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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 . Extensive overseas trade with neighbors such as the late Tang or Song empire brought Chinese people to the archipelago as well, which would also gradually settle in and intermix over the centuries. 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... )
The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth ) was created in 1995 to implement universal health coverage in the Philippines . It is a tax-exempt, government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) of the Philippines, and is attached to the Department of Health .
On August 4, 1969, Republic Act 6111 or the Philippine Medical Care Act of 1969 was signed by President Ferdinand E. Marcos which was eventually implemented in August 1971.
Its stated goal is to "ensure a sustainable
national health insurance program for all", according to the company. In 2010, it claimed to have achieved "universal" coverage at 86% of the population, although the 2008 National Demographic Health Survey showed that only 38 percent of respondents were aware of at least one household member being enrolled in PhilHealth. Nevertheless, this social insurance program provides a means for the healthy to pay for the care of the sick and for those who can afford medical care to subsidize those who cannot. Both local and national governments allocate funds to
subsidize the
indigent . (
Full article... )
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Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo (Tagalog: [ˈɡloɾja makapaˈɡal ʔaˈɾojo] ; born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials PGMA and GMA , is a Filipino academic and politician who previously served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010 . She is the longest serving president of the Philippines since Ferdinand Marcos . Before her accession to the presidency, she served as the 10th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001 under President Joseph Ejercito Estrada , making her the country's first female vice president, despite having run on an opposing ticket. She was also a Senator from 1992 to 1998. After her presidency, she was elected as the Representative of Pampanga 's 2nd district in 2010 and later became the Speaker of the House of Representatives on 2018 to 2019. She was also serving in the congress as a Deputy Speaker from 2016 to 2017 and from 2022 until 2023. She is one of the only 2 Filipinos to hold at least three of the four highest offices in the country: vice president, president, and house speaker, alongside former President Sergio Osmeña .
The daughter of former president
Diosdado Macapagal , she studied economics at
Georgetown University in the United States, where she began a lasting friendly relationship with her classmate and future U.S. president
Bill Clinton . She then became a professor of economics at
Ateneo de Manila University , where her eventual successor, President
Benigno Aquino III , was one of her students. She entered government in 1987, serving as the assistant secretary and undersecretary of the
Department of Trade and Industry upon the invitation of President
Corazon Aquino , Benigno's mother. (
Full article... )
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The following are images from various Philippines-related articles on Wikipedia.
Image 1 Carabao is a major symbol of Filipinos hard labor. And is known to be the "Filipino farmer's bestfriend". (from
Culture of the Philippines )
Image 2 Old Senate Hall with
Estilo Tampinco style of carving and ornamentation (from
Culture of the Philippines )
Image 3 Kalesa , a traditional Philippine urban transportation, in front of
Manila Cathedral entrance (from
Culture of the Philippines )
Image 6 Bahay na bato , a traditional Filipino house (from
Culture of the Philippines )
Image 10 Mila del Sol starred in one of the earliest Filipino movies,
Giliw Ko (1939), along with
Fernando Poe Sr. (from
Culture of the Philippines )
Image 11 Filipina in traditional attire (from
Culture of the Philippines )
Image 13 Parol (Christmas lanterns) being sold during the Christmas season (from
Culture of the Philippines )
Image 14 The Kutkut art from Samar (from
Culture of the Philippines )
Image 16 Dominant ethnic groups by province. (from
Culture of the Philippines )
Image 19 An
Itneg shaman offering pigs to
anito spirits, 1922 (from
Culture of the Philippines )
Image 20 Pineapple fiber is used to create traditional Philippine garments. (from
Culture of the Philippines )
Image 24 Sungka , a traditional Filipino game. (from
Culture of the Philippines )
Image 26 A grandmaster of
Arnis . (from
Culture of the Philippines )
Image 27 Villa Escudero exhibit depicting 19th century Filipino family in traditional attire (from
Culture of the Philippines )
Image 28 Filipino traditional dance at a festival (from
Culture of the Philippines )
Image 30 A performer depicting a
babaylan (shaman) (from
Culture of the Philippines )
Image 31 Manny Pacquiao , the only
8-division world boxing champion in history. (from
Culture of the Philippines )
Image 33 The
University of Santo Tomas , located in
Manila , was established in 1611. (from
Culture of the Philippines )
Image 36 Tortoise -shell and silver Salakot (from
Culture of the Philippines )
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