Philippines

Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs                                      
May 2007                                                                      
                                                                       
  Background Note: Philippines
                                                                        
  Beach in Cebu Province, Philippines, April 23, 2006. [© AP Images] Flag of  
  Philippines is two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a white
  equilateral triangle based on the hoist side; in the center of the triangle 
  is a yellow sun with eight primary rays (each containing three individual   
  rays) and in each corner of the triangle is a small yellow five-pointed star.
                                                                       
  PROFILE                                                                     
                                                                       
  OFFICIAL NAME:                                                              
  Republic of the Philippines                                                 
                                                                       
  Geography                                                                   
  Area: 300,000 sq. km. (117,187 sq. mi.).                                    
  Major cities (2005 estimate): Capital--Manila (pop. 11.29 million in        
  metropolitan area); other cities--Davao City (1.33 million); Cebu City (0.82
  million).                                                                   
  Terrain: Islands, 65% mountainous, with narrow coastal lowlands.            
  Climate: Tropical, astride typhoon belt.                                    
                                                                       
  Map of Philippines, 2007. People                                            
  Nationality: Noun--Filipino(s). Adjective--Philippine.                      
  Population (2007 estimate): 91.077 million; estimate for 2006: 89.5 million.
  Annual growth rate: 1.764%.                                                 
  Ethnic groups: Malay, Chinese.                                              
  Religions: Catholic 85%, Protestant 9%, Muslim 5%, Buddhist and other 1%.   
  Languages: Pilipino (based on Tagalog), national language; English, language
  of government and instruction in education.                                 
  Education: Years compulsory--6 (note: 6 years of primary education free and 
  compulsory; 4 years of secondary education free but not compulsory).        
  Attendance--94% in elementary grades, 64% in secondary grades.              
  Literacy--93.4%.                                                            
  Health: Infant mortality rate (2003)--29 per 1,000. Life expectancy (2005)  
  --64.10 yrs. for males; 70.10 yrs. for females.                             
  Work force (2006): 35.79 million. Services (including commerce and          
  government, 2005)--48%; agriculture--20%; industry--36%.                    
                                                                       
  Government                                                                  
  Type: Republic.                                                             
  Independence: 1946.                                                         
  Constitution: February 11, 1987.                                            
  Branches: Executive--president and vice president. Legislative--bicameral   
  legislature. Judicial--independent.                                         
  Administrative subdivisions: 15 regions and Metro Manila (National Capital  
  Region), 79 provinces, 115 cities.                                          
  Political parties: Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, Nationalist People's   
  Coalition, Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, Liberal Party, Aksiyon          
  Demokratiko, Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan, and other small 
  parties.                                                                    
  Suffrage: Universal, but not compulsory, at age 18.                         
                                                                       
  Economy                                                                     
  GDP (2006): $116.9 billion.                                                 
  Annual GDP growth rate (2006): 5.4% at constant prices.                     
  GDP per capita (2005): $1,024.                                              
  Natural resources: Copper, nickel, iron, cobalt, silver, gold.              
  Agriculture: Products--rice, coconut products, sugar, corn, pork, bananas,  
  pineapple products, aquaculture, mangoes, eggs.                             
  Industry: Types--textiles and garments, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, wood    
  products, food processing, electronics assembly, petroleum refining, fishing.
  Trade (2006): Exports--$47.2 billion. Imports--$51.6 billion.               
                                                                       
  PEOPLE                                                                      
  The majority of Philippine people are of Malay stock, descendants of        
  Indonesians and Malays who migrated to the islands long before the Christian
  era. The most significant ethnic minority group is the Chinese, who have    
  played an important role in commerce since the ninth century, when they first
  came to the islands to trade. As a result of intermarriage, many Filipinos  
  have some Chinese and Spanish ancestry. Americans and Spaniards constitute  
  the next largest alien minorities in the country.                           
                                                                       
