Salaried Workers Carry Burden of Taxes

Citing data from the National Tax Research Center (NTRC), Finance Secretary Isidro Camacho said that in the year 2001, there were 2,605,505 individual taxpayers who filed their income tax returns and paid a total of P80.42 billion.

About 2,079,745 salaried workers, or 80 percent of the income tax payers, paid a total of P66.3 billion in income taxes, accounting for 82 percent of the total collection. Professionals or self-employed individuals contributed only P10.75 billion or only 13 percent of the income taxes while capital gains tax paid by individuals reached P3.18 billion.

In particular, self-employed individuals or single-proprietors paid P10.13 billion while professionals paid only P620 million. Based on these figures in 2001, professionals paid only P20,447 in income tax while salaried workers paid P31,879.

According to the DOF, this should not be the case since professionals are actually earning much higher than salaried workers. Citing a 1997 government survey, the DOF said that salaried workers earned only P582.7 billion while professionals received P1.159 billion during that year. Measured per capita, salaried workers earned an average of P223,642 while professionals earned P2.204 million in 1997.

In the year 2002, for example, only 2.8 million Filipinos of the total 30 million workers, businessmen and professionals paid their income taxes. As of October 2002, there were over 30 million Filipinos in the labor force, about 15 million of whom were salaried workers, 11 million were self-employed and 4 million were unpaid family workers.

One government study showed that over the past 11 years (1991 to 2001), leakage from the individual income tax amounted to P608 billion. This was on top of the P610 billion that were lost to leakage in the value added tax (VAT) scheme.

Filipinos Had Headed International Organizations

Carlos P. Romulo became president of the United Nations 4th General Assembly; Cesar Bengzon, president of the World Court Justice; Blas Ople, president of International Labor Organization; Jose Aspiras, president of World Tourism Organization; Jesus Tamesis, president of World Medical Association; Arturo Tanco, president of World Food Council; Florencio Campomanes, president of International Chess Federation; Justiniano Montano, president of World Boxing Council; Gonzalo Puyat II, president of International Amateur Basketball Federation; Ramos del Rosario, president of World Jaycee International; 

Jolly Bugarin, president of International Criminal Police Organization; Mercedes Concepcion, president of the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population; Lolita Delgado-Fransler, president of Association of International College of Women; Modesto Farolan, president of International Union of Official Tourist Organizations; Florencio Moreno, president of World Highway Engineers Association; Quintin Gomez, president of the 8th World Congress of Anaesthesiologists; Cielito del Mundo, president of World Family Institute Inc.; 

Fe del Mundo, president of International Women's Medical Association; Amelito Mutuc, president of World Association of Lawyers; John Choa, president of Y's Men International; Roman Cruz, president of Orient Airlines Association; Manuel Nieto, president of Oriental Boxing Federation; Rufus Rodriguez, president of World Association of Law Students; Edward dela Rosa, president of World Association of Pharmaceutical Distributors; Esther Vibal, president of International Inner wheel; 

Antonio Delgado, chairman of Boy Scouts World Conference; Marcelo Fernan, secretary general of the Academy of American and International Law Alumni; Norman Certeza Sr., governor of Kiwanis International; Eduardo Chuidian, general manager of Association of International Shipping Lines; Rafael Salas, executive director of the United Nations Fund for Population Activities; and Dioscoro Umali, assistant director general of the Food and Agriculture Organization.

MacArthur Was Field Marshall of Philippine Army

Philippine Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon appointed American four-star Maj. Gen. Douglas MacArthur as Field Marshall of the Philippine Army in 1935. Attached with the appointment was MacArthur's extra monthly pay of US$3,980 that made him the highest paid military officer in the world, according to American historian Carlos D'Este in his book "Eisenhower, A Soldier's Life".

Caloocan City Has Two Separate Parts

Caloocan City is the only city in the Philippines with two areas set apart from each other by other towns and cities. Its first area, known as the urban portion, covers Monumento and is bounded on the south by Manila, on the west by Navotas and Malabon and on the north by Valenzuela City. Its second area, known as Caloocan II, is a hilly portion between Bulacan province and Quezon City.

Filipino Spread Love Bug Virus

In May 2000, the so-called "love bug" computer virus spread worldwide and infected millions of computer files. The virus, quickly infiltrated government and corporate computer systems around the world. Described as the worst computer virus ever created, the "love bug" wrought damages amounting to US$10 billion. It could not have been big news in the Philippines, if not for the fact that the suspected creator of the virus is a Filipino. He was identified as Onel de Guzman, a student of AMA Computer College in Quezon City.

First 3 Beauty Queens Married Pinoys

The first Miss Universe, Armi Kuusela of Finland won the crown in 1952 and married Virgilio Hilario of Tarlac the following year. The first Miss International (1961), Maria Stella Marquez Zawadsky of Colombia, married Filipino millionaire, Jorge Araneta. The first Miss Asia (1965), Angela Filmer of Malaysia, married Jose Faustino, also a Filipino.

Two Speakers Became Presidents

Two former House speakers became presidents, namely: Sergio Osmena Sr. and Manuel Roxas.

Three Presidents Died in Office
Three Philippine presidents were not able to finish their terms of office. They were Manuel Quezon who died in New York City on August 1, 1944; Manuel Roxas who died of a heart attack on April 15, 1948; and Ramon Magsaysay who died in an air accident on March 17, 1957.

Three Senate Presidents Became Presidents

Three former senate presidents became presidents, namely Manuel Quezon, Manuel Roxas, and Ferdinand Marcos.

Six Vice-Presidents Became Presidents

Six former vice-president became presidents, namely: Sergio Osmena, Elpidio Quirino, Carlos Garcia, Diosdado Macapagal, Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Osmena Clan Is the Oldest Political Dynasty

The Osmena clan is perhaps the oldest and the most dominant political dynasty in the country. This political dynasty began when Sergio Osmena Sr. replaced Manuel Quezon as president of the Commonwealth government during the war. His son, Osmena Jr. became a senator and his grandson, Osmena III is now an incumbent senator. John Osmena, a former mayor of Cebu City, is also a senator today. Lito Osmena, a long-time governor of the province of Cebu, vied for the presidency in the 1998 presidential election. Tomas Osmena was a mayor of Davao City.

Priest Took Up Arms Against Americans

From 1900 to 1902, Catholic priest Gregorio Labayan Aglipay took up arms against American soldiers in Batac, Ilocos Norte. Aglipay founded the Liwanag branch of the Katipunan in Victoria, Tarlac, attended the Malolos Congress and became the ecclesiastical governor of Nueva Segovia (Ilocos) in 1899.  In his religious role, Aglipay is considered as the Martin Luther of the Philippines for founding the Iglesia Filipina Independiente or the Philippine Independent Church, which celebrated its centenary on August 3, 2002. A century earlier, the Union Obrera Democratica, a confederation of 10 labor organizations headed by Isabelo de los Reyes, broke ties with the Vatican and designated Aglipay as the Obispo Maximo (supreme bishop) of their new religion. The Catholic Church then excommunicated Aglipay. An American general called Aglipay a better soldier than a bishop.

Mayor Held Office for 5 Decades

No other local official had the distinction of serving an elective post for almost half a century. Pablo Cuneta, the late mayor of Pasay City and father of popular actress, Sharon Cuneta, died at 90 on September 27, 2000 after serving the government for 50 years. In 1947, then President Elpidio Quirino appointed him vice mayor of Pasay City. In 1955, he was elected mayor, a post which he held until 1967 when he lost to Jovito Claudio in the mayoralty election. He emerged victorious in the 1972 elections and served his constituents in Pasay City until 1986 when he was ordered ousted by the Aquino administration. Cuneta won in the 1988 mayoralty election and served his post uninterrupted until 1997 when his health began to fail. He was awarded a golden trophy for his 50th year in public service in the same year. 

Coconut Workers Own San Miguel Corp.

There are 3 million hectares planted to coconut trees, the second largest agricultural area after rice fields (4 million hectares). The coconut industry employs about 3.4 million Filipinos. Some 18 to 20 million more Filipinos depend on the industry for their livelihood, according to the United Coconut Associations of the Philippines (UCAP). About 90 percent of those employed in the coconut industry are small farmers, who earn P10,000 a year or P25 a day. 

Coconut farmers are among the most exploited segments of Philippine society. Driven to squalor by Marcos cronies who thrived on the so-called coconut levies, the coconut farmers represent the oldest sector of the domestic economy. In 1642, the Spanish colonial government forced each Filipino to plant 200 coconut trees, because Spanish shipbuilders had a large need for charcoaled coconut shells and coconut husks. Coconut products have gradually become the country's top export, accounting for 35 percent of all exports in the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1970s, coconut products were the country's leading exports of raw materials. New economic policies initiated under the Aquino administration led to a slow-phased shift to industries, which eventually put the coconut industry at the tailend of government priorities. In 2001, coconut exports represented only 1.6 percent of the country's total exports.

In 1971, the dictatorial government of the late President Ferdinand Marcos established the Coconut Investment Fund (Cocofund) by imposing a levy of P15 per 100 kilograms of copra for nine years between 1973 and 1982. Supposedly, the fund should serve as subsidy to coconut products for domestic consumption. However, the cocofund, which amounted to a total of P9.695 billion by August 1982, was turned into a private fund used to finance three financial institutions, including the United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB). The cocofund was also used to acquire the majority shares of San Miguel Corporation, the country's largest food and beverage conglomerate. A known Marcos crony, Danding Cojuangco, still retains the chairmanship of both UCPB and San Miguel until today. The fund, which is estimated at over P100 billion today, has yet to be transferred to the accounts of the coconut farmers.

Sabah Once Belonged to Sultan of Sulu

Sabah, an oil-rich region forming the northern part the great Borneo Island, used to be a property of the Sultan of Sulu. Its 73,620-square-kilometer land area is about twice the size of Switzerland and teems with incomparable natural resources. The territory is still being claimed by the Sultan of Sulu, Jamalul Kiram III. The Sulu sultanate was founded by Rajah Baginda in 1430. According to the present sultan, his claim goes as far back as 1704 when the Sultan of Brunei ceded part of then North Borneo which now comprises Sabah to the Sultan of Sulu in the southern Philippines for his help in suppressing a rebellion. There are about 500,000 Filipinos, most of them Muslims, living in Sabah. They fled to the territory in the 1970s during heavy fighting between Muslim rebels and the government troops. Sabah is only four hours by boat from the southernmost island-province of Tawi-Tawi in the Philippines.

Manila Played Host To Big Events

Manila served as a host to some of the world's biggest events in the past several decades. On November 22, 1995, the country hosted 21 world leaders, including former US President Bill Clinton, during the 4th Economic Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). In 1974, Former First Lady Imelda Marcos ordered the construction of the Folk Arts Theater to be the site of the 23rd annual Miss Universe beauty pageant on July 19. The prestigious beauty contest was held again in the country in 1994. On October 1, 1975, the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City was the venue of the infamous "Thrilla in Manila", the thrilling boxing match between Heavyweight champions, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Manila also hosted other international sports events such as the Asian Games in 1954 and the Southeast Asian Games in 1981 and 1991. In 1980, the Marcos administration ordered the construction of the grand Coconut Palace to host John Paul II during his Manila visit. The head of the Vatican state visited Manila again in January 1995.

