How to Get Married in the Philippines
The U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines, states that the requirements for getting married in the Philippines, if you are a U.S. Citizen, are as follows:
Affidavit of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage
Philippine law requires a citizen or subject of a foreign country to obtain a Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage, issued by the diplomatic or consular offices of his or her country, prior to the issuance of a marriage license in the Philippines.
As American consular officers are specially prohibited from certifying that any U.S. citizen has the capacity to marry, the Philippine government has agreed to accept as substantial compliance with the Philippine law, an Affidavit in Lieu of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage ("affidavit"). The Affidavit attests to the absence of any legal impediment to the marriage and is sworn to before an American consular officer. Therefore, U.S. citizens wishing to marry in the Philippines must appear personally before a consular officer, either at the U.S. Embassy in Manila or the U.S. consulate in Cebu City and complete the Affidavit concerning their own capacity to marry. There is a $10.00 service fee, subject to change, for the notarial service. At the time a U.S. citizen appears to execute the Affidavit, he or she must present the following:
Proof of Citizenship: Examples of sufficient evidence of U.S. citizenship are:1. current registration as U.S. citizen at the Passport and Citizenship Office of the Embassy or at the Consulate2. a U.S. passport3. a birth certificate issued in the United States or a record of birth abroad issued by a U.S. Embassy or Consulate, together with identification bearing a picture or a physical description or4. a Certificate of Naturalization.
Evidence of Termination of Previous Marriage(s): If the U.S. citizen has been previously married, evidence of termination of the previous marriage, such as a certified copy of the final decree of divorce or annulment, or a certified copy of the death certificate of the deceased spouse must be submitted.
Parents' Consent or Advice: Under Philippine law, the legal age for marriage is 18. If the contracting parties are between the ages of 18 and 21, they must present written consent to the marriage from their father, mother or legal guardian. Any contracting party between the age of 22 and 25 must present written parental advice, i.e., a written indication that the parents are aware of the couple's intent to marry.
Military Approval: An active member of the United States Armed Forces wishing to execute the Affidavit must present a letter of approval of the marriage from the appropriate military authority. Military personnel NOT assigned in the Philippines are also required to obtain their authorization from their respective commanding officer. Military members are encouraged to plan well in advance of the intended wedding date and to discuss the requirements with their own command personnel office.
Marriage Procedure The procedure to marry in the Philippines is as follows:
Secure the Affidavit in lieu of Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage from the American Service Branch of the U.S. Embassy in Manila or from the U.S. consulate in Cebu City. If both the bride and the groom are U.S. citizens, each one must obtain an Affidavit.
Apply for the marriage license at the Local Civil Registrar from the municipality where either the bride or the groom habitually resides. The documents necessary for the marriage license are:1. the Affidavit for the U.S. citizen bride or groom2. the death certificate or divorce decree which shows the termination of any previous marriage(s) of the bride and/or the groom3. the birth, baptismal or residency certificate for the Filipino bride or groom, and4. the parental consent or advice, if either party is under age.
Philippine law prescribes a ten-day waiting period from the filing of the Application to the issuance of the marriage license. The license is valid for 120 days and maybe used anywhere in the Philippines.
Present the license to a person authorized to perform marriage ceremonies, such as judge, justice of the peace, priest or minister of religion.
Passport Amendment
A female U.S. citizen may have her passport ammended to indicate her married name. She should bring her passport and a certified true copy of the Marriage contract to the Passport 7 Citizenship Office of the U.S. Embassy in Manila or the U.S. Consulate in Cebu City. This amendment is not obligatory and there is no fee for this service.
Entry of Alien Spouse into the United States
Marriage of a foreign national to a U.S. citizen does not automatically confer United States citizenship upon the alien spouse. He or she must be petitioned by the U.S. citizen spouse as an immigrant to the United States. An alien spouse is almost never eligible for a non-immigrant visitor vista to the United States. In almost all cases, the existence of the marital relationship between the U.S. citizen and the alien makes the alien spouse an intending immigrant to the United States and, by definition, ineligible for a temporary visa. The procedure to obtain an immigrant visa for an alien spouse is as follows:
File the Immigrant Visa Petition: The Petition Form I-130 for an immigrant visa for an alien spouse should be filed at the INS office nearest the Petitioner's place of residence. Only a U.S. citizen who is also a resident of the Philippines may file the petition at the INS office at Room 1036 of the U.S. Embassy in Manila. All others MUST file the petition at the INS office in the United States closest to his or her residence. When filing the petition, the following documents must be submitted:1. a certified copy of the marriage certificate2. proof of U.S. citizenship3. a certified copy of evidence of termination of any prior marriage(s) for either spouse, if applicable, and4. $75.00 or its equivalent in pesos, to cover the statutory fee for filing the petition.
