Country Profile
Philippines,officially known as the Republic of the Philippines is a Sovereign Country in Southeast Asia in the Western Pacific Ocean.Its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire and its Tropical Climate make the Philippines prone to earthquakes and typhoons but have also endowed the country with natural resources and made it one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the world.
An archipelago comprising 7,107 islands, the Philippines is categorized broadly into 3 Main Geographical Divisions - Luzon,Visayas and Mindanao.
As of March 2010, these were divided into 17 Regions, 80 Provinces, 138 Cities and 1,496 Municipalities.
Capital Manila
Currency Peso
Official Language Filipino;English
Population 94 Million(2011 Estimate)
Religion 90% Christianity and 10% Islam
Politics and Governent
Philippines is a Presidential Representative Democratic Republic where the President of Philippines is both Head of State and Head of Govt within a Pluriform Multi Party System.
Executive Power is exercised by the Govt under the leadership of the President.
Legislative Power is vested in both the Govt and the2-chamber Congress -
The Senate(Upper Chamber)
The House of Representatives(Lower Chamber)
President of Philippines
The election of the President is done by direct vote for a 6-year term and is not eligible for any re-election. The regular election for President and Vice-President shall be held on the second Monday of May, unless otherwise provided by law.The President of the Philippines usually takes his/her oath on the noon of June 30 following the Presidential election.
Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III is the 15th and Current President of Philippines in office from June 30,2010
Congress of the Philippines
The Congress is Bicameral consisting of -
The Senate(Upper Chamber) is composed of 24 senators half of which are elected every three years. Each Senator has 6 year term. The senators are elected by the whole electorate and do not represent any geographical district.
The House of Representatives(Lower Chamber) is composed of a maximum of 250 congressmen elected to a 3-year term. There are two types of congressmen: the district and the sectoral representatives.
The House is often informally called Congress. Members of the house are called Congressmen.Around 80%of Congressmen are District Representatives, representing a particular geographical area. There are 229 Legislative Districts in the country, each composed of about 250,000 people.
2010 Philippines Presidential Election - Monday,May 10, 2010
The incumbent President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, was barred from seeking re-election pursuant to the Constitution.This election was also the first time that the Commission of Elections(COMELEC) implemented full automation of elections.The results of the Presidential Election was -
Benigno Aquino III (Liberal Party) got 42% of the Votes
Joseph Estrada (Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino(Force of the Filipino Masses-PMP)got 26% of the Votes
Manny Villar (Nacionalista Party)got 15% of the Votes
The results showed that Senator Benigno Aquino III (Liberal Party)won by a plurality although he had won with the highest percentage of votes since 1986, but not enough to have the largest margin of victory, even in elections held after 1986.
2010 Philippines Vice Presidential Election - Monday,May 10, 2010
In the election for the Vice-Presidency,Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay(PDP-Laban) defeated Senator Mar Roxas( Liberal Party)in the second-narrowest margin in the history of Vice Presidential Elections.The results of the election was -
Jejomar Binay(PDP-Laban)got 41.65% of the Votes
Mars Roxas( Liberal Party)got 39.58% of the Votes
Loren Legarda(Nationalist People's Coalition - NPC)got 12.21% of the Votes
Philippine Cybercrime Law Takes Effect Amid Protests
The new law, called the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, was signed by the president on 12 September. It is intended to prevent cybersex, online child pornography, identity theft and spamming.
It also makes libel a cybercrime punishable by up to 12 years in jail.
Under the new act, a person found guilty of libellous comments online, including comments made on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter or blogs, could be fined or jailed
Cybercrime law is suspended by Philippines court
The Philippines' top
court has suspended a controversial law targeting cybercrime, following
protests by critics who say it stifles free speech.
It was intended to prevent online child pornography, identity theft and spamming, officials say. Reports say a 120-day suspension is in place.
The Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order preventing the act from being enforced after 15 petitions questioning its legality were filed.
The government says the law is intended to address "legitimate concerns" about criminal and abusive behaviour online.But protesters say the legislation could be used to target government critics and crack down on freedom of speech.
Typhoon Bopha
Typhoon Bopha made landfall on Mindanao early on Tuesday Nov 4,2012, bringing heavy rain and wind gusts of 210 km/h (130mph)
The storm has caused widespread power cuts, travel disruption and flooding in areas at risk of landslides.There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Bopha comes a year after Typhoon Washi killed more than 1,500 people in the southern Philippines.
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