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The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean.
The Philippines is the world's 12th most populous country with a population of about 90 million people. Its national economy is the 46th largest in the world with an estimated 2008 gross domestic product (GDP) of over US$ 327.2 billion (PPP). There are more than 11 million overseas Filipinos worldwide, about 11% of the total population of the Philippines.
A former colony of Spain and the United States, the Philippines is one of two predominantly Roman Catholic countries in the Asia-Pacific region, the other being East Timor.
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The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean.
The Philippines is the world's 12th most populous country with a population of about 90 million people. Its national economy is the 46th largest in the world with an estimated 2008 gross domestic product (GDP) of over US$ 327.2 billion (PPP). There are more than 11 million overseas Filipinos worldwide, about 11% of the total population of the Philippines.
A former colony of Spain and the United States, the Philippines is one of two predominantly Roman Catholic countries in the Asia-Pacific region, the other being East Timor. There are also a number of minority religious groups, including Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. Multiple ethnicities and cultures are found throughout the islands. Ecologically, the Philippines is one of the most diverse countries in the world.
Etymology
The name Philippines was derived from King Philip II of Spain in the 16th century. Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos used the name Las Islas Filipinas (The Philippine Islands) in honour of the Prince of Asturias (Spain) during his expedition to the Philippines, originally referring to the islands of Leyte and Samar. The name itself is Greek, and can be traced to the name of the father of Alexander the Great, Philipp II of Macedon, — f???? philos (meaning beloved, loving); ?pp?? hippos (meaning horse). Despite the presence of other names, the name Filipinas (Philippines) was eventually adopted as the name of the entire archipelago.
The official name of the Philippines, however, changed throughout the course of Philippine history. During the Philippine Revolution, the Philippines was officially called República Filipina or Philippine Republic. From the period of the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War, until the Commonwealth period, United States colonial authorities referred to the Philippines as the Philippine Islands, a translation of the original Spanish name. It was during in the American period that the name Philippines began to appear, a name that was adopted as its current official name.
History
Prehistory
Archeological and paleontological discoveries show that humans existed in Palawan around 30,000 to 50,000 BC. An aboriginal people of the Philippine Islands, the Negritos, are an Australo-Melanesian people who arrived in the Philippines at least 30,000 years ago. An Asian-Islander ethnic group known as Austronesian people called Malayo-Polynesian, originated from the populations of Taiwanese aborigines that migrated from mainland Asia approximately 6,000 years ago, who settled in the islands and eventually migrated to Indonesia, Malaysia, and soon after, to the Polynesian Islands and Madagascar.
The islands were known as Lusung Dao to the Chinese Suvarnadvipa to the Hindus Zabag to the Persians and Arabs and Chryse to the Greeks which is the name of Chryse Chersonessos which means island of gold, it is located to the east of Khruses Kersonenson (The Golden Peninsula) which refers to Malaysia, as described by the geographer Ptolemy. The islands had cultural ties with Malaysia, Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries during the prehistoric period. It also had trade relations with China, and other neighbouring Asian countries.
Before the arrival of Islam; Paganism and Animism syncretized with Hinduism and Vajrayana Buddhism were the religions practised by various Philippine indigenous kingdoms.
Islam was brought to the islands by traders and proselytizers from Malaysia, Indonesia and Arabia. By the 13th century, Islam was established in the Sulu Archipelago and spread to Mindanao the Visayas and Luzon by 1565. Muslims established Islamic communities, and there were several villages ruled by Datus, Rajahs or Sultans.
There was no unified political state that encompassed the archipelago that was to be known as the Philippines and the area was ruled by competing thalassocracies like the Confederacy of Namayan the Dynasty of Tondo the Butuan Rajahnate, and the sultanates of Maguindanao and Sulu some of which were under the suzerainty of the Malayan empires of Srivijaya, Majapahit and the Brunei Sultanate.
Colonial period
In the service of Spain, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his crew started their voyage on September 20, 1519 from Spain. Magellan sighted Samar on March 17, 1521, on the next day, they reached Homonhon. They reached the island of Mazaua on March 28, 1521 where the first mass in the Philippines was celebrated on March 31, 1521. Magellan arrived at Cebu on April 7, 1521, befriending Rajah Humabon, and converting his family, and other nearby islanders to Christianity. However, Magellan would be killed in the Battle of Mactan by native warriors led by Rajah Lapu-Lapu, a rival of Rajah Humabon. The islands is located in the East Indies and the Spaniards called the indigenous people, Indios (Indians).