Obtain the Immigrant Visa: When the approved petition is received by the immigrant Visa Branch of the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Manila, it will notify the foreign spouse and provide guidance concerning the subsequent steps to be completed in order to obtain a visa. The applicant must obtain a passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate, police certificate, affidavit of support, photographs, and medical examination according to specifications provided in the instructions. The visa is good for four months from the date issuance.
It can take anywhere from two to four months from the date the petition is approved by INS to the date of the issuance of the immigrant visa. If a field investigation is required, the time period may be even longer. Therefore, a U.S. citizen should not plan to take the alien spouse back to the United States immediately following the marriage. The non-resident US citizen spouse should be prepared to leave the alien spouse behind to complete the required documentation.
Because of the time involved in processing the petition and the application for an immigrant visa, those individuals living in the Philippines on assignment, either government or private, are advised to initiate the required documentation for their spouse's and/or step-children's visas as far in advance of the anticipated rotation date as possible.
Note: A separate visa petition must be filed by the U.S. citizen spouse for each child of the alien spouse under the age of 18 at the time of the marriage who wishes to immigrate to the United States. Those children 18 years of age and older at the time of the marriage must be petitioned by the alien spouse after he or she becomes legal permanent resident in the United States. Under U.S. immigration law, only step parent'schildren under the age of 18 at the time of their natural parent's marriage to a U.S. citizen are considered a ?child? of the U.S. citizen for immigration purpose.
Bringing Your Fianc'ee in America
Fiancée Visa
It is possible to file a petition for an alien to enter the U.S. as the fiancée of an American citizen. The procedure is similar to the procedure for filing a petition and obtaining an immigrant visa for an alien spouse although, fiancée petitions must be filed in the INS office within the U.S. nearest to the petitioner's residence. The petitioner will be asked to submit evidence of his or her U.S. citizenship and evidence that he or she has met the fiancée in person within the last two (2) years. He or she may also be required to present evidence of the bona fide of the relationship with the fiancée.
When approved, the petition will be forwarded to the Immigrant Visa Branch of the U.S. Embassy in Manila. The Philippine fiancée will subsequently be provided by the Embassy with instructions on how to proceed with his or her fiancée visa application. Again, the time period from the date the petition is approved by INS to the date the visa is issued is approximately two to four months and can be longer if a field investigation is required.
The fiancée visa grants the fiancée six months from the time of issuance to enter the U.S. Upon entry, the fiancée has ninety days in which to marry the petitioner. Once the marriage has taken place, the alien spouse can apply to adjust status to that of legal permanent resident at the INS office nearest to his or her place of residence.
Note: U.S. immigration law concerning the children of an alien fiancée is not the same as that concerning the children of the alien spouse. The U.S. citizen fiancée does NOT have to file a separate petition for each of the alien fiancée's unmarried children under 21 at the time the alien fiancée enters the U.S. The U.S. citizen only needs to indicate the names and date of birth of the children in the appropriate block on the petition for alien fiancée. The children will automatically be included in the petition. Unmarried children over the age 21 can be separately petitioned by the alien fiancée after he or she has adjusted status in the U.S. to that of legal permanent resident. For more infromation visit www.uscis.gov
Thursday, October 9, 2008
The Philippines
Etymology
The name Philippines and its Spanish counterpart, Filipinas, are derived from the name of Phillip II, the King of Spain in the late 16th century.[11] Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos used the name Las Islas Filipinas in honor of the then-Crown Prince during his expedition to the Philippines, originally referring to the islands of Leyte and Samar. Despite the presence of other names, the name Filipinas was eventually adopted as the name of the entire archipelago.[11]
[edit] History
Main article: History of the Philippines
Archeological and paleontological discoveries show that Homo sapiens existed in Palawan circa 50,000 BC. The aboriginal people of the Philippines, the Negritos, are an Australo-Melanesian people, which arrived in the Philippines at least 30,000 years ago. The Austronesians, who originated from populations of Taiwanese aboriginals that migrated from mainland Asia approximately 6000 years ago, colonized the Philippine islands and eventually migrated to Indonesia, Malaysia and, soon after, to the Polynesian islands and Madagascar.[12]
The Philippines had cultural ties with Malaysia, Indonesia, India in ancient times, and trade relations with China and Japan as early as the 9th century.
Islam was brought to the Philippines by traders and proselytizers from Malaysia and Indonesia. The Islamization of the Philippines is due to the strength of then-Muslim India.[13] By the 13th century, Islam was established in the Sulu Archipelago and spread from there to Mindanao; it had reached the Manila area by 1565. Muslim converts established Islamic communities and states ruled by rajas or sultans. However, no Islamic state exercised sovereignty over much of the archipelago, and the indigenous maritime and agricultural societies ruled by datus or apos remained autonomous. When the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, the majority of the estimated 500,000 people in the islands lived in independent settlements called 'barangay' or networks of settlements.
