Language: Filipino, English
Currency: Peso (PHP)
Calling Code: +63
The Philippines - officially the Republic of the
Philippines - is an island country located in Southeast Asia, on the
Pacific Ocean. Its capital is Manila, to the north it is separated
from the island of Taiwan by the Luzon Strait; to the west lies the
South China Sea and Vietnam; to the southwest, the island of Borneo,
to the south the Celebes Sea separates it from other islands of
Indonesia and to the east it borders the Philippine Sea. Its
location in the Pacific fire belt and its tropical climate make it a
place prone to earthquakes and typhoons. The country is rich in
natural resources and is located in one of the most biodiverse areas
of the world.The archipelago consists of 7107 islands, which are
classified geographically into three groups: the island of Luzon,
the group of the Visayas and the Island of Mindanao.
The Philippines has an estimated population of 102 million people,
the Philippines is the 12th most populous country in the world,
without considering the 11 million Filipinos who live abroad. Several
ethnic groups and cultures coexist along their islands. Cataloged as
a newly industrialized country, its economy continues its steady
growth since its independence.The economic reforms implemented at
the beginning of the 21st century made the services sector displace
agriculture as the main economic activity, and now this contributes
more than half of GDP, but still faces several challenges in
infrastructure: the lack of development in the tourism sector,
education, health care and human development.
Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary is a nature reserve in Philippines that protects marshlands around upper basin of a Agusan river.
Angono Petroglyphs are remains of the human art in the Kabayan municipality of the Benguet province.
Apo Reef is a magnificent marine biosphere community of the coast of Philippines that covers 34 sq km. It is one of the most famous diving sites.
Spectacular Banaue Rice Terraces in Ifugao Province of Philippines is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Chocolate Hills in Bohol in are unusual geologic formations that consist of cone like hills covered by tropical jungles of Philippines.
Kabayan Mummies or Fire Mummies are located in the Benguet district of Philipines.
Tubbataha Reef in Sulu Sea near Philipines is famous diving site with diverse marine ecosystem.
The Philippines was named after King Philip II of Spain
(1527–1598). The Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos,
during his expedition in 1542, named the island "Philippines
Leyte and Samar" (Spanish: Leyte and Samar Felipinas) in honor
of the then Prince of Asturias. In the following, the name
"Philippines" is used to name the entire archipelago. Prior to
that, they were called the "Western Islands" (Spanish Islas del
Poniente) or the name that Magellan gave them - "San Lazaro".
The name of the archipelago has changed several times over
the course of history. During the revolution in the Philippines,
Congress proclaimed the territory the "Republic of the
Philippines" ("República Filipina" or "Philippine Republic").
From the American victory in the Philippine-American War
(1899-1902) until independence, the territory was called the
"Philippine Islands". Since the Treaty of Paris in 1898, the
archipelago has been called the "Philippines". Since the end of
World War II, the official name of the archipelago has been the
Republic of the Philippines.
Geographical position
The Philippines occupies the Philippine
Islands, which are part of the Malay Archipelago. The largest of
more than 7100 islands belonging to the Philippines: Luzon,
Mindanao, Samar, Panay, Palawan, Negros, Mindoro, Leyte, Bohol,
Cebu. The length of the Philippine archipelago from north to
south is about 2000 km, from west to east - 900 km. In the west,
the islands are washed by the South China Sea, in the east by
the Philippine Sea, in the south by the Sulawesi Sea, in the
north the Philippine Islands are separated from Taiwan by the
Bashi Strait. The northernmost point of the Philippine Islands
is the Batanes Islands. The southernmost is the island of
Sibutu. The westernmost is Balabac Island, and the easternmost
is Mindanao Island. The length of the coastline is 36.3 thousand
km. The total area of the islands is 299.7 thousand km².
The relief of the islands is made up mainly of mountains,
the highest of which - Apo volcano (2954 m) - is located on the
island of Mindanao. The mountain ranges are of volcanic origin,
since the archipelago is located at the junction of the
continental and oceanic lithospheric plates and is part of the
Pacific Ring of Fire, which is characterized by increased
seismicity and volcanism. Deep-sea trenches and volcanic islands
are a hallmark of the Philippines. Off the coast of the island
of Mindanao, the Philippine Trench passes with a depth of up to
10,830 m - one of the deepest in the world's oceans.
