REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

• Official name: Republika ng Pilipinas (Republic of the Philippines)
• Location: South East Asia
• International organisations: Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation Forum, Association of South East Asian Nations, Non-Aligned Movement, United Nations, World Trade Organisation
• Borders: None
• Coastline: Celebes Sea, Pacific Ocean, South China Sea
• Land area: 298,170 Km2
• Population: 84,500,000
• Annual GDP (PPP) per capita: US$3,300 (2009 CIA estimate). World ranking: 132
• Ethnicity: 97% of the population is of Filipino-Malay stock. There are small Chinese and European minorities.
• Languages: The national language is Tagalog, a Malay language, but this is not understood in many parts of the country. The official langauges are Tagalog and English. English is de facto the language of government and business. Other languages spoken are Cebuano, Ilocan, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinense.
• Religion: Christian 92% (Catholic 83%, Protestant 9%), Moslem 5% (mainly in the south), Buddhist and other 3%.
• Form of government: Presidential democratic republic. The country is divided into 73 provinces and 61 chartered cities.
• Capital: Manila
• Constitution: The current Constitution of the Philippines came into effect on 11 February 1987.
• Head of state: The President, elected by direct universal suffrage for a six-year term.
• Head of government: The President, who appoints the members of the Cabinet.
• Legislature: The Congress (Kongreso) is a bicameral legislature. The House of Representatives (Kapulungan Mga Kinatawan) has 208 members elected for three-year terms from single-member constituencies, plus up to 52 seats allotted to party-lists by proportional representation. The Senate (Senate) has 24 members, elected for six-year terms by proportional representation.
• Electoral authority: The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) runs national elections.
• Freedom House 2011 rating: Political Rights 3, Civil Liberties 3
• Transparency International Corruption Index: 24% (134 of 178 countries rated)
• Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom 2010 Index: 40% (156 of 178 countries rated)
• Heritage Foundation Economic Freedom 2010 Index: 56.2% (115 of 178 countries rated)

Political history

The Philippine islands were discovered by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 and conquered by Spain during the mid 16th century: Manila was founded in 1571. The Philippines were part of the Spanish Empire until 1898, when they were seized by the United States during the Spanish-American War. A nationalist movement had developed during the 19th century, and Filipino patriots resisted the imposition of American rule.

After a brief war the Americans prevailed, but undertakings were given that the Philippines would soon receive self-government. An elected assembly was created in 1907, and from 1916 the legislature had control of most domestic affairs. In 1935 the Philippines were given full internal self-government with an elected President and legislature on the American model. Following four years of Japanese occupation and re-occupation by the United States, the Philippines became fully independent in 1946.

During the 1950s the Philippines was a functioning democracy, although a stubborn Communist insurgency and endemic corruption undermined the democratic system. Ferdinand Marcos was elected President in 1965 and in 1972 established an authoritarian regime, characterised by massive theft of public funds by Marcos, his wife and his cronies. In 1986 his regime collapsed following the murder of opposition leader Benigno Aquino and a popular uprising of great bravery by the people of Manila.

Marcos was succeeded by Aquino's widow Corazon, and constitutional government has been successfully, if precariously, maintained since. In 2001 President Joseph Estrada was removed from office for corruption and succeeded by his Vice-President, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who won a term in her own right in 2004.

Since Philippines politics revolves around the presidency, the country has a weak party system. So little interest is taken in congressional elections that until recently no official figures were kept of elections to the House of Representatives. Partly at the prompting of this archive, this situation has now improved. The party with the largest representation in the Congress is the centrist Lakas-KAMPI-Christian-Muslim Democrats, which results from a 2008 merger between Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) and the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (KAMPI) parties. (Lakas is short for Partido Lakas ng Tao or People Power Party). The main opposition party is the conservative Nationalist People's Coalition. The Liberal Party has lost much of its former strength. The left is represented by the LABAN (Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino or Struggle of Democratic Filipinos) party and the far left by the Bayan Muna (Nation First) party.

President Arroyo's term was marked by the parade of corruption allegations, attempted coups and assassinations which are the standard fare of Filipino politics. Allegations that her re-election in 2004 was rigged seem to have a good deal of substance, and her behavior in office seriously damaged the already feeble state of Filipino democracy. Partly as a result of Arroyo's record, the governing party was heavily defeated at the May 2010 presidential election, though it remains the largest party in the Congress. The victor was Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino, who was the Liberal Party candidate, but was elected mainly because he is the son of Corazon Aquino.

Freedom House's 2011 report on the Philippines says: "The Republic of the Philippines is an electoral democracy. The May 2010 elections marked a significant improvement over previous polls marred by fraud, intimidation, and political violence... The Philippines Commission on Elections (Comelec) is entirely appointed by the president, and... was widely discredited by the 2005 audiotape scandal regarding cheating in the 2004 elections... Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos resigned in October 2007 after being accused of bribing a government official... However, during the 2010 elections, the commission was led by the respected lawyer Jose Melo, and its push to switch from a manual to a fully automated election system was seen as an effort to restore the commission's reputation... One of the most significant areas of improvement in the 2010 elections was the reduction in political violence, aided by restrictions on firearms... Corruption and cronyism are rife in business and government. Despite recent economic reforms, a few dozen leading families continue to hold an outsized share of land, corporate wealth, and political power... President Benigno Aquino pledged to make combating corruption a centerpiece of his administration. Upon entering office in 2010, he ordered the establishment of a Truth Commission, headed by former Supreme Court justice Hilario Davide, to look into Arroyo's corruption record... The constitution provides for freedoms of expression and the press. The private media are vibrant and outspoken, although newspaper reports often consist more of innuendo and sensationalism than substantive investigative reporting... Citizen activism is robust, and demonstrations are common. However, permits are required for rallies, and antigovernment protests are often dispersed... Judicial independence has traditionally been strong, particularly with respect to the Supreme Court. In 2007 the court spearheaded efforts to resolve the issue of extrajudicial killings and similar abuses."

Updated November 2011