COUNTRY PROFILE

The Philippines has come a long way since the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos was toppled by a popular revolution that swept Corazon Aquino into power. The recent replacement of Joseph Estrada as president by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo shows that the democratic process still has a long way to go though. Unable to remove Estrada legally on corruption charges in a court of law, the opposition had to again rely on public outrage to achieve its desired result. In Nov. 2000 the Philippine senate began to impeach Estrada on corruption charges. Estrada may have been guilty as charged, but unlike Marcos he had also been elected by popular mandate. Massive street demonstrations and the loss of political support eventually forced Estrada from office. Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, daughter of former President Diosdado Macapagal and the holder of a doctorate in economics from Georgetown University, became president in Jan. 2001. Meanwhile, the new government is being tested in its caretaker role. The poor state of the government's finances and the slow pace of reforms continue to wear on an economy that is falling behind those of its neighbors. There is freedom of religion and the Philippines is Asia's only country with a Catholic majority. However, many Catholics are still practicing animists and spiritists. 

OVERVIEW

Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese navigator in the service of Spain, explored the Philippines in 1521. Twenty-one years later, a Spanish exploration party named the group of islands in honor of Prince Philip, who was later to become Philip II of Spain. Spain retained possession of the islands for the next 350 years. The Philippines were ceded to the U.S. in 1899 by the Treaty of Paris after the Spanish-American War. Meanwhile, the Filipinos, led by Emilio Aguinaldo, had declared their independence. They initiated guerrilla warfare against U.S. troops that persisted until the capture of Aguinaldo in 1901. By 1902, peace was established except among the Islamic Moros on the southern island of Mindanao. The Jones Law (1916) provided for the establishment of a Philippine Legislature composed of an elective Senate and House of Representatives. The Tydings-McDuffie Act (1934) provided for a transitional period until 1946, at which time the Philippines would become completely independent. Under a constitution approved by the people of the Philippines in 1935, the Commonwealth of the Philippines came into being with Manuel Quezon y Molina as president. The Philippines achieved full independence on July 4, 1946. 

Under Ferdinand E. Marcos (1965-86), civil unrest broke out in opposition to the leader's despotic rule. Martial law was declared on Sept. 21, 1972, and Marcos proclaimed a new constitution that ensconced himself as president. Martial law was officially lifted on Jan. 17, 1981, but Marcos and his wife Imelda retained broad powers. In an attempt to resecure American support, Marcos set presidential elections for Feb. 7, 1986. With the support of the Catholic Church, Corazon Aquino declared her candidacy. Marcos was declared the official winner, but independent observers reported widespread election fraud and vote rigging. Anti-Marcos protests exploded in the capital Manila, Defense Minister Juan Enrile and Lt. Gen. Fidel Ramos defected to the opposition, and Marcos lost virtually all support; he was forced to flee into exile and entered the U.S. on Feb. 25, 1986. In elections in May 1992, Gen. Fidel Ramos, who had the support of outgoing Aquino, won the presidency in a seven-way race. In Sept. of that year, the U.S. Navy turned over the Subic Bay naval base to the Philippines, ending a long-standing U.S. military presence. Even as the Philippines experienced a somewhat lower rate of growth than many of its Asian neighbors throughout the 1990s, it was also spared the brunt of the region's financial crisis following a wave of currency devaluations sparked in July 1997. 

In the spring of 2000 the government clashed with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which held several groups of hostages and was blamed for several bombings in various Filipino cities. Some hostages were freed by the Philippine military. In April, Abu Sayyaf, a smaller, separate group of guerrillas, captured 21 tourists from various nations and held them at their fortified camp on Jolo Island, 560 miles south of Manila. The guerrillas asked for between $15 and $20 million in exchange for releasing the captives. A loose federation of armed groups, Abu Sayyaf is fighting for an independent Islamic state and for protection of local fishing rights. The government halted negotiations with the group after more kidnapping took place. On Sept. 16, 2000, government troops launched a massive but unsuccessful rescue attempt to free the remaining hostages. 

FACTS

Population: 74 million
Capital: Quezon City
Major language: Filipino, English
Major religion: Catholic
Form of government: Unitary Republic
Monetary unit: 1 Philippine peso = 100 centavos
Main exports: electronics, garments, coconut oil
Head of government and state: President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo


LEADERS


President:
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

Arroyo will complete Joseph Estrada's presidential term, which runs through 2004, after Estrada was forced from office. Senator Arroyo represents a distinctly different political tradition from Estrada. She is a member of the political and business elite and the daughter of a distinguished former president. She holds a PhD in economics and has studied abroad at Georgetown University in the US. She is also hugely popular and her support amongst the population constantly surpasses Estrada. Her miniscule height and demure, well-coifed looks mask a towering ambition as the nation's top post. She was elected vice-president with a margin of more than 7 million votes over her nearest rival, the largest margin for any major political office in Philippine history. Her popularity stems as much from her impressive track record - she has filed over 400 Senate bills and authored or co-authored 55 bills signed into law on socio-economic reform - as from her guarded silence amidst previous political frays. 

OBSTACLES TO MINISTRY

• Lack of spiritual unity across denominational lines.

• On some islands, churches are still closed due to guerrilla warfare.

SPIRITUAL POWER POINTS

• Conflict with many Asian countries over the rights to the Spratly Islands.

• Government conflict with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Special thanks to Patrick Johnstone's, "Operation World" publisher, ISBN# 0-310-40031-7; 
and country profiles by eCountries.com and the CIA world fact book