soc.culture.filipino FAQ, part 3/4 (Government)
Francis C Felizardo
government.
Section 3: Philippine Government FAQ
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Major sources for this section:
National Statistics Office. Philippine Yearbook 1992 (PY92)
1987 Philippine Constitution (PC87)
World Almanac and Fact Book 1994 (WAFB94)
The Economist Intelligence Unit, 1st Quarter 1994 (EIU194)
== 3.1) How did the Philippines get its name?
The Philippines was named after Prince Philip of Asturias (who later
became King Philip II of Spain) by Spanish navigator Ruy Lopez de
Villalobos.
== 3.2) Why do some people here get ticked off when the Philippines is
referred to as 'PI'?
PI or Philippine Islands was how the Philippines was referred to
during the Spanish and American colonial period. To some people, the
term invokes images of the Filipinos being the white man's 'little
brown brother', which is how the American colonizers viewed the
Filipinos at the time.
== 3.3) What's the Philippines like?
A. Basic Geography.
Total land area is 300,000 sq.km. (slightly larger than Nevada). There
are 7100 islands (2773 have names). The largest 11 islands comprise 92.3%
of the total land area. These islands are (larger islands first): Luzon,
Mindanao, Samar, Negros, Palawan, Panay, Mindoro, Leyte, Cebu, Bohol,
Masbate, Sulu Group, Romblon, Marinduque.
B. Weather.
Philippine climate is determined primarily by the wind from three sources.
1. NE monsoon from October to January, 2. E to SE trade winds from
February to April, and 3. SE monsoon the rest of the year. Much
of the country experiences two pronounced seasons, dry from November
to April, and wet the rest of the year. About 20 typhoons enter the
Philippines every year. Typhoon season is between May and January
although most typhoons come in July-September. The northern and
eastern islands (e.g., Luzon and Samar) are the most vulnerable. The
western and southern islands (e.g., Palawan and Mindanao) rarely get them.
Rainfall Rainy Temp (degC) Humidity
(mm) days Max Min
Jan 163 12 32 20 81
Feb 460 11 33 20 79
Mar 444 7 34 21 77
Apr 134 9 35 22 77
May 159 11 36 23 78
Jun 304 18 34 22 81
Jul 327 20 34 22 83
Aug 208 14 34 22 84
Sep 213 17 35 22 84
Oct 603 22 33 22 83
Nov 309 14 34 20 83
Dec 573 20 31 19 82
Data is for Luzon. Rainfall and temperature data are from 1988.
Humidity values are averages from 1951-1985.
C. Language.
The official languages are English and Filipino. They are
also the mediums of instruction in grade school and high school.
English is generally the medium of instruction at the university level.
In addition, according to the 1990 Census, there are 87 languages and
dialects. The ten leading languages are spoken in 89.5% of all
households. The distribution of the mother tongue of the population is
given by the following table:
From Philippine Yearbook 1992, p. 198ff
Major Mother Tongues of the Population
(percentage - figures may not total 100% due to MY rounding)
Census year 1960 1970 1975 1980a 1990
---- ---- ---- ---- ----
Tagalog 21 24 24 30 28
Cebuano 24 24 24 24 24
Ilocano 12 11 11 10 10
Hiligaynon 10 10 10 9 9
& Ilonggo
Bicol 8 7 7 6 6
Samar-Leyte 6 5 5 4 4
Pampanga 3 3 3 3 3
Pangasinan 2 2 2 2 2
Others 14 13 13 13 14
a There is a difference in the counting method in 1980. The other census
counted the mother tongue of each person. The 1980 census figure was
based on the language used in each private household.
WAFB 1994 lists the following major languages (which includes native and
non-native speakers) as of mid-1993:
LANGUAGE REGION TOTAL SPEAKERS
(inc. non-native)
Bikol SE Luzon 4 million
Cebuano Bohol Sea 13
Ilocano NW Luzon 7
Magindanaoan S Philippines 1
Pampangan NW of Manila 2
Panay-Hiligaynon Panay 6
Pangasinan Lingayen Gulf 1
Samar-Leyte Central E Phil 3
Tagalog Philippines 43
Tausug Phil, Malaysia 1
Note that the two tables do not match. Discrepancies may be due to
differences in methodology. I would give more credence to the
Philippine Yearbook data because its values are based on census.
