Philippines
Republika ng Pilipinas Republic of the Philippines | |
|---|---|
| Motto: Maka-Diyos, Makatao, Makakalikasan, at Makabansa (Filipino: For God, People, Nature, and Country) | |
| Anthem: Lupang Hinirang (Chosen Land) | |
 | |
| Capital | Manila |
| Largest city | Quezon City |
| Official languages | Filipino and English* |
| Government | Unitary-presidential |
| Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo | |
| Noli de Castro | |
| Independence | |
• Declared | June 12, 1898 |
• Recognized | July 4, 1946 |
| March 25, 1986 | |
• Water (%) | 0.6% |
| Population | |
• July 2005 estimate | 83,054,000 (13th) |
• 2000 census | 76,504,077 |
| GDP (PPP) | 2005 estimate |
• Total | $453 billion (25th) |
• Per capita | $4,923 (102nd) |
| HDI (2003) | 0.758 high (84th) |
| Currency | Philippine peso (piso) (PHP) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
• Summer (DST) | not in use |
| Calling code | 63 |
| ISO 3166 code | PH |
| Internet TLD | .ph |
*Cebuano, Ilokano, Hiligaynon, Bikol, Waray-Waray, Kapampangan, Pangasinan, Kinaray-a, Maranao, Maguindanao, Tagalog, Tausug are the auxiliary official languages in their respective regions. Spanish and Arabic are promoted on an optional and voluntary basis. | |
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 "Las Islas 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.
On July 4, 1946, the Philippines became an independent democratic republic. President Ferdinand Marcos imposed martial law in 1972. The People Power Revolution in 1986 toppled the Marcos regime and restored the Philippines democratic institutions.
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.
History
Prior to the arrival of the Spanish
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. Tamil traders from India and Chinese merchants arrived in the 8th century.
Spanish rule
Ferdinand Magellan reached the Philippines through the Pacific Ocean on March 18, 1521, but he was killed in the Battle of Mactan. Despite resistance from the local inhabitants, the first Spanish settlement was established in 1565, paving the way for Spanish colonial rule that lasted about 300 years.
Roman Catholic missionaries arrived with the Spanish conquistadors. Roman Catholicism replaced most of the indigenous religions and is now adopted by the majority. Sporadic rebellions occurred from tribal groups throughout the archipelago against Spanish occupation. The Manila Galleon trade from Manila to Acapulco trade began in the late 16th century. Spanish rule on the Philippines was briefly interrupted in 1762, when British troops occupied Manila during the Seven Years' War, and sparked rebellions and demands for independence.
Developments in and out of the country helped to bring new ideas to the Philippines. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 cut travel time to Spain. This prompted the rise of the ilustrados, the enlightened Filipino upper class, since some young Filipinos were able to study in Europe.
Philippine Revolution
Enlightened by the injustices of the Spanish colonial government and the domination of the government by friars, Filipinos originally clamored for adequate representation to the Spanish Cortes.
On July 3, 1892, José Rizal, an intellectual and radical illustrado, founded the La Liga Filipina, an organization that called for peaceful reforms. Unfortunately, the organization was unsuccessful and did not receive enough support.
On July 7, 1892, after José Rizal was arrested, a founding member of La Liga Filipina named Andrés Bonifacio founded the Katipunan, ("Kataas-taasang Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga anak ng Inang Bayan"). The Katipunan, which advocated for revolution and for the complete independence of the Philippines, established a national revolutionary government with Bonifacio later elected as its Supremo (leader).
On August 26, 1896, Andrés Bonifacio declared rebellion against Spanish rule, also known as the Cry of Balintawak, and called for an immediate armed struggle. This eventually spread throughout the islands. The revolution was the cause of Rizal's execution on December 30, 1896.
During the revolution, the Katipuneros started to become disillusioned with Bonifacio and began to challenge his authority. In the province of Cavite, two local factions of the Katipunan established separate provincial governments. The Magdiwang faction recognized Bonifacio's authority while the Magdalo faction recognized the leadership of revolutionary general Emilio Aguinaldo. After failing to oust Bonifacio from leadership of the Katipunan, the Magdalo faction established a Cavite-led revolutionary government with Aguinaldo as President. This served as an alternative to the Bonifacio-led Katipunan. The power struggle continued until the execution of Bonifacio and on May 10, 1897.
