EARLY HISTORY -The Negritos are believed to have migrated to the Philippines some 30,000 years ago from Borneo, Sumatra, and Malaya. The Malayans followed in successive waves. These people belonged to a primitive epoch of Malayan culture, which has apparently survived to this day among certain groups such as the Igorots. The Malayan tribes that came later had more highly developed material cultures.
In the 14th cent. Arab traders from Malay and Borneo introduced Islam into the southern islands and extended their influence as far north as Luzon. The first Europeans to visit (1521) the Philippines were those in the Spanish expedition around the world led by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. Other Spanish expeditions followed, including one from New Spain (Mexico) under López de Villalobos, who in 1542 named the islands for the infante Philip, later Philip II.
Spanish Control - The conquest of the Filipinos by Spain did not begin in earnest until 1564, when another expedition from New Spain, commanded by Miguel López de Legaspi, arrived. Spanish leadership was soon established over many small independent communities that previously had known no central rule. By 1571, when López de Legaspi established the Spanish city of Manila on the site of a Moro town he had conquered the year before, the Spanish foothold in the Philippines was secure, despite the opposition of the Portuguese, who were eager to maintain their monopoly on the trade of East Asia.
Manila repulsed the attack of the Chinese pirate Limahong in 1574. For centuries before the Spanish arrived the Chinese had traded with the Filipinos, but evidently none had settled permanently in the islands until after the conquest. Chinese trade and labor were of great importance in the early development of the Spanish colony, but the Chinese came to be feared and hated because of their increasing numbers, and in 1603 the Spanish murdered thousands of them (later, there were lesser massacres of the Chinese).
The Spanish governor, made a viceroy in 1589, ruled with the advice of the powerful royal audiencia. There were frequent uprisings by the Filipinos, who resented the encomienda system. By the end of the 16th cent. Manila had become a leading commercial center of East Asia, carrying on a flourishing trade with China, India, and the East Indies. The Philippines supplied some wealth (including gold) to Spain, and the richly laden galleons plying between the islands and New Spain were often attacked by English freebooters. There was also trouble from other quarters, and the period from 1600 to 1663 was marked by continual wars with the Dutch, who were laying the foundations of their rich empire in the East Indies, and with Moro pirates. One of the most difficult problems the Spanish faced was the subjugation of the Moros. Intermittent campaigns were conducted against them but without conclusive results until the middle of the 19th cent. As the power of the Spanish Empire waned, the Jesuit orders became more influential in the Philippines and acquired great amounts of property.
Revolution, War, and U.S. Control - It was the opposition to the power of the clergy that in large measure brought about the rising sentiment for independence. Spanish injustices, bigotry, and economic oppressions fed the movement, which was greatly inspired by the brilliant writings of José Rizal. In 1896 
revolution began in the province of Cavite, and after the execution of Rizal that December, it spread throughout the major islands. The Filipino leader, Emilio Aguinaldo, achieved considerable success before a peace was patched up with Spain. The peace was short-lived, however, for neither side honored its agreements, and a new revolution was brewing when the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898.
After the U.S. naval victory in Manila Bay on May 1, 1898, Commodore George Dewey supplied Aguinaldo with arms and urged him to rally the Filipinos against the Spanish. By the time U.S. land forces had arrived, the Filipinos had taken the entire island of Luzon, except for the old walled city of Manila, which they were besieging. The Filipinos had also declared their independence and established a republic under the first democratic constitution ever known in Asia. Their dreams of independence were crushed when the Philippines were transferred from Spain to the United States in the Treaty of Paris (1898), which closed the Spanish-American War.
In Feb., 1899, Aguinaldo led a new revolt, this time against U.S. rule. Defeated on the battlefield, the Filipinos turned to guerrilla warfare, and their subjugation became a mammoth project for the United States—one that cost far more money and took far more lives than the Spanish-American War. The insurrection was effectively ended with the capture (1901) of Aguinaldo by Gen. Frederick Funston, but the question of Philippine independence remained a burning issue in the politics of both the United States and the islands. The matter was complicated by the growing economic ties between the two countries. Although comparatively little American capital was invested in island industries, U.S. trade bulked larger and larger until the Philippines became almost entirely dependent upon the American market. Free trade, established by an act of 1909, was expanded in 1913.
