Philippine Tourism > About the Philippines
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The exotic jeepney is a post-war creation
inspired by the GI jeeps that the American
soldiers brought to the country in the
1940s. Enterprising Filipinos salvaged the
surplus engines and came out unique vehicles
of art.
Short distance and feeder trips could not
be more exciting than via Philippine quick
transports – the tricycle, a motorcycle with
a sidecar, and the pedicab, a bicycle with a
sidecar.
The world’s longest
underground river system accessible to man
can be found at the St. Paul National Park
in the province of Palawan.
The largest Philippine wild
animal, the tamaraw, is a species of the
buffalo that is similar to the carabao. It
is found only in the island of Mindoro.
The highest mountain in the
Philippines is Mt. Apo, a dormant volcano
found in Mindanao, at 2,954 meters (9,689
feet). Mt. Pulog in Luzon is the second
highest at 2,928 meters (9604 feet).
Filipino bowler Rafael
"Paeng" Nepomuceno was the first bowler to
be elevated to the International Bowling
Hall of Fame based in St. Louis, Missouri,
USA. The Philippine Congress has named him
“Greatest Filipino Athlete of All Time.”
Philippine National Hero
and writer Jose Rizal could read and write
at age 2. He grew up to speak more than 20
languages, including Latin, Greek, German,
French, and Chinese. What were his last
words? "Consummatum est!" ("It is done!")
The largest city in the
Philippines is Davao City. With an area of
2,211 sq. km., it is about three times the
size of the national capital, Metro Manila.
Cebu is the oldest
Philippine city.
Negros Occidental has the
most cities among Philippine provinces.
Filipinos celebrate the
world’s longest religious holiday. The
Christmas season begins on September 1st, as
chillier winds and Christmas carols start
filling the air, and ends on the first week
of January, during the Feast of the Three
Kings.
Paskuhan Village in the
province of Pampanga is Asia’s only
Christmas theme park and the third of its
kind in the world.
The great Christmans
lanterns of San Fernando, Pampanga can reach
as big as 40 feet in diameter, using as many
as 16,000 glowing bulbs.
The exotic jeepney is the
Filipino version of the jitney, the
taxi/minibus that travels along a fixed
route, found in many countries.
The popular toy, the yoyo,
was invented by 16th century hunters in the
Philippines.
The word "boondocks," which
is now a part of the English language,
dictionary, and vocabulary, comes from the
Tagalog word "bundok," meaning "mountain."
The Philippines became the
first Asian country to win FIVE major
international beauty pageant crowns — two
for Miss Universe, in 1969 and 1973, and
three for Miss International, in 1965, 1970,
and 1979.
Diving paradise Anilao, in
the province of Batangas, is the theme of a
picture book that bagged the International
Prize for Underwater Images at the 27th
World Festival of Underwater Images in
France in November 2000. “Anilao" book
creators and Filipino scuba divers Scott
Tuason and Eduardo Cu Unjieng defeated big
names in underwater photography such as
Jacques Mayol, Pascal Kobeh, Monique Walker,
and Alessandro Tommasi.
The biggest game preserve
and wildlife sanctuary in the Philippines is
located on Calauit Island in Palawan, which
has the largest land area among the
Philippine provinces.
The antibiotic erythromycin
— used to treat a wide variety of bacterial
infections, such as respiratory tract
infections, middle ear infections, and skin
infections — was created by Filipino
scientist Abelardo Aguilar, and has earned
American drug giant Eli Lilly billions of
dollars. Neither Aguilar nor the Philippine
government received royalties.
Fernando Amorsolo was
officially the first National Artist of the
Philippines. He was given the distinction of
National Artist for Painting in 1972.
Philippines Herald war
journalist Carlos P. Romulo was the first
Asian to win a Pulitzer Prize in Journalism
in 1942. He was also aide-de-camp to General
Douglas MacArthur in World War II;
Philippine resident commissioner in the U.S.
Congress from 1944-46; and the first Asian
to become UN President in 1949.
The largest fish in the
world, the Whale Shark, locally known as
Butanding, regularly swims to the Philippine
waters.
The world’s shortest and
lightest freshwater fish is the dwarf pygmy
goby (Pandaka Pygmaea), a colorless and
nearly transparent species found in the
streams and lakes of Luzon. Males have an
average length of 8.7 mm. and weigh 4-5 mg.
On January 18, 1995, Pope
John Paul II offered mass to an estimated 4
to 5 million people at Luneta Park, Manila,
Philippines, making it to the Guiness Book
of World Records for the Biggest Papal
Crowd.
The Philippine Madrigal
Singers bagged the 1997 European Choral
Grand Prix, the choral olympics of the
world’s best choirs. The group, being the
only Asian choir, bested five regional
champions from all over Europe, earning them
the title as the "world’s best choir."
