A typical visitor to Metro Manila commonly sees the Philippines as the most westernized of Asian countries and in many ways, it is. But there is also a rich underlay of Southeast Asian culture beneath the patina of Spanish and American heritage. National cultural life is a happy marriage of many influences, as the indigenous Indo-Malay culture is assimilated and adapted to different strains in a practice typical of Malay temperament. An upsurge of Philippine nationalism stimulated a desire to preserve the ancient heritage without restricting its openness to foreign artistic and cultural influence.
Before the Spanish explorers came, Indo-Malays and Chinese merchants had settled here. In 1521, the Spaniards, led by Ferdinand Magellan, came to the islands. The Spanish conquistadores established a colonial government in Cebu in 1565. They transferred the seat of government to Manila in 1571 and proceeded to colonize most parts of the country. The Filipinos resisted and waged Asia's first nationalist revolution in 1896. On June 12, 1898, Emilio Aguinaldo declared the Philippines independent from Spain and proclaimed himself president. After ruling for 333 years, the Spaniards finally left in 1898 and were replaced by the Americans who stayed for 48 years. On July 4, 1946, the Americans recognized Philippine independence.
The Philippines is the third largest English-speaking country in the world. It has 18 regions, 81 provinces, 145 cities, 1,489 municipalities, and 42,029 barangays or village political units.
GEOGRAPHY
The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,641 islands that are categorized broadly under the three main geographical divisions from north to south: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. It stretches from the south of China to the northern tip of Borneo. The country has over a hundred ethnic groups and a mixture of foreign influences which have molded a unique Filipino culture.
Most of the mountainous islands are covered in tropical rainforest and volcanic in origin. The highest mountain is Mount Apo, measuring up to 2,954 meters (9,692 ft) above sea level and is located on the island of Mindanao. The Galathea Depth in the Philippine Trench, located in the Philippine Sea, is the deepest point in the country and the third deepest in the world.
Situated on the western fringes of the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity. There are many active volcanoes such as the Mayon Volcano, Mount Pinatubo, and Taal Volcano. Due to the volcanic nature of the islands, mineral deposits are abundant. The country is estimated to have the second-largest gold deposits after South Africa and one of the largest copper deposits in the world. It is also rich in nickel, chromites, and zinc. Geothermal energy is a product of volcanic activity that the Philippines have harnessed more successfully. The Philippines is the world's second-biggest geothermal producer behind the United States, with 18% of the country's electricity needs being met by geothermal power.
Luzon is the largest and most populous in the Philippine and the 15th largest in the world. Located in the northern region of the archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as well as Quezon City, the country's most populous. With a population of 52.99 million as of 2015, it is the fourth most populous island in the world (after Java, Honshu and Great Britain), containing about 53% of the country's total population. It is home to the Cordillera, Sierra Madre, and Caraballo mountain ranges, volcanoes such as Mayon, Taal, and Pinatubo and the country's largest lake, Laguna de Bay. Luzon is where you will find the capital, Manila. Metro Manila is the seat of government and the premier international gateway. Embracing the capital of Manila and several cities and municipalities, it is the heart of the country's social, economic and cultural life.
The Visayas, is one of the Philippines' three main island groups and characterized by natural and cultural diversity. The beaches of Boracay are regarded as some of the world's best. In Boracay you will find most of the exotic Philippine hotels and resorts. Cebu is the cradle of Christianity and Bohol has one of the world's most intriguing geological formations. In Central Visayas, Cebu City's Spanish colonial architecture includes the triangular Fort San Pedro and the Basilica del Santo Niño. Bohol Island's Chocolate Hills are a group of more than 1,000 conical, grass-covered mounds that turn brown in the dry season. In Corella, rare bug-eyed primates called tarsiers are protected at the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary.
Mindanao is the second largest and southernmost major island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country (the other two being Luzon and the Visayas), consisting of the island of Mindanao and smaller outlying islands. Davao City is the largest city in Mindanao. As of the 2010 census, the island's population itself is 20,281,545 people, while the Mindanao island group has 21,968,174 inhabitants. Davao City is the most populous in Mindanao as 1,632,991 population, and the 2nd is Zamboanga City as 861,799 population, the 3rd is Cagayan de Oro City as 675,950 population, and followed by General Santos City as 594,446 population as of 2015 census.
Parts of south-western Mindanao island group, particularly the provinces of Maguindanao, Basilan, Lanao Del Sur, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi (part of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)), are home to a sizeable Muslim population, making the island group, along with Palawan, the only area of the Philippines with a significant Muslim presence. The island has seen a communist insurgency as well as armed Moro separatist movements.
Mindanao is considered the food basket of the Philippines. Eight of the top 10 agri-commodities exported from the Philippines come from here. Mindanao is also dubbed with the moniker as The Philippines' Land of Promise.
THE PEOPLE
The Filipino is basically of Indo-Malay stock with a sprinkling of Chinese, American, Spanish and Arab blood. The Philippines has a population of 76.5 million as of May 2000 (with a projected population of 88.7 million for 2007), and it is hard to distinguish accurately the lines between stocks. From a long history of Western colonial rule, interspersed with the visits of merchants and traders, evolved a people of a unique blend of east and west, both in appearance and culture.
