The Philippines
Overview
The Philippine Islands became a Spanish colony during the 16th century; they were
ceded to the US in 1898 following the Spanish-American War. In 1935 the Philippines became a
self-governing commonwealth. Manuel Quezon was elected president and was tasked with
preparing the country for independence after a 10-year transition. In 1942, the islands fell under
Japanese occupation during World War II, and US forces and Filipinos fought together during
1944-45 to regain control. On July 4, 1946, the Republic of the Philippines attained its
independence. A 20-year rule by Ferdinand Marcos ended in 1986, when a "people power"
movement in Manila ("EDSA 1") forced him into exile and installed Corazon Aquino as
president. Her presidency was hampered by several coup attempts that prevented a return to full
political stability and economic development. Fidel Ramos was elected president in 1992. His
administration was marked by increased stability and by progress on economic reforms. In 1992,
the US closed its last military bases on the islands. Joseph Estrada was elected president in 1998.
He was succeeded by his vice-president, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, in January 2001 after
Estrada’s stormy impeachment trial on corruption charges broke down and another "people
power" movement ("EDSA 2") demanded his resignation. Macapagal- Arroyo was elected to a
six-year term as president in May 2004. Her presidency was marred by several corruption
allegations but the Philippine economy was one of the few to avoid contraction following the
2008 global financial crisis, expanding each year of her administration. Benigno Aquino III was
elected to a six-year term as president in May 2010.
Location: Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea,
east of Vietnam
Capital: Manila
Climate: tropical marine; northeast monsoon (November to April); southwest monsoon (May to October)
Population: 100,998,376 (July 2015 est.)
Ethnic Make-up: Tagalog 28.1%, Cebuano 13.1%, Ilocano 9%, Bisaya/Binisaya 7.6%, Hiligaynon
Ilonggo 7.5%, Bikol 6%, Waray 3.4%, other 25.3% (2000 census)
Government: Republic
Language: Filipino (official; based on Tagalog) and English (official); eight major dialects - Tagalog,
Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan
Religions: Catholic 82.9% (Roman Catholic 80.9%, Aglipayan 2%), Muslim 5%, Evangelical 2.8%,
Iglesia ni Kristo 2.3%, other Christian 4.5%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.6%, none 0.1% (2000
census) CIA World Factbook
The Philippines
Convoy of Hope in the Philippines
Convoy of Hope and its partners have been feeding children in the Philippines since 2007.
Through a partnership with over 250 community organizations and churches located throughout
five major islands in the Philippines, 27,556 children from 200 food-insecure communities are
enrolled in the Children’s Feeding Initiative. The COH-Philippines office currently has a waiting
list of 91,647 children for the program.
COH-Philippines also prepares for and responds to natural disasters with immediate relief and
long-term recovery. In the aftermaths of Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 and Typhoon Hagupit in
2014, COH delivered emergency food, water and supplies. To assist with recovery, our teams
repaired homes for dozens of families and restored livelihoods for entire communities who had
lost everything.
In addition to disaster response and providing a nutrition program to children to address the
immediate causes of under-nutrition, COH-Philippines piloted an innovative women’s
empowerment project in 2014 with the objective of helping households improve their food
security and nutrition practices. The initial pilot project showed amazing results, including a
161% increase in daily income (from $3.82 to $9.22). The meant a decrease of reported hunger
in the household from 100% of participants at the start of the project to just 10% at the end.
Etiquette and Customs in the Philippines
Filipinos are known for their warmth and hospitality and share a lot of customs with the rest of
South-East Asia. For example, avoid showing or pointing the soles of your feet, which are
considered unclean, or touching someone’s head, considered sacred. But the country’s Spanish
and American historical influence means the language and greetings will be familiar to you.
• Handshakes are common but they are soft handshakes. A strong handshake is not
necessary to assert yourself.
• Kissing as a greeting is inappropriate, as are pats on the back and touching the shoulder
until you have developed a personal relationship.
• Family is important and extended families live together. You can expect to see families in
the hospital, curious about your patient and attentive.
• Losing control, raising your voice or shouting at all is usually considered shameful to
one’s family.
• Filipinos would rather avoid embarrassment and often do so through laughter.
• In conversation, Filipinos often say ‘yes’ or ‘maybe’ rather than ‘no’. It’s all about
keeping things positive and saving face, as in other countries in the region.
• Don’t complain - keep a harmonious atmosphere. Be like a sponge. Soak up as much of
the experience as possible.
• “Hello” is well understood and Mr. and Mrs. are also appropriate at first. As you make
friends the locals and our staff are sure to teach you comfortable alternatives in their
language.
• Thank you - Salamat (add ‘po’ for formality and when speaking to an elder i.e. salamat
po)
The Philippines
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