Philippines

Republika ng Pilipinas

(In Detail) (In Detail)
National motto: Maka-Diyos, Maka-Tao, Makakalikasan at Makabansa'' (Filipino: “For Love of God, People, Nature and Country”)
Official languages:	Filipino and English
Capital:	Manila
Largest City:	Quezon City
President:	Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Area  - Total:  - % water:	Ranked 70th 300,000 km² 0.6%
Population  - Total (2000):  - Density:	Ranked 13th 82,841,518 276/km²
Independence	Declared (from Spain): June 12, 1898 (Official) Declared from the United States: July 4, 1946 (Recognized)
Currency:	1 peso (piso) = 100 centavos (sentimo). ISO 4217 code—PHP.
Time zone:	UTC +8
National anthem:	Lupang Hinirang (Beloved Land)
Internet TLD:	.PH
Calling Code	63

The Philippines used to be the most developed country in Asia following World War II, but has lagged behind other countries because of poor economic growth and widespread corruption. Currently, the country enjoys moderate economic growth, buoyed by remittances by its large, diasporic overseas Filipino workforce, increased investments due to a fast-developing information technology industry, and cheap labor in other sectors. The country's major problems include an ongoing Muslim separatist movement in southern Mindanao, communist insurgencies in the north, and environmental degradation due to rainforest depletion and marine and coastal pollution.

The Philippine Islands lie between 116° 40' and 126° and 34' E. longtitude, and 4° 40' and 21° 10' N. latitude. It is bordered on the east by the Philippine Sea, on the west by the South China Sea, and on the south by the Celebes Sea. The island of Borneo lies a few hundred kilometers to the southwest and Taiwan directly north. The Moluccas and Celebes are farther south and on the eastern side of the Philippine Sea is Palau.

Table of contents

1 History 2 Politics 3 Regions and Provinces 3.1 Regions 4 Geography 5 Economy 6 Demographics 7 Culture 8 See also 9 External links 9.2 Official websites 9.3 News websites 9.4 Other websites

History

Human fossil records indicate that the Philippines has been inhabited for thousands of years. Its aboriginal population, collectively known as the Negritos or Aetas, crossed prehistoric land or ice bridges to eventually settle in the islands' lush forests. Successive waves of migrants from the Malay and Indonesian archipelagoes, and from Indochina and Taiwan, began to pour in around the turn of the first millennium, pushing the aboriginal population into the interior or absorbing them through intermarriage.

Chinese merchants arrived in the 8th century and the rise of powerful Buddhist kingdoms precipitated trade with the Indonesian archipelago, India, Japan and Southeast Asia. The spread of Islam through conquest and proselytism, much like Christianity, brought traders and missionaries into the region. Arabs set foot in Mindanao in the 14th century and when the first Europeans arrived, led by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, there were Islamic sultanates as far north as Manila.

The Spanish claimed and colonized the islands in the 16th century and named it Filipinas after King Philip II. Roman Catholicism was immediately introduced and imposed, sparking deep resistance from tribal groups in the highlands and the Muslim separatism that rages on today. Sporadic rebellions and violence erupted in the coastal populations throughout the next three centuries in response to colonial abuses. The new territory was ruled from New Spain (Mexico) and a burgeoning galleon trade began in the 18th century.

The country opened up during the 19th century. The rise of an ambitious, more nationalistic Filipino middle class, consisting of educated native Filipinos, Philippine born Spaniards and creoles, Spanish mestizos and an economically entrenched Chinese mestizo community, signaled the end of Spanish colonialism in the islands. Enlightened by the Propaganda Movement to the injustices of the Spanish colonial government, they clamored for independence. José Rizal, the most famous propagandist, was arrested and executed in 1896 for acts of subversion. Soon after, the Philippine Revolution broke out, pioneered by the Katipunan, a secret revolutionary society founded by Andres Bonifacio and later led by Emilio Aguinaldo. The revolution nearly succeeded in ousting the Spanish by 1898.

That year Spain and the United States fought the Spanish-American War, after which Spain sold the Philippine Islands to the United States. In the Battle of Manila Bay, only a few old wooden Spanish vessels were sunk. The battle was a farce, a smoke screen. In reality, the United States bought the Philippine Islands for a few million dollars from the weakening Spanish Empire. The Filipinos had by then declared independence and the subsequent assertion of American control led to the Philippine-American War that officially ended in 1901, but fighting continued well into 1913. Independence was finally granted in 1946, after the Japanese had occupied the islands during World War II. The following period was marred by post-war problems; civil unrest during the unpopular dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, ousted in 1986; and later, the continuing problem of communist insurgency and Muslim separatism.