In the service of Spain, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his crew started their voyage on September 20, 1519. Magellan sighted Samar on March 17, 1521, on the next day, they reached Homonhon. They reached the island of Mazaua on March 28, 1521 where the first mass in the Philippines was celebrated on March 31, 1521.[11] Magellan arrived at Cebu on April 7, 1521, befriending Rajah Humabon and converting his family and 700 other Cebuanos to Christianity.[11] However, Magellan would later be killed in the Battle of Mactan by indigenous warriors led by Lapu-Lapu, a fierce rival of Humabon.
The beginnings of colonization started to take form when Philip II of Spain ordered successive expeditions. Miguel López de Legazpi arrived from Mexico in 1565 and formed the first Spanish settlements in Cebu. In 1571 he established Manila as the capital of the new Spanish colony.[14]
The Banaue Rice Terraces, they are part of the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, ancient sprawling man-made structures from 2,000 to 6,000 years old, which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Spanish rule brought political unification to the archipelago of previously independent islands and communities, and introduced elements of western civilization such as the code of law, printing and the Gregorian calendar.[15] The Philippines was ruled as a territory of New Spain from 1565 to 1821, but after Mexican independence it was administered directly from Madrid. During that time numerous towns were founded, infrastructures built, new crops and livestock introduced, and trade flourished. The Manila Galleon which linked Manila to Acapulco once or twice a year beginning in the late 16th century, carried silk, spices, ivory and porcelain to America and silver on the return trip to the Philippines. The Spanish military fought off various indigenous revolts and several external threats, especially from the British, Chinese pirates, Dutch, and Portuguese. Roman Catholic missionaries converted most of the inhabitants to Christianity, and founded numerous schools, universities and hospitals. In 1863 a Spanish decree introduced public education, creating free public schooling in Spanish.[16]
The Propaganda Movement, which included Philippine nationalist José Rizal, then a student studying in Spain, soon developed on the Spanish mainland. This was done in order to inform the government of the injustices of the administration in the Philippines as well as the abuses of the friars. In the 1880s and the 1890s, the propagandists clamored for political and social reforms, which included demands for greater representation in Spain. Unable to gain the reforms, Rizal returned to the country, and pushed for the reforms locally. Rizal was subsequently arrested, tried, and executed for treason on December 30, 1896. Earlier that year, the Katipunan, led by Andrés Bonifacio, had already started a revolution, which was eventually continued by Emilio Aguinaldo, who established a revolutionary government, although the Spanish governor general Fernando Primo de Rivera proclaimed the revolution over in May 17, 1897.[17]
National symbols[18]
Category
Symbol
Flag
Pambansang Watawat
Anthem
Lupang Hinirang
Patriotic Song
Pilipinas Kong Mahal, Bayan Ko
Gem
Philippine South Sea Pearl
Dance
Cariñosa
Mammal
Carabao
Bird
Philippine Eagle
Fish
Milkfish (Bangus)
Flower
Arabian Jasmine (Sampaguita)
Tree
Angsana (Narra)
Leaf
Fan palm (Anahaw)
Fruit
Mango (Mangga)
Sport
Sipa
House
Nipa hut (Bahay kubo)
Costume
Barong Tagalog and Baro't saya
Hero
José Rizal
The Spanish-American War began in Cuba in 1898 and soon reached the Philippines when Commodore George Dewey defeated the Spanish squadron at the Manila Bay. Aguinaldo declared the independence of the Philippines on June 12, 1898, and was proclaimed head of state. As a result of its defeat, Spain was forced to officially cede the Philippines, together with Cuba (which was made an independent country, albeit with the US in charge of foreign affairs), Guam and Puerto Rico to the United States. In 1899 the First Philippine Republic was proclaimed in Malolos, Bulacan but was later dissolved by the US forces, leading to the Philippine-American War between the United States and the Philippine revolutionaries, which continued the violence of the previous years. The US proclaimed the war ended when Aguinaldo was captured by American troops on March 23, 1901, but the struggle continued until 1913 claiming the lives of over a million Filipinos.[19][20] The country's status as a territory changed when it became the Commonwealth of the Philippines in 1935, which provided for more self-governance. Plans for increasing independence over the next decade were interrupted during World War II when Japan invaded and occupied the islands. After the Japanese were defeated in 1945 and control returned to the Filipino and American forces in the Liberation of the Philippines from 1944 to 1945, the Philippines was granted independence from the United States on July 4, 1946.[3]
A late 19th century photograph of leaders of the Propaganda Movement: José Rizal, Marcelo del Pilar and Mariano Ponce.
Since 1946, the newly independent Philippine state has faced political instability. The late 1960s and early 1970s saw economic development that was second in Asia, next to Japan. Ferdinand Marcos was, then, the elected president. Barred from seeking a third term, Marcos declared martial law on September 21, 1972, under the guise of increased political instability and resurgent Communist and Muslim insurgencies, and ruled the country by decree.
