Philippines
Links to Philippine Embassies and Consulates
Fast Facts
Coutntry Full name: |
Weights & Measures: Metric |
| Population: 84,619,000 |
Country Dialing Code: +63 |
| Languages Spoken: Official - Pilipino (Tagalog), English |
Time Zones: GMT/UTC +8 |
Electric Plugs:  220V 60Hz |
Currency: Name: Philippine Peso Code: PHP Symbol: P |
Exchange rate:
Weather
Generally, the best time to travel is in the typhoon off-season from December to the middle of May. In the Christmas and Easter breaks, however, everyone is travelling and you'll have trouble getting a seat on any form of transport or accommodation for that matter. Holy Week (around Easter) presents similar problems.
The most colourful and lovely festivals fall between January and May, the rice terraces of Luzon look best in March and April, and the best time for island-hopping is between October and March.
The Philippines is hot and humid year-round. The weather pattern across the archipelago is complex, but can be roughly divided into the dry season (December to May) and the wet season (June to November). There is little seasonal variation in most places with average highs and lows of around 31°C (87°F) and 24°C (76°F) respectively. The best time to visit is between December and May when slightly cooler and drier conditions prevail.
Money & Cost
As with the other Asian Tigers, the country's economy has been fluctuating fairly wildly in recent years. Generally speaking, however, the Philippines are slightly more expensive than other countries in the region. You'll get the best value for money in the outer islands, while you're more likely to shell out on Boracay and Cebu.
The US dollar is the most recognised forecurrency in the Philippines, and is often easier (and cheaper) to change than travellers cheques; in Manila you should have no trouble changing British pounds or euros, though recently several travellers have found it hard to change travellers cheques, even in the capital, due to the rise in forged cheques. Large denomination US bills will get you a particularly good rate, but only clean banknotes are acceptable. If you want to use cheques, the bigger brands will be accepted by most banks throughout the country. ATMs are all over the place, particularly in the big cities, and they operate 24 hours daily. You can use MasterCard and Visa in them.
Whether you tip or not is up to you. Restaurant staff will generally expect one, even if there is a service charge included. If you're catching a taxi with a working meter, round up the amount. When shopping, especially in markets, it's worth trying to get a 10% discount - most Filipinos will aim for one.
Currency
Name: Philippine Peso
Symbol: P
Sample Price Guide
bought from store
P 17
litre of petrol
P 56
jeepney
P 9
budget hotel room
P 500
basic meal
P 80
Average Room Prices |
|||
Low |
Mid |
High |
Deluxe |
P300-600 |
P600-1000 |
P1000-2000 |
P2000+ |
Average Meal Prices |
|||
Low |
Mid |
High |
Deluxe |
P100-170 |
P170-300 |
P300-800 |
P800+ |
Getting there and around
Getting There
The most common way to get to the Philippines is by plane; Manila and Cebu City are the only major entry points. There are flights between the Philippines and many Asian cities, Australia, Canada, continental Europe, UK, New Zealand and the USA. Departure tax for all flights leaving the Philippines is P550 , payable in cash only (US dollars or Philippine pesos).
It's possible to travel by sea between the Phillipines and nearby parts of Malaysia and Indonesia. Schedules and rates are prone to change, however, so it's best to be flexible in your plans.
Getting Around
There are several airlines offering domestic flights between Philippine cities. There is only one operating railway line, on the route from Manila to Naga in southern Luzon, so long-distance buses or jeepneys are the main overland alternative. There are plenty of ferries and boats operating between islands, though the safety and quality of services vary. Car rental is also available and international agencies have offices in most major cities. Local transport includes jeepneys (originally reconstructed jeeps), metered taxis, small taxis without meters, vans (minibuses, or FX vans) and tricycles (motorbikes with sidecars).
History
Pre-20th-Century History
The first inhabitants of the Philippines arrived around 250,000 years ago, probably migrating over a land bridge from the Asian mainland. The Negrito people arrived 25,000 years ago, but they were driven back by several waves of immigrants from Indonesia, followed by maritime immigrations of Malayan people. In 1380, the Arab-taught Makdum arrived in the Sulu archipelago and began to establish what became a powerful Islamic sphere of influence over the next hundred years.
Ferdinand Magellan arrived in 1521 and claimed the archipelago for Spain. Magellan was killed by local chiefs who quite naturally disapproved of this notion. Ruy Lopez de Villalobos followed in 1543 and named the territory Filipinas after King Philip II of Spain. Permanent Spanish occupation began in 1565, and by 1571 the entire country, except for the strictly Islamic Sulu archipelago, was under Spanish control.
A Filipino independence movement grew in the 19th century and Filipinos fought on the side of the Americans in 1898 during the Spanish-American War. When the Spanish were defeated, General Aguinaldo declared the Philippines independent. The USA, however, had other plans, and promptly purchased the islands from the Spanish for US$20 million.
Modern History
The USA eventually recognised the Filipinos' desire for independence and Manuel L Quezon was sworn in as President of the Philippine Commonwealth in 1935 as part of a transitional phase pending full independence. Japan invaded the Philippines in 1942, brutally interrupting this process and ruled until the USA re-invaded two years later. The Philippines received full independence in 1946.
Ferdinand Marcos was elected president in 1965, declared martial law in 1972 and ruled virtually as a dictator until 1986. The assassination of prominent opposition figure Benigno 'Ninoy' Aquino Jr in 1983 sparked massive anti-government protests. A snap election in 1986 saw the opposition parties rally around Aquino's widow, Cory. Though Marcos claimed a doubtful win, Aquino initiated a programme of non-violent civil unrest which resulted in Marcos fleeing the country.
Aquino re-established the democratic institutions of the country, but failed to tackle economic problems or win over the military and the Filipino elite. Aquino survived seven coups in six years and was succeeded by her defence minister, Fidel Ramos, in 1992.
The government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) signed a peace accord in 1996 ending the MNLF's 24-year struggle for autonomy in Mindanao. Peace in the area remains elusive, however, following the the militant Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which opposes the agreement. The government continues to conduct military operations in MILF-held areas in Basilan and Sulu.
In 1998, Ramos was replaced as president by the Philippines' answer to Bruce Willis, Joseph Estrada. Estrada, a former movie star elected more because of the popularity of his on-screen persona than because of any political experience. He was impeached and brought to trial in late 2000 on corruption charges. When Estrada and his political allies tried to derail the trial by blocking prosecutors' access to his financial accounts, the people decided they'd had enough and staged mass demonstrations in the streets of Manila.
Recent History
In January 2001 Estrada's former vice-president, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, was sworn in as the new president of the Philippines. In an inauguration speech which must have sounded eerily familiar to Filipinos, Arroyo promised to wipe out poverty and corruption. Arroyo is far from popular, barely surviving coup attempts and street protests in 2005 and 2006, but she has at least given the country a semblance of stability.
The separatist movement in the south continues to be a thorn in the government's side, with occasional flare ups of heavy fighting. Another bugbear is the communist New People's Army, which has been fighting the government for years from remote bases in Luzon, Mindanao, Samar and elsewhere. In 2006 there were dozens of unsolved 'extrajudicial' killings of left-leaning activists, journalists and priests with alleged links to the NPA; human rights groups have pressured the administration about the killings, but little had been done to address the problem thus far.
Source: http://www.lonelyplanet.com
BGN | BRN | KHM | GUM | FSM | IDN | LAO | MHL | MYS | MMR | MNP | PLW | SGP | LKA | THA | TMP | VNM
