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 112 million, it is the world's fourteenth-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 and the Korean Peninsula 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. 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, returning to democracy.

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. It has a variety of natural resources and a globally-significant level of biodiversity. The country is also part of multiple international organizations and forums, mainly in ASEAN. Despite its fast economic growth, it continues to struggle with inequality, widespread corruption, and vulnerability to natural disasters due to its location within the Pacific Ring of Fire, and to the equator, making it prone to earthquakes, monsoon rains, and typhoons, in which the Philippines has built a resilience to. (Full article...)

More about the Philippines...

Selected article -

map outlining the regions in the Philippines where the Visayan people are located. Subgroupings of Visayan ethnicity includes; Cebuano people, Boholano people, Eskaya people, Ilonggo people, Waray people, Surigaonon people, Karay-a people, Capiznon people, Masbateño people, Cuyunon people, Aklanon people, Romblomanon people, Butuanon people.

Visayans (Cebuano: mga Bisayà [bisaˈjaʔ]) are a Philippine ethnolinguistic family group or metaethnicity native to the Visayas, to the southernmost islands south of Luzon, and to a significant portion of Mindanao. They are composed of numerous distinct ethnic groups. When taken as a single group, they number around 33.5 million. The Visayans, like the Luzon Lowlanders (Tagalogs, Bicolanos, Ilocanos, etc.) were originally predominantly animist-polytheists and broadly share a maritime culture until the 16th century when the Spanish Empire enforced Catholicism as the state religion. In more inland or otherwise secluded areas, ancient animistic-polytheistic beliefs and traditions either were reinterpreted within a Roman Catholic framework or syncretized with the new religion. Visayans are generally speakers of one or more of the distinct Bisayan languages, the most widely spoken being Cebuano, followed by Hiligaynon (Ilonggo) and Waray-Waray. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Did you know (auto-generated) -

... that Filipino police chief Guillermo Eleazar rose to prominence after publicly shaming another officer?
... that Dolly de Leon was the first Filipino to be nominated for a Golden Globe or a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress?
... that Tropical Storm Pabuk forced PAGASA to issue cyclone advisory bulletins outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility in December 2024, for the first time since 1963?
... that Philippine senator Bong Go showed his back two times to refute accusations from a YouTube series?
... that the writings of José Rizal, a prominent contributor to liberalism in the Philippines, were adopted by both Philippine independence fighters and American colonial authorities?
... that at the height of the war between Iraq and the Islamic State, diplomats of the Philippine embassy in Baghdad agreed to die together rather than be taken hostage?
... that the 1976 Philippine film Itim was described as "one of the most remarkable debuts in cinema history" in a 2022 retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art?
... that the 2025 Philippine general election is set to be the first to be held under a new voting system provider after the previous one was disqualified over bribery allegations?

Selected picture

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

Salonga in 2025

Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga (born February 22, 1971) is a Filipino actress and singer. Known as the "Pride of the Philippines", she has headlined Broadway and West End productions, appeared on international television and film, and released albums of her work.

Salonga began performing in Philippine musical theatre as a child, making her professional debut at age seven. She achieved international recognition in 1989 when she originated the role of Kim in the West End production of Miss Saigon, later reprising the role on Broadway in 1991. She earned critical success for her performances in Les Misérables (1993, 2007) and Flower Drum Song (2002–2003). On film, she was praised for her performances in Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal (1992) and Sana Maulit Muli (1995), and she provided the singing voices for Princess Jasmine in Aladdin (1992) and Fa Mulan in Mulan (1998) and Mulan II (2004). She has also appeared on television in That's Entertainment, As the World Turns, and Pretty Little Liars, and served as a coach on The Voice of the Philippines as well as its spin-off series The Voice Kids and The Voice Teens. (Full article...)

List of selected biographies

General images

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

Image 1Fort Santiago in Intramuros, Manila. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 2Vega Ancestral House, Misamis Oriental (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 3Sungka, a traditional Filipino game. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 4Original image of the Santo Niño de Cebú. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 5An Itneg shaman offering pigs to anito spirits, 1922 (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 6Noli Me Tángere (novel) (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 7A grandmaster of Arnis. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 8Manny Pacquiao, the only 8-division world boxing champion in history. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 9Filipinos cockfighting, circa 1800's. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 10Tortoise-shell and silver Salakot (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 11Loboc Church in Bohol (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 12Bahay na bato, a traditional Filipino house (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 13Harana (serenade) (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 14Carabao is a major symbol of Filipinos hard labor. And is known to be the "Filipino farmer's bestfriend". (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 15Kalesa, a traditional Philippine urban transportation, in front of Manila Cathedral entrance (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 16Vigan City in Ilocos Sur (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 17Aguinaldo Shrine in Cavite (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 18Parol (Christmas lanterns) being sold during the Christmas season (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 19The Kutkut art from Samar (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 20Good Friday observance in Pampanga (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 21Filipino traditional dance at a festival (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 22Pineapple fiber is used to create traditional Philippine garments. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 23The University of Santo Tomas, located in Manila, was established in 1611. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 24A Tboli woman weaving t'nalak from South Cotabato. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 25A performer depicting a babaylan (shaman) (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 26Filipina in traditional attire (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 27Villa Escudero exhibit depicting 19th century Principalía family in Philippine traditional attire. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 28A PBA game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 29Paoay Church in Ilocos Norte (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 30Dominant ethnic groups by province. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 31Mila del Sol starred in one of the earliest Filipino movies, Giliw Ko (1939), along with Fernando Poe Sr. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 32Museum Agrifina Circle (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 33Letras y figuras painting by Jose Honorato Lozano (from Culture of the Philippines)

In the news

12 December 2025 – Corruption in the Philippines: Civil society groups and church representatives file complaints against Philippine vice president Sara Duterte at the Office of the Ombudsman, accusing her of plunder, violations of Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, bribery, and betrayal of public trust. (Bloomberg) (Rappler)
10 December 2025 – Flood control projects scandal in the Philippines: Philippine president Bongbong Marcos announces the cancellation of former Ako Bicol representative Zaldy Co's passport and directs government agencies to facilitate Co's return to the Philippines as investigators examine his alleged involvement in a large-scale flood control corruption scheme. (Gulf News)
5 December 2025 – Flood control projects scandal in the Philippines: Philippine president Bongbong Marcos orders the interior department and the national police to pursue contractor Sarah Discaya and others accused of involvement in a ghost project in Davao Occidental. (Rappler)
30 November 2025 – 2025 Philippine anti-corruption protests, Flood control projects scandal in the Philippines: Trillion Peso March; Massive protests denouncing corruption over the ongoing flood control scandal are held across the Philippines. (DW) (The Philippine Star)

More did you know -

... that pre-colonial sexual customs in the Philippines involved equating the size of a woman's breasts and the wideness of her hips with the price of the dowry?
... that the Philippine Commission on Elections cited the Bible and the Qur'an to disqualify the Ang Ladlad LGBT Party from the 2010 party-list election?
... that sambong (Blumea balsamifera) is a flowering plant, which belongs to the Asteraceae family and is used in the Philippines as a diuretic and treatment for the common cold?
... that with the Philippine Basketball Association's acceptance of Solar Sports' bid to cover the league, the games will be aired again to the network that originally aired the games in the inaugural 1975 season?

WikiProject

WikiProject Tambayan Philippines

Topics

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Religions in Philippines

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Wikipedias in Philippine languages

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Wiktionaries in Philippine languages

Philippine Wikipedias (Incubator Status)

Philippine Wikimedia (Incubator Status)

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