The World Factbook (1982)/Philippines

by the Central Intelligence Agency

PHILIPPINES

(See reference map IX)

LAND

300,440 km²; 53% forested, 30% arable land, 5% permanent pasture, 12% other

WATER

Limits of territorial waters (claimed): 0-300 nm (under an archipelago theory, waters within straight lines joining appropriate points of outermost islands are considered internal waters; waters between these baselines and the limits described in the Treaty of Paris, 10 December 1898, the US-Spain Treaty of 7 November 1900, and the US-UK Treaty of 2 January 1930 are considered to be the territorial sea); fishing 200 nm; exclusive economic zone 200 nm

Coastline: about 22,540 km

PEOPLE

Population: 51,574,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 2.5%

Nationality: noun—Filipino(s); adjective—Philippine

Ethnic divisions: 91.5% Christian Malay, 4% Muslim Malay, 1.5% Chinese, 3% other

Religion: 83% Roman Catholic, 10% Protestant, 4% Muslim, 3% Buddhist and other

Language: Tagalog (renamed Pilipino) is the national language of the Philippine Republic; English is the language of school instruction and government business

Literacy: about 83%

Labor force: 18.5 million (1981); 47.3% agriculture, 12.2% manufacturing, 12.2% commerce, 17.6% services, 3.5% transportation, 4.6% construction

GOVERNMENT

Official name: Republic of the Philippines

Type: republic

Capital: Manila

Political subdivisions: 72 provinces

Legal system: based on Spanish, Islamic, and Anglo-American law; parliamentary constitution passed 1973; constitution amended in 1981 to provide for French-style mixed presidential-parliamentary system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; legal education at University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, and 71 other law schools; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; martial law lifted in January 1981

National holiday: Independence Day, 12 June

Branches: new constitution provides for unicameral National Assembly, and a strong executive branch under President and Prime Minister; judicial branch headed by Supreme Court with descending authority in a three-tiered system of local, regional trial, and intermediate appellate courts

Government leader: President Ferdinand MARCOS

Suffrage: universal over age 18

Elections: Interim National Assembly serves as interim government pending regular elections scheduled for 1984

Political parties and leaders: national parties are Marcos's New Society Party (KBL), the Liberals, Nationalistas, and Laban; prominent regional parties include the Mindanao Alliance and the Pusyon Bisaya

Communists: about 5,000 armed insurgents; not recognized as legal party

Member of: ADB, ASEAN, ASPAC, Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMCO, IMF, IPU, ISO, ITU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

ECONOMY

GNP: $35.1 billion (1980), $720 per capita; 5.4% real growth, 1980

Agriculture: main crops—rice, corn, coconut, sugarcane, bananas, abaca, tobacco

Fishing: catch 1.6 million metric tons (1978)

Major industries: mining, agricultural processing, textiles, steel processing,chemical products

Electric power: 4,980,000 kW capacity (1980); 18.924 billion kWh produced (1980), 382 kWh per capita

Exports: $5.8 billion (f.o.b., 1980); coconut products, sugar, logs and lumber, copper concentrates, bananas, garments, nickel, electrical components, gold

Imports: $7.7 billion (f.o.b., 1980); petroleum, industrial equipment, wheat

Major trade partners: (1980) exports—33% US, 33% Japan; imports—22% Japan, 26% US

Budget: (1980) revenues $5.06 billion, expenditures $6.17 billion (capital expenditures $2.21 billion), deficit $1.11 billion

Monetary conversion rate: 8.2 pesos=US$1 (September 1981)

Fiscal year: calendar year

COMMUNICATIONS

Railroads: 3,510 km total (1980); 2 common-carrier systems 1.067-meter gauge totaling about 1,177 km (360 km inoperable); 19 industrial systems with 4 different gauges totaling 2,333 km; 34% government owned

Highways: 152,800 km total (1980); 20,000 km paved; 80,700 km gravel, crushed stone, or stabilized soil surface; 52,000 km unimproved earth

Inland waterways: 3,219 km; limited to shallow-draft (less than 1.5 m) vessels

Pipelines: refined products, 357 km

Ports: 18 major, numerous minor

Civil air: approximately 80 major transport aircraft

Airfields: 346 total, 316 usable; 62 with permanent-surface runways; 8 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 42 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: good international radio and submarine cable services; domestic and interisland service adequate; 519,642 telephones (1.2 per 100 popl.); 273 AM stations, including 6 US; and 6 FM stations; 24 TV stations, including 4 US; submarine cables extended to Hong Kong, Guam, Singapore, and Japan; tropospheric-scatter link to Taiwan; 1 ground satellite station; domestic satellite network under construction

DEFENSE FORCES

Military manpower: males 15-49, 12,619,000; 8,948,000 fit for military service; about 555,000 reach military age (20) annually

Supply: limited small arms and small arms ammunition, small patrol craft production; licensed assembly of transport aircraft; most other materiel obtained from US; naval ships and equipment from Australia, Japan, Italy, Singapore, US, and Italy; aircraft and helicopters from West Germany and US