Philippines Passport

[Country Name] Republic of the Philippines.

[Area] 299700 square kilometers.

The population is approximately 117 million (as of 2023). Malay people account for about 85% of the national population. The main ethnic groups include Tagalog, Ilogo, Bangbanya, Visaya and Bikor; Ethnic minorities and foreign descendants include Chinese, Arabs, Indians, Spaniards and Americans; There are also a few indigenous people. There are over 70 languages available. The national language is Filipino based on Tagalog, with English as the official language. More than 80% of the population believes in Catholicism, 4.9% believes in Islam, a small number of people believe in Independent Christianity and Protestant Christianity, most Chinese people believe in Buddhism, and most indigenous people believe in primitive religions.

Manila, the capital, has a population of 18.46 million as of October 2020. The average annual temperature is 28 ℃.

Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, the head of state, assumed office in June 2022.

Independence Day (National Day): June 12th; Bataan Day (commemorating World War II fallen soldiers): April 9th; Hero's Day (in commemoration of the martyrdom of the founding father, Li Cha): December 30th; Major Christian festivals, such as Christmas.

【 Overview 】 Located in southeastern Asia. It faces Taiwan, China Province across the Bashi Strait in the north, Indonesia and Malaysia across the Sulawesi Sea and Barabak Strait in the south and southwest, the South China Sea in the west and the Pacific Ocean in the east. There are over 7000 islands of various sizes, with 11 major islands including Luzon, Mindanao, and Samar accounting for 96% of the country's total area. The coastline is approximately 18533 kilometers long. It belongs to the monsoon type tropical rainforest climate, characterized by high temperatures, heavy rainfall, high humidity, and frequent typhoons. The average annual temperature is 27 ℃, and the annual precipitation is 2000-3000 millimeters.

Around the 14th century, the Philippines saw the emergence of several separatist kingdoms composed of indigenous tribes and Malay immigrants, with the most famous being the Sulu Kingdom that emerged in the 1870s. In 1521, Magellan led a Spanish expedition to the Philippine Islands. Afterwards, Spain gradually occupied the Philippines and ruled for over 300 years. On June 12, 1898, the Philippines declared independence and established the Republic of the Philippines. In the same year, the United States occupied the Philippines based on the Treaty of Paris signed after the Spanish War. In 1942, the Philippines was occupied by Japan. After the end of World War II, the Philippines once again became a colony of the United States. On July 4, 1946, the United States agreed to the independence of the Philippines. After Philippine independence, the Liberal Party and the Nationalist Party took turns in power. In 1965, Kuomintang candidate Marcos was elected as the sixth president after World War II and was re elected three times. In August 1983, opposition leader Benigno Aquino was murdered, leading to political turmoil. On February 7, 1986, the Philippines held early presidential elections, and Benigno Aquino's wife Corazon Aquino became president with the support of the public, the Catholic Church, and the military. Afterwards, Ramos and Estrada were elected as presidents according to the constitution. In January 2001, Estrada was forced to step down due to a bribery scandal, and Vice President Arroyo succeeded him as president. In June 2004, Arroyo was elected president. In June 2010, Liberal Party candidate Aquino III became the 15th President of the Philippines. In June 2016, the Democratic People's Power Party candidate Duterte became the 16th President of the Philippines. In May 2022, the Philippines held its 17th national election, in which presidential candidate Marcos and his partner Sarah won the presidential and vice presidential elections. President Marcos was sworn in on June 30th.

Implement a presidential system in politics. The President is the Head of State, Head of Government, and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, serving a term of six years and not eligible for re-election. Except for terrorism and separatist activities in the southern region, the overall political situation in the Philippines is stable.

After independence, three constitutions were promulgated. The current constitution was passed by popular vote on February 2, 1987, and declared effective by President Corazon Aquino on February 11 of the same year. The constitution stipulates the implementation of a system of separation of powers among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches; The President has executive power and is directly elected by the voters for a term of 6 years, and cannot be re elected; The president has no authority to impose martial law, dissolve parliament, or arbitrarily arrest opposition parties; Prohibit military intervention in politics; Protecting human rights and abolishing individual dictatorship; Carry out land reform. At the beginning of 2019, the referendum on the "Organic Law of the Samolo Autonomous Region of the Muslim State of Mindanao" in the southern Philippines was successful, and positive progress was made in the peace process and national reconciliation in the south.

The parliament is called the National Assembly. The highest legislative body is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate is composed of 24 members who are directly elected nationwide for a term of 6 years, with 1/2 of them being re elected every three years, and can be re elected for two consecutive terms. The House of Representatives is composed of more than 300 members, of which 200 are distributed by provinces and cities according to population ratios and elected from various constituencies across the country; 25 appointed by the winning political party, 25 appointed by the president, and some sector party members. Members of the House of Representatives serve a term of three years and can be re elected for three consecutive terms. The current Congress will be elected in July 2022. Current Senate Speaker Escudero and House Speaker Romurdez.