Upon returning from exile in the United States, opposition leader Benigno Aquino, Jr. or "Ninoy", was assassinated on August 21, 1983. In January 1986, Marcos allowed for a snap election, after large protests. The election was believed to be fraudulent, and resulted in a standoff between military mutineers and the military loyalists. Protesters supported the mutineers, and were accompanied by resignations of prominent cabinet officials. Corazon Aquino, the widow of Ninoy, was the recognized winner of the snap election. She took over the government, and called for a constitutional convention to draft a new constitution, after the People Power Revolution. Marcos, his family and some of his allies fled to Hawaii.[21]
The return of democracy and government reforms after the events of 1986 were hampered by massive national debt, government corruption, coup attempts, a communist insurgency, and a Muslim separatist movement. The economy improved during the administration of Fidel V. Ramos, who was elected in 1992.[22] However, the economic improvements were negated at the onset of the East Asian financial crisis in 1997. The 2001 EDSA Revolution led to the downfall of the following president, Joseph Estrada. The current administration of president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has been hounded by allegations of corruption and election rigging.[23]
[edit] Geography
Main article: Geography of the Philippines
The Chocolate Hills in Bohol.
The limestone islands of El Nido, Palawan.
The famous white sand beaches of Boracay Island
The Philippines constitutes an archipelago of 7,107 islands with a total land area of approximately 300,000 square kilometers (116,000 sq mi). It generally lies between 116° 40' and 126° 34' E. longitude, and 4° 40' and 21° 10' N. latitude, and borders the Philippine Sea on the east, the South China Sea on the west, and the Celebes Sea on the south. The island of Borneo lies a few hundred kilometers southwest and Taiwan directly north. The Moluccas and Sulawesi are to the south/southwest, and Palau is to the east beyond the Philippine Sea.[2]
The islands are commonly divided into three island groups: Luzon (Regions I to V, NCR and CAR), Visayas (VI to VIII), and Mindanao (IX to XIII and ARMM). The busy port of Manila, on Luzon, is the national capital and second largest city after its suburb Quezon City.[2]
The local climate is hot, humid, and tropical. The average yearly temperature is around 26.5 °C (79.7 °F). There are three recognized seasons: Tag-init or Tag-araw (the hot season or summer from March to May), Tag-ulan (the rainy season from June to November), and Taglamig (the cold season from December to February). The southwest monsoon (May-October) is known as the "habagat" and the dry winds of the northeast monsoon (November-April) as the "amihan".[24]
Mayon Volcano, the most active volcano in the Philippines.
Most of the mountainous islands used to be covered in tropical rainforest and are volcanic in origin. The highest point is Mount Apo on Mindanao at 2,954 metres (9,692 ft). There are many active volcanos such as Mayon Volcano, Mount Pinatubo, and Taal Volcano. The country also lies within the typhoon belt of the Western Pacific and approximately 19 typhoons strike per year.[25]
Lying on the northwestern fringes of the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activities. Some 20 earthquakes are registered daily in the Philippines, though most are too weak to be felt. The last great earthquake was the 1990 Luzon earthquake.[26]
The longest river is the Cagayan River in northern Luzon. Manila Bay is connected to Laguna de Bay by means of the Pasig River. Subic Bay, the Davao Gulf and the Moro Gulf are some of the important bays. Transversing the San Juanico Strait is the San Juanico Bridge (considered a point of vital national infrastructure and capacity), that connects the islands of Samar and Leyte.[27]
[edit] Economy
Main article: Economy of the Philippines
Skyline of Metro Manila
Skyline of Metro Cebu
The Philippines is a newly industrialized country with an economy anchored on agriculture but with substantial contributions from manufacturing, mining, remittances from overseas Filipinos and service industries such as tourism and, increasingly, business process outsourcing.[10][28] The Philippines is listed in the roster of the "Next Eleven" economies.
Historically, the Philippine economy has largely been anchored on the Manila galleon during the Spanish era, and bilateral trade with the United States during the American era. Pro-Filipino economic policies were first implemented during the tenure of Carlos P. Garcia with the "Filipino First" policy. By the 1960s, the Philippine economy was regarded as the second-largest in Asia, next only to Japan. However, the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos would prove disastrous to the Philippine economy, sliding the country into severe economic recession, only to recover starting in the 1990s with a program of economic liberalization and the breaking of Marcos-era monopolies and the system of cronyism under Fidel V. Ramos.[22]
Cebu City Business Park.
