http://www.LivingInthePhilippines.comis theORIGINAL, firstPhilippines Expat site on the Net, since 1989. This is not one of many knock-offs, copycats, imitations. Some have permutations of the names,misspellings and "in" and "the" or "ing." left off to deceive you. This is the original, by: Don A. Herrington
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:
land:
water:
300,000 sq km
298,170 sq km
1,830 sq km
Area
comparative slightly larger than Arizona
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
36,289 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
exclusive economic zone:
territorial sea:
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
to depth of exploitation
200 nm
irregular polygon extending up to 100 nm from coastline as defined
by1898 treaty; since late
Philippine Sea 0 m polygonal-shaped
area in Sou
Mount Apo 2,954 m nm in breadth
simate
er, petroleum, nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, salt, copper southwest monsoon (May to Octobe
LanInternat
disputes:
and:
involved in a complex dispute ovpermanent crops: Islands with China, Malaysia, Tai
Vietnam, and possibly Brunei;
c
Malaysian state of Sabah
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
party to :
international agreements
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed,
but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification
People
Population:
77,725,862
(July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years:
15-64 years:
65 years and over:
72 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,
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, Tawitawi, Toledo*, Trece Martires*, Zambales,
Zamboanga*, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur
Independence:
4 July 1946 (from US)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 June (1898) (from Spain)
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 and head of government:
head of government:
cabinet:
elections:
election results:
President Fidel Valdes RAMOS (since 30 June 1992) and Vice President
Joseph Ejercito ESTRADA (since 30 June 1992); note - the president
is both the chief of state and head of government
President Fidel Valdes RAMOS (since 30 June 1992) and Vice President
Joseph Ejercito ESTRADA (since 30 June 1992); note - the president
is both the chief of state and head of government
Cabinet appointed by the president with the consent of the
Commission of Appointments
Fidel Valdes RAMOS elected president; percent of vote - Fidel Valdes
RAMOS 23.6% (a narrow plurality); Joseph Ejercito ESTRADA elected
vice president; percent of vote - NA%
Fidel Valdes RAMOS elected president; percent of vote - Fidel
Valdes RAMOS 23.6% (a narrow plurality)
Legislative branch:
elections :
election results:
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 (204 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms; note - an
additional 50 members may be appointed by the president)
Senate - last held 8 May 1995 (next to be held 11 May 1998); House
of Representatives - elections last held 8 May 1995 (next to be held
11 May 1998)
Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LDP 15,
Lakas-NUCD 6, NPC 1, PRP 1, independent 1; House of Representatives
- percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Lakas-NUCD 126,
LDP 28, NPC 28, NP 2, KBL 2, other 18
Judicial branch:
supreme Court, justices are appointed for four-year
terms by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial and Bar
Council
Political parties and leaders:
note:
Democratic Filipino Struggle (Laban ng
Demokratikong Pilipino, LDP), Edgardo ANGARA; People Power-National
Union of Christian Democrats (Lakas ng EDSA-NUCD or Lakas-NUCD),
Jose DE VENECIA, secretary general; Liberal Party (LP), Alfredo LIM,
standard bearer; Laban Ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino (LMMP or Fight
of the Patriotic Filipino Masses), Joseph ESTRADA, standard bearer;
National People's Coalition (NPC), Eduardo COJUANGCO; People's
Reform Party (PRP), Miriam DEFENSOR-SANTIAGO; New Society Movement (Kilusan
Bagong Lipunan, KBL), Imelda MARCOS; Nacionalista Party (NP),
Salvador H. LAUREL, president; Filipino Democratic Party (Partido
Demokratikong Philipinas or PDP), Jose COJUANGCO, is part of the
ruling coalition with the LDP
political parties are highly fluid and personalistic; the major
parties as of May 1998 are - Lakas-NUCD, LMMP, and LP
1600 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
[1] (202) 467-9300
[1] (202) 328-7614
Agana (Guam), Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San
Francisco, and Seattle
San Diego and San Jose (Saipan)
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
embassy:
mailing address:
telephone:
FAX:
Ambassador Thomas C. HUBBARD
1201 Roxas Boulevard, Ermita Manila 1000
APO AP 96440
[63] (2) 521-71-16
[63] (2) 522-43-61
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
In 1997 the
Philippine economy, primarily a mixture of agriculture and light
industry, continued its fifth year of positive economic growth, led
by expansion of exports and investment. The government expects
growth to slow to about 3% in 1998 due to spillover effects of the
financial crisis in East Asia. 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, and moving toward further
deregulation and privatization of the economy.
GDP-purchasing
power parity :
$244 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth
rate:
5.1% (1997
est.)
GDP-per capita purchasing power parity:
$3,200 (1997 est.)
GDP
agriculture:
industry:
services:
composition by sector
22%
32%
46% (1996 est.)
Inflation rate - consumer price index:
5.1% (1997)
Labor force
total:
by occupation :
29.13 million (1996 est.)
agriculture 43.4%, services 22.6%, government services 17.9%,
industry and commerce 16.1% (1995)
Unemployment rate:
8.7% (1997)
Budget
revenues:
expenditures :
$16.3 billion
$16.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.7 billion (1996
est.)
897 km of which 492 km in operation
492 km 1.067-m gauge (1996)
Highways:
total:
paved:
unpaved:
note :
156,997 km (1996 est.)NA km
NA km
NA km
probably less than 30,000 km are designated arterial roads and not
all of these are all-weather roads
Waterways :
3,219 km;
limited to shallow-draft (less than 1.5 m) vessels
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:
ships by type:
note:
535 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,334,164 GRT/11,511,707 DWT
a flag of convenience registry; Japan owns 21 ships, Hong Kong 4,
Cyprus 1, Denmark 1, Greece 1, Netherlands 1, Norway 1, Panama 1,
Singapore 1, and Taiwan 1 (1997 est.)
Army, Navy (includes Coast Guard and Marine Corps),
Air Force
Military manpower
military age 20 years of age
Military manpower
males age 15-49:
availability
19,734,347 (1998 est.)
Military manpower
males:
fit for military service
13,921,259 (1998 est.)
Military manpower
males:
reaching military age annually
800,148 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures
dollar figure $1.3 billion (1996)
Military expenditures
percent of GDP 0.7% (1996)
Transnational Issues
Disputes
international involved in a complex dispute over the
Spratly Islands with China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly
Brunei; claims Malaysian state of Sabah
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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