Little Bambbo Foundation Inc.

Presentation History E conom y The land Population and society

POPULATION AND SOCIETY

The term Filipino, which originally denoted a person of Spanish descent born in the Philippines and was comparable to the term Creole in the Spanish-American colonies, has been applied since the 19th century to the Christianized Malays who constitute the bulk of the Philippine population. The aboriginal inhabitants of the archipelago were pygmy Negritos. During the prehistoric period Malayan peoples invaded the islands in successive waves beginning about 200 bc. The present Filipinos, principally descendants of the Malay invaders, are divided mainly according to language and religion. The most important numerically are the Bisayans (Visayans), living primarily in the central portion of the archipelago, and the Tagalogs, in central Luzon. The Ilokanos, the third most important group, live mainly in the Cagayan Valley on Luzon. People of Spanish and Chinese descent constitute the chief non-Malay groups. In the southern portion of the archipelago, particularly in western Mindanao, the Sulu Archipelago, and southern Palawan Island, are two Muslim groups, the Moro and the Samal. Mestizos, people of mixed Filipino and white or Chinese descent, form a small but economically and politically important minority.

Demography

The Philippines has a population of 86,241,697 (2004 estimate), which gives an overall population density of about 289 people per sq km (749 per sq mi). The distribution, however, is uneven; large areas are virtually uninhabited, while others have a relatively high population density. The nation was about 60 per cent urban in 2002. The population growth rate was about 1.88 per cent in 2004.

Political Divisions and Principal Cities

The Philippines is divided into 16 administrative regions, including the capital region. These are further divided into 76 provinces, plus the capital. Manila (population, 2000, 1,673,000) is the capital of the Philippines and the country’s chief port and main commercial centre. The population of the Manila metropolitan area is 9,950,000 (2000 estimate). Other important cities (with their population figures) include Quezon City (2,160,000, 2000), which is part of the Manila metropolitan area, and served as the country’s capital from 1948 to 1976; Davao (1,147,000, 2000), a provincial capital and a seaport; Cebu (662,000, 2000), a seaport and the trade centre for a farming and coal-mining region; and Zamboanga (600,000, 2000), also a seaport.

Language and Religion

Filipino and English are the official languages of the Philippines. English is used in official business, including most governmental affairs. According to the 1990 census, English is a mother tongue for only around 32,802 people, while Filipino is a mother tongue for nearly 17 million. Filipino is probably spoken by around 57 million (68 per cent) in total, making it the national language; the 1980 census indicated that just over half the population can speak English as a second language. Filipino (also called Pilipino or Tagalog) is an Austronesian language.

There are 169 indigenous languages spoken across the Philippines, all of which are Austronesian in origin, with the exception of 3 Sino-Tibetan languages, 2 Indo-European, and 1 Spanish-based creole: Chavacano, the primary language of those in Zamboanga city. Three separate Chinese languages (Sino-Tibetan) are spoken by different communities within the Chinese ethnic group, the overwhelming majority of whom speak Min Nan Chinese. Of the Austronesian languages, Cebuano is spoken by over 14.7 million as a mother tongue on Negros, Cebu, and parts of Mindanao island. Seven million Filipinos speak Hiligaynon, in the Iloilo province, on Panay island, and elsewhere. Ilocano is a first language for 8 million speakers in parts of Luzon, Mindanao, and other islands. Spanish, formerly an official language, is spoken by a dwindling minority of the population, particularly in Manila.

Of the Philippine population, about 84 per cent are Roman Catholics, about 4 per cent are Muslims, and about 10 per cent are Protestants or of other denominations, including the Philippine Independent Church, or Aglipayans, a schismatic group of Roman Catholics founded about 1902 by Gregorio Aglipay, a Filipino priest.

Education

Education in the Philippines is free and compulsory for children of ages 7 to 12. Although Pilipino is taught and, in the lower grades, local dialects are also used, English is the main language of instruction. About 96 per cent of the adult population is literate. In 2000–2001, 3.4 per cent of the national budget was spent on education.

