Portal:Philippines

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Welcome to the Philippines Portal / Maligayang pagdating sa Portal ng Pilipinas

The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. In the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of 7,641 islands, with a total area of roughly 300,000 square kilometers, which are broadly categorized in three main geographical divisions from north to south: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The Philippines is bounded by the South China Sea to the west, the Philippine Sea to the east, and the Celebes Sea to the south. It shares maritime borders with Taiwan to the north, Japan to the northeast, Palau to the east and southeast, Indonesia to the south, Malaysia to the southwest, Vietnam to the west, and China to the northwest. It is the world's twelfth-most-populous country, with diverse ethnicities and cultures. Manila is the country's capital, and its most populated city is Quezon City. Both are within Metro Manila.

Negritos, the archipelago's earliest inhabitants, were followed by waves of Austronesian peoples. The adoption of animism, Hinduism with Buddhist influence, and Islam established island-kingdoms ruled by datus, rajas, and sultans. Extensive overseas trade with neighbors such as the late Tang or Song empire brought Chinese people to the archipelago as well, which would also gradually settle in and intermix over the centuries. The arrival of Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer leading a fleet for Castile, marked the beginning of Spanish colonization. In 1543, Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos named the archipelago Las Islas Filipinas in honor of King Philip II of Castile. Spanish colonization via New Spain, beginning in 1565, led to the Philippines becoming ruled by the Crown of Castile, as part of the Spanish Empire, for more than 300 years. Catholic Christianity became the dominant religion, and Manila became the western hub of trans-Pacific trade. Hispanic immigrants from Latin America and Iberia would also selectively colonize. The Philippine Revolution began in 1896, and became entwined with the 1898 Spanish–American War. Spain ceded the territory to the United States, and Filipino revolutionaries declared the First Philippine Republic. The ensuing Philippine–American War ended with the United States controlling the territory until the Japanese invasion of the islands during World War II. After the United States retook the Philippines from the Japanese, the Philippines became independent in 1946. The country has had a tumultuous experience with democracy, which included the overthrow of a decades-long dictatorship in a nonviolent revolution.

The Philippines is an emerging market and a newly industrialized country, whose economy is transitioning from being agricultural to service- and manufacturing-centered. It is a founding member of the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, ASEAN, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and the East Asia Summit; it is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement and a major non-NATO ally of the United States. Its location as an island country on the Pacific Ring of Fire and close to the equator makes it prone to earthquakes and typhoons. The Philippines has a variety of natural resources and a globally-significant level of biodiversity. (Full article...)

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Quezon Avenue and Quezon Memorial Shrine

Quezon City (UK: /ˈkeɪzɒn/, US: /ˈkeɪsɒn, -sɔːn, -soʊn/; Filipino: Lungsod Quezon [luŋˈsod ˈkɛson] ^ⓘ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino as Kyusi), is the most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,960,048 people. It was founded on October 12, 1939, and was named after Manuel L. Quezon, the second president of the Philippines.

The city was intended to be the national capital of the Philippines that would replace Manila, as the latter was suffering from overcrowding, lack of housing, poor sanitation, and traffic congestion. To create Quezon City, several barrios were carved out from the towns of Caloocan, Marikina, San Juan and Pasig, in addition to the eight vast estates the Philippine government purchased for this purpose. It was officially proclaimed the national capital on October 12, 1949, and several government departments and institutions moved out of Manila and settled into the new capital city. This necessitated the expansion of the city northward, carving out Novaliches from Caloocan which divided it into two non-contiguous parts. Several barrios were also taken from San Mateo and parts of Montalban. However, on June 24, 1976, Presidential Decree No. 940 was enacted, which reverted national capital status to Manila while the whole of Metro Manila was designated as the seat of government. The city was also chosen as the regional center of Southern Tagalog, which was created in 1965, along with the provinces of Quezon and Aurora, the birthplace of Manuel L. Quezon; however, its status of regional center became ineffective when the region was divided into Calabarzon and Mimaropa, through the effect of Executive Order No. 103 in May 2002 under the presidency of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and Aurora was transferred to the authority of Central Luzon, with Southern Tagalog limited to being a cultural-geographic region. (Full article...)

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... that foreign nationals wishing to gain Philippine citizenship need to demonstrate proficiency in English or Spanish as well as a Philippine language?
... that the writings of José Rizal, a prominent contributor to liberalism in the Philippines, were adopted by both Philippine independence fighters and American colonial authorities?
... that while Philippine Spanish has been described as an endangered language, a new generation of speakers has emerged?
... that Ploning and Mindanao, films starring Judy Ann Santos, were the Philippine submissions for Best International Feature Film at the 81st and 93rd Academy Awards, respectively?
... that former Philippine secretary of national defense Norberto Gonzales said that a Chinese invasion was "not unthinkable"?
... that the continuing influence of the Catholic Church in the politics of the Philippines means that the country lacks a divorce law?
... that Judy Ann Santos received the Box Office Queen award for starring in Isusumbong Kita sa Tatay Ko, the first Filipino film to earn 100 million pesos at the box office?
... that a former teacher in the Philippines became a Robin Hood–like outlaw?