Climate
The Philippines has a tropical maritime climate that
is hot and humid. The year is divided here into three periods:
tag-init or tag-arav - hot, dry time (summer), which lasts from
March to May, tag-ulan - the rainy season, which lasts from June
to November, and tag-lamig - cold dry season, which lasts from
December to February. From May to October, the southwest
monsoon, which is called "hagabat", reigns here, from November
to April, "amihan" - the northeast dry monsoon reigns here. The
temperature usually ranges from 21°C to 32°C, however, it can go
beyond these limits for a short time. The coldest month here is
January, and the hottest month is May.
The average annual
temperature here is 26.6°C. The temperature does not vary much
depending on the area. Whether it's the southern part of the
islands, northern or eastern - the temperature there is about
the same. The location of the area relative to sea level has a
greater influence on the weather. The average annual temperature
in Baguio, which is located at an altitude of 1500 meters above
sea level, is about 18.3°C, which makes this place very popular.
It rains here from July to October due to the presence of a
typhoon belt here at this time. Annual rainfall varies from
5,000 mm (200 inches) per year in open areas such as the east
coast to 1,000 mm (39 inches) per year in vegetated valleys. The
wettest cyclone in the archipelago was in July 1911, when 1,168
mm (46 inches) of rain fell there in one day. Baguio is a
tropical cyclone in the Philippines.
Typhoons often hit
the northern regions of the country, tsunamis are possible.
Flora and fauna
About half of the territory of the
Philippines is covered with tropical rainforests, which are
dominated by palm trees, rubber trees, banyan, apitong, mayapis,
lauan, bamboo, orchids, and cinnamon are often found. At an
altitude of over 1200 m above sea level, shrubs and meadows
grow.
Among the animals living in the Philippine Islands,
deer, mongoose, wild boar are more common than others. The fauna
of the country is characterized by a wide variety of species of
birds and reptiles. In the coastal waters there are many species
of fish and shellfish, among the latter, pearl mussels are
especially remarkable - shellfish capable of forming pearls.
Under the 1987 Constitution, the Philippines is a presidential
republic with a bicameral parliament and an independent
judiciary. The head of state is the president, elected by direct
universal suffrage for a 6-year term without the right to renew
or re-nominate. The president heads the cabinet (government) and
is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
The
highest legislative body in the country is the Congress, which
consists of two chambers: the Senate (24 seats) and the House of
Representatives (252 seats). Senators are elected for a 6-year
term (12 people alternately every three years, but no more than
two consecutive terms), members of the House of Representatives
- for three years (no more than three consecutive terms).
ministries
Philippine Ministry of Agrarian Reform
Department of Budget and Management of the Philippines
Department of the Interior and Local Government of the
Philippines
Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Philippine Ministry of Science and Technology
Philippine
Department of National Defense
Philippine Ministry of Public
Works and Highways
Philippine Department of Welfare and
Development
Philippine Department of Trade and Industry
Philippine Department of Labor and Employment
Philippine
Department of Energy
The main parties following the elections in May 2007:
Lacas/Kampi/Christian and Muslim Democrats - centrist, 4
senators, 142 deputies
Nationalist People's Coalition -
centrist, 2 senators, 28 deputies
Liberal Party -
centre-left, 4 senators, 14 deputies
Nationalist Party -
right centrist, 3 senators, 8 deputies
Bayan - left, 7
deputies
Democratic Party / Laban - center-left, 1 senator, 4
deputies
Pversa Masan - center-left, 2 senators, 3 deputies
United opposition - centrist, 2 senators, 3 deputies
In
addition, several other parties are represented in parliament.
Parties not represented in parliament are two communist parties
(KPF-1930 and KPF-1968) and the Green Party.
The
Communist Party of the Philippines (1968) has had an armed
organization since 1969 - the New People's Army (in the early
1980s - about 25 thousand fighters, in 2009 - about 4 thousand).
Islamist armed groups, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and
the Abu Sayyaf, also operate in the Philippines.
The international relations of the Philippines are in trade with
other countries and in the fact that 11 million Filipinos live
in other countries. The Philippines is a founding member and an
active member of the United Nations and has been elected to the
UN Security Council many times. Carlos Romulo was at one time
President of the UN General Assembly. The country is an active
member of the Human Rights Council, and it also participates in
peacekeeping missions, in particular in East Timor.
