|
The Republic of the Philippines is an island nation consisting of
an archipelago of 7,107 islands, lying in the tropical western Pacific Ocean about 100 kilometers southeast of mainland Asia. Spain, and later the United States, colonized the country for
four centuries and are the two biggest influences on Philippine culture. It is the only predominantly Christian nation in Asia and one of the most westernized —a unique blend of East and West.
The Philippines used to be the most developed country in Asia following World War II, but has lagged behind other countries because of poor economic growth and widespread corruption. Currently, the country enjoys moderate economic growth, buoyed by
remittances by its large, diasporic overseas Filipino workforce, increased investments due to a fast-developing information technology industry, and cheap labor in other
sectors. The country's major problems include an ongoing Muslim separatist movement in
southern Mindanao, communist
insurgencies in the north, and environmental degradation due to rainforest depletion and marine and coastal pollution.
The Philippine Islands lie between 116° 40' and 126° and 34' E. longtitude, 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.
History
Main article: History of the
Philippines
Human fossil records indicate that the Philippines has 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. Successive waves of migrants from the Malay and Indonesian archipelagoes, and from Indochina and Taiwan, began to pour
in around the turn of the first millenium, pushing the aboriginal population into the interior or absorbing them through
intermarriage.
Chinese merchants arrived in the 8th century and the rise of powerful Buddhist
kingdoms precipitated trade with the Indonesian archipelago, India, Japan and Southeast Asia. The spread of Islam through conquest and proselytism, much like Christianity, brought traders and missionaries into the region. Arabs set foot in Mindanao in the 14th century
and when the first Europeans arrived, led by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, there were Islamic sultanates as far
north as Manila.
The Spanish claimed and colonized the islands in the 16th century and named it
Filipinas after King Philip II. Roman Catholicism was immediately introduced and imposed, sparking deep resistance from
tribal groups in the highlands and the Muslim separatism that rages on today. Sporadic rebellions and violence erupted in the
coastal populations throughout the next three centuries in response to colonial abuses. The new territory was ruled from New Spain (Mexico) and a burgeoning galleon
trade began in the 18th century.
The country opened up during the 19th century. The rise of an ambitious,
more nationalistic Filipino middle class, consisting of educated indios, native born Spaniards and creoles, Spanish mestizos and
an economically entrenched Chinese mestizo community, signaled the end of Spanish colonialism in the islands. 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 and executed in 1896 for acts of subversion. Soon after, the
Philippine
Revolution broke out, pioneered by the 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.
That year Spain and the United States fought the Spanish-American War, after which Spain sold the Philippine Islands
to the United States. In the Battle of Manila Bay, only a few old wooden Spanish vessels were sunk. The battle was a farce, a
smoke screen. In reality, the United States bought the Philippine Islands for a few million dollars from the weakening Spanish
Empire. The Filipinos had by then declared independence and the subsequent assertion of American control led to the Philippine-American War that officially ended in 1901, but fighting continued well into 1913. Independence 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; civil unrest during the unpopular dictatorship of
Ferdinand Marcos, ousted in 1986; and later, the continuing problem of communist insurgency and Muslim
separatism.
Politics
Main article: Politics of the
Philippines
National Government. The government of the Philippines, loosely patterned after the American system, is organized as a representative republic, with the President functioning as both head of
state and government, as well as being 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 prominent member of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN). It is also an active participant of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), a member of the Group of 24 and one of the 51 founding
members of the United Nations on October 24, 1945.
Regions and Provinces
Main articles: Regions and Provinces of the Philippines
Local Government. 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
¹ Names are capitalised because they are acronyms, containing the
names of the constituent provinces or cities (see Acronyms in the Philippines).
Geography
Main article: Geography of the
Philippines
The Philippines constitute an archipelago of 7,107 islands with a total
land area of approximately 300,000 km². The islands are commonly divided into three 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 Tag-lamig (the cold season
from December to February).
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.
Economy
Main article: Economy of the
Philippines
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.
