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provinces: Abra,
Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Aklan, Albay,
Antique, Apayao, Aurora, Basilan, Bataan, Batanes,
Batangas, Biliran, Benguet, Bohol, Bukidnon,
Bulacan, Cagayan, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur,
Camiguin, Capiz, Catanduanes, Cavite, Cebu,
Compostela, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao
Oriental, Dinagat Islands, Eastern Samar, Guimaras,
Ifugao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Iloilo, Isabela,
Kalinga, Laguna, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur,
La Union, Leyte, Maguindanao, Marinduque, Masbate,
Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental, Misamis
Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Mountain Province,
Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, North Cotabato,
Northern Samar, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya,
Palawan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Quezon, Quirino,
Rizal, Romblon, Samar, Sarangani, Siquijor,
Sorsogon, South Cotabato, Southern Leyte, Sultan
Kudarat, Sulu, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur,
Tarlac, Tawi-Tawi, Zambales, Zamboanga del Norte,
Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay
chartered
cities: Alaminos,
Angeles, Antipolo, Bacolod, Bago, Baguio, Bais,
Balanga, Batac, Batangas, Bayawan, Bislig, Butuan,
Cabadbaran, Cabanatuan, Cadiz, Cagayan de Oro,
Calamba, Calapan, Calbayog, Candon, Canlaon,
Cauayan, Cavite, Cebu, Cotabato, Dagupan, Danao,
Dapitan, Davao, Digos, Dipolog, Dumaguete,
Escalante, Gapan, General Santos, Gingoog,
Himamaylan, Iligan, Iloilo, Isabela, Iriga,
Kabankalan, Kalookan, Kidapawan, Koronadal, La
Carlota, Laoag, Lapu-Lapu, Las Pinas, Legazpi,
Ligao, Lipa, Lucena, Maasin, Makati, Malabon,
Malaybalay, Malolos, Mandaluyong, Mandaue, Manila,
Marawi, Marikina, Masbate, Mati, Meycauayan,
Muntinlupa, Munoz, Naga, Navotas, Olongapo, Ormoc,
Oroquieta, Ozamis, Pagadian, Palayan, Panabo,
Paranaque, Pasay, Pasig, Passi, Puerto Princesa,
Quezon, Roxas, Sagay, Samal, San Carlos (in Negros
Occidental), San Carlos (in Pangasinan), San
Fernando (in La Union), San Fernando (in Pampanga),
San Jose, San Jose del Monte, San Juan, San Pablo,
Santa Rosa, Santiago, Silay, Sipalay, Sorsogon,
Surigao, Tabaco, Tacloban, Tacurong, Tagaytay,
Tagbilaran, Taguig, Tagum, Talisay (in Cebu),
Talisay (in Negros Occidental), Tanauan, Tangub,
Tanjay, Tarlac, Toledo, Tuguegarao, Trece Martires,
Urdaneta, Valencia, Valenzuela, Victorias, Vigan,
Zamboanga (2009)
Legal system:
based on
Spanish and Anglo-American law; accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of
age; universal
Executive
branch:
chief of state:
President
Benigno AQUINO (since 30 June 2010); Vice
President Jejomar BINAY (since 30 June 2010); note
- president is both chief of state and head of
government
head of
government: President
Benigno AQUINO (since 30 June 2010)
cabinet: Cabinet
appointed by the president with consent of
Commission of Appointments
elections: president
and vice president elected on separate tickets by
popular vote for a single six-year term; election
held on 10 May 2010; Benigno AQUINO declared
winner and took office on 30 June 2010; next
election to be held in May 2016
election
results: Benigno
AQUINO elected president; percent of vote -
Benigno AQUINO 42.1%, Joseph ESTRADA 26.3%, seven
others 31.6%; Jejomar BINAY elected vice
president; percent of vote Jejomar BINAY 41.6%,
Manuel ROXAS 39.6%, six others 18.8%
Legislative
branch:
bicameral
Congress or Kongreso consists of the Senate or
Senado (24 seats - one-half elected every three
years; members elected at large by popular vote to
serve six-year terms) and the House of
Representatives or Kapulungan Ng Nga Kinatawan;
the House has 287 seats including 230 members in
one tier representing districts and 57 sectoral
party-list members in a second tier representing
special minorities elected on the basis of one
seat for every 2% of the total vote but are
limited to three seats; a party represented in one
tier may not hold seats in the other tier; all
House members are elected by popular vote to serve
three-year terms
note:the
constitution limits the House of Representatives
to 250 members; the number of members allowed was
increased, however, through legislation when in
April 2009 the Philippine Supreme Court ruled that
additional party members could sit in the House of
Representatives if they received the required
number of votes
elections: Senate
- elections last held on 10 May 2010 (next to be
