Travel 2 Philippines

Salaried Workers Carry Burden of Taxes

2009-01-28T02:32:00.003-08:00

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

2009-01-28T02:32:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-28T02:31:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-28T02:29:00.003-08:00

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

2009-01-28T02:29:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-27T22:43:00.003-08:00

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

2009-01-27T22:43:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-27T22:42:00.005-08:00

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

Six Vice-Presidents Became Presidents

2009-01-27T22:42:00.003-08:00

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

2009-01-27T22:42:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-27T22:29:00.005-08:00

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

2009-01-27T22:29:00.003-08:00

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.

2009-01-27T22:29:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-27T22:28:00.007-08:00

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

2009-01-27T22:28:00.005-08:00

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

2009-01-27T22:28:00.003-08:00

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

2009-01-27T22:28:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-27T22:27:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-22T23:59:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-22T23:58:00.003-08:00

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

2009-01-22T23:58:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-22T23:57:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-22T23:56:00.003-08:00

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

2009-01-22T23:56:00.001-08:00

“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

2009-01-22T23:55:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-22T23:54:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-22T23:53:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-18T23:25:00.002-08:00

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

2009-01-18T23:25:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-18T23:24:00.001-08:00

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

Filipino's Best of the Best

2009-01-08T22:39:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-08T22:21:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-08T22:19:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-08T22:03:00.003-08:00

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.

Philippine Economy

2009-01-08T22:03:00.001-08:00

World's 38th Freest Economy
A survey conducted by Canada-based Fraser Institute (FI) has tagged the Philippines, along with six other countries, as the world's 38th "freest economy", a term referring to the country's practice of free trade. The 2002 "Economic Freedom of the World" (EFW) survey gauged 123 countries' level of economic freedom or liberties enjoyed by foreigners and citizens to engage in trade or business. Among the factors measured were each country's observance of free trade, rule of law, property rights, freedom to trade and access to sound money.

The Philippines was ranked at 38th along with France, South Korea, Botswana and two other countries. On top of the list were Hong Kong, Singapore and the United States in that order. (Source: Businessworld)

40th Most Competitive Economy
In its 2002 World Competitiveness Year Book, Swiss agency Institute for Management Development (IMD) ranked the Philippines as the 40th most competitive economy in the world. The Philippines was ranked ahead of Indonesia but behind other East Asian countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, China and Thailand.

In a separate report also in 2002, the Philippines was ranked as 61st among 80 countries in the global growth competitiveness ranking of the World Economic Forum (WEF), which is a project of the US-based Harvard Business School.

The local partner of WEF is the Makati Business Club (MBC) while the local partner of IMD is the Makati-based Asian Institute of Management (AIM). These two organizations supplied most of the data used in the country's ranking based on the results of surveys conducted among businessmen and investors.

77th in Standard of Living
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has ranked the Philippines 77th among 173 countries in terms of human development index (HDI), a gauge of standard of living. The Philippines got a score of 0.754 in 2002, slightly up from 0.749 that it received in 2001. Norway topped the list with an HDI of 0.942 and was followed by Sweden, with 0.941 and Canada, 0.940. Singapore bested all East Asian countries with an HDI of 0.885. (Source: Businessworld)

Philippine GDP Expands 4.6 Percent in 2002
The Philippine gross domestic product (GDP) grew 4.6 percent YoY in 2002. The gross national product (GNP) - the sum of GDP and income from overseas, posted an even more impressive annual growth rate of 5.2 percent in 2002, powered by a 15.5 percent increase in net factor income from abroad (NFIA).

The population grew by 2.12 percent from 80.08 million in December 2001 to 81.78 million in December 2002, per capita GDP increased by 2.4 percent while per capita GNP moved up by 3 percent. The per capita PCE also increased by 1.7 percent YoY.

For 2002, GNP was estimated at P4.233 trillion (approx. US$79 billion) at current prices while GDP was valued at P3.977 trillion (approx. US$74 billion). Total services were valued at P2.127 trillion (US$40 billion) while total industrial output was placed at P1.258 trillion (US$23.5 billion). Combined output of agriculture, fishery and forestry was estimated at P592 billion (US$11 billion).

Real Growth, 1.3 Percent in 2001
According to the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), the three major segments of the Philippine economy - agriculture, industry and services - posted an average growth of 3.4 percent in 2001. However, real per capita income rose by only 1.3 percent as the Philippine population increased by about 2.1 percent.

GDP: P3.6 Trillion
In 2001 prices, the gross domestic product (GDP) amounted to P3.643 while the gross national product (GNP) reached P3.860 trillion. GNP is the sum of the GDP and earnings from abroad such as dollar remittances by overseas Filipino workers and income by Philippine companies in other countries. GDP is the total value of products and services produced in the country in a given year.

Personal Spending: P2.56 Trillion
Total output of agriculture, fishery and forestry sectors grossed P554.4 billion while industrial production amounted to P1.149 trillion. All services for the year were valued at P1.939 trillion. Total personal spending grossed P2.561 trillion while government expenses amounted to P444.5 billion.

Average Filipino Spent P33,590 in 2002
The average Filipino spent around P33,590 (US$630) at 2002 value, higher by 4.9 percent than P32,031 in 2001 (US$600). At constant value, the personal consumption expenditure (PCE) per capita grew by only 1.7 percent YoY in 2002. Constant value is based on 1985 prices and is not supposed to reflect inflationary trends. At current value, the PCE per capita accounted for around 65 percent of the GNP per capita estimated at P51,758 (US$977) and around 69 percent of the GDP per capita estimated at P48,635 (US$918) in 2002.

Per Capita Income: P45,490
Per capita income was valued at P45,490 while per capita GNP was placed at P48,205. The average Filipino spent P31,983 last year.

Budget Deficit Reaches P212.7 Billion in 2002
The country's budget deficit reached an all-time high of P212.7 billion, representing about 5.3 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2002. In 2001, the national government incurred a budget gap of P147 billion or only 4 percent of the GDP. At current prices, the country's GDP is estimated at P3.6 to P3.8 trillion (around US$72 billion).

Data from the Bureau of Treasury show that government expenditures reached P778.7 billion while revenue collections amounted to only P566 billion in 2002.

In particular, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), the government's main tax collection arm, missed its original target by P53.4 billion and collected only PP393.6 billion while the Bureau of Customs, which is in charge of tariff and import duties, missed its target by P18.9 billion and hauled in only P96.25 billion in 2002.

To fund the deficit, the government borrowed a total of PhP264.176 billion from domestic and foreign sources for the year. This was higher than the PhP111.807 billion in borrowings the government programmed for 2002.

For 2003, the government set the budget deficit ceiling at P147 billion or around 4.7 percent of the GDP.
Four Filipino Billionaires
While Filipinos had a per capita income of less than US$1,000, four of them were listed among the world's 497 billionaires (in US dollars) in 2001. Ironically, Finland and Austria, two European countries where per capita income exceeded US$24,000, had no representative in the billionaires' list.

Lucio Tan, Richest Filipino
In its latest list of world's billionaires, US-based Forbes Magazine identified the four Filipino billionaires as Lucio Tan, with a net worth of US$1.7 billion; Henry Sy, US$1.5 billion; George Ty, US$1.1 billion; and Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala and family, US$1 billion. The combined wealth of these Filipino billionaires amounted to about US$5.3 billion or almost 7 percent of the country's GDP of US$75.2 billion in 2001. The first three billionaires were immigrants from China while Ayala was a scion of an aristocratic Spanish clan.