When the Democrats came into power in 1913, measures were taken to effect a smooth transition to self-rule. The Philippine assembly already had a popularly elected lower house, and the Jones Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in 1916, provided for a popularly elected upper house as well, with power to approve all appointments made by the governor-general. It also gave the islands their first definite pledge of independence, although no specific date was set.
When the Republicans regained power in 1921, the trend toward bringing Filipinos into the government was reversed. Gen. Leonard Wood, who was appointed governor-general, largely supplanted Filipino activities with a semimilitary rule. However, the advent of the Great Depression in the United States in the 1930s and the first aggressive moves by Japan in Asia (1931) shifted U.S. sentiment sharply toward the granting of immediate independence to the Philippines.
The Commonwealth - The Hare-Hawes Cutting Act, passed by Congress in 1932, provided for complete independence of the islands in 1945 after 10 years of self-government under U.S. supervision. The bill had been drawn up with the aid of a commission from the Philippines, but Manuel L. Quezon, the leader of the dominant Nationalist party, opposed it, partially because of its threat of American tariffs against Philippine products but principally because of the provisions leaving naval bases in U.S. hands. Under his influence, the Philippine legislature rejected the bill. The Tydings-McDuffie Independence Act (1934) closely resembled the Hare-Hawes Cutting Act, but struck the provisions for American bases and carried a promise of further study to correct “imperfections or inequalities.”
The Philippine legislature ratified the bill; a constitution, approved by President Roosevelt (Mar., 1935) was accepted by the Philippine people in a plebiscite (May); and Quezon was elected the first president (Sept.). When Quezon was inaugurated on Nov. 15, 1935, the Commonwealth of the Philippines was formally established. Quezon was reelected in Nov., 1941. To develop defensive forces against possible aggression, Gen. Douglas MacArthur was brought to the islands as military adviser in 1935, and the following year he became field marshal of the Commonwealth army.
World War II - War came suddenly to the Philippines on Dec. 8 (Dec. 7, U.S. time), 1941, when Japan attacked without warning. Japanese troops invaded the islands in many places and launched a pincer drive on Manila. MacArthur’s scattered defending forces (about 80,000 troops, four fifths of them Filipinos) were forced to withdraw to Bataan Peninsula and Corregidor Island, where they entrenched and tried to hold until the arrival of reinforcements, meanwhile guarding the entrance to Manila Bay and denying that important harbor to the Japanese. But no reinforcements were forthcoming. The Japanese occupied Manila on Jan. 2, 1942. MacArthur was ordered out by President Roosevelt and left for Australia on Mar. 11; Lt. Gen. Jonathan Wainwright assumed command.
The besieged U.S.-Filipino army on Bataan finally crumbled on Apr. 9, 1942. Wainwright fought on from Corregidor with a garrison of about 11,000 men; he was overwhelmed on May 6, 1942. After his capitulation, the Japanese forced the surrender of all remaining defending units in the islands by threatening to use the captured Bataan and Corregidor troops as hostages. Many individual soldiers refused to surrender, however, and guerrilla resistance, organized and coordinated by U.S. and Philippine army officers, continued throughout the Japanese occupation.
Japan’s efforts to win Filipino loyalty found expression in the establishment (Oct. 14, 1943) of a “Philippine Republic,” with José P. Laurel, former supreme court justice, as president. But the people suffered greatly from Japanese brutality, and the puppet government gained little support. Meanwhile, President Quezon, who had escaped with other high officials before the country fell, set up a government-in-exile in Washington. When he died (Aug., 1944), Vice President Sergio Osmeña became president. Osmeña returned to 
the Philippines with the first liberation forces, which surprised the Japanese by landing (Oct. 20, 1944) at Leyte, in the heart of the islands, after months of U.S. air strikes against Mindanao. The Philippine government was established at Tacloban, Leyte, on Oct. 23.
The landing was followed (Oct. 23–26) by the greatest naval engagement in history, called variously the battle of Leyte Gulf and the second battle of the Philippine Sea. A great U.S. victory, it effectively destroyed the Japanese fleet and opened the way for the recovery of all the islands. Luzon was invaded (Jan., 1945), and Manila was taken in February. On July 5, 1945, MacArthur announced “All the Philippines are now liberated.” The Japanese had suffered over 425,000 dead in the Philippines.
