| Land Area |
300,000 |
| Population |
Approx. 83.5 million (2004) |
| Capital |
Manila |
| Political System |
Constitutional Republic |
| Major Languages |
Filipino, English |
| Major Religion |
Christianity(Approx. 90%) |
| Currency |
Peso |
|
|
Flag Description:
The 8 rays of the sun are the 8 provinces which stood up during the independence movement. The 3 stars are the regions of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Red represents courage, blue is for noble ideals and the white stands for peace.
Expansion of investment and trade through aggressive economic diplomacy
The Philippines, often described as the gPearl of the Orient Seash is an archipelagic state which is made up of more than 7,000 islands including 11 major islands. With a population which is approximately 90% Christian, it is the only predominantly Christian country in ASEAN. A blend of its own native lifestyle together with those of the U.S.A. and Europe, especially Spain, has produced today's unique Philippine culture. The key to economic development is to expand investment and trade aggressively. In addition to promoting the AFTA (ASEAN Free Trade Area) concept, which involves intra-regional economic cooperation, the Philippines is utilizing pro-active economic diplomacy for such matters as the concluding of investment protection agreements with interested nations and entities. Japan is an essential trading partner to the Philippines, second only to the U.S.A. Today, the Philippines' major export products, which had traditionally been seafood and bananas, are now replaced by manufactured products such as semiconductors. Japan, which invests mostly in the manufacturing sectors of special economic zones, is one of the most important country to the Philippines for capital inflow.The Philippines and Japan are now aiming to establish economic partnership in various areas including liberalization of services and opening the Japanese labor market to Filipino workers in the field of healthcare services. |