Tan, 67, owns Asia Brewery, Fortune Tobacco, Philippine Airlines and Philippine National Bank while the 77-year-old Sy manages the SM shopping malls. Ty, 69, runs Metro Bank, the country's largest commercial bank while Ayala, 42, heads Ayala Corp., the largest conglomerate in the Philippines.

Other Billionaires
Other Filipinos who figured in previous billionaires' lists are John Gokongwei, a property and retail tycoon; Danding Cojuangco, chairman of San Miguel Corp.; the family of the late Tan Yu, a property mogul; and the Lopez family, which controls the country's power, water and broadcast utilities.

Richest Filipino Senator
Manuel Villar, a property magnate, was the richest Filipino senator while her wife Cynthia was the richest congresswoman in 2001. In their statement of assets and liabilities for 2001, the couple reported a net worth of P405 million. All 24 senators were in fact millionaires, with six of them reporting a net worth over P100 million and 21 declaring net assets over P10 million.

The second richest senator was Ralph Recto who reported a net worth of P228 million while the third wealthiest member of the Philippine Senate (12th Congress) was Ramon Magsaysay Jr. with a net worth of P113 million.

Magsaysay was followed by Teresa Aquino-Oreta with a net worth of P113 million; Robert Jaworski, P111 million; Loren Legarda-Leviste, P106 million; Renato Cayetano, P87.514 million; Ramon Revilla, P49 million; John Osmeña, P45 million; Sergio Osmeña III, P41 million; Luisa "Loi" Ejercito, P34 million; Vicente Sotto III, P29 million; Noli de Castro, P25 million; Rodolfo Biazon, P21 million; Edgardo Angara, P21 million; Panfilo Lacson, P21.6 million; Francis Pangilinan, P16 million; Aquilino Pimentel, P15 million; Robert Barbers, P12 million; Franklin Drilon, 11 million; and Joker Arroyo, P11 million.

Senator Juan Flavier, a former barrio doctor from Tondo, reported the lowest net worth of P2 million. The other two senators who reported a net worth below P10 million were Blas Ople, with P7 million and Gregorio Honasan, P7 million. (Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Filipino-Chinese and the Economy
The enterprising Filipino-Chinese traders now own and run most of the Philippines' largest corporations. In East Asia, over 80 percent of billionaires are Taipans or traders of Chinese lineage. In the Philippines, Filipino-Chinese traders hold a large portion of economic resources. While they comprise only two percent of the Philippine population, they control 50 to 60 percent of non-land share capital in the country. Here, they are the leaders in banking, airlines, property and retail industries.

228,786 Business Establishments
The NSO said that as of 1994, there were 228,786 business establishments in the country. Among these establishments were 207,158 micro enterprises or those that employed less than 10 workers. There were also 19,261 small-scale industries, employing 10 to 99 workers each and 1,165 medium-scale establishments, with 100 to 199 workers. Large businesses or those that employed 200 or more workers totaled only 1,202.

11 Million Housing Units
As of 1990, the country had 11,018,208 housing units. However, 1,830,118 or nearly 17 percent of these households had no toilets.

Gross International Reserves
As of November 2002, the country's gross international reserves (GIR) was placed at US$15.74 billion, slightly lower than US$15.945 billion recorded in October. The Central Bank predicted that the GIR would end between US$14 billion and US$15 billion by December.

Inflation Rate at 3.1 Percent in 2002
Prices of consumer products and services increased by 3.1 percent YoY in 2002, slower than the 6.1 percent registered in 2001.

P152 Billion Pension Fund
As of August 2002, the Social Security System, or the government-operated pension fund for all private employees, only has P152 billion in its treasury. Because of its dwindling fund, the government wants members' contribution increased to 9.4 percent of their monthly income from 8.4 percent.

US$61.7 Billion Foreign Trade
According to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Philippines traded some US$61.701 billion worth of merchandise goods with the rest of the world in 2001. Total exports reached US$32.138 billion while imports amounted to US$29.550 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of US$2.6 billion.

Exports Reach US$35 Billion in 2002
The country's merchandise exports went up by 9 percent to US$35.061 billion in 2002 from US$32.150 billion in 2001. Last year's figure, however, was 7.9 percent lower than the all-time high of US$38.078 billion registered in 2000 and was comparable only to the US$35.037 billion in 1999.

Electronic Exports, 52.5 Percent
Electronic products comprised 52.5 percent of the total Philippine exports in 2001, down from 59.1 percent in 2001. Export receipts of electronic items plunged 25 percent to US$16.889 billion in 2001 from US$22.515 billion in 2000, as a result of poor demand in the American and Japanese markets.

Agriculture exports amounted to US$1.104 billion; garments exports, US$2.4 billion; and woodcraft and furniture exports, US$593.5 million. Exports of coconut oil reached US$417.6 million; banana exports, US$296.6 million; and aquaculture exports (shrimps and prawns), US$286.985 million.

Exports to US, 27.9 Percent
Exports to the US, accounting for 27.9 percent of the aggregate export revenues, amounted to US$8.974 billion while shipments to Japan, accounting for 15.7 percent of the total amount, grossed US$5.055 billion. Other major trading partners of the Philippines are the Netherlands, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia, Germany, China, United Kingdom and Thailand.

Agriculture Employs 11 Million
Agricultural products comprised only about 5 percent of the country's exports, with electronic products accounting for almost 52 percent of export receipts. While the agriculture sector employed 11 million Filipinos or 36.4 percent of the entire employed population estimated at 30.186 million workers as of April 2002, the sector contributed only 21 percent to the GDP in 2001.

World's Third Largest Banana Producer
The Philippines is considered as the world's third largest producer of bananas, after Costa Rica and Ecuador. Large plantations in southern Mindanao produce most bananas exported by the Philippines. Some 30,000 hectares in the region are planted to bananas.

The Philippines is also one of the largest producers of coconut, cassava, mango, pineapple, tilapia, tuna, shrimps, and prawns.

Fishery Output, 166,101 Metric Tons
The country's total agricultural output grossed P621.4 billion or only 21 percent of the country's GDP in 2001. In particular, crop production amounted to P322.5 billion at 2001 prices; livestock production, P106.4 billion; poultry production, P85.9 billion; and fishery production, P106.6 billion. In terms of volume, total fish production reached 166,101 metric tons in 2001.

790,000 Cubic Meters of Logs
The Forest Management Bureau (FMB) said that in the year 2000 alone, the Philippines produced 790,000 cubic meters of logs, 124,000 cubic meters of lumber, 230,000 cubic meters of plywood and 130,000 cubic meters of veneer.

36.5 Metric Tons of Gold
According to the Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau, the Philippines produced 30.9 metric tons of gold and 27.5 metric tons of silver in the year 2001. In 1999, it produced 314 million bags of cement and 32.4 million cubic meters of sand and gravel. As of August 2002, there were 16 cement-producing companies in the Philippines.

Palay Output, 13.25 Million Metric Tons
In 2002, the Philippines produced 13.27 million metric tons of rice, up by 2.4 percent 12.95 million metric tons in 2001.

According to the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Philippines also produced 4.53 million metric tons of corn in 2001.

RP Imports 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.

Coconut Employs 3.4 Million People
According to the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), the coconut industry employs 3.4 million Filipinos, who earn an average of P10,000 a year or P25 a day each. There are 3 million hectares planted to coconut palms, the second largest agricultural area after rice fields (4 million hectares). Coconut plantations form 74 percent of all commercial croplands in the country. The Philippines produces some 2.4 million metric tons (MT) of copra or coconut products annually. In terms of value, coconut products comprise 32.4 percent of all agricultural exports and 1.6 percent of the country's entire exports.