The Asian Financial Crisis affected the Philippine economy to an extent, resulting in a lingering decline of the value of the Philippine peso and falls in the stock market, although the extent to which it was affected was not as severe as that of its Asian neighbors. This is largely due to the fiscal conservatism of the Philippine government partly as a result of decades of monitoring and fiscal supervision from the International Monetary Fund, in comparison to the massive spending of its neighbors on the rapid acceleration of economic growth.[22] By 2004, the Philippine economy experienced six-percent growth in gross domestic product and 7.3% in 2007,[29] in line with the "7, 8, 9" project of the government to accelerate GDP growth by 2009.[30]
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.[31][32] 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,[33] 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 International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Colombo Plan, and the G-77, among others.[34]
[edit] Politics and government
Main article: Politics of the Philippines
See also: Foreign relations of the Philippines, President of the Philippines, and Constitution of the Philippines
Further information: Armed Forces of the Philippines
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
The Philippines has a presidential, unitary form of government (with some modification; there is one autonomous region largely free from the national government), where the President functions as both head of state and head of government, and is commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The president is elected by popular vote to a single six-year term, during which time she or he appoints and presides over the cabinet.[2]
The bicameral Congress is composed of a Senate, serving as the upper house whose members are elected nationally to a six-year term, and a House of Representatives serving as the lower house whose members are elected to a three-year term and are elected from both legislative districts and through sectoral representation.[2]
The judicial power is vested in the Supreme Court, composed of a Chief Justice as its presiding officer and fourteen associate justices, all appointed by the President from nominations submitted by the Judicial and Bar Council.[2]
Attempts to amend the constitution to either a federal, unicameral or parliamentary form of government have repeatedly failed since the Ramos administration.
The Philippines is a founding and active member of the United Nations since its inception on October 24, 1945 and is a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The Philippines is also a member of the East Asia Summit (EAS), an active player in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Latin Union, and a member of the Group of 24. The country is a major non-NATO ally of the U.S. but also a member of the Non-Aligned Movement.[2]
[edit] Administrative divisions
Main article: Administrative divisions of the Philippines
Provinces and regions of the Philippines.
The Philippines is divided into three island groups: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. These are divided into 17 regions, 81 provinces, 136 cities, 1,494 municipalities and 41,995 barangays.[35] In addition, the Section 2 of Republic Act No. 5446 asserts that the Philippines has acquired dominion and sovereignty over Sabah, North Borneo.[36]
Region
Designation
Capital
Ilocos Region
Region I
San Fernando City, La Union
Cagayan Valley
Region II
Tuguegarao City, Cagayan
Central Luzon
Region III
City of San Fernando, Pampanga
CALABARZON¹ ²
Region IV-A
Calamba City, Laguna
MIMAROPA¹ ² ³
Region IV-B
Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro
Bicol Region
Region V
Naga City, Camarines Sur
Western Visayas
Region VI
Iloilo City
Central Visayas
Region VII
Cebu City
Eastern Visayas
Region VIII
Tacloban City, Leyte
Zamboanga Peninsula
Region IX
Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur
Northern Mindanao
Region X
Cagayan de Oro City
Davao Region
Region XI
Davao City
SOCCSKSARGEN¹
Region XII
Koronadal City, South Cotabato
Caraga
Region XIII
Butuan City
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
ARMM
Cotabato City
Cordillera Administrative Region
CAR
Baguio City
National Capital Region
NCR
Manila
The name Philippines and its Spanish counterpart, Filipinas, are derived from the name of Phillip II, the King of Spain in the late 16th century.[11] Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos used the name Las Islas Filipinas in honor of the then-Crown Prince during his expedition to the Philippines, originally referring to the islands of Leyte and Samar. Despite the presence of other names, the name Filipinas was eventually adopted as the name of the entire archipelago.[11]
[edit] History
Main article: History of the Philippines
Archeological and paleontological discoveries show that Homo sapiens existed in Palawan circa 50,000 BC. The aboriginal people of the Philippines, the Negritos, are an Australo-Melanesian people, which arrived in the Philippines at least 30,000 years ago. The Austronesians, who originated from populations of Taiwanese aboriginals that migrated from mainland Asia approximately 6000 years ago, colonized the Philippine islands and eventually migrated to Indonesia, Malaysia and, soon after, to the Polynesian islands and Madagascar.[12]
The Philippines had cultural ties with Malaysia, Indonesia, India in ancient times, and trade relations with China and Japan as early as the 9th century.
Islam was brought to the Philippines by traders and proselytizers from Malaysia and Indonesia. The Islamization of the Philippines is due to the strength of then-Muslim India.[13] By the 13th century, Islam was established in the Sulu Archipelago and spread from there to Mindanao; it had reached the Manila area by 1565. Muslim converts established Islamic communities and states ruled by rajas or sultans. However, no Islamic state exercised sovereignty over much of the archipelago, and the indigenous maritime and agricultural societies ruled by datus or apos remained autonomous. When the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, the majority of the estimated 500,000 people in the islands lived in independent settlements called 'barangay' or networks of settlements.
In the service of Spain, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his crew started their voyage on September 20, 1519. Magellan sighted Samar on March 17, 1521, on the next day, they reached Homonhon. They reached the island of Mazaua on March 28, 1521 where the first mass in the Philippines was celebrated on March 31, 1521.[11] Magellan arrived at Cebu on April 7, 1521, befriending Rajah Humabon and converting his family and 700 other Cebuanos to Christianity.[11] However, Magellan would later be killed in the Battle of Mactan by indigenous warriors led by Lapu-Lapu, a fierce rival of Humabon.
