Philippines
The Republic of the Philippines (Filipino: Republika ng Pilipinas), or the Philippines (Filipino: Pilipinas), also known as "the Pearl of the Orient Seas", is a nation located in southeast Asia. It lies 1,210 km (750 mi) away from mainland Asia and consists of 7,107 islands that form in physical geography a part of the Malay Archipelago.
History
Prehistory
Human fossil records indicate that the Philippines may have 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. Later, migrants who spoke Austronesian languages came to the archipelago from southern China via Taiwan.
Asian interaction, Buddhist Kingdoms
Chinese merchants arrived in the 8th century. The rise of powerful Buddhist kingdoms precipitated trade with the Indonesian archipelago, India, Japan and Southeast Asia. Factional fighting among the kingdoms of Southeast Asia weakened their strength and thus, making it easy for foreign influences to take root.
In the meantime, the spread of Islam through commerce and proselytism brought traders and missionaries into the region, much like Christianity was spread; Arabs set foot in Mindanao in the 14th century. When the first Europeans arrived, led by Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, there were rajahs as far north as Manila, who historically were tributaries of the kingdoms of Southeast Asia, specifically, the Sri Vishayan Empire. However, the islands were essentially self-sufficient and self-ruling.
The Spanish Conquest and Colonization
Portuguese and Spanish explorers first set foot in the archipelago in 1521, led by Ferdinand Magellan. 44 years later on April 27, 1565, the Spanish conquistador, Miguel López de Legazpi and his men of 400 armed soldiers came to Cebu and established the first Spanish settlement on the islands.
The arrival of the Spaniards and the defeat of Rajah Suliman in Manila marked the beginning of the 333 year-long colonial period of the Philippines. Augustinian and Franciscan friars marched with Spanish soldiers of fortunes, from island to island establishing forts, searching for golds, spices and preaching Christianity.
Roman Catholicism was immediately introduced and eventually was adopted by the majority of the population, through missionary work, as well as the Laws of the Indies promulgated by King Philip II of Spain. Some resistance came from tribal groups in the highlands of north Luzon and the Muslim belligerents in the southern islands of Mindanao, a trend that rages on today. Sporadic rebellions and violence erupted in the coastal populations throughout the next three centuries in response to colonial abuses and lack of reforms. The new territory was ruled from New Spain-(Mexico), and a burgeoning Manila Galleon or Manila-Acapulco galleon trade began in the late 16th century.
Origin of the name Philippines
Ruy López de Villalobos named the islands of Samar or Leyte (it is not certain which) Las Islas Filipinas after King Philip II of Spain during his failed expedition in 1543. The archipelago was known under various names such as New Castille (Nueva Castilla), Western Islands (Islas del Poniente), the Manilas, the St. Lazarus Islands (Islas de San Lázaro), and others. Ultimately, Filipinas came to refer to the entire archipelago.
Spanish challenges
During the colonial period, the natives did not think of themselves as Filipinos. Instead they were referred to as either Indio (lit. Indian; in Spanish synonymous with "indigenous") or the name of their respective ethnolinguistic group. Spanish rule was harsh and this led to several native revolts demanding equal rights. The military and the government quelled uprisings from one region with natives from another, using the Roman military strategy Divide et impera. During the revolt led by Diego Silang, for instance, natives from Macabebe and Pampanga were used as soldiers against the rebellion in Ilocos.
Serious challenges to Spanish rule began in 1761, when Spain involved herself in the Seven Years War (1756-1763) declaring war on Great Britain. In 1762, colonial forces of the British East India Company captured Manila after a fierce struggle. In accordance with the 1763 Treaty of Paris ending the war that had pitted Britain against Spain and France, the Philippines was returned to Spain. Defeat from the hands of British, however, inspired resistance from Filipino rebels such as Diego Silang, who in 1762 expelled the Spanish from the coastal city of Vigan.