556,000 Sugar Farmers
Sugarcane is considered the largest non-cereal crop in the Philippines in terms of metric tons produced. According to the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), around 556,000 farmers and 25,000 sugar mill workers are employed in the local sugar industry. In 1999, the total size of sugar farms was 359,977 hectares, with total production of 1.53 million metric tons.

The Philippines supplies 13.5 percent of the US sugar requirements under a quota system. Ironically, the country could not even meet its own local demand. It has to import around 350,000 metric tons of sugar in order to meet its domestic demand of about 1.9 million tons annually. Filipinos consume 150,000 metric tons of raw sugar per month. The country produced about 28.24 million metric tons of sugarcane in 2001.

3.4 Million Carabaos
According to the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS), there were 3.4 million carabaos, 3.3 million cattle, 5.2 million goats, 11 million pigs and 115.6 million chickens in the country as of January 2001.

800,000 Cattle Consumed
The BAS said that the Philippines produced 660,000 new cattle but consumed 800,000 in 2000. Only about 10,800 metric tons of milk and other dairy products were produced in the country in 2001.

300,120 Metric Tons of Eggs
The Philippines produced 246,200 metric tons of chicken eggs and 53,920 metric tons of duck eggs in 2001. As of January 2002, the country had an inventory of 125.25 million live chicken.

5.3 Million Hectares to Farmers
As of December 2001, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) claimed that the government has distributed some 5.3 million hectares of farmlands to farmers from their landlords since 1960s.

Irrigation Serves 5.2 Percent of Land
As of 1993, about 15,800 square kilometers or only 5.2 percent of the total land area had access to irrigation systems.

10,000 Bakeries
A local study by the Philippine Association of Flour Millers Inc. (PAMFIL) said that 85 percent of Filipinos prefer to eat bread instead of rice for breakfast. As the Philippines produces about 1.4 million metric tons of flour annually, the country sources wheat, the prime raw material for flour, from other countries. It imports about 2.4 million metric tons of wheat mostly from the United States.

There are more than 10,000 bakeries in the country whose products are broken down to the following: 50 percent for pan de sal or salt bread, 20 percent for loaf bread, and 30 percent for other varieties. In 1998, the average Filipino consumed 1.86 kilogram of flour. As of 2001, there were 14 flour millers, mostly large food manufacturers, in the country.

Personal Spending, 79 Percent
Personal spending accounted for 79 percent of the Philippine GDP in 2001. According to market research firm ACNielsen, the "A" and "B" markets accounted for only 15 percent of all grocery purchases in the Philippines; "D" and "E" markets, 46 percent; and "C" market, 39 percent.

53.5 Percent of Expenses for Food
In 2001, the average Filipinos allocated 53.5 percent of their total expenditure for food; 9.6 percent for household operations; 6.2 percent for transportation and communication; 4.6 percent for fuel, light and water; 3.5 percent for clothing and footwear; 2.9 percent for household furnishings; 2.3 percent for beverage; 2.3 percent for tobacco; and 15 percent for miscellaneous outlays.

3.7 Million Vehicles
Some 3.7 million vehicles were registered in the Land Transportation Office (LTO) as of December 2000. This number included 1.2 million utility vehicles; 700,000 cars; over 200,000 trucks; 30,000 buses; 1 million motorcycles; and 23,500 trailers. The LTO added that as of 2000, some 4 million licenses were granted to Filipino professional, non-professional and student drivers.

298,776 Water Vessels
As of 2000, there were 298,776 water vessels registered in the country; 289,729 of them domestic vessels and 9,047 foreign vessels.

85,587 New Vehicles Sold in 2002
Sales of newly manufactured land vehicles in the country increased by 11.6 percent to 85,587 units in 2002 from 76,670 units in 2001, largely because of the 38.7 percent surge in the number of Asian utility vehicles (AUVs) sold during the period. AUVs are ten-seater commercial vehicles manufactured by Japanese car firms and enjoy tax-free privileges.

In particular, the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) said that the total sales of AUVs, accounting for 43.7 percent of combined industry sales, climbed to 37,377 units last year from 26,939 units in 2001. Sales of other commercial vehicles - vans, pickup, and light trucks - that account for 30.9 percent of the total, increased moderately by 1.7 percent to 26,482 units in 2002 from 26,047 units in 2001.

Total commercial vehicle sales, accounting for 74.6 percent of all sales, went up by 20.5 percent to 63,859 units in 2002 from 52,986 units in 2001. In sharp contrast, passenger car sales, accounting for 25.4 percent of industry sales, dropped 8.3 percent to 21,728 units in 2002 from 23,684 units in 2001.

Overall, some 388,613 vehicles were newly registered in 2000.

55,600 Jeepneys in Metro Manila
As of 2002, Metro Manila had 55,596 jeepneys, utility vehicles and FX taxis used as shuttle services; 52,932 motorcycles and tricycles; 11,086 commuter buses; 5,000 taxi cabs; 6,619 "for hire" trucks; and an estimated 883,699 private cars and vans.

Half of Farmers Own TV Sets
A survey conducted by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) showed that 53.7 percent of agrarian reform farm households owned television sets and 37.9 percent had refrigerators. The percentage was relatively lower among farmers who are not beneficiaries of the government's agrarian reform program. The PIDS based its data on the responses of 1,800 farm households in different provinces. The government research agency concluded that farm households correlated ownership of refrigerator with being non-poor.

6 Million New Appliances
Data from the Philippine Electrical Electronics and Allied Industries Federation showed that sales of electronic appliances in the country dropped by 7.5 percent to 6,077,500 units in 2001 from 6,574,000 units in 2000.

883,100 Color TVs
In the year 2001, sold were 883,100 units of new color TVs; 43,700 units of VCRs; 10,600 units of VCD players; 302,100 units of music centers; 206,300 units of radio cassettes; 75,700 units of karaoke; 466,900 units of refrigerators; 570,600 units of washing machines; 371,900 air conditioning units; 247,100 units of rice cookers; 430,900 units of flat irons; and 1,298,500 units of electric fans.

248,460 New Computers
According to International PC market research firm Gartner Dataquest, about 248,460 units of personal computers (PCs) were sold in the Philippines in 2001.

No. 1 in IT Knowledge Jobs
The Meta Group, a leading information and technology (IT) research and consulting company in the United States, has ranked the Philippines as the world's most competitive country in the "knowledge jobs" category of Global New e-Economy Index. The "knowledge jobs" category covers the availability of qualified engineers, IT skills and senior management and the level of education enrollment in the countries surveyed.

Ironically, in a separate survey, the Philippines was ranked 58th among 75 countries in terms of networked readiness index (NRI), which gauges each country's capacity to exploit opportunities in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT). The ranking was prepared by Harvard University's Center for International Development in a paper entitled "The Global Information Technology Report 2001-2002: Readiness for the Networked World".

1.5 Million Internet Users
Industry experts claimed that there were between 1.5 million and 4.5 million Filipino Internet users as of August 2002. US market research firm ACNielsen, however, gave a more conservative estimate as it reported that as of the first quarter of 2002, there were 1.5 million Internet users in the country. Of this number, only 800,000 were surfing the web on a regular basis. Half of the Internet users in the country accessed the web in Metro Manila, 27 percent in other parts of Luzon, 13 percent in the Visayas and 10 percent in Mindanao.

