The Philippines is an archipelago comprised of 7,107 islands in the South China,

Philippine, Sulu, and Celebes Seas, along with the Luzon Strait. The topography of the
islands is mostly mountainous with narrow to large coastal lowlands, depending on the
island. The Philippines were claimed in the name of Spain in 1521 by Ferdinand
Magellan, a Portuguese explorer sailing for Spain, who named the islands after King
Philip II of Spain. They were then called Las Felipinas. By the 1830's Spanish culture
and thought had penetrated into Filipino culture to the extent that the Filipino people
began thinking about liberation from Spain. The government of Spain developed Filipino
agriculture to the point that it was self-sufficient. The Climate of the Philippines is either
tropical rainforest, tropical savanna or tropical monsoon, or humid subtropical (in higher-
altitude areas) characterized by relatively high temperature, oppressive humidity and
plenty of rainfall.

There are two seasons in the country, the wet season and the dry season, based upon
the amount of rainfall. This is dependent as well on your location in the country as some
areas experience rain all throughout the year (see Climate Types). The seven warmest
months of the year are from March to October. The winter monsoon brings cooler air
from November to February. The economy of the Philippines is the world's 36th largest
economy by nominal GDP according to the 2019 estimate of the International Monetary
Fund's statistics, it is the 13th largest economy in Asia, and the 4th largest economy in
the ASEAN after Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. The Philippines is one of
the emerging markets and is the sixth richest in Southeast Asia by GDP per capita
values, after the regional countries of Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand and
Indonesia. The Politics of the Philippines take place in an organized framework of
a presidential, representative, and democratic republic whereby the president is both
the head of state and the head of government within a pluriform multi-party system. This
system revolves around three separate and sovereign yet interdependent branches: the
legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch. Executive power is
exercised by the government under the leadership of the president. Legislative power is
vested in both the government and the bicameral Congress: the Senate (the upper
house) and the House of Representatives (the lower house). Judicial power is vested in
the courts with the Supreme Court of the Philippines as the highest judicial body. here
are some 120 to 187 languages spoken in the Philippines, depending on the method of
classification.[4][5][6] Almost all are Malayo-Polynesian languages native to the
archipelago. A number of Spanish-influenced creole varieties generally
called Chavacano are also spoken in certain communities. The 1987 constitution
designates Filipino, a standardized version of Tagalog, as the national language and
an official language along with English. The major religion in the Philippines is Roman
Catholic Christianity, followed by Islam and other types of Christianity. In the
Philippines, all religions are protected by the law, and no one religious belief is given
priority over any other. The majority of the people in the Philippines are of Austronesian
descent who migrated from Taiwan during the Iron Age. They are called ethnic Filipinos.
The largest Filipino ethnic groups include
the Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Bicolano, Kapampangan, Maranao, Maguindanao,
and Tausug. About 8% of all Filipinos of Austronesian descent are tribal peoples. The
aborigines of the Philippines, called as Aeta, who are descended from Negritos of
the Andaman Islands, now constitute only 0.003% of the entire population. The position
of the Philippines on women's rights is relatively developed compared to many other
nations. Over the past century, noticeable developments have been made which have
led to greater endorsement and protection of these rights. The progression towards
gender equality came about through women's movements, increased numbers of
women political representatives, increased numbers of educated women, greater
specificity on women's issues instituted under legislation, and the focused application of
those laws. In recent years, the Filipino government has addressed the rights of women
under a multitude of legislative schemes including workplace discrimination, domestic
violence, sexual harassment and human trafficking. Negotiations in the Philippines may
be conducted by individuals or teams of negotiators. Teams should be well aligned, with
roles clearly assigned to each member. Changing a team member could require the
relationship building process to start over and should be avoided. After further
consultations and studies, the government under President Aquino formally adopted the
K–6–4–2 basic education system—one year of kindergarten, six years of
elementary education, four years of junior high school education and two years of senior
high school education. Communication Style: Filipinos will try to express their opinions
and ideas diplomatically and with humility to avoid appearing arrogant. The tone of
voice varies widely by language, dialect and region. ... Respect: When speaking to
those who are older or of higher status, Filipinos tend to use the polite forms of speech.
To greet people in the Philippines, try "Magandang umaga" ("Good Morning"),
"Magandang hapon" ("Good afternoon"), or "Magandang gabi" ("Good evening"). To say
"How are you?" to a group, say "Kumusta kayo?" Gently shake a person's hand, or if
they're elderly, bring their right hand up to touch your forehead. Because of the
generally warm nature of Filipinos, the tradition of gift giving in the Philippines is as
varied and diverse as the number of islands it has. In summary, there is no "wrong
occasion" to giving out gifts. Cinema forms one of the main entertainment aspects for
the people of Philippines. To go out for cinema, one has to shell out 170 P for one
ticket. If you are into sports and like playing tennis, then renting a tennis court for
your entertainment can cost you around 133.33 P for one hour. 10 famous foods you
must try in the Philippines Chicken adobo: the famous Filipino dish,Balut: the Filipino
Kinder surprise!,Kare Kare: oxtail stew.,Kinilaw: raw fish salad.,Sinigang: sour meat
stew,Lechon: roasted suckling pig,Tapsilog: the King of the Filipino breakfast,Halo halo:
the best Filipino dessert, Buko: the Filipino coconut and the Rum: the Filipino drink of
choice.There are places you can go with your friends like the: Jump Yard
As The Philippines’ first and biggest indoor trampoline park, Jump Yard is perfect for
that barkada who wants to do some physical activity but aren’t so into sports. Aside
from jumping off walls, the place offers a lot of activities such as Dodge Ball, Ball Pit
(with monkey bars), and Basketball Dunking. If safety is your worry, there are staff
marshals on site to help and assist jumpers. There is also a restaurant in the area in
case you get hungry or thirsty.
National Museum of The Philippines Complex
What’s better than learning about Philippine history and culture? Learning about
Philippine history and culture for free! The National Museum Complex offers visitors 3
different museums to learn about different aspects of the Philippines: The National
Museum of Fine Arts, The National Museum of  Anthropology, and The National
Museum of Natural History. All 3 museums have no entrance fee and are only a short
walking distance from each other. This is a good place for a barkada to learn more
about the Philippines (and maybe take a IG pick or two).