The beginnings of colonization started to take form when Philip II of Spain ordered successive expeditions. Miguel López de Legazpi arrived from Mexico in 1565 and formed the first Spanish settlements in Cebu. In 1571 he established Manila as the capital of the new Spanish colony.[14]
The Banaue Rice Terraces, they are part of the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, ancient sprawling man-made structures from 2,000 to 6,000 years old, which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Spanish rule brought political unification to the archipelago of previously independent islands and communities, and introduced elements of western civilization such as the code of law, printing and the Gregorian calendar.[15] The Philippines was ruled as a territory of New Spain from 1565 to 1821, but after Mexican independence it was administered directly from Madrid. During that time numerous towns were founded, infrastructures built, new crops and livestock introduced, and trade flourished. The Manila Galleon which linked Manila to Acapulco once or twice a year beginning in the late 16th century, carried silk, spices, ivory and porcelain to America and silver on the return trip to the Philippines. The Spanish military fought off various indigenous revolts and several external threats, especially from the British, Chinese pirates, Dutch, and Portuguese. Roman Catholic missionaries converted most of the inhabitants to Christianity, and founded numerous schools, universities and hospitals. In 1863 a Spanish decree introduced public education, creating free public schooling in Spanish.[16]
The Propaganda Movement, which included Philippine nationalist José Rizal, then a student studying in Spain, soon developed on the Spanish mainland. This was done in order to inform the government of the injustices of the administration in the Philippines as well as the abuses of the friars. In the 1880s and the 1890s, the propagandists clamored for political and social reforms, which included demands for greater representation in Spain. Unable to gain the reforms, Rizal returned to the country, and pushed for the reforms locally. Rizal was subsequently arrested, tried, and executed for treason on December 30, 1896. Earlier that year, the Katipunan, led by Andrés Bonifacio, had already started a revolution, which was eventually continued by Emilio Aguinaldo, who established a revolutionary government, although the Spanish governor general Fernando Primo de Rivera proclaimed the revolution over in May 17, 1897.[17]
National symbols[18]
Category
Symbol
Flag
Pambansang Watawat
Anthem
Lupang Hinirang
Patriotic Song
Pilipinas Kong Mahal, Bayan Ko
Gem
Philippine South Sea Pearl
Dance
Cariñosa
Mammal
Carabao
Bird
Philippine Eagle
Fish
Milkfish (Bangus)
Flower
Arabian Jasmine (Sampaguita)
Tree
Angsana (Narra)
Leaf
Fan palm (Anahaw)
Fruit
Mango (Mangga)
Sport
Sipa
House
Nipa hut (Bahay kubo)
Costume
Barong Tagalog and Baro't saya
Hero
José Rizal
The Spanish-American War began in Cuba in 1898 and soon reached the Philippines when Commodore George Dewey defeated the Spanish squadron at the Manila Bay. Aguinaldo declared the independence of the Philippines on June 12, 1898, and was proclaimed head of state. As a result of its defeat, Spain was forced to officially cede the Philippines, together with Cuba (which was made an independent country, albeit with the US in charge of foreign affairs), Guam and Puerto Rico to the United States. In 1899 the First Philippine Republic was proclaimed in Malolos, Bulacan but was later dissolved by the US forces, leading to the Philippine-American War between the United States and the Philippine revolutionaries, which continued the violence of the previous years. The US proclaimed the war ended when Aguinaldo was captured by American troops on March 23, 1901, but the struggle continued until 1913 claiming the lives of over a million Filipinos.[19][20] The country's status as a territory changed when it became the Commonwealth of the Philippines in 1935, which provided for more self-governance. Plans for increasing independence over the next decade were interrupted during World War II when Japan invaded and occupied the islands. After the Japanese were defeated in 1945 and control returned to the Filipino and American forces in the Liberation of the Philippines from 1944 to 1945, the Philippines was granted independence from the United States on July 4, 1946.[3]
A late 19th century photograph of leaders of the Propaganda Movement: José Rizal, Marcelo del Pilar and Mariano Ponce.
Since 1946, the newly independent Philippine state has faced political instability. The late 1960s and early 1970s saw economic development that was second in Asia, next to Japan. Ferdinand Marcos was, then, the elected president. Barred from seeking a third term, Marcos declared martial law on September 21, 1972, under the guise of increased political instability and resurgent Communist and Muslim insurgencies, and ruled the country by decree.