Four out of five Internet users were aged 29 years old and below. The main access points of Internet were schools, offices, Internet cafes and homes. Filipinos accessed the web for the following top reasons: electronic mail, surfing and browsing, chatting, research, file download, games, shopping and advertising or promotion. Of the total Internet users, only 180,000 users had tried to shop online.

363 Government Websites
As of October 2002, the National Computer Center (NCC) said that 363 or almost 96 percent of the 379 national government agencies had their own websites, which provide basic information.

Using the criteria adopted by the United Nations and the American Society of Public Administration (UN-ASPA) Stages of E-government, the NCC classified 230 or 63 percent of Philippine national government offices in stage 1 or the emerging web presence stage; 87 or 24 percent in stage 2 or enhanced web presence stage; and 45 or 12 percent in stage 3 or interactive web presence stage. The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), the government's main agency on revenue collection, was classified in stage 4 or the Transactional Web Presence Stage. The BIR has already introduced online filing and payment of income tax returns.

162 Electronic Firms
As of December 2001, the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Inc. (SEIPI) was composed of 162 companies. Among its members were Intel, Fujitsu, Texas Instruments, Amcor Technologies, Hitachi, and Analog Devices.

12 Million Mobile Phone Subscribers
As of June 2002, there were at least 12 million mobile phone subscribers in the Philippines. Smart Communications, the wireless subsidiary of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) had a subscriber base of 6.6 million as of March 2002 while Globe Telecom had 5.4 million subscribers as of June 2002. The number of mobile phone subscribers is expected to double within the next three years. The Philippines is considered the "text capital of the world'' because of the popularity of short messaging service (SMS) in the country.

Smart claimed that the volume of text messages passing through its network reached 240 million daily as of 2001. This excluded text messages sent via the other networks.

4 Million Fixed Lines
According to Fitch Ratings, there were less than 4 million fixed telephone lines installed in the whole country in 2001. Only about 14 percent of Philippine households had fixed telephone lines as telecommunication companies refuse to invest in facilities in the provinces.

In comparison, there were 11.1 million subscribers to mobile phone networks, 91 percent of them on prepaid subscription in 2001.

571 Radio Stations
As of 2000, the country had 571 radio stations; 270 of them at the AM frequency, 252 at FM and 49 at SW. There were also 75 television stations as of December 2000.

1.8 Million Foreign Tourists
According to the Department of Tourism (DoT), some 1.797 million foreign visitors visited the Philippines in 2001, down from 1.992 million in 2000 and 2.2 million in 1999. In particular, the country received 447,921 tourists from North America (US and Canada); 790,793 from East Asia (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China); 199,345 from Europe; 80,002 from Australia and the Pacific; and 278,832 from other countries in 2001.

Average occupancy rate in Metro Manila hotels was placed at 55.8 percent. As of December 2001, Metro Manila had a combined 11,784 rooms in 59 hotels classified as deluxe, first class, standard, and economy. Average length of stay by each visitor in Metro Manila hotels was 2.73 nights.

8 Million Local Tourists
In 1996, some 8 million Filipinos spent P50 billion to visit different tourist spots in the country. (Source: Panorama)

Shopping Area: 3.36 Million Sq. M.
According to property consultancy firm Colliers Jardine Philippines, the total stock of retail space in Metro Manila was 3.36 million square meters, with an average vacancy rate of 13.7 percent at the end of 2001. Vacancy level at prime shopping malls like SM, Glorietta, Robinson's and Shangri La Plaza were below 5 percent.

29,223 Insurance Agents
Gross premium earnings of life insurance companies, as reported by Philippine Life Insurance Association (PLIA), amounted to P31.3 billion in 2001 while gross premium earnings of nonlife companies, as reported by the Insurance and Surety Association of the Philippines (ISAP), reached P17.3 billion.

As of 2000, total insured assets by life companies reached P1.016 trillion; admitted assets, P144.62 billion; cash and investment assets, P137.78 billion; legal reserves, P67 billion; and net worth, P50.55 billion. The number of licensed insurance agents was placed at 29,223 while the number of employees was put at 6,862.

Health Expenditure: P108 Billion
Healthcare spending in the Philippines was only 3.4 percent of the country's GNP in 1999, below the 5 percent minimum standard set by the World Health Organization (WHO) for developing countries. Total annual health expenditure in the country amounted to P108.3 billion in 1999 while per capita health expenditure was estimated at P1,449. Only about 13.5 percent of Filipinos had insurance coverage, according to the Insurance Commission.

1,712 Hospitals
The Department of Health said that as of the year 2000, there were 1,712 hospitals in the country, 1,089 of which were private institutions and 623 were government hospitals. These excluded 14,400 barangay health centers. As of 1999, there were 2,948 doctos, 2,027 dentists, 4,945 nurses and 16,173 midwives working for public hospitals and barangay centers. According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), there were 909 Filipinos for every hospital bed in 1998 and 9,689 Filipinos for every physician in 1999.

Foreign Investments, US$858 Million
According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), foreign direct equity investments in the country amounted to US$857.8 million in 2001, or 39 percent lower than US$1.398 billion in 2000.

The ADB said that the Philippines had the third lowest gross domestic investments as a percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP) in the entire Asian region. The country's investment ratio to the GDP was placed at 16.6 percent in 2001, or only higher than that of Pakistan at 14.7 percent and Cambodia at 16.2 percent. China topped all East Asian economies with an investment ratio to the GDP of 36.3 percent.

OFWs Remitted US$40 Billion
According to Senator Francisco Pangilinan, the seven million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) worldwide have remitted over US$40 billion to the Philippines from 1991 to 2001. In 2002 alone, the Central Bank was expecting that dollar remittances from the OFW would climb to an all-time high of US$8 billion.

39 Ecozones
As of December 31, 2001, the Philippines had 4 public ecozones and 35 private ecozones supervised by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA). These excluded the Subic Bay Freeport, Clark Development Corp. and business zones administered by the Board of Investments.

The Philippines maintain these special economic zones to lure foreign capital by dangling fiscal perks and other incentives like a six-year income tax holiday. In the year 2000 alone, foreign and local firms were able to get as much as P15 billion in combined fiscal incentives, or almost a third of P45 billion total corporate tax collection during that year.

7,492 Banks
As of June 2002, there were 7,492 banks in the country. In particular, there were 44 head offices of commercial banks and 4,185 branches, 98 head offices of thrift banks and 1,251 branches, and 776 head offices of rural banks and 1,138 branches. These banks had combined assets of P3.33 trillion.

P1.6 Trillion Money Supply
The Central Bank reported that the country's money supply - M3 or domestic liquidity composed of money in circulation, demand deposits, peso savings, time deposits and deposit substitutes - reached P1.6 trillion as of October 2002.

3.5 Million Credit Cards
As of December 2002, the banking industry has already issued some 3.5 million to four million credit cards in the country, with total credit card transactions amounting to over P50 billion on a quarterly basis. There were about 15 major credit card companies accounting for over P100 billion in annual gross card billings at 30,000 or more retail and service establishments nationwide. The industry expects the number of establishments that accept credit cards to double by 2005. Among the top players are Citibank, which has issued over 500,000 cards; Bank of the Philippines Islands (BPI), 400,000; and Equitable PCI Bank, 400,000.

P319 Billion Stocks
According to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) the total value turnover at the Philippine stock market amounted to P319.11 billion in 2001 or 12 percent down from P357.66 billion in 2000.

1.13 Million Building Constructions
The National Statistics Office (NSO) reported that from 1977 to 1998, the total number of applications for building permits reached 1.13 million in the whole country. Some 287,051 or 25 percent of these applications were received from Metro Manila. Applications for residential type of construction accounted for more than 50 percent of the total number of applications.

