The Philippines and Its People

Chapter 1
Prepared by:
BSMT2

Anna Dominique O. Quines

Introduction
How come Filipinos have such varied physical features? Such diverse economic activities? Observers say, ones geography (e.g. archipelagic and tropical) can help shape not only the physical appearance of people but also their economy, character traits, history and development.

Geography

The Philippines is..

an archipelago lying southeast of the coast of the main island of Asia located a little above the equator (belongs to the northern hemisphere) of approximately 7,107 islands and islets (some 4,000 of these have no names) a nation with a total land area of 300,000 square km a country with an irregular coastline that stretches for about 36, 289 km a mid-ocean archipelagic state (as submitted to the UN on March 7, 1955)

ISLANDS
THE 10 BIGGEST ISLANDS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Luzon Mindanao Negros Samar Palawan

Panay Mindoro Leyte Cebu Bohol

SURROUNDINGS
Luzon is just 100 km away from the island of Taiwan (formerly Formosa) North and west of the archipelago lies the South China Sea Pacific Ocean is in the east of the country To the south are the Celebes Sea and the waters of Borneo

BODIES OF WATER
Manila Bay, which has an area of 2,000 square km and a circumference of about 190 km, is considered as one of the finest natural harbours in the world. The Philippine Deep (found near Samar and Leyte) is considered as one of the deepest sea trenches in the world.

MOUNTAINS
Mount Apo of Mindanao is the highest mountain in the Philippines standing at approximately 2, 954 meters high.

Mount Dulang-dulang in Bukidnon, which is 2, 938 meters high, is the second highest.

MOUNTAIN RANGES
There are three large mountain ranges in Luzon.
Western Caraballo Mountain Range runs from North to South and divides itself into the Central Cordillera and the Northern Cordillera. It crosses the provinces of northern Luzon, west of the Cagayan River.

MOUNTAIN RANGES
The Sierra Madre begins at the town of Baler in the eastern part of Quezon Province, and crosses the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela and Quezon. It is the longest continuous mountain range in the Philippines. The Carabello de Baler begins from the town of Baler and ends in the strait of San Bernardino. This mountain range includes Mayon Volcano in Albay and Bulusan Volcano in Sorsogon.

SMALL MOUNTAIN RANGES

Zambales Range: begins at Cape Bolinao, follows the coast of the China Sea, and ends in the Bataan Peninsula. Tagaytay Ridge: crosses the provinces of Cavite and Batangas. Mt. Makiling and Taal Volcano are parts of the Tagaytay Ridge. Mindoro, Panay and Negros have small mountain ranges. The highest peak in these parts are the Mt. Halcon in Mindoro and Kanlaon Volcano in Negros. Leyte and Samar are not as mountainous as the provinces mentioned above. Mindanao has 4 distinct mountain ranges: Eastern Mountain Range, Central-Eastern Mountain Range, Central-Western Mountain Range and the Western Range.

VOLCANOES
There are many volcanoes in the Philippines, 26 of which are considered active, while the rest are supposed to be dormant or sleeping.

The most famous of these active volcanoes are Iraya in Batanes, Taal* in Batangas, Banahaw in Quezon, Mayon* in Albay, Bulusan in Sorsogon, Hibok-Hibok in Camiguin Island and Makaturing in Lanao. *have erupted for no less than 25 times; Mayon is famous for its perfect cone shape while Taal is famous for being the smallest volcano in the world. In 1966, Taal volcano erupted, which lead to the resettlement of the people of the Volcano Island to other places.

EARTHQUAKES
The Philippines is within what is called the seismic belt, that is, it lies in the path of earthquakes. Manila and many parts of Luzon experienced several earthquakes over the years including that of 1863, which caused the destruction of many residential houses and government buildings and the death of the famous priest, Father Pedro Pelaez in the Manila Cathedral; that of 1937, which destroyed many buildings in Manila; that of 1968, when many buildings were partially destroyed while an apartment building was completely destroyed resulting in the death of hundreds of people; and that of 1990, which registered 7.8 on the Richter scale, killing and injuring thousands of people, and damaging about 20,000 square kilometres of densely populated areas in Luzon.