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.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of the
Philippines
Over 95% of the population is ethnically Malay, descendants of
immigrants from the Indonesian archipelago, and the most significant ethnic
minority group are the Chinese, who have played an important role in
commerce since the 9th century. Mestizos, those of mixed race, form a tiny but economically and politically important minority. Small communities
of expatriates and Negrito forest
tribes that inhabit the more remote areas of Mindanao constitute the remainder.
The people of the Philippines are 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. The Philippines is the most ethnically diverse country in Asia.
Ethnic Groups
- Malays, they form the bulk of the population and number around 80 million,
accounting for 95% of the population. Many live in poverty but many are also in the middle class, they are the workers of the
nation. They are the descendants of the early Malay and Indonesian immigrants who settled in the islands before the Spaniards
came; at that time, they already had their own civilization and culture and were known to be very hospitable and friendly towards
foreigners — but were also known for their fierceness in battle and sensitivity to insults (although a great number still
live traditional lifestyles in the mountains and rural areas). The most numerous of these are the Tagalog, the Visayan and the Ilocano. Most speak tribal languages and/or Filipino (based on Tagalog), and the other major languages,
again Visayan and Ilocano.
- Chinese, most are successful and prosperous business people. They form part of
both the upper and middle classes. Their primary languages are English, Chinese and Filipino. They number around 1.5 million.
Unfortunately, their financial success made them favorite targets of kidnappers. The Chinese were also the favorite milking cow
of corrupt officials, from the tax men down to the traffic enforcers.
- Mestizos, they form a tiny but economically and politically important minority.
The combined number of all types of mestizos constitute no more than 2% of the entire Filipino population. Mestizos are
categorized as follows:
- Spanish-mestizo, a combination of ethnic Malay with either Spanish, Basque, Mexican or other European. These Eurasians often display Caucasian
traits — usually light-skinned, taller than the majority Malay-stock, aquiline noses and/or light hair. They constitute the
great majority of the upper class and are endogamous, rarely intermingling with those outside their group. They engage in
politics or are high-ranking executives of commerce and industry as well as vast landowners, a remnant of the country's colonial
past. An almost equally large number are members of the entertainment industry, which they have saturated disproportionately. The
biased favouritism responsible for their overwhelming presence in film and television is deeply-rooted on established Filipino
"ideals of beauty", determined on white standards stemming from Spanish and American colonial concepts [see Colonial Mentality].
Spanish-mestizos speak Filipino, though English is their primary language. Some have preserved Spanish as the spoken language of
the home. They number around 1 million. (Note, there are approx 10,000 pure Spaniards who chose to remain in the Philippines
after American invasion. They are usually classified together with the Mestizos as well)
- Chinese-mestizo, a combination of ethnic Malay and Chinese. They are
usually light skinned and quite mainland-Mongoloid in appearance, with highly epicanthic eyes. The Chinese and Chinese mestizo
community, much like their brethren in Southeast Asia, control a significant portion of the country's economy (60-70% in the
Philippines). Their presence in the country pre-dates the Spanish and Arab incursions, trading and intermingling with the native
population. As the Chinese mestizo community grew and prospered, often in enclaves such as Binondo, Manila or sections of Vigan,
Ilocos Sur, the Spanish target them for expulsion or other discriminatory practices. They were a merchant class and today
predominates in the business and financial sector. Their primary languages are English, Hokkien Chinese and Filipino. They number
just over 1 million.
- Japanese-mestizo, a combination of ethnic Malay with Japanese or
Okinawan. Many are the decendants of the Japanese Catholics who fled Japan in early 17th century. Famous Japanese Cathlics who
fled Japan are Dom Justo Takayama, Juan Tokuan Naito, and Julia Naito. Japanse Mestizos lived in harmony with other fellow
Filipinos until the Japanese invasion of the Philippines. There was a Japanese community in Davao. Many Japanese Mestizos were
killed after World War II for revenge. Because of discrimination
encountered, some fled to the mountains after World War II while many
others changed their names in the attempts to assimilate. Some have completely lost their Japanese identity and others yet have
"returned" to the homeland of their forebears, Japan. Most speak tribal
languages and Filipino. Many are members of the lower class. There are believed to be between 100,000 and 200,000
Japanese-mestizos in the country, but no accurate figure is currently available.