In the first quarter of 2002 alone, the number of applications for building permits numbered 24,337 covering a total floor area of 3.656 million square meters. The average cost of residential building construction was valued at P6,587 per square meter in Metro Manila and P5,131 in the whole country while the average cost of non-residential building construction was estimated at P20,237 in Metro Manila and P12,791 in the whole Philippines.

Office Space Rent, Down 50 Percent
Colliers Jardine Philippines estimated the total office space stock at the Makati commercial business district (CBD) at 2.6 million square meters as of December 2001; Ortigas CBD, 876,000 square meters; and Alabang, 148,000 square meters.

The vacancy level was estimated at over 17 percent of the total office space stock. Colliers Jardine Philippines said the weighted average rent for an office space in Makati has dropped by nearly 50 percent to about P350 per square meter per month from P686 per square meter per month in 1997. Weighted capital value was placed at P40, 456 per square meter, or nearly 40 percent lower than its 1997 value.

P180,000 Per Sq. M. of Land
In 2001, the average land value in Makati was estimated at P180,000 per square meter while the value of land in Ortigas was placed at P80,000. These rates were almost 50 percent lower than their 1997 levels.

Advertising Expenses: US$1.4 Billion
US-based market research firm ACNielsen Media International said advertising expenditures in the Philippines amounted to P70 billion (US$1.4 billion) in 2001. Some P46.8 billion in ad spend was paid to television stations; P13 billion to radio stations; and P10 billion to newspapers and magazines. The figures excluded outdoor advertising expenses and internet-based expenditures.

29,055 Kilometers of Roads
As of 2000, the combined length of Philippine roads was 29,055 kilometers. Only 10,336 kilometers or 36 percent of these roads were concrete; 6,683, asphalt; and the rest, gravel and sand.

7,306 Bridges
The country has 7,306 bridges with a total length of 271.29 kilometers.

172 Airports
As of 2000, the country had 172 airports, 87 of them private. As of 1999, there were 1,592 ports in the whole archipelago.

479 Billion Cubic Meters of Freshwater
According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Philippines had a total of 479 billion cubic meters of annual renewable freshwater resources or 6,332 cubic meters of freshwater per capita in 2000. In 1995, it was estimated that the entire Philippine population withdrew some 55.42 billion cubic meters or 11.6 percent of the country's total freshwater resources. This translates to an annual freshwater withdrawal of 811 cubic meters per capita. Groundwater withdrawal per capita was estimated at 82.8 cubic meters, comprising nearly 10 percent of per capita freshwater withdrawal. The country's reservoir capacity amounted to only 2.2 percent of its of total freshwater resources.

As of 1995, Filipinos were using 8 percent of their freshwater resources for domestic purposes, 4 percent for industry, and 88 percent for irrigation. As of 2000, 92 percent of the country's urban population and 80 percent of the rural population had access to water supply while 92 percent of urban population and 71 percent of rural population had access to sanitation.

Only about 65 percent of the population actually had access to acceptable water facilities (public waterworks and tubed/piped deep well), with the rest sourcing their water from tubed/piped shallow well (8 percent), dug well (14 percent), spring lake, river rain, etc. (11 percent) and peddlers (2 percent). Only 42 percent of the population had access to public waterworks or community water systems. Of the figure, 23 percent had own piped connections while 19 percent was sharing connections.

245 Million Barrels of Fuel
According to the Department of Energy (DoE), the Philippines consumed 245.28 million barrels of fuel oil equivalent (MMBFOE) in 2001. In 1999, the country produced 40.745 billion kilowatt hour but consumed 37.893 billion kilowatt hour.

7,869 Megawatts of Electricity
At present, there is an oversupply of energy in the country, but Filipino consumers have to pay them in the form of purchased power cost adjustment (PPCA). While installed capacity totals 12,694 megawatts, the country's average daily power demand is only 7,869 megawatts.

For example, an ordinary Filipino home charged with P1,220 in monthly electricity bill actually paid P650 for the PPCA in April, 2002. The country's most profitable company was power producer Mirant Philippines Corp., a subsidiary of an Atlanta-based energy firm that registered a net income of P8.5 billion in 2001.

As of May 2002, the country's power rate was said to be the second most expensive in Asia. A subsequent reduction in PPCA charges eventually made the Philippines sixth in the list.

For the whole of 2001, the country consumed 46,119 million kilowatt hours (gigawatt hours), or 1.8 percent higher than 45,290 gigawatt hours consumed in 2000.

87 Percent of Barangays Have Electricity
Only 87 percent of 41,945 barangays or villages in the whole country have electricity. In its electrification program, the incumbent Arroyo government wants all barangays lighted with electricity by the year 2006.

Meralco Overcharged P28 Billion
On November 15, 2002, the Supreme Court ordered the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) to refund its 3.1 million consumers over P28 billion in overcharged electricity bill since February 1994.

In its ruling, the Supreme Court's third division, composed of five justices, voted unanimously in favor of the government represented by the Energy Regulatory Board (ERB), which in 1998 claimed that Meralco overcharged its 3.1 million customers by an average of P0.167 per kilowatt-hour. A consumer organization estimated that Meralco owes each household about P3,574 in refund.

Meralco, a private company, now services some 3.4 million consumers in Metro Manila and parts of Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog. It buys electricity from the government-owned National Power Corp. (Napocor) and its two independent power producers.

In June 2002, an independent study submitted to Malacanang Palace reported that Meralco had been overcharging its 3.4 million customers in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces by as much as P0.408 per kilowatt-hour. Ironically, the government has a 25 percent stake in Meralco, which is controlled by the Lopez family.

Filipinos Origin & Truth Facts

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81.2 Million Filipinos
The National Statistics Office (NSO) placed the Philippine population at 79.5 million at the start of 2002. This number is expected to grow by 1.7 million or over 2 percent annually to 81.2 million by the end of 2002. This makes the Philippines the world's 14th most populous country in the world behind China, with 1.3 billion people; India, 1 billion; United States, 288 million; Indonesia, 218 million; Brazil, 176 million; Pakistan, 149 million; Nigeria, 147 million; Russia, 143 million; Bangladesh, 136 million; Japan, 127 million; Mexico, 100 million; Germany 82 million; and Vietnam, over 81 million. About 93 percent of the Philippine population is Christian, while the rest belongs to Islam and other religions. In 1799, Spanish historians said there were only 1,502,574 people living in the Philippines.

Population To Double in 28 Years
The Makati Business Club said that with an annual population growth rate of 2.36 percent, the total number of Filipinos would climb from 80 million at present to 97 million by 2010 and double to 160 million in 28 years.

34 Million Voters
As of 1998, there were 34.2 million registered Filipino voters who were grouped into 174,420 polling precincts in the whole country.

Half A Million More Men
Contrary to popular beliefs that women were as twice as many as men in the Philippines, the NSO said there are in fact more men than women in the country. In its latest estimate for 2002, the NSO said there were some 40 million Filipino men and 39.5 million Filipino women, resulting in a population discrepancy in sex of half a million.

Women Live Longer
Life expectancy is estimated at 72.2 years for Filipino women and 66.9 years for Filipino men. Around 38 percent of the population is younger than 15 years old and 28 percent belongs to the 15 to 24 age bracket. Population experts claim it would take 25 years before the Philippine population reaches its peak.

More Single Men Than Single Women
In the 2000 population census, the National Statistics Office (NSO) said that nearly 53 percent of the 25 million single people in the Philippines were males while only 47 percent were females. However, around 76 percent of the 2.6 million widowed persons were females and only 24 percent were males.