7 Cabinet Officials Were from Harvard

In a speech before an American delegation early in 2002, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has claimed that her Cabinet officials include seven Harvard graduates and three Wharton alumni. The 54-year-old president added that four of her economic managers had been top executives on Wall Street prior to joining government service in the Philippines. President Arroyo, herself, has a Ph. D. in Economics, which she earned from the University of the Philippines (UP). Before this, she had studied for two years at the Georgetown University where she had former US President Bill Clinton as a classmate.

Arroyo and Sukarnoputri Share Similarities

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines and Megawati Sukarnoputri of Indonesia have remarkable similarities. Both are 54-year-old women who had been vice-presidents before becoming presidents in place of their predecessors who were ousted in the year 2001. Both of them were daughters of former presidents of the world's two largest archipelagos who lost the presidency in 1965 to dictators. Both women have three children and their husbands were being pursued by controversy. Both visited Washington in their first year as presidents and met US President George W. Bush, another offspring of a former president who also assumed power in 2001.  Arroyo and Sukarnoputri are not entirely similar though. The former is a Catholic Christian from the world's fifth largest Christian country while the latter is a Muslim from the country with the world's largest Muslim population.

Bible Also Mentions the Philippines

It can be easily understood that no verse in the Bible carried the term Philippines, since the Bible was written two thousand years ago or centuries before the Spaniards came here. However, there are verses in the Bible that prophesy about the Philippine archipelago and other islands in the Pacific. In the chapter 24 of the Book of Isaiah, verses 15 to 16 read "Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord; exalt the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea. From the ends of the earth we hear singing: 'Glory to the Righteous One.'" The Philippines is the only Christian archipelago in the Pacific covering East Asia.

Bigby's Cafe: inter-continental dishes

Restaurant has a simple and nice design. On a few occasions when we dined at the restaurant, we saw a few of the staff gathering at a diner's table. The staff seemed having lots of fun singing birthday song and shaking the tambourine. Nice gesture from the restaurant to make the customers feel important during their birthday.

Rodeo (P168.75) - grilled pork with rice and craneberry sauce. The pork was grilled to perfection.... juicy and tender. The combination of different texture of crispy skin, almost melt in your mouth fat and tender meat is simply delicious. Quesa sage :half order (P106.25) - Quesadilla with mince meat and cheese filling and tomato dip. It is flavourful and not too salty. Spinach dip (P156.25) - blended spinach with lots of cheese. It is best eaten with toasted bread while it is hot and gooey. 1 Ice tea (P58) 1 cold calamansi (P44.64).

However, Diavola (P168.75) was a dissapointment though. The spaghetti was a tad soft than what we would expect from al dente and there wasn't much of ingredients in the spaghetti.

Favorite Dish: When i eat meat, normally I would cut away bits of fats and leave them on the side of the plate. However, I actually eat the fats from the grilled pork (Rodeo). It's ok to eat them once in a while.... Have to watch out for cholestrol levels.

Lami-Ah Filipino Seafood restaurant

This is one restaurant that offers cultural show while you have your meals. They have a small stage in front of the diners where you can watch the cultural / folk dance. There will be cultural shows in the afternoon at 12.30pm and in the evening at 6.30pm, 8.00pm and 9.00/9.30pm. The food here is pricey.

This restaurant is more for the tourist where you come to experience the cultural show once and maybe you won't come back for more(Unless you like their food very much). However, there are no lack of restaurants in Cebu that offers good food.

The meal for 2 person includes: baked scallops(P195), banana split(P150), eggplant(P150), mango shake(P100), 2 melonshake (P200), 2 plate of rice(P70), Stuff squid(P280). The food was nothing extraordinary.

Miss Cebu 2009

12 lovely candidates vie for the Miss Cebu title in this year’s
beauty pageant. The event will be held at the Ballroom of Cebu City’s
Waterfront Hotel Lahug at 7:00pm. The pageant will be aired live via Studio 23. You can cast your vote online and
log-on to Miss Cebu’s Official Website.

Paseo

Paseo is a fairly recently opened entertainment venue in Cebu City.

Paseo is located at Mabolo which borders on Mandaue.It has a big open floor like plan with a large dance area & plenty of tables & seats for you between dances.

Paseo has a mixture of both eating & drinking options some establishments both.I think the figure is around 20 different options for the above.Hangover,Wingnutz & Booze & Burps are just some of the establishments in Paseo.

There are also markets as you enter Paseo selling most things.The markets are reasonably cheap but there are cheaper places around in Cebu City that sell the same things.

The happening nights at Paseo are Friday & Saturday.I was there on a Sunday,it was a bit slow early but certainly picked up as the night went on.

Paseo attracts good standard live entertainment.The night before I was there Bamboo,which by all reports are one of the best & most popular bands in the Philippines,played to a packed house.

Paseo is well worth a look & is an enjoyable night even if only for the people watching!!!!!

Nothing special, just neat, tidy, casual & cool attire will do

Club PUMP

Put your hands in the sky if your feelin’ the vibe
You’re tuned in to music that’ll make you fly
Hiphop is what it is this’ll make you jump
And you’ll only hear it here first
This the PUMP!

The LARSIAN

“Larsian”—the name always rings a bell. Of course, every Cebuano knows about this very famous food hub. Professionals, non-professionals, teenagers, elders, vendors, all people from all walks of life can be spotted in this renowned home of sinugba and barbecue. Larsian, as what it is commonly and widely known is figuratively named as the food centre of Cebu City. Larsian has an approximately more or less, fifty barbecue stalls surrounding the entire vast area. Despite the suffocating smoke that may sometimes disturbs your eating; the scrumptiousness of the sizzling sinugbang baboy, sinugbang pusit, sinugbang isda and barbecue will let you forget that you are seated in a smoky area. Larsian draws a countless number of customers everyday because of its very affordable and tasty foods. The location is yet very strategic; situated at the heart of Cebu City, nearby Chiong Hua, along side Fuente Osmeña rotunda. Larsian is typically the common place that is shared by most Cebuanos, no wonder it is flagged down as Cebu’s Food Hub.

Sinners and Saints Restobar

Without a doubt, this is a place for everyone — everyone in the real sense of the word. For sure, this place can be visited by all sinners and all saints. This cool restobar (a combination of a restaurant and a bar) is located at Banilad, Cebu City. It is a fusion of a restaurant and a bar with live band music. The restobar’s specialty is their very mouth-watering “pica-pica”. Yet other than that, they are also serving light meals to heavy meals. What are more interesting about this restobar are their Nostalgic Night every Thursday and their Ladies’ Night every Wednesday, where there is a free one round of drinks for the ladies. The restobar opens at 7:30pm until 2am from Monday to Saturday only. They also extend buffet and special reservations. You can ring them at +63(32) 234-0317/ FAX +63(32) 234-0319 for more information.

Original Siomai sa Tisa

Certainly, this title can be seen in almost all signboards of stalls selling siomai. This just simply means that they are well-established and popular—of course, the number one form of flattery is imitation. As its name clearly implies, The Original Siomai sa Tisa is located in Tisa, Labangon, Cebu City. They are the original supplier of the delicious siomai with its sweet hot and spicy sauce. For the record, siomai has to be eaten with its sweet hot and spicy sauce for you to savour its authentic flavour.

Hidden Paradise Mountain Resort

Located in the pristine scenic mountain range south of Cebu or more or less than an hour drive from Cebu City, We offer the following amineties:

* 50 unit’s accommodation room facilities
* 6 multi sized function halls
* 3medium sized swimming pools of natural Flowing spring water surrounded by picnic Huts and row houses
* One big swimming pool surrounded by open picnic huts
* Fishing pond complemented by floating barge type boat administration office.tropical resort, mountain resort
* 60 seater café/ Bar and Restaurant
* TV cable Consumer store and cooler parlor and internet Café and Billiard tables
* 100 – Slot open car park.· Sufficient public bath and comfort room facilities
* Multi small sized storage areas
* Mountain trekking sites
* Basketball court/ volleyball court
* 3 bedroom staff houses
* Two vans to services guest
Executive Family Room ( 4 pax ) P 3,500.00 Free breakfast for 4 pax
H&C, Aircon, Ref, TV,

De Luxe Room ( 2 pax ) P 2,500.00 Free breakfast for 2 pax
H&C, Aircon, no TV

Standard Room ( 2 pax ) P 1,500.00 Aircon

Native Room (2 pax ) P 600.00 Fan

Family Native Room ( 6 pax ) P 1,400 Fan

Dormitory Room ( 10 pax ) P 3,500.00 Aircon, (free entrance for 10 pax)

Dormitory Room (mini) ( 4 pax ) P 1,500.00 Aircon ,(free entrance for 4 pax)

Extra bed P 150.00

Entrance Fee:
Adult P 100.00
Child 4 - 8 yrs old P 50.00

Cottages:
Native Hut P 300.00
Table/Umbrella P 150.00

Social Area:
Sunflower P 1,500.00
Orchid A P 1,500.00
Orchid B P 1,500.00
Rooftop P 6,000.00

Function Rooms:
Sampaguita P 3,500.00
Sunrise A P 8,000.00
Sunrise B P 3,000.00

Amenities Rates:
Videoke P 150.00 / hour
Billiard P 75.00 / hour
Dart P 75.00 / hour
Trekking P 75.00 / person ( minimum 5 pax per group)
Camp Fire P 500.00 /event

Other charges
Grilling is free of charge (charcoal is P25.00)
Cooking Charge P 75.00 / kilo

Shuttle P 3,500.00 city-resort/vice versa

Corkage
P 200.00 / lechon
P 100.00 / case softdrinks
P 300.00 / alcoholic beverage
Room Rates :

Check –In Time: 2:00 P.M. Check-Out Time: 12:00 noon

Discover Cagayan de Oro City

Popular Destinations in Cagayan de Oro City

Some very popular destinations at Cagayan de Oro City in Philippines include:

Macahambus Cave and Gorge: it is an underground cave with a 130-foot circular gorge. Whitewater Rafting along the Cagayan de Oro River has gained popularity through the years.

San Agustin Metropolitan Cathedral: it is the home of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro. Rebuilt in the 1950s, this place of worship is also famous for its century old stained glass.

Gaston Park: it is famous for its water fountain; the park remains to be a favorite place to unwind for many people, especially during Sundays.

Catanico Falls: it is concealed by huge boulders, the rapids, cascading falls and natural pool.

La Castilla Museum: it is a museum of Philippine household heirlooms and antiques.

Mapawa Nature Park: it is ideal for horseback riding, biking, zipline and nature trekking.

Gardens of Malasag Eco-Tourism Village: it has replicas of tribal houses in the region and a panoramic view of Macajalar Bay.

Vicente de Lara Park: it is a popular jogging area during the morning.

Other famous spots in Cagayan de Oro City in Philippines are:

Plaza Divisoria
Bonifacio Park
Huluga Caves
The Cagayan de Oro River
Pelaez bridge
Pueblo de Oro
Limketkai Center

Popular Destinations in Butuan City

Some very popular destinations at Butuan City in Philippines include:

Agusan River: it is the widest, deepest and longest navigable river in Mindanao.

Balangay Shrine Museum: 9 Balangays have already been discovered in Ambangan, Libertad sites. Three have been excavated and others are still in Situ.