  More than 90% of the people are Christian; most were converted and became   
  westernized to varying degrees during nearly 400 years of Spanish and       
  American rule. The major non-Hispanicized groups are the Muslim population, 
  concentrated in the Sulu Archipelago and in central and western Mindanao, and
  the mountain groups of northern Luzon. Small forest tribes still live in the
  more remote areas of Mindanao.                                              
                                                                       
  About 87 native languages and dialects are spoken, all belonging to the     
  Malay-Polynesian linguistic family. Of these, eight are the first languages 
  of more than 85% of the population. The three principal indigenous languages
  are Cebuano, spoken in the Visayas; Tagalog, predominant in the area around 
  Manila; and Ilocano, spoken in northern Luzon. Since 1939, in an effort to  
  develop national unity, the government has promoted the use of the national 
  language, Pilipino, which is based on Tagalog. Pilipino is taught in all    
  schools and is gaining widespread acceptance across the archipelago. Many use
  English, the most important nonnative language, as a second language,       
  including nearly all professionals, academics, and government workers. In   
  January 2003, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered the Department of   
  Education to restore English as the medium of instruction in all schools and
  universities. However, most of the English-speaking community still writes at
  a middle grade level, although, as noted, exceptions are found among the    
  highly or U.S. educated populations. Only a few Filipino families use Spanish
  as a first language.                                                        
                                                                       
  The Philippines has one of the highest literacy rates in the East Asian and 
  Pacific area. About 92% of the population 10 years of age and older are     
  literate.                                                                   
                                                                       
  HISTORY                                                                     
  The history of the Philippines can be divided into four distinct phases: the
  pre-Spanish period (before 1521); the Spanish period (1521-1898); the       
  American period (1898-1946); and the post-independence period (1946-present).
                                                                       
  Pre-Spanish Period                                                          
  The first people in the Philippines, the Negritos, are believed to have come
  to the islands 30,000 years ago from Borneo and Sumatra, making their way   
  across then-existing land bridges. Subsequently, people of Malay stock came 
  from the south in successive waves, the earliest by land bridges and later in
  boats by sea. The Malays settled in scattered communities, named barangays  
  after the large outrigger boats in which they arrived, and ruled by         
  chieftains known as datus. Chinese merchants and traders arrived and settled
  in the ninth century, and 500 years later, Arabs arrived, introducing Islam 
  in the south and extending some influence even into Luzon. The Malays,      
  however, remained the dominant group until the Spanish arrived in the 16th  
  century.                                                                    
                                                                       
  Spanish Period                                                              
  Ferdinand Magellan reached the Philippines and claimed the archipelago for  
  Spain in 1521, and for the next 377 years, the islands were under Spanish   
  rule. This period was the era of conversion to Roman Catholicism. A Spanish 
  colonial social system was developed with a government centered in Manila and
  with considerable clerical influence. Spanish influence was strongest in    
  Luzon and the central Philippines but less so in Mindanao, save for certain 
  coastal cities.                                                             
                                                                       
  The long period of Spanish rule was marked by numerous uprisings. Towards the
  latter half of the 19th century, Western-educated Filipinos or ilustrados   
  (such as national hero Jose Rizal) began to criticize the excesses of Spanish
  rule and instilled a new sense of national identity. This movement gave     
  inspiration to the final revolt against Spain that began in 1896 under the  
  leadership of Emilio Aguinaldo and continued until the Americans defeated the
  Spanish fleet in Manila Bay on May 1, 1898, during the Spanish-American War.
  Aguinaldo declared independence from Spain on June 12, 1898.                
                                                                       
  American Period                                                             
  Following Admiral George Dewey's defeat of the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay, 
  the U.S. occupied the Philippines. Spain ceded the islands to the United    
  States under the terms of the Treaty of Paris (December 10, 1898) that ended
  the war.                                                                    
                                                                       
