Philippines Essay ⋆ Business Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

The Philippines, located in the western Pacific Ocean east of mainland southeast Asia, is made up of 7,100 islands and islets, 3,144 of which are named and 1,000 of which are inhabited. Its land area is about equal to Italy and a little larger than the American state of Arizona. The 11 major islands are Luzon (which makes up more than a third of the total land area), Mindoro, Palawan, Masbate, Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, Samar, and Mindanao (which makes up another third of the land area and was given to the Muslim insurgency in the 1996 peace deal).

The tropical climate is dominated by the monsoon cycle. From June to October, the southwest monsoon carries torrential rains through most of the country; from November to February, the northeast monsoon brings warm, dry weather; and from March to May, the easterly North Pacific trade winds bring extreme heat and drought. Usually, 20 to 30 typhoons cause extensive damage to parts of the country every year.

The Philippines has a population of almost 93 million (July 2008 estimate). Its per capita gross domestic product (GDP) is $3,300. In 2007 industry made up an estimated 31.3 percent of GDP; agriculture made up 14.1 percent, and services made up 54.6 percent. Elementary education in the Philippines begins at age 7 and lasts for six years; it is compulsory.

The constitution, which was approved by a national referendum on February 2, 1987, provides for a bicameral congress. The president is head of state, chief executive of the republic, and commander-inchief of the armed forces. The president is elected by the people for a six-year term and is not eligible for reelection. The Philippines is a member of the United Nations (UN), World Trade Organization (WTO), Asian Development Bank, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN; member as of 1954), and the Colombo Plan.

The first pottery was made in the Philippines from at least 3000 b.c.e., and metals were worked on by the first millennium b.c.e. Most islanders lived in barangays, which are communities of 30–100 households based largely on kinship. By the end of the 16th century, the Philippines had become a major trading center with China, the East Indies, and India. The Dutch took over the islands from around 1600.

Following the Spanish-American War in 1898, the Philippines were ceded to the United States. Shortly thereafter, it received partial autonomy. In 1941 the islands were invaded by Japanese troops, who occupied them fully by 1942. Manuel Roxas became president on July 4, 1946, which is when independence was achieved. The United States had historically close ties with the Philippines after its acquisition of the islands in the late 19th century. After World War II, the United States provided aid to the islands in return for 99-year leases on several naval and air bases.

In 1996 a peace agreement between the Moro National Liberation Front (a Muslim group) and the Filipino government ended more than 20 years of insurgency that had left over 120,000 people dead. This peace was short-lived; violence broke out again in 2001. It peaked in 2005, when fighting on the island of Jolo left 90 dead and led 12,000 people to flee. In 2006 and 2007, however, the Filipino government had success in capturing or killing key wanted terrorists.

In the past two decades, market-oriented reforms have been implemented in the Philippines; as a result, foreign investment and trade barriers have been overcome, and many industries have been deregulated. Even though privatization is incomplete, most state industrial assets were privatized between 1992 and 1995, and the monopolies in the oil, civil aviation, telecommunications, power, shipping, and water industries were dismantled.

A significant challenge to the Filipino economy is high public debt. The Filipino GDP grew at its fastest pace in more than three decades in 2007—7 percent. Remittances from Filipinos abroad and a strong services portfolio have contributed to healthy economic growth. Even though its macroeconomic outlook has improved, the Philippines needs to become more competitive to catch up with the rest of the region.

Bibliography:

Asian Development Bank, Philippines: Critical Development Constraints: Highlights (Asian Development Bank, 2008);
Teresita Audea, Stephen T. Teo, and John Crawford, “HRM Professionals and Their Perceptions of HRM and Firm Performance in the Philippines,” International Journal of Human Resource Management (v.16/4, 2005);
Reza Baqir, Philippines: Selected Issues (International Monetary Fund, 2008);
CIA, “Philippines,” World Factbook, www.cia.gov (cited March 2009);
Pamposh Dhar, Asian Development Fund: Helping the Poorest, Changing Lives, Working for Results (Asian Development Bank, 2008);
Barry Turner, , The Statesman’s Yearbook 2008 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008);
James Tyner, The Philippines: Mobilities, Identities, Globalization (Routledge, 2009);
Ragayah Haji Mat Zin and Medhi Krongkaew, Income Distribution & Sustainable Economic Development in East Asia: A Comparative Analysis (Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 2008).

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