Colonization began when Philip II of Spain ordered successive expeditions. Miguel López de Legazpi arrived from Mexico in 1565, and formed the first Spanish settlements in Cebu. In 1571, he established Manila as the capital of the Spanish East Indies.
Spanish rule brought political unification to an archipelago of previously independent kingdoms and communities which later became the Philippines, and introduced elements of western civilisation such as the code of law, printing and the Gregorian calendar. The Philippines was ruled as a territory of the Viceroyalty of New Spain from 1565 to 1821, and administered directly from Spain from 1821 to 1898. During this time, towns, cities and provinces were founded, infrastructures built, new crops and livestock introduced, and trade flourished. The Manila Galleon which linked Manila to Acapulco carried silk, spices, ivory and porcelain to the Americas, and silver from Mexico on the return voyage to the Philippines. Spain engaged into conflicts with indigenous revolts and several external threats from invasion of sea pirates and traders from China, England, the Netherlands and Portugal. Roman Catholic missionaries converted most of the inhabitants to Christianity and founded numerous schools, universities and hospitals. European immigration to the islands created a new class of Criollo (Spaniard born in the Philippines) and Mestizo (mixed Spaniard and Malayan). In 1863 the Spanish colonial government introduced public education. The first official census in the Philippines was carried out in 1878. The Philippines population as of December 31, 1877 was recorded at 5,567,685 persons.
In the late 1700s, Governor-General Basco opened the Philippines to world trade. The economy increased and criollos and mestizos in the islands became wealthy. In the early 1800s, the Suez Canal was opened and improved the time travel between Spain and the Philippines. This began a migration of Europeans to the islands. The influx of Peninsulares (Spaniards born in Spain) occupied the secularization of Philippine churches and government positions traditionally held by the criollos. Also, the ideals of the French and American Revolutions began to spread to the Philippines. Criollo insurgency resulted to the Novales revolt and Cavite Mutiny of 1872. Colonial authorities suppressed the criollos by the imprisonment, deportation and execution of leaders of the revolution. Among them were Sacerdotes (Priests) Mariano Gómez, José Burgos and Jacinto Zamora who would be remembered in Philippine history as Gomburza. The execution of the three priests laid the foundation of the Philippine Revolution.
, Marcelo del Pilar and Mariano Ponce.]]
The migration of Filipinos to Europe created a community of expatriates. The Propaganda Movement, which included Filipino patriot José Rizal were founded in Spain. The propagandists clamored for political, and social reforms, which included representation in the Spanish Cortes for Filipinos and secularization of Philippine churches. The propagandist lobbied for their cause through the paper La Solidaridad (The Solidarity). They were also able to gain the support of Spanish liberals such as Morayta. Unable to gain reforms, Rizal returned to the Philippines and established La Liga Filipina to organize patriots in Manila and produce funds for La Solidaridad. Rizal was arrested and deported to Dapitan. Radical members of La Liga Filipina (The Philippine League), under the leadership of Andrés Bonifacio, established the Katipunan in 1896. The objective were to organize Philippine independence from Spain.
Rizal was executed for inspiring the revolution on December 30, 1896. The revolution in Cavite El Viejo had achieved success and the leadership of the revolution eventually passed from Bonifacio to Emilio Aguinaldo. A ceasefire was agreed at the Treaty of Biak-na-Bato and Filipino leaders agreed to exile in Hong Kong. Governor General Fernando Primo de Rivera proclaimed the revolution over in May 17, 1897.
The Spanish-American War began in Cuba in 1898, and soon reached the Philippines when Commodore George Dewey and Emilio Aguinaldo defeated the Spanish squadron at the Battle of Manila Bay. The Philippines declared independence from Spain on June 12, 1898. In 1899, the Primera República Filipina or the First Philippine Republic was proclaimed in Malolos, Bulacan. In the Treaty of Paris, Spain ceded the Philippines, together with Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Guam to the United States. As a result of the treaty and a manifesto by the United States declaring American intentions to colonize the Philippines, resulted into conflict between Filipinos and Americans. Emilio Aguinaldo tried to ease the tensions but Americans were decided on making the Philippines an American colony. The Philippine-American War began when an American soldier killed a Filipino soldier in the bridge of San Juan. The United States proclaimed the war ended when Aguinaldo was captured by American soldiers on March 23, 1901, but the struggle continued until 1913 claiming almost a million lives. The United States suppressed the Filipino nationalism and independence through various methods, including establishing an American government in the islands. The Philippines status as a colony changed when it became the Commonwealth of the Philippines in 1935. Plans for independence over the next decade were interrupted by World War II when Japan invaded, and occupied the islands. United States and Philippine troops defeated Japan in 1944. The United States granted Philippine Independence on July 4, 1946.
