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 roughly 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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The UST Main Building during its early years (1920s-1930s).

The University of Santo Tomas is one of the oldest existing universities and holds the oldest extant university charter in the Philippines and in Asia. It was founded on April 28, 1611, by the third Archbishop of Manila, Miguel de Benavides, together with Domingo de Nieva and Bernardo de Santa Catalina. It was originally conceived as a school to prepare young men for the priesthood. Located Intramuros, it was first called Colegio de Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario and later renamed Colegio de Santo Tomás in memory of Dominican theologian Saint Thomas Aquinas. In 1624, the colegio was authorized to confer academic degrees in theology, philosophy, and arts. On November 20, 1645, after representations by Vittorio Riccio, Pope Innocent X elevated the college to the rank of a university and in 1680 it was placed under royal patronage.

Through the centuries, the university was given the following titles: Royal, Pontifical, and Catholic University of the Philippines. In 1785, for the loyalty shown by the administration and students who volunteered to defend Manila against the British invasion, King Charles III of Spain granted it the title of "Royal University". Pope Leo XIII made the University of Santo Tomas a "Pontifical University" in 1902 and in 1947, Pope Pius XII bestowed upon it the title of "The Catholic University of the Philippines". Thus its complete name is Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila. (Full article...)

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Did you know (auto-generated) - load new batch

... that Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos bought New York City's Crown Building because of a tearful plea?
... 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)?
... that the chancery of the Philippine consulate general in Honolulu was bought with donations?
... that in 2005, the Philippine embassy in Paris regularly had a flooded basement due to a lack of funds?
... that in the history of fisheries in the Philippines, the once-dominant local municipal fisheries were supplanted first by commercial fisheries, and then by aquaculture?
... that abused Overseas Filipino Workers accused the former chargé d'affaires of the Philippine embassy in Damascus of neglecting them while he was regularly partying with handsome Syrians?
... that Sharon Cuneta and Regine Velasquez's concert Iconic has been referred to as a venture of two unrivaled names in the music scene of the Philippines?
... that the flagbearer for the Philippines at the 1924 Summer Olympics also carried a flag of the United States?

Selected picture

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

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

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Ramsay in 2010

Derek Arthur Ramsay Jr. (born December 7, 1976) is a British-Filipino model, actor, and host. As of 2019, he is an exclusive talent of GMA Network. In 2021, he filed an indefinite leave and is currently inactive in showbiz to attend to his personal life. (Full article...)

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General images

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

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

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In the news

27 October 2024 – 2024 Pacific typhoon season: The death toll from Tropical Storm Trami in the Philippines increases to 136 people killed and missing. (Al Jazeera)
26 October 2024 – 2024 Pacific typhoon season: The death toll from the flooding and landslides caused by Tropical Storm Trami in the Philippines increases to at least 126. (UPI)
25 October 2024 – 2024 Pacific typhoon season: The death toll from Tropical Storm Trami's landfall in central and northern Philippines increases to 76 people, with more than 320,000 people evacuated. (Al Jazeera)
15 October 2024 – Philippines–United Arab Emirates relations: Following a phone call with Emirati president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Philippine president Bongbong Marcos confirms that 143 Filipinos in the United Arab Emirates have been pardoned by the Emirati government. (Philippine News Agency)

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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?