The Philippine congress met on June 9, 1945, for the first time since its election in 1941. It faced enormous problems. The land was devastated by war, the economy destroyed, the country torn by political warfare and guerrilla violence. Osmeña’s leadership was challenged (Jan., 1946) when one wing (now the Liberal party) of the Nationalist party nominated for president Manuel Roxas, who defeated Osmeña in April.
The Republic of the Philippines - Manuel Roxas became the first president of the Republic of the Philippines when independence was granted, as scheduled, on July 4, 1946. In Mar., 1947, the Philippines and the United States signed a military assistance pact (since renewed) and the Philippines gave the United States a 99-year lease on designated military, naval, and air bases (a later agreement reduced the period to 25 years beginning 1967). The sudden death of President Roxas in Apr., 1948, elevated the vice president, Elpidio Quirino, to the presidency, and in a bitterly contested election in Nov., 1949, Quirino defeated José Laurel to win a four-year term of his own.
The enormous task of reconstructing the war-torn country was complicated by the activities in central Luzon of the Communist-dominated Hukbalahap guerrillas (Huks), who resorted to terror and violence in their efforts to achieve land reform and gain political power. They were finally brought under control (1954) after a vigorous attack launched by the minister of national defense, Ramón Magsaysay. By that time Magsaysay was president of the country, having defeated Quirino in Nov., 1953. He had promised sweeping economic changes, and he did make progress in land reform, opening new settlements outside crowded Luzon island. His death in an airplane crash in Mar., 1957, was a serious blow to national morale. Vice President Carlos P. GarcÃa succeeded him and won a full term as president in the elections of Nov., 1957.
In foreign affairs, the Philippines maintained a firm anti-Communist policy and joined the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization in 1954. There were difficulties with the United States over American military installations in the islands, and, despite formal recognition (1956) of full Philippine sovereignty over these bases, tensions increased until some of the bases were dismantled (1959) and the 99-year lease period was reduced. The United States rejected Philippine financial claims and proposed trade revisions.
Philippine opposition to GarcÃa on issues of government corruption and anti-Americanism led, in June, 1959, to the union of the Liberal and Progressive parties, led by Vice President Diosdado Macapagal, the Liberal party leader, who succeeded GarcÃa as president in the 1961 elections. Macapagal’s administration was marked by efforts to combat the mounting inflation that had plagued the republic since its birth; by attempted alliances with neighboring countries; and by a territorial dispute with Britain over North Borneo (later Sabah), which Macapagal claimed had been leased and not sold to the British North Borneo Company in 1878.
Marcos and After - Ferdinand E. Marcos, who succeeded to the presidency after defeating Macapagal in the 1965 elections, inherited the territorial dispute over Sabah; in 1968 he approved a congressional bill annexing Sabah to the Philippines. Malaysia suspended diplomatic relations (Sabah had joined the Federation of Malaysia in 1963), and the matter was referred to the United Nations. (The Philippines dropped its claim to Sabah in 1978.) The Philippines became one of the founding countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1967. The continuing need for land reform fostered a new Huk uprising in central Luzon, accompanied by mounting assassinations and acts of terror, and in 1969, Marcos began a major military campaign to subdue them. Civil war also threatened on Mindanao, where groups of Moros opposed Christian settlement. In Nov., 1969, Marcos won an unprecedented reelection, easily defeating Sergio Osmeña, Jr., but the election was accompanied by violence and charges of fraud, and Marcos’s second term began with increasing civil disorder.
In Jan., 1970, some 2,000 demonstrators tried to storm Malacañang Palace, the presidential residence; riots erupted against the U.S. embassy. When Pope Paul VI visited Manila in Nov., 1970, an attempt was made on his life. In 1971, at a Liberal party rally, hand grenades were thrown at the speakers’ platform, and several people were killed. President Marcos declared martial law in Sept., 1972, 
charging that a Communist rebellion threatened. The 1935 constitution was replaced (1973) by a new one that provided the president with direct powers. A plebiscite (July, 1973) gave Marcos the right to remain in office beyond the expiration (Dec., 1973) of his term. Meanwhile the fighting on Mindanao had spread to the Sulu Archipelago. By 1973 some 3,000 people had been killed and hundreds of villages burned. Throughout the 1970s poverty and governmental corruption increased, and Imelda Marcos, Ferdinand’s wife, became more influential.