In
addition to being an active member of the UN, the country is
also a founding member and an active member of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations, an organization established to
strengthen relations between the countries of Southeast Asia and
promote their cultural and economic development.
The
Philippines highly values its relationship with the United
States. They supported the US during the Cold War and the fight
against terrorism. The Philippines is one of NATO's main allies.
The Philippines allowed the United States to establish a
military base on its territory, even though the country used to
be an American colony. Japan is one of the countries that
contributes more than others to the development of the
Philippines. Although the situation of women in the Philippines
is still not the best, the consequences of the Second World War
have already been overcome.
The Philippines, in general,
has good relations with other countries. The Philippines highly
appreciates the support of countries with more developed
economies, but also supports other countries that are less
economically developed. Historical ties and cultural
similarities are a good basis for cooperation with Spain.
Although the living conditions of Filipinos living abroad are
not always good, and they are even sometimes subjected to
discrimination and violence, many Filipinos work in other
countries.
As the threats of a communist revolution
disappeared, the Philippines' former hostile relationship with
China improved significantly in the 1950s. In relations with the
islands of Taiwan and the Spratlys, the Philippines continues to
be cautious, given the attempts by China to expand its
influence. Recently, the Philippines has been working on
improving economic cooperation with South Asian countries and
Pacific neighbors.
The Philippines is an active member of
the South Asia Summit, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation,
the Group of 24 and the Non-Aligned Movement. The Philippines
also seeks to improve relations with Muslim countries through
participation in the activities of the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation.
The task of the armed forces of the Philippines is national
security, they are divided into 3 parts: the Philippine Air
Force, the Philippine Army and the Philippine Navy (includes the
Marine Corps). The Philippine army serves voluntarily. Civil
security is overseen by the Philippine National Police, which is
overseen by the Department of the Interior and the local
government.
In the Autonomous Muslim Region on the island
of Mindanao, the Moro National Liberation Front also controls
the internal militias. In addition to the Moro National
Liberation Front, the Communist New People's Army and Abu Sayyaf
also operate in Mindanao, which deal with the kidnapping of
foreigners for ransom. However, their activities have recently
declined due to the fact that the Philippine government has
become better in controlling civilian security. The Philippines
spends 1.1% less of its GDP on maintaining its armed forces than
other countries in the region. In 2014, Malaysia and Thailand
spent 1.5% on their armed forces, China - 2.1%, Vietnam - 2.2%
and South Korea 2.6% of their GDP. The Philippines has been an
ally of the United States since World War II. An agreement on
mutual military support was signed in 1951. The Philippines
supported America during the Cold War and fought in the Vietnam
and Korean Wars. The Philippines was a member of the now defunct
SEATO, a NATO-like organization that included Australia, France,
New Zealand, Pakistan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the
United States. The Philippines supported the United States
during the fight against terrorists in Iraq.
Administrative division
The main administrative unit of the
Philippines is a province. The Philippines is divided into 81
provinces grouped into 18 regions. Some so-called "independent"
cities are not legally part of the provinces. The provinces are
divided into municipalities and incorporated cities.
Municipalities are divided into elementary administrative units
- barangay communities.
prehistoric period
The oldest human remains found in the
archipelago date back to the 65th millennium BC. The remains of
the Tabun man found on the island of Palawan date back to the
25th millennium BC. One of the first inhabitants of the
archipelago were Negritos, but their first settlement cannot be
reliably dated today.
There are several theories
regarding the origin of the first inhabitants of the
Philippines. F. Land's theory states that the ancestors of the
Filipinos are of local origin. Wilhelm Solheim's Theory of the
Origin of the Ancestors of the Filipinos also states that the
ancestors of modern Filipinos developed here locally between
4800 and 5000 BC, and not as a result of large-scale migration.
The Austronesian theory says that Malayo-Polynesians came to the
islands from the island of Taiwan around 4000 BC. and gradually
displaced the local population.