  A war of resistance against U.S. rule, led by revolutionary President       
  Aguinaldo, broke out in 1899. This conflict claimed the lives of tens of    
  thousands of Filipinos and thousands of Americans. Although Americans have  
  historically used the term "the Philippine Insurrection", Filipinos and an  
  increasing number of American historians refer to these hostilities as the  
  Philippine-American War (1899-1902), and in 1999, the U.S. Library of       
  Congress reclassified its references to use this term. In 1901, Aguinaldo was
  captured and swore allegiance to the U.S., and resistance gradually died out
  until the conflict ended with a Peace Proclamation on July 4, 1902. However,
  armed resistance continued sporadically until 1913, especially in Mindanao  
  and Sulu, with heavy casualties on both sides.                              
                                                                       
  U.S. administration of the Philippines was always declared to be temporary  
  and aimed to develop institutions that would permit and encourage the       
  eventual establishment of a free and democratic government. Therefore, U.S. 
  officials concentrated on the creation of such practical supports for       
  democratic government as public education and a sound legal system.         
                                                                       
  The first legislative assembly was elected in 1907, and a bicameral         
  legislature, largely under Philippine control, was established. A civil     
  service was formed and was gradually taken over by the Filipinos, who had   
  effectively gained control by the end of World War I. The Catholic Church was
  disestablished, and a considerable amount of church land was purchased and  
  redistributed.                                                              
                                                                       
  In 1935, under the terms of the Tydings-McDuffie Act, the Philippines became
  a self-governing commonwealth. Manuel Quezon was elected president of the new
  government, which was designed to prepare the country for independence after
  a 10-year transition period. World War II intervened, however, and in May   
  1942, Corregidor, the last American/Filipino stronghold, fell. U.S. forces in
  the Philippines surrendered to the Japanese, placing the islands under      
  Japanese control. During the occupation, thousands of Filipinos fought a    
  running guerilla campaign against Japanese forces.                          
                                                                       
  The full-scale war to regain the Philippines began when General Douglas     
  MacArthur landed on Leyte on October 20, 1944. Filipinos and Americans fought
  together until the Japanese surrendered in September 1945. Much of Manila was
  destroyed during the final months of the fighting, making it the second most
  devastated city in World War II after Warsaw. In total, an estimated one    
  million Filipinos lost their lives in the war.                              
                                                                       
  Due to the Japanese occupation, the guerrilla warfare that followed, and the
  battles leading to liberation, the country suffered great damage and a      
  complete organizational breakdown. Despite the shaken state of the country, 
  the U.S. and the Philippines decided to move forward with plans for         
  independence. On July 4, 1946, the Philippine Islands became the independent
  Republic of the Philippines, in accordance with the terms of the            
  Tydings-McDuffie Act. In 1962, the official Philippine Independence Day was 
  changed from July 4 to June 12, commemorating the date independence from    
  Spain was declared by Emilio Aguinaldo in 1898.                             
                                                                       
  Post-Independence Period                                                    
  The early years of independence were dominated by U.S.-assisted postwar     
  reconstruction. The communist-inspired Huk Rebellion (1945-53) complicated  
  recovery efforts before its successful suppression under the leadership of  
  President Ramon Magsaysay. The succeeding administrations of Presidents     
  Carlos P. Garcia (1957-61) and Diosdado Macapagal (1961-65) sought to expand
  Philippine ties to its Asian neighbors, implement domestic reform programs, 
  and develop and diversify the economy.                                      
                                                                       
  In 1972, President Ferdinand E. Marcos (1965-86) declared martial law, citing
  growing lawlessness and open rebellion by the communist rebels as his       
  justification. Marcos governed from 1973 until mid-1981 in accordance with  
  the transitory provisions of a new constitution that replaced the           
  commonwealth constitution of 1935. He suppressed democratic institutions and
  restricted civil liberties during the martial law period, ruling largely by 
  decree and popular referenda. The government began a process of political   
  normalization during 1978-81, culminating in the reelection of President    
  Marcos to a six-year term that would have ended in 1987. The Marcos         
  government's respect for human rights remained low despite the end of martial
  law on January 17, 1981. His government retained its wide arrest and        
  detention powers, and corruption and cronyism contributed to a serious      
  decline in economic growth and development.                                 
                                                                       
