The Philippine Islands became a Spanish colony during the 16th century;
they were ceded to the
US
in 1898 following the Spanish-American War. In 1935 the
Philippines
became a self-governing commonwealth. Manuel QUEZON was elected President and
was tasked with preparing the country for independence after a 10-year
transition. In 1942 the islands fell under Japanese occupation during WWII,
and US forces and Filipinos fought together during 1944-45 to regain control.
On 4 July 1946 the
Philippines
attained their independence. The 20-year rule of Ferdinand MARCOS ended in
1986, when a widespread popular rebellion forced him into exile and installed
Corazon AQUINO as president. Her presidency was hampered by several coup
attempts, which prevented a return to full political stability and economic
development. Fidel RAMOS was elected president in 1992 and his administration
was marked by greater stability and progress on economic reforms. In 1992,
the
US
closed
its last military bases on the islands. Joseph ESTRADA was elected president
in 1998, but was succeeded by his vice-president, Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, in
January 2001 after ESTRADA's stormy impeachment trial on corruption charges
broke down and widespread demonstrations led to his ouster. MACAPAGAL-ARROYO
was elected to a six-year term in May 2004. The Philippine Government faces
threats from armed communist insurgencies and from Muslim separatists in the
south.
Geography of the
Philippines
Location:
Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Philippine
Sea and the South China Sea, east of
Vietnam
Coordinates:
13 00 N, 122 00 E
Area:
total: 300,000 sq km water: 1,830 sq km land: 298,170 sq km
Area comparative:
slightly larger than Arizona
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
36,289 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: to depth of exploitation territorial sea: irregular polygon extending up to 100 NM from
coastline as defined by 1898 treaty; since late 1970s has also claimed
polygonal-shaped area in South China Sea up to 285 NM in breadth exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate:
tropical marine; northeast monsoon (November to April);
southwest monsoon (May to October)
Terrain:
mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal
lowlands
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Philippine Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Apo 2,954 m
astride typhoon belt, usually affected by 15 and struck
by five to six cyclonic storms per year; landslides; active volcanoes;
destructive earthquakes; tsunamis
Environment current issues:
uncontrolled deforestation in watershed areas; soil
erosion; air and water pollution in Manila;
increasing pollution of coastal mangrove swamps that are important fish breeding
grounds
Geography - note:
favorably located in relation to many of Southeast Asia's
main water bodies: the South China Sea, Philippine Sea, Sulu Sea, Celebes
Sea, and Luzon Strait
Population of the
Philippines
Population:
89,468,677 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 35% (male 15,961,365/female
15,340,065) 15-64 years: 61% (male 27,173,919/female 27,362,736) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 1,576,089/female 2,054,503)
Median age:
22.5 years
Growth rate:
1.8%
Infant mortality:
22.81 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.21 years male: 67.32 years female: 73.24 years
Roman Catholic 80.9%, Evangelical 2.8%, Iglesia ni
Kristo 2.3%, Aglipayan 2%, other Christian 4.5%, Muslim 5%, other 1.8%,
unspecified 0.6%, none 0.1%
Languages:
two official languages - Filipino (based on Tagalog) and
English; eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or
Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 95.9% male: 96% female: 95.8% (2003 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of the
Philippines
local long form: Republika ng Pilipinas local short form: Pilipinas
Government type:
republic
Capital:
Manila
Administrative divisions:
79 provinces and 115 chartered cities
Independence:
12 June 1898 (from
Spain
)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 June (1898) note: 12 June 1898 was the date of independence from
Spain
;
4 July 1946 was the date of independence from the
US
Constitution:
2 February 1987, effective 11 February 1987
Legal system:
based on Spanish and Anglo-American law; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Gloria
MACAPAGAL-ARROYO; note - president is both chief of state and head of
government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with consent of Commission
of Appointments elections: president and vice president (Manuel "Noli" DE
CASTRO) elected on separate tickets by popular vote for a single six-year
term
Legislative branch:
bicameral Congress or Kongreso consists of the Senate or
Senado (24 seats - one-half elected every three years; members elected at
large by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of
Representatives or Kapulungan Ng Mga Kinatawan (212 members representing
districts plus 24 sectoral party-list members; members elected by popular
vote to serve three-year terms; note - the Constitution prohibits the House
of Representatives from having more than 250 members)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (15 justices are appointed by the
president on the recommendation of the Judicial and Bar Council and serve
until 70 years of age); Court of Appeals; Sandigan-bayan (special court for
hearing corruption cases of government officials)
Economy
The Philippines was less severely affected by the Asian financial crisis
of 1998 than its neighbors, aided in part by its high level of annual
remittances from overseas workers, and no sustained runup in asset prices or
foreign borrowing prior to the crisis. From a 0.6% decline in 1998, GDP
expanded by 2.4% in 1999, and 4.4% in 2000, but slowed to 3.2% in 2001 in the
context of a global economic slowdown, an export slump, and political and
security concerns. GDP growth accelerated to about 5% between 2002 and 2005
reflecting the continued resilience of the service sector, and improved
exports and agricultural output. Nonetheless, it will take a higher,
sustained growth path to make appreciable progress in the alleviation of
poverty given the Philippines' high annual population growth rate and unequal
distribution of income. The
Philippines
also faces higher oil prices, higher interest rates on its dollar borrowings,
and higher inflation. Fiscal constraints limit Manila's ability to finance
infrastructure and social spending. The Philippines' consistently large
budget deficit has produced a high debt level, and this situation has forced Manila
to spend a large portion of the national government budget on debt service.
Large unprofitable public enterprises, especially in the energy sector,
contribute to the government's debt because of slow progress on privatization.
Credit rating agencies have at times expressed concern about the Philippines'
ability to service the debt, though central bank reserves appear adequate and
large remittance inflows appear stable. The implementation of the expanded
Value Added Tax (VAT) in November 2005 boosted confidence in the government's
fiscal capacity and helped to strengthen the peso, which gained 5.7 percent
year-on-year, making it East Asia's best performing currency in 2005.
Investors and credit rating institutions will continue to look for effective
implementation of the new VAT and continued improvement in the government's
overall fiscal capacity in the coming year.
