Portal:Philippines/Selected article/Archive

These are articles that have appeared on the Selected article section of the Philippines portal.

History of the Philippines

Appeared from August 13, 2007, to August 29, 2008.

The history of the Philippines begins with the arrival of the first humans in the Philippines by land bridges, while the first recorded history of the Philippines was scripted by Europeans beginning with the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan on Homonhon Island. Permanent settlements in the island of Cebu were established with the expedition of Spanish explorer Miguel López de Legazpi in 1565, starting the era of Spanish colonization that lasted for more than three centuries. This period saw the political unification of the Philippine archipelago, the flourishing of trade including the Manila Galleon, the spread of Christianity, the development of infrastructures, and the establishment of schools, universities and hospitals, mostly by religious orders. The Philippine Revolution against Spain began in 1896, culminating two years later with a proclamation of independence and the establishment of the First Philippine Republic. However, the Treaty of Paris in 1898 at the end of the Spanish-American War transferred control of the Philippines to the United States. Full independence was only granted to the Philippines in July 1946. With a promising economy in the 1950s and 1960s second only to Japan, the Philippines in the late 1960s and early 1970s saw a rise of student activism and civil unrest against the corrupt dictatorship of President Ferdinand Marcos who declared martial law in 1972. The peaceful and bloodless 1986 EDSA Revolution brought about the ouster of Marcos and a return to democracy for the country. The period since then, however, has been marked by political instability and hampered economic productivity. (more...)

Manila Metro Rail Transit System

Appeared from December 1, 2006, to August 13, 2007.

MRT-3 Train approaching Ayala Station

The Manila Metro Rail Transit System, more popularly known as the MRT, is part of the main metropolitan rail system serving the Metro Manila area in the Philippines. Only one line exists within this network, and that is MRT-3, called the Blue Line. It is also popularly known as the Metrostar Express or Metrostar for short. Although the network has characteristics of light rail, such as the type of rolling stock used, the system is more akin to a rapid transit system. The system is not related to the Manila Light Rail Transit System, which forms a completely different but linked system. Although one of the original purposes of the system was to decongest Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), one of Metro Manila's main thoroughfares, many commuters who ride the MRT also take various forms of road-based public transport, such as buses, to reach the intended destination from an MRT station. While this forms a comprehensive transportation system serving many parts of Metro Manila, the system has only been partially successful in decongesting the very busy thoroughfare, which is further aggravated by the rising number of motor vehicles in the metropolis. The system is operated by the Metro Rail Transit Corporation, a private company operating in partnership with the Department of Transportation and Communications under a Build-Operate-Transfer agreement.

De La Salle University

Appeared from November 1, 2006, to December 1, 2006.

De La Salle University is a private Catholic university located in Malate, Manila. The oldest campus of De La Salle Philippines, it was established on June 16, 1911, by the De La Salle Brothers at the request of Archbishop Jeremiah James Harty as a school exclusive for boys, but started accepting women in 1973. It is organized into six colleges, the Colleges of Business and Economics, Liberal Arts, Science, Engineering, Education, and Computer Studies, each offering degrees in the undergraduate and graduate level. Ten of its programs have been recognized by the Commission on Higher Education as Centers of Excellence, with five recognized as Centers of Development. It is the first of only two universities in the Philippines to earn a Level IV accreditation—the highest possible level—granted by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities. (More...)

Manila Light Rail Transit System

Appeared from September 28, 2006, to October 31, 2006.

MRT-2 Train approaching Katipunan Station

The Manila Light Rail Transit System is the main metropolitan rail system serving the Metro Manila area in the Philippines. The Manila LRT is the first metro system in Southeast Asia, predating the Singapore MRT by three years. The LRT forms part of Metro Manila's rail transportation infrastructure, known as the Strong Republic Transit System, and overall public transport system. Although one of the original purposes of the system was to reduce traffic congestion in the metropolis, many commuters who ride the LRT also take various forms of road-based public transport, such as buses, to reach the intended destination from an LRT station and vice-versa. While this forms a comprehensive transportation system serving many parts of Metro Manila, the system has only been partially successful in cutting traffic congestion and travel times, which is further aggravated by the rising number of motor vehicles in Metro Manila. The system is operated by the Light Rail Transit Authority, a government-owned and controlled corporation under the authority of the Department of Transportation and Communications as an attached agency. (More...)

Katipunan

Appeared from August 20, 2006, up to September 28, 2006.

The Katipunan was a nationalistic secret society founded in the Philippines in 1892 to oust the Spanish colonial government in Manila.