Contemporary era
Since 1946, the newly independent Philippines state has faced political instability. The late 1960s and early 1970s saw the Philippine economy developed to be one of the wealthiest in Asia. Ferdinand Marcos was then the elected president. Barred from seeking a third term, Marcos declared martial law on September 21, 1972, under the guise of political instability and resurgent Communist and Muslim insurgencies, and governed the Philippines by decree.
Upon returning from exile in the United States, opposition leader Benigno Aquino, Jr., was assassinated at the Manila International Airport (also called the Ninoy Aquino International Airport) on August 21, 1983. In 1986, the people gathered together and protested in EDSA in Quezon City. It was to oppose the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. After losing the election to Corazón Aquino, who became the first woman President of the Philippines, Marcos and his allies departed to Hawaii in exile.
The return of democracy, and government reforms after the events of 1986 were hampered by national debt, government corruption, coup attempts, a Communist insurgency, and an Islamic separatist movement. The Philippine 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 Ejercito Estrada. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo took Philippine leadership in 2001 following the impeachment of the Estrada government.
Politics and government
The Philippines has a presidential, unitary form of government (with some modification; there is one autonomous region largely free from the national government), where the President functions as both head of state, and head of government, and is commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The president is elected by popular vote to a single six year term, during which time she or he appoints and presides over the cabinet.
The bicameral Congress is composed of a Senate, serving as the upper house whose members are elected nationally to a six year term, and a House of Representatives serving as the lower house whose members are elected to a three year term, and are elected from both legislative districts, and through sectoral representation.
The judicial power is vested in the Supreme Court, composed of a Chief Justice as its presiding officer and fourteen associate justices, all appointed by the President from nominations submitted by the Judicial and Bar Council. Attempts to amend the constitution to either a federal, unicameral or parliamentary form of government have been satisfactory since the Ramos administration.
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 United States, but also a member of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Administrative divisions
The Philippines is divided into three island groups: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. These are divided into 17 regions, 81 provinces, 136 cities, 1,494 municipalities, and 41,995 barangays or barrios. In addition, the Section 2 of Republic Act No. 5446 asserts that the Philippines has acquired dominion, and sovereignty over Sabah, North Borneo.
Geography
The Philippines constitutes an archipelago of 7,107 islands with a total land area of approximately 300,000 square kilometers (116,000 square miles). It is located between 116° 40' and 126° 34' E. longitude, and 4° 40', and 21° 10' N. latitude, and borders the Philippine Sea on the east, the South China Sea on the west, and the Celebes Sea on the south. The island of Borneo is located a few hundred kilometers southwest, and Taiwan directly north. The Moluccas, and Sulawesi are to the south-southwest, 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 and CAR), Visayas (VI to VIII), and Mindanao (IX to XIII and ARMM). The busy port of Manila, on Luzon, is the national capital, and second largest city after its suburb Quezon City.
Most of the mountainous islands were covered in tropical rainforest, and are volcanic in origin. The highest mountain is Mount Apo located in Mindanao measuring at 2,954 meters (9,692 ft) above sea level. There are many active volcanos such as Mayon Volcano, Mount Pinatubo, and Taal Volcano. The country also located within the typhoon belt of the Western Pacific and approximately 19 typhoons strike per year.
Located on the northwestern fringes of the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippine Islands experiences frequent seismic, and volcanic activities. Some 20 earthquakes are registered daily in the Philippines, though most are too weak to be felt. The last great earthquake was the 1990 Luzon earthquake.
The longest river is the Cagayan River in northern Luzon. Manila Bay is connected to Laguna de Bay by means of the Pasig River. Subic Bay, the Davao Gulf, and the Moro Gulf are some of the important bays. Transversing the San Juanico Strait is the San Juanico Bridge (considered a point of vital national infrastructure and capacity), that connects the islands of Samar and Leyte.
