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 about 7,641 islands, with a total area of about 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 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, to which the Philippines has built a resilience. (Full article...)

More about the Philippines...

Selected article -

The Manila Light Rail Transit System, commonly known as the LRT, is an urban rail transit system that primarily serves Metro Manila, Philippines. Although categorized as a light rail system because it originally used light rail vehicles, it presently has characteristics of a rapid transit system, such as high passenger throughput, exclusive right-of-way, and later use of full metro rolling stock. The LRT is jointly-operated by the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), a government corporation attached to the Department of Transportation (DOTr), and the Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC). Along with the Manila Metro Rail Transit System and the Metro Commuter Line of the Philippine National Railways, the system makes up Metro Manila's rail infrastructure.

The LRT's 43.5-kilometer-route (27.0 mi) is mostly elevated and consists of two lines and 38 stations. Line 1, also called the Green Line (formerly known as the Yellow Line), opened in 1984 and travels a north–south route. Line 2, the Purple Line (briefly referred as the Blue Line), was completed in 2004 and runs east–west. The original Line 1 was built as a no-frills means of public transport and lacks some features and comforts, but the newer Line 2 has been built with additional standards and criteria in mind like barrier-free access. In 2024, the system served 470,000 passengers on average. Security guards at each station conduct inspections and provide assistance. A reusable plastic magnetic ticketing system has replaced the previous token-based system in 2001, and the Flash Pass was introduced as a step towards a more integrated transportation system. In 2015, the plastic magnetic tickets were replaced with the Beep, a contactless smart card, introduced to provide a common ticketing to 3 rail lines and some bus lines. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Did you know (auto-generated) -

... that Filipino politician Miriam Defensor Santiago is known as the "Iron Lady of Asia"?
... that Tomas Fung founded the predecessor of the restaurant Ling Nam with only 3,000 Philippine pesos?
... 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 bills to postpone the 2025 Philippine barangay elections were filed even after the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional the postponement of the 2023 elections?
... that VMB-611 was the only United States Marine Corps bombing squadron to operate in the Philippines during World War II?
... that Rendon Labador was invited by the Philippine National Police to lead a 93-day fitness program, but his involvement ended abruptly after just a few days?
... that SB19 became the first Filipino group to appear on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales chart, with "Gento"?
... that "Pantropiko" made Bini the first P-pop group to top the Billboard Philippines Songs chart?

Selected picture

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

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 -

The only extant portrait photograph of Bonifacio, c. 1996.

Andrés Bonifacio y de Castro (Tagalog: [anˈdɾes (anˈdɾez-) bonɪˈfaʃo], Spanish: [anˈdɾes βoniˈfaθjo]; November 30, 1863 – May 10, 1897) was a Filipino revolutionary leader. He is often called "The Father of the Philippine Revolution", and considered a national hero of the Philippines.

He was a co-founder and later Kataastaasang Pangulo (Spanish: Presidente Supremo, “Supreme President”, often shortened by contemporaries and historians to Supremo) of the Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan more commonly known as the "Katipunan", a movement that sought the independence of the Philippines from Spanish colonial rule and started the Revolution. (Full article...)

List of selected biographies

General images

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

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

8 March 2026 – 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup, 2026 Iranian diaspora protests: Diaspora protesters surround the bus of the Iranian women's soccer team following their match against the Philippines in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, amidst fears of their safety upon returning to Iran after members of the team gave SOS hand signals from the team bus. (ABC News Australia) (DW)
20 February 2026 –: Seven people are killed, including a pregnant woman, two children are injured and 3,000 are displaced in three landslides in the provinces of Davao Oriental and Davao de Oro, Philippines. (CTV News) (Philippine Daily Inquirer) (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
18 February 2026 – 2028 Philippine presidential election: Philippine vice president Sara Duterte announces her candidacy in the next presidential election. (AFP via France 24) (Reuters)
15 February 2026 – 62nd Munich Security Conference: The Philippines signs military defense cooperation pacts with Estonia and Italy at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany. The agreements will particularly expand cooperation in cybersecurity and capacity building for their respective armed forces. (Manila Standard)

More did you know -

... that during the construction of the Manila Film Center (pictured), its scaffolding collapsed, where at least 169 workers fell and were buried under quick-drying wet cement?
... that several karaoke bars in the Philippines had banned the song "My Way" due to the deaths attributed to it?
... that Filipino men and women engage in a form of courtship that is far more subdued and indirect compared to Western cultures?
... that Rafael de Izquierdo was the Governor-General of the Philippines during the 1872 Cavite mutiny which led to the execution of the martyrs Gomburza?

WikiProject

WikiProject Tambayan Philippines

Topics

Related portals

Religions in Philippines

Southeast Asia

Other countries

Associated Wikimedia

The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:

Commons
Free media repository
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals
Wikidata
Free knowledge base
Wikinews
Free-content news
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations
Wikisource
Free-content library
Wikispecies
Directory of species
Wikiversity
Free learning tools
Wikivoyage
Free travel guide
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus

Other Philippines-connected Wikipedias

Extended content

Wikipedias in Philippine languages

Wikibooks in Philippine languages

Tagalog

Wiktionaries in Philippine languages

Philippine Wikipedias (Incubator Status)

Philippine Wikimedia (Incubator Status)

Sources

More portals

Discover Wikipedia using portals