The Spanish, tied down by fighting the British and the rebels during the Seven Years War, were unable to control the raids of the Moros of the south on the Christian communities of the Visayan Islands and Luzon. Thousands of Christian Filipinos were captured as slaves, and Moro raids continued to be a serious problem through the remainder of the century.
The ethnic Chinese community, resentful of Spanish discrimination, for the most part enthusiastically supported the British, providing them with laborers and armed men who fought de Anda in Pampanga.
Rizal, the Propaganda Movement, and the Revolution
The islands' economy began to open 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 ethnic Chinese mestizo community, signaled the end of complete domination by the Spanish. 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, found guilty by the court and executed in 1896 for acts of rebellion, conspiracy and treason for establishing the Propaganda Movement and suspicions of being involved with the illegal, Katipunan Revolutionary Organisation. After his death, the Philippine Revolution broke out, pioneered by the KKK (Kataastaasan at Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan) or 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.
U.S. Intervention
After the Spanish-American War in 1898, Spain ceded the Philippines, Cuba, Guam, and Puerto Rico to the United States for US $20 million through the 1898 Treaty of Paris. On June 12, 1898, the Filipinos, led by Emilio Aguinaldo, declared independence from Spain. This led to rebel wars and revolution during the Philippine-American War which officially ended in 1901, though sporadic fighting continued until 1913. The Phillipines became a U.S. territory with little self-government until 1935, when its status was upgraded to that of a U.S. Commonwealth. During the Commonwealth years, Philippines sent a non-voting Delegate to the United States House of Representatives, as the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands currently do. De jure independence for the Philippines 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 and civil unrest during the unpopular dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, ousted in 1986. There is a continuing problem of communist insurgency and Muslim separatism.
Politics and foreign relations
National government
The government of the Philippines is loosely patterned after the U.S. government. It is organized as a representative 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 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 active member of the United Nations since its (UN's) inception on October 24, 1945. It is also a founding and prominent member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and an active player in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and a member of the Group of 24as well. The Philippines is a major non-NATO ally of the United States.
The Philippines is currently in a dispute with the Republic of China (Taiwan), the People's Republic of 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 after 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 still receives "rental" payments for Sabah from the Malaysian Government.
See also: Foreign relations of the Philippines, President of the Philippines, Constitution of the Philippines
Regions and provinces
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 ²
- MIMAROPA (Region IV-B) ¹ ²
- 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)
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.
See also: Provinces of the Philippines, Major Roads of the Philippines
Geography
The Philippines constitutes an archipelago of 7,107 islands with a total land area of approximately 300,000 km². It lies between 116° 40' and 126° 34' E. longitude, 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.
The islands are commonly divided into three major 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 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 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.
Lying on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activities.
See also: Ecoregions of the Philippines
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. Heavy debt (public debt at 77% of GDP), is hampering efforts to improve the economic situation. Budget allocation for servicing of debt is higher than the budget for the Department of Education and for the military combined.
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, and a more accountable administration and consistent government policies.
Demographics
According to Philippine government statistics and current census data, some 95.5% of the population belong to the groups that speak Austronesian languages. Their descendants form the bulk of the Philippine population (95.5%) today. There are twelve major native groups descended from the Austronesian-speaking immigrants. The largest and most prominent of these groups are the Tagalog (24%), Cebuanos (24%) and Ilokanos (11%), with the Hiligaynons (Ilonggos), Bikolanos, Waray-Warays, Kapampangans, Pangasinans, Kinaray-as, Maranaos, Maguindanaos, and Tausugs. The groups which are descendants of Nesiots are the Igorots, Gaddangs, and most tribal people in Mindanao loosely called 'lumads'. The Ivatan people of Batanes were assumed to have descended from aboriginal Formosans, their language being the only one totally different from that of the archipelago.
Aetas, whose presence pre-dates all other groups, are considered to be the aborigines of the archipelago. The number around 40,000 at present and are said to be descendants of Negritos and Australoid-Sakais.