Martial law remained in force until 1981, when Marcos was reelected, amid accusations of electoral fraud. On Aug. 21, 1983, opposition leader Benigno Aquino was assassinated at Manila airport, which incited a new, more powerful wave of anti-Marcos dissent. After the Feb., 1986, presidential election, both Marcos and his opponent, Corazon Aquino (the widow of Benigno), declared themselves the winner, and charges of massive fraud and violence were leveled against the Marcos faction. Marcos’s domestic and international support eroded, and he fled the country on Feb. 25, 1986, eventually obtaining asylum in the United States.
Aquino’s government faced mounting problems, including coup attempts, significant economic difficulties, and pressure to rid the Philippines of the U.S. military presence (the last U.S. bases were evacuated in 1992). In 1990, in response to the demands of the Moros, a partially autonomous Muslim region was created in the far south. In 1992, Aquino declined to run for reelection and was succeeded by her former army chief of staff Fidel Ramos. He immediately launched an economic revitalization plan premised on three policies: government deregulation, increased private investment, and political solutions to the continuing insurgencies within the country. His political program was somewhat successful, opening dialogues with the Marxist and Muslim guerillas. However, Muslim discontent with partial rule persisted, and unrest and violence continued throughout the 1990s. In 1999, Marxist rebels and Muslim separatists formed an alliance to fight the government.
Several natural disasters, including the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo on Luzon and a succession of severe typhoons, slowed the country’s economic progress. However, the Philippines escaped much of the economic turmoil seen in other East Asian nations in 1997 and 1998, in part by following a slower pace of development imposed by the International Monetary Fund. Joseph Marcelo Estrada, a former movie actor, was elected president in 1998, pledging to help the poor and develop the country’s agricultural sector. In 1999 he announced plans to amend the constitution in order to remove protectionist provisions and attract more foreign investment.
Late in 2000, Estrada’s presidency was buffeted by charges that he accepted millions of dollars in payoffs from illegal gambling operations. Although his support among the poor Filipino majority remained strong, many political, business, and church leaders called for him to resign. In Nov., 2000, Estrada was impeached by the house of representatives on charges of graft, but the senate, controlled by Estrada’s allies, provoked a crisis (Jan., 2001) when it rejected examining the president’s bank records. As demonstrations against Estrada mounted and members of his cabinet resigned, the supreme court stripped him of the presidency, and Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was sworn in as Estrada’s successor.
Macapagal-Arroyo was elected president in her own right in May, 2004, but the balloting was marred by violence and irregularities as well as a tedious vote-counting process that was completed six weeks after the election.
The Philippines is a beautiful archipelago comprising of more than 7,100 islands. There are historic places, signature foods, dances and costumes in almost every province. This is primarily due to its strategic location, rich history and culture. Filipinos are also known for their trademark hospitality. Visitors everywhere marvel at the way they are treated in each place they visit.
It is mainly for this reason that we put up this web site. We want more people - Filipinos and foreigners alike - to know that the Philippines has so much to offer. We want to make them aware that in this part of the world, they can enjoy the simple pleasures of swimming in serene, pristine beaches, yet be within easy access to the rest of the world via the worldwide web. We want to make them see that they can enjoy colorful festivals and shopping at daytime, and go to bars and theaters at nighttime.
We also want to give credit to the establishments that have excelled in their fields. This is the reason we have included a special section wherein you can that can further enhance our links. We want to give you the information you want. Your feedback will help us maintain the site and cater to your needs.
GOVERNMENT
The present Philippine Constitution was ratified in 1987 after an overwhelming result of a plebiscite. The Philippines has a democratic form of government which has 3 branches, the executive, legislative and judiciary.
The Executive Branch is composed of the President, who serves as the Chief of State and head of government, and is assisted by the Vice-President. The Cabinet is composed of Secretaries who are appointed by the President with the consent of the Commission on Appointments.
The Legislative Branch is the bicameral congress composed of members of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate has 24 members, the first half as determined by popular vote, serves a full 6-year term. The second half are elected every 3 years. Senators may serve for at most, 2 consecutive terms. The House of Representatives may be composed of at most 250 members. Members of the House of Representatives may serve for 3 consecutive terms, at most.
The Judicial Branch of the government, the Supreme Court, is headed by the Chief Justice and composed of justices appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Judicial and Bar Council. Members can serve until they reach 70 years old.
Just to give you a glimpse of how the Philippines works as a nation, we have included this section wherein you can see most of the services provided by the government. The agriculture section gives you an insight into our home-grown crops, income-generating livestock and the different government programs that ensure we have sufficient supply of each of these.