Escape Rooms
Escape rooms have been a new trend in recent years. Here, a group of people are
placed in a themed escape room and have to solve a series of puzzles in order to
escape before time runs out. A group of friends can use their brains and
communications skills and work together to solve their escape room. Whether it be in
Breakout or Mystery Manila, there are many types of escape rooms out there to choose
from to suit your barkada’s style.

Sip and Gogh

If your friends are more on the artistic side, why not try Sip and Gogh? A first-of-its-kind
paint and sip studio in the Philippines! Here, you and your group of friends can join a
guided class where you can paint a chosen artwork and drink the wine or beverage of
your choice. This isn’t the most budget friendly thing though as a session costs Php
1000, but they do provide everything for you!

Art in Island
While some museums discourage people from taking pictures of the exhibits, that isn’t
the case in Art in Island, Asia’s largest 3D art museum. This interactive museum is filled
with 3D art and optical illusions which inspires creative posing. Explore 12 themed
zones as you can not only appreciate the stunning art, you can also pose with it and
bring out your creativity.

Climb Central Manila

If your barkada ever dreamed of mountain climbing but aren’t experienced in it or can’t
do it because of the rainy season, this is the place for you. Climb Central Manila is the
country’s largest indoor air-conditioned wall climbing place. Both beginners and
experienced climbers are welcomed here as you and your friends experience the thrill of
wall climbing.

Dessert Museum
No, this isn’t a dream, there is actually a museum dedicated to all things dessert
your barkada can visit in Manila. In the Dessert Museum, explore 8 rooms filled with
dessert themed sculptures as you learn about different desserts from chocolate, to
candy, to ice cream, and everything in between. The best part is that as you go through
the exhibits, you get to taste free samples of the desserts. Avoid scheduling meetings
the week before Easter. Punctuality is expected. For the most part your Filipino
colleagues will be punctual as well. Face-to-face meetings are preferred to other, more
impersonal methods such as the telephone, fax, letter or email. The four types of
Filipino leadership are Pakiramdam, Takutan, Kulit, and Patsamba-tsamba. This is
according to Management And Culture In The Philippines.

Pakiramdam focuses on a passive style of leadership, with subordinates doing work that

is not too little or too much to play safe. This is because this style does not provide
workers with guidance required to give them sense of initiative. Instead the leader
motivates through being friendly or “Feeling the other” with the staff. This is done by
inferring the manager’s absolute expectations, regardless of the relevance to
organizational objectives.

Takutan is a style of leadership that puts the responsibility on the manager who relies
on oppression, conceit, and hostility. This leadership is easily explained as a matter of
professionalism. This requires social distance between leaders and subordinates. In
other words workers and individuals with the “ranks” such as supervisors.

Kulit which refers to a superior closely observes and controls the work of their
subordinates by checking every detail of the assignment. This results in a lack of
freedom within the workplace.
Patsamba-tsamba is a style of management that has no goals, objectives, and direct
instructions. It relies on trial and error leaving success or failure to fate.