Portal:Philippines

Welcome to the Philippines Portal / Maligayang pagdating sa Portal ng Pilipinas

The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. In the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of 7,641 islands, with a total area of roughly 300,000 square kilometers, which are broadly categorized in three main geographical divisions from north to south: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. 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...)

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The Japanese occupation of the Philippines (Filipino: Pananakop ng mga Hapones sa Pilipinas; Japanese: 日本のフィリピン占領, romanized: Nihon no Firipin Senryō) occurred between 1942 and 1945, when the Japanese Empire occupied the Commonwealth of the Philippines during World War II.

The invasion of the Philippines started on 8 December 1941, ten hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor. As at Pearl Harbor, American aircraft were severely damaged in the initial Japanese attack. Lacking air cover, the American Asiatic Fleet in the Philippines withdrew to Java on 12 December 1941. General Douglas MacArthur was ordered out, leaving his men at Corregidor on the night of 11 March 1942 for Australia, 4,000 km away. The 76,000 starving and sick American and Filipino defenders in Bataan surrendered on 9 April 1942, and were forced to endure the infamous Bataan Death March on which 7,000–10,000 died or were murdered. The 13,000 survivors on Corregidor surrendered on 6 May. (Full article...)

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... that "Multo" was the first song by a Filipino act to enter the Billboard Global 200 chart?
... that the flagbearer for the Philippines at the 1924 Summer Olympics also carried a flag of the United States?
... that the Filipino boy band SB19 considered disbandment after their debut single "Tilaluha" saw little success?
... that the 1976 Philippine film Itim was described as "one of the most remarkable debuts in cinema history" in a 2022 retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art?
... that three songs from Kyla's album Not Your Ordinary Girl were nominated in the same category at the 2005 Awit Awards?
... that Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos bought New York City's Crown Building because of a tearful plea?
... that the sound for the film A Rustling of Leaves: Inside the Philippine Revolution was recorded using a Walkman?
... that at the height of the war between Iraq and the Islamic State, diplomats of the Philippine embassy in Baghdad agreed to die together rather than be taken hostage?

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

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Official portrait, 2010

Benigno Simeon Aquino III KGCR (locally [bɛˈniːɡ.no ʔɐˈkiː.no]; born Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016. The son of assassinated politician Ninoy Aquino and 11th President of the Philippines Corazon Aquino, he was a fourth-generation politician as part of the Aquino family of Tarlac.

Aquino served as a member of the House of Representatives and Senate from 1998 to 2010. During his tenure in the lower house, he served as a deputy speaker of the House of Representatives from 2004 to 2006. Shortly after the death of his mother, he announced his candidacy in the 2010 presidential election, which he eventually won. He was sworn into office as the 15th president of the Philippines on June 30, 2010, succeeding Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. (Full article...)

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General images

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

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

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In the news

12 May 2025 – 2025 Philippine general election: Filipinos vote to elect all 317 members of the House of Representatives and 12 members of the Senate, in addition to local elections. (Asian Journal) (Reuters)
4 May 2025 –: Two people are killed and four others are injured after a car crashes into an entrance of Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila, Philippines. The driver of the car is in police custody. (AP) (Reuters) (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
30 April 2025 – New Zealand–Philippines relations: New Zealand defence minister Judith Collins and Philippine defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro sign a visiting forces agreement in Manila. (The Washington Post)
15 April 2025 –: A Chinese crew member is killed when Chinese sand barge vessel M/V Hong Hai 16 capsizes off Rizal, Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. A search and rescue operation is launched by the Philippine Coast Guard for missing crew members, which includes seven Filipinos and three Chinese. (The Philippine Star)

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More did you know - show different entries

...that José Rizal was a polyglot who mastered 22 languages including Catalan, Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Latin, Malay, Sanskrit, Spanish, Tagalog, and other Philippine languages?
...that Enrique of Malacca (aka Henry the Black), the interpreter of Ferdinand Magellan, may be historically significant as the first person to circumnavigate the world?
...that Malacañang Palace comes from a Tagalog phrase May lakan diyan, which means "there is a rich man there" for it was once the home of a wealthy Spanish merchant before it hosted the nation's chief executive?