Most Populated Islands
As of 2000, around 56 percent of Filipinos were living in Luzon, while only 23.7 percent were living in Mindanao and 20.3 percent in the Visayas.
Most Populated Region
Southern Tagalog or Region 4 had the most number of inhabitants at 11.8 million as of 2000, higher than 9.9 million in Metro Manila and 8 million in Central Luzon. The combined population of these three regions made up for around 39 percent of the country's total population.
Most Densely Populated Region
Metro Manila or the National Capital region is the most densely populated region in the Philippines. As of 2000, there were 15,617 persons occupying each square kilometer of land in the metropolis, or nearly 61 times the population density of 255 persons per square kilometer in the whole country.
Region with Most Cities
As of 2002, Western Visayas or Region 6 had a total of 16 cities beating Metro Manila as the region with the most number of cities. Metro Manila had only 13 cities, 4 municipalities and 1,694 barangays.
Largest Province
Palawan is considered as the largest province in the country. It has a total land area of 14,896 square kilometers distributed in 1,769 islands and is composed of one city, 23 municipalities and 431 barangays. The next largest provinces in the country are Isabela, with a land area of 10,664 square kilometers; and Cagayan, 9,002 square kilometers.
Most Populated Province
Cebu province, including its 6 cities, had a total population of 3.1 million as of 2000, the highest among the country's 79 provinces. Other highly populated provinces were Pangasinan, with 2.434 million inhabitants; Bulacan, 2.23 million; Negros Occidental, 2.14 million; and Cavite, 2.06 million.
Most Densely Populated Province
As of 2000, Cavite province in Southern Tagalog was the most densely populated among provinces with 1,602 inhabitants per square kilometer while Apayao province in Cagayan Valley was the most sparsely populated with only 24 persons per square kilometer.
Richest Provinces
In its 2000 survey, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) identified the ten provinces with the lowest poverty incidence levels. Each of the four districts in Metro Manila, composed of several cities and/or municipalities, was treated as a province in the survey.
The 2nd district of Metro Manila (Mandaluyong, Marikina, Pasig, Quezon City and San Juan) topped the list, with a poverty incidence of only 4.1 percent while the 4th district (Las Pinas, Makati, Muntinlupa, Paranaque, Pasay, Pateros and Taguig) came in second with 4.9 percent.
Others in the list are Bulacan, with a poverty incidence of 5.4 percent; 1st district of Metro Manila (Manila), 5.8 percent; Batanes, 7.5 percent; Rizal, 8 percent; Laguna, 8.6 percent; 3rd district of Metro Manila (Caloocan, Valenzuela, Malabon and Navotas), 9 percent; Bataan, 9.9 percent; and Cavite, 10.2 percent.
Poorest Provinces
In its 2000 survey, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) identified Sulu province (ARMM) as the poorest province in the Philippines, with a poverty incidence level of 63.2 percent. Masbate (Bicol) registered a poverty incidence level of 62.8 percent while Tawi-Tawi had 56.5 percent. Other provinces in the list of the 10 poorest are Ifugao, which had a poverty incidence of 55.6 percent; Romblon, 55.2 percent; Maguindanao; 55.1 percent; Lanao del Sur, 55 percent; Sultan Kudarat, 54.3 percent; Camiguin, 53.1 percent; and Camarines Norte, 52.7 percent.
Bulacan Had Highest Human Development Index
Provinces near Metro Manila registered the highest human development index (HDI), a gauge of quality living, in the country. Bulacan, a province in Central Luzon and located just north of Metro Manila, topped the list of the 77 provinces, with an HDI of 0.760 in 2000.
Bataan, also in Central Luzon, came in second with an HDI of 0.746. Located south of Metro Manila, Cavite (southern Luzon) was third in the list with an HDI of 0.735 while Rizal, also a province in southern Luzon located just east of Metro Manila, came in fourth with an HDI of 0.733.
Other provinces in the top ten list are Batanes (Cagayan Valley region), with an HDI of 0.717; Laguna (southern Luzon), 0.709; Ilocos Norte (northern Luzon), 0.684; Batangas (southern Luzon), 0.683; Pampanga (central Luzon), 0.665; and Isabela (Cagayan Valley region), 0.649.
Province with Most Number of Cooperatives
Apart from topping the list of provinces in terms of income and literacy, Bulacan also boasts of its high number of cooperatives estimated as 1,120 with total assets of P3.8 billion as of 1998. The province had also registered the lowest poverty incidence of 17 percent.
