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 114 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, who 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 -

Romblon (/rɒmˈbloʊn/, rom-BLOHN, Tagalog: [ɾomˈblon]), officially the Province of Romblon (Filipino: Lalawingan/Probinsya ng Romblon), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines located in the Mimaropa region. Its main components include Romblon, an archipelagic municipality of the same name that also serves as the provincial capital; Tablas, the largest island, covering nine municipalities (including Odiongan, the largest municipality in the province); Sibuyan with its three towns; as well as the smaller island municipalities of Corcuera, Banton, Concepcion, and San Jose. The province lies south of Marinduque and Quezon, east of Oriental Mindoro, north of Aklan and Capiz, and west of Masbate. According to the 2020 census, it has a total population of 308,985.^[1]

Romblon was inhabited by aboriginal Filipinos prior to the arrival of the Spanish in 1569. Archaeological artifacts recovered by the National Museum in 1936 indicate that the aborigines of Romblon had a rich and advanced culture. During Spanish colonial rule, Romblon was initially administered under the province of Arevalo (Iloilo) until 1716, when it was transferred to the jurisdiction of the newly created province of Capiz. With the arrival of the Americans in 1901, Romblon was declared a province and placed under civilian rule. It lost its provincial status for a short while between 1907 and 1945, but regained it in 1946, just after World War II. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Did you know (auto-generated) -

... that in the history of fisheries in the Philippines, the once-dominant local municipal fisheries were supplanted first by commercial fisheries, and then by aquaculture?
... that the music video for the single "Dam" by the Filipino boy band SB19 has been compared to Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings?
... 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 Angeline Quinto became the first Filipino singer to release a soundtrack album for a television series that featured a single artist?
... that fried chicken was popularized in the Philippines by a Filipino born in Grenada who sometimes pretended to be African-American?
... that the Chinese Australian Herald was distributed as far away as London, the Pacific Islands, and the Philippines?
... that Tomas Fung founded the predecessor of the restaurant Ling Nam with only 3,000 Philippine pesos?
... that the Philippines' gold medal at the 2025 Asian Winter Games was also its first medal at the Asian Winter Games?

Selected picture

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

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 -

Enriquez in 2016

Miguel "Mike" Castro Enriquez (September 29, 1951 – August 29, 2023) was a Filipino broadcast journalist and television presenter. He started his career as a radio broadcaster in 1969, and after signing with GMA Network in 1995, he became an anchor for Saksi, GMA Network News and 24 Oras. He was also the Consultant for radio operations of GMA Network, and president of the network's regional and radio subsidiary, RGMA Network Inc., and the Station Manager of Super Radyo DZBB 594 AM.

Enriquez was regarded as one of the most influential journalists in the Philippines and a "pillar" of the Philippine broadcasting industry. (Full article...)

List of selected biographies

General images

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

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

In the news

19 June 2026 – Philippines–Russia relations: Philippine president Bongbong Marcos announces that 24 Filipino nationals detained in Russia will be released and repatriated to the Philippines following a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Kazan. (AP via CBS News)
17 June 2026 – June 2026 President of the Senate of the Philippines election: The Philippine Senate elects Sherwin Gatchalian as Senate president, formally removing Alan Peter Cayetano and ending a leadership dispute that began on June 3. Gatchalian receives the support of all 13 senators present during a special session. (Philippine Daily Inquirer) (Reuters)
15 June 2026 – Deaths of Divine Adili and Rene Baterbonia: The Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, Philippines, accepts the resignation of men's basketball coach Tab Baldwin following the fatal drowning of two players during a team activity. The university and Philippine authorities continue separate investigations into the incident. (The New Zealand Herald) (RNZ)
11 June 2026 – China–Philippines relations: China imposes sanctions on Philippine defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro, citing remarks he made at the recent Shangri-La Dialogue that China said undermined its interests and bilateral relations. China also bans him, his wife, and their son from entering the mainland, Hong Kong, and Macau. (AFP via The Star) (Reuters)
9 June 2026 – 2026 Mindanao earthquake: The death toll from yesterday's earthquake in Mindanao, Philippines, increases to 41 people killed, with 479 more injured and four missing. All casualties come from the Davao and Soccsksargen regions. (AFP via RFI) (The Guardian)

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?
...that Hatsune Miku's EXPO Asia 2025 was held in Manila for the very first time on November 16, 2025, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, marking the Philippines' debut as a host city for this iconic global Vocaloid concert tour?