Introduction to the Philippines

The Philippines, which is officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a maritime nation located in Southeast Asia between the West Philippine Sea and Pacific Ocean. It is composed of over 7,100 islands, which are divided into three main groups – Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. It shares a maritime border with Malaysia and Indonesia to the south and with Taiwan to the north.

Discovered by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, Spain ruled the Philippines until the United States of America formally acquired it from Spain by virtue of the Treaty of Paris in 1898. The United States gave the Philippines its independence in 1946.  The Philippines is a democracy. Its government has three main branches – the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The legislative branch is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Philippines follows the principle of decentralized governance. Most of the front-line services are handled by the Local Government Units.

As of 2021, there are at least 113 million Filipinos. Majority are concentrated in metropolitan cities, such as Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao. At least 389,347 Filipinos reside in Aurora. The Philippines is predominantly Roman Catholic due to the influence of its Spanish colonizers. Majority of the Christians reside in Luzon and Visayas, while the Muslim Filipinos reside predominantly in Mindanao. In Aurora, the majority of the residents are Roman Catholic. It has over 183 live languages or dialects. The official languages of the Philippines are Filipino and English. Other major languages spoken are Tagalog, Bisaya, and Ilocano. In Aurora, the residents speak mainly Tagalog and Ilocano, but the ethnic minorities, such as the Agta-Dumagats, have their own tribal language. The Agta-Dumagats usually locate themselves at the highlands of Aurora.

One of the major tourist destinations in Southeast Asia, the Philippines boasts of its pristine, white sand beaches, forests, and hospitable people. Casiguran, the host municipality of APECO, has the Casapsapan Beach, Tibu Tidal Pool, and Bulawan Falls as attractions.