Philippines
Introduction Philippines
------------------------
Background: The Philippines were ceded by Spain
to the US in 1898 following the
Spanish-American War. They attained
their independence in 1946 after
Japanese occupation in World War II.
The 21-year rule of Ferdinand MARCOS
ended in 1986 when a widespread
popular rebellion forced him into
exile. In 1992, the US closed its
last military bases on the islands.
The Philippines has had two
electoral presidential transitions
since Marcos' removal by "people
power." In January 2001, the Supreme
Court declared Joseph ESTRADA unable
to rule in view of mass resignations
from his government and administered
the oath of office to Vice President
Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO as his
constitutional successor. The
government continues to struggle
with ongoing Muslim insurgencies in
the south.
Geography Philippines
---------------------
Location: Southeastern Asia, archipelago
between the Philippine Sea and the
South China Sea, east of Vietnam
Geographic coordinates: 13 00 N, 122 00 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area: total: 300,000 sq km
water: 1,830 sq km
land: 298,170 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Arizona
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 36,289 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: to depth of
exploitation
territorial sea: irregular polygon
extending up to 100 NM from
coastline as defined by 1898 treaty;
since late 1970s has also claimed
polygonal-shaped area in South China
Sea up to 285 NM in breadth
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate: tropical marine; northeast monsoon
(November to April); southwest
monsoon (May to October)
Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow to
extensive coastal lowlands
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Philippine Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Apo 2,954 m
Natural resources: timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt,
silver, gold, salt, copper
Land use: arable land: 18.45%
permanent crops: 14.76%
other: 66.8% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 15,500 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: astride typhoon belt, usually
affected by 15 and struck by five to
six cyclonic storms per year;
landslides; active volcanoes;
destructive earthquakes; tsunamis
Environment - current issues: uncontrolled deforestation in
watershed areas; soil erosion; air
and water pollution in Manila;
increasing pollution of coastal
mangrove swamps which are important
fish breeding grounds
Environment - international party to: Biodiversity, Climate
agreements: Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: 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
People Philippines
------------------
Population: 84,525,639 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 36.6% (male 15,731,451;
female 15,169,264)
15-64 years: 59.7% (male 24,990,500;
female 25,478,245)
65 years and over: 3.7% (male
1,399,862; female 1,756,317) (2002
est.)
Population growth rate: 1.99% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 26.88 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 5.95 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: -1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/
female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 27.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 68.12 years
female: 71.12 years (2002 est.)
male: 65.26 years
Total fertility rate: 3.35 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.07% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ 28,000 (1999 est.)
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,200 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Filipino(s)
adjective: Philippine
Ethnic groups: Christian Malay 91.5%, Muslim Malay
4%, Chinese 1.5%, other 3%
Religions: Roman Catholic 83%, Protestant 9%,
Muslim 5%, Buddhist and other 3%
Languages: two official languages - Filipino
(based on Tagalog) and English;
eight major dialects - Tagalog,
Cebuano, Ilocan, Hiligaynon or
Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and
Pangasinense
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 94.6%
male: 95%
female: 94.3% (1995 est.)
Government Philippines
----------------------
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of
the Philippines
conventional short form: Philippines
local short form: Pilipinas
local long form: Republika ng
Pilipinas
Government type: republic
Capital: Manila
Administrative divisions: 73 provinces and 61 chartered
cities*; Abra, Agusan del Norte,
Agusan del Sur, Aklan, Albay,
Angeles*, Antique, Aurora, Bacolod*,
Bago*, Baguio*, Bais*, Basilan,
Basilan City*, Bataan, Batanes,
Batangas, Batangas City*, Benguet,
Bohol, Bukidnon, Bulacan, Butuan*,
Cabanatuan*, Cadiz*, Cagayan,
Cagayan de Oro*, Calbayog*,
Caloocan*, Camarines Norte,
Camarines Sur, Camiguin, Canlaon*,
Capiz, Catanduanes, Cavite, Cavite
City*, Cebu, Cebu City*, Cotabato*,
Dagupan*, Danao*, Dapitan*, Davao
City*, Davao del Norte, Davao del
Sur, Davao Oriental, Dipolog*,
Dumaguete*, Eastern Samar, General
Santos*, Gingoog*, Ifugao, Iligan*,
Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Iloilo,
Iloilo City*, Iriga*, Isabela,
Kalinga-Apayao, La Carlota*, Laguna,
Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur,
Laoag*, Lapu-Lapu*, La Union,
