tourism
* Mindanao Super region
*
Cyber Corridor |
Geography of the Philippines |
The Philippines constitutes an
archipelago of 7,107 islands with a total land area of approximately 300,000
square kilometres (116,000
sq. mi). It lies between 116° 40' and 126° 34' E. longitude, and 4° 40' and 21° 10' N. latitude, and borders the
Philippine Sea on the east, on the
South China Sea the west, and the
Celebes Sea on the south. The island of
Borneo lies a few hundred kilometers southwest and
Taiwan directly north. The
Moluccas and
Sulawesi are to the south, and
Palau is to the east beyond the
Philippine Sea.
The islands are commonly divided into three island groups:
Luzon (Regions I to V, NCR & CAR),
Visayas (VI to VIII), and
Mindanao (IX to XIII & ARMM). The busy port of
Manila, on
Luzon, is the national
capital and second largest
city after its suburb
Quezon City.
The local
climate is hot, humid, and tropical. The average yearly temperature is around 26.5°
C (79.7°
F). There are three recognized seasons:
Tag-init or
Tag-araw (the hot season or summer from March to May),
Tag-ulan (the rainy season from June to November), and
Taglamig (the cold season from December to February). The southwest
monsoon (May-October) is known as the "habagat" and the dry winds of the northeast monsoon (November-April) as the "amihan".
Most of the mountainous islands used to be covered in
tropical rainforest and are volcanic in origin. The highest point is
Mount Apo on Mindanao at 2,954 metres (9,692
ft). There are many active
volcanos such as
Mayon Volcano,
Mount Pinatubo, and
Taal Volcano. The country also lies within the
typhoon belt of the Western Pacific and about 19 typhoons strike per year.
Lying on the northwestern fringes of the
Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activities. Some 20
earthquakes are registered daily in the Philippines, though most are too weak to be felt.
The Philippines is a
developing country with an agricultural base, light industry, and service-sector economy. The Philippines has one of the most vibrant
business process outsourcing (BPO) industries in Asia. Numerous
call centers and BPO firms have infused momentum into the Philippine market, generating thousands of jobs and improving their services with many clients, including
Fortune 500 companies.
The resiliency of the Philippine economy due to low foreign inflows and an agriculture-based economy allowed it to snap back from international crises as evidenced by 3 percent growth in 1999 and accelerated to 4 percent in 2000. By 2004, the Philippine economy catapulted to over 6 percent growth after the
East Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s.
Government initiatives are designed to match the pace of development in the
newly industrialized countries (NICs) of
East Asia. Economic strategies are implemented to manage a public debt comprising 93 percent of the GDP. This priority manifests as a budget allocation set higher than the budget for education and defense combined. The Philippine middle class is essential to economic prosperity. Although proportionately smaller, the Philippine middle class is scheduled to grow.
Strategies for streamlining the economy include continuous improvements of
infrastructure, efficient
tax systems to bolster government revenues, furthering deregulation and
privatisation of the economy, and increasing trade integration within the region and across the world.
On November 1, 2005, a newly expanded
value added tax (E-VAT) law was instituted as a measure to bridle the rising foreign debt and to improve government services such as education, healthcare, social security, and transportation. As of 2006, The Philippines' economic prosperity also depends in large part on how well its two biggest trading partners' economies perform: the U.S. and Japan.
The Philippines is a member of the
Asian Development Bank,
World Bank,
International Monetary Fund, and other international economic associations, such as the
Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the
World Trade Organization (WTO), the
Colombo Plan, and the
G-77.
In 2005, the
Philippine peso was hailed by
Forbes magazine as Asia's best-performing currency. The Philippines' 1st quarter GDP growth was within the government's programmed growth of 5.5% buoyed by the rebound of the agriculture sector and a strong service sector performance however, the economy is still vulnerable to high world oil prices and political instability. There are few promising developments though: one is the strong fiscal performance that the government has put in place as well as the mining boom that will generate additional revenues for the government and additional jobs if this sector is fully tapped as the Philippines is a mineral-rich country. The country's export rose by more than 15 percent in January-April this year, while investments increased by $2 billion over that of the same four-month period last year.
Despite the growing economy, the Philippines will have to address several chronic problems in the future. Income inequality remains persistent; about 30 million people lived on less than $2 per day on 2005. China and India have emerged as major economic competitors, siphoning away investors who would otherwise have invested in the Philippines, particularly telecom companies. Regional development is also somewhat uneven, with the main island Luzon and Metro Manila gaining most of the new economic growth at the expense of the other regions.
The Philippines is the world's 12th most populous country, with a population of over 89 million as of 2006
[National Statistics Office — Population Projections]. Roughly two-thirds reside on the island of
Luzon. Manila, the capital, is the eleventh most populous metropolitan area in the world. The literacy rate was 92.5% in 2003
[United Nations Human Development Report 2005, p.259], and about equal for males and females
[[https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/rp.html#People CIA World Factbook - Updated July 20 2006]]. Life expectancy is 69.91 years, with 72.28 years for females and 66.44 years for males. Population growth per year is about 1.92 percent, with 26.3 births per 1,000 people. In the 100 years since the 1903 Census, the population has grown by a factor of eleven. This represents a much faster rate of growth than other countries in the region (Indonesia has grown five-fold over the same period).