Half of Women Use Contraceptives
In its Family Planning Survey in 2001, the NSO said about 49.8 percent of married Filipino women, aged 15 to 49 years old, was using contraceptives. The NSO concluded that women in poor households were less likely to practice family planning than those in higher income families in the same manner that women who lacked formal education were less likely to observe birth control practices than those who at least had some schooling.

Majority of Filipinos Oppose Divorce

A survey conducted by local poll firm Social Weather Stations (SWS) in the fourth quarter of 2002 showed that 50 percent of its 1,200 respondents nationwide were opposed to divorce while only 36 percent agreed that divorce "is usually the best solution when a couple can't seem to work out their marriage problems."

The same survey showed that 50 percent of the respondents disapproved of cohabitation before marriage while only 35 percent agreed with the statement "It's a good idea for a couple who intend to get married to live together first."

At the same time, 61 percent of the respondents agreed while only 19 percent disagreed with the statement "Married people are generally happier than unmarried people." Around 93 percent of the respondents agreed with the statement "Watching children grow up is life's greatest joy."

91 Percent Proud to Be Filipinos
In a survey conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS) in November 2001, 57 percent of the 1,200 respondents said they were very proud to be Filipinos while 34 percent claimed they were proud of their national identity. Only 9 percent said they were not proud and 1 percent claimed they were not proud at all of becoming Filipinos. The respondents also cited the following qualities of the Filipinos: God-centered, industrious, faithful, has convictions, responsible, peaceful and law-abiding, and loving and caring.

Happiest People in Asia
Despite the many problems hounding the Philippines, Filipinos still consider themselves as among the happiest people in the world. Results of regional surveys conducted by MTV-Asia, ACNielsen and the Economist magazine have indicated that Filipinos are the happiest people in Asia.

But in the World Values Survey conducted by University of Michigan in 1998, the Philippines was ranked 12th among 54 countries in the world in terms of happiness index. Among Asian countries, it was ranked first. According to the survey, the top ten happiest nations in the world were Iceland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, Australia, Ireland, Switzerland, Great Britain and Venezuela.

World's 5th Largest Christian Population
According to the book Top 10 of Everything, the Philippines had the world's 5th largest Christian population. As of 2000, the Philippines reportedly had 72.225 million Christians, comprising 93 percent of its total population then. Countries with larger Christian populations than the Philippines were the United States, Brazil, Mexico, and China. Most Filipinos remain Catholics. The Protestants comprise only 8 percent of the population although they were growing at a faster rate than any other religion in the country.

32,000 Evangelical Churches
The Philippine Council for Evangelical Churches said that it had around 32,000 member-churches in the 1990s, which were expected to have risen to 50,000 by the end of 2000. About 27,000 of these evangelical churches have been established only in the past 25 years. About 1,400 American Christian missionaries were in the Philippines to help propagate the Gospel.

97 Percent of Filipinos Believe in God
A survey, mentioned by the Economist magazine, showed that 97 percent of Filipinos believe in God while 65 percent feel extremely close to Him. "This is more than double the percentage of the two runners-up in the survey - America and Israel," the Economist said. (Source: The Economist)

562,808 Marriages
According to the NSO, 562,808 Filipino couples were married in 1997 alone. In the same year, 339,400 people died while 1,653,236 babies were born in the country.

412 Annulment Suits Every Week
As of 2002, the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) said it was receiving 412 marriage annulment suits every week.

28,563 Died of Accidents
The Department of Health (DoH) reported that in 1997, 49,962 people died of heart diseases while 28,563 people died because of accidents. The other leading causes of death during that year were tuberculosis and pneumonia. The most common diseases in the country were diarrhea, pneumonia, bronchitis, influenza, hypertension and tuberculosis.

17,493 Government Positions
The Commission on Election (COMELEC) said that as of June 2002, there were 17,493 elective government positions in the country, with only about 15 percent held by women. The bureaucracy, however, had more women employees. As of 1997, there were 741,808 Filipino women working for the government, compared with only 636,836 men.

The Department of Labor and Employment said that in January 2001, the overall unemployment rate was higher among women at 10.3 percent compared with 9.4 percent among men. But if women were serving as heads of families, they were earning higher at P135,400 annually, compared with P121,003 received by men.

218 Congressmen
The head of government is President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who ascended to presidency via a military-backed people's revolt on January 21, 2001. She appointed Senator Teofisto Guingona as her vice-president.

The Philippine Congress has two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate has 24 seats while the House of Representatives has 218 members, five of whom are party list representatives.

The bureaucracy also employs 79 provincial governors and an equal number of vice governors, 114 city mayors and the same number of city vice mayors, 730 provincial board members, 1,496 municipal mayors and an equal number of town vice mayors, and 12,240 municipal councilors. The numbers exclude barangay officials. The next national elections will be held in May 2004.

30.2 Million Jobs
Of the 50.2 million people aged 15 years old and above, 35.052 million or 69.9 percent belong to the labor force. According to the National Statistics Office (NSO), there were 30.186 million Filipino workers as of April 2002, 11 million of whom were employed in the agriculture, forestry and fishery sector; 14.3 million in the services sector; and 4.82 million in the industrial sector.

1.2 Million Fishermen
In particular, 9.788 million were employed in agriculture, hunting and forestry; 1.237 million in fishing; 136,000 in mining and quarrying; 2.904 million in manufacturing; 114,000 in electricity, gas and water sector; and 1.67 million in construction.

301,000 Bankers
Some 1.445 million Filipinos were employed in government; 5.77 in wholesale, retail and repair; 2.104 million in transportation, storage and communication; 680,000 in hotels and restaurants; 913,000 in education; 301,000 in banks and financial institutions, 355,000 in hospitals and social institutions; 552,000 in real estate, renting and business activities; 877,000 in personal services; and 1.339 million in household services

14.7 Million Salary Earners
In terms of source of income, about 14.711 million Filipinos were salary-earners while 11.379 million others were self-employed. Another 4.096 million were considered unpaid family workers.

1.4 Million Professionals
In terms of occupation, there were 9.227 million laborers and unskilled workers; 6.17 million farmers, forestry workers and fishermen; 3.175 million officials of government institutions and executives, managers and supervisors of private companies; 3.107 million workers in retail and wholesale trade; 2.677 service workers and shop and market sales workers; 2.147 million plant and machine operators; 1.367 million professionals; 1.335 million clerks; 850,000 technicians and associate professionals; and 130,000 others in special occupations.

290,000 IT Professionals
According to the government, there were 290,000 professionals working for the country's information and technology (IT) sector as of 2002.

113,743 Policemen
As of 2002, the Philippine National Police had an authorized strength of 113,743 members, including 69 chief superintendents (one-star general); 11 police directors (two-star), 3 police deputy director-generals (three-star), and 1 police director-general (four-star).

330,000 New College Graduates
The Commission on Higher Education reported that as of 1998, there were 1,185 universities and colleges in the country serving more than 2 million students. In 1998, some 331,827 students graduated from college; 90,880 of them with a degree in Business Administration; 40,611 in Engineering; 36,181 in Medical Science; and 25,038 in Mathematics and Computer Science. They were supposed to join the labor force but not all of them ended up getting the jobs they have been trained for.

2 Million College Students
As of 1998, 2,067,965 students were enrolled in Philippine colleges and universities. These included 620,681 students who were enrolled in Business and related courses; 299,226 in Engineering; 316,293 in Education; and 166,329 in Mathematics and Computer Science. Students who were enrolled in two- or three-year technical or vocational courses were not included in the counting.