Upon returning from exile in the United States, opposition leader Benigno Aquino, Jr. or "Ninoy", was assassinated on August 21, 1983. In January 1986, Marcos allowed for a snap election, after large protests. The election was believed to be fraudulent, and resulted in a standoff between military mutineers and the military loyalists. Protesters supported the mutineers, and were accompanied by resignations of prominent cabinet officials. Corazon Aquino, the widow of Ninoy, was the recognized winner of the snap election. She took over the government, and called for a constitutional convention to draft a new constitution, after the People Power Revolution. Marcos, his family and some of his allies fled to Hawaii.[21]
The return of democracy and government reforms after the events of 1986 were hampered by massive national debt, government corruption, coup attempts, a communist insurgency, and a Muslim separatist movement. The economy improved during the administration of Fidel V. Ramos, who was elected in 1992.[22] However, the economic improvements were negated at the onset of the East Asian financial crisis in 1997. The 2001 EDSA Revolution led to the downfall of the following president, Joseph Estrada. The current administration of president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has been hounded by allegations of corruption and election rigging.[23]
[edit] Geography
Main article: Geography of the Philippines
The Chocolate Hills in Bohol.
The limestone islands of El Nido, Palawan.
The famous white sand beaches of Boracay Island
The Philippines constitutes an archipelago of 7,107 islands with a total land area of approximately 300,000 square kilometers (116,000 sq mi). It generally lies between 116° 40' and 126° 34' E. longitude, and 4° 40' and 21° 10' N. latitude, and borders the Philippine Sea on the east, the South China Sea on the west, and the Celebes Sea on the south. The island of Borneo lies a few hundred kilometers southwest and Taiwan directly north. The Moluccas and Sulawesi are to the south/southwest, and Palau is to the east beyond the Philippine Sea.[2]
The islands are commonly divided into three island groups: Luzon (Regions I to V, NCR and CAR), Visayas (VI to VIII), and Mindanao (IX to XIII and ARMM). The busy port of Manila, on Luzon, is the national capital and second largest city after its suburb Quezon City.[2]
The local climate is hot, humid, and tropical. The average yearly temperature is around 26.5 °C (79.7 °F). There are three recognized seasons: Tag-init or Tag-araw (the hot season or summer from March to May), Tag-ulan (the rainy season from June to November), and Taglamig (the cold season from December to February). The southwest monsoon (May-October) is known as the "habagat" and the dry winds of the northeast monsoon (November-April) as the "amihan".[24]
Mayon Volcano, the most active volcano in the Philippines.
Most of the mountainous islands used to be covered in tropical rainforest and are volcanic in origin. The highest point is Mount Apo on Mindanao at 2,954 metres (9,692 ft). There are many active volcanos such as Mayon Volcano, Mount Pinatubo, and Taal Volcano. The country also lies within the typhoon belt of the Western Pacific and approximately 19 typhoons strike per year.[25]
Lying on the northwestern fringes of the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activities. Some 20 earthquakes are registered daily in the Philippines, though most are too weak to be felt. The last great earthquake was the 1990 Luzon earthquake.[26]
The longest river is the Cagayan River in northern Luzon. Manila Bay is connected to Laguna de Bay by means of the Pasig River. Subic Bay, the Davao Gulf and the Moro Gulf are some of the important bays. Transversing the San Juanico Strait is the San Juanico Bridge (considered a point of vital national infrastructure and capacity), that connects the islands of Samar and Leyte.[27]
[edit] Economy
Main article: Economy of the Philippines
Skyline of Metro Manila
Skyline of Metro Cebu
The Philippines is a newly industrialized country with an economy anchored on agriculture but with substantial contributions from manufacturing, mining, remittances from overseas Filipinos and service industries such as tourism and, increasingly, business process outsourcing.[10][28] The Philippines is listed in the roster of the "Next Eleven" economies.
Historically, the Philippine economy has largely been anchored on the Manila galleon during the Spanish era, and bilateral trade with the United States during the American era. Pro-Filipino economic policies were first implemented during the tenure of Carlos P. Garcia with the "Filipino First" policy. By the 1960s, the Philippine economy was regarded as the second-largest in Asia, next only to Japan. However, the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos would prove disastrous to the Philippine economy, sliding the country into severe economic recession, only to recover starting in the 1990s with a program of economic liberalization and the breaking of Marcos-era monopolies and the system of cronyism under Fidel V. Ramos.[22]
Cebu City Business Park.
