The Philippines

Flag of Philippines
There are three fields on the Philippine flag. The white equilateral triangle is on the hoist side, a band of blue at the top, and a band of red at the bottom. An eight rayed yellow sun at the center of the triangle. A small five pointed star is located at each corner of the triangle. General Emilio Aguinaldo, who the first President of the Philippines and a leader in the revolution against Spanish rule for Philippine, designed the Philippine flag. He did this while in exile in Hong Kong in 1897. Dona Marcela Marino de Agoncillo, Mrs. Delfina Herbosa de Natividad, and Lorenza, the daughter of Dona Marcela, sowed by hand the flag. Representing Justice, peace and truth is the blue field. Patriotism and Valor are represented by the red field. The white equilateral triangle represents fraternity and equality. The eight rays of the sun stand for the original eight provinces. The three geographical divisions of the Philippines, Luzon, Mindanao, and Visayas, are represented by the three small stars. In times of war the flag is flipped to have the red side on top. During times of Peace the flag is flown with the blue side on top. The Philippines are the only country in the whole world to display their flag this way in times of war or peace.

Capital: Manila, which is one of the sixteen cities that make up the national capital region referred to as Metro Manila, 14.88 square miles (38.55 km²), population 1,652,171(2010 census)
Official Language: Filipino (according to Tagalog) and English (officially); Pampango, Tagalog, Waray, Cebuano, Bicol, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, and Pangasinan are the eight major dialects
Currency: Philippine Peso, 41.12422 PHP (Philippine Peso) = 1 USD (US Dollar) ATMs are in most of the larger cities. However in smaller cities and places there are no ATMs and foreign debit or credit cards are not accepted. This can cause people visiting to leave early because they run out of money; so bring plenty of cash. Also most of the ATMs will not give more than 10000 Pesos per withdrawal and the Philippines and foreign banks charge a fee for each transaction.
Government: Republic
Leaders:
President Benigno AQUINO III
Vice President Jejomar Cabaiatam BINAY
Executive Secretary Paquito OCHOA, Jr.
Chief of Staff Julia ABAD
Sec. of Agrarian Reform Virgilio DE LOS REYES
Sec. of Agriculture Proceso ALCALA
Sec. of the Budget & Management Florencio ABAD
Sec. of Education, Culture, & Sports Armin LUISTRO, Rev.
Sec. of Energy Jose Rene D. ALMENDRAS
Sec. of Environment & Natural Resources Ramon PAJE
Sec. of Finance Cesar PURISIMA
Sec. of Foreign Affairs Albert DEL ROSARIO
Sec. of Health Enrique ONA, Dr.
Sec. of Interior & Local Government Jesse ROBREDO
Sec. of Justice Leila DE LIMA
Sec. of Labor & Employment Rosalinda BALDOZ
Sec. of National Defense Voltaire GAZMIN
Sec. of Public Works & Highways Rogelio L. SINGSON
Sec. of Science & Technology Mario MONTEJO
Sec. of Social Welfare & Development Corazon SOLIMAN
Sec. of Socioeconomic Planning Cayetano PADERANGA
Sec. of Tourism Alberto LIM
Sec. of Trade & Industry Gregory DOMINGO
Sec. of Transportation & Communications Manuel ROXAS II
National Security Adviser Cesar P. GARCIA, Jr.
Governor, Central Bank of the Philippines Amando TETANGCO, Jr.
Ambassador to the US Jose CUISIA, Jr.
Permanent Representative to the UN, New York Libran N. CABACTULAN
Population of the Philippines: 105,720,644 (July 2013 est.), 94.85 million (2011 according to the World Bank)
Climate:
The Philippines have a tropical marine climate all year round which means it is typically hot and humid. Monsoon season for the northeast monsoon is November to April and in the southwest monsoon season is May to October. Rainy season is from June to September, and this is typically when typhoons occur. The eastern coastline receives the heaviest winter rainfall and the western coastline the heaviest summer rainfall. The northeast monsoon season between October to February cold winds from the north blow and cause dry and cool weather. The Philippines typically have very hot summers from March to May. The average temperature can range from 73° F to 90° F (23° C to 32 °C) with humidity at about 80 %. The Philippines highland areas are much cooler. Temperatures at night can drop to 68° F (20° C).

Annual Precipitation: The annual average rainfall ranges from 38 to 160 in (96 to 406 cm). Due to the southwest monsoons in the summer and the northeast trade winds and/ or monsoons in the winter which (the two main wind belts) rainfall is markedly different for all the islands. The west coasts get heavy rain fall in the summer and the east coasts get heavy rainfall in winter. The southern and all the other islands in between have more equally distributed but lesser amounts of rainfall. Temperatures: Average temperature in Philippines is 82 °F (27.7 °C). The high temperature average is 93 °F (34 °C) in May. The lowest average temperature is 72 °F (22 °C) in January and February.
The coolest average low temperature is 22 °C (72 °F) in January & February. The driest month is February when 0.3 in. (7 mm) of precipitation happens in 12 days in a month. August is the wettest month when on average 18.7 in. (474 mm) falls on 22 days.
The month with the wettest weather is August when on balance 474 mm (18.7 in) of rain, sleet, hail or snow falls across 22 days. There are zero days of frost that is measurable in the Philippines.

