The Philippines is made up of 7,107 islands covering a land area of 115,739 sq. m. (299,764 sq. km.). Main island groups are Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Capital is Manila. Time Zone is GMT + 8 hours.
CLIMATE
March to May is hot and dry. June to October is rainy, November to February is cool. Average temperatures: 78°F / 25°C to 90°F / 32°C; humidity is 77%.
POPULATION
There are a total of 76.5 million Filipinos as of the latest national census in May, 2000. Population growth is estimated at 2.36 percent annually. Luzon, the largest island group, accounts for more than half of the entire population.
LANGUAGES
Two official languages — Filipino and English. Filipino which is based on Tagalog, is the national language. English is also widely used and is the medium of instruction in higher education.
Eight (8) major dialects spoken by majority of the Filipinos: Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinense. Filipino is the native language whish is used commonly as the language of communication among ethnic groups. Filipino is in a process of development through loans from Philippine languages and non-native languages for various situations, among speakers of different social backgrounds, and for topics for conversation and scholarly discourse. There are about 76 to 78 major language groups, with more than 500 dialects.
RELIGIONS
Some 83% of Filipinos are Catholic. About 5% are Moslem. The rest are made up of smaller Christian denominations and Buddhist.
UNIT OF MEASURE
The Metric System is used in most trade and legal transactions.
ELECTRICITY
220 volts a/c is the common standard. 110 volts a/c is also used, especially in major hotels.
CURRENCY
The Philippines’ monetary unit is the peso, divided into 100 centavos. Foreign currency may be exchanged at any hotels, most large department stores, banks, and authorized money changing shops accredited by the Central Bank of the Philippines. International credit cards such as Visa, Diners Club, Bank Americard, Master Card, and American Express are accepted in major establishments.
Education
The Philippines has both private and public school systems for elementary, secondary and college levels. The public schools are subsidized by the Government, fees are minimal and teaching is done in English and Filipino. The normal school year is from June to March.
Foreign nationals have a choice of going to either the elitist local private schools, majority of which are run by religious orders and teaching is done in English, or the international schools.
Public Transport
The most common and inexpensive mode of transportation in the Philippines are jeepneys. There are also buses that are classified into non-aircon and airconditioned. Taxis are all airconditoned. The Philippines has also Tricycles. These are motorcycles / bicycles with a sidecar attached for short trips on the side streets. (depends on the locality). Also, the country have Light Rail Transit(LRT) & Metro Rail Transit(MRT). These are overhead railway system that currently runs in Metro Manila. Lastly, the country has also Air Transport (Domestic Flights –One way Fare per Person)
* Subject to increase based on fuel
Shopping in Manila
Metro Manila is considered as shopper’s paradise. The major shopping center in Makati is the Ayala Commercial Center where most items found overseas can be bought. The SM Megamall, Robinson’s Galleria, Rustan’s Department Store and Edsa Plaza Shopping Mall are modern malls with extensive array of consumer goods and a must when shopping.The Divisoria area, on the otherhand, are for adventuresome bargain hunter/s who wish to experience a typical Asian open market.
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