2,323 Foreign Students
According to the Commission on Higher Education, there were 2,323 foreign students enrolled in Philippine schools in the school year 2000-2001, down from 5,284 enrollees five years ago. Most of these foreign students were Americans, Koreans and Taiwanese.

17.3 Million Public School Students
According to Senator Ralph Recto, the public education system would be lacking some 49,212 teachers and 44,716 classrooms by 2003 to accommodate some 536,000 new students and fill the void in the previous years. Total enrollment in 36,234 public elementary schools and 4,422 public high schools is expected to reach 17.335 million students by 2003. There were only 375,952 public classrooms by the end of 2002.

12.7 Million Elementary School Students
As of 2001, some 12.7 million students were enrolled in elementary schools; 11.8 million of them in public schools and only 927,289 in private schools. Some 5.4 million students were enrolled in high schools; 4.2 million of them in public schools and 1.2 million in private schools.

440,000 Teachers
As of 2001, there were 331,827 elementary school teachers and 109,845 high school teachers.

7 Million Filipinos Abroad
According to the Philippine Senate, some 7 to 8 million Filipinos live and work abroad, 2.5 million of them in the United States. There were 105,000 Americans in the Philippines in 1999.

The Philippine Overseas and Employment Administration (POEA) said that in 2001 alone, 866,590 Filipinos left the country on legitimate working visas to work abroad. This translates to 2,374 Filipinos leaving the country each day. OFWs sent a total of US$6.23 billion in dollar remittances to the Philippines in 2001.

2.4 Million Filipino-Americans
According to the US Census 2000, there were 2.4 million Filipino Americans in the US, comprising the second largest Asian group next only to the Chinese Americans. However, there are some who say that the actual number of Filipino-Americans could exceed 3 million. More than 1 million Filipino Americans live in San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles in the west coast.

192,000 Tourists to the US
According to the US embassy in Manila, some 192,000 Filipinos visited the US on non-immigrant visas in 2001 alone. A number of Filipino tourists tried to stay there and find work but were deported back to the Philippines.

19 Percent of Filipinos Want to Migrate
A survey conducted by Pulse Asia in March and April 2002 showed that 19 percent of its 1,200 respondents wanted to migrate to another country because opportunities were lacking in the Philippines. The desire to migrate from the Philippines was stronger among upper classes. The survey said that 31 percent of its respondents belonging to ABC wanted to live in another country.

1.2 Million Passports Annually
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) issues about 1.2 million passport booklets annually. In the first quarter of 2002, there was a shortage of passports because the number of Filipinos who went abroad for work suddenly surged. The POEA said that from around 2,300 in the previous quarters, the number of OFWs leaving the country each day surged to 2,700 in the first quarter of 2002. The DFA imposes a daily quota of 2,000 passports for individual applicants and 1,500 passports for travel agencies.

204,900 Seafarers
Of the total number of Filipinos who left the country on working visas in 2001, 661,639 were land-based workers while 204,951 were seafarers. Filipino seafarers man about 20 percent of international vessels in the world.

Top destinations of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are Saudi Arabia, which hired 190,732 Filipinos in 2001; Hong Kong, 113,583; Japan, 74,093; Singapore, 26,305; Kuwait, 21,956; and Italy, 21,641. Only 10,000 Filipinos were hired in the US but the number excluded 2.5 million Filipino immigrants who were already there.

2.7 Million Filipino Immigrants
A Commission of Overseas Filipinos study showed that there were 2.7 million Filipino immigrants around the world as of 2002. The figure includes 1.89 million immigrants in the US; 200,000 in Canada; 170,000 in Japan; and 70,000 in the United Kingdom.

51,031 Migrants in 2000
According to the Bureau of Immigration, 51,031 Filipinos migrated to other countries in the year 2000 alone. Of this number, 31,324 Filipinos went to the US; 8,245 to Canada; 6,468 to Japan; 2,298 to Australia; 522 to Germany; 174 to the United Kingdom; and 1,970 to other countries.

US$6.2 Billion Remittances
Dollar remittances sent by OFWs amounted to US$6.235 billion in 2001. About US$5.142 billion of the total amount was sent by land-based OFWs while US$1.093 billion came from Filipino seafarers. Some US$3.2 billion or over half of total remittances came from the United States. The figure excluded dollar remittances that were not sent through the regular banking system.

Richest in New York
According to the 1990 United States Census, the Filipino-Americans living in New York (perhaps the world's most prosperous city) had the highest median income among all ethnic groups. The census revealed that in 1990, there were 43,229 Filipino Americans in New York who had a median income of about US$45,000, surpassing those of European-Americans, Japanese-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and Afro-Americans.

15,000 Nurses in the UK
According to British Ambassador to the Philippines Paul Dimond, there were 15,000 Filipino nurses in the United Kingdom as of June 2002. The number is growing, he added. He also disclosed that the British embassy has issued 30,000 visas to Filipinos in 2001 alone, with an acceptance rate of 95 percent among applicants. About 300,000 Filipino nurses reportedly left the country to work abroad in 2001.

150,000 Entertainers in Japan
As of 1998, there were 150,000 Filipino women working as entertainers in Japan. Many of them were vulnerable to abuse and some driven to prostitution.

154,000 Household Maids in Hong Kong
According to The Economist magazine, Filipino women were serving as domestic helpers or "amahs" in 154,000 households in Hong Kong as of 1998. The report added that Filipino women comprised 40 percent of non-Chinese amahs in Hong Kong. Over half of Filipino amahs in Hong Kong have college degrees, and some even hold master's degree in education.

Filipino household maids are also present in Singapore, Taiwan, and the Middle East. Filipino caregivers are in the United States and Canada.

32,000 Teachers as Household Helps
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said that as many as 32,000 Filipino teachers had left their profession in the country to work as household maids and nannies abroad.

389,818 American Tourists
Data from the Department of Tourism showed that in 2001 around 1.671 million foreign travelers visited the country, 44 percent of whom went here for holiday, 25 percent to visit friends and relatives, 18 percent on business, and the rest to attend conventions and for other purposes.

By country of residence, the US topped the list, with 389,818 travelers accounting for 23 percent of all tourists. The US was followed by Japan with 343,021 travelers; South Korea, 205,788; Hong Kong, 134,254; Taiwan, 84,644; Australia, 68,253; United Kingdom, 59,100; Canada, 54,851; Singapore, 44,010; Germany, 40,286; Malaysia, 29,564; South Asian countries, 20,114; Middle East countries, 18,480; China, 14,533; Thailand, 14,472; France, 13,847; Netherlands, 13,422; Indonesia, 12,630; and Switzerland, 12,204.

Italy sent 8,962 visitors; New Zealand, 7,768; Denmark, 7,741; Sweden, 7,296; Norway, 6,589; Austria, 6,531; Spain, 5,614; Belgium, 5,432; South American countries, 3,083; Vietnam, 3,058; Guam, 2,746; Ireland, 2,306; Eastern European countries, 2,189; Finland, 2,009; Brunei, 1,783; and African countries, 1,631. The number of visitors from other countries was less than 1,000 each.

Average Age of Tourists - 40
Almost 55 percent of all foreign tourists in 2001 had visited the country in the past. Stating that they were in repeat visits were nearly 76 percent of all Singaporean, 69 percent of Australian, 67 percent of American and British, 64 percent of German and 57 percent of Japanese travelers.