Butuan Regional Museum: This museum is the repository of historical and cultural materials and artifacts that proves Butuan's prehistoric existence and rich cultural heritage.

Mount Mayapay: Looming southwest of the Agusan Valley is this majestic mountain plateau that reveals Butuan's pre-historic and archeological discoveries.

Butuan City in Philippines is also popular for its festivals that include:

The Kahimunan Festival: celebrated every third Sunday of January in celebration of the city patron Sr. Sto. Niño.

Cultural festival/tourism consciousness week: it is a long celebration that lasts from the last week of July up to August 2 in celebration of the Charter Day of Butuan.

Abayan Festival: it is part cultural festival in celebration of St. Anne patroness of Agusan River celebrated every last Sunday of July.

Adlaw Hong Butuan: it is the charter day celebration of Butuan, which includes a thanksgiving mass, motorcade, pillaging festival, street party recognitions of outstanding Butuanons and city government employee’s night.

Popular Destinations in Baguio City

Baguio City is home to many tourist spots. Some very popular destinations at Baguio City in Philippines include:

Burnham Park Lagoon: The Park features a promenade and a man-made lagoon where bancas (rowboats) are available for hire.

Baguio Cathedral: it is a majestic church is a beautiful structure that has twin spires is one of the most photographed buildings in the city.

Session Road: it is the main avenue of the city and a home for numerous shops, restaurants, billiard halls, and duckpin bowling alleys.

Baguio Grand Mosque: it is the largest mosque that caters to several thousand Muslim families from Mindanao as well as Cordilleran’s.

Camp John Hay: it was the rest and recreational facility for employees of the military and Department of Defense of the United States.

Mines View Park: it has a spectacular view of Benguet's gold and copper mines.

Baguio Botanical Garden: it contains many Igorot houses amidst flora and fauna that grow in the cool climate of the city.

The Orchidarium: A showcase for the flowers and plants grown around Baguio.

Some other frequently visited locations in Baguio City in Philippines include:

Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary
King Louie's Farm
Tam-Awan Village
Itogon Wood Carver's Village
Asin Hot Springs
Wright Park
Philippine Military Academy
Del Pilar.
Bell Church
Lourdes Grotto

PR: wait... I: wait... L: wait... LD: wait... I: wait... wait... CY: wait... I: wait... L: wait... YCat: wait... I: wait... Top: wait... I: wait... L: wait... C: wait... SD: wait...

Filipino's Best of the Best

It is a real challenge to come up with a list of the country's best athletes, both past and present. Fortunately, sports institutions like the Philippine Sports Commission, the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Sportswriters Association have named several athletes in their Hall of Fame or sorts.

While being guided by the lists drawn up by the country's respectable sports institutions, our own list dares to be different in the sense that it takes into account the true essence of the term "world champion". By the term world champion, an athlete must have been declared a champion in an international competition or he or she must have won at least a bronze medal in the Olympics.

Here is our own list of 27 Filipino world champions, in the order that we deem proper.

1. Bowler Rafael "Paeng" Nepomuceno, for being the "Greatest Filipino Athlete of All Time", "Athlete of the Century", and "International Bowling Athlete of the Millennium"; for receiving the prestigious International Olympic Committee (IOC) President's Trophy; for winning over 100 tournaments, including four World Cups and two other prestigious international titles; for winning an Asiad gold medal; and for still being an active player

2. Billiard player Efren "Bata" Reyes, for being declared as the best billiard player of all time; for winning the World 8-Ball championship five times; for clinching the 1999 World 9-Ball title; for winning over 100 international tournaments; and for still being an active player

3. Golfer Dorothy Delasin, for winning three world championships: the 2000 LPGA Giant Eagle Classic when she was only 19, the 2001 LPGA Giant Eagle Classic, and the Samsung World Championship; for being the Rookie of the Year in 2000; for being the Amateur Golfer of the Year in 1998; for winning the US Women's Amateur Championship, California Women's Championship, the US Girls Championship and the Junior World Cup; and for still being an active player

4. Boxer Gabriel "Flash" Elorde, for being declared "the greatest world junior lightweight boxing champion in WBC history"; for defending his title in 10 bouts for seven years, making him the longest reigning world junior lightweight champion ever; and for being inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame and International Boxing Hall of Fame

5. Basketball player Carlos Loyzaga, for stirring the Philippine basketball team that placed third in the World Basketball Championship (WBC) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1954; for being named to the Mythical Team at the 1954 WBC; for being the captain of the team that won 4 Asiad gold medals; and for participating several times in the Olympic Games

6. Boxer Pancho Villa, for being considered the greatest flyweight of the century; for becoming Asia's first world champion in boxing; and for being inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame and International Boxing Hall of Fame

7. Tennis player Felicisimo Ampon, for winning the Davis Cup singles championship in 1937, the singles title in the Pan-American championship in Mexico City in 1950, the Wimbledon Plate championship in 1953; and for being considered the best tennis player in the world, pound for pound

8. High jumper Simeon Toribio, for winning a bronze medal at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics; for winning gold medals in many Far Eastern Games; and for being considered the "Filipino Field Athlete of the Half Century" and "Asia's Best Athlete"

9. Boxer Roel Velasco, for winning a gold medal at the first Muhammad Ali Cup Invitational Boxing Championship, a silver at the 1997 World Boxing Championships, a bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and a bronze at the 1998 Goodwill Games

10. Bowler Bong Coo, for winning the 1979 World Cup and FIQ World Championship; for clinching five gold medals at the Asian Games; and for collecting over 100 national and international awards

11. Shooter Jethro "the Jet" Dionisio, for being considered the world's fastest shooter and for being a six-time world champion in pistol shooting; and for still being an active player

12. Billiard player Francisco "Django" Bustamante, for being declared the world's number 1 billiard player in 1998; for winning an Asiad gold medal in 2002; for bagging the World Pool Masters Championship twice; for winning several other international tournaments; and for still being an active player

13. Boxer Mansueto "Onyok" Velasco, for clinching the country's second Olympic silver medal in 1996 and an Asiad gold medal in 1994

14. Swimmer Teofilo Yldefonso, for winning two Olympic bronze medals in swimming

15. Boxer Ceferino Garcia, for being the heaviest Filipino boxer who became a world champion when he knocked out world middleweight champion Fred Apostoli in New York in 1939; and for being inducted into the Ring Magazine Hall of Fame and into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1981

16. Chess player Eugene Torre, for being Asia's first grandmaster in 1974; and for stirring the Philippine team that placed 7th at the 1988 Greece Olympiad

17. Bowler Arianne Cerdena, for winning an Olympic gold medal in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, although her medal was not included in the regular medal tally; and for representing the country in many Southeast Asian Games

18. Boxer Luisito Epinosa, for holding two different world-boxing titles: the World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight crown and the World Boxing Association (WBA) bantamweight belt; and for being one of the longest reigning Filipino world champion

19. Boxer Manny Pacquiao, for becoming an International Boxing Federation (IBF) world super bantamweight champion and World Boxing Council (WBC) flyweight champion; and for still being an active player

20. Sprinter Lydia de Vega, for winning two gold medals in the 100-meter dash at the 1982 New Delhi Asiad and 1986 Seoul Asiad

21. Boxer Ben Villaflor, for becoming world junior lightweight champion at the age of 18 years old; and for defending his title from 1972 to 1976

22. Swimmer Haydee Coloso-Espino, for collecting a total of three gold, five silver, and two bronze medals from the Asian Games in the 1950s and 1960s

23. Boxer Erbito Salavarria, for becoming the World Boxing Council (WBC) flyweight champion and the Boxing Association (WBA) flyweight champion

24. Boxer Gerry Penalosa, for winning two titles: the World Boxing Council (WBC) super flyweight crown and the World Boxing Association (WBA) North American junior bantamweight title

25. Boxer Anthony Villanueva, for winning a silver medal in a close match with Russian Stanislave Stephaskin in featherweight finals at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics

26. Weightlifter Salvador del Rosario, for winning a gold medal in the flyweight division of the World Weightlifting Championships held in Columbus, Ohio, USA in 1970

27. Racer Angelo Barreto, for winning several times at the European Endurance Touring Car Circuit in 2000 and at the Group N Touring Cars Championships also in Europe; and for clinching the championship in Le Mans Classic in France in September 2002

While we limit the list to only 27 athletes, we also recognize the fact that other athletes should have also been in the list. Among such athletes are Frankie Minoza, Roberto Cruz, Ambrosio Padilla, Inocencia Solis, Mona Sulaiman, Mark Rosales, Julita Tayo, Jose "Amang" Parica, Ben Arda, Lolita Reformado, Miguel White, Jose "Cely" Villanueva, Pedro Adigue, Rodolfo Tan Cardoso, Dodi Boy Penalosa, Leopoldo Serantes, Jennifer Rosales, Andres Franco, Elma Muros, Lauro Mumar, Angeline Dumapong, Rolando Navarette, Adolfo Feliciano, Purita Jacinto, Lita dela Rosa, Frank Cedeno, Bea Lucero, among others.