- American-mestizo, the offspring of ethnic Malay mothers and American
GI fathers. Amerasians can be found in the upper class, but many amongst the middle and lower
classes. Many American fathers (Caucasian, Latino or African) abandoned their children upon completion of military service and
subsequent withdrawal of US forces. A good number are offspring of prostitution that grows around American bases. Much like
Spanish-mestizos, some with Caucasian ancestry have succesfully pursued careers
in the entertainment industry. The combined number of American-mestizos and unmixed Americans is thought to be between 30,000 and
50,000. Most speak Filipino and English.
- Caucasian, they are mostly recent immigrants from US, Canada, and other
European countries who settled because of economic opportunities. Many are successful and are in the upper class. They number
about 50,000.
- Indonesians, Most are either illegal immigrants or refugees or students.
There are approximately 35,000 Indonesians.
- East Indians, they are mostly merchants and belong primarily to the middle class.
There are approximately 30,000 East Indians. Most speak Filipino and Punjabi or
Sindhi.
- Negritos, Aeta are the negroid pre-Malay inhabitants of the Philippines,
closely related to the Papuans. They are also known as the Aborigines of the Philippines. They are the poorest and most
disadvantaged segment of the Filipino population. Their numbers have been decreasing rapidly. They are thought to number between
20,000 and 30,000. Most speak their tribal languages and have little or no understanding of Filipino. The government has
sponsored educational programmes as well as encouraging school attendance, though many of them still enounter difficulties.
- Koreans and Japanese, they are
mostly recent immigrants who settled because of the economic opportunities. Many are in upper class because of their success in
their business. Many Japanese have Filipino wives. They number about 30,000.
- Arabs. They are mostly the decendants of the missionaries who came to the Philippines
to spread Islam. They number 21,000. Most speak Filipino and Arabic. Most live in Mindanao and Manila.
Religion
The vast majority of the people are Christian (Roman Catholic 83%, Protestant 9%) and most were converted and Westernised to varying degrees during the 300 years of Western rule.
A large Muslim minority (5%) exists predominantly on the island of Mindanao. Buddhism and other faiths make up the remainder.
Languages A total of one hundred seventy-two native languages and several more dialects are spoken, all
belonging to the Austronesian linguistic family.
- Major Auxiliary/Regional Languages
- Tagalog. spoken around the Manila area, Southern and Central Luzon
- Cebuano. spoken in Central Visayas and Mindanao
- Ilocano. spoken in Northern Luzon
- Hiligaynon. spoken in Western Visayas
- Bicolano, Central. spoken in Southwestern Luzon
- Waray-Waray. spoken in Eastern Visayas
- Pampango. spoken in Central Luzon
- Pangasinense. spoken in Northern Luzon
- Maguindanaon. spoken in Central Mindanao
- Maranao. spoken in Central Mindanao
- Tausug. spoken in the Sulu Archipelago
Foreign languages spoken include English, Chinese (Mandarin and Hokkien), Arabic (among some members of the Muslim population), and Spanish which ceased to be an
official language in 1987 and is now spoken by less than 0.5% of the population.
Since 1939, in an effort to develop national unity, the government has promoted the use
of the official national language, Filipino, which is based on
Tagalog. Filipino is taught in all schools and is gaining acceptance, particularly as
a second language for a diverse population. English is seen as the
second official language and is used extensively in government, education and commerce.
- See also: Separation of church and state in the Philippines
Culture
Main article: Culture of the
Philippines
Throughout Filipino history, no distinct national cultural identity was developed. The reason for this was partly due to the
existence of an exorbitant number of languages spoken throughout the country, estimated today to be around 80 distinct languages,
in addition to each of their many different dialects.
The isolation between neighbouring populations — whether from village to village or island to island — also
greatly contributed to this lack of a unified identity.
Consequently, rather than being national in nature, the cultural development of the Philippines had been local. Despite this
and despite their variety, a common aspect that most Filipino cultural traditions share today is that they have all been enriched
and influenced both by Asia and the West, from China, Malaysia, Spain and the United States, to Islam
and Christianity.
See also
External links
Official websites
News websites
Other websites
|