CLIMATE
Tropical and maritime climate, tempered by the breeze from the Pacific Ocean on the east and the China sea on the west Two major seasons: dry season (extends from December to May) and wet season (extends from June to November) The period from late November to February is usually cool. May is often the hottest month of the year and January is the coldest. Typhoons in the country can be classified into remarkable and ordinary. The former have destroyed millions of pesos worth of crops and properties. Typhoons and tropical cyclones most frequently enter the Philippine area of responsibility during months of July and October. Some of the worst typhoons that struck the country include Uring in November 1991, Rosing in October 1995, Reming in November 2006, Ondoy in September 2009, and Pepeng in October 2009.

NATURAL RESOURCES
The rich valleys and fertile plains are good for crops like rice, corn, coconuts, sugar cane, bananas, pineapples, and varieties of vegetables. The country has enough water resource for electricity; food such as fish, seaweeds, sea shells; as well as pears for jewelry. There is an abundant supply of minerals like gold, copper, silver, lead, zinc, nickel, manganese and chromium, as well as non-metallic minerals like salt, clay, coal, sulphur, asbestos, limestone, gravel and gypsum. Gum resins and lumber can be obtained from the countrys vast forests. We also have oil called black gold. Its discovery in Malampaya, Palawan has encouraged foreign and Filipino firms to drill well for oil as its commercial exploration will greatly improve the countrys economy.

NATURAL RESOURCES
However, despite this natural abundance, conservationists and civil society have expressed concern over the depletion of forests, abuse and misuse of land resources, and threats to marine and coastal ecosystems.

LAWS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION NIPAS (National Integrated Protected Areas System) Bill in 1992: now called R.A. 7586 and is premised on the concept of involvement of local communities in biodiversity conservation and habitat management. Thus, indigenous people living in the protected areas are given responsibility over their territories and alternative livelihoods. Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999, the Ecological Solid Waste Management of 2000 and the Clear Water Act of 2004.

Economy

RICE
Rice is the main crop of the country and is cultivated in large quantities in Central Luzon, Western Visayas and Mindanao. Its production, however, remains insufficient due to several factors. First, destructive typhoons and floods often destroy thousands of rice lands leading to government importation of rice. Second, the agriculture sector remains backward despite government efforts to modernize it. Third, the production shift to sources of biofuels such as jathropa and other cash crops, which command higher prices in the market, has also affected the rice market in no small way. Fourth, the massive conversion of farm lands for residential and commercial use has also contributed to low rice productivity, not to mention the loss of farm labour.

PHILIPPINE PRODUCTS AND INDUSTRIES

MAJOR EXPORTS
Coconut oil Fresh bananas Pineapples Sugar Gum resins and abaca

INDUSTRIES
Mining Lumber Metal Woodcraft Furniture Petroleum

MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY
The Philippines is also among the worlds supplier of semiconductors and manufactured goods like ignition wiring sets and other wiring sets used in vehicles, aircrafts, and ships; cathodes of refined copper and microprocessors. Clothing and clothing accessories are also produced in the country.

MARKETS
The United States of America Japan Hong Kong Peoples Republic of China *top 4 markets Netherlands Germany Singapore Malaysia Republic of South Korea Taiwan

Population

NATIONAL STATISTICS OFFICE FIGURES

Birth rate: 26.42 births/1,000 Life expectancy: 67.89 (men); 73.85 (women) Population: approximately 92 million Literacy rate: 84% Estimated Number of Employed Filipinos: 35 million Agriculture: 34% Industry: 15% Service Sector: 51%

ETHNICITY
The majority of the Filipinos belong to the Austronesian ethnic group. Due to early trade contacts and subsequent colonization by Spaniards and later by the Americans, Filipinos today are a mixture of races. The offspring of a Filipino and a foreigner, whether Chinese, Spaniard or American, is called mestizo. With the growth of OFWs, the mestizo group has expanded to include Arabs, Japanese, Koreans and Europeans.