D. Other demographics.
Ethnic divisions:
Christian Malay 91.5%, Muslim Malay 4%, Chinese 1.5%, other 3%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 83%, Protestant 5%, Aglipay 3%, Iglesia ni Kristo 2%,
Muslim 5%, Other 2% [PY92]
Literacy:
90% (1990 est.)
[Unless noted, figures are from CIA World Factbook, 1992]
E. Economic statistics (EIU194).
1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 *1993
GDP (current P B) 803.0 925.2 1069.7 1241.0 1338.4 1458.9
Real GDP growth % 6.3 6.0 2.7 -0.9 - 1.4
Inflation % 8.7 12.2 14.2 18.7 8.9 7.5
Population M 58.7 60.1 61.5 62.9 64.3 65.7
Exports $M 7074 7821 8186 8840 9824 11,110
Imports $M 8159 10,419 12,206 12,051 14,519 17,135
Current accts $B -.39 -1.46 -2.70 -1.03 -1.00 -1.85
Reserves excl gold $M 1003 1417 924 3246 4403 4850
Total extern debt $B 29.0 28.4 30.2 31.9 30.9 35.1
Fiscal deficit % GNP 3.0 3.1 3.4 2.1 1.2 1.4
Exchange rate (av) P:$ 21.10 21.74 24.31 27.48 25.50 27.30
22 June 1994 P26.92:$1
*Values for 1993 are based on year-end projections.
== 3.4) What are the letters of the Filipino alphabet?
The old Pilipino/Tagalog Abakada which many of us here learned in their
grade school has been supplanted by the new Filipino alphabet. Here are
the two alphabets:
Old alphabet:
a b k d e g h i l m n ng o p r s t u w y: 20 letters
New alphabet:
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n ~n ng o p q r s t u v w x y z : 28 letters
== 3.5) What is the capital of the Philippines. Is it Manila or Quezon City?
It is MANILA although many references list Quezon City incorrectly.
History: Because of its strategic location, Miguel Lopez de Legaspi
took Manila and made it the capital on 24 June 1571. The Philippine
government made Quezon City the capital on 17 July 1948 (Republic Act
333). The seat of government nonetheless remained in Manila even
though many national government offices have moved to Quezon City
(e.g., the Legislature, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the University
of the Philippines). Manila was once again made the capital and the
permanent seat of government on 14 June 1976 (Presidential Decree 940).
== 3.6) What is the form of government?
The Philippines has a presidential form of government modeled largely
after the United States government. The three separate and co-equal
branches are the executive, the legislative and the judiciary.
The president and vice-president are elected at large for a single six-year
term. The next presidential elections are in 1998.
The 24 members of the Senate are elected at large for up to two consecutive
six-year terms. Elections for 12 of the 24 seats are held every three
years. The constitution provides for up to 250 members of the House of
Representatives. 200 are elected by congressional districts. The rest
are alloted to sectors as defined by statute (there are currently less
than 10 sectoral seats). Representatives can serve for up to three
consecutive three-year terms. The next elections are in 1995.
The supreme court consists of one chief justice and 14 associate justices.
They are appointed by the president. Their terms expire when they reach
70 years old. The lower courts are created by statute.
The lower Philippine courts were reorganized by Executive Order 867 in
1987. There are 12 Regional Trial Courts (RTC) which serve as courts of
first instance (CFI) outside cities and municipalities. Within towns and
cities, Municipal Trial Courts (Metropolitan Trial Court in Metro
Manila) serve as CFIs. The Intermediate Appellate Court consists of
50 justices in 10 divisions. The Sandiganbayan (graft court), which was
introduced in the 1973 Constitution, is at the appellate court level.
The Tanodbayan (Ombudsman) prosecutes graft and corruption cases in the
Sandiganbayan.
The constitution also provides for the following commissions which are
considered independent of the three branches given above: the Civil
Service Commission (3 commissioners), the Commission on Elections (7),
and the Commission on Audit (3). Commissioners are appointed by the
president and serve for single 7-year terms.
