Geography, history, climate

The Philippine archipelago has more than 7100 islands and is in the Southeastern Asia between
the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Its total land area is almost 300,000 square kilometers. The
history of the Philippines is believed to have begun with the arrival of the first humans through land
bridges and the first recorded visit was from the west by Ferdinand Magellan on March 16, 1521. After
then, the Spaniards colonized the country for more than 300 years. During these times, Filipinos
suffered a lot from the rule of the Spaniards in the Philippines. The country also suffered from the
Americans and the Japanese colonizers.

Philippines is located near the equator so it is a tropical country. It only has two seasons, dry and
wet season. The dry season starts from March until May while the wet or rainy season falls between
June to October.

Economy and business

The Philippines’ economy is based on food processing, production of cement, iron and steel; and
telecommunications among others. It is considered that Philippines is one of the most dynamic
economies in East Asia and Pacific. In 2019, the GDP of the Philippines amounts to $356.814 billion. The
major industries include manufacturing and agribusiness.

Political Structure

The Philippines is a democratic country; thus, the people vote for their president. It is a republic
with a presidential form of government wherein power is equally divided among its three branches-
executive, legislative and judicial. The executive branch is composed of the president and vice president.
The legislative branch is authorized to make laws, alter, and repel them through the power vested in the
Philippine congress. Lastly, the judicial branch holds the power to settle controversies involving rights
that are legally demandable and enforceable.
Source: https://www.gov.ph/philippine-government

Language

In the Philippines, there are a lot of languages spoken. However, the constitution declared that
there are two official languages to be used namely, English and Filipino.

Religious Beliefs

Roman Catholic is the largest religion in the Philippines. The second largest religion group is
protestant Christianity. And the third largest religion is Islam. Filipinos have a belief in the Supreme God
to be one of the most natural and simplest of beliefs. Another belief would be the trinity and the
afterlife. Generally, it was believed that the good goes to heaven while the evil goes to hell.

Source: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/religious-beliefs-in-the-philippines.html

Ethnic groups

There are more than a hundred of ethnic groups in the Philippines. The largest ethnic groups
include the Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Bicolano, Kapampangan, Maranao, Maguindanao, and Tausug.

Source: https://cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/d/Demographics_of_the_Philippines.htm
System of Education

The Department of Education added two more years for senior high school to make students
more globally competitive and be more prepared in entering college.

Style of communication

When communicating to others, it is important to know whom you are speaking to. Filipinos will
try to express their opinions and ideas diplomatically and with humility to avoid appearing arrogant. The
tone of voice varies widely by language, dialect and region. When speaking to elderlies or authorities,
Filipinos are very respectful. They use “po” to indicate their politeness to the person.