The most widely accepted
theory, based on linguistic and archaeological evidence, is the
theory of "Origin from Fr. Taiwan”, which claims that the
Austronesians of Taiwan themselves were descendants of the
Neolithic civilizations on the Yangtze River of the Liangju
culture, they began to migrate to the Philippines around 4000
BC, displacing the earlier settlers there. During the Neolithic
period, there was a "Jade culture" on the islands, as evidenced
by tens of thousands of exquisitely crafted jade artifacts found
in the Philippines that date back to 2000 BC.
Jade
processing culture is said to have originated in Taiwan in the
7th millennium BC, from where it spread to the southeastern part
of mainland Asia. The fact that these artifacts were found on
the islands of the archipelago indicates that in the prehistoric
period there was communication between the population of the
archipelago and other countries of Southeast Asia. In 1000 BC.
e. The population of the archipelago can be divided into 4
groups: hunter-gatherer tribes, militant tribes, highlanders,
who are called plutocrats, and port princes.
ancient time
Beginning in the 5th century, a civilization based on a mixture
of different cultures and nationalities formed on the territory
of modern Philippines. The indigenous people of the islands,
commonly known as the Aeta Negritos, overcame prehistoric lands
and continental glaciers and eventually settled in the lush
forests of the islands. Later, Austronesian-speaking settlers
from South China arrived on the islands via Taiwan. Chinese
merchants arrived in the 8th century. Belonging to the
Indo-Malay maritime kingdoms in the 7th-17th centuries, the
Philippines was discovered for the European (Western)
civilization by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521.
XIV century -
the landing of the Arabs. By the time the first Europeans
arrived in the north of the islands (on the territory of
present-day Manila), rajas ruled, who, due to historical
conditions, paid tribute to the states of Southeast Asia, namely
the kingdom of Srivijaya. However, in essence, the Philippine
Islands were already self-sufficient and had their own internal
government.
Spanish period (1521-1898)
1521 - Spanish
expedition led by Ferdinand Magellan lands in the Philippines.
1565 - On April 27, the Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de
Lagaspi, accompanied by four hundred armed soldiers, arrived on
the islands and founded San Miguel, the first Spanish
settlement. From 1543, the islands became known as the
Philippines in honor of the Spanish prince, and later King
Philip II. The territory was subject to the Viceroy of New
Spain. Established sea communication Acapulco-Manila. Spanish
and Catholicism became widespread, with the exception of the
southern rebellious islands inhabited by Muslims.
In 1762,
after a fierce battle, Manila was captured by British colonial
troops, but the next year it was returned to Spain. At the end
of the century, the separatist movement intensified: Muslims and
the local Chinese diaspora were opposed to Spain.
By the 19th
century, a stratum of Spanish-speaking Catholic Filipinos,
Creoles, and Mestizos emerged and became leaders in the struggle
for independence. José Rizal, the most famous propagandist, was
arrested and executed in 1896 for subversion. Shortly
thereafter, the Philippine Revolution began, led by the Three K
Society (Kataastaasan at Kagalang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng
Bayan), or Katipunan, a secret revolutionary society founded by
Andres Bonifacio and later led by Emilio Aguinaldo. The
revolutionaries nearly succeeded in expelling the Spaniards by
1898.
Throughout almost the entire reign of the
Spaniards, uprisings broke out in the Philippines, which did not
end in success.
American period (1898-1946)
In 1898, after the Spanish–American War, Spain ceded the
Philippines, Cuba, Guam, and Puerto Rico to the United States of
America for $20 million under the 1898 Treaty of Paris. On June
12, 1898, the Filipinos, led by Emilio Aguinaldo, declared
themselves independent from Spain. This led to rebel wars and
revolution during the Philippine-American War, which officially
ended in 1902, although sporadic battles continued until 1913.
In 1903, the commander-in-chief of the rebel troops, Makario
Sakai, was declared president of the unrecognized Tagalog
Republic. With its own small government, the Philippine Islands
became a dependent territory of the United States and only in
1935 received the status of autonomy within the United States.
While the Philippines was an autonomy, an unelected
representative was sent from the Philippines to the lower house
of the US Congress, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico
and the US Virgin Islands are currently doing the same.
During World War II, the Philippines was occupied by the
Japanese.
Independent Philippines
In fact, the
Philippines was finally granted independence in 1946.
The
subsequent period was overshadowed by post-war problems. Civil
unrest in 1986, dubbed the Yellow Revolution, led to the
overthrow of the unrecognized dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.