The current government was formed in June 2022, and as of October 2024, the list of cabinet members and important officials is as follows: Civil Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Interior Minister Juanito Victor C. Remulla, Foreign Minister Enrique A. Manalo Manalo）， Education Minister Sonny Angara, Agriculture Minister Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., Finance Minister Ralph Recto, Justice Minister Jesus Crispin C. Remulla, Defense Minister Gilbert Teodoro, Public Works Minister Manuel Bonoan, Information and Communication Technology Minister Ivan John Uy, Transport Minister Jaime Bautista, Social Welfare and Development Minister Rex Gatchalian, Labor and Employment Minister Bienvenido Lagesma Venido Laguesma, Minister of Budget and Management Amenah Pangandaman, Minister of Land Reform Conrad Estrella Estrella III, Minister of Tourism Christina Frasco, Minister of Trade and Industry Cristina Roque, Director General of the National Economic Development Agency Arsenio Balisacan, National Security Advisor Eduardo A ñ o, Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo Jr., and Chief Legal Advisor to the President Juan Enrile.

The country is divided into three major parts: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. There are 18 regions in the country, including the Capital Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, and Mindanao Muslim Autonomous Region, with 81 provinces and 117 cities.

The judicial authority belongs to the Supreme Court and courts at all levels. The Supreme Court is composed of one Chief Justice and 14 Associate Justices, all appointed by the President and possessing the highest judicial power; There are appellate courts, local courts, and municipal courts. Current Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo. The prosecution work is handled by the Office of the Prosecutor General of the Ministry of Justice, with the Chief Prosecutor Menardo Guevarra.

There are over 100 political parties and groups, most of which are local small parties. The main political parties and groups are:

(1) The Christian Muslim Democratic Forces Party (LAKAS-CMD): Founded by former President Ramos in late 1991, it was formed by the integration of the People's Power Party, the National Christian Democratic Union, the Philippine Muslim Democratic Union, the Unity Party, and others. Advocating the implementation of a two party system, expanding local government power through constitutional amendments, reforming the electoral system, and changing the presidential term from six years to four years, with the option to serve two consecutive terms; Advocate achieving national reconciliation through negotiations and promoting social stability. Economically valuing agricultural development, increasing employment, assisting poverty, and accelerating privatization processes; Advocate economic diplomacy and pursue an open policy. In 1992, the party won the general election and became the ruling party. In the 1998 election, they lost to the Philippine People's Struggle Party Alliance. After Arroyo took office as president in 2001, the party became the core of the ruling coalition. The current chairman of the party is Ramon "Bong" Revilla, the president is Martin Romurdes, and former president Arroyo serves as honorary chairman.

(2) The Democratic Party of the Philippines (PDP): Founded in 1982, formerly known as the Democratic People's Power Party of the Philippines, it was founded by former Senate Speaker Aquilino Pimontel II and its members mainly come from areas such as Davao City and Cagayan Province in southern Philippines. In 2016, the party's candidate Duterte won the presidential election. In April 2024, the party changed its name to the Democratic Party of the Philippines.

(3) The Liberal Party: Founded by Manuel Rojas, the 5th President of the Philippines, in 1946, its early members were mainly liberals who split from the Philippine Nationalist Party. After the Arroyo government came to power in 2001, the party joined the ruling coalition, but later left and elected Aquino III to participate in the 2010 presidential election. A was ultimately elected as the 15th President of the Philippines with 42% of the vote. In 2016, the party's candidate Leni Robredo was elected as the 16th Vice President of the Philippines. The current party chairman is Pangelinan, and the president is Lagman.

(4) The Philippine Federal Party (PFP): Founded in 2018, its main members come from organizations that supported Duterte's participation in the 2016 presidential election. In the 2022 general election, the party announced its support for the Marcos and Sarah coalition.

Other political parties include Aksyon Demokratiko, Promdi Probinsiya Muna Development Initiative, Reporma, LDP Lanbang Demokratikong Pilipino, and Nationalista Party.

