Major Cities: Located on Luzon Island, Metropolitan Manila, including the adjacent Quezon City and surrounding suburbs, is the largest city in the Philippines, with about 12 million people, or nearly 14 percent of the total population. Other large cities include Cebu City on Cebu Island and Davao City on Mindanao Island.

Independence: The Philippines attained independence from Spain on June 12, 1898, and from the United States on July 4, 1946.

Public Holidays: New Year’s Day (January 1), Holy Thursday (also called Maundy Thursday, movable date in March or April), Good Friday (movable date in March or April), Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor, commonly called Bataan Day outside of the Philippines, April 9), Labor Day (May 1), Independence Day (June 12), National Heroes Day (last Sunday of August), Bonifacio Day (celebration of the birthday of Andres Bonifacio, November 30), Eid al Fitr (the last day of Ramadan, movable date), Christmas Day (December 25), Rizal Day (the date of the execution by the Spanish of José Rizal in 1896, December 30).

Flag: The flag of the Philippines has two equal horizontal bands of blue

(top) and red with a white equilateral triangle based on the hoist side;

in the center of the triangle is a yellow sun with eight primary rays (each

containing three individual rays), and in each corner of the triangle is

a small yellow five-pointed star.

RECENT NEWS ARTICLES

Barriers on â€˜float glassâ€™ to remain in the Philippines  -  24 Oct 2006
Viet Nam News,The DTI carried out a preliminary investigation into the matter from May to September 2003, concluding that the Philippines should apply temporary protective ...

Majority of Catholic Philippines have favourable opinion of Islam  -  24 Oct 2006
Raw Story,Manila- Most people in the predominantly Catholic Philippines have a favourable opinion of Islam and believe that it is a peaceful religion, a nationwide ...

PM to adopt lessons from Philippines  -  24 Oct 2006
Bangkok Post,Manila _ Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont plans to adopt the lessons learned by the Philippines in tackling its own Muslim extremist group, Abu Sayyaf, for use ...

Philippines Offers To Help Revive Six-Party Nuclear Talks  -  24 Oct 2006
Asianjournal.com,MANILA (AP)--The Philippines has offered its office as current chairman of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations "as a venue" to explore the ...

Lim bids for BAP reinstatement  -  24 Oct 2006
Manila Standard Today,BASKETBALL Association of the Philippines secretary-general Graham Lim has come to the aid of athletics chief Go Teng Kok by claiming that itâ€™s not ...

Philippines South Forbes Golf City gets new investment  -  24 Oct 2006
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Govâ€™t to pay up to $12M to open NAIA-3 next year  -  24 Oct 2006
INQ7.net,We know the importance of NAIA 3 in establishing the Philippines as a transport hub for the region and its effect on the Philippine economy. ...

Whoâ€™s really no. 1?  -  24 Oct 2006
Manila Standard Today,When completed, visitors from the Philippines would recognize the Shanghai Metrobank building right away since the architecture and design is similar to the ...

Hyatt, Hilton eye Philippine retirement sector  -  24 Oct 2006
INQ7.net,THE Hyatt and Hilton hotel groups plan to send teams to the Philippines to survey the retirement industry, Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) Chairman ...

CRMS grad goes cuckoo for coconuts  -  24 Oct 2006
Aspen Times,By John Gardner. Colorado Rocky Mountain School graduate Dustin Bowers spent last summer in the Philippines on the beach playing with coconuts. ...

Lubetkin Communications Managing Partner Keynote Speaker at ...  -  24 Oct 2006
The Open Press (press release)2006 -- Steve Lubetkin, managing partner of Cherry Hill-based Professional Podcasts LLC, recently completed a speaking tour of the Philippines that included a ...

Quake jolts central Philippines  -  Oct 22, 2006
Balita.org,A moderate earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale jolted the central Philippines early Sunday, the US Geological Survey reported. ...

EARTHQUAKE JOLTS THE PHILIPPINES  -  Oct 22, 2006
Bahrain News Agency,MANILA, OCT. 22, (BNA)--AN EARTHQUAKE MEASURING 4. 7 DEGREES ON RICHTER SCALE STRUCK MANY PARTS OF THE PHILIPPINES TODAY. NO HUMAN ...

MTV Philippines exec joins Dell Philippines  -  Oct 23, 2006
INQ7.net,By Erwin Oliva. Jack Madrid, formerly of MTV Philippines, is the latest Filipino executive to join Dell Philippines. Madrid will ...

Philippines to spearhead initiative on caring  -  Oct 22, 2006
Balita.org,The Philippines will spearhead an initiative of a more caring and sharing community during the 12th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN ...

Magnificent music from the Philippines  -  Oct 22, 2006
Manawatu Standard,The University of the Philippines Concert Chorus. Regent on Broadway, Saturday 21st October. Reviewed by STEPHEN FISHER. The University ...

Sika Philippines opens branch in Angeles City  -  Oct 23, 2006
Aggregate Research Industries,...(ANGELES CITY, Philippines) -- Sika Philippines Incorporated, in partnership with MEW Industrial Sales Corporation, recently launched its newest branch in this ...

This series of profiles of foreign nations is part of the Country Studies Program, formerly the Army Area Handbook Program. The profiles offer brief, summarized information on a country’s historical background, geography, society, economy, transportation and telecommunications, government and politics, and national security. In addition to being featured in the front matter of published Country Studies, they are now being prepared as stand-alone reference aides for all countries in the series, as well as for a number of additional countries of interest. The profiles offer reasonably current country information independent of the existence of a recently published Country Study and will be updated annually or more frequently as events warrant.