At the moment, difficulties are arising due to the uprisings of
the Maoists and Trotskyists, as well as Muslim separatism.
Modern history
Rodrigo Roa Duterte became President on
June 30, 2016. In 2022, he was replaced by Ferdinand Romualdes
Marcos, who received the most votes in the elections. The new
president is the son of Ferdinand Marcos, who was president of
the Philippines from 1965-1986.
The economy of the Philippines is in 33rd place in the world,
according to the IMF, the GDP of the Philippines in 2016 is
310.312 billion US dollars. The Philippines mainly exports
semiconductors and electronics, vehicles, clothing, copper
products, petroleum products, coconut oil, and fruits. The
Philippines trades mainly with the US, Japan, China, Singapore,
South Korea, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Germany, Taiwan and
Thailand. The national currency of the Philippines is the
Philippine peso.
The Philippines is a young industrial
nation that is transitioning from an agriculture-based economy
to a manufacturing and service-based economy. There are
approximately 40,813,000 people of working age in the country,
about 30% of them are employed in agriculture, agriculture
brings about 14% of GDP. The industrial sector employs about 14%
of workers, the industrial sector brings about 30% of GDP, while
47% of people of working age are employed in the service sector,
which brings 56% of GDP.
As of December 14, 2014, 6% of
people of working age were unemployed. The inflation rate is
3.7%. Gross international reserves as of October 2013 were US$83
billion. The value of external debt to GDP continues to decline,
in March 2014 it was 38.1%, while in 2004 it was a record figure
of 78%. The country is a net importer.
After the Second
World War, the Philippines was the second largest economy after
Japan among the countries of Southeast and East Asia. However,
in the 1960s, other countries began to overtake the Philippines.
During the reign of President Ferdinand Marcos, there was a
stagnation in the economy and political instability. The
economic growth of the country slowed down, there were periods
of economic recession. Only in the 1990s, in connection with the
implementation of the program of liberalization of the economy,
its restoration began.
In 1997, the Philippine economy
was hit hard by the Asian financial crisis, causing the
Philippine stock market to crash and the value of the peso to
fall. However, the crisis has not affected the Philippines as
much as its Asian neighbors. This was mainly due to the
government's financial conservatism, and after 10 years of IMF
monitoring of the economy, Philippine economic growth
accelerated. There are signs of progress. In 2004, GDP grew by
6.4%, and in 2007 by 7.1%, these figures are higher than in the
previous three decades. The average annual GDP growth in the
period 1966-2007 was at the level of 1.45%, for comparison, in
the countries of South Asia and the Pacific region it was
approximately 5.96%. 45% of Filipinos earn about $2 per day.
Remittances from Filipinos who work abroad to their
relatives outnumber foreign investment in the Philippine
economy. Remittances peaked in 2010, when 10.4% of GDP was
transferred into the country, in 2012 and 2014 remittances were
about 8.6% of GDP, on average, about 28 billion are transferred
from abroad to the country per year. US dollars. Regional
development is uneven, the Metro Manila region in particular is
developing much faster than other regions, and the government is
taking steps to encourage investment in other regions of the
country. Even despite the restrictions, service industries such
as tourism and business outsourcing are considered the best
areas for the country's economic growth.
Goldman Sachs
has included the country in its list of "Eleven" economies, but
the Philippines is preceded by China and India. Goldman Sachs
believes that by 2050 the Philippine economy will be the 20th
largest in the world. HSBC believes that by 2050, the
Philippines will be ranked 16th in the world, 5th in Asia, and
1st in Southeast Asia for economic development. The Philippines
is a member of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund,
World Trade Organization (WTO) and Asian Development Bank.
There is no single minimum wage in the Philippines, it is
set separately by province and economic activity. As of 2019,
the minimum wage ranges from 270 pesos ($5.18) per day in the
agricultural sector in the Ilocos region to 537 pesos ($10.30).
Advantages: openness to foreign investors. Growing
productivity in agriculture. Export of bananas and pineapples.
Significant remittances from citizens working abroad.
Weaknesses: Energy problems limit development opportunities.
Underdeveloped infrastructure. Due to the small amount of
monetary savings of citizens, dependence on foreign financial
resources. Unproductive natural economy.