Legaspi*, Leyte, Lipa*, Lucena*,
Maguindanao, Mandaue*, Manila*,
Marawi*, Marinduque, Masbate,
Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro
Oriental, Misamis Occidental,
Misamis Oriental, Mountain, Naga*,
Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental,
North Cotabato, Northern Samar,
Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya,
Olongapo*, Ormoc*, Oroquieta*,
Ozamis*, Pagadian*, Palawan,
Palayan*, Pampanga, Pangasinan,
Pasay*, Puerto Princesa*, Quezon,
Quezon City*, Quirino, Rizal,
Romblon, Roxas*, Samar, San Carlos*
(in Negros Occidental), San Carlos*
(in Pangasinan), San Jose*, San
Pablo*, Silay*, Siquijor, Sorsogon,
South Cotabato, Southern Leyte,
Sultan Kudarat, Sulu, Surigao*,
Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur,
Tacloban*, Tagaytay*, Tagbilaran*,
Tangub*, Tarlac, Tawi-Tawi, Toledo*,
Trece Martires*, Zambales,
Zamboanga*, Zamboanga del Norte,
Zamboanga del Sur
Independence: 4 July 1946 (from US)
National holiday: Independence Day (from Spain), 12
June (1898); note - 12 June 1898 is
the date of independence from Spain,
4 July 1946 is the date of
independence from the US
Constitution: 2 February 1987, effective 11
February 1987
Legal system: based on Spanish and Anglo-American
law; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Gloria
MACAPAGAL-ARROYO (since 20 January
2001) and Vice President Teofisto
GUINGONA (since 20 January 2001);
note - the president is both the
chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Gloria
MACAPAGAL-ARROYO (since 20 January
2001) and Vice President Teofisto
GUINGONA (since 20 January 2001);
note - the president is both the
chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the
president with the consent of the
Commission of Appointments
elections: president and vice
president elected on separate
tickets by popular vote for six-year
terms; election last held 11 May
1998 (next to be held 16 May 2004)
election results: results of the
last presidential election - Joseph
Ejercito ESTRADA elected president;
percent of vote - approximately 40%;
Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO elected vice
president; percent of vote - 55%;
note - on 20 January 2001, Vice
President Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO
was sworn in as the constitutional
successor to President Joseph
ESTRADA after the Supreme Court
declared that ESTRADA was unable to
rule in view of the mass
resignations from his government;
according to the Constitution, only
in cases of death, permanent
disability, removal from office, or
resignation of the president, can
the vice president serve for the
unexpired term
Legislative branch: bicameral Congress or Kongreso
consists of the Senate or Senado (24
seats - one-half elected every three
years; members elected by popular
vote to serve six-year terms) and
the House of Representatives or
Kapulungan Ng Mga Kinatawan (214
seats; members elected by popular
vote to serve three-year terms; note
- additional members may be
appointed by the president but the
Constitution prohibits the House of
Representatives from having more
than 250 members)
elections: Senate - last held 14 May
2001 (next to be held 16 May 2004);
House of Representatives - elections
last held 14 May 2001 (next to be
held 16 May 2004)
election results: Senate - percent
of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - Lakas 13, PDP-Laban/LDP 11;
House of Representatives - percent
of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - Lakas 86, NPC 51, LDP 21, LP
20, independents 10, other 26
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (justices are
appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the Judicial and
Bar Council and serve until 70 years
of age)
Political parties and leaders: Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (New Society
Movement) [Imelda MARCOS]; Laban Ng
Demokratikong Pilipino (Struggle of
Filipino Democrats) or LDP [Eduardo
ANGARA]; Lakas [Jose DE VENECIA,
party president]; Liberal Party or
LP [Florencio ABAD]; Nacionalista
Party [Jose OLIVEROS]; National
People's Coalition or NPC [Eduardo
COJUANGCO]; PDP-Laban [Aquilino
PIMENTEL]; People's Reform Party or
PRP [Miriam DEFENSOR-SANTIAGO]
Political pressure groups and NA
leaders:
International organization APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CCC, CP,
participation: ESCAP, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM,
OAS (observer), OPCW, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNTAET,
UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Albert
DEL ROSARIO
consulate(s): San Diego
consulate(s) general: Chicago,
Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, San
Francisco, San Jose (Northern
Mariana Islands), Tamuning (Guam)
FAX: [1] (202) 328-7614
telephone: [1] (202) 333-6000
chancery: 1600 Massachusetts Avenue
NW, Washington, DC 20036
Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Ambassador Francis
US: RICCIARDONE
embassy: 1201 Roxas Boulevard,
Ermita 1000 Manila
mailing address: FPO 96515
telephone: [63] (2) 523-1001
FAX: [63] (2) 522-4361
Flag description: 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
Economy Philippines
-------------------
Economy - overview: In 1998 the Philippine economy - a
mixture of agriculture, light
industry, and supporting services -
deteriorated as a result of
spillover from the Asian financial
crisis and poor weather conditions.
