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| Official name: Republika ng Pilipinas (Republic of the Philippines)
Head of State: President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (since Jan 2001; elected 10 May 2004 for a six-year term) Head of government: President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Ruling party: Coalition led by Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino (LaMMP) (Struggle of the Nationalist Filipino Masses) (since May 1998) Area: 300,439 square km (7,107 islands) Population: 83.41 million (2004) Capital: Manila (on Luzon) Official language: Filipino (based on Tagalog) Currency: Peso (P) = 100 centavos Exchange rate: P56.34 per US$ (Nov 2004) GDP per capita: US$1,010 (2003) GDP real growth: 4.00% (2003) Labour force: 33.70 million (2003) Unemployment: 10.70% (2003) Inflation: 3.00% (2003) Balance of trade: -US$1.56 billion (2003) Foreign debt: US$60.30 billion (2003) |
Historical profile
The Philippines became a Spanish colony in the sixteenth century.
1898 During the Spanish-American War, the independence of the Philippines was declared by General Emilio Aguinaldo, leader of the revolutionary movement, with the support of the US. By the Treaty of Paris, Spain ceded the islands to the US.
1935 A constitution was ratified by plebiscite, giving the Philippines internal self-government and providing independence after 10 years.
1946 The islands were occupied by Japanese forces from 1942–45. US rule was restored at the end of the Second World War, and the Philippines became an independent republic with Manuel Roxas as its first president.
1965 After a succession of presidents, under the control of US economic interests and the Filipino land-owning class, Ferdinand Marcos won elections.
1972 Martial law was imposed by the President, in order to deal with subversive activity and to introduce drastic reforms.
1973 A new constitution was ratified by President Marcos. Transitional provisions gave the president the combined authority of the presidency and the premiership without any fixed term of office.
1981 Martial law was lifted.
1986 Ferdinand Marcos claimed to have defeated his challenger, Corazon Aquino, in the general election. However, it was so blatantly rigged that the result triggered a popular revolt. Marcos and associates fled the country and Aquino took over.
1987 A plebiscite ratified a new constitution with Aquino as president. Congressional elections confirmed her popular support.
1992 In the presidential and legislative elections, Aquino's chosen successor, Fidel Ramos, succeeded her as president, although his supporters failed to achieve an overall majority in the legislature.
1994 President Ramos' Lakas ng Edsa (Lakas-NUCD) (National Union of Christian Democrats) party formed an electoral pact with the Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino (LaMMP) (Struggle of the Nationalist Filipino Masses).
1995 Candidates representing the Lakas-NUCD/LDP alliance secured the bulk of the seats contested in the mid-term elections.
1996 A peace agreement was reached with Mindanao's Muslim rebels, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
1998 Joseph Estrada easily won the presidential elections. Estrada replaced Ramos, who during his six years in power had built up a reputation for ensuring the political stability and economic growth urgently required after the Marcos era.
2000 President Estrada was impeached by the lower house of the legislature after allegations that he had accepted bribes and diverted taxes for personal use.
2001 Estrada was stripped of his powers by a Supreme Court ruling, paving the way for the inauguration of Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as president. Supporters of President Arroyo won control of the Senate in the legislative elections. The government's offer of enhanced autonomy to Mindanao, instead of independence, was turned down by the MILF.
2002 Filipino and US military forces launched joint exercises near to the stronghold of Abu Sayyaf, the high-profile Muslim rebel whose group was believed to have links with al Qaeda. Tensions in southern Philippines increased following a declaration made by exiled Filipino Muslim leader Nur Misuari for an independent Muslim state. Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines signed a pact to counter terrorism and to stop a network that is believed to be bent on turning all three into a single Islamic state.
2003 The army intelligence chief, Brigadier General Victor Corpus, resigned in August after a mutiny led by young army officers calling for the resignation of the government was quelled without bloodshed.
2004 On 10 May, Gloria Arroyo was elected president for a six-year term, defeating her nearest rival, actor Fernando Poe, by more than a million votes. The opposition claimed that there were irregularities in the poll.
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