Natural resources
The Philippines is well-endowed with natural resources in areas such as agriculture, forestry and minerals. It has fertile, arable lands, diverse flora and fauna, extensive coastlines, and rich mineral deposits.
The country's major crops include rice, corn, sugarcane, coconut, abaca and tobacco. All these crops are exported, along with bananas and pineapple, except for rice and corn.
Metal deposits in the Philippines are estimated at 21.5 billion metric tons, while non-metal deposits are projected at 19.3 billion metric tons. Cobalt, silver, gold, salt, copper, nickel, and iron are the main mineral resources that are significant in the Philippine economy. Among these minerals, nickel ranks first in terms of deposits and size. Among non-metal deposits, the most abundant are cement, lime, and marble. Other non-metals include asbestos, clay, guano, asphalt, feldspar, sulfur, talc, silicon, phosphate, and marble.
The territorial waters measure as much as 1.67 million square kilometers, teeming with unique and diverse marine life. Of the 2,400 fish species found in the country, 65 have good commercial value. Other marine products include corals, pearls, crabs and seaweeds. The rain forests offer prime habitat for more than 530 species of birds, including the Philippine eagle, some 800 species of orchids, and some 8,500 species of flowering plants.
Climate
The Philippines has a tropical marine climate and is usually 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 "Tag-lamig" (the cold season from December to February). The southwest monsoon (from May to October) is known as the "Habagat", and the dry winds of the northeast monsoon (from November to April) as the "Amihan". The coolest month is January and the warmest is May. Both temperature and humidity levels reach the maximum in April and May. Manila and most of the lowland areas are hot and dusty from March to May. Even at this time, however, temperatures rarely rise above 37°C. Mean annual sea-level temperatures rarely fall below 27°C. Annual rainfall measures as much as 5,000 millimeters in the mountainous east coast section of the country, but less than 1,000 millimeters in some of the sheltered valleys. Sitting astride the typhoon belt, most of the country experiences an annual onslaught of torrential rains and thunderstorms from July to October.
Economy
The Philippines is a newly industrialized country with an economy anchored on agriculture but with substantial contributions from manufacturing, mining, remittances from overseas Filipinos, and service industries such as tourism, and increasingly, business process outsourcing. The Philippines is listed in the roster of the "Next Eleven" economies.
Historically, the Philippine economy was largely anchored on the Manila galleon during the Spanish period, and bilateral trade with the United States during the American period. Pro-Filipino economic policies were first implemented during the tenure of Carlos P. Garcia with the "Filipino First" policy. By the 1960s, the Philippine economy was regarded as the second largest in Asia, next to Japan. However, the leardership of Ferdinand Marcos would prove disastrous to the Philippine economy, by transforming the market economy of the Philippines into a centrally planned economy, it slid the country into severe economic recession, only to recover in the 1990s with a program of economic liberalization, and the breaking of Marcos era monopolies and the system of cronyism under Fidel V. Ramos. Today, the Philippines is currently a perfect example of a mixed economy.
The Asian Financial Crisis affected the Philippine economy to an extent, resulting in a lingering decline of the value of the Philippine peso, and falls in the stock market, although the extent to which it was affected was not as severe as that of its Asian neighbors. This is largely due to the fiscal conservatism of the Philippine government partly as a result of decades of monitoring, and fiscal supervision from the International Monetary Fund, in comparison to the massive spending of its neighbors on the rapid acceleration of economic growth. By 2004, the Philippine economy experienced six percent growth in gross domestic product, and 7.3% in 2007, in line with the "7, 8, 9" project of the government to accelerate GDP growth by 2009.
In a bid to further strengthen the Philippine economy, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo pledged to make the Philippines a developed country by 2020. As part of this goal, she instituted five economic "super regions" to concentrate on the economic strengths of various regions of the good Philippines, as well as the implementation of tax reforms, continued privatization of state assets, and the building-up of infrastructure in various areas of the Philippines.
The Philippine economy is heavily reliant on remittances as a source of foreign currency, surpassing even foreign direct investment. China and India have emerged as major economic competitors, siphoning away investors who would otherwise have invested in the Philippines, particularly telecommunications companies. Regional development is also somewhat uneven, with Luzon, and Metro Manila in particular gaining most of the new economic growth at the expense of the other regions, although the government has taken steps to distribute economic growth by promoting investment in other areas of the Philippine Islands.
The Philippine Islands is a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It is also a member of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Colombo Plan, and the G-77, among others.
