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

volcanism:

• the Philippines experience significant volcanic activity;
• Taal (elev. 311 m, 1,020 ft), which has shown recent unrest and may erupt in the near future, has been deemed a "Decade Volcano" by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations;
• Mayon (elev. 2,462 m, 8,077 ft), the country's most active volcano, erupted in 2009 forcing over 33,000 to be evacuated;
• other historically active volcanoes include
  • Biliran,
  • Babuyan Claro,
  • Bulusan,
  • Camiguin,
  • Camiguin de Babuyanes,
  • Didicas,
  • Iraya,
  • Jolo,
  • Kanlaon,
  • Makaturing,
  • Musuan,
  • Parker,
  • Pinatubo and Ragang

• 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 (2010 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 Benigno AQUINO (since 30 June 2010);
• Vice President Jejomar BINAY (since 30 June 2010);
• note - president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:

President Benigno AQUINO (since 30 June 2010)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the president with consent of Commission of Appointments; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• president and vice president elected on separate tickets by popular vote for a single six-year term;
• election held on 10 May 2010;
• Benigno AQUINO declared winner and took office on 30 June 2010;
• next election to be held in May 2016

election results:

• Benigno AQUINO elected president;
• percent of vote - Benigno AQUINO 42.1%, Joseph ESTRADA 26.3%, seven others 31.6%;
• Jejomar BINAY elected vice president;
• percent of vote Jejomar BINAY 41.6%, Manuel ROXAS 39.6%, six others 18.8%

• 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 Nga Kinatawan;
• the House has 287 seats including 230 members in one tier representing districts and 57 sectoral party-list members in a second tier representing special minorities elected on the basis of one seat for every 2% of the total vote but are limited to three seats;
• a party represented in one tier may not hold seats in the other tier;
• all House members are elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms

note: the constitution limits the House of Representatives to 250 members; the number of members allowed was increased, however, through legislation when in April 2009 the Philippine Supreme Court ruled that additional party members could sit in the House of Representatives if they received the required number of votes

elections:

• Senate - elections last held on 10 May 2010 (next to be held in May 2013);
• House of Representatives - elections last held on 10 May 2010 (next to be held in May 2013)

election results:

• Senate - percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - Lakas-Kampi CMD 4, LP 4, NP 4, NPC 2, PMP 2, LDP 1, PRP 1, independents 5;
• note - there are 23 rather than 24 sitting senators because one senator was elected mayor of Manila;
• House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - Lakas-Kampi CMD 38.4%, LP 20.3%, NPC 15.4%, NP 11.5%, independents 7.1%, others 7.3%;
• seats by party - Lakas-Kampi CMD 104, LP 45, NPC 31, NP 26, others 17, independents 7, party-list 56

• 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)

• Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (Struggle of Filipino Democrats) or LDP [Edgardo ANGARA];
• Lakas ng EDSA-Christian Muslim Democrats or Lakas-CMD [Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO];
• 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]

• 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];
• KABATAAN [Raymon PALATINO];
• 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 Harry K. THOMAS Jr.

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) and red;
• a white equilateral triangle is based on the hoist side;
• the center of the triangle displays a yellow sun with eight primary rays;
• each corner of the triangle contains a small, yellow, five-pointed star;
• blue stands for peace and justice, red symbolizes courage, the white equal-sided triangle represents equality;
• the rays recall the first eight provinces that sought independence from Spain, while the stars represent the three major geographical divisions of the country:
  • Luzon,
  • Visayas,
  • and Mindanao
  ;
• the design of the flag dates to 1897

note: in wartime the flag is flown upside down with the red band at the top

agriculture:

34%

industry:

15%

services:

51% (2009 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;
• mobile-cellular communications now dominate the industry;
• combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity 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 (2009)

• multiple national private TV and radio networks and a government-operated national TV and radio network;
• about 300 television stations and more than 1,000 radio stations;
• multi-channel satellite and cable TV systems are available (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: 24

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:

25,079,262

females age 16-49:

24,556,912 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

19,650,825

females age 16-49:

21,029,243 (2010 est.)

male:

1,039,679

female:

1,001,448 (2010 est.)

• Philippines claims sovereignty over Scarborough Reef (also claimed by China together with Taiwan) and 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