Ethnic groups
The people of the Philippines are called
Filipinos. Most Filipinos are descended from the various Austronesian-speaking migrants who arrived in successive waves over a thousand years ago from
Southeast Asia. These ethnic Filipinos are divided into various
ethnolinguistic groups, the three most numerous being the Tagalogs, Cebuanos, and the Ilocanos. They are genetically closely related to the
Taiwanese aborigines,
Malays of
Malaysia and
Indonesia, and the
Polynesians. The
Negritos or
Aetas are known as the aboriginal inhabitants of the Philippines, and number less than 30,000 people (0.03 percent).
Filipino mestizos, or persons of mixed indigenous heritage and Spanish or other foreign ancestry form a tiny but economically and politically important minority. A
Stanford University small-in study, concluded that about 3.6 percent of all Filipinos have some European genes, most probably Spanish.
Other significant minorities include the
ethnic Chinese, the
Americans, and the
South Asians. The Philippines is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world.
Languages
More than 170 languages are spoken in the country, almost all of them belonging to the
Western Malayo-Polynesian language group of the
Austronesian language family. According to the
1987 Constitution,
Filipino, heavily based on Tagalog, and
English are both the official languages.
The twelve major regional languages are auxiliary languages of their respective regions, each with over one million speakers:
Tagalog,
Cebuano,
Ilokano,
Hiligaynon,
Waray-Waray,
Bikol,
Kapampangan,
Pangasinan,
Kinaray-a,
Maranao,
Maguindanao, and
Tausug.
Spanish and
Arabic are used as auxiliary languages. The
use of Spanish in the Philippines as the original official language of the country has declined, only a small proportion of the population speaks it.
The
Min Nan Chinese dialect is widely spoken by the country's Chinese minority.
Religion
|
Temple Emil, Manila, c. 1940. |
The Philippines is the third-largest Christian nation. About 92 percent of all Filipinos are Christians: 83 percent belong to the
Roman Catholic Church, 2 percent belong to the
Philippine Independent Church, and 10 percent belong to various
Protestant denominations. Although Christianity is a major force in the culture of the Filipinos, a small minority practices
animism with indigenous traditions and rituals.
Approximately 5 percent of Filipinos are
Muslim and live primarily in parts of
Mindanao and the
Sulu archipelago. Most lowland Muslim Filipinos practice normative Islam, although the practices of some Mindanao's hill tribe Muslims reflect a fusion with animism. The Muslims have resisted conquest and conversion for centuries by the Spanish and the Americans. Various Muslim groups have been waging a decades-long armed campaign against the Philippine government for political self-determination.
There are also small populations of
Buddhists,
Hindus, and
Jews.
Filipino culture is largely a blend of the indigenous traditions of the Philippines, with the
Hispanic and
American cultures. It has also been significantly influenced by
Chinese,
Indonesian and
Indian cultures.
The
Hispanic influences in Filipino culture are largely derived from the
culture of Spain as a result of over three centuries of
Spanish colonial rule. These Hispanic influences are most evident in
Roman Catholic Church religious festivals.
Filipinos hold major festivities known as barrio
fiestas to commemorate their patron
saints. The most obvious Hispanic legacy, however, is the prevalence of
Spanish surnames among Filipinos. This peculiarity, unique among the people of Asia, came as a result of a colonial decree for the systematic distribution of family names and implementation of the
Spanish naming system on the inhabitants of the Philippines.
The
Chinese influences in Filipino culture are most evident in Filipino cuisine. The prevalence of noodles, known locally as
mami, are a testament of the Chinese cuisine. Other Chinese influences include linguistic borrowings and the occasional Chinese derived surnames.
The use of English within the Philippines is America's most obvious legacy. The most commonly played and arguably the national sport in the Philippines is
basketball. Indeed, there is a wide emulation of other American cultural trends, such as the love of
fast-food; many street corners boast fast-food outlets. Aside from the American commercial giants such as
McDonald's,
Pizza Hut,
Burger King,
KFC, and
Shakey's, local fast-food chains have also sprung up, including
Jollibee,
Greenwich Pizza,
Tropical Hut and
Chowking. Filipinos listen to American music, watch American movies, and admire American actors and actresses, although Asian trends and culture began making inroads to the locals.
In spite of this,
native moral codes, respect of family, veneration of elders, and friendliness, all remain intact. Filipinos honor national heroes whose works and deeds contributed to the shaping of the Filipino nation.
José Rizal is the most celebrated
ilustrado, a Spanish-speaking reformist visionary whose writings contributed greatly in nurturing a sense of national identity and awareness. His novels
Noli Me Tangere and
El Filibusterismo originally written in Spanish, are required readings for Filipino students, and provide vignettes of colonial life under the Spanish rule. They give a sense of Filipino identity and historical continuity. Ninoy Aquino, the charimatic leader against the Marcos dictatorship, is a highly revered martyr of the People Power revolution.
Maps*
WikiSatellite view of Philippines at WikiMapia;
Official*
Official website of the Philippine Government - Gateway to governmental sites
Other
*
* BBC Country Profile on the Philippines
* U.S. Country Studies: Philippines
* Origins of the Filipinos and Their Languages by Wilhelm G. Solheim II (PDF)