There are 12,000 or so
species of seashells in the Philippines. The
Conus Gloriamaris or "Glory of the Sea" is
the rarest and most expensive in the world.
Of the 500 known coral
species in the world, 488 are found in the
Philippines.
Of the eight species of
marine turtles worldwide, five are reported
to be found in the Philippines: the Green
Turtle, Hawkbill, Leatherback, Olive Ridley,
and Loggerhead.
Of the eight known species
of giant clams in the world, seven are found
in the Philippines.
The Basilica of San
Sebastian is the only steel church in Asia
and was the second building to be made out
of steel, next to the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The largest bell in Asia
hangs at the belfry of the 221-year old
Panay Church. It is 7 feet in diameter and 7
feet in height, and weighs 10.4 tons. Its
tolling can be heard as far as 8 km. away.
It was casted from 70 sacks of coins donated
by the townspeople as a manifestation of
faith and thanksgiving.
The World Cup, which was
instituted in 1965, is contested annually by
the national champions of the Federation
Internationale des Quilleurs (FIQ). The
highest number of wins is 4, by Filipino
bowler Rafael “Paeng” Nepomuceno: 1976,
1980, 1992, and 1996.
Filipino Eriberto N.
Gonzales Jr. consumed 350 chilis in 3
minutes at the annual Magayon Festival
chili-eating contest held at Penaranda Park,
Legazpi, Albay on May 27, 1999, making it to
the Guiness Book of World Records for the
most chilis eaten.
The longest possible
eclipse of the Sun is 7 min. 31 sec. The
longest eclipse in recent times took place
west of the Philippines on June 20, 1995,
lasting for 7 min. 8 sec.
Camiguin province holds the
distinction of having the most number of
volcanoes per square kilometer than any
other island on earth. It is also the only
place in the Philippines which has more
volcanoes (7) than towns (5).
The 900 sq m Relief Map of
Mindanao in Dapitan City was personally done
by Dr. Jose Rizal. It was used as a device
for teaching history and geography to
townsfolk.
The Zamboanga Golf Course
and Beach Park was founded in 1910 by Gov.
John Pershing. It is one of the oldest golf
courses in the Philippines.
Isabela City is the
youngest city in the region. It was only on
March 5, 2001 that the Municipality of
Isabela, Province of Basilan was converted
into a component city Through RA 9023. On
April 25, 2001, Isabeleños ratified the new
status of Isabela.
The Kinabayo is an exotic
and colorful pageant re-enacting the
Spanish-Moorish Wars, particularly the
Battle of Covadonga where the Spanish forces
under General Pelagio took their last stand
against the Saracens. They were able to
reverse the tide of war with the miraculous
apparition of St. James, the Apostle. A
Kinabayo Festival is celebrated every July
in Dapitan City, attracting thousands of
tourists to the city.
The altar at the Holy
Rosary Cathedral in Dipolog City was
designed by Dr. Jose Rizal. The Cathedral
was erected by the Spanish friars sometime
in 1895, before Dipolog City became a
municipality.
The Rizal Shrine in Dapitan
City is the original estate of Dr. Jose
Rizal which he acquired by purchase during
his exile in Dapitan from 1892 to 1896.
RA 8973 signed by then
President Joseph E. Estrada in February 2001
created the province of Zamboanga Sibugay. A
total of sixteen municipalities compose this
newest province in the Zamboanga Peninsula.
Magat Dam is Asia’s biggest
dam project at the time of its construction.
It serves the primary function of power
generation and irrigation.
The Cagayan River or Rio
Grande de Cagayan is the Philippines’
mightiest watercourse – the longest and
widest river in the country. Small streams
originating form Balete Pass, Cordillera,
Caraballo and Sierra Madre Mountains meet
other streams and rivers and flow to the
Cagayan River.
Magapit Suspension Bridge
is the first of its kind in Asia. It spans
the Cagayan River at Lallo and is 0.76
kilometers long. The hanging bridge links
the first and second districts of Cagayan
going towards the Ilocos Region via the
scenic Patapat Road on the Ilocos
Norte-Cagayan Inter-Provincial national
highway.
Angono Petroglyphs – This
cultural heritage site dates back to circa
3000 B.C. and is the most ancient Filipino,
or more aptly, prehistoric Filipino work of
art. Besides being the country’s oldest
“work of art” it also offers us an evocative
glimpse into the life of our ancestors. The
site has been included in the World
Inventory of Rock Art under the auspices of
UNESCO, ICCROM and ICOMOS and nominated as
one of the “100 Most Endangered Sites of the
World.
PANCIT HABHAB (Lucban)-Made
from rice flour, these local noodles
acquired its name and developed its unique
attraction by the way it is eaten. Otherwise
known as Pancit Lucban, these noodles are
hawked in the streets and served on a piece
of banana leaf, sans fork or any other
utensils. Thus, it is eaten straight from
the leaf, licking permitted...