Sulu Had Lowest Human Development Index
Appearing at the bottom of the HDI ladder in 2000 are Mindanao provinces which have been most devastated by decades of armed conflict. The NSCB identified the ten most lagging provinces in terms of human development as Sulu (western Mindanao), Tawi-Tawi (western Mindanao), Basilan (western Mindanao), Ifugao (Cordillera region), Maguindanao (central Mindanao), Lanao del Sur (central Mindanao), Agusan del Sur (northern Mindanao), Western Samar (eastern Visayas), Lanao del Norte (central Mindanao), and Sarangani (southern Mindanao).
Province with Most Cities
As of 2002, Negros Occidental in Western Visayas had 13 cities, 19 municipalities and 661 barangays.
Province with Most Municipalities
As of 2002, Cebu province in Central Visayas had 6 cities and 47 municipalities. Bohol, on the other hand, had 1 city and 47 municipalities.
Province with Most Barangays
As of 2002, Iloilo province in Western Visayas had 2 cities, 42 municipalities and 1,901 barangays.
Least Populated Province
As of 2000, Batanes province had the lowest population among provinces at 16,467. It was followed by Camiguin, with 74,232 inhabitants; Siquijor, 81,598; and Apayao, 97,129.
Most Populated City
Quezon City in northern Metro Manila is the country's most populated city. With a total population of 2.17 million as of 2000, Quezon City is composed of numerous subdivisions and has the highest concentration of urban poor residents in Metro Manila. Other highly populated cities in the country are Manila, with 1.58 million residents; Caloocan, 1.18 million and Davao, 1.15 million. The least populated city is Tagaytay City in Cavite province, with a population of less than 45,500.
Most Polluted City
People go to Baguio City during summer because of its cool weather and fresh air. Ironically, a World Bank study in 2001 has found Baguio City's air as the most polluted in the country. The city's air reportedly had 75.2 micrograms of particles per cubic meter, compared to Metro Manila's 65.8, Cebu City's 45 and Davao City's 39.8.
World's 4th Most Accident-Prone Country
According to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Philippines was the fourth most accident prone country in the world. The two institutions arrived at this conclusion after finding out that some 5,809,986 Filipinos were killed or injured as a result of disasters or man-made calamities over a ten-year period (1992-2001).
If not for its smaller population, the Philippines could have been the world's second most accident-prone country after Iran. Because of its large population, China topped the accident list, with 97,783,301 of its citizens affected by accidents during the ten-year period. It was followed by India, which reported 46,060,125 victims during the period. Both China and India have a population of over 1 billion people. Iran was third in the list, with 6,416,570 victims. Behind the Philippines were Ethiopia, with 3,334,266 victims; and Pakistan, 2,732,032 victims. The global report by International Red Cross said 535,416 people were killed in natural disasters and 86,947 others in industrial, transport and other "technological disasters" worldwide from 1992 to 2001.
According to the Philippine Red Cross, 31,835 Filipinos were killed and 94,369,462 others were affected by natural disasters and calamities in a span of 20 years. "The Philippines was a natural laboratory for floods, typhoons, monsoon rains, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and landslides," Philippine National Red Cross governor Dante Liban said. (Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer)
313 Disaster Incidents in 2002
Data from the Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC) showed that there were 313 disaster incidents in the country in 2002, up from only 199 incidents in 2001. In particular, there were 120 fire incidents that affected 15,430 households in 2002, 63 deportation or relocation incidents, 22 armed conflicts that distressed 8,891 families, 22 bombing incidents or explosions, 22 flashfloods that affected 234,414 households, and 7 destructive typhoons that distressed 568,345 families. Other types of disasters that happened in 2002 were vehicular accidents, sea mishap, tornado, massacre, plane crash, and earthquakes.
Worst Disaster in History
On July 12, 2000, the Philippines witnessed one of the world's most horrifying images of social tragedy in history. Nearly 500 garbage scavengers who were living literally at the Payatas dumpsite in Quezon City were buried alive under tons of garbage when a 50-foot garbage mountain collapsed on their makeshift houses at the height of torrential rains. It was a tragic commentary on poverty in the Philippines, yet the lesson remains to be learned to this day.
Worst Sea Accidents
In December 1987, some 4,341 people died when Dona Paz, an inter-island passenger ferry owned by Sulpicio Lines collided with an oil tanker off Mindoro Island. Sadly it was not to be the last sea tragedy in the Philippines, an archipelago of 7,107 islands. In 1988, around 250 people died when Dona Marilyn, another passenger ferry owned by Sulpicio Lines, sank. On April 11, 2002, at least 30 people were killed when MV Maria Carmella, which was bound from the island-province of Masbate for Lucena City in Quezon province, caught fire.