The Asian Financial Crisis affected the Philippine economy to an extent, resulting in a lingering decline of the value of the Philippine peso and falls in the stock market, although the extent to which it was affected was not as severe as that of its Asian neighbors. This is largely due to the fiscal conservatism of the Philippine government partly as a result of decades of monitoring and fiscal supervision from the International Monetary Fund, in comparison to the massive spending of its neighbors on the rapid acceleration of economic growth.[22] By 2004, the Philippine economy experienced six-percent growth in gross domestic product and 7.3% in 2007,[29] in line with the "7, 8, 9" project of the government to accelerate GDP growth by 2009.[30]
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.[31][32] 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,[33] 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 International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Colombo Plan, and the G-77, among others.[34]
[edit] Politics and government
Main article: Politics of the Philippines
See also: Foreign relations of the Philippines, President of the Philippines, and Constitution of the Philippines
Further information: Armed Forces of the Philippines
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
The Philippines has a presidential, unitary form of government (with some modification; there is one autonomous region largely free from the national government), where the President functions as both head of state and head of government, and is commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The president is elected by popular vote to a single six-year term, during which time she or he appoints and presides over the cabinet.[2]
The bicameral Congress is composed of a Senate, serving as the upper house whose members are elected nationally to a six-year term, and a House of Representatives serving as the lower house whose members are elected to a three-year term and are elected from both legislative districts and through sectoral representation.[2]
The judicial power is vested in the Supreme Court, composed of a Chief Justice as its presiding officer and fourteen associate justices, all appointed by the President from nominations submitted by the Judicial and Bar Council.[2]
Attempts to amend the constitution to either a federal, unicameral or parliamentary form of government have repeatedly failed since the Ramos administration.
The Philippines is a founding and active member of the United Nations since its inception on October 24, 1945 and is a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The Philippines is also a member of the East Asia Summit (EAS), an active player in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Latin Union, and a member of the Group of 24. The country is a major non-NATO ally of the U.S. but also a member of the Non-Aligned Movement.[2]
[edit] Administrative divisions
Main article: Administrative divisions of the Philippines
Provinces and regions of the Philippines.
The Philippines is divided into three island groups: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. These are divided into 17 regions, 81 provinces, 136 cities, 1,494 municipalities and 41,995 barangays.[35] In addition, the Section 2 of Republic Act No. 5446 asserts that the Philippines has acquired dominion and sovereignty over Sabah, North Borneo.[36]
Region
Designation
Capital
Ilocos Region
Region I
San Fernando City, La Union
Cagayan Valley
Region II
Tuguegarao City, Cagayan
Central Luzon
Region III
City of San Fernando, Pampanga
CALABARZON¹ ²
Region IV-A
Calamba City, Laguna
MIMAROPA¹ ² ³
Region IV-B
Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro
Bicol Region
Region V
Naga City, Camarines Sur
Western Visayas
Region VI
Iloilo City
Central Visayas
Region VII
Cebu City
Eastern Visayas
Region VIII
Tacloban City, Leyte
Zamboanga Peninsula
Region IX
Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur
Northern Mindanao
Region X
Cagayan de Oro City
Davao Region
Region XI
Davao City
SOCCSKSARGEN¹
Region XII
Koronadal City, South Cotabato
Caraga
Region XIII
Butuan City
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
ARMM
Cotabato City
Cordillera Administrative Region
CAR
Baguio City
National Capital Region
NCR
Manila
How to Visit the Philippines?
After the two of you decided to met in person. You need to have passport and ticket to travel. In regards of getting passport, you can get it in your local post office or visit www.http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html for more infromation. For your ticket fare kindly visit www.http://www.united.com/ for prices and international travel information or policies.
Once everything is ready then you can fly to meet her in person and decided if you like her or not. If you wanna stay in a hotel check at http://www.bestasiaphilippines.com/manila/westin/westin.shtml and for your taxi rides visit this http://www.avis.com.ph/.
Hope you find something important.
Once everything is ready then you can fly to meet her in person and decided if you like her or not. If you wanna stay in a hotel check at http://www.bestasiaphilippines.com/manila/westin/westin.shtml and for your taxi rides visit this http://www.avis.com.ph/.
Hope you find something important.
How To Start the Communication?
At first you need to think hundred times if you really wanna do it. You won't loose anything if you try. You need to install Yahoo Messenger , Skype or MSN messenger if you don't have one . If not join to a dating site then you can check and look for the person you like. You will just need
to be honest,sincere , patient and smart too.
I prefer that you use Yahoo Messenger as a way of communication.
Introduction: My Lovestory
Every women and men has an ideal or dream person . We dreamed of that person as to be our love one,person who get married with and the mom/dad of our children.
When I was in my teenage years; I never thought of marrying a foreign man because I'm scared of so many reasons and hearsay. Until I was on my 20's I started appreciating those filipino women who married foreign man because they do have either handsome or beautiful child.
It was also my grandmom who give me an idea of marrying a foreign guy until I hooked up myself in the internet. I started talking to some men but some were stupid too.
One day, I met this guy in the internet through Yahoo Messenger. It seems that his interested to me till he asked me to met him in person . Of course, I'm scared on the first time . I told myself,Am I crazy? I don't know this man then why should I met him in person. Fortunately, I went and met him in person . That's the beginning of our lovestory.
We applied for my immigration stuff so that I could be with him in America. Now I'm already in Maui ,Hawaii ,USA for 2 years. So If you wanna be like us ;just try and maybe you will love it. More power to all of you . Wish you all luck.
Ann&Pat
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