"habhab"-style.
Tagala - the Philippines
first Filipino-Spanish dictionary which was
printed in 1613, 25 years older than the
first book printed in the United States.
Mayon is the most beautiful
mountain I have ever seen, the
world-renowned Fujiyama (Mt. Fuji) of Japan
sinking into perfect insignificance by
comparison. British traveler-writer A. Henry
Savage Landor
Ilo-Ilo golf and country
club is the oldest golf club in the
Philippines. It was built at 1908 by Irish
Engineers.
Limasawa Island – where
Ferdinand Magellan first landed in the
Philippines which give way to the discovery
of the Philippines and where the first mass
was celebrated.
San Juanico Strait - said
to be the narrowest yet the most navigable
strait in the world
Calbiga Cave – The
Philippines’ biggest karst formations and
one of the largest in Asia, the
2,968-hectare cave system is composed of 12
caves with wide underground spaces, unique
rock formations and sub-terranean
watercourse.
At the Immaculate
Conception Cathedral can be found the only
existing pipe organ in Mindanao. The 2nd
largest pipe organ in the Phiippines. The
huge instrument took 2 years to built and
was brought over by sea from Germany in 23
crates.
Cagayan de Oro City - “The
City of Golden Friendship,” known for its
warm people and old-fashioned hospitality
Mt. Apo, the Philippines
highest mountain at 10,311 feet above sea
level, and considered as the “Grand-father
of all Philippine Mountains”
Lake Lanao is the second
largest lake in the Philippines, probably
the deepest in the country and is considered
one of the major tropical lakes in
Southeastern Asia. The lake is home of
endemic cryprinids, the species found only
in the lake and nowhere else in the world.
Halo-Halo! Halo-halo
literally means, "mix-mix". And its is just
that: a mixture of sweetened fruits and
beans, lavished with pinipig (crisp
flattened rice flakes), sugar and milk,
topped by crushed ice and ice cream. You
know its summertime when halo-halo stand
start sprouting by the roadside and by the
beach, all whipping up their heavenly
concoctions of such a refreshingly divine
dessert. You can make your own by selecting
and mixing your ingredients to make a
perfect Halo-Halo. Halo-Halo is uniquely,
unforgettably Filipino!
KALESA - The kalesa or
karitela is a horse-driven carriage that was
introduced during the 18th century. It was
used by Spanish officials and the nobles as
a means of transportation. The Ilustrados,
the rich Filipinos who had their own
businesses, used the kalesa not only for
traveling but as a means a means of
transporting their goods as well.
BAKYA-Made primarily of
lightwood (laniti and santol trees), it is
sculpted with a slope and shaved to a smooth
finish, then painted with floral designs or
varnished to a high sheen. The upper
portions, which are made of rubber or
transparent plastic, are fastened to the
sides by thumb nails called "clavitos". The
bakya industry prospered during the 1930s
when the Filipinos began exporting these to
the other countries.
SORBETES-This sweet treat
was concocted in the early 1920's, a time
where a single centavo could buy you almost
anything. The process of this ice cream
making and selling it in carts with colorful
designs is still the same. Back in the old
days, these ice cream dealers bred their own
cows and milked them with their own hands to
ensure the freshness and sanitation of the
milk needed to make the "dirty ice cream".
Waling Waling Orchids -
With some 800 to 1,000 species of orchids,
the Philippines has one of the richest
orchid floras in the world. Philippine
orchids come in an amazing array of shapes,
sizes and colors. Most grow only in
old-growth forest, often on branches of huge
trees dozens of meters above the forest
floor.
Maria Teresa Calderon – A
Filipina World champion speed reader as
listed in the Guinness Book of World Records
In the Philippines,
Filipinos were introduced to the English
language in 1762 by British invaders, not
Americans. Philippines is the world's 3rd
largest English-speaking nation, next to the
USA and the UK.
The Philippine Basketball
Association is Asia's premier and the
world's second oldest professional league.
Philippine Airlines took to
the skies on March 15, 1941, using a Beech
Model 18 aircraft amid the specter of a
global war. It became Asia's first airline.
The world's largest pearl
was discovered by a Filipino diver in a
giant Tridacna (mollusk) under the Palawan
Sea in 1934. Known as the "Pearl of
Lao-Tzu", the gem weighs 14 pounds and
measures 9 1/2 inches long and 5 1/2 inches
in diameter. As of May 1984, it was valued
at US$42 million. It is believed to be 600
years old.
Alto Broadcasting System
(ABS) Channel 3, the first television
station in the country, went on the air in
1953.
The world's second deepest
spot underwater is in the Philippines. This
spot, about 34,440 feet (10,497 meters)
below the sea level, is known as the
Philippine Deep or the Mindanao Trench. The
Philippine Deep is in the floor of the
Philippine Sea. The German ship Emden first
plumbed the trench in 1927.