LANGUAGE
There are around 170 spoken languages with almost all of them belonging to the Austronesian language family. Among the major languages are Bicolano, Bisaya, Cebuano, Chabacano, Hiligaynon/Ilonggo, Ilocano, Kapampangan, Maguindanaon, Maranao, Pangasinense, Tagalog, Tausug and Waray. Filipino is the national language. Filipino and English are the official languages of the country.

Government

THREE CO-EQUAL BRANCHES

The Executive Branch
Headed by the President and the Vice President
Administers the functions of the government through the cabinet that is made up of departments and headed by department secretaries.

The Legislative Branch

Led by the Senate President and Speaker of the House
Composed of the Senate (Upper House) and the House of Representatives (Lower House); responsible for enacting bills into laws.

The Judiciary
Headed by the Chief Justice

Consists of the systems of courts with the Supreme Court as the highest court in the land.

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION
For administrative purposes, the Philippines is subdivided into regions and provinces, except for Metropolitan Manila. Each province is headed by a governor and has its own legislative body called Sangguniang Panlalawigan. The provinces are composed of cities and municipalities. Cities and municipalities are further divided into barangays. A barangay is the smallest political unit of the country and is headed by a barangay captain.

CONSTITUTION
The country has undergone 5 constitutional changes since the Malolos Constitution of 1899 which set up the First Filipino Republic with Emilio Aguinaldo as president. These constitutions are: 1. the 1935 Constitution, which served as the basis for transition Commonwealth government with Manuel L. Quezon as president followed by Sergio S. Osmea;

CONSTITUTION
2. the 1943 Constitution of the Japanesesponsored government which recognized the Second Republic under President Jose P. Laurel;

3. the 1946 Constitution, which set up the Third Republic under President Manuel A. Roxas, followed by Elpidio R. Quirino, Ramon F. Magsaysay, Carlos P. Garcia, Diosdado P. Macapagal and Ferdinand E. Marcos (for his first term);

CONSTITUTION
4. the 1973 Constitution that extended the term of President Marcos beyond the provision of the 1935 Constitution, and set up the Fourth Republic; and

5. the 1987 Constitution during the presidency of Corazon C. Aquino (as the first president of the Fifth Republic), to that of Fidel V. Ramos, the short-lived administration of Joseph E. Estrada, that of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and that of the present president Benigno Noynoy Aquino Jr.

Filipino Traits and Values

DISTINCT FILIPINO TRAITS

Hospitality: most important trait of the Filipinos; welcoming visitors with open arms and warm hearts Close family ties: the trait Filipinos maintain
Double burden: the problem of the family is not the problem of the parents alone; it is the problem of all the adult members of the family

Respect for the elders: one of the best Filipino traits

po: used by almost everybody to show respect

Sentimentalism: Filipino attribute that is shown in many ways

Pasalubong: gifts brought by a visitor to a friends house Pabaon: food or anything given to the visitor by his/her friend when he/she leaves the house

VALUES
Filipinos as a people have several values. Values are those aspects in life that include customs, traditions, etc., which the people regard as necessary and important in their dealings with one another.

VALUES
Pakikisama: a sense of togetherness or comradeship; refers to doing somebody a good deed without asking for compensation or having ulterior motive
Mabuting Makisama: a person who is good at helping other people Masamang Makisama: a person who does not help other people

VALUES
Utang na loob or debt of gratitude: a person who receives a favour from another, whether this person is a friend or not, is expected to pay this debt of gratitude by returning the favour in the same measure, if not, more.
Walang utang na loob or an ingrate: a person who fails to return a favour. Ingrates are disliked and avoided by others.

VALUES
Hiya or kahihiyan: sense of shame; to the Filipinos, just like other Asian people, hiya is something that a person must possess to a high degree.
Walang hiya: a shameless person