Clothing to take: Remember the Philippines are humid so bring light colored clothing. Short or no sleeves shirts, shorts, and lightweight pants. Be sure to bring a hat or cap to protect your head/scalp from the sun. Pack sunglasses for eye protection. Sandals, sneakers, or flip-flops depending on what activities you choose to participate in. Sun screen, sun block, lip balm, and sun tan lotion are a must. Light make-up and loose power if you feel it necessary can be packed too. Pack your camera for the beautiful pictures you will take. Take a small bag for the safety of your personal belongings such as a mobile phone, wallet, and extra shirt. Always carry a water bottle since it is really hot sometimes to avoid dehydration. Always keep your eyes on your valuables. Basically pack lite and only what you will absolutely need. If you happen to forget something there are shopping malls with local and international products for you to purchase.

Geography: The Philippine Islands are an archipelago with more than 7107 islands. The islands range from the south of China to the northernmost tip Borneos. After Indonesia, Madagascar, Papua New-Guinea and Japan, the Philippines are the 5th biggest insular state in the world. The Philippines are encircled some smaller bodies of water such as the Philippine Sea, the South China Sea, the Sulu Sea, and the Celebes Ocean and by the Pacific Ocean. The islands are split into 3 geographical zones: the North is Luzon, the south is Mindanao, and in the middle is the Visayas. The Philippines are made of 80 provinces as well as 120 chartered cities. Total area is 300,000 sq. km of which 298,170 sq. km is land and 1,830 sq. km is water.

Main Religion: Most of the inhabitants, namely 81% are Catholics, 5.1% are Muslims (mainly found in Mindanao), 2.8% are Evangelical and the rest are members of the “Iglesia Ni Christo”, the Philippine independent Church, the Seventh-Day Adventist and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Products: Agriculture: bananas, beef, cassavas, coconuts, corn, eggs, fish, mangoes, pineapples, pork, rice, sugarcane, and tobacco (32%) Industry: chemicals, electronics assembly, fishing, food processing, footwear, garments, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, and wood products (15%) **Gold silver iron and chromite are in large reserves** Services: commerce, finance, transportation, and a host of private and public services (53%) Land use: Arable land: 18% Permanent crops: 17.33% Other: 64.67% (2011)

Natural resources: cobalt, copper, gold, nickel, petroleum, salt, silver, timber

The Philippines is still largely an agricultural economy even though services dominate the economy. The industrial sector is mainly processing and assembling electronic products and semiconductors coming from multinational foreign corporations. Filipinos known as Overseas Filipino Workers or OFWs work abroad contribute considerably to the economy but are not included in the domestic economic figures. As the 40th largest economy in the world in 2012 the Philippines is also being recognized in emerging world markets. By 2050 the Philippines is projected to be the largest economy in the South East Asian region by HSBC.

Attractions – Places to Visit:
Manila: Capital of the Philippines, located at the edge of the harbor of Manila is the country’s major educational, financial, and commercial centers and is home to the Philippine national government; also San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Manila, Philippines.
Cebu City: Cebu City is located in the central eastern part of Cebu Province which was the first province that Magellan landed on in 1521 for Spain, the heart of the Visayas in Southern Philippines and home to the Magellan’s Cross.
Davao: One of the largest cities in land area in the world with beautiful beaches and mountain resorts and home to Mt. Apo, the Philippine’s highest peak.
Banaue Rice Terraces Luzon: located on the fifteenth largest island in the world, during the Philippine Revolution was the center for the campaign, and where Philippine independence was declared by General Emilio Aguinaldo is home to Mountain Province Rice Terraces.
Puerto Princesa Underground River, Palawan: located in the Palawan province.
Quezon City: Previous capital of Philippines, home to two world class universities – the University of the Philippines and the Ateneo de Manila University.
Tagaytay: cool climate all year with high altitude, two seasons – dry from November to April and wet from May to October.
Alona Beach, Bohol: located on one of the islands of Bohol which is known as the “chocolate” factory of the Philippines because the green grass that withers in summer and the limestone formations that appear as Chocolate Hills of scooped up earth forming mounds by the thousands on the plains.
Crisologo Street, Vigan: Spanish architecture of the 16th century complete with cobblestone streets and colonial houses with 16th century furniture in the province of Ilocos Sur in Vigan.
The Basilica Minore, Balatas Road Naga City.: home of the miraculous “Our Lady of Peñafrancia”
Donsol, Sorsogon: “Butanding” or pods of whale sharks off its shores

Interesting Facts:
• It is the “Pearl of the Orient”.
• One of the most expensive shell, Glory of the Sea (Connus gloriamaris), is found in the Philippines.
• The Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) is the largest eagle in the world.
• The largest living bivalve mollusk, the Giant Clam (Tridacna gigas) is found off the shores of the Philippines It can measure as much as 1.2 meters (4 feet) across, weigh as much as 200 kilograms (440 pounds) or more, and have a lifespan of 100 years or more in the wild on average.
• The number one producer of coconut in the world is the Philippines. The Philippines is one of the largest exporters of tropical fruits.
• The largest exporter of tropical fruits is the Philippines.
• The sweetest mangos are found in the Philippines.
• In Asia the Philippines is the only Christian nation.
• The Philippines is the third largest English-speaking country in the world.
• The “Pearl of Allah” or “Pearl of Lao-Tzu” is the largest pearl ever found. The pearl was found by a Filipino diver in a giant Tridacna or Giant Clam in the Palawan Sea in 1934. The “Pearl of Allah” or “Pearl of Lao-Tzu” weighs 40 pounds and is valued at approximately $ 40 USA.
• As an archipelago the Philippines has more than 7,107 islands, but only approximately 1,000 islands are inhabited.
• In terms of student population the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila is the world’s largest Catholic university on one campus. Founded by the Dominicans in 1611 it is 25 years older than Harvard, the oldest university in the United States.
• The world’s largest bamboo organ is at St. Joseph Church in Las Pinas City.
• Invented in the Philippines and not in Japan is the karaoke by Roberto del Rosario.