The symbolic name for the
Philippines, Juan dela Cruz, is not a
Filipino invention? It was coined by R.
McCulloch-Dick, a Scottish-born journalist
working for the Manila Times in the early
1900s, after discovering it was the most
common name in blotters.
Lipa City in Batangas is
dubbed as the “Rome of the Philippines”
because of the number of seminaries,
convents, monasteries, retreat houses, and a
famous cathedral located in it.
Compostela Valley is known
to be laden with gold, thus earning the
monicker “Golden Valley of Mindanao”
Basilica of St. Martin de
Tours in Taal, Batangas built by Augustinian
Missionaries in 1572, is reputed to be the
biggest catholic church in East Asia. It is
so huge that it can house another big church
Kibungan is known as the
“Switzerland of Bengued” because of the
frost during the cold months
The Delmonte Pineapple
Plantation in Bukidnon is considered to be
the biggest in the far east
Both Tridacna gigas, one of
the world's largest shells, and Pisidum, the
world's tiniest shell, can be found under
Philippine waters. Tridacna gigas grows as
large as one meter in length and weighs 600
pounds while Pisidum is less than 1
millimeter long. A shell called glory of the
sea (Connus gloriamaris) is also found in
the Philippines and considered as one of the
most expensive shells in the world.
Seahorses are small
saltwater fish belonging to the Syngnathidae
family (order Gasterosteiformes), which also
includes pipefish and sea dragons. Most
seahorse species, probably the most peculiar
creatures in the water, live in the Coral
Triangle. There are at least 50 known
seahorse species in the world. They inhabit
temperate and tropical waters but most of
them are concentrated in the warm coastal
waters of the Philippines.
Donsol, a fishing town in
Sorsogon province, serves as a sanctuary to
a group of 40 whale sharks (Rhincodon
typus), which are considered as the largest
fish in the world. Locally known as
"butanding", whale sharks visit the waters
of Donsol from November to May. They travel
across the oceans but nowhere else have they
been sighted in a larger group than in the
waters of Sorsogon. They measure between 18
to 35 feet in length and weigh about 20
tons.
The Philippines is home to
some of the world's most exotic birds.
One of the most endangered species is the
exotic Kalangay or the Philippine cockatoo
(Cacatua haematuropygia), which belongs to
Psittacidae or the family of parrots. Some
cockatoos can live up to 50 years. They are
known for mimicking human voices. Most of
them measure 33 centimeters in length and
weigh 0.29 kilogram.
Palawan bearcat is neither
a bear nor a cat. Known in Southeast Asia as
binturong, the bearcat is a species of its
own, with population in the forests of
Palawan, Borneo, Burma and Vietnam. It
belongs to the family of Viverridae
(civets). The Palawan bearcat has a long
body and a pointed face leading to the nose.
Its head and body measure 61 to 96
centimeters in combined length while its
tail is almost as long. It weighs 9 to 14
kilograms and lives up to 20 years.
Calamian Deer - Calamian
Islands, north of Palawan province, keep a
species of deer that cannot be found
elsewhere. Scientists referred to the hog
deer in the islands as Calamian deer in
order to distinguish them from other hog
deer in the world. An ordinary Calamian deer
measures 105 to 115 centimeters in length
and 60 to 65 centimeters high at the
shoulder and weighs about 36 to 50
kilograms. It is said to have longer and
darker legs, compared with other hog deer.
World's Smallest Hoofed
Mammal - South of Palawan, lies the Balabac
Island, home of the world's smallest hoofed
mammal - the Philippine mouse deer. Locally
known as Pilandok (Tragalus nigricans), this
ruminant stands only about 40 centimeters at
the shoulder level.
Flying Lemur - One of the
most distinct creatures on Earth lives in
the Philippines. It doesn't have wings but
it can glide across 100 meters of space in a
single leap. Like the lemurs of Asia, it
moves around at night. Its head resembles
that of a dog while its body has
similarities with the flying squirrel of
Canada.
In Mindanao, people call it
"kagwang". Around the world, it is known as
colugo or the flying lemur.
Did you know that the first
four cities of Metropolitan Manila are:
Manila, Quezon, Pasay and Caloocan
The flagpole located in
Rizal Park, is where the starts of 0
kilometer reading in measuring all distances
from Manila.
Quezon City is the second
biggest city in the Philippines.
The Bonifacio Monument in
Monumento, Caloocan City was designed by a
noted Filipino sculptor Guillermo Tolentino
In 1916, in the
Philippines, an offensive style of passing
the ball in a high trajectory to be struck
by another player (the set and spike) were
introduced. The Filipinos developed the
"bomba" or kill, and called the hitter a
"bomberino". (source:
http://volleyball.org/history.html)
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