Famous Pinoy Legends

Abadilla, Alejandro - poet; 1904-1969
Abelardo, Nicanor - composer; San Miguel, Bulacan; 1893-1934
Abueva, Napoleon - sculptor; Bohol; 1930
Aglipay, Gregorio - religious leader; Ilocos Norte; 1860-1940
Agoncillo, Felipe - nationalist; Taal, Batangas; 1859-1941
Aguinaldo, Emilio - president and general; Kawit, Cavite; 1869-1964
Alcala, Larry - cartoonist; Daraga, Albay; 1926-2002
Amorsolo, Fernando - painter; Manila; 1892-1972
Antonio, Pablo - architect; Balanga, Bataan; 1901-1974
Aquino, Benigno -senator and martyr; Concepcion, Tarlac; 1932-1983
Aquino, Corazon Cojuango - president; Luisita, Tarlac; January 25, 1933
Aquino, Francisca Reyes - culture and dance researcher; Bocaue, Bulacan; 1899-1983
Aquino, Melchora - nationalist; Kalookan; 1812-1919
Arguilla, Manuel - writer; Bauang, La Union; 1910-1944
Arcellana, Francisco - short story writer; Manila; 1916-2002
Arroyo, Gloria Macapagal - president; Manila; April 5, 1947
Avellana, Lamberto - film director; Bontoc, Mountain Province; 1915-1991
Balagtas, Francisco - poet; Balagtas, Bulacan; 1788-1862
Baraquio, Angela Perez - beauty queen; Hawaii; June 1, 1976
Bernal, Ishmael - film director; Manila; 1938-1997
Blanca, Nida - film actress; Gapan, Nueva Ecija; 1936-2001
Bonifacio, Andres - nationalist; Manila; 1863-1897
Brocka, Lino - film director; Pilar, Sorsogon; 1939-1991
Buenaventura, Antonino - composer; Baliuag, Bulacan; 1904-1996
Bulosan, Carlos - writer; Pangasinan; 1911-1956
Cayetano, Benjamin - governor of Hawaii; November 14, 1939
Celerio, Levi - poet and songwriter; Manila; 1910-2002
Constantino, Renato - historian; 1919-1999
Cuenco, Ernani - composer; Malolos, Bulacan; 1936-1988
Dagohoy, Francisco - nationalist; Bohol; 1744-1829 (revolt)
De Jesus, Gregoria - nationalist; Kalookan; 1875-1943
De Jesus, Jose Corazon - poet; Sta. Maria, Bulacan; 1896-1932
Dela Rama, Honorata "Atang" - actress; Pandacan, Manila; 1902-1991
De Leon, Felipe - composer; Penaranda, Nueva Ecija; 1912-1992
De Leon, Gerardo - film director; Manila; 1913-1981
Delos Santos, Efipanio - writer and nationalist; Malabon; 1871-1928
Del Pilar, Gregorio - nationalist and general; Bulacan; 1875-1899
Del Pilar, Marcelo - journalist and nationalist; Bulacan, Bulacan; 1850-1896
De Ocampo, Roberto - finance secretary and banker; Manila; January 10, 1946
De Venecia, Jose Jr. - House speaker; Dagupan City; December 26, 1936
Edades, Victorio - painter; Pangasinan; 1895-1985
Estrada, Joseph - president; Manila; April 19,1937
Enrile, Juan Ponce - senator and defense minister; Gonzaga, Cagayan; February 14, 1924
Felipe, Julian - composer; Cavite City; 1861-1941
Flavier, Juan - senator and barrio doctor; Manila; June 23, 1935
Francisco, Carlos - painter; Angono, Rizal; 1913-1969
Fuentes, Jovita - opera singer; Capiz, 1895-1978
Garcia, Carlos - president; Talibon, Bohol; 1896-1971
Gokongwei, John Jr. - business tycoon; Cebu City; July 4, 1926
Gonzalez, N.V.M. - writer; Romblon, Romblon; 1917-1999
Goquingco, Leonor Orosa - writer and dancer; Jolo, Sulu;
Guerrero, Fernando Ma. - nationalist; Manila; 1873-1929
Guerrero, Wilfredo Ma. - scriptwriter; 1910-1995
Guingona, Teofisto - vice-president; San Juan, Metro Manila; July 4, 1928
Hernandez, Amado - poet; San Miguel, Bulacan; 1903-1970
Hidalgo, Felix Resureccion - painter; 1853-1913
Jacinto, Emilio - nationalist; Tondo, Manila; 1875-1899
Jaena, Graciano Lopez - nationalist and editor; Jaro, Iloilo; 1856-1896
Jaworski, Robert - senator and basketball player; Baguio City; March 8, 1946
Joaquin, Nick - writer; Manila; May 4, 1917
Jose, F. Sionil - writer; Rosales, Pangasinan; December 3, 1924
Kasilag, Lucrecia - composer; San Fernando, La Union; August 31, 1819
Kiukok, Ang - painter; Davao City; March 1, 1931
Laurel, Jose P. - president; Tanauan, Batangas; 1891-1959
Legaspi, Cesar - painter; Tondo, Manila; 1917-1994
Locsin, Leandro - architect; Silay, Negros Occidental; 1928-1994
Luna, Juan - painter and nationalist; Badoc, Ilocos Note; 1857-1899
Luz, Arturo - painter; Manila; November 29, 1926
Mabini, Apolinario - nationalist; Tanauan, Batangas; 1864-1903
Macapagal, Diosdado - president; Lubao, Pampanga; 1910-1997
Maceda, Jose - composer; Manila; January 31, 1917
Magsaysay, Ramon - president; Iba, Zambales; 1907-1957
Manansala, Vicente - painter; Macabebe, Pampanga; 1910-1981
Marcos, Ferdinand - president; Sarrat, Ilocos Norte; 1917-1989
Mariano, Eleanor - physician and US general; Angeles City; 1955
Molina, Antonio - composer; Manila; 1894-1980
Nakpil, Juan - architect; Manila; 1899-1986
Natorie, Josie - fashion designer; Manila; 1947
Navarro, Jerry Elizalde - painter; 1924-1999
Nepomuceno, Rafael - bowling champion; January 30, 1957
Ocampo, Hernando - painter; Manila; 1911-1978
Ople, Blas - senator; Bulacan; February 3, 1927
Osmena, Sergio - president; Cebu City; 1878-1961
Pagkalinawan, Cecilia - IT executive in New York; Manila; 1969
Palma, Jose - poet and songwriter; 1876-1903
Perez, Eugenio - congressman; San Carlos, Pangasinan; 1896-1957
Pimentel, Aquilino - senator; Claveria, Misamis Oriental; December 11, 1933
Ponce, Mariano - nationalist; Baliuag, Bulacan; 1861-1918
Puyat, Gil - nationalist; Manila; 1907-1981
Quezon, Manuel - president; Baler, Tayabas; 1878-1944
Quirino, Elpidio - president; Vigan, Ilocos Sur; 1890-1956
Quizon, Rodolfo (Dolphy) - film actor and comedian; Pampanga; July 25, 1928
Ramos, Fidel - president; Lingayen, Pangasinan; March 18, 1928
Reyes, Severino - playwright; 1861-1942
Rizal, Jose - poet, novelist and martyr; Calamba, Laguna; 1861-1896
Roco, Raul - senator and education secretary; Naga City; October 26, 1941
Romulo, Carlos - UN president and journalist; Camiling, Tarlac; 1899-1985
Roxas, Manuel - president; Roxas City, Capiz; 1892-1948
Salonga, Jovito - senate president and nationalist; Rizal; June 22, 1920
Salonga, Lea - stage actress; Manila; February 22, 1971
San Pedro, Lucio - composer; Angono, Rizal; 1913-2002
Santiago, Miriam Defensor - senator; Iloilo City; June 15, 1945
Santos, Jose Abad - statesman and nationalist; San Fernando, Pampanga; 1886-
Santos, Lope - novelist and linguist; 1879-1963
Silang, Diego - nationalist; Ilocos Sur; 1730-1763
Silang, Gabriela - nationalist; Ilocos Sur; 1731-1763
Sin, Cardinal Jaime - Catholic archbishop; Aklan; August 21, 1928
Sycip, Washington - businessman; Manila; January 30, 1921
Tiempo, Edith - writer; Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya; April 22, 1919
Tinio, Rolando - playwright; Manila; 1937-1997
Tizon, Alex - journalist; Pampanga; 1958
Tolentino, Aurelio - playwright; 1868-1915
Tolentino, Guillermo - sculptor; Malolos, Bulacan; 1890-1976
Urtula, Lucrecia Reyes - dancer; Calamba, Laguna;
Valencia, Teodoro - journalist; Tanauan, Batangas; 1913-
Veneracion, Andrea - choirmaster; Manila; June 11, 1928
Vergara, Benito Sibug - scientist; Manila; June 23, 1934
Villa, Jose Garcia - poet; Manila; 1909-1997
Villa, Pancho - boxing champion; Iloilo; 1901
Villar, Manuel Jr. - senator and real estate magnate; Las Pinas City; December 13, 1949

Filipino Heroes & Artists

Bonifacio Abdon - father of modern kundiman
Nicanor Abelardo - master of kundiman
Napoleon Abueva - father of modern Philippine sculpture
Avelino Galang Adriano - dean of furniture makers
Macario Adriatico - father of Manila charter
Faustino Aguilar - Alexander Dumas of the Philippines
Emilio Aguinaldo - first Philippine president
Arturo Alcaraz - father of geothermal energy development
Dalisay Aldaba - great little butterfly from the Philippines
Benjamin Almeda - father of Filipino inventors
Fernando Amorsolo - grand old man of Philippine art
Pablo Antonio - renaissance man
Cecilio Apostol - prince of poets in Spanish
Francisca Reyes Aquino - folk dance pioneer
Melchora Aquino - grand old woman of revolution
Francisco Arcellana - an artist of a very monster
Nora Aunor - superstar
Lamberto Avellana - boy wonder of Philippine movies
Natalio Bacalso - king of Visayan writers
Francisco dela Cruz Balagtas - father of Philippine literature
Jose Bautista - giant of Philippine Journalism
Ishmael Bernal - the genius of Philippine cinema
Andres Bonifacio - the great plebian
Pedro Bukaneg - father of Ilocano Poetry
Felipe Calderon - author of the Malolos Constitution
Patronicio Tagamora de Carvajal - dean of stars in Philippine theater
Modesto Castro - prince of Tagalog prose
Narciso Claveria - count of Manila
Levi Celerio - poet of Philippine music
Pilita Corales - Asia's queen of songs
Gregoria de Jesus - Lakambini
Jose Corazon de Jesus - father of Balagtasan
Sharon Cuneta - megastar
Atang dela Rama - the once and future star
Felipe de Leon - nationalist composer
Gerardo de Leon - master filmmaker
Narcisa de Leon - grand old woman of Philippine movies
Isabelo delos Reyes - father of Philippine labor movement
Gregorio del Pilar - hero of Tirad Pass
Marcelo del Pilar - father of Philipppine Journalism
Bert del Rosario - father of Tagalog short stories
Nieves Baens del Rosario - champion of the workingman
Geminiano de Ocampo - father of modern ophthalmology in the Philippines
Jose Drillon - father of Philippine agribusiness
Victor Edades - father of modern Philippine painting
Josefa Llanes Escoda - Florence Nightingale of the Philippines
Alberto Feliciano - Dr. Filipino
Julian Felipe - father of national anthem
Juan Flores - dean of Filipino woodcarvers
Germie Fontilla - queen of chess
Jovita Fuentes - the Philippines' prima donna
Eugenio Juan Gonzales - father of Philippine condominiums
Leonor Orosa Goquingco - mother of Philippine theater dance
Fernando Ma. Guerrero - prince of Filipino lyric poets in Spanish
Leon Ma. Guerrero - father of Philippine botany
Luis Guerrero - dean of medicine in the Philippines
Wilfredo Ma. Guerrero - pioneer of outreach theater
Laureano Guevarra - father of Marikina shoe industry
Amando Hernandez - poet for the common man
Guillermo Hernandez - dean of Filipino sportscasters
Jose Hernandez - dean of Filipino diplomats
Graciano Lopez Jaena - prince of Filipino orators
Emilio Jacinto - brain of the Katipunan
Nick Joaquin - megabuck writer
Maximo Kalaw - father of political science in the Philippines
Lucrecia Kasilag - tita king
Amparo Lardizabal - teacher of teachers
Trinidad Legarda - mother of the symphony movement in the Philippines
Cesar Legaspi - trailblazer of modern Philippine art
Leandro Locsin - a poet of space
Jose Luna - official physician of the revolution
Apolinario Mabini - the sublime paralytic
Joce Maceda - the ethnomusicologist
Vicente Madrigal - charcoal king
Teresa Magbanua - Visayan Joan of Arc
Ramon Magsaysay - champion of the masses
Francisco Makabuhos - liberator of Tarlac
Jose Malcampo - count of Mindanao
Anastacio Mamaril - trumpet king of the Philippines
Jose "Pitoy" Moreno - dean of Filipino couturiers
Juak Nakpil - pioneer in Philippine architecture
Jose Nepomuceno - father of Filipino movies
Hernando Ocampo - radical modernist
Sergio Osmena Sr. - architect of Filipino nationalism
Jose Palma - poet soldier
Rafael Palma - apostle of Filipinism
Jose Ma. Panganiban - avenger of Filipino honor
Valeriano Hernandez Pena - father of modern Tagalog novels
Leon Pichay - king of Ilocano poets
Fernando Poe Jr. - king of action films
Manuel Quezon - father of Philippine national language
Carlos Quirino - man for all seasons
Dolphy Quizon - king of comedy films
Claro M. Recto - Paladin of Philippine nationalism
Bobby Regiono - banjo king
Jose Rizal - pride of the Malay race
Alejandro Roces Sr. - exponent of modern Journalism
Lolita Rodriquez - first lady of Philippine movies
Carlos P. Romulo - hero of the republic
Tessie Rumarao - queen of hula-hoop
Lucio San Pedro - creative nationalist
Francisco Santiago - father of nationalism in Philippine music
Lope K. Santos - laureate of Tagalog literature
Vilma Santos - star for all seasons
Gloria Sevilla - queen of Visayan movies
Diego Silang - liberator of the Ilocos
Gabriela Silang - Joan of Arc of Ilocandia
Trinidad Perez Tecson - mother of Philippine Red Cross
Rolando Tinio - creative genius
Guillermo Tolentino - father of Philippine arts
Lina Flor Trinidad - dean of Filipino soap operas
Lucrecia Reyes Urtula - the woman behind Bayanihan Dance Co.
Teodoro Valencia - dean of columnists
Luis Rodriguez Varela - the first Filipino
Jose Gacia Villa - international poet
Gliceria Marella Villavicencio - godmother of revolution
Flavio Zaragoza - poet laureate in Ilongo literature

Social Issues in the Philippines

Falling Income
The Philippine GDP per capita shrank to US$990 in 2000 from US$1,129 in 1997 while the GNP per capita contracted to US$1,033 from US$1,197. This was a result of the Asian financial crisis, which caught up with the Philippines in 1998.