Export oriented economy relies heavily on external markets. The tertiary industry holds a prominent position in the national economy, with agriculture and manufacturing also accounting for a considerable proportion. In the late 1960s, an open policy was adopted to actively attract foreign investment, resulting in significant achievements in economic development. After the 1980s, due to the impact of Western economic recession and political turmoil, economic development slowed down significantly. In the early 1990s, the Ramos government took a series of measures to revitalize the economy, and the economy began to fully recover and maintain a high growth rate. The Asian financial crisis that erupted in 1997 had little impact on the Philippines, but its economic growth rate slowed down again. After taking office, Marcos made post pandemic recovery and economic development his top priority, focusing on the development of agriculture, energy, and other fields. The main economic data for 2023 are as follows:

Gross Domestic Product: Approximately 437.15 billion US dollars

Per capita Gross Domestic Product: Approximately 3725.6 US dollars

Gross Domestic Product Growth Rate: 5.5%

Currency name: Peso

Exchange rate: 1 US dollar ≈ 58 pesos

Inflation rate: 5.8%

There are more than 20 types of mineral deposits, including copper, gold, silver, iron, chromium, nickel, etc. The reserves of copper are approximately 4.8 billion tons, nickel are 1.09 billion tons, and gold are 136 million tons. Geothermal resources are expected to have 2.09 billion barrels of crude oil standard energy. There are approximately 350 million barrels of oil reserves in the northwest waters of Palawan Island.

The manufacturing industry is mainly composed of food processing, chemical products, wireless communication equipment and other industries, accounting for more than 65% of the total output.

Main agricultural products: coconut oil, bananas, fish and shrimp, sugar and sugar products, coconut shreds, pineapple and pineapple juice, unprocessed tobacco, natural rubber, coconut flour and seaweed, etc.

The forest area is 15.79 million hectares, with a coverage rate of 53%. There are precious woods such as ebony and sandalwood.

The aquatic resources are abundant, with over 2400 species of fish and tuna resources ranking among the top in the world. The developed seawater and freshwater fishing grounds cover an area of 2080 square kilometers.

The output value of the service industry accounts for about 60% of the gross domestic product. The Philippines is one of the world's major labor exporting countries. According to statistics, there are over 2.3 million Filipino workers working overseas, with approximately 24% working in Saudi Arabia and 16% working in the United Arab Emirates.

Tourism is one of the important sources of foreign exchange income. Main tourist source countries: United States, China, South Korea, Japan, Australia. The main tourist attractions include Baisheng Beach, Biyao City, Mount Ma Rong, and the primitive terraced fields in Ifugao Province.

Transportation is mainly by road and sea. The railway is underdeveloped and concentrated on Luzon Island. Air transportation is mainly operated by shipping companies such as Philippine Airlines, and there are flights between major islands across the country.

Railway: with a total length of 1200 kilometers.

Highway: with a total length of approximately 216000 kilometers. The passenger volume accounts for 90% of the total transportation volume in the country, and the freight volume accounts for 65% of the total transportation volume in the country.

Water transportation: with a total length of 3219 kilometers. There are hundreds of ports of various sizes and over a thousand merchant ships across the country. The main ports are Manila, Cebu, Yilang, and Zamboanga.

Air freight: Nearly 300 airports of various types. Domestic routes cover over 40 cities and have signed international shipping agreements with more than 30 countries. The main airports are the capital ManilaNinoy Aquino International Airport, Mactan International Airport in Cebu City, and Davao Airport, among others.

(Source: Philippine National Railways, Land Transport Office, Bureau of Marine Industry, Philippine Airlines)

In 2021, the Philippines' fiscal revenue was $58.7 billion, fiscal expenditure was $88.1 billion, and fiscal deficit was $29.7 billion, accounting for 7.6% of GDP. As of the end of 2023, foreign exchange reserves amounted to $102.5 billion. As of September 2023, the total external debt is 118.8 billion US dollars.

(Source: Department of Finance, Central Bank of the Philippines)

The main banks are: Capital Bank, with assets of 15.5 billion US dollars; Philippine Island Bank has assets of 13.8 billion US dollars.

We have trade relations with 150 countries. According to the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry, the country's foreign trade volume in 2023 is $1998.3 billion, including $73.62 billion in exports and $126.21 billion in imports. In recent years, the Philippine government has actively developed foreign trade, promoting the diversification of export commodities and foreign trade markets, resulting in significant changes in the structure of import and export commodities. The export value of non-traditional export commodities such as clothing, electronic products, handicrafts, furniture, fertilizers, etc. has surpassed that of traditional commodities such as minerals and raw materials.

The security team was established in 1901. In 1936, the army was established based on the security forces. In 1946, the National Defense Force was established based on the Army, consisting of four branches: the Navy, Army, Air, and Security Forces. On April 19, 1950, it was officially renamed as the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and March 22 (the date of the establishment of the revolutionary government in 1897 during the Philippines' resistance against Spanish colonial rule) was designated as Army Day. The president is the supreme commander. The Armed Forces Command is the highest command structure of the three armed forces, and the Chief of the General Staff is the highest military commander. The Ministry of National Defense is the administrative management agency of the three armed forces. Current Defense Minister Gilbert Teodoro and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Romeo Brawner. Implement a voluntary military service system, with a service period of at least three years.