Although the Philippines has always had a presidential form of government,
there was an attempt to introduce a parliamentary form of government in
the 1973 Constitution. While elements of a parliamentary system were
used after 1973, the system of government remained essentially presidential
under martial law with the president (Ferdinand Marcos) exercising both
executive and legislative powers, and the unicameral National Assembly
exercising 'advisory' [the interim Batasang Pambansa 1977-1984] and later
legislative powers [the Batasang Pambansa 1984-1986]. This bad experience
with the presidential system erroneously labeled as 'parliamentary' led
many of the writers of the 1987 Constitution to (perhaps foolishly) reject
the parliamentary system.
== 3.7) Let X = Philippine President. Solve for X.
PRESIDENT YEAR BIRTHPLACE PARTY
Emilio Aguinaldo 1898 Cavite President of the revolutionary
gov't. Captured by US in 1901.
Manuel Quezon 1935 Quezon Coalition Party, headed Commonwealth
and gov't in exile in WW2.
Jose Laurel 1943 Batangas Nationalista Party, headed
Japanese puppet gov't in WW2.
Sergio Osmena 1945 Cebu CP. Became president when
Quezon died.
Manuel Roxas 1946 Capiz Left NP to form Liberal Party
Elpidio Quirino 1948 Quirino LP
Ramon Magsaysay 1953 Zambales NP
Carlos Garcia 1957 NP
Diosdado Macapagal 1961 Pampanga LP
Ferdinand Marcos 1965 Ilocos N. NP
Corazon Aquino 1986 Tarlac UNIDO
Fidel Ramos 1992 Pangasinan Lakas-NUCD
== 3.8) Can you give me some background on the current President and Vice
President of the Philippines?
[Info provided by Lulu Turner.]
PRESIDENT Fidel "Eddie" V. Ramos
Born: March 18, 1928 in Lingayen, Pangasinan
Education: Bachelor of Science, US Military Academy (West Point)
MBA, Ateneo de Manila University
MS in Civil Engineering, University of Illinois
1952: Reconnaissance platoon leader of the 20th Battalion Combat Team,
Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK).
1968-1969: In the Vietnam war, he was operations commander of the 1st
Philcag team and Presidential Assistant on Military Affairs.
1970: Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Intelligence
Service.
1975: Director General of the Philippine Constabulary.
1982: Vice Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
1986: Chief of Staff (after EDSA)
1988-91: Secretary of National Defense.
VICE PRESIDENT Joseph "Erap" Ejercito Estrada
Born: April 19, 1937 in Tondo, Manila
Education: Ateneo de Manila High School
Mapua Institute of Technology
A movie actor and producer with many box-office hits before entering
politics (his roles usually heroic, battler against injustice,
champion of the underdog); five times FAMAS (Philippine equivalent of
the Oscar) awardee for Best Actor. Founded the Movie Workers Foundation.
Was Mayor of San Juan (in Metro Manila) for 17 years. Said to be
the only mayor in the Metropolitan Manila area to have built up municipal
savings of P23.9M. Was forced to step down from office after the 1986
EDSA Revolution. Chosen one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men in
Public Administration in 1972.
In 1987, elected to the Senate, one of only two in the minority
bloc. Chosen one of the three most outstanding senators by the Free Press.
== 3.9) Who are the top government officials?
President Fidel Ramos
Vice-president Joseph Estrada
Key department secretaries
agriculture Roberto Sebastian
defense Renato de Villa
economic development Cielito Habito
energy Delfin Lazaro
environment & nat. resources Angel Alcala
finance Roberto de Ocampo
foreign affairs Roberto Romulo
interior & local government Rafael Alunan
justice Franklin Drilon
labor & employment Nieves Confesor
public works Gregorio Vigilar
science & technology Ricardo Gloria
tourism Vicente Carlos
trade & industry Rizalino Navarro
transportation & communication Jesus Garcia
executive secretary Teofisto Guingona
Senate president Edgardo Angara
House speaker Jose de Venecia
Supreme court chief justice Andres Narvasa
== 3.10) What are the addresses and telephone numbers of the top government
officials of the Philippines?