The power struggle within the revolutionary movement and the execution of Bonifacio resulted in the collapse of the Katipunan. Withdrawal of support of Aguinaldo weakened his leadership of the revolution. The Spanish forces captured the province of Cavite and Aguinaldo was forced to retreat. On May 17, a few days after the death of Bonifacio, the Spanish Governor General Primo de Rivera proclaimed the revolution was over. On December 15, Aguinaldo agreed to a truce with the Spanish forces and signed the Pact of Biak na Bato. Aguinaldo accepted 400,000 pesos from Spain and agreed to leave for exile to Hong Kong. However, other revolutionary leaders did not recognize Aguinaldo's authority and continued the war for independence.
American occupation
The Spanish-American War began in 1898 after the United States battleship USS Maine was destroyed by an explosion and sunk in the Havana harbor in Cuba, one of Spain's colonies. After Commodore George Dewey defeated the Spanish squadron at Manila, Aguinaldo was invited and returned to the Philippines on May 19, 1898, in the hope he would rally Filipinos against the Spanish colonial government. Five days later he proclaimed himself president. On June 12, 1898 Aguinaldo declared the independence of the Philippines in Kawit, Cavite.
Since Spain and the U.S. ignored the Filipino representative, Felipe Agoncillo, during their negotiations in Paris, the Battle for Manila between Spain and the U.S. was perceived by some to be an attempt to exclude the Filipinos from the occupation of Manila, and eventually, the rest of the Philippines. [citation needed]
Under the Treaty of Paris, Spain ceded the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico to the United States; the United States paid Spain the sum of $20,000,000 and the civil and political status of the ceded territories were to be determined by the U.S. Congress. The first Philippine Republic rebelled against the U.S. occupation, which effectively terminated its independence. This resulted in the Philippine-American War, which began in 1899. The war ended when Aguinaldo was captured by American troops on March 23, 1901.
By 1913, most Filipino soldiers surrendered to the United States and the islands slowly came under overall American control and were organized as a United States territory. The Philippines was ruled by American governor-generals, supported by the Philippine Assembly, which was composed of both Americans and Filipinos. After several expeditions by Sergio Osmeña, Manuel L. Quezon and Manuel Roxas to the American Congress, the country's status was upgraded to that of an American Commonwealth in 1935. Later, plans were made to grant the islands independence in the next decade. Independence for the Philippines was finally granted on July 4, 1946, even after Japan invaded and occupied the islands during World War II, causing some to call for a delay in the granting of independence, which call was nonetheless discounted by a majority of American and Filipino politicians alike.
Third Republic
Since 1946, the Philippines has faced some economic and political instability. The Hukbalahaps (Filipino: Hukbong ng Bayan Laban sa mga Hapon or People's Army Against the Japanese), guerillas who fought against the Japanese during World War II, became a security concern to the new Philippine government and the United States for their communist ideology. The Hukbalahap guerillas demanded recognition as World War II freedom fighters and a share in war reparations. They won the support of many peasants with promises of land reform, and even participated in democratic elections after the war. They clandestinely organized and mounted anti-government campaigns of sedition and open hostilities against government forces, and conducted terrorist activities, including kidnappings, massacres, assassinations, rapes and extortion. [citation needed] They threatened the countryside, and subsequently the capital, Quezon City, and Manila in the 1950s. The government's counterinsurgency campaign eventually forced Huk Supremo (leader) Luis Taruc to surrender to the young reporter Benigno Aquino, Jr., who was later elected Senator, and Secretary of Defense Ramón Magsaysay, who then became President.
Marcos dictatorship
The late 1960s and early 1970s saw the rise of student activism, nationalistic demonstrations, and protests against the Vietnam War and American imperialism. By this time, Ferdinand Marcos was elected president, defeating the incumbent Diosdado Macapagal. This period was marred by civil unrest and exposés on corruption. On March 29, 1969, the Communist Party of the Philippines led by José Maria Sison formed the New People's Army, which has been waging a guerrilla war against the government.
On December 30 of that year, Marcos was inaugurated as president. Disbarred by seeking a third term, Marcos held a constitutional convention drafted a new constitution to replace the American-approved 1935 Commonwealth constitution. On September 21, 1972, President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law. With martial law, President Ferdinand Marcos ruled by decree and extended both his power and tenure by extralegal means. His authoritarian rule became marred with unmitigated, pervasive corruption, cronyism and despotism. On 1981, martial law was lifted, but Marcos remained as president.
