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The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located 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...)

The passenger terminal building in 2022

Iloilo International Airport (IATA: ILO, ICAO: RPVI), also known as Cabatuan Airport, after its location, is the main international airport serving Iloilo City and its metropolitan area, as well as the rest of Iloilo province in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. It is the fifth-busiest airport in the Philippines and is located in the municipality of Cabatuan, Iloilo, approximately 24 kilometers (15 mi) northwest of Iloilo City proper. The airport sits on a 188-hectare (460-acre) site and serves as an operating base for Cebu Pacific.

The airport opened to commercial traffic on June 14, 2007, replacing the old Iloilo Airport in Mandurriao, Iloilo City, after over seventy years in operation. The new airport inherited its IATA and ICAO airport codes, as well as its position as the fourth-busiest airport in the Philippines from its predecessor. It is the first airport in both Western Visayas and the island of Panay built to international standards, serving as the primary gateway to the region. It is classified as an international airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. (Full article...)

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Apolinario Mabini y Maranán (Tagalog: [apolɪˈnaɾ.jo maˈbinɪ]; July 23, 1864 – May 13, 1903) was a Filipino revolutionary leader, educator, lawyer, and statesman who served first as a legal and constitutional adviser to the Revolutionary Government, and then as the first Prime Minister of the Philippines upon the establishment of the First Philippine Republic. He is regarded as the "utak ng himagsikan" or "brain of the revolution" and is also considered as a national hero in the Philippines. Mabini's work and thoughts on the government shaped the Philippines' fight for independence over the next century.

Two of his works, El Verdadero Decálogo (The True Decalogue, June 24, 1898) and Programa Constitucional de la República Filipina (The Constitutional Program of the Philippine Republic, 1898), became instrumental in the drafting of what would eventually be known as the Malolos Constitution. (Full article...)

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In the news

10 June 2025 – Impeachment of Sara Duterte
The Senate of the Philippines votes 18–5 to return the articles of impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte to the House of Representatives for further deliberation. (Rappler) (Inquirer.net)
2 June 2025 –
The Philippine Department of Transportation orders AirAsia to halt the sale of airline tickets in the country, citing alleged overpricing after reports revealed that fares on the airline's website significantly exceeded government-approved price ceilings. (Bloomberg)
29 May 2025 – Pamplona massacre
Arnolfo Teves Jr., the main suspect in the assassination of Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo in 2023, is deported back to the Philippines from Timor-Leste following his arrest yesterday. (ABS-CBN News)
28 May 2025 – Pamplona massacre
The Constitutional Government of Timor-Leste announces that expelled former Philippine lawmaker Arnolfo Teves Jr., the main suspect in the assassination of Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo in 2023, will be deported back to the Philippines after his arrest by Immigration Service of Timor-Leste. (Rappler)
22 May 2025 – 2025 Philippine general election, 2025 Philippine cabinet reshuffle
Philippine president Bongbong Marcos reshuffles the entire Cabinet, with all Cabinet secretaries ordered to submit their courtesy resignations in the wake of the results of the midterm elections. (Rappler) (Reuters)

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