Today the
Philippines is an agro-industrial country. The most developed
industries are: electronic, textile, chemical, woodworking,
food, pharmaceutical. Agriculture includes fishing and forestry.
The Philippines is the largest exporter of coconuts, bananas,
rice and pineapples. The most important trading partners are the
USA, Taiwan, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong. The country has a fairly
well developed transport infrastructure - roads, river and sea
transport, there are railways. The largest ports of the country:
Davao, Manila and Cebu. The monetary unit is the Philippine
peso.
The Philippines is constantly investing in the development of
its science and technology. In the Philippines, the Department
of Science and Technology creates and implements science and
technology development projects. The country rewards scientists
who have contributed to the development of science and
technology in the Philippines with prizes. Renowned Filipino
food scientists, including Maria Orosa, developed the recipe for
dishes such as calamansi nip, soyalak, and banana ketchup.
Fe del Mundo is a Filipino pediatrician who is known for his
fundamental work on pediatrics, Paulo Campos is a doctor who is
called the "father of nuclear medicine" for his work in this
field, Ramon Barba is a horticulturalist who developed a mango
variety with many flowers on a tree.
In 1960, the
International Rice Research Institute, headquartered in Los
Banos, Laguna, was established to breed new varieties of rice.
In 1996, the Philippines bought its first satellite, Agila-1. In
2016, the Philippines launched its first Diwata-1
microsatellite, followed by 5 others.
The culture of the Philippines includes elements of Eastern and
Western cultures. It includes elements of the cultures of
different Asian countries, as well as Spain and America.
The traditional celebrations known as Barrio fiestas (district
festivals), which are held in memory of patron saints, are
universal. These holidays are a time for feasting, music and
dancing. The Monorines and Sinulog Festivals are the most
famous.
Some traditions, however, are changing or being
gradually forgotten. The Bayan National Dance Group of the
Philippines presents various traditional dances. She is best
known for her tiniling and singkil dances, which are danced with
bamboo sticks.
Consequences of American and Spanish
colonization
One of the most notable components of Spanish
heritage is the predominance of Spanish given names and surnames
among Filipinos, however, a Spanish given name and surname does
not necessarily imply Spanish ancestry. This feature, unique
among the people of Asia, was the result of an edict by the
colonial governor-general, Narciso Claveria Zaldua, which spoke
of the spread of Spanish surnames and Spanish customs among the
population of the Philippines. The names of many streets, cities
and provinces are also Spanish. Spanish architecture also left
its mark in the Philippines, many cities were designed around a
central square or Plaza Mayor, however, many of the buildings
built according to Spanish customs were destroyed during the
second world war. However, some such buildings remain, mainly
churches, government buildings and universities. Four Baroque
Filipino churches included in the UNESCO World Heritage List are
the Church of St. Augustine in Manila, the Church in Paoay
(Northern Ilocos Province), the Church of Nuestra Señora de la
Asunción (Saint Mary) in South Ilocos and the Church of Santo
Tomas de Villanueva in Iloilo.
Vigan is also one of the
most famous surviving Spanish-style buildings. In Iloilo, you
can also see many colonial buildings built during the American
occupation. There are a lot of such commercial buildings of that
era, especially in Calle Real.
However, in some areas of
the country, such as Batanes, there are no significant
differences in lifestyle, there is a mixed influence of Spain
and the Philippines, the buildings there are built of limestone
and coral. The castles of Idyangs and Iwatan were the main
defenses of the Philippines before the Spanish conquest.
The general use of English is an example of American influence
on Filipinos. This contributes to the perception of modern
American culture. This is evident in the Filipino love for fast
food restaurants and American movies and music. Fast food
restaurants can be found on many street corners. American fast
food restaurants have appeared in the Philippines, but they have
not been able to displace local eateries such as Goldilocks and
Jollibee.
Just like the music of the Philippines, which is constantly
changing, Filipino dance is also in constant change. In
pre-colonial times, there was a huge variety of dances in the
Philippines, which abounded in different tribes. This suggests
that a large number of diverse dances have been developed in the
Philippines. Before the arrival of the Spaniards, the tribal
dance on the islands of Luzon and Visayan was very similar. On
the island of Mindanao, the dance has significant features of
the dance of the Muslim peoples, on the island of Zamboanga, the
Spaniards had a minimal influence on the dance.
