Philippine Islands

We created this website to discribe how beautiful this tropical country Philippines. As a brief history about this country, we post here below:

The Philippines is a rich tropical archipelago of 7,107 islands stretching gracefully over the western Pacific Ocean, situated about 700 miles (1,130 km) east of the Indochinese peninsula. Main island groups are Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Capital is Manila. Time Zone is GMT + 8 hours.

Based on its strategic location, the country is blessed with abundant natural resources which has attracted traders, explorers and adventurers for centuries.

The Philippines (Filipino: Pilipinas), officially the Republic of the Philippines (Republika ng Pilipinas; RP), is an archipelagic nation located in Southeast Asia, with Manila as its capital city. The Philippines is the world’s 12th most populous country, with a population of 88.6 million. Its national economy is the 39th in the world with a 2007 gross domestic product (GDP) of over US$145 billion or 7.3% increase, in line with the “7, 8, 9″ project of the government to accelerate GDP growth by 2009.

In a bid to further strengthen the Philippine economy, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo pledged to make the Philippines a developed country by 2020. As part of this goal, she instituted five economic “super regions” to concentrate on the economic strengths of various regions of the Philippines, as well as the implementation of tax reforms, continued privatization of state assets, and the building-up of infrastructure in various areas of the Philippines.

Despite the growing economy, the Philippines will have to address several chronic problems in the future. Strategies for streamlining the economy include improvements of infrastructure, more efficient tax systems to bolster government revenues, furthering deregulation and privatization of the economy, and increasing trade integration within the region and across the world. The Philippine economy is also heavily reliant on remittances as a source of foreign currency, surpassing even foreign direct investment. China and India have emerged as major economic competitors, siphoning away investors who would otherwise have invested in the Philippines, particularly telecommunications companies. Regional development is also somewhat uneven, with Luzon and Metro Manila in particular gaining most of the new economic growth at the expense of the other regions, although the government has taken steps to distribute economic growth by promoting investment in other areas of the Philippines.

The Philippines is a founding member of the Asian Development Bank, playing home to its headquarters. It is also a member of the World Bank, the IMF, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Colombo Plan, and the G-77, among others.

Filipinos are mostly of Austronesian descent, but there are significant American, Arab, Chinese, Hispanic and Indian minorities. There are more than 11 million overseas Filipinos worldwide, about 11% of the total population of the Philippines.

With a reputation for being chaotic and corrupt, the Philippines has something of an image problem. But most who make the journey to the 7000 plus islands that comprise the Philippines are pleasantly surprised by their beauty and by the friendliness of the people.

Most of the Philippines is laidback, stable and relatively safe. The locals are an exceptionally helpful bunch and there are fantastic reefs and fish. On top of this, transport is cheap, the food is good, accommodation is plentiful and (for the monolinguistic) English is widely spoken.

During your Philippine holiday you will discover one of the most beautiful and friendly country in the world. There are very few tourists so you can enjoy this amazing country without the crowds. Everywhere you go, locals will be smiling, laughing and genuinely wanting to be your friend. It really is the undiscovered jewel of South-East Asia.

History

Spain first laid claim to the 7,107 islands of the Philippines in 1511 and named them for King Philip II of Spain. England briefly occupied the islands from 1762-3, and the US laid claim in 1898. Japan took over during WWII, and independence was finally granted in 1946. It has been a politically turbulent country ever since.

The Philippines has many affinities with the Western world, derived mainly from the cultures of Spain, Latin America, and the United States. Roman Catholicism became the predominant religion, although the pre-Hispanic indigenous religious practices and Islam still exist. The two official languages of the Philippines are Filipino, which is based on Tagalog, and English.

Is it safe?

The Philippines has received a lot of bad publicity over the years and many people think it is unsafe to visit. This image is based on only a few isolated events and does not reflect the whole country. Filipinos are mostly devout Catholics due to the Spanish influence and Muslims are a small minority, the extremists smaller still.

The Philippine Islands or a whole country is generally very safe and the only place to avoid is Mindanao in the far south - especially Jolo. Philippines are populated by mostly christian, Pilipinos are very friendly people. We can assure you that Philippines is one of the safest places we have ever traveled and the biggest problem you are likely to encounter is a taxi driver trying to charge you a few extra pesos! (Quick tip: Make sure you ask them for “Meter” to avoid this.)

As with anywhere, keep your belongings and money in a secure place, although theft is not a big problem. Tourists are not a target for the thieves in the way they are, for instance, in Thailand. Nevertheless, use hotel safes, and be careful when leaving money and cameras in your room.

Only in Philippines:

Mayon Volcano