  The assassination of opposition leader Benigno (Ninoy) Aquino upon his return
  to the Philippines in 1983 after a long period of exile coalesced popular   
  dissatisfaction with Marcos and set in motion a succession of events that   
  culminated in a snap presidential election in February 1986. The opposition 
  united under Aquino's widow, Corazon Aquino, and Salvador Laurel, head of the
  United Nationalist Democratic Organization (UNIDO). The election was marred 
  by widespread electoral fraud on the part of Marcos and his supporters.     
  International observers, including a U.S. delegation led by Senator Richard 
  Lugar (R-Indiana), denounced the official results. Marcos was forced to flee
  the Philippines in the face of a peaceful civilian-military uprising that   
  ousted him and installed Corazon Aquino as president on February 25, 1986.  
                                                                       
  Under Aquino's presidency, progress was made in revitalizing democratic     
  institutions and civil liberties. However, the administration was also viewed
  by many as weak and fractious, and a return to full political stability and 
  economic development was hampered by several attempted coups staged by      
  disaffected members of the Philippine military.                             
                                                                       
  Fidel Ramos was elected president in 1992. Early in his administration, Ramos
  declared "national reconciliation" his highest priority. He legalized the   
  Communist Party and created the National Unification Commission (NUC) to lay
  the groundwork for talks with communist insurgents, Muslim separatists, and 
  military rebels. In June 1994, President Ramos signed into law a general    
  conditional amnesty covering all rebel groups, as well as Philippine military
  and police personnel accused of crimes committed while fighting the         
  insurgents. In October 1995, the government signed an agreement bringing the
  military insurgency to an end. A peace agreement with one major Muslim      
  insurgent group, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), was signed in   
  1996, using the existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) as a   
  vehicle for self-government.                                                
                                                                       
  Popular movie actor Joseph Ejercito Estrada's election as president in May  
  1998 marked the Philippines' third democratic succession since the ouster of
  Marcos. Estrada was elected with overwhelming mass support on a platform    
  promising poverty alleviation and an anti-crime crackdown.                  
                                                                       
  Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, elected vice president in 1998, assumed the        
  presidency in January 2001 after widespread demonstrations that followed the
  breakdown of Estrada's impeachment trial on corruption charges. The         
  Philippine Supreme Court subsequently endorsed unanimously the              
  constitutionality of the transfer of power. National and local elections took
  place in May 2004. Under the constitution, Arroyo was eligible for another  
  six-year term as president, and she won a hard-fought campaign against her  
  primary challenger, movie actor Fernando Poe, Jr., in elections held May 10,
  2004. Noli De Castro was elected vice president.                            
                                                                       
  Impeachment charges were brought against Arroyo in June 2005 for allegedly  
  tampering with the results of the elections after purported tapes of her    
  speaking with an electoral official during the vote count surfaced, but     
  Congress rejected the charges in September 2005. Similar charges were       
  discussed and dismissed by Congress in the summer of 2006.                  
                                                                       
  GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS                                         
  The Philippines has a representative democracy modeled on the U.S. system.  
  The 1987 constitution, adopted during the Aquino administration,            
  reestablished a presidential system of government with a bicameral          
  legislature and an independent judiciary. The president is limited to one   
  six-year term. Provision also was made in the constitution for autonomous   
  regions in Muslim areas of Mindanao and in the Cordillera region of northern
  Luzon, where many indigenous tribes still live.                             
                                                                       
  The 24-member Philippine Senate is elected at large, and all senators serve 
  six-year terms. Half are elected every three years. Of a maximum of 250     
  members in the House of Representatives, 212 are elected from single-member 
  districts to serve three-year terms. The remainder of the House seats are   
  designated for sectoral party representatives elected at large, called party
  list representatives; from the May 2004 elections, there were 24 such       
  representatives in the House. All representatives serve three-year terms,   
  with a maximum of three consecutive terms. On May 14, 2007, legislative and 
  local elections were held; as of mid-May, official results were pending.    
                                                                       
