Mar 27, 2025
A lay day at our beach resort. Spent the day walking along the beach, resting, walking into town, resting, swimming in the pool, resting – you get the idea.
So, time to assail you with a few facts about the Philippines.
As told before, the Philippines first became known to the rest of the world with the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, followed shortly after in 1543 when Spanish explorer Ruy Lopez de Vallalobos arrived and named the archipelago Las Islas Filipinas in honour of King Philip II of Castile – part of what we know today as Spain. So, catholicism became the dominant religion, and Manila became the western hub of the Spanish trans-Pacific trade.
For all its early Spanish influence, filipinos don’t speak or understand Spanish, despite most of their names and towns being Spanish. However, Magellan’s aim to spread catholicism was very successful with today almost 80% being actively practicing catholics. Along with Vatican City, it is one of only two countries where divorce is not permitted. Adultery is a jailable offence, which creates a bind.
Oh, and even though Magellan’s name is credited with the first circumnavigation of the globe, he actually didn’t make it home, being killed in the Philippines trying to convert the natives. Of the 5 ships and 250 men who left on the voyage, only 1 ship and 40 men limped home after 3 years, which is partially why the success and survival rate of the voyages of James Cook are considered so revolutionary.
Spain ceded the territory to the United States following their defeat in the Spanish-American war of 1898, so filipinos drive on the right and use 110v US plugs. However, they have been far more sensible and adopted the metric system along with the rest of the world.
America wasn’t prepared to give the Philippines independence, leading to the Philippine-American War which resulted in the deaths of between 250,000 and 1 million civilians, primarily due to famine and disease. Many Filipinos were transported by the Americans to concentration camps where thousands died.
The Japanese came in 1941 days after America was crippled at Pearl Harbour, and were kicked out again in 1944, after massacring over 100,000 in their last stand. In July 1946 the US finally granted the Philippines independence, and Marcos arrived on the scene in 1965, until he was forced to flee in 1986.
The Philippines is an archipelago of about 7461 islands (depending on whether you count those that disappear at high tide and reappear at low tide) . It’s located on the western fringes of the Pacific ring of fire. About five earthquakes are recorded daily, and there are 23 active volcanoes. They average 19 typhoons a year.
Philippine politics tends to be dominated by well known families, political dynasties and celebrities. Basically it’s a name recognition contest according to our guide, which explains why the son of the most corrupt dictator who escaped into exile is now the country’s president.
With a population of over 110 million, it is the world’s 12th largest country by population. There is a huge overseas filipino presence. Over 10 million filipinos live and work in over 200 countries.
The Philippines is divided into 18 regions, 82 provinces, 146 cities, 1488 municipalities and 42,036 barangays (local councils). Apart from the President, everybody is elected every 2 years (including the dog catcher) just like in good old USA, which is why it’s basically a name recognition contest. It’s election year this year, and there are millions of posters around, and there are Marcos’ standing everywhere.
Tourism contributes around 12 percent to the Philippine GDP, provides 5.7 million jobs and attracts around 8 million tourists annually, so we are big business. Several guides have thanked us for coming, as they almost starved during COVID. I wouldn’t have guessed it, but the largest tourist group come from South Korea at around 25%, but I can assure you that they are everywhere, and the signs on our bus were in Korean.
Whilst English and Filipino (simplified Tagalog) are the official languages, there are 182 living languages used throughout the country.
So, there you have it. More than you ever wanted to know. Dinner by candlelight overlooking the lapping waves, and an early night before a brutal start tomorrow.
Our beach
Traditional Filipino Dessert
Our restaurant
Someones getting a proposal tonight