"Kumusta ka?" Philippines by seagoingJLW

It was raining when we got here. In fact we just missed a typhoon--Sophia. We were lucky to get some pictures between the raindrops. This is the grounds of the United States War Memorial.

History

After three centuries of Spanish rule and nearly 50 years under the United States, Filipino society hovers between East and West. In the Philippines, European rule was imposed before any centralized native state had emerged.

Striking differences still separate the Philippines from their neighbors. Notable among tem are the emphasis on education and the prevalence of English-- both heritages of the American era. They are the only predominantly Christian nation in Asia.

Philippine politics has long been troubled and unstable, to the point of insurrection if the path of democratic opposition is blocked. In the polarized society of the Philippines, dissent will always come to the fore.

Here is a brief chronology of key events:
3000BC- Malay people start to settle in the islands.
1400AD- The people of the southern islands convert to Islam.
1521- Ferdinand Magellan claims the islands for Spain,but is killed in a skirmish with natives.
1565- Spaniards conquer and begin settling lowland areas. They name the islands after King PhilipII and they convert the natives to Catholicism.
1572-1811- Great wealth is derived from galleons that sail to Mexico.
1821= The independence of Mexico leads Spain to introduce sugar, tobacco, indigo and hemp as cash crops.
1896- The Spanish execute Jose Rizal, a campaigner for reform, who becomes a national hero.
1896-1897- An armed revolt against the Spanish ends in a truce and promised reforms.
1898- War breaks out between Spain and the U.S. Filipino rebel leaders declare independence, but the U.S. takes over the islands instead of backing the rebels.
1907- The U.S. sets up an elected legislature.
2934- A commonwealth is established with a Constitution drawn up by the Filipinos. Independence is promised after ten years.
1941-1945- Japanese occupation.
1946- The U.S. grants independence and obtains a long lease on a number of military bases.
1965- Ferdinand Marcos is elected president.
1969- Communist guerrillas begin a campaign of insurgency.
1972- Marcos declare martial law, which is lifted in 1981.
1983- Opposition leader Benigno Aquino is killed.
1986- Marcos is toppled. Corazon Aquino becomes president.
You know the rest.

Miscellaneaous Information

The Republic of thePhilippines is an archipelago made up of 7,107 islands. The three main island groups are Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The area is 299,000 sq km.

The climate is hot and dry from March to May, running from 22 to 28 degrees C. From June until October there is a lot of rain. It is cool from November to February with temperatures ranging from 22 to 28 degrees C. Year round average humidity is 77%.

The total population is 78,400,000. Descendants of Malays predominate with Chinese and Muslim minorities and many mestizos (either Filipino-Spanish or Filipino-American). Eighty two per cent are Catholic. Nine per cent are Protestant. Five per cent and Muslim and three per cent are Buddhists.

The national language is Pilipino (Tagalog) with English widely spoken.

Electricity is 220 Volts, but many hotels offer 110 Volts.

• Pros:Visit the US War Memorial and py your respects.
• Cons:Tremendous poverty
• In a nutshell:Not much to see