PHILIPPINE

The Philippines is made up of 7,107 islands covering a land area of 115,739 sq. m. (299,764 sq. km.). Main island groups are Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Capital is Manila. Time Zone is GMT + 8 hours.

PHILIPPINE CLIMATE

March to May is hot and dry. June to October is rainy, November to February is cool. Average temperatures: 78°F / 25°C to 90°F / 32°C; humidity is 77%.

PHILIPPINE POPULATION

There are a total of 76.5 million Filipinos as of the latest national census in May, 2000. Population growth is estimated at 2.36 percent annually. Luzon, the largest island group, accounts for more than half of the entire population.

PHILIPPINE LANGUAGES

Two official languages --- Filipino and English. Filipino which is based on Tagalog, is the national language. English is also widely used and is the medium of instruction in higher education.

Eight (8) major dialects spoken by majority of the Filipinos: Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinense.

Filipino is that native language which is used nationally as the language of communication among ethnic groups. Like any living language, Filipino is in a process of development through loans from Philippine languages and non-native languages for various situations, among speakers of different social backgrounds, and for topics for conversation and scholarly discourse. There are about 76 to 78 major language groups, with more than 500 dialects.

RELIGIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Some 80% of Filipinos are Catholic. About 15% are Moslem. The rest are made up of smaller Christian denominations and Buddhist.

UNIT OF MEASURE USED IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

The Metric System is used in most trade and legal transactions.

ELECTRICITY

220 volts a/c is the common standard. 110 volts a/c is also used, especially in major hotels.

PHILIPPINE CURRENCY

The Philippines monetary unit is the peso, divided into 100 centavos. Foreign currency may be exchanged at any hotels, most large department stores, banks, and authorized money changing shops accredited by the Central Bank of the Philippines. International credit cards such as Visa, Diners Club, Bank Americard, Master Card, and American Express are accepted in major establishments.

TODAY IN THE PHILIPPINES -- News

• Philippines: Estrada eyes 'last performance'
  I accept the challenge to bring back hope to the people,' said Estrada in October while announcing his bid for the May 2010 presidential election In the run-up to next year's elections a familiar name has joined the ranks of those vying to lead the country: former president Joseph Estrada.
  
  
• MANILA: Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan to work vs terrorism
  Philippine foreign affairs secretary Alberto Romulo met with his counterparts from Indonesia and Pakistan at the sidelines of the Special Non-Aligned Movement Ministerial Meeting and reaffirmed their commitments to pursuing peace and development in Asia, particularly against terrorism.
  
  
• Should Gloria Arroyo Be Charged With Corruption After She Leaves Office?
  With the Pacquiao Clottey fight over, we turn our attention back to Philippine politics. This past Monday the 15th of March, leading presidential candidate Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino said on Philippine television that he would set up a commission to investigate the various "issues" surrounding Gloria Arroyo.
  
  
• Philippines Concerned About Burma Elections
  Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo, left, greets Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win during their bilateral meeting in Manila, Philippines, 17 Mar 2010 The Philippines has raised concerns with Burma about new laws that ban detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from upcoming elections.
  
  
• Philippines: Garment units given relaxation from increase in rent
  Lilia B. de Lima, Director General of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority , while talking to media on the sidelines of a news briefing in Malacanang, stated that relaxation has been granted to the garment manufacturing units functional in the state-owned economic zones from an increase in rent that was due for the current year.
  
  
• Ban appeals for rejection of extremism
  New York, Mar 17 : UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Wednesday appealed for a rejection of extremism, underscoring that the international grouping of over 100 countries known as the Non-Aligned Movement, or NAM, has an invaluable role to play in promoting greater understanding.
  
  
• Philippines gets 10 Doppler radars
  The Philippine government on Wednesday said it has acquired 10 new Doppler radars, 5 of which are expected to be fully operational in the next two years.
  
  
• Jailhouse rocks for Cebu dancing inmates
  From the moment teenager Egan Torrecampo and his fellow prisoners step out of their crowded cells, the maximum-security Philippine jailhouse rocks.
  
  
• Magellan Expedition and the Philippines
  Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese maritime explorer, while in the service of the Spanish crown, led the first Spanish naval expedition that sailed westward from Europe and crossed the Pacific Ocean to Asia.
  
  
• Philippines poll 'hit by drugs trade'
  MANILA // Narco-politics has become a major issue in the Philippine election campaign following the release of a US state department report in which it expressed concern that the illicit drug trade may influence the outcome of the May 10 poll.
  
  
• Manny Pacquiao Is the Hero Filipinos Need Today
  The Pacman does it again. The Philippine's favorite boxer Manny Pacquiao clobbered Ghanaian Joshua Clottey in a twelve-round match before fifty thousand boxing fans who filled the Dallas Cowboys stadium. With Pacquiao the odds on favorite, many had hoped for a sixth or seventh round victory, that did not happen as Clottey was just too tough an opponent to stop that quickly.
  
  
• Insurgents kill mine worker, take two
  BY AL JACINTO Correspondent DAVAO CITY: Communist insurgents killed a gold mine worker and abducted his two brothers in a raid on a village in the southern Filipino province of Compostela Valley, security officials said on Sunday.
  
  
• Philippines cheers Pacquiao lastest victory
  Manila - The Philippines erupted in cheers Sunday as seven-time Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao beat Ghana's Joshua Clottey by unanimous decision after a 12-round fight.
  
  
• Militant with money links leads Abu Sayyaf faction
  A Filipino militant wanted by Washington has become leader of a key faction of Abu Sayyaf, the al-Qaida-linked extremist group in the southern Philippines for which he has previously acquired foreign funding, the Philippine military says.
  
  
• MANILA: Arroyo declares state of calamity in southern Philippines
  TJ Burgonio, Jeffrey M. Tupas, Inquirer Mindanao Philippine Daily Inquirer Publication Date : 12-03-2010 Herea s good news and bad news.
  
  
• 3/7/2010 - Voters under attack...Militant-on-militant clashes in Afghanistan
  Insurgent attacks have killed at least 25 people across Iraq in an attempt to disrupt the day.
  
  
• Youths depart for Philippines to enhance knowledge
  The Minister of Industry and Primary Resources speaking to the students before their departure.
  
  
• Elections in the Philippines: Vote before the system crashes
  RIGGED elections and the instability they create have been the bane of the Philippines for much of its democratic history.
  
  
• Mizoram villagers set world record for dance ensemble
  Tribal youths take part in a mass "Cheraw", a traditional bamboo dance during their attempt for a Guinness World Record in Aizawl, the capital of India's northeastern Mizoram state yesterday A troupe of 10,780 tribal villagers in India's northeast set a record yesterday for the largest dance ensemble in the world with a carefully choreographed ...
  
  
• PHILIPPINES: Reproductive Health Tests Candidates' Political Guts
  MANILA, Mar 12, 2010 - Filipino voters who have yet to make up their minds about their choice for their next president are being advised: look at each aspirant's stance on reproductive health to help them gauge the candidate's leadership mettle and political guts.