Filipino
dance is used in rituals, it reflects different periods of a
person's life. During the Spanish rule, most dances were
accompanied by rondalay music, which is usually played on
14-stringed bandurrias, and this and other stringed instruments
appeared and became widespread in the Philippines.
The
well-known tinikling dance in the Philippines is accompanied by
the Rondalaya band and is danced with two bamboo sticks. It
usually starts with a scene in which ordinary villagers laugh.
At the end of the dance, the bamboo sticks are crossed. Bamboo
sticks are also used in a dance with shades of Muslim dance -
Singkil. To date, dances are very diverse and range from
sophisticated ballet dance to street breakdance.
Philippine cuisine has evolved over several centuries,
incorporating elements of Asian, Malayo-Polynesian, Chinese in
particular, the cuisines of Spain and America, adapting them to
local ingredients, thus forming national Filipino dishes. Dishes
range from the very simple, such as fried fish and rice, to the
more complex, such as paella and cocidos, which are prepared for
a fiesta.
Popular dishes are: lechon, adobo, sinigang,
kare kare, tapa, krispi pata, pancit, lumpia and halo halo. The
following ingredients are used in cooking, which can be found in
the Philippines: calamondin, coconuts, saba (a kind of short
wide plantain), mango, hanos and fish sauce. Filipinos tend to
prefer strong flavors, but the cuisine is not as spicy as that
of their neighbors.
Unlike some Asian countries,
Filipinos do not eat with chopsticks, they use Western cutlery.
Rice is a staple food in Filipino cuisine. There are a wide
variety of stews and main dishes with broth, which is probably
why the spoon and fork are popular as cutlery, rather than the
knife and fork.
The traditional way of eating with hands,
known as kamayan (using a clean right hand to bring food to the
mouth), was formerly more common in rural areas. However, due to
the large number of Filipino restaurants that introduced the
kamayan, it quickly became popular. For the same reason, a way
of eating called "Buddle Fight", which is popular in the army,
has become popular; with this method of eating, food is placed
on banana leaves, several people eat from one leaf at once.
The media broadcast mainly in Filipino and English. The media
also use other Filipino languages, in particular the Visayan
languages, they are broadcast mainly on the radio, which is
available even in the most remote regions of the country,
otherwise, some Filipinos would have been left without access to
the media at all. The TV networks ABS-CBN, GMA and TV5 are in
the highest demand, and radio is also widely used.
The
media is active and constantly provides Filipinos with details
from the life of celebrities and reports on high-profile
scandals. Dramas, fantasy shows, telenovelas, Asian films and
anime are widely broadcast. Daytime television is dominated by
game shows, various shows and talk shows such as Eat Bulaga and
It's Show Time. The Philippine film industry has a long history
of development and is popular in the domestic market, but has
recently faced increasing competition from American, Asian and
European filmmakers. The most famous are such directors and
actors as Lino Broca and Hopa Aunor, who made such films as
"Manila: in the claws of the light" and "Miracle". In recent
years, it has become a pattern: celebrities first participate in
TV shows and act in films, and then they begin to deal with
politics, which often creates considerable problems.
Traditional Filipino games such as Luxong, Baka Patientero,
Pico, and Tumbang Preso are still widely played among the youth.
Sungka is a traditional Filipino board game. Card games are
popular during festivals, some of them, such as pusou and
tongits, are illegal gambling. Mahjong is played in some
Philippine localities.
Sabong or cockfighting is another
popular pastime among Filipino men, and has existed long before
the arrival of the Spaniards. The first description of this
pastime, which was made by Antonio Pigafetta, the chronicler of
Magellan, refers to the kingdom of Taytau. The yo-yo is a
popular toy in the Philippines, created in its modern form by
Pedro Flores, the name comes from the Llocano language.
On the territory of the country there is an old astronomical
observatory - the Manila Observatory. The main task of the
observatory in the 19th century was the prediction of typhoons.
The national dance of the Philippines is the Tinikling.
Population
The population estimate for 2022 is 114,597,229
people (13th in the world).
Annual growth estimate for 2022
is 1.6% (62nd place in the world).
Fertility estimate for
2022 is 2.78 births per woman (58th in the world).
