About the Philippines
These winds account for the Philippines’ two pronounced seasons – the dry, generally from December to May, is brought about by the amihan or the northeast monsoon, and the wet, from June to November, by the habagat or the southwest monsoon – with slight variations attributable to local weather patterns. As a rule, the monsoons dictate the pace and rhythm of life in the islands, be it in agriculture, in commerce, in industry, in governance or in travel.
ADMINISTRATIVE CAPITAL – Manila, the primary city, has been the seat of political power since the colonial times. Located here is the Malacañang Palace, the President’s official residence. This is also where the Supreme Court sits and where the Senate legislates. The House of Representatives is located in Quezon City, east of Manila, where most offices of the different departments of the national government are found.
FINANCIAL HUB – the Makati Business District is the headquarters of the biggest domestic banks. It is also where many transnational banks and businesses maintain their regional quarters or offices.
CURRENCY – the Philippine Peso (Piso) is composed of 100 centavos. Coins come in denominations of 5, 10 and 25 centavos; 1, 5 and 10 pesos, and notes in 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1,000. Currently, the peso exchanges at approximately Php45.00 to $1.00.
POPULATION – the 2007 census figures place the national population at 88.6 million with a growth rate of 2.04%. More than 8 million work abroad remitting over $10 billion per year to the country.
Some ten percent of Filipinos belong to different indigenous groups such as the Igorot of the Cordillera Mountains, the Aeta of the Sierra Madre Range, central Palawan, central Panay and the Bataan-Zambales Mountain Range, and the Lumad of Mindanao: the Subanen, the Manobo, the Mansaka and T’boli, among others. About 80 percent of the population is Christian; the rest is mostly Muslim who are dominant in the southern part of the Philippines.
Metro Manila is the biggest population center with close to 12 million people. Other centers of population are Metro Angeles in central Luzon, Metro Cebu in central Visayas and Metro Davao in southern Mindanao.
LANGUAGE – Filipino and English are the two official languages, but close to 100 other languages, not just dialects as popularly believed, are spoken throughout the islands. Indeed, most of the major languages like Tagalog, Ilocano, Cebuano, Ilonggo, Bicolano and Waray have their own dialects. But an independent traveler will not find it difficult to move about because many Filipinos still retain a handy comprehension of English.
ELECTRICITY – 220 volts at 60 cycles, although serious voltage fluctuation is experienced in some provinces during peak-demand hours. Power is generated from thermal, geothermal, hydropower and coal-fired plants. Recently, gas turbines were added to the grid. In some remote locations, solar collectors and small wind turbines provide power.
TRANSPORTATION
• Air – Manila is connected to the rest of the country by regular flights of Philippine Airlines, Air Philippines, Cebu Pacific, Asian Spirit and SeAir.
Chartered flights and air-taxi services are also available in some provincial centers.
• Water – Although a lot of improvements have been introduced in interisland shipping, only recently has the industry begun to graduate from its
infancy. It is now possible to sail without having to compete with cattle, pigs, goats and chickens for deck space. Regular passenger-only
traffic is now available via WG&A, Negros Navigation and a few other shipping lines. Cebu, a maritime hub, now has modern
all-passenger catamarans and hovercraft.
• Land – Numerous bus companies ply the Manila-to-points-north and to-points-south routes. The major ones have fleets of modern
air-conditioned buses and maintain terminals on EDSA in Pasay and in Cubao. One bus company even has a regularly scheduled run as
far south as Cagayan de Oro City and Davao City in Mindanao.
COMMUNICATIONS – the country’s communications companies have installed the most recent in digital technology so travelers can avail themselves of both IDD and NDD. Cellular phones are a common accessory of even the most ordinary Filipino.
SECURITY – regular peace and order is handled by the Philippine National Police (PNP). Most barangays (or barrios) also have organized police deputies called tanods.
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