Growth fell to 0.6% in 1998 from 5%
in 1997, but recovered to about 3%
in 1999 and 4% in 2000. The
government has promised to continue
its economic reforms to help the
Philippines match the pace of
development in the newly
industrialized countries of East
Asia. The strategy includes
improving infrastructure,
overhauling the tax system to
bolster government revenues,
furthering deregulation and
privatization of the economy, and
increasing trade integration with
the region. Prospects for 2002
depend heavily on the economic
performance of two major trading
partners, the US and Japan.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $335
billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.8% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,000
(2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 17%
industry: 30%
services: 53% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 40% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: 1.5%
percentage share: highest 10%: 39.3% (1998)
Distribution of family income - Gini 46.2 (1997)
index:
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 32 million (2000)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 39.8%, government and
social services 19.4%, services
17.7%, manufacturing 9.8%,
construction 5.8%, other 7.5% (1998
est.)
Unemployment rate: 10% (2001)
Budget: revenues: $10.9 billion
expenditures: $13.8 billion,
including capital expenditures of
$NA (2001 est.)
Industries: textiles, pharmaceuticals,
chemicals, wood products, food
processing, electronics assembly,
petroleum refining, fishing
Industrial production growth rate: 4% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 40.667 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 57.57%
hydro: 19.85%
other: 22.58% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 37.82 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: rice, coconuts, corn, sugarcane,
bananas, pineapples, mangoes; pork,
eggs, beef; fish
Exports: $37 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: electronic equipment, machinery and
transport equipment, garments,
coconut products
Exports - partners: US 30%, Japan 15%, Netherlands 8%,
Singapore 8%, Taiwan 8%, Hong Kong
5% (2000)
Imports: $30 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: raw materials and intermediate
goods, capital goods, consumer
goods, fuels
Imports - partners: Japan 19%, US 16%, EU 9%, South
Korea 8%, Singapore 6%, Taiwan 6%
(2000)
Debt - external: $50 billion (2001)
Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $1.1 billion (1998)
Currency: Philippine peso (PHP)
Currency code: PHP
Exchange rates: Philippine pesos per US dollar -
51.201 (January 2002), 50.993
(2001), 44.192 (2000), 39.089
(1999), 40.893 (1998), 29.471 (1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Philippines
--------------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 3.1 million (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 6.5 million (2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: good
international radiotelephone and
submarine cable services; domestic
and interisland service adequate
domestic: domestic satellite system
with 11 earth stations
international: 9 international
gateways; satellite earth stations -
3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2
Pacific Ocean); submarine cables to
Hong Kong, Guam, Singapore, Taiwan,
and Japan
Radio broadcast stations: AM 366, FM 290, shortwave 5
note: each shortwave station
operates on multiple frequencies in
the language of the target audience
(2002)
Radios: 11.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 75 (2000)
Televisions: 3.7 million (1997)
Internet country code: .ph
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 33 (2000)
Internet users: 2 million (2001)
Transportation Philippines
--------------------------
Railways: total: 897 km
narrow gauge: 897 km 1.067-m gauge
(405 km are not in operation) (2001)
Highways: total: 199,950 km
paved: 39,590 km
unpaved: 160,360 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: 3,219 km
note: limited to vessels with a
draft of less than 1.5 m
Pipelines: petroleum products 357 km
Ports and harbors: Batangas, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu,
Davao, Guimaras Island, Iligan,
Iloilo, Jolo, Legaspi, Manila,
Masao, Puerto Princesa, San
Fernando, Subic Bay, Zamboanga
Merchant marine: total: 416 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 5,179,029 GRT/7,670,688 DWT
ships by type: bulk 134, cargo 112,
chemical tanker 2, combination bulk
7, container 5, liquefied gas 9,
livestock carrier 9, passenger 4,
passenger/cargo 10, petroleum tanker
41, refrigerated cargo 20, roll on/
roll off 14, short-sea passenger 29,
specialized tanker 2, vehicle
carrier 18
note: includes some foreign-owned
ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Australia 2, Canada 1,
Germany 3, Greece 8, Hong Kong 13,
Japan 47, Malaysia 19, Netherlands
14, Norway 8, Panama 3, Singapore
12, South Korea 1, Taiwan 2, United
Kingdom 7 (2002 est.)
Airports: 275 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 77
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 30
under 914 m: 12 (2001)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 26
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 198
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
under 914 m: 119 (2001)
914 to 1,523 m: 74
Heliports: 2 (2001)
Military Philippines
--------------------
Military branches: Army, Navy (including Coast Guard
and Marine Corps), Air Force,
paramilitary units
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 21,718,304 (2002
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 15,285,248 (2002
service: est.)
Military manpower - reaching males: 848,181 (2002 est.)
military age annually:
Military expenditures - dollar $995 million (FY98)
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of 1.5% (FY98)
GDP:
Transnational Issues Philippines
--------------------------------
Disputes - international: Sultanate of Sulu granted
Philippines Government power of
attorney to pursue his sovereignty
claim over Malaysia's Sabah State,
to which the Philippines have not
fully revoked their claim; involved
in a complex dispute over the
Spratly Islands with China,
Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, and
possibly Brunei
Illicit drugs: exports locally produced marijuana
and hashish to East Asia, the US,
and other Western markets; serves as
a transit point for heroin and
crystal methamphetamine
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