The Philippine armed forces consist of regular troops, reserves, and quasi military units, with a total of 127000 regular troops. The army has 86000 personnel and oversees 10 infantry divisions, 1 light armored brigade, 5 engineering brigades, and more. The navy has 23000 personnel and oversees seven naval units, including the Marine Corps standby unit, Northern Luzon, Southern Luzon, Western, Central, Eastern Mindanao, and Western Mindanao. The Air Force has 18000 personnel and oversees 3 Air Force divisions, 8 combat/support squadrons, and more.

The National Police Force was officially established in January 1991 and is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Local Government. The total military strength is 95500, second only to the Philippine Armed Forces as a quasi military force, with national police command centers and police stations established in various regions, provinces, counties, cities, and towns. The current Director General of the National Police, Rommel Francisco Marbil.

The Constitution stipulates that primary and secondary schools shall implement compulsory education. The government attaches great importance to education, encourages private education, provides long-term low interest loans for private schools, and exempts them from property tax. Primary and secondary education is mainly run by the government. There are a total of 50483 primary schools in China, with a primary school enrollment rate of 91.05%; There are 14217 middle schools with an enrollment rate of 68.15%; There are 1599 higher education institutions, mainly controlled by private individuals, with approximately 2.44 million students enrolled. Famous higher education institutions include the University of the Philippines, De La Salle University, Ateneo de Manila University, Oriental University, Far Eastern University, Saint Thomas University, etc.

Main English daily newspapers: Manila Gazette, Philippine Star, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Daily Tribune, Manila Times, Manila Standard, Business World, Business Mirror, and Malayan Business Observer. Philippine Daily News: "Forward News". Chinese language daily newspapers: World Journal, Philippine Business Daily, Philippine Chinese Times, United Daily News, and Philippine Chinese Daily.

The Office of the Minister of Information is responsible for formulating national media policies, disseminating government information, operating state-owned media, maintaining communication and guidance with the private media industry in the Philippines, and registering and managing foreign media and communication agencies stationed in the Philippines. The main news units under it are as follows:

Philippine News Agency: The official news agency, established on March 1, 1973. We have established news exchange relationships with news agencies in 15 countries and regions including China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Pakistan, and Japan, and have working connections with the Associated Press and Reuters.

National Radio Station: One of the oldest radio stations in the Philippines, covering major cities across the country.

News organizations include the National Journalists Club, News Photographers Association, Publishers Association, etc. There are 257 publishing institutions nationwide.

There are 629 radio stations in the country, including 488 commercial radio stations, 51 non-commercial radio stations, 32 government-owned radio stations, 10 religious radio stations, and 7 educational radio stations. There are 137 television stations, among which the Broadcasting Bureau and People's Television Station are official in nature, while the rest are privately owned. The languages used by Philippine radio and television stations are mainly English, Filipino, and Mandarin.

We adhere to an independent foreign policy and have established diplomatic relations with 126 countries so far. The foreign policy objective is to ensure national security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; Promote social development and maintain the competitiveness of the Philippines globally; Protecting the rights and interests of Filipino overseas citizens; Enhancing the international image of the Philippines; Developing mutually beneficial relationships with various countries.

The Philippines has listed the development of relations with other ASEAN countries as a key direction of its foreign policy, leveraging ASEAN to play its role in regional and international affairs. The Philippines actively participates in and promotes various cooperation and economic integration processes within ASEAN, and served as the rotating chair of ASEAN in 2017. Served as the coordinating country for China ASEAN relations from August 2018 to August 2021.

The Philippines was once a colony of the United States, and the two countries maintained a long-term alliance relationship. In 1947, the two countries signed the Military Base Agreement, and in 1951, they signed the Mutual Defense Treaty. In 1991, the Philippine Senate abolished the Military Base Agreement, ending the 93 year US military presence in the Philippines. In 1998, the two countries signed the Visiting Forces Agreement. This agreement allows the US military to return to the Philippines. In 2014, the two countries signed the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). The two countries hold regular "shoulder to shoulder" joint military exercises every year. Both sides have close high-level exchanges. In May 2022, Biden had a phone call with Marcos to congratulate him on his election. In November 2022, Vice President Harris visited the Philippines. In February 2023, US Defense Secretary Austin visited the Philippines and announced that the Philippines would open four new military bases to the US under the framework of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. In April, both sides announced the specific locations of four bases. In May, Marcos visited the United States and met with Biden, including the Vice President, Secretary of State, and Defense Minister. In March 2024, US Secretary of Commerce Raymond and Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the Philippines successively. In April, Marcos went to the United States to attend the first trilateral summit between the United States, Japan, and the Philippines. The United States is the second largest official aid donor and second largest trading partner of the Philippines. The United States is also the largest labor exporting country to the Philippines, with 3 million American Filipino workers and expatriates.

Japan is the largest aid donor and traditional partner of the Philippines. In March 2023, Philippine President Marcos visited Japan. In November, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited the Philippines.