Portal:Philippines

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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 300,000 square kilometers, which are broadly categorized in three main geographical divisions from north to south: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. 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 is the world's twelfth-most-populous country, with diverse ethnicities and cultures. 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 ruled by datus, rajas, and sultans. 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 Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer leading a fleet for Castile, 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. Spanish colonization via New Spain, beginning in 1565, led to the Philippines becoming ruled by the Crown of Castile, as part of the Spanish Empire, for more than 300 years. Catholic Christianity 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. The country has had a tumultuous experience with democracy, which included the overthrow of a decades-long dictatorship in a nonviolent revolution.

The Philippines is an emerging market and a newly industrialized country, whose economy is transitioning from being agricultural to service- and manufacturing-centered. It is a founding member of the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, ASEAN, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and the East Asia Summit; it is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement and a major non-NATO ally of the United States. 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. (Full article...)

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Haiyan near its record peak intensity while approaching the Philippines on November 7

Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda, was one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. Upon making landfall, Haiyan devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines. It is one of the deadliest Philippine typhoons on record, killing at least 6,300 people in that country alone. In terms of JTWC-estimated 1-minute sustained winds, Haiyan is tied with Meranti in 2016 for being the second strongest landfalling tropical cyclone on record, only behind Goni of 2020. As of January 2014, bodies were still being found. Haiyan was also the most intense tropical cyclone worldwide in 2013.

The 30th named storm, thirteenth typhoon, and fifth super typhoon of the 2013 Pacific typhoon season, Haiyan originated from an area of low pressure several hundred kilometers east-southeast of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia on November 2. Tracking generally westward, environmental conditions favored tropical cyclogenesis and the system developed into a tropical depression on the following day. After becoming a tropical storm and being named Haiyan at 00:00 UTC on November 4, the system began a period of rapid intensification that brought it to typhoon intensity by 18:00 UTC on November 5. By November 6, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) assessed the system as a Category 5-equivalent super typhoon on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS); the storm passed over the island of Kayangel in Palau shortly after attaining this strength. (Full article...)

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... that the Manila Standard described the concert Two for the Knight as the "biggest team-up of a foreign and local artist" in the Philippines?
... that the sound for the film A Rustling of Leaves: Inside the Philippine Revolution was recorded using a Walkman?
... that three songs from Kyla's album Not Your Ordinary Girl were nominated in the same category at the 2005 Awit Awards?
... that foreign nationals wishing to gain Philippine citizenship need to demonstrate proficiency in English or Spanish as well as a Philippine language?
... that the Commission on Elections was allowed to tabulate the results of the 2002 Puerto Princesa mayoral recall election but could not declare a winner right away?
... 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 Angeline Quinto has recorded songs for at least 35 films and television soundtracks in the Philippines?
... that due to a 2024 heat wave in Southeast Asia, heat indices in the Philippines rose to dangerous levels, as high as 51 °C (124 °F)?

Selected picture

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

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Go to the Tambayan (Philippine WikiProject) and help out with articles.

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Sotto in 2018

Vicente Castelo Sotto III (Tagalog pronunciation: [ˈsɔtɔ]; born August 24, 1948), professionally known as Tito Sotto and also known as Tito Sen, is a Filipino politician, entertainer and athlete who served as Senate President from 2018 to 2022. Before that, he had two stints each as Senate Majority Leader and Senate Minority Leader. He served a total of four terms in the Senate: 1992 to 2004 and 2010 to 2022, tying the record for the longest-serving Senator with Lorenzo Tañada and Franklin Drilon. In between his stints in the Senate, he led the Dangerous Drugs Board for a year. He became the Vice Mayor of Quezon City from 1988 to 1992, and later unsuccessfully ran for vice president in the 2022 elections as Panfilo Lacson's running mate.

Beyond politics, Sotto is an accomplished songwriter, known for founding the iconic musical group VST & Co. alongside his brothers Vic and Val Sotto, which is considered one of the best Filipino bands of all-time and the "pioneer of the Manila sound". (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1A Tboli woman weaving t'nalak from South Cotabato. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 2Flores de Mayo (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 3Pineapple fiber is used to create traditional Philippine garments. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 4Noli Me Tángere (novel) (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 5The MassKara Festival of Bacolod. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 6A performer depicting a babaylan (shaman) (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 7Manny Pacquiao, the only 8-division world boxing champion in history. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 8Filipino traditional dance at a festival (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 9Loboc Church in Bohol (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 10A PBA game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 11Good Friday observance in Pampanga (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 12Parol (Christmas lanterns) being sold during the Christmas season (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 13Filipina in traditional attire (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 14Pahiyas Festival in Lucban Quezon (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 15Paoay Church in Ilocos Norte (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 16Museum Agrifina Circle (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 17Harana (serenade) (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 18Sungka, a traditional Filipino game. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 19The University of Santo Tomas, located in Manila, was established in 1611. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 20Tortoise-shell and silver Salakot (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 21Mila del Sol starred in one of the earliest Filipino movies, Giliw Ko (1939), along with Fernando Poe Sr. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 22Aguinaldo Shrine in Cavite (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 23Vigan City in Ilocos Sur (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 24The Kutkut art from Samar (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 25The Sinulog Festival is held to commemorate the Santo Niño (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 26Kalesa, a traditional Philippine urban transportation, in front of Manila Cathedral entrance (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 27Carabao is a major symbol of Filipinos hard labor. And is known to be the "Filipino farmer's bestfriend". (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 28Dominant ethnic groups by province. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 29Letras y figuras painting by Jose Honorato Lozano (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 30Vega Ancestral House, Misamis Oriental (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 31Cockfight (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 32Original image of the Santo Niño de Cebú. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 33A grandmaster of Arnis. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 34Villa Escudero exhibit depicting 19th century Filipino family in traditional attire (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 35An Itneg shaman offering pigs to anito spirits, 1922 (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 36Old Senate Hall with Estilo Tampinco style of carving and ornamentation (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 37Bahay na bato, a traditional Filipino house (from Culture of the Philippines)

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In the news

20 May 2024 – 19th Congress of the Philippines: Migz Zubiri resigns as President of the Senate of the Philippines and is replaced by Francis Escudero. (KPL/VNA)
30 April 2024 – China–Philippines relations: China's coast guard expels a Philippine Coast Guard ship and another vessel from the waters near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. (Reuters)
29 April 2024 – ISIL insurgency in the Philippines: Five Dawla Islamiya militants are killed and three soldiers are wounded during two shootouts in Munai, Lanao del Norte, Philippines. The military were hunting the group's leader, Nasser Daud, who however escaped from the scene. (MindaNews)

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More did you know - show different entries

...that the Arch of the Centuries (pictured) of the University of Santo Tomas at Manila was disassembled from the University's original campus at Intramuros, carried piece-by-piece, and was re-erected at the current campus at Sampaloc?
... that despite sweeping the elimination round of the 2007 UAAP men's basketball tournament, the University of the East was still beaten by De La Salle University-Manila 2-0 in the finals series?
...that journalist Néstor Mata was the sole survivor of the 1957 Cebu Douglas C-47 crash which killed Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay and 24 others?
... that Fernando Poe, Sr. was incorrectly identified as the model of the U.P. Oblation?