Selected picture

Image 1A view at Francisco Bangoy International Airport, 2019
Image 2Banaue, Philippines: A man of the fugao tribe in traditional costume
Image 3A selection of dishes found in Filipino cuisine
Image 4Picture of a Carabao in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Philippines
Image 5A leaning belfry of St. Andrew Church, in Bacarra town, province of Ilocos Norte
Image 6The Bangui Wind Farm is a wind farm in Bangui, Ilocos Norte, Philippines
Image 7Shipping on the Pasig River, 1899
Image 8A skyline view of Manila
Image 9A view of Barlas Island, Honda Bay, Palawan, Philippines
Image 10Banaue, Philippines: a view of Banaue Municipal Town
Image 11A map of the Philippines showing the location of all the regions and provinces

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Go to the Tambayan (Philippine WikiProject) and help out with articles.

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If you are a Filipino, consider adding Category:Filipino Wikipedians to your userpage.

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Miranda in 2016

Alfonso "Chito" Yanga Miranda Jr. (born February 7, 1976) is a Filipino singer and songwriter. Who is best known as one of the founding members and lead singer for the band Parokya ni Edgar. (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various Philippines-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Kalesa, a traditional Philippine urban transportation, in front of Manila Cathedral entrance (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 2Vega Ancestral House, Misamis Oriental (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 3Paoay Church in Ilocos Norte (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 4Noli Me Tángere (novel) (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 5The University of Santo Tomas, located in Manila, was established in 1611. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 6Pineapple fiber is used to create traditional Philippine garments. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 7Museum Agrifina Circle (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 8Good Friday observance in Pampanga (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 9A grandmaster of Arnis. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 10Villa Escudero exhibit depicting 19th century Filipino family in traditional attire (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 11A performer depicting a babaylan (shaman) (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 12Tortoise-shell and silver Salakot (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 13A PBA game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 14Loboc Church in Bohol (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 15Filipina in traditional attire (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 16Original image of the Santo Niño de Cebú. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 17Bahay na bato, a traditional Filipino house (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 18An Itneg shaman offering pigs to anito spirits, 1922 (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 19Sungka, a traditional Filipino game. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 20Manny Pacquiao, the only 8-division world boxing champion in history. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 21Parol (Christmas lanterns) being sold during the Christmas season (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 22A Tboli woman weaving t'nalak from South Cotabato. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 23Aguinaldo Shrine in Cavite (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 24Letras y figuras painting by Jose Honorato Lozano (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 25Harana (serenade) (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 26Mila del Sol starred in one of the earliest Filipino movies, Giliw Ko (1939), along with Fernando Poe Sr. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 27Old Senate Hall with Estilo Tampinco style of carving and ornamentation (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 28Carabao is a major symbol of Filipinos hard labor. And is known to be the "Filipino farmer's bestfriend". (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 29Dominant ethnic groups by province. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 30Filipino traditional dance at a festival (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 31Vigan City in Ilocos Sur (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 32Cockfight (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 33The Kutkut art from Samar (from Culture of the Philippines)

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In the news

17 November 2024 – 2024 Pacific typhoon season: Typhoon Man-yi makes landfall in the Philippines as a Category 4 super typhoon, three days after Typhoon Usagi struck the country and becoming the sixth consecutive storm to affect Luzon in the past month. At least eight people are killed. (Al Jazeera) (BBC News)
13 November 2024 – International Criminal Court investigation in the Philippines, Philippine drug war: The Philippines says it is bound help the International Criminal Court if the international court seek custody of former President Rodrigo Duterte through Interpol over alleged crimes against humanity committed during the Philippine drug war. (AP)
8 November 2024 – South China Sea dispute: President Bongbong Marcos signs into law the Maritime Zones Act and the Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act which defines the maritime entitlements of the Philippines and set designated sea lanes and air routes. China protests against the laws which is linked to territorial disputes in the South China Sea. (Reuters) (Nikkei Asia)
27 October 2024 – 2024 Pacific typhoon season: The death toll from Tropical Storm Trami in the Philippines increases to 136 people killed and missing. (Al Jazeera)
26 October 2024 – 2024 Pacific typhoon season: The death toll from the flooding and landslides caused by Tropical Storm Trami in the Philippines increases to at least 126. (UPI)

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More did you know - show different entries

... that extensive disturbances in the crust beneath the Philippines produce many volcanoes and earthquakes?
... that the Isla dela Victoria resort and casino under construction in Kawit Island, Cebu City, Philippines, is named for a city officer murdered for his role in the fight against illegal fishing?
... that a 1945 ordinance by the Cebu City Council was the first to regulate cockfighting venues in the Philippines?

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