The Filipino character is actually a little bit of all the cultures put together. The bayanihan or spirit of kinship and camaraderie that Filipinos are famous for, is said to be taken from Malay forefathers. The close family relations are said to have been inherited from the Chinese. The piousness comes from the Spaniards who introduced Christianity in the 16th century. Hospitality is a common denominator in the Filipino character and this is what distinguishes the Filipino. Filipino is the official national language, with English considered as the country's unofficial one. The Filipinos are divided geographically and culturally into regions, and each regional group is recognizable by distinct traits and dialects - the sturdy and frugal Ilocanos of the north, the industrious Tagalogs of the central plains, the carefree Visayans from the central islands and the colorful tribesmen and religious Muslims of Mindanao. Tribal communities can be found scattered across the archipelago. The Philippines has more than 111 languages and dialects spoken, owing to the subdivisions of these basic regional and cultural groups. Some 80 percent of the population is Catholic, Spain's lasting legacy. About 15 percent is Muslim and these people can be found basically in Mindanao. The rest of the population is made up mostly of smaller Christian denominations and Buddhist. The country is marked by a true blend of cultures; truly in the Philippines, East meets West. The background of the people is Indonesian and Malay. There are Chinese and Spanish elements as well. The history of American rule and contact with merchants and traders culminated in a unique blend of East and West, both in the appearance and culture of the people of the Filipinos, or people of the Philippines. Hospitality, a trait displayed by every Filipino, makes these people legendary in Southeast Asia. Seldom can you find such hospitable people who enjoy the company of their Western visitors. Perhaps due to their long association with Spain, Filipinos are emotional and passionate about life, in a way that seems more Latin than Asian.
CULTURE AND ARTS
The major cultural agencies of government are the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the National Historical Institute, the National Museum, The National Library, the Records Management and Archives Office, and the Commission on the Filipino Language. The Heads of these cultural agencies are all ex-officio members of the NCCA Board and all except the Commission on the Filipino Language are together under the National Commission on Culture and Arts (NCCA).
CLIMATE
The Philippines has a tropical climate with relatively abundant rainfall and gentle winds. There are three pronounced seasons: the wet or rainy season from June to October, the cool, dry season from November to February, and the hot, dry season from March to May.
LANGUAGE
Two official languages --- Filipino and English. Filipino, which is based on Tagalog, is the national language. English is also widely used and is the medium of instruction in higher education and official communications.
RELIGION
Historically, the Filipinos have embraced two of the great religions of the world - Islam and Christianity. Islam was introduced during the 14th century shortly after the expansion of Arab commercial ventures in Southeast Asia. Today, it is mostly concentrated to the southern region of the country. Christianity was introduced in the 16th century with the coming of Ferdinand Magellan in 1521.
EDUCATION
Education in the Philippines is managed and regulated by the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). DepEd is responsible for the K-12 basic education; it exercises full and exclusive control over public schools and nominal regulation over private schools, and it also enforces the national curriculum that has been put in place since 2013. CHED and TESDA, on the other hand, are responsible for higher education and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (VET), respectively. CHED regulates the higher education institutions such as the academically-oriented universities and colleges while TESDA oversees the development of technical and vocational education institutions and programs in the country. Classes in Philippine schools start in June and end in March. With few exceptions, higher education institutions follow the semester calendar from June-October and November-March. There are a number of foreign schools with study programs similar to those of the mother country.
Since 2005, the DepEd has adopted a national Standard Madrasah Curriculum to mainstream the existing madrasah (pl. madaris or Islamic schools), most of them are located in Mindanao and align them with the Basic Education Curriculum. The development and institutionalization of madrasah education as well as the standard curriculum for elementary public schools and private madaris was approved and prescribed by the Department of Education under DepED Order No. 51, s. 2004. The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) had adopted the national standard curriculum by virtue of ARMM RG Executive Order No. 13-A, s. 2004. With these issuances, the madrasah educational system has now been upgraded as a vital component of the national educational system, similar to the mainstream school system.
ECONOMY
The Philippines is currently one of the most dynamic economies in the East Asia region, with sound economic fundamentals and a globally recognized competitive workforce. Growth has been robust in the past five years, registering an average 6.2 percent from 2010-2015, significantly higher than average 4.5 percent annual growth in 2000-2009.
A new administration entered office on June 30, at a time when the economy grew at the fastest pace among its East Asian peers. The Philippine economy grew at an annual rate of 6.9 percent in the first half of 2016, up from 5.5 percent during the same period in 2015, exceeding growth of China, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. In 2017, it grew at an average of 6.7% and is predicted to grow even stronger in 2018 and 2019. On the production side, the services and industry sectors remained the main engines of growth, while agriculture further weakened due to the lingering effects of El Niño. On the demand side, growth was driven by robust private consumption and capital formation. This was further supported by more than 10 percent expansion in public spending in the first half of 2016. Net exports, however, caused a drag on growth due to weak external demand. Gross international reserves by end of 2017 is at US$ 81.57 billion, growing from the previous year of US$ 80.69.
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BILATERAL ECONOMIC RELATIONS WITH PAKISTAN
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PHILIPPINES-PAKISTAN (Value in US$)
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YEAR EXPORT IMPORT TOTAL BALANCE
TRADE OF TRADE
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2013 55,732,221 36,246,865 91,979,086 (19,485,356)
2014 69,627,304 49,119,961 118,747,265 (20,507,343)
2015 63,828,413 53,013,790 116,842,203 10,814,623
2016 51,186,488 110,292,261 161,478,749 (59,105,773)
2017 54,380,086 196,026,546 250,406,632 (141,646,460)
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In 2017, Pakistan ranked as the 36th trading partner of the Philippines.