Among the most frequently mentioned causes of the sea accidents were overloading of the ship, ageing facilities, badly trained crewmembers, and poor compliance by the vessels with safety precautions and measures. While the Philippines has over 7,100 islands and 10,000 ships or boats, the Philippine Coastguard has only 4,000 men.
Worst Air Accidents
On April 19, 2000, some 131 people were killed when a commercial airplane from Manila crashed in Samal Island, Davao del Norte province (southern Mindanao). All the passengers and crew, including four infants, of Air Philippines Boeing 737-200 (Flight 541 from Manila) died in what is now considered the worst air tragedy in the Philippines.
A local commercial flight bound for northern Luzon crashed into Manila Bay seven minutes after takeoff in the morning of November 11, 2002, leaving 19 people including six foreign tourists dead. Ten people survived.
The ill-fated airplane - an ageing Fokker 27 - was bound from Manila for Laoag City in northern Luzon, with 29 passengers and crewmembers on board, when it encountered an engine trouble and crashed one kilometer off the Manila Bay shoreline in Paranaque City. The dead victims include five Australian tourists and a British national. Among the 10 survivors was an Australian tourist. The two Filipino captains of the airplane also survived, along with a flight stewardess and a plane mechanic.
On July 2, 2000, an Air Force Nomad plane crashed somewhere in Sulu Sea, killing its 13 crewmembers and passengers, including the late Palawan Governor Salvador Socrates and Western Command chief Maj. Gen. Santiago Madrid.
On March 17, 1957, President Ramon Magsaysay died in an airplane crash in Mount Manunggal, Cebu province.
Worst Terrorist Attacks
No one thought that banditry still exists in the modern era. In April 1995, the Muslim extremist Abu Sayyaf (Bearers of the Sword) group raided the Christian town of Ipil in Zamboanga del Norte province and burned all its houses and establishments. The group also shot dead at least 54 residents of the town. The worst terrorist attack in Metro Manila took place on December 30, 2000, which was a holiday (Rizal Day). A series of bombings rocked the metropolis on that day. The worst explosion happened inside a train of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) in Manila where 22 passengers were killed and hundreds more were wounded.
Before this, an explosion nearly killed Philippine Ambassador Leonides Caday in Jakarta, Indonesia on August 1, 2000. Police claimed that an Indonesian national in their custody has admitted responsibility for the bombings in Manila and Jakarta. In March, 2002, a group which identified itself as the Indigenous Federal State Army planted at least 10 hoax bombs around Metro Manila purportedly to demand the establishment of separate governments for Muslim and indigenous people. Investigators, however, denied that such a group exists and blamed the bomb scare to existing rebel groups.
On April 21, 2002, 15 innocent civilians were killed while 60 others were injured when a bomb exploded outside a shopping mall in General Santos City (southern Mindanao). The Abu Sayyaf quickly claimed responsibility over the bombing, although the military was convinced that a larger Muslim rebel group could be involved. On October 19, a bomb exploded aboard a public bus, killing three passengers and wounding 19 others in Balintawak, Quezon City. A fragmentation grenade also exploded in Makati City but injured no one on October 17.
On October 17, two of the seven bombs planted around Zamboanga City (western Mindanao) exploded, leaving seven people dead and 144 others injured. On October 10, a bomb, which was allegedly planted by an extortion group, exploded inside a bus terminal in Kidapawan City (central Mindanao), leaving 8 people dead and 25 others injured. On the night of October 2, a bomb, allegedly planted by Muslim extremist Abu Sayyaf group, exploded in front of a karaoke bar in Zamboanga City (western Mindanao), killing an American soldier and two Filipinos and wounding 19 others, including another American soldier.
September 11 Attacks
What is considered as the world's terrorist attack was the September 11 airplane assault on the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York in 2001. About 3,000 people were believed killed in the incident that brought all the floors of the two buildings to the ground. Reports said there were at least 500 Filipinos or Filipino-Americans working at the World Trade Center. There were 80,000 Filipinos living in New York City and another 50,000 in Washington D.C.
Worst Fires
On March 18, 1996 a fire at Ozone disco along Timog Avenue in Quezon City left 150 people dead and 90 others seriously injured. Around 350 young Filipinos were inside the bar when the fire struck. It was considered the worst nightclub fire since a blaze killed 164 people in Southgate, Kentucky in 1977. On August 18, 2001, a fire gutted Manor Hotel in Quezon City, killing 75 guests and wounding 52 others. The victims, mostly local members of the Dawn Flowers Ministry, a Texas-based Christian evangelical group, were asleep when the fire struck. They were trapped inside their rooms because the hotel's fire exit was blocked.