After expanding 5.2 percent in 1997, the country's GDP backpedaled by 0.5 percent in 1998. It grew by only 3.4 percent in 1999 and 4 percent in 2000. With a high population growth rate of 2.3 percent annually, economic growth in 1999 and 2000 did little to improve the real per capita income of Filipinos.

Peso Drops 14 Times vs. US Dollar
According to Senator Ralph Recto, the country's per capita income has barely grown in the past 21 years. He said that the per capita income of P12,913 in 2001 is only P318 higher than P12,595 in 1980. "In today's pesos, the P318 increase in 21 years amounts to nothing at all." he said. Senator Recto also noted that the value of the peso has depreciated by as much as 1,373 percent against the dollar since 1960.

The Poor and the Rich
In its 2000 survey of family income and expenditure, the NSO said that the average income of the population's 10th decile, representing the richest 10 percent of the Filipinos, was 14 times higher than the average earnings of the first decile, representing the poorest 10 percent. Each decile was representing about 8 million Filipinos.

Poverty Threshold: P13,916
While the per capita income declined between 1997 and 2000, prices of consumer goods and services increased by almost 20 percent during the three-year period or over six percent annually. The National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) was forced to raise by 23 percent the national per capita poverty threshold to P13,916 in 2000 from P11,319 in 1997.

Unequal Regional Development
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) reported that Metro Manila's per capita gross regional domestic product (GRDP) in 2000 was more than twice that of the national average and more than five times that of Bicol region.

Data from the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) showed that 11 of the country's 16 regions had a poverty incidence of over 30 percent as of 2000. The five other regions with lower poverty levels are all located in Luzon. The NSCB placed the poverty incidence in the country (the proportion of families with per capita incomes below the poverty threshold) at 28.4 percent in 2000, up from 28.1 percent in 1997. In terms of population, poverty incidence was estimated at 34 percent in 2000, also up from 33 percent in 1997.

The NSCB data showed that in 2000, the National Capital Region or Metro Manila had the lowest poverty incidence of 5.7 percent among families. It was followed by four other regions in Luzon, with Region 3 (Central Luzon) registering a poverty incidence of 17 percent; Region 4 (Southern Tagalog), 20.8 percent; Region 2 (Cagayan Valley), 24.8 percent; and Region 1 (Ilocos), 29.6 percent.

Two regions in Luzon - Region 5 (Bicol), the southernmost region in Luzon, and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) - had a poverty incidence of over 30 percent. About 49 percent of families in Bicol were suffering from poverty while 31.1 percent of families in CAR were also in the same category.

All regions in the Visayas had over 30 percent of poverty incidence. Region 6 (Western Visayas) had a poverty incidence of 37.8 percent; Region 7 (Central Visayas), 32.3 percent; and Region 8 (Western Visayas), 37.8 percent.

All regions in Mindanao also had over 30 percent of poverty incidence. Region 9 (Western Mindanao) had a poverty incidence of 38.3 percent; Region 10 (Northern Mindanao), 32.9 percent; Region 11 (Southern Mindanao), 31.5 percent; Region 12 (Central Mindanao), 48.4 percent; Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), 57 percent; and Caraga, 42.9 percent.
32 Million Poor Filipinos
With the adjustment on poverty threshold, the number of Filipinos considered poor or affected by poverty incidence swell to 30 million or 39.4 percent of the population in 2000 from 36.8 percent in 1997. According to the Commission on Population (Popcom), the figure could have further climbed to 32 million or 40 percent of the population in 2002. In terms of number of families, poverty incidence affected 33.7 percent of all Filipino families in 2000 from only 31.8 percent in 1997.

5.1 Million Poor Families
The NSO reported that in 2000, poverty incidence affected 19.9 percent of families in urban areas and 46.9 percent in rural areas. Real number of poor families climbed to 5.1 million, 1.5 million of them in urban areas and 3.6 million in rural areas. Some 2.5 million families were living in subsistence level, meaning their income was not enough to buy their basic food requirements.

Poor and Near Poor, 58 Percent
In its 2001 report, the World Bank said 12.7 percent of Filipinos were "poor", a term it assigned to those who lived on less than US$1 a day while 45.9 percent were "near poor" or those who lived on less than US$2 a day.

A 2002 survey conducted by the local poll group Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed that 58 percent of its 1,200 respondents had considered themselves poor. The survey, conducted on March 4 to 23, 2002, also disclosed that 52 percent of the respondents believed that their quality of life had deteriorated over the past 12 months while only 15 percent said otherwise.

Only 80 Percent Had Access to Safe Water
Access to safe drinking water dropped to 80 percent among Filipino families in 2002 from 81.4 percent in 1999, according to the Annual Poverty Indicators Survey (APIS) conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO). In real figure, however, the number of families with access to safe drinking water climbed by 6.2 percent to 12.746 million in 2002 from 11.999 million in 1999 largely because of the 8 percent population growth during the three-year period.

86.1 Percent Had Toilets
The Annual Poverty Indicators Survey (APIS) conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) in 2002 showed that the percentage of Filipino families with access to sanitary toilet improved to 86.1 percent in 2002 from 85.8 percent in 1999. In real number, this translates to 13.713 million families with sanitary toilet in 2002, up from 12.662 million families three years earlier.

79 Percent Had Electricity
The Annual Poverty Indicators Survey (APIS) conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) in 2002 showed that around 12.581 million families or 79 percent of the total had electricity in 2002, up from only 10.809 million or 73.3 percent of all families in 1999.

72 Percent Had Strong Houses
The Annual Poverty Indicators Survey (APIS) conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) in 2002 showed that 11.497 million Filipino families or 72.2 percent of the total had their roofs made of strong materials and 9.888 million had their outer walls made of strong materials.

67 Percent Owned House and Lot
The Annual Poverty Indicators Survey (APIS) conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) in 2002 showed that 10.593 million Filipino families or 66.5 percent of the total had their own house and lot in 2002, with only 546,000 of them or 5.1 percent using the government's finance program to purchase their house and lot. Some 3.425 million families or 21.5 percent of the total had lands other than residence in 2002 while 376,000 families acquired lands through the government's Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

Ibon: Poverty Affects 87.5 Percent
Ibon Foundation Inc., a research think-tank that was accused by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as leftist, reported that poverty incidence actually affected 13.4 million Filipino families or 87.5 percent of all families in the country. The independent research agency based its computation on data from the National Wage Commission. Ibon said that the daily cost of living for a family of six was P530 in Metro Manila and P435 in the whole country, as of April 2002.

16 Percent Experiences Hunger
A survey conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS) in March 2001 showed that 16.1 percent of its respondents had experienced hunger at least once in the last three months. About 6 percent of the households surveyed also claimed that they were experiencing hunger often or always.

20 to 34 Percent of Filipinos Undernourished
About 20 to 34 percent of 74.2 million Filipinos in the period 1998 to 2000 was undernourished, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in its report entitled "The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2002." The situation in the Philippines was worse that those in Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam where only 5 to 19 percent of the population was undernourished.

Only less than 2.5 percent of population in Malaysia was undernourished while there was no record of similar problem in Singapore and Thailand. Only Cambodia, with 35 percent or more of its population being undernourished, was worse off than the Philippines.

The FAO reported that there are some 840 million undernourished people in the world today while the World Bank said about 1.2 billion people lived on less than US$1 per day. Some 25,000 people reportedly die of hunger and poverty each day. Measured annually, around six million children under the age of five are dying of hunger.

6 of 10 Policemen are Poor
A study concuted by the UP Variates and the CORPS Foundation in July 2002 showed that 32 percent of Metro Manila policemen claimed that their monthly income they took home were below the poverty threshold of P8,877 a month while nearly 90 percent admitted they had debts to government and private lending institutions. Nearly 50 percent had no bank savings.
1.391 Million Families with Working Children
Child labor remains a problem in the country. As of 2002, there were 1.391 million families or 12.8 percent of the total that had working children aged from five years old to 17 years old.


4 Million Children, Working
So critical was the poverty incidence in the country that many Filipino children had to find work in 2001. According to the NSO, 4 million out of the total 25 million Filipino children were working during the survey period from October 1, 2000 to September 30, 2001.

Most of these working children were male, aged 10 to 17 years old, unskilled and unpaid. They worked as farmers, fishermen, hunters, vendors, and factory workers. Some 221,000 children did heavy physical work; 1.1 million faced physical hazards; 942,000 suffered injuries at work; and 754,000 had work-related illnesses.

These figures were consistent with the findings of an international institution. According to the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef), some four million Filipino children were forced to work as of 2002 because their parents could not find jobs. Around 67 percent of these children were working in the agricultural sector and had to stop going to school. About 50 percent of the children were feeding their respective families.

15 Million Children, Malnourished
A 2002 study conducted by the Philippine Congress showed that about 15.6 million or more than 60 percent of the 25 million Filipino children (below 18 years old) were malnourished. In a separate study conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), three out of 10 Filipino pre-schoolers were found malnourished or underweight in 2001. In actual numbers, there were 3.7 million malnourished pre-school children.

RP Imported 24 Million Bags of Rice
The Philippines, which remains largely rural and agricultural, has become the world's fourth largest importer of rice, after Indonesia, Nigeria and Iran. Citing a report of the US Department of Agriculture, Representative Satur Ocampo said the country imported about 1.18 million tons metric tons of rice in 2001 and a total of 1.2 million metric tons (24 million 50-kilogram bags) of rice in 2002.

1.5 Million Street Children
The Philippines has one of the world's largest populations of street children. A 1996 report of the non-government movement End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism (ECPAT) showed that the Philippines had 1.5 million children living or working in the street of 65 cities. Metro Manila alone had at least 75,000 street children.

