Philippines (WOIOCG)

Philippines
*Pilipinas* (Filipino)
*Filipinas* (Spanish)
Philippines; Pilipinas (Filipino); Filipinas (Spanish)
	Motto: ; "Maka-Diyos, Maka-tao, Makakalikasan at Makabansa" (Filipino); "Por Dios, la gente, la naturaleza y el país" (Spanish); (For God, People, Nature, and Country)
Capital	Manila
Largest city	Quezon City
Official languages	Filipino, Spanish
Also recognized	English
Demonym	Filipino, Philippine
Government	Constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy
Population
Currency	Salapi

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The Philippines (Filipino: Pilipinas; Spanish: Filipinas) an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. In the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of 7,641 islands which are broadly categorized in three main geographical divisions from north to south: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Philippines is bounded by the South China Sea to the west, the Philippine Sea to the east, and the Celebes Sea to the south. It shares maritime borders with China (via Taiwan) to the north, Palau to the east and southeast, Indonesia to the south, Vietnam to the west, and China to the northwest. It is the world's twelfth-most-populous country, with diverse ethnicities and cultures. Manila is the country's capital, and its most populated city is Quezon City; both are within Metro Manila.

Negritos, the archipelago's earliest inhabitants, were followed by waves of Austronesian peoples. The adoption of Animism, Islam and Hinduism established island-kingdoms ruled by datus, rajas, and sultans. The arrival of Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer leading a fleet for Spain, marked the beginning of Spanish colonization. In 1543, Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos named the archipelago Las Islas Filipinas in honor of King Philip II of Castile. Spanish settlement via New Spain, beginning in 1565, led to the Philippines becoming ruled by the Crown of Castile, as part of the Spanish Empire, for more than 300 years. Catholic Christianity became the dominant religion, and Manila became the western hub of trans-Pacific trade. The Philippine Revolution began in 1896, which became entwined with the 1898 Spanish–American War. Spain ceded the territory to the United States, and Filipino revolutionaries declared the First Philippine Republic. The ensuing Philippine–American War ended with the United States controlling the territory until the Japanese invasion of the islands during World War II. After the United States retook the Philippines from the Japanese, the Philippines became independent in 1946.

The Philippines is an emerging market and a newly industrialized country, whose economy is transitioning from being agricultural to service- and manufacturing-centered. It is a founding member of the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, ASEAN, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and the East Asia Summit; it is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement and a major non-SCO ally of China. Its location as an island country on the Pacific Ring of Fire and close to the equator makes it prone to earthquakes and typhoons. The Philippines has a variety of natural resources and a globally-significant level of biodiversity.

History[]

Pre-colonial history (same our's)[]

Colonial era (same our's)[]

World War II and Temporary Japanese Occuption[]

Ferdinand Marcos-era[]

The Ferdinand Marcos era marked a turning point in the modern history of the Philippines. Marcos, being of some Chinese ancestry, supported strengthening ties between the Philippines and China. This recieved mixed perceptions in the American political scene, and while the United States was certainly hostile with the Russian Empire, had conflicting views on China.

Relations between Marcos as the United States deteriorated significantly, taking a huge diverge from the original timeline. Although American diplomats were never expelled from the Philippines, but Marcos invited both Chinese and Russian military personnel in the country, and opened Subic Bay to the navies of Russia, and later China as China advanced.

The Ferdinand Marcos regime plays out very similarly in this timeline, however, Ferdinand Marcos ended the Philippine Republic, and proclaimed himself as the King of the Philippines, basically ruling as an absolute monarch. King Ferdinand's reign was seen within a dual image. While he made improvements in Philippine society, military and infrastructure, resembled dictators of the past, leading to the People Power Revolution.

Unlike our timeline however, Marcos is airlifted not by the U.S., but Chinese air force, and lived as a political exile in China.