Demographics
The Philippines is the world's 12th most populous country, with a population of over 90 million as of 2008. As of 2007, 8% of Filipinos are living abroad as migrant laborers. Roughly half of the country's population resides on the island of Luzon. Manila, the capital, is the eleventh most populous metropolitan area in the world. The literacy rate was 92.6% in 2003, and about equal for males and females. Life expectancy is 71.23 years, with 73.6 years for females and 69.8 years for males. Population growth rate in 1995-2000 is 3.21% but then dramatically fell to 1.59% for 2005-2010.
Ethnic groups
The majority of Filipinos are descended from an Asian-Islander ethnic group known as the Austronesian people. These ethnic group are called Malayo-Polynesians who settled in the islands. The Malayo Polynesian-speaking peoples, a branch of the Austronesian-speaking peoples, migrated to the Philippines, and brought their knowledge of agriculture, and ocean-sailing technology. Filipinos to this day are composed of various Malayo Polynesian ethnic groups, including the Visayans, the Tagalog, the Ilocano, the Moro, the Kapampangan, the Bicolano, the Pangasinense, the Igorot, the Lumad, the Mangyan, the Ibanag, the Badjao, the Ivatan, and the Palawan tribes. The Negritos, including the Aetas, and the Ati, are considered as the aboriginal inhabitants of the Philippines though they are estimated to be fewer than 30,000 people (0.03%).
Other ethnic groups include Spaniard, Chinese, American, British, European, Japanese, Asian Indian, Korean, Arab, Indonesian, and among others.
Throughout Philippine history, various people of different races, and nationalities have intermarried, and inter-breed with some of the Malayo-Polynesian population.
Their descendants are known as mestizo. The official population and percentages of all types of mixed blood individuals living in the Philippines are unknown.
Languages
According to the 1987 Philippine Constitution, Filipino, and English are the official languages. About 180 languages and dialects are also spoken in the islands, almost all of them belonging to the Borneo-Philippines group of the Malayo-Polynesian language branch of the Austronesian language family.
Filipino is the de facto standard version of Tagalog, spoken mainly in Metro Manila, and other urban regions. Both Tagalog and English are used in government, education, print and broadcast media, and business.
Other major regional languages include Bikol, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon, Waray-Waray, Kapampangan, Pangasinan, Kinaray-a, Maranao, Maguindanao, Tausug, and Chavacano.
Other languages include Spanish, and Arabic, both recognized as auxiliary languages in the Philippine Constitution. The use of Spanish is prevalent among some groups of Hispanic mestizo; and Arabic is used by Filipino Muslim, and taught in madrasah (Muslim) schools.
Religion
The Philippines is one of two countries in Asia and the Asia-Pacific region with Roman Catholic majorities, the other being East Timor. The Philippines is separated into different archdioceses, and dioceses. About 90% of Filipinos identify themselves as Christians, with 81% belonging to the Roman Catholic Church and 5% composing of Protestant denominations, and 4% comprising of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Iglesia Ni Cristo, Philippine Independent Church, Seventh Day Adventist, United Church of Christ, among others.
The Philippines is also well-known for its Baroque churches. They are a part of the long list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These churches include the San Agustín Church in Intramuros, Manila; Paoay Church in Paoay, Ilocos Norte; Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (Santa María) Church in Santa María, Ilocos Sur; and the Santo Tomás de Villanueva Church in Iloilo, and the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño in Cebu.
Approximately 5% of Filipinos are Muslims.They primarily settle in parts of Mindanao, Palawan, and the Sulu archipelago, but are now found in most urban areas of the Philippines. Most lowland Muslim Filipinos practice Islam, although the practices of some Mindanao's highland Muslim populations reflect a mixture with Animism. There are also a number of minority religious groups such as Buddhists, Bahá'í, Hindus, Sikhs, and animists. Along with other non-Christians, non-Muslims, and those with no religion, they collectively comprise 2% of the population.
Education
The formal education in the Philippines is patterned after the American system, with English as the medium of instruction. Schools are classified into public (government) or private (non-government).
The general pattern of formal education follows five stages:
- Pre-primary level - nursery and kindergarten offered in most private schools;
- Primary level - six years of basic education;
- Secondary level - four years of high school education;
- College level - usually takes four, sometimes five and in some cases as in medical and law schools, as long as eight years; and,
- Graduate level - additional two or more years of schooling.