The birth
rate for 2022 is 22.28 per 1000 (57th in the world).
Mortality estimate for 2022 is 6.41 per 1000 (140th in the
world).
Infant mortality estimate for 2022 is 22.23 per 1000
(73rd in the world).
The average life expectancy estimate for
2022 is 70.14 years, for men - 66.6 years, for women - 73.86
years.
Literacy score for 2019 is 96.3%, for men - 95.7%, for
women - 96.9%.
The urban population estimate for 2022 is 48%.
Ethnic composition: Tagalog 24.4%, Visayan/Binisaya 11.4%,
Cebuano 9.9%, Hiligaynon/Ilocano 8.8%, Bikol 6.8%, Warai 4%,
other 26.2% (2010 estimate) year).
The Philippines is
currently one of the main exporters of labor to the US, Canada,
Japan and Australia.
The country has two official
languages - Pilipino (based on Tagalog) and English.
The official language is Tagalog (Tagalog, or Pilipino). The majority of the population speaks Filipino languages of the Austronesian family, the most common being Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Bicol, Hiligaynon, Pangasinan, Kapampangan, and Warai Warai. A significant part of the population speaks English. Spanish (3%), Spanish-Creole Chabacano (1%), and Chinese are also common. Spanish in the Philippines for over three centuries (1571-1898) served as the only written language of the country. However, due to the extreme remoteness of Spain, he never became native to the bulk of the local population. The Spanish-American War of 1898 ended with the fall of the Philippines under US control. Spanish, however, retained the traditional function of the lingua franca in the country until the early 1950s, after which the American government made active efforts to replace it with English. First, Spanish lost its official status under the 1973 constitution, and then ceased to be taught in schools as a compulsory subject after 1986, returning to the school curriculum as a compulsory subject only in 2008. Moreover, all the indigenous languages of the Philippines, including the main among them - Tagalog - retain significant layers of Spanish vocabulary, which makes up to 40% of their vocabulary. English is widely used in the Philippines, especially in science, education, and the press.
Catholicism professes 80.6% of the population, Protestantism - 8.2%, other Christian religions - 3.4%, Islam - 5.6%, about 2% of Filipinos adhere to traditional beliefs, 1.9% - other religions (Hinduism, Judaism , Bahaism) (2010).
One of the largest cities in the Philippines, Manila is located
on the island of Luzon. It is the capital of the state, the main
cultural and economic center. Manila is the center of the
Greater Manila conurbation, with a population of 12 million
people. It includes such large cities as Quezon City, Kalookan
and Pasay. Manila is home to the National Museum of the
Philippines, the Santo Tomas Museum of Natural History and
Anthropology, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the
historical center of Intramuros there are fortifications,
churches, houses of the 16th-18th centuries, the Botanical
Garden. Tourists are offered sightseeing tours of Manila, to
Taal Lake, air safaris and folklore shows are organized.
The Philippines is famous for its beaches and picturesque coral
reefs. The most famous tourist resorts are located in the
southern part of the archipelago on the islands of Boracay,
Cebu, Bohol and Palawan. Tourists are offered both a beach
holiday and a more active one - cruises, diving, surfing.
Attractive and dynamically developing is the island of Mindoro,
which is located in the north of the Philippine archipelago and
is easily accessible from Manila.
There are 35 national
parks on the islands (the largest is Mounts Eaglet - Bako),
faunal reserves and forest reserves. The largest and most
interesting for tourists are Mount Apo, Taal, Mayon, Kanlaon,
located on the islands of Luzon and Mindanao.
The
Philippines has sufficient recreational resources, natural and
socio-cultural. Today, the islands offer almost all types of
tourism: beach, extreme, sports, environmental, educational, sex
tourism. Tourism is negatively affected by the politically
unstable situation in the country, conflicts between the Muslim
and Christian communities. In addition, the monsoon climate and
the rainy season, which lasts more than 6 months, do not
contribute to the development of beach tourism.
mass
media
The state television company - PTV (People's Television
Network - "People's Television Network"), includes the
television network of the same name, the state radio company -
PBS (Philippine Broadcasting Service - "Philippine Broadcasting
Service"), includes radio networks Radyo ng Bayan, Radyo
Magasin, Business radio, Sports radio, Radio Pilipinas.