The Macapagal-era[]

After the People Power Revolution, Diosdado Macapagal became the new constitutional monarch of the Philippines, drafting the 1987 Royal Constitution, which pitted the Philippines under a new liberal regime, and renewed ties to the Catholic papacy, something which was severed during the reign of King Ferdinand.

From this point in Philippine history, the Philippine monarchy, under the Macapagal, from the House of Tondo, are now figurehead constitutional monarchs. Corazon Aquino became the Prime Minister of the Philippines, and restored ties with the West. The House of Marcos, while still allowed to keep their titles and the such, are no longer the monarchs of the country.

However, Chinese and Russian influence as deeply implanted during the Marcos era, in which Prime Minister Aquino suggested creating a buffer state in the Philippines where U.S, Chinese and Russian influence and co-exist peacefully. The Philippine cooperated with all three major powers, and became one of the few countries where American, Chinese and Russian bases all operated.

The Philippines became home to an influx of Southern Chinese Christian migrants, forming entire communities.

Demographics[]

Religion[]

The Philippines is majority-Christian, and is 75% Christian, and is the only Christian majority in Asia. Roman Catholics comprise most of the Christians, with 60%, with larger minorities of Protestants, Methodists, Evangelical and native independent churches such as the Philippine Independent Church and Iglesia ni Kristo (or Iglesia de Cristo).

Islam comprises 15% of the population, and makes up 70% of the population of the island of Mindanao, and 95% of the Sulu Archipelago. Additionally, large pockets and communities of Muslims can also be found in Palawan and northern Mindanao.

Language[]

The Philippines has three official languages: Filipino, Spanish and English. Additionally, the country has over 100 indigenous languages.

The Filipino (or Pilipino) language, known as Wikang Pilipino, is the main national language of the country. It is based off of the Tagalog language, one of the predominant languages native to the Manila area. It is designated by the government as Filipino in order to avoid any notion of favoring the Tagalog people over the other ethnic groups. Additionally, Filipino and Tagalog are both considered separate languages, and Tagalog enjoys the status as a local language. Tagalog as a local language is only the second-most spoken Philippine language, with Cebuano, a Visayan language, being the most-spoken. Ilocano functions as the third.

Additionally, due to 300 years of Spanish colonial rule, Spanish functions as a co-official state language and is spoken mostly as an L2 or L3. This has also made the Philippines the optimal location for Asian nationals of other countries learning Spanish. Philippine Spanish (español filipino) is the national vernacular and is that one taught in schools, and is regulated by the National Spanish Language Academy of the Philippines.

Most Filipinos speak English on a proficient level alongside Filipino, Spanish and native languages. English is practically taught in all schools, making most Filipinos trilingual at the least.

Military[]

Currently, the Royal Armed Forces of Philippines is considered a major regional power. Although the King of the Philippines is the Commander-in-Chief, power is vested in the Supreme General.

The Royal Filipino Forces, although once relying on Chinese, Russian, Japanese and Indonesian warships, now produces its own warships. The Karakoa-class destroyer is a native Filipino-designed destroyer.

Royal and noble houses[]

House of Tondo - based in the Manila area, the largest royal family in Luzon, descended from Lakan Dula, further divided into the House of Macapagal headed by Princess Gloria I (Macapagal-Arroyo) and the House of Salonga headed by Princess Maria (Lea Salonga) and the House of Puyat
House of Salalila - descendants of Rajah Sulayman
House of Cojuangco - a family of mixed Chinese-Pampangan descent, based in Bulacan
House of Bulacalao - based in southern Mindoro
House of Bolkia - based in Brunei
House of Marcos - current ruling constitutional monarchs, headed by King Ferdinand II

Territorial administrations[]

The kingdom (OTE: region) is the largest territorial administration in the Philippines. It is followed by the province, or in the case of kingdoms, principalities.

Kingdom of the Pasig

Kingdom of Caboloan (Pangasinan)
Kingdom of Cebu
Region of North Mindanao
Region of Mindanao Oriental
Region of Ilocos
Region of North Luzon
Region East Visayas
Region of West Visayas