Opposition leader Benigno Aquino, Jr. was assasinated on August 21, 1983 upon returning from exile. In January 1986, Marcos declared a snap election. After large protests including a widespread standoff between protestors and the military as well as the resignations of prominent cabinet officials, Corazon Aquino, assumed the reins of government. Marcos, his family, and along with some of his allies were exiled to Hawaii.
Post-Marcos era
With the end of the Marcos dictatorship, a new constitution was adopted in 1987. The return of democracy and governmental reforms in the post-Marcos era, however, were hampered by a massive national debt, government corruption, coup attempts, a communist insurgency and Muslim separatist movements. Nevertheless, freedom as well as the quality of life continues to improve.
The economy improved during the administration of Fidel V. Ramos, with the stock indices reaching record highs, and a relatively stable exchange rate. However, the economic improvements were negated at the onset of the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the El Niño weather phenomenon.
Government corruption and cronyism led to the People Power Revolution of 2001 and the downfall of Joseph Estrada's presidency. The current administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has been hounded by allegations of corruption and election rigging.
Politics and government
| Flag | National Flag (Pambansang Watawat) |
| Anthem | Lupang Hinirang |
| Patriotic Song | Pilipinas Kong Mahal |
| Gem | South Sea pearls |
| Dance | Cariñosa (formerly Tinikling) |
| Animal | Carabao / Tamaraw |
| Bird | Philippine Eagle (formerly the Tree Sparrow or Maya) |
| Fish | Milkfish (Bangus) |
| Flower | Arabian Jasmine (Sampaguita) |
| Tree | Angsana (Narra) |
| Leaf | Fan palm (Anahaw) |
| Fruit | Mango |
| Sport | Sipa |
| Costume | Barong and Baro't saya |
| Hero | José P. Rizal |
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.
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
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.
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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[1] 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
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.
Economy
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 US 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.
Demographics
The Philippines is the world's 13th most populous country, with a population of over 85 million as of 2005[2]. Roughly two-thirds reside on the island of Luzon. Manila, the capital, is the eleventh most populous metropolitan area in the world. The education system is efficient and based on the US curriculum. The literacy rate is 95.9%, one of the highest in Asia, and about equal for males and females. 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.
The three largest foreign minorities are the ethnic Chinese, the Americans, and the South Asians. The Philippines is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in Asia.
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 had declined, due to only a small proportion of the population speaks it.
The Min Nan Chinese dialect is widely spoken by the country's Chinese minority.
Religion
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 Old-Catholic 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.
The Roman Catholic Church exerts considerable influence in national affairs, despite a constitutional provision for the separation of church and state. The Philippines currently has three cardinals. The late Jaime Cardinal Sin was an active participant in People Power I and People Power II. The most famous cathedral is the huge Manila Cathedral.
Among the numerous Protestant and other Christian denominations are 14 Calvary Chapel churches, Seventh-day Adventists, the Church of Christ, the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, United Methodist, the Episcopal Church in the Philippines, Assemblies of God, the United Pentecostal Church International, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Jehovah's Witnesses, and Philippine (American or Southern Affiliated) Baptist denominations.
In addition, there are two churches established by Filipinos: the Philippine Independent Church (Iglesia Filipina Independiente) or "Aglipayan" and the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ). An undetermined number of indigenous peoples are syncretic, mixing elements of animism with Christian beliefs and practices.
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.
Culture
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.
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. Andrés Bonifacio founded the pro-independence Katipunan movement, which sparked the revolution that ended Spanish rule. Ninoy Aquino, the charimatic leader against the Marcos dictatorship, is a highly revered martyr of the People Power revolution.
See also
References
- ^ 2006 State of the Nation Address of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo : Philippines : Gov.Ph : – State of the Nation Address of President Arroyo
- ^ National Statistics Office — Population Projections
- PSE: Philippine Stock Exchange. URL accessed March 29th, 2006.
External links
Definitions from Wiktionary
Media from Commons
News from Wikinews
Quotations from Wikiquote
Texts from Wikisource
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Resources from Wikiversity
Maps
- Official
- Official website of the Philippine Government - Gateway to governmental sites
- Other
- Template:Wikitravel
- Philippines, an external wiki
- BBC Country Profile on the Philippines
- U.S. Country Studies: Philippines
- Origins of the Filipinos and Their Languages by Wilhelm G. Solheim II (PDF)
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