Portal:Philippines

Welcome to the Philippines Portal / Maligayang pagdating sa Portal ng Pilipinas

The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of 7,641 islands, with a total area of roughly 300,000 square kilometers, which are broadly categorized in three main geographical divisions from north to south: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. With a population of over 110 million, it is the world's twelfth-most-populous country.

The Philippines is bounded by the South China Sea to the west, the Philippine Sea to the east, and the Celebes Sea to the south. It shares maritime borders with Taiwan to the north, Japan to the northeast, Palau to the east and southeast, Indonesia to the south, Malaysia to the southwest, Vietnam to the west, and China to the northwest. It has diverse ethnicities and a rich culture. Manila is the country's capital, and its most populated city is Quezon City. Both are within Metro Manila.

Negritos, the archipelago's earliest inhabitants, were followed by waves of Austronesian peoples. The adoption of animism, Hinduism with Buddhist influence, and Islam established island-kingdoms. Extensive overseas trade with neighbors such as the late Tang or Song empire brought Chinese people to the archipelago as well, which would also gradually settle in and intermix over the centuries. The arrival of the explorer Ferdinand Magellan marked the beginning of Spanish colonization. In 1543, Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos named the archipelago Las Islas Filipinas in honor of King Philip II of Castile. Catholicism became the dominant religion, and Manila became the western hub of trans-Pacific trade. Hispanic immigrants from Latin America and Iberia would also selectively colonize. The Philippine Revolution began in 1896, and became entwined with the 1898 Spanish–American War. Spain ceded the territory to the United States, and Filipino revolutionaries declared the First Philippine Republic. The ensuing Philippine–American War ended with the United States controlling the territory until the Japanese invasion of the islands during World War II. After the United States retook the Philippines from the Japanese, the Philippines became independent in 1946. Since then, the country notably experienced a period of martial law from 1972 to 1981 under the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos and his subsequent overthrow by the People Power Revolution in 1986. Since returning to democracy, the constitution of the Fifth Republic was enacted in 1987, and the country has been governed as a unitary presidential republic. However, the country continues to struggle with issues such as inequality and endemic corruption.

The Philippines is an emerging market and a developing and newly industrialized country, whose economy is transitioning from being agricultural to service- and manufacturing-centered. Its location as an island country on the Pacific Ring of Fire and close to the equator makes it prone to earthquakes and typhoons. The Philippines has a variety of natural resources and a globally-significant level of biodiversity. The country is part of multiple international organizations and forums. (Full article...)

More about the Philippines...

Selected article -

The Legazpi-Sikatuna Blood Compact, or Sandugo (Spanish: Pacto de Sangre), was a blood compact, performed on the island of Bohol in the Philippines, between the Spanish explorer Miguel López de Legazpi and Datu Sikatuna, chieftain of Bohol, on March 16, 1565, to seal their friendship following tribal tradition. This is considered the first treaty of friendship between the Spaniards and Filipinos. Sandugo is a Visayan word meaning "one blood".

The Sandugo is depicted on both the provincial flag and the official seal of the government of Bohol. The official seal of the government of Tagbilaran also features the image of the blood compact. The top of the seal explains the history behind the Sandugo event, the fleet and the location where the Spaniards anchored, and the place where the treaty was conducted. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Did you know (auto-generated) -

... that the first ambassador at the Philippine embassy in Manama would later be injured in the 2000 bombing of the Philippine embassy in Jakarta?
... that the Philippines' gold medal at the 2025 Asian Winter Games was also its first medal at the Asian Winter Games?
... that due to a 2024 heat wave in Southeast Asia, heat indices in the Philippines rose to dangerous levels, as high as 51 °C (124 °F)?
... that the Chicago Police Department regularly cited vehicles of the Philippine consulate general in Chicago for parking in a no-parking zone, causing a diplomatic incident?
... that in 2005, the Philippine embassy in Paris regularly had a flooded basement due to a lack of funds?
... that the Filipino musician No Rome took his stage name from people doubting his career choice?
... that the Manila Standard described the concert Two for the Knight as the "biggest team-up of a foreign and local artist" in the Philippines?
... that Alamat's "Maharani" made them the first Pinoy pop boy band to enter the Billboard Philippines Hot 100?

Selected picture

Image 1A leaning belfry of St. Andrew Church, in Bacarra town, province of Ilocos Norte
Image 2A view at Francisco Bangoy International Airport, 2019
Image 3Picture of a Carabao in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Philippines
Image 4A selection of dishes found in Filipino cuisine
Image 5A map of the Philippines showing the location of all the regions and provinces
Image 6Banaue, Philippines: a view of Banaue Municipal Town
Image 7Shipping on the Pasig River, 1899
Image 8A skyline view of Manila
Image 9Banaue, Philippines: A man of the fugao tribe in traditional costume
Image 10A view of Barlas Island, Honda Bay, Palawan, Philippines
Image 11The Bangui Wind Farm is a wind farm in Bangui, Ilocos Norte, Philippines

Things you can do

Go to the Tambayan (Philippine WikiProject) and help out with articles.