Politics

National Government. The government of the Philippines, loosely patterned after the American system, is organized as a representative republic, with the President functioning as both head of state and government, as well as being the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The president is elected by popular vote to a term of 6 years, during which he or she appoints and presides over the cabinet.

The bicameral Philippine legislature, the Congress, consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives; members of both are elected by popular vote. There are 24 senators serving 6 years in the Senate while the House of Representatives consists of no more than 250 congressmen each serving 3-year terms.

The judiciary branch of the government is headed by the Supreme Court, which has a Chief Justice as its head and 14 Associate Justices, all appointed by the president.

International Relations. The Philippines is a founding and prominent member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It is also an active participant of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), a member of the Group of 24 and one of the 51 founding members of the United Nations on October 24,1945.

Regions and Provinces

Local Government. The Philippines is divided into a hierarchy of local government units (LGUs) with the province as the primary unit. As of 2002, there are 79 provinces in the country. Provinces are further subdivided into cities and municipalities, which are in turn, composed of barangays. The barangay is the smallest local government unit.

All provinces are grouped into 17 regions for administrative convenience. 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 Muslim Mindanao and Cordillera regions, which are autonomous.

Go to the articles on the regions and provinces to see a larger map showing the locations of the regions and provinces.

Regions

• Ilocos Region (Region I)
• Cagayan Valley (Region II)
• Central Luzon (Region III)
• CALABARZON (Region IV-A) ¹
• MIMAROPA (Region IV-B) ¹
• Bicol Region (Region V)
• Western Visayas (Region VI)
• Central Visayas (Region VII)
• Eastern Visayas (Region VIII)
• Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX)
• Northern Mindanao (Region X)
• Davao Region (Region XI)
• SOCCSKSARGEN (Region XII) ¹
• Caraga (Region XIII)
• Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)
• Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)
• National Capital Region (NCR) (Metro Manila)

Geography

The Philippines constitute an archipelago of 7,107 islands with a total land area of approximately 300,000 km². The islands are commonly divided into three 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 country's capital and second-largest city after Quezon City.

The local climate is hot, humid, and tropical. The average yearly temperature is around 26.5° Celsius. Filipinos generally recognise three 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 Tag-lamig (the cold season from December to February).

Most of the mountainous islands used to be covered in tropical rainforests and are volcanic in origin. The highest point is Mount Apo on Mindanao at 2,954 m. Many volcanoes in the country, such as Mount Pinatubo, are active. The country is also astride the typhoon belt of the Western Pacific and is struck by about 19 typhoons per year.

Economy

In 1998 the Philippine economy — a mixture of agriculture, light industry, and supporting services — deteriorated as a result of spillover from the Asian financial crisis and poor weather conditions. Growth fell to 0.6% in 1998 from 5% in 1997, but recovered to about 3% in 1999 and 4% in 2000. The government has promised to continue its economic reforms to help the Philippines match the pace of development in the newly industrialised countries of East Asia.

The strategy includes improving infrastructure, overhauling the tax system to bolster government revenues, furthering deregulation and privatisation of the economy, and increasing trade integration with the region. Prospects for the future depend heavily on the economic performance of the two major trading partners, the United States and Japan.

Demographics

Over 95% of the population is ethnically Malay, descendants of immigrants from the Indonesian archipelago, and the most significant ethnic minority group are the Chinese, who have played an important role in commerce since the 9th century. Mestizos, those of mixed race, form a tiny (2%) but economically and politically important minority. Small communities of expatriates and Negrito forest tribes that inhabit the more remote areas of Mindanao constitute the remainder.

The people of the Philippines are known as Filipinos. Throughout the colonial era the term "Filipino" originally referred to the Spanish and Spanish-mestizo minority. The definition, however, was later changed to include the entire population of the Philippines regardless of ethnic origin. The Philippines is the most ethnically diverse country in Asia.

In the 100 years since the 1903 census, the population has grown by a factor of eleven.

Ethnic Groups

• Malays, accounting for 95%, they form the bulk of the population and number around 80 million. Many live poverty striken, though some can now be found among the middle class. Most are citydwellers, although a great number still live traditional lifestyles in the mountains and rural areas. The most numerous of these are the Tagalog, the Visayan and the Ilocano. Most speak tribal languages and/or Filipino (based on Tagalog), and the other major languages, again Visayan and Ilocano.

• Chinese, they form the most significant non-native element in the country. Most are successful and prosperous business people. They form part of both the upper and middle classes. Their primary languages are English, Chinese and Filipino. They number around 1.5 million, close to 2% of the population. Chinese-mestizos included they would number close to 3 million. [See also Chinese-mestizo]

• Mestizos, they form a tiny but economically and politically important minority. The combined number of all types of mestizos constitute no more than 2% of the entire Filipino population. Mestizos in the Philippines may be of any race combination or ratio, and are categorized as follows:
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