In 1994-1995 about 10.9 million pupils were enrolled annually in 35,670 elementary schools, and some 4.8 million students attended some 5,880 secondary schools. Approximately 2 million students attended universities and colleges in 2000–2001, such as the University of the Philippines (1908), in Quezon City; Adamson University (1932), the University of the East (1946), Far Eastern University (1928), Feati University (1946), and the University of Santo Tomás (1611), all in Manila; Bicol University (1969), in Legaspi; the University of Mindanao (1946), in Davao; Silliman University (1901), in Dumaguete, on Negros island; St Louis University (1911), in Baguio; and South Western University (1946), in Cebu.

Culture

The existence of a number of different languages, dialects, and religious traditions has meant that the Filipinos developed no single national culture. Over many centuries of Philippine history cultural development has been local in nature, enriched by influences from China, Malaysia, Europe, and the United States. Indigenous folk elements find expression in literature and music as well as other cultural forms. Traditional sports include arnis, a kind of fencing with wooden sticks, and sipa, a game much like volleyball, except that the players use their feet rather than their hands and arms. Such sports as cockfighting and boxing are very popular, and American influence is seen in the wide popularity of baseball and basketball.

One of the most notable characteristics of the Filipino society is the tradition of strong family loyalty. This is reflected in the absence of such institutions as old people’s homes and orphanages. Since pre-colonial times Filipino women have held high positions in the society, and today many businesses are managed by women.

Government

            A new constitution was ratified by national referendum in February 1987. The head of state and chief executive of the Philippines is a president, elected by direct universal suffrage to a single six-year term. The vice-president may serve no more than two successive six-year terms. Under the Philippine constitution, the bicameral legislature consists of a senate of 24 members, serving six-year terms, and a house of representatives with a maximum of 250 members, serving three-year terms. The first general elections for the legislature under the new constitution were held in May 1987.

        For the February 1986 presidential election, the parties that took part were a 12-party coalition, the United Nationalist Democratic Organization (Unido); the New Society Movement (KBL); and the Philippine Democratic Party (PDP-Laban). The Unido and PDP candidates were Corazon Aquino and Salvador Laurel, and the New Society Movement supported Ferdinand Marcos and Arturo Tolentino. In the elections of May 1987, opponents of Aquino campaigned under the banner of the Grand Alliance for Democracy. In the 1992 presidential elections, Fidel Valdez Ramos, who won the election, was supported by the Lakas ng Edsa and the National Union of Christian Democrats (NUCD) political parties.

        The major parties contesting the May 1998 presidential elections were the Labang ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino (LAMMP) coalition supporting Joseph Estrada, the Lakas-NUCD-UMPD-Kampi coalition backed by the incumbent President Ramos, the Liberal Party, Democratic Action, and the People’s Reform Party. The party system that has evolved since 1986 generates a multiplicity of parties, many of them more personal organizations for promoting their founders than ideological blocs.

        The highest tribunal in the Philippines is the Supreme Court, made up of a chief justice and 14 associate justices, all appointed by the country’s president. Other judicial bodies include a Court of Appeals, courts of the first instance, and municipal courts.

        The Philippines is divided into 76 provinces, each headed by a governor, plus the national capital region. The provinces are subdivided into a total of 61 chartered cities, more than 1,500 municipalities, and thousands of other local units. Most cities of the Philippines have modern health facilities, which are usually lacking in rural areas. Average life expectancy at birth in 2004 was 67 years for men and 73 years for women. Infant mortality in 2004 was 24 deaths per 1,000 live births. The country had about 78,440 doctors, or 1 for every 849 people. The government manages a retirement and life insurance programme for employed people. In 2001 1.93 per cent of the national budget was spent on health care.

        In 2002 the armed forces of the Philippines included an army of 66,000 personnel, a navy of 24,000, and an air force of 16,000. The Philippines is a member of the United Nations (UN), the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Colombo Plan, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.