The most significant non-native minority are the ethnic Chinese (1.5%), who have played an important role in commerce since the 9th century when they first arrived in the Philippines for trade. The various types of Filipino mestizos, those of mixed ancestry, form a tiny (2%) but economically and politically important minority.
There are also influential expatriate communities; including Spaniards, Italians, Poles, and other Europeans, Mexicans and other Latin Americans, North Americans, Japanese, Koreans, Indians and Pakistanis (Punjabi and Sindhi), Arabs and Vietnamese.
Because of the vast number of native ethnolinguistic groups, the Philippines is said to be one of the most ethnically diverse countries in Asia. While in recent decades the government has worked to make the country more culturally homogenous, this is made difficult by the linguistic diversity of its inhabitants. Furthermore, despite the Filipino language being made the official language of the country, it is still primarily based on Tagalog and thus natively spoken by only (24%) of the population.
In the 100 years since the 1903 Census of the Philippines, the population has grown by a factor of eleven. The country suffers from overpopulation due to having a high birth rate, which is far above the replacement rate. The government and the Catholic church have clashed over the issue of different methods for population control - artificial (contraceptives, sterilization, etc.) versus natural methods (abstinence and spacing) respectively.
The people of the Philippines are collectively 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.
Colloquially, Filipinos may refer to themselves as Pinoy (feminine: Pinay); which is formed by taking the last four letters of Pilipino and adding the diminutive suffix -y. The word was coined by expatriate Filipino Americans during the 1920's and was later adopted by Filipinos in the Philippines. Another term for Filipinos includes Flip. This latter also has its origins in the 1920's, however, some Filipinos may consider it offensive due to its perceived derogatory connotations and murky origins.
Languages
More than 170 languages are spoken in the Philippines and almost all of them belong to the Western Malayo-Polynesian language group of the Austronesian language family. The official languages are Filipino (largely based on Tagalog) and American English.
Other native languages with great significance, include: Cebuano, Ilocano, Waray-Waray, Hiligaynon, Bikol, Kapampagan, Pangasinan, Kinaray-a, Maranao, Maguinadanao, Tausug, and Chabacano.
Foreign languages spoken include Spanish among the Spanish and Spanish- Filipino communities, Chinese (Min Nan (Hokkien), Cantonese, and Mandarin) among members of the Chinese and Chinese-Filipino communities, and Malay, Arabic, Hindi among some members of the Muslim and Hindu population.
See also: Spanish in the Philippines
Culture
Much like its history, the culture of the Philippines is a mixture of eastern and western traditions. Its foundation is based primarily on the Pre-Hispanic, native cultures of the various Austronesian-speaking ethnic groups, mixed with many foreign influences; from Spanish, Mexican and Chinese to Islamic, Hindu and Anglo-Saxon.
For reasons embedded in its long and complex colonial history, spanning over three centuries as a colony of Spain and Mexico, the culture of the Philippines is greatly indebted to, and directed towards, Hispanic customs and traditions. Intermingling with other foreign cultures in the last 107 years, including the United States of America and neighbouring Asian countries have changed the cultural settings and character of most people. More recent contributions that have changed the mentality and practices among most urban Filipinos are the result of pop culture from the USA, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and China.
The highland Negrito Filipinos, those living in the mountains of Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao and other remote jungles; have retained the ancient beliefs of their ancestors and isolate themselves from modern day society. They have produced a culture different from other Filipinos. Their way of life is seen as the true indigenous culture of the Philippine archipelago.
In terms of nationalistic organization, politics and government, the Philippines' character more closely resembles the countries of Latin America than its Asian neighbours. There have been at least ten attempted coup d'état in the past ten years, of which two have been successful. The Roman Catholic Church plays a significant role on both the population and government.
