Philippines Informative Slideshow

The country has a democratic government with a presidential system at its head. The president acts as the head of state, head of the government, and the commander-in-chief. It has as congress and judicial system fashioned similarly to that of the United States, and an election system that takes place every few years.

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The Filipino people are made up mostly of South Asian and Indonesian descent. There are dozens of ethnic subgroups that vary throughout the islands, just as each islander is related in ancestry, so are their some 150 languages spoken. This diversity is often a direct product of the family centered culture seen throughout the area. Tagalog and Filipino are the most commonly spoken tongues with Manila and English following closely behind. The majority of Filipinos are Christian Roman Catholic, with few others in between.

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The country’s agriculture is strongly governed by its geological features. With several thousand islands, naturally, fishing is a major agriculture and export for the country. On the main islands, fruit, rice, and sugarcane are primary products of agriculture and make great contributions to the economy. The country is the world’s largest producer of coconuts and coconut-based products.

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Much of Filipino history is filled with traders and rulers arguing over islands and regions. It wasn’t until the 1300s that Islam was spread throughout the region and soon became the dominant religion. There was never an official government or established kingdom over the whole region until Spanish colonizers settled and established colonies in the 1500s.

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The Filipino people naturally didn’t like the foreigners claiming their land as theirs, these often led to conflicts and battles. However, the Spanish and Chinese colonizers were persistent and eventually created settlements that later became territories for the Spanish. Spain sent out missionaries to preach Christianity, develop ports and trade routes by the mid 1800s. Many Spaniards in this region became wealthy rulers during this time and led with much tyranny, sowing the seeds of the Philippine Revolution in 1896, a conflict that became a precursor to future conflicts over the next 30 to 50 years.

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In 1898, after the establishment of the Philippine Republic, compensation was paid to Spain for the territory by the United States, who didn’t recognize the Philippine Republic and so sparking another conflict resulting in tens of thousands of deaths. After the U.S. suppressed the Filipino rebel efforts, the country saw a surge of cultural growth in art and infrastructure. In 1935, the Philippines was granted Commonwealth status, which helped speed up economic growth.

World War ll broke out and interrupted plans to make the country independent, the Japanese Empire invaded, and the islands witnessed many atrocities and war crimes. Filipinos allied with the U.S. in the war and were liberated after the largest naval battle in history took place, in which over one million Filipinos died.

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After World War ll, the country declared independence and became one of the founding members of the United Nations. The government then struggled as multiple presidencies introduced corruption and embezzlements, all leading to an assassination of the president in 1983, martial law was set in place until a formal democracy was re-established three years later.

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The Philippines government faced multiple natural disasters in the following years, including the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991. These natural disasters provided an incentive to improve multiple government areas. The country saw an increase in growth at this time, but has stagnated occasionally during political scandals and violent elections.

At present day, the country is improving economically, while the government makes improvements to policies and struggles to settle other internal conflicts, especially in the Philippine Drug War.

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The Filipino flag is split between blue and red stripes with a large white triangle in the center left pointing inward. The golden sun and stars represent the different regions of the country while the colors represent its independence from the Spanish and the United States.

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The Philippines is divided into 17 regions, one autonomous, and one administrative. These are divided into regions with separate government offices because of the geographical challenges with instituting provinces instead.

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The Philippines celebrate many international holidays with the rest of the world, but many of their own are often associated with religious events and celebrations. One of the largest and most colorful of these is the Sinulog festival, where many Filipinos celebrate the Feast of the Santo Nino in honor of the child Jesus. This involves a solemn religious procession on the eve of the event, followed by dancers, parades, and other festivities on the day of.

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The Kadayawan Festival takes place in the third week of August and is the celebration of all things beautiful. It is full of color, flowers, food, parades, and entertainment. It can be for religious purposes or just to celebrate. It’s an event that welcomes all and invites tourism from around the world.

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Christmas in the Philippines is one of the most widely celebrated events of the year due to the majority of the population affiliated with Christian religion. Visitors are invited to participate in the activities during this holiday.

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