ECPAT claimed that many children in the street were working as pickpockets and beggars and that around 60,000 children were either sexually exploited or driven to prostitution. According to the Dangerous Drugs Board, 325,000 children were using illegal substance, particularly rugby.

About 100 million children in the world were said to be living in the street as of 1994.

2.8 Million Illiterate Filipinos
According to the Functional Literacy Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) conducted in 2001, about 2.8 million Filipinos could not read and write while 7.4 million others are functionally illiterate. Functional illiteracy refers to the inability of a person to use his skills in reading, writing and counting to improve his life.

10.8 Million Unemployed, Underemployed
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said that as of April 2002, there were 4.866 million unemployed Filipinos accounting for 13.9 percent of the total labor force estimated at 35.052 million workers. About 5.922 million others or 19.6 percent of the labor force were also underemployed, meaning they had no regular sources of income.

26 Percent of College Graduates Unemployed
A study commissioned by the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) in 2002 showed that 26.2 percent of college graduates aged 24 years old and below were unemployed. In comparison, only 13.6 percent of high school graduates and 9.1 percent of elementary dropouts were unemployed during the same period.

Workers, Only 30.6 Percent of Population
Measured against the whole population (80 million), those who were working at least 40 hours a week estimated at 24.264 million workers comprised only 30.5 percent of all people in the Philippines as of April 2002.

40 Percent of Voters Unaware of Rights
In June 2002, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), an independent Catholic organization, announced that almost 40 percent of their respondents composed of Filipino voters were unaware of their voting rights.

Prices Up by 6 Percent
According to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), prices of goods and services moved up by over 6 percent in 2001. In particular, prices of fuel, light and water increased by an average of 11.5 percent, year-on-year in 2001. Rice in the Philippines reportedly costs three times as much as it does in Thailand.

Price of Medicine, Three Times as Much
Prices of eight common drugs in the country were three times as much as they were in India, according to the Department of Health (DoH). For example, a 20-milligram tablet of Adalat Retard or Nifedine 20 that cost over P34 in the Philippines in 2001 was only priced at about P5.74 in India in the same year.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has accused local pharmaceutical firms belonging to the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP) of dictating prices of medicine in the country.

5 Million Housing Backlog
According to the National Housing Authority (NHA), some 5 million Filipino families were in need of permanent houses in the whole country.

3.4 Million Squatters
In its 2002 study, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has cited the need to improve the lives of some 3.4 million Filipinos living in the slums of Metro Manila.

3,521 Disabled Filipinos, Driving
As of October 2002, the National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons (NCWDP) disclosed that some 3,521 disabled Filipinos have licenses to drive vehicles. The number of disabled driver included 2,550 partially blind, 56 with impaired hearing and speech, 777 with impaired lower limbs and 138 with impaired upper limbs.

Philippine Justice System
According to the Supreme Court, about 45 percent of Philippine courts - regional trial courts, municipal courts, and municipal circuit trial courts - had no judges as of September 2002. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice said there was a 22 percent vacancy in positions of prosecutors in the whole country. Just how the courts administered justice with such a wide vacancy in positions of judges and prosecutors paints a picture of disillusionment among victims waiting impatiently for justice. The vacancy in these positions usually means delay in the implementation of justice, which in turn discourages people from actually filing cases in courts.

88 Signatures for Housing Permit
As of 2001, it took 88 signatures to get an approval to build a house in the Philippines. President Arroyo ordered that the number of signatures be trimmed to 45.

P35 Billion Lost to Project Anomalies
The chairman of the Committee on Appropriations at the lower chamber of Congress said the Philippine government lost P21 billion to graft and corruption stemming from scheming contracts entered into by senators and congressmen in 2001. The amount excluded money lost to corruption involving projects executed by other government officials.

Meanwhile, Senator Edgardo Angara said that around P35 billion is lost to graft and corruption in government infrastructure projects annually. Such anomalies come in the form of rigged public bidding, substandard work and cost padding. (Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer)

P21 Billion Lost to Procurement Process
The Philippine government has been losing some P21 billion to corrupt officials involved in the procurement process, the none-government organization Procurement Watch Inc. (PWI) reported. At the same time, a survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed that 15 percent of the cost of all government contracts is lost to corruption.

P104 Billion Pork Barrel
Aside from legislating laws, Filipinos senators and congressmen have made it their responsibility to distribute development projects in their respective districts. Each one of the 24 senators receives some P200 million in development funds annually while each one of about 218 congressmen receives P100 million in annual appropriations.

In total, all these development funds for legislators, collectively known as procurement budget or pork barrel, amount to P104 billion annually. According to House appropriations committee chairman Rolando Andaya Jr., some P21 billion or nearly 20 percent of this amount is pocketed by some legislators, other government officials and contractors each year. (Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer)

RP, Fourth Most Corrupt in Asia
In its 2002 survey, the Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC), which asked 1,000 foreign businessmen in 12 Asian countries, has ranked the Philippines as the fourth most corrupt country in Asia closely behind Indonesia, India and Vietnam. The Philippines received a score of 8.0 in the survey, on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 the best possible score for a country with no corruption. PERC said Singapore was the least corrupt in the region, with a score of 0.9.

In a separate survey also in 2002, Transparency International (TI) ranked the Philippines 77th among 102 countries in terms of fighting graft and corruption. The Philippines got a score of 2.6 in corruption perception index, with 10 the highest possible score for the country that has no corruption. Finland was ranked number 1, with a score of 9.7. Bangladesh was at the bottom of the list, with a score of 1.2.

P85 billion Ill-Gotten Wealth Recovered
In its claim as of 2002, the Presidential Commission on Good Government said that it has recovered a total of P85 billion in ill-gotten wealth since it was created in 1986.

2.8 Million Income Tax Payers
While there were 15 million salaried workers in the country in 2000, only 2.8 million actually paid income taxes. According to Senator Ralph Recto, of the total individual income tax returns filed in 2000, 1.953 million were by salaried workers (1.350 million of whom were government employees) and only 536,000 by businessmen and non-salaried professionals (like doctors and lawyers). In real amount, ordinary workers paid some P63.8 billion while non-salaried individuals, mostly businessmen and professionals, contributed only P7.3 billion for a total of P81.8 billion in individual income taxes.

The senator disclosed that about 56.2 percent of salaried and non-salaried workers in the country failed to settle their individual income taxes in 2000. Over the past 11 years, leakage from the individual income tax amounted to P608 billion. This was on top of the P610 billion that were lost to leakage in the value added tax (VAT) scheme.

US$205 Billion Tax Evasion
A study conducted by the research unit of US bank Morgan Stanley said that the Philippine government lost some US$205 billion in potential revenues from 1965 to 2001. The figure was computed based on the estimated annual tax leakage of US$7.6 billion or P380 billion. It was higher than the government's estimate. According to the Department of Finance (DoF), some P242 billion (US$4.65 billion) in potential government revenues is lost to tax evaders yearly. In its 1998 study, the Department of Finance said some P69.85 billion was lost because of leakage in the value-added tax, P59.33 billion in corporate income tax, P98.95 billion in personal income tax, P2.56 billion in excise tax, P6.4 billion in documentary stamp tax, P1.18 billion in interest withholding tax on bank deposits, P2.33 billion in fringe benefits tax, P1.5 billion in gross receipts tax, and P370 million in insurance tax.

P187 Billion Tax Incentives to Corporations
The government dangled some P187.2 billion tax incentives to the largest foreign and local companies in the country in 2001. These incentives came in the form of income tax holidays and duty-free importation of raw materials from other countries. Companies, which benefited from such tax incentives were those registered at Board of Investments (BOI), Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) and other investment promotion agencies.

P147 Billion Budget Shortage
The country's fiscal deficit reached P147.03 billion (US$2.95 billion) or 4.1 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) estimated at P3.6 trillion (US$72 billion) in 2001. While the government spent P710.8 billion, its total revenues amounted to only P563.73 billion. Public sector funding requirement (PSFR) reached P189 billion. Debt servicing or payments to interests of domestic and foreign borrowings reached P27.2 billion.

To augment its budget requirements in 2001, the government sourced 87 percent of its total financing from domestic funds and 13 percent from foreign loans and aid. The government relied heavily on fixed-rate Treasury bonds as it issued P208.42 billion worth of these short-term fixed-income securities.

The situation was worse in 20002. The government said the budget deficit would climb to P223 billion or 5.6 percent of the GDP by the end of the year. The original target was only 4 percent.

P781 Billion Government Budget
According to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the government has a total budget of P780.8 billion for 2002. Budget deficit is expected to reach at least P150 billion in 2002.

Of the 2002 budget, some P233.9 billion or 30 percent is to be poured into social services; P204.2 billion or 26 percent to debt interest payments; P158.9 billion or 21 percent to economic services; P136.1 billion or 18 percent to general services; and P41.5 billion or 5 percent to defense. Among government agencies, the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) had the largest share of the pie at P103 billion while the Department of National Defense (DND) got P60.4 billion.

US$53.4 Billion Foreign Debt
The Central Bank said that as of March 2002, total foreign debt of the Philippines amounted to US$53.4 billion. Public debt was placed at P2.62 trillion as of June 2002.

US$45 Billion in Infrastructure Needs
According to the World Bank, the Philippines would need some US$35 billion to US$45 billion in fresh investments from the private sector to improve its infrastructures (roads, bridges, railways, telecommunication facilities, etc.) over the next ten years.

Two People's Revolts
Fourteen years after the historic "People Power Revolution" that ousted the Marcos dictatorial rule in 1986, two people's revolts rocked Metro Manila in the first half of 2001. This was followed by several attempts to repeat the ugly May 1 mob rebellion staged by supporters of deposed President Joseph Estrada. In the absence of a legal framework governing people's revolts, political stability became harder to establish.

Foreign Affairs Secretary and former Senator Blas Ople called for a "sober" examination of the people power phenomenon and warned that a fresh call to stage another revolution would threaten the country's political stability. In a Senate resolution, Senator Blas Ople urged the chamber to assess the merits of "people power" as an instrument of political change and its constitutional implications.

Episode of Turbulence
Even President Arroyo, who was a beneficiary of the January 2001 people's revolt, appealed for an end to what she called an episode of turbulence and threats. "In a living democracy, no group has the right to hold policy-making hostage by threatening to overthrow the executive on every issue of policy disagreement," she said.

34 Percent Says Democracy Works
The Filipino people were also dismayed. In a national survey conducted by the University of the Philippines (UP) Center for Leadership, Citizenry and Democracy in November 2001, only one of three Filipino respondents or 34 percent claimed they were satisfied with the way democracy works in the country. In contrast, about 42 percent of the respondents said otherwise. (Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Violent Elections
A manifestation of poor peace and order situation in the Philippines is the death of at least 87 people in the barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) elections in July 2002. The police said another 45 individuals were injured in 183 violent confrontations among candidates and their henchmen. Ironically, the police described the situation as generally peaceful because fewer people died this year, compared with previous barangay elections. On July 15, the Filipino people elected 41,945 barangay chairmen, a similar number of youth leaders and 293,615 barangay council members.

25,000 Armed Rebels
There are two major insurgency movements in the Philippines, namely: the communist insurgency and the Muslim separatist movement. According to military estimates, there were 25,000 armed rebels as of the first quarter of 2002.

