Portal:Philippines

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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 300,000 square kilometers, which are broadly categorized in three main geographical divisions from north to south: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. 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 is the world's twelfth-most-populous country, with diverse ethnicities and cultures. 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 ruled by datus, rajas, and sultans. Overseas trade with neighbors such as the late Tang or Song empire brought Sinitic-speaking Sangley / "Langlang" merchants to the archipelago, which would gradually settle in and intermix. The arrival of Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer leading a fleet for Castile, 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. Spanish colonization via New Spain, beginning in 1565, led to the Philippines becoming ruled by the Crown of Castile, as part of the Spanish Empire, for more than 300 years. Catholic Christianity 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. The country has had a tumultuous experience with democracy, which included the overthrow of a decades-long dictatorship in a nonviolent revolution.

The Philippines is an emerging market and a newly industrialized country, whose economy is transitioning from being agricultural to service- and manufacturing-centered. It is a founding member of the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, ASEAN, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and the East Asia Summit; it is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement and a major non-NATO ally of the United States. 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. (Full article...)

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The front exterior of the Center

The Manila Film Center is a building located at the southwest end of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Pasay, Philippines. The structure was designed by architect Froilan Hong where its edifice is supported on more than nine hundred piles which reaches to the bed-rock about 120 feet below.

The Manila Film Center served as the main theater for the First Manila International Film Festival (MIFF) January 18–29, 1982. The building has also been the subject of controversies due to a fatal accident that happened on November 17, 1981. At least 169 workers fell and were buried under quick-drying cement. (Full article...)

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... that the first ambassador at the Philippine embassy in Manama would later be injured in the 2000 bombing of the Philippine embassy in Jakarta?
... that the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs said that it will not arrest communist leader Jose Maria Sison if he visits the Philippine embassy in The Hague?
... that Judy Ann Santos received the Box Office Queen award for starring in Isusumbong Kita sa Tatay Ko, the first Filipino film to earn 100 million pesos at the box office?
... that the continuing influence of the Catholic Church in the politics of the Philippines means that the country lacks a divorce law?
... that Crying Ladies and Donsol, films starring Angel Aquino, were Philippine submissions for Best International Feature Film at the 77th and 80th Academy Awards, respectively?
... that in 2005, the Philippine embassy in Paris regularly had a flooded basement due to a lack of funds?
... that Dolly de Leon was the first Filipino to be nominated for a Golden Globe or a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress?
... that at one point in its political history, the Philippines was represented in the Spanish Cortes Generales?

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Image 1A map of the Philippines showing the location of all the regions and provinces
Image 2A view of Barlas Island, Honda Bay, Palawan, Philippines
Image 3A skyline view of Manila
Image 4The Bangui Wind Farm is a wind farm in Bangui, Ilocos Norte, Philippines
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 7Shipping on the Pasig River, 1899
Image 8Banaue, Philippines: A man of the fugao tribe in traditional costume
Image 9A view at Francisco Bangoy International Airport, 2019
Image 10Banaue, Philippines: a view of Banaue Municipal Town
Image 11A selection of dishes found in Filipino cuisine

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Things you can do

Go to the Tambayan (Philippine WikiProject) and help out with articles.

You can join one or more of the various task forces within the WikiProject.

If you are a Filipino, consider adding Category:Filipino Wikipedians to your userpage.

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Official portrait, 2016

Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo (Tagalog: [ˈlɛnɪ ɾɔˈbrɛdɔ]; née Gerona; born April 23, 1965) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 14th vice president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. She previously served as the representative of the 3rd district of Camarines Sur from 2013 to 2016.

Robredo narrowly defeated Bongbong Marcos, the son of the ousted dictator and kleptocrat Ferdinand Marcos, in the contested 2016 vice presidential election. After an electoral protest by Bongbong Marcos, the Presidential Electoral Tribunal found no signs of fraud and her lead was slightly widened. She is the second woman to serve as vice president of the Philippines, after Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and the first vice president from the Bicol Region. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Harana (serenade) (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 2Bahay na bato, a traditional Filipino house (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 3A PBA game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 4A performer depicting a babaylan (shaman) (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 5Tortoise-shell and silver Salakot (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 6Pineapple fiber is used to create traditional Philippine garments. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 7A grandmaster of Arnis. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 8Old Senate Hall with Estilo Tampinco style of carving and ornamentation (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 9Original image of the Santo Niño de Cebú. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 10Paoay Church in Ilocos Norte (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 11Villa Escudero exhibit depicting 19th century Filipino family in traditional attire (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 12The MassKara Festival of Bacolod. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 13An Itneg shaman offering pigs to anito spirits, 1922 (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 14Dominant ethnic groups by province. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 15The Sinulog Festival is held to commemorate the Santo Niño (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 16Manny Pacquiao, the only 8-division world boxing champion in history. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 17Carabao is a major symbol of Filipinos hard labor. And is known to be the "Filipino farmer's bestfriend". (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 18Pahiyas Festival in Lucban Quezon (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 19Loboc Church in Bohol (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 20Vigan City in Ilocos Sur (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 21Mila del Sol starred in one of the earliest Filipino movies, Giliw Ko (1939), along with Fernando Poe Sr. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 22Aguinaldo Shrine in Cavite (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 23Flores de Mayo (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 24A Tboli woman weaving t'nalak from South Cotabato. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 25The University of Santo Tomas, located in Manila, was established in 1611. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 26The Kutkut art from Samar (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 27Vega Ancestral House, Misamis Oriental (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 28Filipina in traditional attire (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 29Sungka, a traditional Filipino game. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 30Noli Me Tángere (novel) (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 31Kalesa, a traditional Philippine urban transportation, in front of Manila Cathedral entrance (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 32Parol (Christmas lanterns) being sold during the Christmas season (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 33Letras y figuras painting by Jose Honorato Lozano (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 34Cockfight (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 35Filipino traditional dance at a festival (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 36Good Friday observance in Pampanga (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 37Museum Agrifina Circle (from Culture of the Philippines)

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In the news

30 April 2024 – China–Philippines relations: China's coast guard expels a Philippine Coast Guard ship and another vessel from the waters near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. (Reuters)
29 April 2024 – ISIL insurgency in the Philippines: Five Dawla Islamiya militants are killed and three soldiers are wounded during two shootouts in Munai, Lanao del Norte, Philippines. The military were hunting the group's leader, Nasser Daud, who however escaped from the scene. (MindaNews)
28 April 2024 –: The Philippines announces that it will close all schools on Monday and Tuesday, due to an extreme heat wave currently affecting the country. (The Straits Times)
26 April 2024 – Moro conflict: The Philippine Army announces that it has killed Nawapi Abdulsaid, an Abu Sayyaf militant, during a shootout two days ago in Hadji Mohammad Ajul, Basilan, Philippines. Abdulsaid was involved in fifteen beheadings as well as in attacks against security forces. (AP)
22 April 2024 – Moro conflict: Twelve Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters militants are killed and seven soldiers are wounded during a shootout in Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur, Philippines. (AP)

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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?