The Philippines annually spends 2.5% of its GDP for education. As of 2003, the country has an average literacy rate of 93.4%. In 2008, there are 42,152 elementary schools, 8,455 high schools, and a few thousand colleges and universities registered all over the country.
Classes in Philippine schools start in June and end in March. Majority of colleges and universities follow the semestral calendar from June-October and November-March. There are a number of foreign schools with study programs similar to those of the mother country.
Education in the Philippines has undergone several stages of development from the colonial period to the present. In meeting the needs of the society, education serves as focus of priorities of the leadership at certain epochs.
At present, the Philippines adopts a trifocal education system as mandated by country's existing laws. The Department of Education (DepEd)former (DECS) covers elementary, secondary and nonformal education. The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) administers the post-secondary, middle-level manpower training and development while the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) supervises the college as well as graduate academic programs and degrees as well as regulate standards in higher education.
Infrastructure
Transportation
In spite of the difficult mountainous terrain, approximately 14 percent of the 158,810 km (98,110 mi) of roads in the Philippines are paved. Buses, jeepneys, taxis and motorcycles are readily available when getting around the major cities and towns. As of 2007, there are about 5.53 million registered motor vehicles in the country, and an average annual registration rate of 4.55%.
Train service is provided by the Strong Republic Transit System, which unified the three main railway networks that service the different areas of Metro Manila and parts of Luzon namely, Manila Light Rail Transit System (LRT), the Manila Metro Rail Transit System (MRT) and the Philippine National Railways (PNR).
Seaports can be found throughout the islands. The busiest seaports are Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Davao, Cagayan de Oro and Zamboanga, which are parts of the 3,219 km of waterways and seaports. Inter-island passenger ships and other sea vessels such as Superferry, Negros Navigation, and Sulpicio Lines serves Manila, with links to various cities and towns. In 2003, the 919-kilometer Strong Republic Nautical Highway (SRNH) was established, and this is an integrated set of highway segments and ferry routes covering 17 cities all over the country.
Navigable rivers, such as the Pasig River and Marikina River, have air-conditioned commuter ferries run by the Pasig River Ferry Service, connecting their numerous tributaries in Manila, Makati City, Mandaluyong City, Pasig City, and Marikina City.
There are 262 airports in the Philippines, 75 of which have unpaved runways. The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is the main airport of the country. Other important airports include the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport, Mactan-Cebu International Airport, and Francisco Bangoy International Airport. The Philippine Airlines, Asia's first commercial airline, and Cebu Pacific, the Philippine's leading domestic airline, are the major airlines serving most domestic and international destinations.
Communications
The Philippines has one of the most sophisticated cellphone markets in the world and one of the highest concentration of users. The telecommunications company is dominated by the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company, which is also the largest company in the country. Globe Telecom and Smart Communications, on the other hand, are the two of its biggest mobile service providers.
There is an estimated 41 million cellphone users nationwide, the reason that the Philippines has been dubbed as the "Texting Capital of the World", and the ownership rate is still climbing. Text messaging have fostered a culture of quick greetings and forwarded jokes among the Filipinos. Out of these growing number of avid texters, 5.5 million of them use their cellphones as virtual wallets, making the Philippines a leader among developing nations in providing financial transactions over mobile networks. In 2007, Filipinos sent an average of 1 billion SMS per day.
Usage of radio, television, and Internet in the Philippines is prevalent. As of 2007, there are approximately 381 AM and 628 FM stations, and 250 local and 1,501 cable TV stations broadcasting throughout the islands. The country has 14 million Internet users, or roughly 16% of the total population, being served by almost 100 Internet providers.
Culture
Philippine culture is a fusion of pre-Hispanic Austronesian (Malayo Polynesian) civilizations mixed with Spanish-Mexican, and American. It has also received a minority of cultural influences from other cultures of Asia, including Islamic, Chinese and Indian.
The Hispanic influences in Philippine culture are derived from the culture of Spain and Mexico. These Hispanic influences are most evident in literature, folk music, folk dance, language, food, art, and religion.
Spanish settlers introduced Iberian-Mexican customs, traditions, and cuisines. Philippine cuisine is a mixture of Eastern, and Western dishes.
