Philippines

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

agricultural land:

41%;

• arable land 18.2%;
• permanent crops 17.8%;
• permanent pasture 5%

forest:

25.9%

other:

33.1% (2011 est.)

total:

81.56 cu km/yr (8%/10%/82%)

per capita:

859.9 cu m/yr (2009)

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

volcanism:

• significant volcanic activity;
• Taal (elev. 311 m), 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), 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

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

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.84 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.72 male(s)/female

total population:

1.01 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

degree of risk:

high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

dengue fever and malaria

water contact disease:

leptospirosis (2013)

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 36 N, 120 58 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 the US

chief of state:

• President Benigno AQUINO (since 30 June 2010);
• Vice President Jejomar BINAY (since 30 June 2010);
• note - the 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 the consent of the Commission of Appointments, an independent body of 25 Congressional members including the Senate president (ex officio chairman), appointed by the president

elections/appointments:

• president and vice president directly elected on separate ballots by simple majority popular vote for a single 6-year term;
• election last held on 10 May 2010 (next to be held in May 2016)

election results:

• Benigno AQUINO elected president;
• percent of vote - Benigno AQUINO (LP) 42.1%, Joseph ESTRADA (PMP) 26.3%, Gilberto EODORA (LAKAS-CMD) 11.3%, other 20.3% ;
• Jejomar BINAY elected vice president;
• percent of vote Jejomar BINAY 41.6%, Manuel "Mar" ROXAS (LP) 39.6%, six others 18.8%

description:

bicameral Congress or Kongreso consists of the Senate or Senado (24 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by majority vote; members serve 6-year terms with one-half of the membership renewed every 3 years) and the House of Representatives or Kapulungan Ng Mga Kinatawan (287 seats; 230 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 57 representing minorities directly elected by proportional representation vote; members serve 3-year terms)

elections:

• Senate - elections last held on 13 May 2013 (next to be held in May 2016);
• House of Representatives - elections last held on 13 May 2013 (next to be held in May 2016)

election results:

• Senate - percent of vote by party for 2013 election - UNA 26.94%, NP 15.3%, LP 11.32%, NPC 10.15%, LDP 5.38%, PDP-Laban 4.95%, others 9.72%, independents 16.24%;
• seats by party after 2013 election - UNA 5, NP 5, LP 4, Lakas 2, NPC 2, LDP 1, PDP-Laban 1, PRP 1, independents 3;
• House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - LP 38.3%, NPC 17.4%, UNA 11.4%, NUP 8.7%, NP 8.5%, Lakas 5.3%, independents 6.0%, others 4.4%;
• seats by party - LP 110, NPC 43, NUP 24, NP 17, Lakas 14, UNA 8, independents 6, others 12;
• party-list 57

highest court(s):

Supreme Court (consists of a chief justice and 14 associate justices)

judge selection and term of office:

justices are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial and Bar Council, a constitutionally-created, 6-member body that recommends Supreme Court nominees; justices serve until age 70

subordinate courts:

• Court of Appeals;
• Sandiganbayan (special court for corruption cases of government officials);
• Court of Tax Appeals;
• regional, metropolitan, and municipal trial courts;
• sharia courts

• Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (Struggle of Filipino Democrats) or LDP [Edgardo ANGARA]
• Lakas ng EDSA-Christian Muslim Democrats or Lakas-CMD [Ferdinand Martin ROMUALDEZ, President]
• Liberal Party or LP [Joseph Emilio ABAYA, President]
• Nacionalista Party or NP [Manuel "Manny" VILLAR]
• Nationalist People's Coalition or NPC [Eduardo COJUNGCO, Jr.]
• PDP-Laban [Aquilino PIMENTEL III]
• People's Reform Party [Miriam Defensor SANTIAGO]
• Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (Force of the Philippine Masses) or PMP [Joseph ESTRADA]
• United Nationalist Alliance or UNA [Toby TIANGCO (acting)] - PDP-Laban and PMP coalition for the 2013 election

chief of mission:

Ambassador Jose L. CUISIA Jr. (since 7 April 2011)

chancery:

1600 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone:

[1] (202) 467-9300

FAX:

[1] (202) 328-7614

consulate(s) general:

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

chief of mission:

Ambassador Philip S. GOLDBERG (since 2 December 2013)

embassy:

1201 Roxas Boulevard, Manila 1000

mailing address:

PSC 500, FPO AP 96515-1000

telephone:

[63] (2) 301-2000

FAX:

[63] (2) 301-2017

• 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

• sugarcane, coconuts, rice, corn, bananas, cassava (manioc, tapioca), pineapples, mangoes;
• pork, eggs, beef;
• fish

agriculture:

30%

industry:

16%

services:

54% (2014 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.9%

highest 10%:

30.5% (2012 est.)

general assessment:

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

domestic:

• telecommunications infrastructure includes the following platforms: fixed line, mobile cellular, cable TV, over-the-air TV, radio and Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT), fiber-optic cable, and satellite;
• mobile-cellular communications now dominate the industry

international:

• country code - 63;
• a series of submarine cables together provide connectivity to Asia, US, the Middle East, and Europe;
• multiple international gateways (2011)

• multiple national private TV and radio networks;
• multi-channel satellite and cable TV systems available;
• more than 350 TV stations - 4 major TV networks operating nationwide with 1 being government owned;
• some 1,100 cable TV providers and some 1,200 radio stations broadcasting;
• the Philippines is scheduled to complete the switch from analog to digital broadcasting by the end of 2015 (2012)

total:

897 km

narrow gauge:

897 km 1.067-m gauge (only about 100 km are in operation) (2014)

country comparison to the world: 88

total:

216,387 km

paved:

61,093 km

unpaved:

155,294 km (2014)

country comparison to the world: 23

major seaport(s):

Batangas, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Liman, Manila

container port(s) (TEUs):

Manila (3,342,200)

• 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

• 17-23 years of age (officers 20-24) for voluntary military service;
• no conscription;
• applicants must be single male or female Philippine citizens with either 72 college credit hours (enlisted) or a baccalaureate degree (officers) (2013)

males age 16-49:

25,614,135

females age 16-49:

25,035,061 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

20,142,940

females age 16-49:

21,427,792 (2010 est.)

male:

1,060,319

female:

1,021,069 (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