The Wonderful Philippines

The Philippines is certainly a dot in the world but it is teeming with enormous and seem infinite treasures. With her majestic rolling mountains, hills and volcanoes, rain forests that are embellished with wonderful and exotic flora and fauna, pristine and solace white sand beaches, wide open seas that nurtures wide array of colorful marine creatures that comes in different shapes and sizes, unspoiled and magnificent heritage sites scattered across its breathtaking archipelago, the Philippines is no doubt a masterpiece, a panorama and a symphony of a humble nation proud of her rich and diverse culture and landscape.

The Philippines which is described as the "Gateway to Asia" is located at the heart of Southeast Asia. It is consists of 7000 islands when it is high tide and 7007 when it is low tide. Its land surface measures 114,830 square statue miles. Volcanic in origin, the country is crisscrossed with mountains and drained by small river systems. Its land area is almost the same as that of Italy, larger than New Zealand, twice bigger than Greece and much larger than Britain. It has the world’s longest discontinuous coastline which is twice larger than that of United States.

The Philippines has seven major mountain ranges, the largest and longest of which is the Sierra Madre. It is home to the Sagada (one of the top tourist destinations in Northern Luzon) and it faces the Pacific Ocean and the eastern strip of Luzon. The Philippines' highest mountain is Mount Apo in Davao and the deepest is the Philippine Deep (second deepest in the world and can sink the highest mountain in the planet which is the Mount Everest of Nepal). It has more than 50 volcanoes, the most popular of which is the scenic Mayon Volcano in Albay, which has a near perfect cone and the Taal Volcano, which is the smallest active volcano in the world and its captivating view can be seen in Tagaytay, Rizal.

Named after Philip II of Spain, the Philippines have been called the “Pearl of the Orient”. The country is endowed with fertile soil, healthy climate, rich natural resources and fishing grounds. It ranks first in coconut oil and hemp production in the world, second in sugar cane, 7^th in gold production (best in Southeast Asia), third in chromite and has one of the world’s largest deposits of nickel, deuterium and copper. Its forest supplies Asia with its finest timbers and forest products.

The Philippines' delicate rainforests is in abundance of flora and fauna. There are several animals that are unique to the Philippines. One of them is the Philippine Eagle, which is also called the "Haribon" and "Philippine Monkey Eating Eagle." This majestic bird of prey is the second largest in the world and holds the distinction as the rarest. In 1995, this mighty bird was declared as the country’s national bird replacing the tame and gentle "Maya." Other animals that are endemic to the Philippines aside are the "Pilandok" or the Mouse-Deer, which is considered to be the smallest deer in the world, Visayan Spotted Deer, the most endangered and rarest in the world, The Greater Philippine Cloud Rat, thought to have been extinct but was rediscovered recently after 112 years, Tamaraw, a peculiar looking dwarf carabao, Leopard Cat, the elusive and only true cat found in the Philippines, and the Kagwang, which has large folds of skin that allows them to glide distances of up to 135 meters and relatives of the flying lemurs.

The Philippines is perhaps the only nation that embraces four rich cultural heritages – Asian, European, Latin and American. Indeed Philippines has a varied and extensive experience and exposure to all four cultures and it is not surprising for Filipinos to have the features of an Oriental/Asian, have Spanish sounding names (first names, middle names and/or surnames), speak English with an American accent and have the Latin warmth and temperament. Moreover, the Philippines is Asia’s only predominant Christian country in the world and third largest English-speaking country. The Filipinos take pride in their education and literacy (at 90% which is one of the highest in Asia). Tens of thousands of foreign students all over the world come here to take courses in medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacists, engineering, etc.

The Philippines is blessed with captivating and world class tourists spots as well that could easily rival her neighbor’s splendors. Among them are Boracay Beach in Aklan, El Nido in Palawan, Hundred Islands in Pangasinan, Magellan Cross in Cebu, Baguio City (which is dubbed as the City of Pines," Pagsanjan Falls, Maria Christina Falls, Banaue Rice Terraces and many more awesome tourist spots that are spread out all across the archipelago.

Many National Parks in The Philippines are featured on the World Heritage List, either presently included or nominated for future listing. Those presently designated in the World Heritage List include the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River in Palawan, one of the frontrunners in the voting for one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature’s 28 finalists and the Tubbataha Reef Park, which is now considered as the most dense and diverse in the world in terms of numbers of species of marine life in a given area is concern. Sixteen other Philippines National Parks have been submitted on the UNESCO Tentative list for inclusion. These include, Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, Angono Triglyphs, Batanes Protected landscapes and seascapes, El Nido Marine Reserve in Northern Palawan, Mt Pulog National Park, Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park, The Tabon Cave Complex and all of Lipuun Point and Turtle Islands Natural Park.

One of the Philippines’ best kept secrets and perhaps most treasured recipes was revealed recently. The country's crisp and mouthwatering roasted pig which is dubbed as "Lechon" is voted by Times Magazine as the best in Asia.

Few years ago Donsol, Sorsogon was also in the spotlight when it is voted as TIME Magazine's 2004 year-end Special Report as having the Best Animal Encounter. Before the discovery marine scientists all over the world find it very difficult to study them because they are so difficult to track and undertaking extensive research about them is seemed impossible then. Little they know that the quiet and rustic town of Donsol, Sorsogon is a haven for these gentle creatures. Marine Scientists all over the world quickly flocked to the Philippines upon learning that the whale sharks abound its shores. Now the whale sharks in Donsol are now revered and no longer hunted for its meat or treated as a nuisance since these amiable giants are well capable of damaging the fisherman fishing nets and capsizing fisherman’s boats.

--- This is my first entry to the Hubchallenge.

Filipinos are popular for their warm hospitality, friendliness disposition especially toward foreigners, romanticism, deep religiosity, being a generous entertainer, and musical and artistic talents. A testament of their versatility and dynamism are the Overseas Filipino Workers scattered all across the world, working as Doctors, CPAs, Lawyers, Nurses, Engineers, Chefs, Security Guards, Welders, Domestic Helpers and any other professions. Filipinos takes pride on any job they could have, what counts to them most is how they could uplift their way of life no matter what the job awaits them and will dished out an all-out effort in every tasks handed to them.

Filipinos are also one of the happiest race in the world, they will always find good ways to enjoy life. They are fond of fiesta and festivals as well. Many famous festivals are celebrated all over the Philippines like Sinulog Festival in Cebu, Dagupan City Bangus Festival in Pangasinan (my hometown hehehe, with Pride in Honor I could say that this humble City North of Manila once hold the Guinness Books of Records for the Longest Barbecue Grill in the whole world 7 years ago, this was set during the city's celebration of Bangus Festival 2002), Panagbenga in Baguio City, Ibon-Ebon Festival Candaba, Pampanga (a festival that features the thousands of thousands of various migratory birds from all over Asia that flocks their town), Butanding Festival in Donsol, Sorsogon and a lot lot more.