Nearly 65 percent of the foreign visitors in 2001 were male and the rest female. Of the group, only Canada had more female visitors, accounting for 50.3 percent. Female visitors from Japan comprised only 19.7 percent while female American visitors accounted for 44.3 percent.

The average age of foreign tourists in the Philippines in 2001 was 40 years old. Visitors from the US had an average age of 45; Canada, 43; Australia, 42; UK, 42; Japan, 41; Germany, 41; Taiwan, 40; Singapore, 39; Hong Kong, 37; and Korea, 34.

By age group, foreign visitors aged under 15 years old in 2001 comprised 8.8 percent of the total; 15 to 19, 2.3 percent; 20 to 24, 4.2 percent; 25 to 34, 19.9 percent; 35 to 44, 24 percent; 45 to 54, 21.9 percent; 55 to 64, 11.1 percent; 65 and above, 6 percent. Others did not state their age.

About 64 percent of all foreign visitors were independent travelers and only 19 percent went on package tours. The rest did not state their travel arrangements. Only 2 percent of Singaporean; 4 percent of American, Canadian and Australian; 10 percent of German; 26 percent of Japanese; 33 percent of Taiwanese; 38 percent of Hong Kong; and 45 percent of Korean visitors went to the Philippines on package tours.

8 Percent of Tourists - Students
In terms of occupation, nearly 33 percent of the foreign visitors were engaged in professional, managerial and administrative services; 7 percent in clerical or sales services; 1 percent in military or public services; and 1 percent in industry sector. About 8 percent of the foreign visitors in 2001 were students; 4, percent housewives; and 3 percent, pensioners or retirees. Over 41 percent of the tourists did not state their occupation.

Only 31 percent of the foreign guests checked in at hotels, 12.5 percent rented houses or apartments, and 18 percent stayed with relatives and friends. A significant 38 percent of the tourists did not state their type of accommodation in the country.

Among top foreign visitors, about 39 percent of the American tourists stayed with relatives and friends, 15.6 percent rented houses and apartments, and only 9 percent stated that they checked in at hotels. About 36 percent did not state their type of accommodation. Like the American visitors, many Canadian, European and Australian tourists stayed with relatives and friends or rented houses and apartments.

11,784 Hotel Rooms in Metro Manila
In 2001, the average occupancy rate among DOT-endorsed hotels in Metro Manila was 55.85 percent. The 15 deluxe hotels had an average occupancy rate of 58.4 percent; six first class hotels, 54.3 percent; 32 standard hotels, 52.5 percent; and six economy hotels, 41.1 percent.

These DOT-endorsed hotels in Metro Manila had combined 11,784 rooms in 2001. In particular, deluxe hotels had a total of 6,874 rooms; first class hotels, 1,779 rooms; standard hotels, 2,770 rooms; and economy hotels; 361 rooms. Guests spent an average of 2.73 nights at these hotels.

Foreign backpackers could be classified among the 1.106 million independent travelers who came to the Philippines without package tours or among the 728,545 tourists who traveled for holiday. They were among the 439,855 travelers aged 15 to 35 years old or 139,590 foreign students and minors. They were also among the 208,418 foreign travelers who rented houses and apartments or 301,294 who stayed with relatives and friends.

Know Everything about Philippines

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7,107 Islands
The Philippines, a democratic country in Southeast Asia that declared its independence from Spain on June 12, 1898 but only obtained its full sovereignty on July 4, 1946, has a total land area covering 300,000 square kilometers (115,830 sq. miles) and distributed in 7,107 islands. According to the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority, 15,854,922 hectares or 53 percent of the country's total land area were forestlands while the remaining 14,145,078 hectares or 47 percent were alienable and disposable lands as of December 2000. The three major island groupings are Luzon (7 regions, 38 provinces), Visayas (3 regions, 16 provinces), and Mindanao (6 regions, 25 provinces).

World's 17th Largest Island
Luzon, with a total land area of 104,688 square kilometers is the world's 17th largest island (excluding continental masses of lands). Listed as the 19th largest island is Mindanao, with a land area of 94,631 square kilometers. The world's largest islands are Greenland (a Danish territory), with a total land area of 2.18 million square kilometers; New Guinea, 820,033 square kilometers; and Borneo, 743,107 square kilometers.

267,000 Square Kilometers of Coastal Waters
The coastal zones of the Philippines are composed of 11,000 square kilometers of land and 267,000 square kilometers of coastal waters.

41,960 Barangays
The National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) reported that as of December 2001, the Philippines had 16 regions, 79 provinces, 114 cities, 1,496 municipalities and 41,960 barangays or villages. The newest province was Zamboanga Sibugay in western Mindanao while the newest city was Gapan in Nueva Ecija province. The most populated province as this was being written remained Cebu, with over 3 million residents while the least populated was Batanes, with less than 20,000 inhabitants. The largest province in terms of land area was Palawan, with 14,896 square kilometers while the smallest province was Batanes, with 209 square kilometers.

According to the Liga ng mga Barangay, the Philippines now has 41,960 barangays or villages. Each barangay in a municipality represents at least 2,000 people while each barangay in a highly urbanized city represents a minimum of 5,000 residents.

Metro Manila, 0.2 Percent of Land Area
Metro Manila, a conglomerate of 12 cities and five municipalities, has a total land area of 636 square kilometers and a population of over 10 million people, excluding transients or passing individuals. In proportion to the country's land size, the metropolis covers only 0.2 percent of the total land area of the Philippines but is the site of more than half of the country's largest companies. In 1999, Metro Manila contributed 34.7 percent to the country's gross domestic product (GDP); Southern Tagalog, 13.9 percent; Central Luzon, 8 percent; and the rest of the country, 43.4 percent.

200 Volcanoes
There are 200 volcanoes in the Philippines, 22 of them are said to be active. The archipelago also sits on the Philippine fault zone, a 1,300-kilometer active left-lateral strike-fault from Luzon to Mindanao. This is why earthquakes occur in the country.

20 Typhoons Each Year
Situated between latitude 21°25'N and 4°23'N and longitude 116°E and 127°E, the Philippines is a tropical country with an average year-round temperature of 27°C (82°F). The Philippine time is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) plus eight hours. According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), about 20 typhoons visit the Philippines between June and October each year. In 1993, the Philippines had 32 typhoons, the highest in many years.

500 Dialects
According to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), there are 78 language groupings and over 500 dialects in the Philippines. While Filipino is regarded as the national language, it was mainly based on Tagalog (from the local phrase taga-ilog meaning residents near the river) language. The main language of instruction is English and the country's laws are also recorded in this language. Filipinos are said to be the world's second largest English-speaking people, after the Americans. This, of course, is subject to debate since only a few Filipinos actually talk in English on the street.

A Quick Peek at Philippines

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The Philippine islands are divided into three groups:

Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
The Luzon islands include Luzon itself, Mindoro, Palawan, Masbate, and other smaller islands.
The Visayas is a group of several small islands, the largest of which are:

Panay, Bohol, Negros, Cebu, Leyte, and Samar.

Mindanao island includes Mindanao island itself and the Sulu Archipelago, composed of Tawi-Tawi, Basilan and Sulu.
Each island group has a Philippine destination worth visiting.

Top 10 Destination in Philippines

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Top 10 Destination in Philippines

Manila
Baguio City
Banaue
Batanes Islands
Bohol
Boracay
Cebu
Corregidor
Davao
Palawan
Pangasinan
Puerto Galera
Vigan, Ilocos Sur

Yes, these are the top places you will discover in Philippine Island and its the best places to be.

Travel Philippines

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