Portal:Philippines

Welcome to the Philippines Portal / Maligayang pagdating sa Portal ng Pilipinas

The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. In the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of 7,641 islands, with a total area of roughly 300,000 square kilometers, which are broadly categorized in three main geographical divisions from north to south: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. With a population of over 110 million, it is the world's twelfth-most-populous country.

The Philippines is bounded by the South China Sea to the west, the Philippine Sea to the east, and the Celebes Sea to the south. It shares maritime borders with Taiwan to the north, Japan to the northeast, Palau to the east and southeast, Indonesia to the south, Malaysia to the southwest, Vietnam to the west, and China to the northwest. It has diverse ethnicities and a rich culture. Manila is the country's capital, and its most populated city is Quezon City. Both are within Metro Manila.

Negritos, the archipelago's earliest inhabitants, were followed by waves of Austronesian peoples. The adoption of animism, Hinduism with Buddhist influence, and Islam established island-kingdoms. Extensive overseas trade with neighbors such as the late Tang or Song empire brought Chinese people to the archipelago as well, which would also gradually settle in and intermix over the centuries. The arrival of the explorer Ferdinand Magellan marked the beginning of Spanish colonization. In 1543, Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos named the archipelago Las Islas Filipinas in honor of King Philip II of Castile. Catholicism became the dominant religion, and Manila became the western hub of trans-Pacific trade. Hispanic immigrants from Latin America and Iberia would also selectively colonize. The Philippine Revolution began in 1896, and became entwined with the 1898 Spanish–American War. Spain ceded the territory to the United States, and Filipino revolutionaries declared the First Philippine Republic. The ensuing Philippine–American War ended with the United States controlling the territory until the Japanese invasion of the islands during World War II. After the United States retook the Philippines from the Japanese, the Philippines became independent in 1946. Since then, the country notably experienced a period of martial law from 1972 to 1981 under the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos and his subsequent overthrow by the People Power Revolution in 1986. Since returning to democracy, the constitution of the Fifth Republic was enacted in 1987, and the country has been governed as a unitary presidential republic. However, the country continues to struggle with issues such as inequality and endemic corruption.

The Philippines is an emerging market and a developing and newly industrialized country, whose economy is transitioning from being agricultural to service- and manufacturing-centered. Its location as an island country on the Pacific Ring of Fire and close to the equator makes it prone to earthquakes and typhoons. The Philippines has a variety of natural resources and a globally-significant level of biodiversity. The country is part of multiple international organizations and forums. (Full article...)

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The Sulu bleeding-heart or Tawitawi bleeding-heart (Gallicolumba menagei) is a species of bird in the pigeon and dove family, Columbidae. It is endemic to the island of Tawi-Tawi and its surrounding islets in the Philippines' Sulu Archipelago. This species is known only from two specimens collected in 1891, and has not been recorded with certainty since. It lives in primary and secondary forests that have a closed canopy. The Sulu bleeding-heart is a medium-sized pigeon with a short tail. Bright metallic green feathers stretch from the forehead and crown down to the mantle and sides of the breast, where they surround a large, pale orange breast spot with diffuse edges that gives the species the name "bleeding-heart". The lower wings and back are varying shades of brown, and the throat and chest are largely white. The belly is an ashy-gray.

Like other bleeding-hearts, the Sulu bleeding-heart is primarily a sedentary bird, feeding on the forest floor and flying only for short distances. Little is known about its behavior due to the paucity of sightings. Searches of Tawi-Tawi in 1971 and 1991 did not discover any evidence of the species' continued existence. Most of the bird's habitat was logged on Tawi-Tawi by 1994. However, an ethnobiological survey in 1995 revealed that the bleeding-heart was common until the 1970s and still survives on small islets near Tawi-Tawi. While another survey in 2009 failed to find the species, there is some hope that it may still persist. For this reason, it is currently listed as critically endangered by the IUCN. Any surviving population would be very small, likely numbering fewer than 50 individuals, and would be threatened by habitat destruction and uncontrolled hunting. (Full article...)

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... that Judy Ann Santos received the Box Office Queen award for starring in Isusumbong Kita sa Tatay Ko, the first Filipino film to earn 100 million pesos at the box office?
... that Chicago's Kasama is the world's first Filipino restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star?
... that a former teacher in the Philippines became a Robin Hood–like outlaw?
... that the embassy of the Philippines in Bucharest is the country's first mission in the Eastern Bloc?
... that the 2025 Philippine general election is set to be the first to be held under a new voting system provider after the previous one was disqualified over bribery allegations?
... that the first ambassador at the Philippine embassy in Manama would later be injured in the 2000 bombing of the Philippine embassy in Jakarta?
... that Filipino violinist Gilopez Kabayao was nicknamed the "Mozart to the Barrios"?
... that at the height of the war between Iraq and the Islamic State, diplomats of the Philippine embassy in Baghdad agreed to die together rather than be taken hostage?