These included 11,930 communist guerillas, 12,500 active members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and hundreds more belonging to Muslim extremist Abu Sayyaf, Abu Sufia and Pentagon groups.

347 Clashes with the Reds
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) recorded 347 armed confrontations with the communist guerillas, resulting in the death of 189 rebels and 120 government soldiers in 2001.

Moro Leader in Prison
In November 2001, former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chairman Nur Misuari who signed a peace pact with the government in 1996 broke the agreement and led another armed struggle along with his loyal supporters. He was facing sedition charges at a prison camp in Laguna province.

Muslim Extremists
The Abu Sayyaf (Bearers of the Sword) is a Muslim extremist group that was fighting for an independent Islamic state in Mindanao. Since 1994, it has burned a Christian town, beheaded a number of innocent civilians, abducted foreigners and planted bombs in crowded areas. The AFP claimed that it was able to reduce the Abu Sayyaf force from 4,000 in 1994 to 600 in June 2001 and to 60 in May 2002.

In April 2000, the group took 21 hostages, mostly European tourists from the Sipadan Island in Sabah, Malaysia and brought them to Sulu province in Mindanao. The hostages were freed four months later upon payment of US$20 million ransom by the Libyan government. On May 27, 2001, the Abu Sayyaf abducted an American couple along with another American and 17 Filipinos from a beach resort in Palawan province. The group had beheaded the other American but freed the Filipino hostages.

Some 1,000 American troops went to Mindanao to coordinate, advise and train Filipino soldiers in the rescue mission of the American couple. On June 7, 2002, American hostage Martin Burnham and Filipino nurse who was also taken by the group were killed during an encounter between the Muslim extremists and the pursuing Filipino troops in Zamboanga del Norte province. Gracia Burnham was wounded but survived.

Camp Abu Bakar Falls
The former Estrada administration declared an ugly all-out war against Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in the year 2000. While the government was able to siege Camp Abu Bakar, the main camp of the MILF, the war resulted in numerous bombings in the south and Metro Manila. There were also summary executions of Filipino Christians in Mindanao.

On May 7, 2002, the Arroyo government and the MILF signed an interim peace agreement in Putrajaya, Malaysia. While the agreement called for the government's rehabilitation and development of areas devastated by the war in 2000, it did not call for the laying down of arms by the Muslim dissidents.

Cost of War: P100 Billion
The World Bank said the recurring armed conflict between government soldiers and Muslim fighters would cost southwestern Mindanao over P100 billion in the next 10 years in terms of lost or stagnant investments.

2 Million Unlicensed Guns
Around 2 million unlicensed guns were circulating in the Philippines on top of the 775,000 legally registered firearms. The figures were disclosed during the "Regional Seminar on Implementing the UN Program of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons" which was held in Quezon City in July 2002.

A statement issued during the seminar also claimed that the 2 million unlicensed firearms and light weapons, including pistols, rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers and shoulder-fired missiles, were responsible for the death of four million people in 46 major conflicts in the country in the 1990s.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered the national police to intensify the campaign against loose firearms. Reports said there are about 328,329 loose firearms nationwide. In 2002, the national police confiscated 7,633 loose firearms. The Department of Interior and Local Government said that of the 12,000 firearms used in crimes in 2002, more than 10,000 of which were unlicensed.
37,254 Index Crimes
Some 37,254 index crimes were reported to the police in the year 2000 alone. The police claimed to have solved 32,445 or 87 percent of these cases. Index crimes refer to crimes committed against lives and properties.

P1.25 Billion Ransom
The Citizens Action Against Crime, a non-government organization, claimed that around 2,100 people, many of them Filipino-Chinese businessmen, have become victims of kidnap-for-ransom gangs in the Philippines and paid ransom amounting to about P1.25 billion from 1993 to 2002. The group added that in 2002 alone, kidnap victims paid a total ransom amounting to P211 million.

News reports said kidnap-for-ransom syndicates victimized over 240 individuals, including 20 foreigners in 2001. In the first half of 2002, another 80 individuals, including 30 foreigners, became victims of kidnapping. While Manila-based publications tagged the Philippines as the world's kidnap capital, the Philippine National Police (PNP) quickly denied this, claiming that Colombia owns the title.

1,877 Cars Stolen
The Philippine National Police (PNP) documented a total of 1,877 car theft cases in 2000.

Police data showed that a total of 2,219 vehicles were reported stolen in Metro Manila in 2002. This meant that six cars were stolen in the metropolis each day and 185 cars each month in 2002.

8 Rape Victims Per Day
Some 3,145 cases of rape were reported in the country in 2001. This translates to 8 cases of rape each day and one rape incident in every three hours during the year. The figure only covers rape incidents reported to the police. There were also 5,735 murder cases and 4,079 homicide incidents reported in the country in 2001 alone.

5,185 Sex Crimes Against Children
According to the Social Welfare and Development, there were a total of 5,185 sex crimes committed against children in the Philippines in 2000, and 3,980 cases in 2001. Sex crimes refer to rape, incest, and acts of lasciviousness.

143 Escapees
The Bureau of Jail Management reported that 143 prisoners escaped from their cells in 2000. Of these fugitives, 89 were recaptured.

25,000 Inmates
The Bureau of Corrections said that in 2002, it was holding 25,002 inmates, 16,134 of whom are at the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP), which has a holding capacity of only 8,700.
314 Political Prisoners
As of December 2002, the National Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa was hosting 314 political prisoners.

239 Dismissed Cops in 2002
In the campaign against erring policemen, the national police reported that it dismissed from the service 239 commissioned and non-commissioned officers who were among the 4,447 policemen who were charged administratively for various offenses in 2002. The national police is encouraging the public to report crimes or ask for police assistance in case of emergency by sending a short messaging service (SMS) or text message to 2920.

P300 Billion Illegal Drug Industry
According to Interior and Local Government Secretary Joey Lina, the crime syndicates produce and trade P300-billion worth of illegal drugs in the country annually. The Dangerous Drugs Board also disclosed that some 1.8 million Filipinos are hooked on illegal drugs while 1.6 million others are casual users.

1.8 Million Drug Users
According to the International Narcotics Control Board, the use of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu has become "the most popular drug of abuse" in the Philippines. The Anti-Narcotics Group of the Philippine National Police disclosed that around 1.8 million of the 80 million Filipinos were regular drug users.

The agency also disclosed that about 70 percent of marijuana supply in the world might be coming from the Cordillera region in northern Luzon. It claimed that marijuana fields have been found among the 300,000 hectares of Cordillera farmlands in the past. In 1999, the police conducted 7,956 raids and arrested 11,004 individuals on drug-related cases.

55,000 Mail Order Brides to US
According to women's group Gabriela, about 55,000 Filipino women have entered the United States as mail order brides as of 1997. Another 20,000 mail order brides went to Australia.

15 Women Beaten Daily
As of 2002, militant women's group Gabriela said at least 15 women and six children are beaten up daily. In 2001, Gabriela recorded 5,668 cases of wife battering and 2,274 cases of maltreatment of children.

Two-Thirds of Young Workers Had Premarital Sex
A survey conducted by the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) in 2002 showed that 30 percent of the country's young workforce claimed to be sexually active, with 10 percent of the single male respondents claiming to have casual sex. The study titled "Issues Affecting Young Filipino Workers" also showed that 37 percent of young males have had sex with more than one partner - usually with prostitutes - prior to marriage while two-thirds of married female and male workers said they had premarital sex with the people they eventually married.

In a separate report, a study conducted by the University of the Philippines Population Institute in the year 2000 showed that 23 percent of 16.5 million Filipinos aged between 15 and 24 have engaged in premarital sex.

According to the TUCP, about 6.5 million Filipino workers were belonging to the 15 to 24 year age group as of 2002.

400,000 Prostitutes
Despite the fact that prostitution is illegal in the country, women's group Gabriela said that around 400,000 Filipinos were working as prostitutes as of 1998.

100,000 Child Prostitutes
According to the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), about 60,000 to 100,000 Filipino children were working as prostitutes as of 1997. Prostitution was present in 37 provinces then. The major child prostitution dens were found in Manila, Angeles City, Puerto Galera, Davao City and Cebu City. The Philippines has reportedly become a favorite destination of pedophiles from the US, Australia and Europe. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has documented 8,335 cases of child abuse from 1991 to 1996.

400,000 Abortions
A study released by the University of the Philippines Population Institute in February 2003 said that there were 400,000 cases of abortion in the country each year, despite the fact that abortion is illegal here.

Vagina Economy
While hundreds of surviving Filipino women are still demanding justice from the Japanese government for their travails in the hands of Japanese troops who held them as sex slaves during World War 2, thousands of young Filipino women are ironically asking the Philippine government to ease the rules in the deployment of entertainers to Japan.

One government agency that tried to screen the recruitment of young Filipino women as entertainers in Japan eventually found itself in deep controversy. The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the country's main agency tasked to uplift standards of non-degree and non-formal skills training of Filipino workers, was under fire for allegedly delaying the issuance of certification to some 20,000 young Filipino women to work as entertainers or "overseas performing artists" in Japan in 2002.

The Philippine Association of Recruitment Agencies Deploying Artists (PARADA), the association of recruitment agencies deploying young Filipino women as entertainers in Japan accused TESDA director general Dante Liban of deliberately delaying the issuance of the so-called Artist Record Books (ARB) to 20,000 prospective overseas performing artists in 2002. Applicants need an ARB to get a visa from the Japanese embassy.

PARADA alleged that a group of people in TESDA were demanding P25,000 for an ARB from applicants who do not want to undergo testing. Without irregularity, the ARB is supposed to cost only P300. Because of the alleged irregularity in TESDA, PARADA claimed that 20,000 Filipino women lost the opportunity of earning US$800 a month in Japan. Data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) showed that deployment of Filipino entertainers to Japan slowed to 50,000 persons in 2002 from 70,000 in 2001.

But a group of Filipinos said that the single biggest controversy was not the delay in the issuance of ARBs to young Filipino women but the deployment of thousands of them to work as prostitutes or sex workers in other countries. Labor Undersecretary Lucila Lazo even went to the extent of calling it as "vagina economy".

There are around 180,000 Filipino entertainers in Japan sending US$200 million each year. Many of these women were vulnerable to abuse and some driven to prostitution by the Japanese Yakuza gang.

According to the Movement for Responsible Enterprise (MORE), a civic group of concerned Filipinos, the Philippine government provided cover to save Japan from the embarrassment of hosting Filipino prostitutes. "The government made them appear like performing artists, sent to Japan as entertainers," it added.

Filipino entertainers were eventually called "Japayuki", which was an original concoction made by Japanese media referring to young girls working as prostitutes. The Philippine government allows the deployment of Filipino women as young as 18 years old.

The civic group also called on religious and militant groups to join the campaign against the continued deployment of Filipino entertainers abroad. "Let us all destroy this national disgrace. Stop the trafficking of women. Our national honor is priceless. We must defend it at all cost, at all times," it said.
P8 Billion Annual Gambling Revenues
Gambling is a major social problem in the country. Not even the ouster of President Joseph Estrada from Malacanang Palace, on charges of receiving "jueteng" money from syndicates, could abate the problem. Jueteng is said to be a P40-billion business in the Philippines, annually.