The labor and welfare conditions of employees – both working for the government and private firms – are given a special section here. The justice link shows how the government ensures that everyone’s rights - the underprivileged, average and affluent people - are given equal weight.
We also have information on how we provide accessible, affordable, adequate, and quality health care for all Filipinos. As for the educational needs of the citizenry, here you will find different kinds of scholarships for different types of people driven to further enhance their competence in various fields. This is also updated with the latest developments, news and trends in the education field.
E-services make government services within easy reach. Some business transactions can be done over the Web.To know more about what we have accomplished as a nation, here are President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s State of the Nation addresses:
SPORTS HEROES
Filipinos prove their mettle in sports as they harvest medals in different events. In the international level, Filipinos stamp their marks as they prove to be the best among the best.
The birth of the Philippine Sports Commission in the 1987 Constitution affirms the importance of sports in fostering self-discipline, teamwork and excellence in the development of a healthy and functioning citizenry. The Palarong Pambansa provides the venue for professional athletes from all over the country to meet in annual competition.
Private sponsors put up sports clinics to encourage the youth to engage in healthy recreation. Almost all barangays have several multi-purpose gyms which are ideal venues for basketball, volleyball and badminton tournaments. Some public parks are also sites for exercise programs that include aerobics and dance exercises, among others.
Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao
- Light Heavyweight Champion of the World Boxing Council (WBC: 2003), International Boxing Federation (IBF: 2003) and World Boxing Association (WBA: 2004)
Efren “The Magician” Reyes
- dubbed as “The Magician” when he became the 1985 Red 9-Ball Open champion for his ability to execute brilliant shots
Eric Buhain
- the most accomplished swimmer of his generation. No other Filipino male before or since Buhain has won the Best Male Athlete of the SEA Games when he did the trick in 1991 after he took home five gold medals, broke two records and helped the Philippines come to within a breath of the Games overall championship.
Eugene Torre
- became Asia’s first chess grandmaster at the age of 22
Elma Muros
- went down in the Southeast Asian Games history as the only track athlete who won in different events. She was also hailed as the SOUTHEAST ASIAN Games heptathlon queen in 1997.
Francisco “Django” Bustamante
- one of billiard’s greatest international stars
Francisco “Pancho Villa” Guilledo
- Asia’s first world champion in boxing, dubbed as the greatest flyweight of the century
Gabriel “Flash” Elorde
- dubbed as the greatest Filipino boxer of all time
Gerald Rosales
- Asian Games silver medallist and Southeast Asian Games two-time champion in golf
Jennifer Rosales
- the first player from the Philippines to win on the LPGA Tour in 2004
Lydia de Vega
- Asia’s fastest woman in the 1980s. Brought home the gold medal twice in a row in the Asian Games in the 100-meter dash; and the silver medal in the 200-meter run.
Mansueto Velasco
- won the silver medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in the men’s light flyweight division
Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski
- the accomplished equestrienne who bagged the gold medal for the Individual Show Jumping competition in the 2002 Asian Games
Paeng Nepomuceno
- the all-time greatest international bowler with six world championships to his credit
Ramon Fernandez
- Philippine Basketball Association’s first four-time Most Valuable Player; played in the league for a record of 20 seasons.
Robert Jaworski
- one of Philippine Basketball Association’s 25 greatest players of all time. At the time of his retirement, he was the oldest professional basketball player in the world
Teofilo Yldefonso
- the first Filipino Olympic bronze medallist. He earned this honor in the 1928 Amsterdam Summer Olympics 200-meter breaststroke swimming competition then repeated this feat four years later in the 1932 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.
Toni Leviste
- 2000 Sydney Olympics participant and part of the Philippine team which won the silver medal in the 2002 Asian Games showjumping competition
Akiko Thomson
- 1992 Barcelona Olympics swimming competition participant
Alvin Patrimonio
- four-time Philippine Basketball Association Most Valuable Player, two of which were won back-to-back in 1993 and 1994
Bong Coo
- made her mark in the bowling world when she delivered nine consecutive strikes in 1979. She has continued to reap honors for the country since then.
Carlos Loyzaga
- led the Philippine team that won a bronze medal in the 1954 World Basketball Championship and four gold
Dorothy Delasin
- the Filipina who has become the youngest Ladies’ Professional Golf Association Champion in the last 25 years
TOURISM
A visit to the Philippines is a very good idea. Travel expenses are low compared to other countries, the culinary fare is diverse and the hospitality of the Filipino people is legendary in Southeast Asia.