held in May 2013); House of Representatives -
elections last held on 10 May 2010 (next to be
held in May 2013)
election
results: Senate
- percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
Lakas-Kampi CMD 4, LP 4, NP 4, NPC 2, PMP 2, LDP
1, PRP 1, independents 5; note - there are 23
rather than 24 sitting senators because one
senator was elected mayor of Manila; House of
Representatives - percent of vote by party -
Lakas-Kampi CMD 38.4%, LP 20.3%, NPC 15.4%, NP
11.5%, independents 7.1%, others 7.3%; seats by
party - Lakas-Kampi CMD 104, LP 45, NPC 31, NP 26,
others 17, independents 7, party-list 56
Judicial
branch:
Supreme Court
(15 justices are appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the Judicial and Bar Council and
serve until 70 years of age); Court of Appeals;
Sandigan-bayan (special court for hearing
corruption cases of government officials)
Political
parties and leaders:
Laban ng
Demokratikong Pilipino (Struggle of Filipino
Democrats) or LDP [Edgardo ANGARA]; Lakas ng EDSA-Christian
Muslim Democrats or Lakas-CMD [Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO];
Liberal Party or LP [Manuel ROXAS]; Nacionalista
Party or NP [Manuel VILLAR]; Nationalist People's
Coalition or NPC [Frisco SAN JUAN]; PDP-Laban [Aquilino
PIMENTEL]; People's Reform Party [Miriam Defensor
SANTIAGO]; Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (Force of
the Philippine Masses) or PMP [Joseph ESTRADA];
United Opposition or UNO [Jejomar BINAY]
Political
pressure groups and leaders:
ABONO [Robert
ESTRELLA]; AKBAYAN [Anna Theresia BARAQUIEL]; An
Waray [Florencio NOEL]; Anak Mindanao [Mujiv
HATAMIN]; ANAKPAWIS [Rafael MARIANO]; ARC [Narciso
SANTIAGO III]; Association of Philippine Electric
Cooperatives (APEC) [Ernesto PABLO and Edgar
VALDEZ]; A TEACHER [Mariano PIAMONTE]; Bayan Muna
[Satur OCAMPO and Teodoro CASINO, Jr.]; Black and
White Movement [Vicente ROMANO]; BUHAY [Rene
VELARDE, Carissa COSCOLLUELLA, and William TIENG];
BUTIL [Leonila CHAVEZ]; CIBAC [Emmanuel Joel
VILLANUEVA]; COOP-NATCO [Jose PING-AY]; GABRIELA [Liza
MAZA and Luzviminda ILAGAN]; KABATAAN [Raymon
PALATINO]; Kilosbayan [Jovito SALONGA]; YACAP
[Carol LOPEZ]
two equal
horizontal bands of blue (top) and red; a white
equilateral triangle is based on the hoist side;
the center of the triangle displays a yellow sun
with eight primary rays; each corner of the
triangle contains a small, yellow, five-pointed
star; blue stands for peace and justice, red
symbolizes courage, the white equal-sided triangle
represents equality; the rays recall the first
eight provinces that sought independence from
Spain, while the stars represent the three major
geographical divisions of the country: Luzon,
Visayas, and Mindanao; the design of the flag
dates to 1897
note:in
wartime the flag is flown upside down with the red
band at the top
National
anthem:
name: "Lupang
Hinirang" (Chosen Land)
lyrics/music: Jose
PALMA (revised by Felipe PADILLA de Leon)/Julian
FELIPE
note:music
adopted 1898, original Spanish lyrics adopted
1899, Filipino (Tagalog) lyrics adopted 1956;
although the original lyrics were written in
Spanish, later English and Filipino versions were
created; today, only the Filipino version is used
In February 1987, by national referendum a new constitution was
ratified. The president is elected to a single six year term and is the
chief of state and head of the government of the Philippines. Two
successive six-year terms is the maximum time the vice-president may serve.
The current president is Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who replaced ousted President
Joseph Estrada on January 20, 2001. Estrada had been President since June
30, 1998, replacing Fidel Valdez Ramos, President from 1992-1998.
A chief justice and 14 associate justices make up the highest tribunal in the
Philippines, the Supreme Court. The president appoints the justices on the
recommendation of the Judicial and Bar Council. The Supreme Court recently
declared the Presidential position vacant and the current President, Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo, was sworn in by Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr.
There are 73 provinces headed by governors in the Philippines. Within
these provinces are sub-divisions comprising 60 chartered cities, over 1500
municipalities, and thousand of other local units.
AsianInfo.org
supports I.C.E.Y. -
H.O.P.E. (non-profit org) (International
Cooperation of Environmental Youth - Helping Our Polluted
Earth) Any advertisement you view helps save the
environment! Thanks!
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