DEPARTMENT ADDRESS & PHONE NUMBER
Agrarian Reform PTA Bldg., Elliptical Rd., Diliman QC
993573/996821
Agriculture DOA Bldg., Elliptical Rd., Diliman QC
998946/998741 thru 51
Management & Budget Administration Bldg, Malacanang, Manila
483475 481420
Education, Culture Palacio del Gobernador, Intramuros, Manila
& Sports 407744/491775
Energy PNOC Bldg, 7101 Makati Ave., Makati MM
851923/865287
Environment & Nat. DENR Bldg, Visayas Ave., QC
Resources 969428/976626
Foreign Affairs PICC Bldg, CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd, Manila
832-8309
Finance DOF Agrifina Circle, Rizal Park, Manila
595262/482677
Health San Lazaro Hospital, Rizal Ave, Sta Cruz, Manila
711-6095
Justice Justice Bldg, Padre Faura, Ermita, Manila
599270 thru 79
Labor & Employment DOLE Bldg, Gen Luna/Muralla St, Intramuros Manila
470264
Interior & Local PNCC Bldg, EDSA/Reliance St, Mandaluyong MM
Government 774011
National Defense Camp Aguinaldo QC
786783/785301
Natl Econ Devt Amber Ave, Ortigas Complex, Pasig MM
Authority 673-5051
Public Works & 2nd St, Port Area, Manila
Highways 403552 473180
Science & Tech Bicutan, Taguig MM
822-0961 thru 67
Social Welfare & Batas Pambansa Complex, Constitution Hills, QC
Development 964935
Tourism DOT Bldg, Rizal Park, Manila
501751/597031
Trade & Industry DTI Bldg, Buendia Ave Extension Makati MM
818-5701 thru 04
Transportation PhilComCen Bldg, Ortigas Ave, Pasig MM
& Communication
Ofc. of the Pres. Administration Bldg, Malacanang, Manila
521-2301 thru 09
== 3.11) How much are the salaries of the top officials of the Philippine
government?
PC87 Article XVIII (17) set the salaries in 1987. It also provides that
the salaries may be increased by statute. The figures below do not
include bonuses, allowances, etc.
ANNUAL SALARY (US$ Equivalent)
President P 300 000 $ 10700
V. President 240 000 8600
Senate President 240 000 8600
Speaker of the House 240 000 8600
Supreme Court Chief Justice 240 000 8600
Senators 204 000 7300
Congressmen 204 000 7300
Supreme Court Assoc. Justice 204 000 7300
Const. Commission Chair 204 000 7300
Const. Commission Members 180 000 6400
Note that a typical engineering/science RA in a major US university
has a higher salary than the Philippine president.
== 3.12) I was born in the Philippines but my parents aren't Filipino. Am
I a Filipino citizen?
No. Philippine citizenship is based on the principle of jus sanguinis.
According to PC87 Article IV, to be a Filipino citizen, at least one of
your parents has to be a Filipino citizen. This also means that children
of Filipino parents who are born outside the Philippines are Filipino
citizens as well.
== 3.13) Is there divorce in the Philippines?
The Philippine government does not recognize divorce. You cannot file
for divorce within the Philippine legal system. However, there are
some exceptions [WARNING! I am not a lawyer. This isn't legal advice.
If you're stupid enough to take this as legal advice, please don't
blame me.]
[This section is taken from Philippine Laws by M.H. Casenas 1989.]
Before 3 August 1988, a valid marriage contracted by a Filipino citizen
was not subject to divorce. However, with the advent of the Family Code
(Article 36) and EO 227, a Filipino citizen whose divorce is decreed by
a foreign court will be allowed to remarry PROVIDED the divorce is
initiated by the foreign spouse. Note that if a Filipino spouse
initiates the divorce, his marriage is still valid under Philippine law
even if a divorce decree is granted by a foreign court.
If a nonFilipino spouse filing for divorce was a Filipino citizen
at the time of marriage, the divorce will not be recognized by
Philippine law unless both spouses are nonFilipino citizens by the
time divorce proceedings are initiated.
Note that before Family Code 1988 Article 36, Filipinos who get
divorced would still be married under Philippine law even though their
nonFilipino spouses were free to remarry. The divorce provisions of the
Family Code were written to remedy this incongruity.