The name Katipunan is actually a shorter version of the official name, which is in Tagalog: Kataastaasang, Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (roughly translated as Supreme and Venerable Society of the Sons of the People). The Katipunan is also known by its acronym, KKK (not to be mistaken with the "Ku Klux Klan"). The word katipunan is a Tagalog term for society, the root word being the verb tipon, which means gather.

The Katipunan, was founded by Andres Bonifacio and several others at Kalye Azcarraga (currently Claro M. Recto Avenue) on July 7, 1892. The society named José Rizal, who was then exiled at Dapitan as the honanary president. The central committee of the society was the Kataastaasang Sanggunian (or Supreme Council). Several local councils, such as the Sangguniang Bayan (provincial councils) and the Sangguniang Barangay administered the ranks. The society also had a Sangguniang Hukuman (or judicial council) which settled disputes among members. (more...)

Philippine-American War

Appeared from September 5, 2005, up to August 20, 2006.

The Philippine-American War was a war between the armed forces of the United States and the Philippines from 1899 through 1913.

This conflict is also known as the Philippine Insurrection. This name was historically the most commonly used in the U.S., but Filipinos and an increasing number of American historians refer to these hostilities as the Philippine-American War, and in 1999 the U.S. Library of Congress reclassified its references to use this term.

In December 1898, the U.S. purchased the Philippines and other territories from Spain at the Treaty of Paris for the sum of 20 million United States dollars, after the U.S. defeated Spain in the Spanish-American War. The U.S. government made plans to make the Philippines an American colony. However, the Filipinos, fighting for their independence from Spain since 1896, had already declared their independence on June 12. On August 14, 11,000 ground troops were sent to occupy the Philippines. On January 1, 1899, Emilio Aguinaldo was declared the first President. He later organized a Congress at Malolos, Bulacan, to draft a constitution.

Fernando Poe Jr.

Appeared from September 7, 2005, up to September 13, 2005.

Fernando Poe Jr. (August 20, 1939 – December 14, 2004) was an iconic and hugely popular Filipino actor. Late in his life he ran an unsuccessful bid for president in the 2004 Philippine election, losing to incumbent Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He was also known as "FPJ" and as "Da King".

Fernando Poe Jr. was born in Manila, the son of actor-producer Fernando Poe Sr. and Elizabeth Kelley. He was second of six siblings, born after Elizabeth and before Fernando (Andy), Genevieve (Jenny), Fredrick (Freddieboy), and Evangeline. His name at birth was Ronald Allan Kelley Poe; it was his brother Andy who was really named Fernando Poe Jr. Actor Conrad Poe was his half-brother, son of Fernando Poe Sr. by actress Patricia Mijares.

The original surname was spelled Pou from his grandfather, playwright Lorenzo Pou, a Catalan migrant from Majorca, Spain, who ventured into mining and business in the Philippines.

GMA Network

Appeared from August 30, 2005, up to September 4, 2005.

GMA Network is a television network in the Philippines. It provides news and entertainment programs through its 44 fully-owned transmitter stations nationwide and two affiliate stations. Its headquarters is in Quezon City, Metro Manila. It can also be heard on the airwaves through 26 radio stations throughout the country, including dzBB-AM and dwLS-FM in Manila; and dySS-AM and dyRT-FM in Cebu.

In 2002, GMA changed its slogan to "Kapuso Mo, Anumang Kulay ng Buhay" (One in Heart, Regardless of the Colors of Life), which is conversant with GMA's service thrust through its shows.

Mount Pinatubo

Appeared from August 3, 2005, up to August 30, 2005.

Mount Pinatubo is an active volcano located on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, at the intersection of the borders of the provinces of Zambales, Bataan, and Pampanga. Before 1991, the mountain was inconspicuous and heavily eroded. It was covered in dense forest which supported a population of several thousand indigenous people, the Aeta, who had fled to the mountains from the lowlands when the Spanish conquered the Philippines in 1565.

The volcano's most recent eruption in June 1991 came after 500 years of dormancy, and produced one of the largest and most violent eruptions of the 20th century. Successful predictions of the onset of the climactic eruption led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from the surrounding areas, saving many lives, but the surrounding areas were severely damaged by pyroclastic flows, ash deposits, and later, lahars caused by rainwater remobilising earlier volcanic deposits. Thousands of houses were destroyed.

The effects of the eruption were felt worldwide. It injected large amounts of aerosols into the stratosphere—more than any eruption since that of Krakatoa in 1883. The aerosols formed a global layer of sulfuric acid haze over the following months. Global temperatures dropped by about 0.5 °C (0.9 °F), and ozone destruction increased substantially.