Our Field

We will be working in the city of Dagupan on the main island of Luzon.

Republic of the Philippines

Area: 299,000 sq km (116,610 sq mi)
Population: 78.4 million
Capital City: Manila (pop: 10 million)
People: Predominantly descendants of Malays, Chinese and Muslim minorities and a number of mestizos (Filipino-Spanish or Filipino-Americans)
Language: Filipino (Tagalog) and English, plus numerous widely spoken indigenous languages, some Spanish
Religion: 82% Roman Catholic, 9% Protestant, 5% Muslim, 3% Buddhist
Government: Republic
President: Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
GDP: US $75.2 billion
GDP per head: US$1000
Annual growth: 3.9%
Inflation: 4.4%
Major products/industries: Electronic and electrical products, clothing
Major trading partners: USA, Japan, Taiwan
Location and Size: Archipelago (A group of islands) off coast of Southeast Asia, total 300,000 square kilometers, land area 298,170 square kilometers.
Topography: Archipelago of 7,100 islands: Luzon, Mindanao, Palawan, and numerous smaller islands, all prone to earthquakes. Largely mountainous terrain, creating narrow coastal plains and interior valleys and plains. Major plains include those of Central Luzon, northeastern Cagayan Valley, and Agusan Basin in far south. Numerous dormant and active volcanos, notably Mount Pinatubo in Central Luzon. Highest point Mount Apo (2,954 meters).
Climate: Tropical marine; northeast monsoon (December to February), southwest monsoon (May to October). Mean annual sea-level temperatures rarely fall below 27° C / 80 F. Frequent typhoons.
Population: 66,117,284 in July 1990; average population density 220 persons per square kilometer; annual growth rate 2.5 percent; birth rate 29 per 1,000 (in 1991); death rate 7 per 1,000 (in 1991).
Education: In 1989 six years of compulsory, free elementary education provided to approximately 15 million students, more than 96 percent of age-group. Approximately 290,000 teachers in 34,000 elementary schools. Beginning at age 13, approximately 4 million students, more than 55 percent of age-group, enrolled in 5,500 secondary schools with approximately 80,000 teachers; 1.6 million enrolled in 1,675 institutions of higher education with 56,380 instructors. Supervised by Department of Education, Culture, and Sports. Literacy rate nearly 90 percent in 1990.
Economy: Economy struggling under heavy foreign debt. Approximately 50 percent of population below poverty line; unemployment 10.3 percent in mid-1991, underemployment estimated at nearly twice that rate. Large overseas work force. Rapid economic growth of 1970s slowed considerably in 1980s.
Language: The geography and history of the Philippines have conspired to produce a multiplicity of languages, some 80 dialects in total. The concept of a national language developed after the Spanish-American War in 1898 and Tagalog was declared the national language in 1936. There were several other contenders for this role, including Cebuano, Hiligaynon and Ilocano. A compromise reached in 1973 confirmed Filipino as the national language. This is based on Tagalog, but has linguistic elements of other Philippine languages. Despite this, English remains the language of commerce and politics in the Philippines.