Philippines
Country Reports on Local Government Systems: Philippines
Philippines
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1. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY 1.1 Socio-economic profile
The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,100 islands, with a land area of 30 million hectares. As of the last census in May 2002, the population was 76,498,735 with an annual growth rate of 2.36 per cent. Given this population growth rate the country is expected to double by 2029. Most of the population is concentrated in the twenty largest islands, with about 56 per cent of the population residing in Luzon, 20.3 per cent in Central Philippines (or the Visayas Islands) and 23.7 per cent in Mindanao (or Southern Philippines). About 55 per cent of the total population is categorized as urban. Continuous migration to highly urbanized centers has increased the number of urban dwellers looking for employment opportunities in the industry, commercial and service sectors. In large cities like Metro Manila and Cebu, urban dwellers represent about 63 percent of the city’s population. The poverty threshold countrywide is P13, 823 (USD 261) while that of Metropolitan Manila is P17, 713 (USD 335). The poverty incidence of the total population of the country is 39.5 per cent. About 20 of a total 79 provinces have populations over one million. According to the last survey (conducted in 2002), Bulacan, Cebu, Negros Occidental, Pangasinan and Cavite have provincial populations over 2 million.
1.2
Political and administrative structure
National government and political structure The Philippines is a republic with a unitary presidential system. The national government has three branches: the executive branch headed by the President, the legislative branch and the judicial branch. The executive branch consists of 26 cabinet secretariat and equivalent ranks in specialized agencies, the national bureaucracy and the military, of which the
Philippines
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
1. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY 1.1 Socio-economic profile
The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,100 islands, with a land area of 30 million hectares. As of the last census in May 2002, the population was 76,498,735 with an annual growth rate of 2.36 per cent. Given this population growth rate the country is expected to double by 2029. Most of the population is concentrated in the twenty largest islands, with about 56 per cent of the population residing in Luzon, 20.3 per cent in Central Philippines (or the Visayas Islands) and 23.7 per cent in Mindanao (or Southern Philippines). About 55 per cent of the total population is categorized as urban. Continuous migration to highly urbanized centers has increased the number of urban dwellers looking for employment opportunities in the industry, commercial and service sectors. In large cities like Metro Manila and Cebu, urban dwellers represent about 63 percent of the city’s population. The poverty threshold countrywide is P13, 823 (USD 261) while that of Metropolitan Manila is P17, 713 (USD 335). The poverty incidence of the total population of the country is 39.5 per cent. About 20 of a total 79 provinces have populations over one million. According to the last survey (conducted in 2002), Bulacan, Cebu, Negros Occidental, Pangasinan and Cavite have provincial populations over 2 million.
1.2
Political and administrative structure
National government and political structure The Philippines is a republic with a unitary presidential system. The national government has three branches: the executive branch headed by the President, the legislative branch and the judicial branch. The executive branch consists of 26 cabinet secretariat and equivalent ranks in specialized agencies, the national bureaucracy and the military, of which the
References: Bureau of Census and Statistics, 2002. Bureau of Local Government Finance, 2002, Department of Finance revenue data. Commission on Audit Reports, Report for the periods 1999-2000 and 2001-2002. Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Reports on General Supervision. The Local Government Code of 1983 (or Batas Pambansa 333). The Philippine Constitution of 1973. The Philippine Constitution of 1987. The Philippine Constitution of 1991 (Republic Act 7160). 17