== 3.14) Let X = Income distribution in the Philippines. Describe X.
According to the Family Income and Expenditure Surveys of the
National Statistics Office
Recipient % share of total income
1961 1965 1971 1975 1985 1988
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
Top 10% 41.0 40.1 37.1 38.8 36.4 35.7
Top 20% 56.5 55.5 54.0 53.3 52.1 51.8
Top 50% 82.4 82.7 82.4 79.5 79.7 79.8
Bottom 50% 17.6 17.3 17.6 20.5 20.3 20.3
Bottom 20% 4.2 3.5 3.6 5.5 5.2 5.2
Bottom 10% 1.5 1.1 1.2 2.1 2.0 2.0
== 3.15) What is the address and telephone number of the closest Philippine
embassy or consulate?
There are too many to list all of them. I'll only list the ones that
are in coutries where I've seen people here post from.
Phone number follows #. E - embassy, others are consulates or missions.
USA:
1617 Massachusetts Ave NW, WASHINGTON DC 20036 USA
#(202)4679300 (E)
30 N Michigan Ave. #2100, CHICAGO IL 60602
#(312)332-6458/9
GITC Bldg, 4th Fl Ste 406, Marine Dr, Tamuning, GUAM 96911
#011(671)646-4620 [Thanks Reynaldo Dalisay]
2433 Pali Highway, HONOLULU HI 96817
#(808)595-6316/9
2727 Allen Parkway #880, HOUSTON TX 77019
#(713)524-0155
3460 Wilshire Blvd #1200, LOS ANGELES CA 90010
#(213)387-5321
Phil Center, 556 5th Ave, NEW YORK NY 10036-5095
#(212)764-1300
447 Sutter St, 6th Fl Phil Center Bldg, SAN FRANCISCO CA 94108
#(415)433-6666
United Airlines Bldg, 2033 6th Ave #801, SEATTLE WA 98121-2523
#(206)441-1640
CANADA:
130 Albert St #606, OTTAWA Ont KIP5G4
#(613)233-1121/3 (E)
151 Bloor St. W #365, TORONTO Ont M5S1T5
#(416)922-7181
470 Granville St., Roger's Bldg #301-8, VANCOUVER BC V6C1V5
#(604)685-7645
GERMANY:
Argelander-St 1, 5300 BONN 1 Germany
#(0228)267990 (E)
Otto Grotewoh St 3a/v, BERLIN 1080, Germany
#2202136
Jungfrauental 13, 2000 HAMBURG 13 GERMANY
#(040)442952
AUSTRALIA:
1 Moonah Place, Yarralumla CANBERRA 2600 P.O. Box 297, Manuka 2603
#732535 (E)
27-33 Wentworth Ave, Darlinghurst NSW 2010 P.O. Box K315, Haymarket, SYDNEY
2000
Australia
#(02)267-3066
OTHER COUNTIRES:
760 Sukhumvit Rd, BANGKOK, Thailand
#2590139 (E)
Hallwystrasse 34, BERNE 3005, Switzerland
#(301)434221 (E)
229 Ave. Moliere, 60 BRUSSELS, Belgium
#3436400 (E)
RP Mission to the UN, 47 Ave Blanc, 1202 GENEVA Switzerland
#313820/9 (C/M)
125 Lean Copes Van Cattenburch 2528 Ez THE HAGUE Netherlands
#(070)604821 (E)
9a Palace Green, LONDON WB 4QE UK
#(01)9371609 (E)
39 Ave, George's Mandel, 75116 PARIS France
#47046550
Skeppsbron 22, 11130 STOCKHOLM Sweden
P.O. Box 2219, 10315 STOCKHOLM Sweden
#(08)209129 (E)
11-24 Nampeidai-mashi, Shibuya-ku, TOKYO Japan 150
#(03)4962731/6 (E)
50 Hobson St, Thornton WELLINGTON New Zealand; PO Box 12-042
#729921 (E)
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Francis C Felizardo fra...@mpl.ucsd.edu
Nierenberg Hall 213 (619) 534-1085
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 0230 FAX (619) 534-7132
La Jolla, CA 92093