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Image 1Picture of a Carabao in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Philippines
Image 2A view of Barlas Island, Honda Bay, Palawan, Philippines
Image 3A leaning belfry of St. Andrew Church, in Bacarra town, province of Ilocos Norte
Image 4Banaue, Philippines: a view of Banaue Municipal Town
Image 5Banaue, Philippines: A man of the fugao tribe in traditional costume
Image 6The Bangui Wind Farm is a wind farm in Bangui, Ilocos Norte, Philippines
Image 7A skyline view of Manila
Image 8Shipping on the Pasig River, 1899
Image 9A map of the Philippines showing the location of all the regions and provinces
Image 10A selection of dishes found in Filipino cuisine
Image 11A view at Francisco Bangoy International Airport, 2019

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Diokno at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani in 2019

Jose Manuel Tadeo "Chel" Icasiano Diokno (Tagalog: [ˈdʒɔknɔ], born February 23, 1961) is a Filipino lawyer, educator, human rights advocate, and broadcaster. He serves as the chairman of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), the founding dean of the De La Salle University College of Law (now Tañada-Diokno School of Law), and the chairman of the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation. He has served as a special counsel for the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. He was a candidate for the Senate of the Philippines in both the 2019 Philippine Senate election and the 2022 Philippine Senate election. Diokno also co-hosts radio programs such as Oras at Bayan on Veritas 846 and Rekta: Agenda ng Masa on DZRH and DZRH News Television. (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various Philippines-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Loboc Church in Bohol (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 2Dominant ethnic groups by province. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 3Manny Pacquiao, the only 8-division world boxing champion in history. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 4Carabao is a major symbol of Filipinos hard labor. And is known to be the "Filipino farmer's bestfriend". (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 5An Itneg shaman offering pigs to anito spirits, 1922 (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 6A grandmaster of Arnis. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 7Vega Ancestral House, Misamis Oriental (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 8Original image of the Santo Niño de Cebú. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 9Cockfight (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 10Letras y figuras painting by Jose Honorato Lozano (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 11Vigan City in Ilocos Sur (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 12Villa Escudero exhibit depicting 19th century Filipino family in traditional attire (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 13Museum Agrifina Circle (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 14Kalesa, a traditional Philippine urban transportation, in front of Manila Cathedral entrance (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 15Bahay na bato, a traditional Filipino house (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 16The Kutkut art from Samar (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 17The University of Santo Tomas, located in Manila, was established in 1611. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 18Sungka, a traditional Filipino game. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 19Aguinaldo Shrine in Cavite (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 20Harana (serenade) (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 21Noli Me Tángere (novel) (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 22Paoay Church in Ilocos Norte (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 23A Tboli woman weaving t'nalak from South Cotabato. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 24Tortoise-shell and silver Salakot (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 25A PBA game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 26Mila del Sol starred in one of the earliest Filipino movies, Giliw Ko (1939), along with Fernando Poe Sr. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 27Old Senate Hall with Tampinco style of carving and ornamentation (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 28Good Friday observance in Pampanga (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 29A performer depicting a babaylan (shaman) (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 30Parol (Christmas lanterns) being sold during the Christmas season (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 31Filipino traditional dance at a festival (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 32Filipina in traditional attire (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 33Pineapple fiber is used to create traditional Philippine garments. (from Culture of the Philippines)

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In the news

15 April 2025 –: A Chinese crew member is killed when Chinese sand barge vessel M/V Hong Hai 16 capsizes off Rizal, Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. A search and rescue operation is launched by the Philippine Coast Guard for missing crew members, which includes seven Filipinos and three Chinese. (The Philippine Star)
3 April 2025 –: China arrests three Filipinos suspected of espionage near Chinese military facilities as part of a network recruited by Philippine intelligence to gather sensitive information. The Philippines say the arrests are related to previous arrests of Chinese nationals for similar offences. (AFP via CNA) (Reuters)

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More did you know - show different entries

...that Rafael Buenaventura, once-governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and one of the world’s top central bankers, was largely responsible for removing the Philippines from an FATF black list?
...that the De La Salle University-Manila College of Engineering was established in 1947 with the aim of providing young men with knowledge of science and technology to help rehabilitate the Philippines, which had been devastated during World War II?
...that the Judicial and Bar Council of the Philippines recommends appointees to the country's courts, without the "advice and consent" of the Commission on Appointments?
...that although Negros Occidental has the most chartered cities in the Philippines, many of those cities merely resemble medium-sized towns?