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| | About the Philippines |
| The Philippines (Pilipinas), officially the Republic of the Philippines (Republika ng Pilipinas), is an archipelagic nation located in Southeast Asia, with Manila as its capital city. The Philippine archipelago is comprised of 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean. The Philippines is the world's 12th most populous country with a population approaching 87 million people. Filipinos are mostly of Austronesian descent, but there are significant American, Arab, Chinese, Hispanic and Indian minorities. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines] |  |
| | History |  | The Philippines became a Spanish colony in the 16th century and then a U.S. territory and commonwealth after the Spanish-American War in 1898. The Philippine Revolution was an attempt to gain independence from Spain, only to be unsuccessful due to spill-over from the Spanish-American War in what would be known as the Philippine-American War. The Philippines ultimately gained its independence from the United States on July 4, 1946 under the terms of the Tydings-McDuffie Act. Today, the Philippines has many affinities with the Western world, derived mainly from the cultures of Spain, Latin America, and the United States. Roman Catholicism became the predominant religion, although pre-Hispanic indigenous religious practices and Islam still exist. The two official languages of the Philippines are Filipino, which is based on Tagalog, and English. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines] |
| About Cebu | Service #VER# | Cebu is one of the provinces of the Philippines. It lies to the east of Negros Island; to the west is Leyte and to the southeast is Bohol province. It is flanked on both sides by the straits of Bohol (between Cebu and Bohol) and Tañon (between Cebu and Negros). Cebu is located between 9°25'N and 11°15'N latitude and between 123°13'E and 124°5'E longitude in the center of the archipelago.
Cebu Island is a long narrow island stretching 225 km (140 mi) from north to south, surrounded by 167 neighboring smaller islands, that includes Mactan Island, Bantayan, Malapascua, Olango and the Camotes Islands. Of the hundreds of small islands some are uninhabited which make them the targets of adventure-seeking tourists.
Its capital is Cebu City, the oldest city in the country, which forms part of the Cebu Metropolitan Area together with 6 neighboring cities Carcar City, Danao City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, Naga City and Talisay City and six other municipalities.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cebu]
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| History of Cebu |  | Before the arrival of the Spaniards, Cebu then known as Zubu (or Sugbo) was a trading post, with trade routes to Borneo, Indonesia, China and Arabia.On March 16, 1521 Megellan’s expedition reached Mindanao. Raja Kolambu of Mazzaua in Mindanao told them to head for Cebu, where they could trade and have provisions. Arriving in Cebu City, Magellan, with Enrique of Malacca as translator, befriended Raja Humabon of Cebu and persuaded the Raja of allegiance to Emperor Charles V of Spain. Later Raja Humabon and his wife were baptized as King Carlos and Queen Juana. The Santo Niño was presented to Cebu's Queen as a symbol of peace between the Spaniards and the Cebuanos. On April 14, Magellan erected a large wooden cross on the shores of Cebu. Afterwards, some 800 native Cebuanos were baptized.
Hoping to make the new Christian King Carlos (Humabon) supreme in the region, Magellan be-friended Humabon and alliances developed between the two people. Magellan soon heard of a tribal ruler named, Lapu-Lapu, in nearby Mactan Island. It was thought that Raja Humabon and Lapu-Lapu have been fighting for control of the flourishing trade in the area.
On April 27, the historic Battle of Mactan occurred where Magellan was killed and his men were driven off the island by the natives of Mactan. According to historian and chronicler, Antonio Pigafetta, Magellan's body was never recovered despite efforts to trade for it with spice and jewels. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cebu]
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| Poverty in the Philippines |
| Poverty is a significant problem, but in combination with inequality, it poses a serious threat to stability in the Philippines. In 2003, almost 23.8 million people lived below the Philippines' poverty threshold. This represents 24 per cent of Philippine families and 30 per cent of the population. According to international data, 44 per cent of the population subsisted on US$2 or less a day. In addition, the Philippines has one of the highest levels of income inequality in Asia, with the poorest 20 per cent of the population accounting for only 5 per cent of total income or consumption.
Poverty in the Philippines is mainly rural and, although variable by region, is widespread in the southern Philippines, particularly Mindanao. Poor productivity growth in agriculture, under-investment in rural infrastructure, unequal land and income distribution, high population growth and the low quality of social services lie at the root of rural poverty.
Natural disasters, the risks associated with variable markets, and armed conflict in Mindanao, also threaten to deepen existing disparities by disrupting growth and worsening poverty. [http://www.ausaid.gov.au/country/country.cfm?CountryID=31]
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