Philippine tradition exhibits festivities known as Barrio fiestas (district festivals) to commemorate their patron saints. One of the most visible Hispanic legacies is the prevalence of Spanish surnames, and names among Filipinos. This peculiarity, unique among the people of Asia, came as a result of a colonial decree, the Clavería edict, for the systematic distribution of family names, and implementation of the Spanish naming system on the inhabitants of the Philippine Islands. A Spanish name, and surname among the majority of Filipinos does not always denote Spanish ancestry.
The majority of street names, towns, and provinces are in Spanish. Spanish architecture made a significant imprint in the Philippine Islands. This can be seen in the country's churches, government buildings, and universities. Many Hispanic houses, and buildings are preserved, like the towns in Vigan, and among others. The kalesas, horse-driven carriages, were a mode of transportation during the Spanish period. They are still being used today.
The use of English language in the Philippines is contemporaneous, and is the United States' visible legacy. There is also an influence of American Pop cultural trends, such as the love of fast-food, and films. Many street corners exhibits fast-food outlets. Aside from the American commercial industries such as California Pizza Kitchen, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Burger King, KFC, Starbucks, TGI Fridays, and Shakey's Pizza, local fast-food chains have emerged, including Goldilocks, Jollibee, Greenwich Pizza (acquired by Jollibee in 1994), and Chowking (acquired by Jollibee in 2000). Modern day Filipinos also listen, and watch contemporary European, and American music, and film. However, Original Pilipino Music (also known as OPM), and Philippine films are also appreciated.
Media
Philippine media is primarily based on Filipino (a de facto standard version of Tagalog) and English (particularly in cable television). Other Philippine languages, including various Visayan languages, are also used in the media. Radio is currently the most accessible type of media due to the remoteness of certain rural locations, and most Philippine languages are broadcasted in this format.
The show business industry is vibrant with scandals and issues among Philippine celebrities acting as the staple of headlines in broadsheets and tabloids. Drama, and fantasy shows are anticipated in major television networks such as GMA Network, ABS-CBN, and TV5, so are Latin telenovelas, Korean dramas, and anime. Daytime television is dominated by game shows, variety shows, and talk shows such as Eat Bulaga, and Game KNB?. Philippine cinema, is also appreciated, but have faced competition from American and European films. Despite this, critically praised directors and actors remain active, including Mike de Leon, Lino Brocka, Judy Ann Santos, Vilma Santos, and Nora Aunor (notable for her role in Himala, the most critically acclaimed film in the Philippine Entertainment industry).
The Internet has gained popularity in recent years including Social networking, and MMORPGs, which are the most frequent internet activities and has lead a local-based company "Level Up! Games" to emerge in the industry and already has branches in India and Brazil. The Indonesian channels including RCTI, TPI and Trans TV is also received in Phillipines.
Sports and recreation
Various sports are enjoyed in the Philippines, including boxing, basketball, volleyball, badminton, billiards, football (soccer), ten-pin bowling, sipa and among others.
Amidst changing period, and even with the advent of new types of sports and recreation, traditional games remains popular among the youth during town festivals, especially in the rural areas. Palosebo, an exciting game wherein participants race to get a flaglet from a tall bamboo post with oil spread all over. Native sports such as, Sipa and arnis de mano, on the other hand, have experienced a steady decline in popularity over the past decades, while jai alai has been banned for many years.
Despite challenges facing it, traditional sports still enjoy relative popularity, primarily as children's games, such as luksung baka, patintero, piko, and tumbang preso. Sungka, while not as popular as it once was, is still viewed as a significant part of the traditional native Filipino games. Native card games are popular during festivities and among the poor, with some, including Pusoy and Tong-its, being used as a form of illegal gambling. Majhong is played in some Filipino communities.
Basketball is played at both amateur and professional levels, and is considered to be the most popular spectator sport in the Philippines. In almost every corner of the Philippines, there is a basketball court as it is the favourite recreational activity by Filipino men.
Basketball, boxing, billiards, football (soccer), horse racing, chess and ten-pin bowling are the most watched individual sports. These types of sports have produced several notable sports heroes, such as Flash Elorde and Manny Pacquiao in boxing, Paulino Alcántara in football (soccer), Efren Reyes in billiards, Eugene Torre in chess, and Rafael Nepomuceno in bowling. Motocross, figure skating, cycling, and mountaineering have recently grown popular among a considerable number or various class of people.
See also
External links
Government
- - Portal to governmental sites
- [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/world-leaders-1/world-leaders-p/philippines.html Chief of State and Cabinet Members]
General information
Maps
Other
Wikimedia
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