  The government continues to face threats from terrorist groups, including the
  Communist New People's Army and Muslim groups. The terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group
  (ASG), which gained international notoriety with its kidnappings of foreign 
  tourists in the southern islands, remains a major problem for the government,
  along with members of the Indonesian-based Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). Efforts to
  track down and destroy the ASG and JI have met with some success, especially
  in Basilan and Jolo, where U.S. troops advised, assisted, and trained       
  Philippine soldiers in counterterrorism. In August 2006, the Armed Forces of
  the Philippines began a major offensive against ASG and JI on the island of 
  Jolo. This offensive was remarkably successful and has resulted so far in the
  deaths of Abu Sayyaf leader Khadafy Janjalani and his deputy, Abu Solaiman. 
  The U.S. Government provided rewards to Philippine citizens whose information
  led to these deaths in the military operations, as well as to many other    
  operations against terrorist leaders.                                       
                                                                       
  An international monitoring team continues to watch over a four-year-old    
  cease-fire agreement between the government and the separatist Moro Islamic 
  Liberation Front (MILF). In June 2003, the MILF issued a formal renunciation
  of terrorism. Talks on a peace accord between the two sides continue, with  
  the Government of Malaysia acting as principal mediator.                    
                                                                       
  Principal Government Officials                                              
  President--Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo                                          
  Vice President--Noli De Castro                                              
  Foreign Secretary--Alberto Romulo                                           
  Ambassador to the United States--Ambassador Willie Gaa                      
  Permanent Representative to the UN--Hilario G. Davide                       
                                                                       
  The Republic of the Philippines maintains an embassy in the United States at
  1600 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 (tel. 202-467-9300).     
  Consulates general are in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles,    
  Honolulu, and Agana (Guam).                                                 
                                                                       
  ECONOMY                                                                     
  Since the end of World War II, the Philippine economy has had a mixed history
  of growth and development. Over the years, the Philippines has gone from    
  being one of the richest countries in Asia (following Japan) to being one of
  the poorest. Growth immediately after the war was rapid, but slowed over    
  time. A severe recession in 1984-85 saw the economy shrink by more than 10%,
  and perceptions of political instability during the Aquino administration   
  further dampened economic activity. During his administration, President    
  Ramos introduced a broad range of economic reforms and initiatives designed 
  to spur business growth and foreign investment. As a result, the Philippines
  saw a period of higher growth, but the Asian financial crisis triggered in  
  1997 slowed economic development in the Philippines once again. President   
  Estrada managed to continue some of the reforms begun by the Ramos          
  administration. Important laws to strengthen regulation and supervision of  
  the banking system (General Banking Act) and securities markets (Securities 
  Regulation Code), to liberalize foreign participation in the retail trade   
  sector, and to promote and regulate electronic commerce were enacted during 
  his abbreviated term. Despite occasional challenges to her presidency and   
  resistance to pro-liberalization reforms by vested interests, President     
  Arroyo has made considerable progress in restoring macroeconomic stability  
  with the help of a well-regarded economic team. Nonetheless, long-term      
  economic growth remains threatened by widespread poverty, crumbling         
  infrastructure and education systems, and trade and investment barriers.    
                                                                       
  Important sectors of the Philippine economy include agriculture and industry,
  particularly food processing; textiles and garments; and electronics and    
  automobile parts. Most industries are concentrated in the urban areas around
  metropolitan Manila. Mining also has great potential in the Philippines,    
  which possesses significant reserves of chromite, nickel, and copper.       
  Significant natural gas finds off the islands of Palawan have added to the  
  country's substantial geothermal, hydro, and coal energy reserves.          
                                                                       
  Today's Economy                                                             
  GDP grew by 5.4% in 2006, mark