Worst Bus Accident
On November 24, 33 people died while six others were seriously injured when a passenger bus plunged into a 30-foot ravine in Tagkawayan, Quezon province (southern Luzon). The ill-fated Falcon Liner bus was bound for Masbate province (Bicol region) when its driver reportedly lost control of the wheel while negotiating a downhill portion of the Quirino Highway. Most of the passengers were asleep when the accident happened at 12:30 a.m. On November 26, a Victory Liner bus plunged into a 109-foot ravine in Benguet province, killing two of its passengers.
Worst Volcanic Eruptions
In June, 1991, Mount Pinatubo in Zambales province had the century's second largest volcanic eruption, as it unleashed some 15 million tons of sulfur dioxide into the earth's atmosphere that resulted in slight cooling of the earth's temperature. Thousands of people were believed killed as a result of the eruption and the subsequent lahar flow, which buried several villages in the provinces of Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales. The eruption also forced American troops out of their bases in Clark, Pampanga and Subic, Zambales. What is considered as the century's strongest eruption is the eruption of Novarupta in Alaska, which released 9 cubic miles of magma towards the earth's surface in June, 1912.
Worst Typhoons and Flashfloods
As a typhoon codenamed Thelma was passing the Philippines on November 5, 1991, a flashflood hit Ormoc City in Leyte province, killing at least 3,000 people and destroying the homes of 50,000 others. In September 1984, a typhoon codenamed Ike killed 1,300 persons while in 1995 typhoon Angela killed 700 people. On August 3, 1999, heavy torrential rains caused a landslide that killed 58 people and buried over 100 houses at Cherry Hills Subsivision in Antipolo City. On November 9, 2001, a typhoon locally named "Nanang" caused a flashflood that buried 350 residents of Mahinog in the island-province of Camiguin. The highest death toll during a weather disturbance was reported in Bangladesh when a strong cyclone (typhoon) killed nearly 300,000 people in November 1970.
Worst Earthquakes
On July 16, 1990, an earthquake that registered 7.7 on the Richter scale killed 1,700 people, injured 3,000 individuals and displaced 148,000 more in Luzon. Among the cities that sustained the worst damages were Baguio, Dagupan and Cabanatuan. On August 17, 1976, an earthquake caused a tidal wave or tsunami that killed about 8,000 people in Mindanao, according to the Information Please Almanac. On August 2, 1968, an earthquake caused the collapse of Ruby Tower buildings, leaving hundreds of people trapped underneath the rubble. What is considered as the most damaging earthquake in the 20th Century took place in Tianjin, China where 250,000 people were believed killed. The strongest earthquake, which registered 9.5 on the Richter scale, was reported in Chile on May 22, 1960.
Worst Festival Tragedy
On July 2, 1993, a pagoda carrying hundreds of Catholic devotees during the annual pagoda festival in Bocaue, Bulacan sank into the muddy Bocaue River. About 279 people, including children, drowned in the incident. One victim, Sajid Bulig, died a hero after saving four children out of the river.
Coastal Areas Sinking
According to the University of the Philippines' National Institute of Geological Sciences, low coastal areas at the Manila Bay, such as Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela and several towns in Bulacan, Pampanga and Bataan have sunk one meter in the past 30 years or ten times than the rate of the global sea level rise in the last century.
In their paper "Flooding in Pampanga, Bataan, Bulacan and Camanava: Causes, Trends and Possible Solutions", geologists blamed the fast rise of water level at the Manila Bay to too much extraction of groundwater by a growing population and economic activities. There are about 23 million people living around the Manila Bay, who experience flood during the rainy season.
PHILIPPINES SIMPLE FACTS
Government
The Philippines Republic
Capital: Manila
Head of State: President
System: Presidential
Independence Day: June 12 1898
Geography
Archipelago
Land Area: 300 080 sq km
No. of Islands: 7107
Mountains: Sierra Madre
Lakes: Laguna Lake
Population
Population: 84 664 743
Growth Rate: 2.36%
Average Size of Households: 5.0
Life Expectancy: 68
Religion:
Roman Catholic
Protestant
Islam
Aglipayan
Church of Christ
Buddhism
Jehovah's Witnesses
Iglesia ni Cristo
Christian Organization
Education:
Student Population: 19 287 630
No. of Schools: 62 588
No of Teachers 453 120
Literacy Rate: 95.9
Teacher Student Ratio: 1:42
Languages:
Major: Tagalog (Filipino), English
Info Source: txtmania.com
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