My Country, The Philippines

An Introduction

Official Name: REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS (Republic of the Philippines)

Titles Associated with the Philippines: "Cradle of Heroes and Heroines," "Pearl of the Orient Seas," "Gems of the East" and "Land of the Morning"

Map of the Philippines (Creative Commons Photo, Courtesy of Eugene Alvin Villar or "Seav" on Wkipedia)

Location and Physical Description. The Philippines is located in Southeast Asia. It is an archipelagic nation of more than 7,100 islands and islets. It is surrounded by three bodies of water. On the east, it is bounded by the Philippine Sea; on the south, it is bounded by the Celebes Sea; and on the west and north, it is bounded by the South China Sea. The islands and islets are grouped into three: Luzon, which is the biggest island group, Visayas and Mindanao. Located in Luzon is Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Located in Luzon, too, is Quezon city, the most populated city in the Philippines and the city which was created by Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon for the ordinary people so that they can live with dignity. In terms of land area, the biggest city is Davao, which is located in Mindanao.

Government. The Philippines adopts the democratic form of government based on the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines (constitutional democracy). This form of government has three branches, namely: executive, legislative and judicial. The executive branch is composed of the president and his or her cabinet; the president is the country's head of state. The legislative branch (Philippine Congress) is composed of the senators and congressional district and party-list representatives. The senators belong to the upper house (Senate) while the congressional district and party-list representatives make up the lower house (House of Representatives). The Senate and the House of Representatives form the bicameral legislature or congress. The judicial branch is composed of the chief justice, associate justices and all the judges and members of the various courts. The Supreme Court, which is composed of the chief justice and associate justices, heads the judiciary, and judicial power resides in the Supreme Court and all the lower courts as provided by law.

Socio-Political Structure. Essentially, the existing socio-political structure in the Philippines is barangay-based (community-based). A barangay (community) or a barrio (village) elects its barangay captain and councilors who will manage the socio-political affairs of the barangay as provided by law. A group of communities constitutes a municipality, a town or a city which is headed by its duly-elected mayor and officers. A group of municipalities and towns comprises a district whose constituents elect a person who will represent the district in the House of Representatives. (The city, by itself, consists of two or more congressional districts.) A bigger group of municipalities and towns constitutes a province (state) whose constituents elect the governor and vice-governor for the province while the entire Filipino voters elect the senators, vice-president and president of the Philippines.

Languages and Dialects. The national language of the Philippines is Filipino, although the official languages are Filipino and English. These official languages are also the media of instruction in schools. Two other foreign languages --- Spanish and Arabic --- are to be promoted on a voluntary and optional basis as stated in the Philippine Constitution of 1987. There are many regional languages (dialects) and these languages are the auxiliary official languages which can be used in schools for the purpose of enhancing and facilitating the learning process. There are eight major dialects and these are: Bikol (Bikolano), Cebuano, Hiligaynon (Ilonggo), Ilocano, Pampango (Kapampangan), Pangasinense, Tagalog and Waray-Waray.

Language Info: The national language of the Philippines is Filipino, yet it is the third largest English-speaking country in the world.