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 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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Mount Pinatubo crater lake in 2012

Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano in the Zambales Mountains, located on the tripoint boundary of the Philippine provinces of Zambales, Tarlac and Pampanga, all in Central Luzon on the northern island of Luzon. Most people were unaware of its eruptive history before the pre-eruption volcanic activity in early 1991. Dense forests, which supported a population of several thousand indigenous Aetas, heavily eroded and obscured Pinatubo.

Pinatubo is known for its VEI-6 eruption on June 15, 1991, the second-largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century after the 1912 eruption of Novarupta in Alaska. The eruption coincided with Typhoon Yunya making landfall in the Philippines, which brought a dangerous mix of ash and rain to nearby towns and cities. Early predictions led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people, saving many lives. The eruption severely damaged surrounding areas with pyroclastic surges, pyroclastic falls, and later, flooding lahars caused by rainwater re-mobilizing volcanic deposits. This destruction affected infrastructure and altered river systems for years. Minor dome-forming eruptions inside the caldera continued from 1992 to 1993. (Full article...)

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... that the continuing influence of the Catholic Church in the politics of the Philippines means that the country lacks a divorce law?
... that Michael Barredo campaigned for Filipino athletes competing in disabled sports to receive government incentives?
... that abused Overseas Filipino Workers accused the former chargé d'affaires of the Philippine embassy in Damascus of neglecting them while he was regularly partying with handsome Syrians?
... that Crying Ladies and Donsol, films starring Angel Aquino, were Philippine submissions for Best International Feature Film at the 77th and 80th Academy Awards, respectively?
... that the Filipino fraternity Alpha Phi Beta has been involved in instances of violence, including getting mauled by rival fraternities, such as Sigma Rho?
... that the first ambassador at the Philippine embassy in Manama would later be injured in the 2000 bombing of the Philippine embassy in Jakarta?
... that VMB-611 was the only United States Marine Corps bombing squadron to operate in the Philippines during World War II?
... 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?

Selected picture

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

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Things you can do

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

You can join one or more of the various task forces within the WikiProject.

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

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Imelda Romuáldez Marcos (locally [ɪˈmelda ˈmaɾkɔs]; born Imelda Remedios Visitación Trinidad Romuáldez; July 2, 1929) is a Filipino politician who was First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, wielding significant political power after her husband Ferdinand Marcos placed the country under martial law in September 1972. She is the mother of current president Bongbong Marcos.

During her husband's 21-year rule, Imelda Marcos ordered the construction of many grandiose architectural projects, using public funds and "in impossibly short order" – a propaganda practice, which eventually came to be known as her "edifice complex". She and her husband stole billions of pesos from the Filipino people, amassing a personal fortune estimated to have been worth US$5 billion to US$10 billion by the time they were deposed in 1986; by 2018, about $3.6 billion of this had been recovered by the Philippine government, either through compromise deals or sequestration cases. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Letras y figuras painting by Jose Honorato Lozano (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 2Manny Pacquiao, the only 8-division world boxing champion in history. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 3A PBA game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 4Pahiyas Festival in Lucban Quezon (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 5Flores de Mayo (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 6Vigan City in Ilocos Sur (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 7Filipina in traditional attire (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 8Mila del Sol starred in one of the earliest Filipino movies, Giliw Ko (1939), along with Fernando Poe Sr. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 9Museum Agrifina Circle (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 10Vega Ancestral House, Misamis Oriental (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 11Filipino traditional dance at a festival (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 12Bahay na bato, a traditional Filipino house (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 13Original image of the Santo Niño de Cebú. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 14Parol (Christmas lanterns) being sold during the Christmas season (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 15Noli Me Tángere (novel) (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 16The MassKara Festival of Bacolod. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 17Old Senate Hall with Estilo Tampinco style of carving and ornamentation (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 18Kalesa, a traditional Philippine urban transportation, in front of Manila Cathedral entrance (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 19A performer depicting a babaylan (shaman) (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 20An Itneg shaman offering pigs to anito spirits, 1922 (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 21The University of Santo Tomas, located in Manila, was established in 1611. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 22Sungka, a traditional Filipino game. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 23The Sinulog Festival is held to commemorate the Santo Niño (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 24Pineapple fiber is used to create traditional Philippine garments. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 25Tortoise-shell and silver Salakot (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 26Carabao is a major symbol of Filipinos hard labor. And is known to be the "Filipino farmer's bestfriend". (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 27Cockfight (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 28Paoay Church in Ilocos Norte (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 29Dominant ethnic groups by province. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 30The Kutkut art from Samar (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 31A grandmaster of Arnis. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 32Good Friday observance in Pampanga (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 33Harana (serenade) (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 34A Tboli woman weaving t'nalak from South Cotabato. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 35Villa Escudero exhibit depicting 19th century Filipino family in traditional attire (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 36Loboc Church in Bohol (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 37Aguinaldo Shrine in Cavite (from Culture of the Philippines)

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In the news

6 June 2024 –: Six fishermen are killed and one is critically injured after a boat's engine exploded and caught the wooden hull on fire off the coast of Naga in the Philippines. (AP)
4 June 2024 –: The Kanlaon volcano in central Philippines erupts, causing evacuations and a suspension of activities in the city of Canlaon. (Reuters)
20 May 2024 – 19th Congress of the Philippines: Migz Zubiri resigns as President of the Senate of the Philippines and is replaced by Francis Escudero. (KPL/VNA)

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More did you know - show different entries

...that the Philippines average cellphone user sent 2,300 text messages in 2003, making it the world's most avid texting nation?
...that the closing mass for the World Youth Day 1995, held at the Luneta Park, was estimated to be attended by 5 million people and was considered to be the largest papal gathering in the Roman Catholic history but it would be the last time for Pope John Paul II to visit the Philippines?
...that Darna garnered 50.3% overnight ratings from AGB during its second episode and it became the highest rated show ever in Philippine television?