While declaring "jueteng" as illegal, the government promotes other forms of gambling such as casino operations, lottery and recently text games. In May 2002 alone, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor), the government agency tasked to collect gambling revenues, reported an income of P1.81 billion. For the whole of 2000, Pagcor reported a net income of P8 billion, the second largest amount earned by any Philippine company in that year.

Text Gambling
No one seems to be bothered by the growing trend of text gambling in the Philippines. Due to the popularity of short messaging service (SMS) or text messaging in the country, broadcast stations and telecommunication companies have connived to endorse the now hugely popular text games. Here, the participants, mostly television viewers or radio listeners, put their bet in the form of a text message worth P10 each for the chance to win large prizes. Although less pronounced as a form of gambling, text gambling is no different than other number games like lottery, jai alai or jueteng.

Companies Lose P3.5 Billion to Counterfeiting
According to the Brand Protection Association (BPA), a group of 15 multinational companies based in the country, their member companies lost P3.5 billion to makers and distributors of fake brand products in the first three quarters of 2002 alone. As a result, the government also lost P1.3 billion in potential revenues.

The BPA also disclosed that the government confiscated fake goods amounting to P2.4 billion in the first nine months of 2002 alone, up from P800 million in the whole of 1998. The BPA said that the counterfeiting and piracy problem is not limited to CD's, VCDs and computer softwares but also affects top brands of garments, bags, wallets, medicines, liquified petroleum gas (LPGs), batteries, lamps, bulbs and switches, brandy, vodka, cigarettes, soaps and shampoo, laser printer toner and ink cartridges, sofa beds, hacksaws, toys and electronic goods.

About 86 makers of product lines are said to be affected by counterfeits, which are boldly sold at formal distribution channels like shopping malls, department stores and supermarkets. "Not because these companies are in on it, but because they are also fooled," Mr. Wallace clarified. The BPA said that the fake drugs and smuggled medicines comprise 30 percent of total products in the pharmaceutical sector.

The lighting sector is burdened by a 5 to 15 percent penetration of fake products while about 63 percent of softwares sold in the country is considered pirated. Most of the fake products sold in the country, the BPA added, come from China.

P1.1 billion Smuggled Fuel
A study conducted by the Asian Institute of Management Policy Center (AIM-PC) suggested that some P1.1 billion worth of diesel fuel were smuggled into the country between 1999 and 2001. Some 300,000 liters or 2,000 barrels of diesel are reportedly smuggled and sold in the country each day. The policy think tank blamed several owners of barges and tankers/trucks; ship captains and seamen; past and present officials of oil firms; owners of depots and storehouses; and importers and owners of import terminals as responsible for the smuggling. The culprits reportedly got help from officials and employees of the Bureau of Customs, the Philippine Navy and the Coast Guard.

Alcohol, Most Abused Drug
Liquor is said to be the most abused substance in the Philippines and the world. While there remains to be a concrete study on the effects of alcoholism, many index crimes such as homicides, physical injuries and sex-related offenses are often associated with alcohol. Adding to these are the numerous accidents caused by drunk driving. Many Filipino families were also ruined by alcoholism, with young children exposed to the evils of their drunken fathers. Sadly, the government does not do anything about it.

San Miguel Corp., a beverage conglomerate that is the top seller of beer and gin, is also the country's largest corporation. In 1998 alone, the company sold 327.6 million bottles of beer.

1.25 Billion Liters of Beer
In 1995, Filipinos consumed 146,000 bottles of wine, making them the top wine drinkers in Asia. A more shocking report is that Filipinos consumed 1.25 billion liters or 3.9 billion bottles of beer in 1998 alone. In the year 2001, beverages comprised nearly 2.3 percent of the average Filipino's expenditures.

A 1994 survey conducted by the University of the Philippines showed that almost 5.3 million or 60 per cent of Filipino youths were drinking alcoholic beverages. Of the total, 4.2 million were males and 1.1 million, females. A conclusion was that there were more alcoholic drinkers than smokers among Filipino youths, who were starting to drink alcohol at the age of 16 or 17 years old.

21.6 Percent of Students Smoke
A global youth tobacco survey (GYTS) in the Philippines showed that as many as 21.6 percent of Filipino students were smoking cigarettes. The percentage was 32.6 percent among male students and 12.9 percent among female students. Some students believed that smoking would win them more friends and make them look cool. Tobacco comprised 2.4 percent of the average Filipino's expenditures in 2001.


6,100 Tons of Garbage Daily
According to the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the metropolis produces some 6,100 tons of garbage daily. In 2001, the total volume of recyclable materials that ended up in junkshops and recycling plants reached 120,162 metric tons.

The Cost of Air Pollution
The World Bank has reported that air pollution in the Philippines results in a yearly loss of US$1.5 billion in medical treatment, lost wages, low productivity and deaths that severely impact the Filipinos' quality of life. The World Bank report also said that air pollution results in 2,000 deaths each year and causes US$1.5 billion in lost wages, medical treatment in the four metropolis of Baguio, Manila, Cebu and Davao The World Bank also said that the country needs US$500 million (P25 billion) to implement the Clean Air Act of 1999 over the next 10 years.

In its Philippines Environment Monitor 2002, the World Bank said the government spends US$400 million in health cost as a result of air pollution in four urban centers alone, namely: Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao and Baguio where about a quarter of the population lives. Such a health cost is said to be 0.6 percent of the country's gross national product.

The World Bank cited a 2001 survey showing that more than 72 percent of Metro Manila's residents were alarmed by air pollution and 73 percent said they were not aware that the government was doing anything to address it. The World Bank said air pollutants such as ozone and nitrogen oxides continue to spread.

In its study, the World Bank said fine particle emissions result in about 2,000 premature deaths and 9,000 cases of chronic bronchitis in the country's four largest urban areas annually. These emissions of pollutants were largely blamed on public buses, jeepneys, utility vehicles, trucks and motorcycles that continue to emit visible smoke despite the government's anti-smoke belching campaign. As of 2001, there were 3.9 million land vehicles in the country.

22 Million Filipinos Exposed to Tuberculosis
A World Bank report in 2002 said that around 22 million Filipinos were exposed to tuberculosis. Nearly 740 Filipinos are afflicted with tuberculosis, while 68 die of the disease each day. The report added that Filipinos spend a total of P160 billion to cure the disease each year.

578 AIDS Cases
The Department of Health has recorded 1,761 HIV-positive cases and 578 AIDS cases from January 1984 to September 2002. Most of these cases involved persons aged 20 to 39 years old. However, the US Central Intelligence Agency said that there were about 28,000 Filipinos infected with HIV or AIDS and that 1,200 of died in 1999 alone.

P30 Trillion for Reforestation
In January 2003, a study by the Green Tropics International (GTI) claimed that the Philippines would need P30 trillion to reforest country's denuded mountains in over 85 years.

2.7 Trips by Metro Manilans Each Day
Studies made by the Traffic and Engineering Center (TEC) of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) showed that as of 2002, Metro Manilans were making an average of 2.7 trips individually and 12 million trips collectively each day. Before this, a study by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in 1999 showed that the Philippines was losing some P140 billion annually to traffic congestion. It said the national economy was directly losing P40 billion in the forms of gasoline and diesel fuel, man-hours, electricity, salaries of traffic aides and increased expenses for mobile phones. Indirectly, the country was losing P100 billion in the forms of lost business opportunities, depreciated value of real property and increased cause of health care due to air pollution.

Cost of Traffic Problem: US$3.6 Billion
The San Francisco-based Filipinas Magazine reported that traffic congestion costs the Philippine economy some US$3.6 billion annually. Citing a government study, the magazine said the traffic problem, particularly in Metro Manila, results in a US$1 billion loss to wasted gasoline and electricity, man-hours and hiring of traffic aides; and US$2.6 billion to missed business opportunities, reduced sales and investment disincentives. The study added that total loss would exceed US$36 billion in ten years. It noted that the average speed of a vehicle has slowed to 12.6 kilometers per hour today from 18 kilometers per hour ten years ago.

Get-Rich-Quick Schemes
If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. This was how the corporate watchdog Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) described the usual promise made by pseudo-investment firms in luring the public to invest substantial amount in their get-rich-quick schemes.

The SEC warned that pseudo-investment firms that are not registered with the government office have already duped many investors, including foreigners and Filipino-Americans. Some victims, who have placed investments ranging from P10,000 to P50 million, were not able to recover their money and its supposed interest.

The SEC has already issued cease-and-desist orders (CDOs) on the operations of several pseudo-investment firms that have been in operation without licenses. According to the corporate watchdog, some of these firms act as lending investors, investment firms, and financial companies that issue securities to the public. The companies promote their services by telephone calls, mails or personal visits and usually offer investors huge interest on every investment placed, without explaining the risks involved. They also require immediate investments.

The pseudo-investment firms give promise that a minimum investment of P10,000 to P100,000 would earn a monthly interest of 15 percent. Among the promotional gimmicks of these pseudo-investments firms are seminars that use the lines "You can become a millionaire in three years" and "You can turn your financial dreams into reality". Investors usually discover that they have been duped only when the checks issued to them bounced.

Pyramiding Scam
As of January 2003, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the government corporate watchdog said that investment firms engaged in the so-called pyramiding operation have duped at least 2 million Filipinos of as much as P70 billion.

World's 4th Most Accident-Prone Country
According to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Philippines was the fourth most accident prone country in the world. The two institutions arrived at this conclusion after finding out that some 5,809,986 Filipinos were killed or injured as a result of disasters or man-made calamities over a ten-year period (1992-2001). Ahead of the Philippines in the accident list were China, India and Iran.

On a separate report, the Philippine National Red Cross said 31,835 Filipinos were killed and 94,369,462 others were affected by natural disasters and calamities in a span of 20 years. (Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Shallow Knowledge of History
Congressman Edmund Reyes of Marinduque province quoted an NFO-Trends survey showing that Filipino youth had a "very shallow appreciation" of the country's history and cultural heritage. The survey showed that only 37 percent of the 1,420 respondents aged 7 to 21 years old, were able to sing the National Anthem and only 28 percent could recite "Panatang Makabayan". When asked to name Filipino heroes, the respondents could only name up to two heroes.

A Day's Labor For A Burger
In 2001, the minimum daily wage in Metro Manila remained at P250, the highest among the country's 16 regions.

An office worker in Makati, who was hired on a contractual basis by a job placement agency, did not receive P250 by the end of a working day. After tax, social security and other deductions were made on top of the share deductions by the agency, the office worker went home with only P200.

However, he had to calculate his transportation and meal allowance that amounted to over P100. In other words, what was left in his pocket by the end of the day was less than P100. To treat himself after a hard day's work, he decided to stop by a popular fastfood restaurant.

He ordered a big burger, a large can of cola and French fries. He was billed P100. Before sleeping at night, he remembered that he had to buy a new pair of shoes. He reached for his pocket and found it empty.

Yet, he considered himself lucky because he was unmarried and was living with his parents who were giving him free breakfast every morning. He was lucky because he had no wife to support and no children to send to school. He was lucky because he was healthy and did not have to buy medicine.

Other people were not as lucky as he was. Many companies were not complying with the Minimum Wage Law and were giving their workers much less. About 4.9 million Filipinos had no jobs while 5.9 million others had no regular source of livelihood as of April 2002. He was lucky, after all.