Philippines

• tropical marine;
• northeast monsoon (November to April);
• southwest monsoon (May to October)

total:

28.52 cu km/yr (17%/9%/74%)

per capita:

343 cu m/yr (2000)

• astride typhoon belt, usually affected by 15 and struck by five to six cyclonic storms per year;
• landslides;
• active volcanoes;
• destructive earthquakes;
• tsunamis

• uncontrolled deforestation especially in watershed areas;
• soil erosion;
• air and water pollution in major urban centers;
• coral reef degradation;
• increasing pollution of coastal mangrove swamps that are important fish breeding grounds

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:

Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

• the Philippine archipelago is made up of 7,107 islands;
• 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

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.76 male(s)/female

total population:

1 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

degree of risk:

high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

dengue fever, malaria, and Japanese encephalitis

water contact disease:

leptospirosis (2009)

noun:

Filipino(s)

adjective:

Philippine

• Filipino (official; based on Tagalog) and English (official);
• eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan

conventional long form:

Republic of the Philippines

conventional short form:

Philippines

local long form:

Republika ng Pilipinas

local short form:

Pilipinas

name:

Manila

geographic coordinates:

14 35 N, 121 00 E

time difference:

UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

• Independence Day, 12 June (1898);
• note - 12 June 1898 was date of declaration of independence from Spain;
• 4 July 1946 was date of independence from US

chief of state:

• President Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO (since 20 January 2001);
• Vice President (Manuel "Noli" DE CASTRO (since 10 May 2004); note - president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:

President Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO (since 20 January 2001)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the president with consent of Commission of Appointments

elections:

• president and vice president elected on separate tickets by popular vote for a single six-year term;
• election last held on 10 May 2004 (next to be held in May 2010)

election results:

Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO elected president; percent of vote - Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO 40%, Fernando POE 37%, three others 23%

• 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)

• Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino or Kampi [Luis VILLAFUERTE];
• Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (Struggle of Filipino Democrats) or LDP [Edgardo ANGARA];
• Lakas ng EDSA-Christian Muslim Democrats or Lakas-CMD [Prospero NOGRALES];
• Liberal Party or LP [Manuel ROXAS];
• Nacionalista Party or NP [Manuel VILLAR];
• Nationalist People's Coalition or NPC [Frisco SAN JUAN];
• PDP-Laban [Aquilino PIMENTEL];
• People's Reform Party [Miriam Defensor SANTIAGO];
• Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (Force of the Philippine Masses) or PMP [Joseph ESTRADA];
• United Opposition or UNO [Jejomar BINAY]

note: Lakas-CMD and Kampi merged on 29 May 2009 to form Lakas-Kampi CMD

• ABONO [Robert ESTRELLA];
• AKBAYAN [Anna Theresia BARAQUIEL];
• An Waray [Florencio NOEL];
• Anak Mindanao [Mujiv HATAMIN];
• ANAKPAWIS [Rafael MARIANO];
• ARC [Narciso SANTIAGO III];
• Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives (APEC) [Ernesto PABLO and Edgar VALDEZ];
• A TEACHER [Mariano PIAMONTE];
• Bayan Muna [Satur OCAMPO and Teodoro CASINO, Jr.];
• Black and White Movement [Vicente ROMANO];
• BUHAY [Rene VELARDE, Carissa COSCOLLUELLA, and William TIENG];
• BUTIL [Leonila CHAVEZ];
• CIBAC [Emmanuel Joel VILLANUEVA];
• COOP-NATCO [Jose PING-AY];
• GABRIELA [Liza MAZA and Luzviminda ILAGAN];
• Kilosbayan [Jovito SALONGA];
• YACAP [Carol LOPEZ]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Willy C. GAA

chancery:

1600 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone:

[1] (202) 467-9300

FAX:

[1] (202) 467-9417

consulate(s) general:

Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands), San Francisco, Tamuning (Guam)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Kristie A. KENNEY

embassy:

1201 Roxas Boulevard, Ermita 1000, Manila

mailing address:

PSC 500, FPO AP 96515-1000

telephone:

[63] (2) 301-2000

FAX:

[63] (2) 301-2399

• two equal horizontal bands of blue (top; representing peace and justice) and red (representing courage);
• a white equilateral triangle based on the hoist side represents equality;
• the center of the triangle displays a yellow sun with eight primary rays, each representing one of the first eight provinces that sought independence from Spain;
• each corner of the triangle contains a small, yellow, five-pointed star representing the three major geographical divisions of the country:
  • Luzon,
  • Visayas,
  • and Mindanao
  ;
• the design of the flag dates to 1897;
• in wartime the flag is flown upside down with the red band at the top

agriculture:

35%

industry:

15%

services:

50% (2008 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.4%

highest 10%:

31.2% (2006)

• sugarcane, coconuts, rice, corn, bananas, cassavas, pineapples, mangoes;
• pork, eggs, beef;
• fish

general assessment:

good international radiotelephone and submarine cable services; domestic and interisland service adequate

domestic:

• domestic satellite system with 11 earth stations;
• cellular communications now dominate the industry;
• combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone density about 80 telephones per 100 persons

international:

• country code - 63;
• a series of submarine cables together provide connectivity to Asia, US, the Middle East, and Europe;
• multiple international gateways (2008)

total:

897 km

country comparison to the world: 95

narrow gauge:

897 km 1.067-m gauge (492 km are in operation) (2008)

total:

201,910 km

country comparison to the world: 25

paved:

21,677 km

unpaved:

180,233 km (2008)

• the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the South China Sea as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships;
• numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway;
• hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo diverted to ports in East Asia;
• crews have been murdered or cast adrift

males age 16-49:

23,547,252

females age 16-49:

23,177,487 (2008 est.)

males age 16-49:

19,169,298

females age 16-49:

20,636,853 (2009 est.)

male:

1,023,431

female:

986,434 (2009 est.)

• Philippines claims sovereignty over certain of the Spratly Islands, known locally as the Kalayaan (Freedom) Islands, also claimed by China, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam;
• the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," has eased tensions in the Spratly Islands but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants;
• in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands;
• Philippines retains a dormant claim to Malaysia's Sabah State in northern Borneo based on the Sultanate of Sulu's granting the Philippines Government power of attorney to pursue a sovereignty claim on his behalf;
• maritime delimitation negotiations continue with Palau

• domestic methamphetamine production has been a growing problem in recent years despite government crackdowns;
• major consumer of amphetamines;
• longstanding marijuana producer mainly in rural areas where Manila's control is limited