See also:
Literature
The arrival of the Spaniards in 1565 brought Spanish culture and language. The Spanish conquerors established a strict class system that was based on race and soon imposed Roman Catholicism on the native population. Augustinian and Franciscan missionaries, accompanied by Spanish soldiers soon spread Christianity from island to island. Their mission was made easier by the forced relocation of indigenous peoples during this time, as the uprooted natives turned to the foreign, structured religion as the new center of their lives. The priests and friars preached in local languages and employed indigenous peoples as translators, creating a bilingual class known as ladinos. The natives, called 'indios,' generally were not taught Spanish, but the bilinguale individuals, notably poet-translator Gaspar Aquino de Belen, produced devotional poetry written in the Roman script in the Tagalog language. Pasyon is a narrative of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ begun by Gaspar Aquino de Belen, which has circulated in many versions. Later, the Spanish ballads of chivalry, the corrido, provided a model for secular literature. Verse narratives, or komedya, were performed in the regional languages for the illiterate majority. They were also written in the Roman alphabet in the principal languages and widely circulated.
In addition, the classical literature (José Rizal, Pedro Paterno) and historical documents (national anthem, Constitución Política de Malolos), were written in Spanish, which is no longer an official language. The Philippine writers, including Claro M. Recto continued writing in Spanish until 1946.
The Philippines has many national heroes. Considered the first to repel western aggression was Lapu-Lapu of Mactan Island, who killed Ferdinand Magellan. Dr. José Rizal (born June 19, 1861, in the town of Calamba, Laguna), "Pride of the Filipino People," considered to be one of the country's foremost national hero, mastered 22 languages including Catalan, Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Latin, Malay, Sanskrit, Spanish, Tagalog, and other native languages; he was an architect, artist, educator, economist, ethnologist, scientific farmer, historian, inventor, journalist, linguist, musician, mythologist, nationalist, naturalist, novelist, ophthalmic surgeon, poet, propagandist, sculptor and sociologist. The first Asian Secretary-General for the United Nations General Assembly was a Filipino - Carlos Pena Romulo. One of boxing greats, Flash Elorde was also a Filipino. In more recent times, the Philippines has produced major sports heroes, such as five-time bowling World Champion Paeng Nepumoceno, Manuel Pacquiao of boxing fame, billiards multi-champion, Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante.
Landmarks
Cultural and historic landmarks of the Philippines include Intramuros (the old walled city in Manila, which was destroyed in World War II and rebuilt after the war), Fort Santiago, Fort San Pedro, Magellan's Cross (the Baroque Churches in the Philippines), town of Las Piñas (houses the largest church bamboo organ) and the historic towns of Vigan, Cavite, Colon and Baleria . Other World Heritage Sites are the Banaue Rice Terraces, Tubbataha Reef, and the Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park. Boracay Island, Chocolate Hills, El Nido, Hundred Islands National Park, , Mayon Volcano, Maria Christina Falls, Mount Apo, Puerto Galera, , Pagsanjan Falls, San Juanico Bridge, Taal Volcano and Huluga Caves are some of the other sites that are frequented by tourists. Bataan and Corregidor also have historic significance, being the last bastion of the U.S. troops in Asia. Bataan is particularly known for the infamous Death March.
See also
- Communications in the Philippines
- Holidays in the Philippines
- List of Philippine companies
- List of Philippine-related topics
- Military of the Philippines
- Military history of the Philippines
- Transportation in the Philippines
Associations
The Philippines is a member of the following associations:
- Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
- Asian Development Bank
- Association of Southeast Asian Nations
- Latin Union
- Non-Aligned Movement
- United Nations (founding member)
See also:
External links
Government websites
- Official website of the Philippine Government - Gateway to governmental sites
- Office of the President
- Senate of the Philippines
- House of the Representatives
- Supreme Court
- CIA World Factbook - Philippines
- Department of Foreign Affairs
- Department of Tourism
News websites
- ABS-CBN News
- GMA7 News and Public Affairs
- Malaya
- The Manila Bulletin Online
- The Manila Times Online
- Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
- Philippine Daily Inquirer and GMA News
- Philippine News Briefs
- The Philippine Star
- Philippines News
- Bulatlat
- Manila Standard
- Mindanao Times
- Daily Tribune
- Cyber Dyaryo
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