Travel destinations such as the world famous Boracay Islands is just one of the many choices you can visit here. Accomodations can be suitably fit to your budget and preferences. You’ll surely find whatever fits you. You can visit the Philippine Tourism Authority web site for additional information.
The islands of the Philippines can be conveniently divided into three groups. First, there is Luzon, the largest and northernmost island and the site of the capital, Manila. At the other end of the archipelago is the second largest island, Mindanao. Third, there is the tightly-packed island group known as the Visayas. There are seven major islands in this group - Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, Samar and Masbate. Cebu is the central island of the group and Cebu City is a major tourist destination.
Filipinos are fun-loving people. This evidently shows when the sun sets as the nightlife begins to unravel. And you will find world class entertainment here even in small bars as the Filipinos are one of the best entertainers around the globe.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Location
The Philippines is located in the Southeast Asian region bounded by the South China Sea on the west and the Philippine Sea on the east.
People
Filipinos are of Indo-Malay, Chinese and Spanish ancestry.
Population
The estimated population in July, 2006 is 89,468,677.As of July 2005, the population reached an estimated 87,857,473.
Language
The official, commercial and legal language is English though the national language is Filipino. Around 111 languages and dialects are spoken around the country.
National AnthemLupang Hinirang is the national anthem of the Philippines. At first, it was an instrumental march commissioned by then President Emilio Aguinaldo, to Julian Felipe, for use in the Philippine independence proclamation on June 12, 1898. The original Spanish lyrics was written by Jose Palma.
Flag of the RepublicThe Philippine Flag is the national emblem of the country. has the unique distinction of being the only flag in the world signifying peace or war. It stands for freedom, equality, justice and nobility.
The Pledge of Allegiance to the Philippine Flag
The Pledge of Allegiance to the Philippine Flag, was revised in accordance to the Department of Education’s Order 54 to inculate values of patriotism and citizenship in all Filipinos.
How to Get Here
Most international flights enter the Philippines through Manila and Cebu. Manila, through the Philippine Airlines, links to 26 cities in 19 countries. It also serves principal cities and towns all over the country. It sea ports for major international carriers and cruise liners in the two cities. Regular flights from Japan, Singapore and Australia, as well as charter flights from Hong Kong and the United States and other major travel markets enter through Cebu City too.
Entry Regulations
As long as your country of origin is among those with which the Philippines has diplomatic relations and you have valid passports, you can stay in the Philippines for a period of 21 days. You don’t need visas to get in. If you plan to stay for three months, you can secure visas that cost around US$35. Multiple entry visas (lasting six and 12 months) are also available but cost higher and allows stays for 59 days at most.
Upon Arrival
Guests undergo Customs examination. They are requested to fill in the Baggage and Currency Declaration Form. Items such as reasonable quantity of clothes, jewelry and toiletries, cigarette or tobacco sticks, and bottles of wines or spirits, are allowed to be brought in but with a fixed limit duty-free.
The Bureau of Customs also requires visitors who carry more than US$3,000 to declare the amount at the Central Bank of the Philippines. Upon departure, foreign currency taken must not exceed the amount brought in. They also cannot take out more than PhP1000 in local currency.
Climate
Philippine seasons can be divided into three. These are the wet or rainy season which falls on the months of June to October, the cool or dry season extending from November to February and the hot or dry season from March to May. Generally, the climate is tropical with abundant rainfall and gentle winds.
What to Wear
If you just want to go around the city, light casual clothes such as lightweight cotton and linen tropical clothing are recommended. If you plan to visit mountain regions, you should wear warmer garments. In attending formal occasions, a dinner jacket and tie, or the Philippine barong Tagalog can be worn.
Currency
The currency code is PHP. It stands for Philippine peso. Bank notes come in P10, P20, P50, P100, P200, P500 and P1000 denominations, while coins come in 5c, 10c, 25c, P1, P5 and P10.
You may visit the site to view the latest Philippine currency exchange rate.
Religion
The Philippines is predominantly Catholic. Islam and Protestantism are also practiced. There are also Filipino independent churches such as Aglipay and Iglesia ni Cristo founded by some locals.
Source: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-05.
hehehehehe…just an information….enjoy…