You can join one or more of the various task forces within the WikiProject.

If you are a Filipino, consider adding Category:Filipino Wikipedians to your userpage.

Selected biography -

Imelda Romualdez Marcos (locally [ɪˈmelda ɾoˈmwɐldɛs ˈmaɾkɔs]; born Imelda Remedios Visitación Trinidad Romuáldez; July 2, 1929) is a Filipino politician who was First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, wielding significant political power after her husband Ferdinand Marcos placed the country under martial law in September 1972. She is the mother of current president Bongbong Marcos.

During her husband's 21-year rule, Imelda Marcos ordered the construction of many grandiose architectural projects, using public funds and "in impossibly short order" – a propaganda practice, which eventually came to be known as her "edifice complex". She and her husband stole billions of pesos from the Filipino people, amassing a personal fortune estimated to have been worth US$5 billion to US$10 billion by the time they were deposed in 1986; by 2018, about $3.6 billion of this had been recovered by the Philippine government, either through compromise deals or sequestration cases. (Full article...)

List of selected biographies

General images

The following are images from various Philippines-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1A PBA game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 2Museum Agrifina Circle (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 3Bahay na bato, a traditional Filipino house (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 4Vega Ancestral House, Misamis Oriental (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 5Loboc Church in Bohol (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 6The Kutkut art from Samar (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 7Mila del Sol starred in one of the earliest Filipino movies, Giliw Ko (1939), along with Fernando Poe Sr. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 8Filipino traditional dance at a festival (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 9Dominant ethnic groups by province. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 10Pineapple fiber is used to create traditional Philippine garments. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 11Aguinaldo Shrine in Cavite (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 12Vigan City in Ilocos Sur (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 13Villa Escudero exhibit depicting 19th century Principalía family in Philippine traditional attire. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 14Parol (Christmas lanterns) being sold during the Christmas season (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 15Letras y figuras painting by Jose Honorato Lozano (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 16The University of Santo Tomas, located in Manila, was established in 1611. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 17Original image of the Santo Niño de Cebú. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 18Cockfight (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 19Tortoise-shell and silver Salakot (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 20Noli Me Tángere (novel) (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 21Paoay Church in Ilocos Norte (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 22Harana (serenade) (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 23Sungka, a traditional Filipino game. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 24A grandmaster of Arnis. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 25Good Friday observance in Pampanga (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 26Filipina in traditional attire (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 27A Tboli woman weaving t'nalak from South Cotabato. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 28Kalesa, a traditional Philippine urban transportation, in front of Manila Cathedral entrance (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 29An Itneg shaman offering pigs to anito spirits, 1922 (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 30A performer depicting a babaylan (shaman) (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 31Manny Pacquiao, the only 8-division world boxing champion in history. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 32Carabao is a major symbol of Filipinos hard labor. And is known to be the "Filipino farmer's bestfriend". (from Culture of the Philippines)

In the news

7 July 2025 – 2021–2022 Luzon sabungero disappearances: Philippine police chief Nicolas Torre announces that 15 police officers have been arrested for their alleged involvement in abducting and killing at least 34 cockfighters across Luzon, Philippines, from 2021 to 2022. (AP)
6 July 2025 – Japan–Philippines relations: The Yomiuri Shimbun reports that the Japanese Navy will export six used Abukuma-class destroyer escorts to the Armed Forces of the Philippines to strengthen the Philippine Navy due to territorial disputes in the South China Sea. (Reuters)
1 July 2025 – China–Philippines relations: The Chinese government sanctions former Philippine Senate majority leader Francis Tolentino, barring him from entering China, citing his conduct on China-related issues. (Reuters)

More did you know -

...that José Rizal was a polyglot who mastered 22 languages including Catalan, Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Latin, Malay, Sanskrit, Spanish, Tagalog, and other Philippine languages?
...that Enrique of Malacca (aka Henry the Black), the interpreter of Ferdinand Magellan, may be historically significant as the first person to circumnavigate the world?
...that Malacañang Palace comes from a Tagalog phrase May lakan diyan, which means "there is a rich man there" for it was once the home of a wealthy Spanish merchant before it hosted the nation's chief executive?

WikiProject

WikiProject Tambayan Philippines

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Philippine Wikimedia (Incubator Status)

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