About the Philippines

Bodies of Water
The Philippines boast of many different kinds of natural water forms, such as bays, rivers,
lakes falls, gulfs, straits, and swamps. Because it is made up of islands, the country's
coastline, if laid end-to-end, would measure around 17.5 thousand kilometers. The
Philippines is blessed with excellent natural harbors for ports like Manila Bay. Other
excellent harbors with port potentials are found in Ilocos, Pangasinan, Visayas, and
Mindanao. The three largest rivers in the country are the Cagayan River in Northern Luzon,
the Rio Grande de Mindanao, and the Agusan River, also in Mindanao. Also noteworthy in
terms of size are the Agno, Pasig, Angat Pampanga, and Bicol rivers in Luzon. Most popular
among tourist is the famous underground river in Palawan. Aside from rivers, the country
also abounds with lakes. Easily the most famous is the heart-shaped Laguna de Bay. Other
famous lakes are Taal in Batangas, Sampaloc in Laguna, Buhi and Bulusan in Bicol, Naujan
in Mindoro oriental, and Lanao and Mainit in Mindanao. Generating power for the Nation’s
growth are the magnificent waterfalls that serve as tourist attractions, as well. The biggest
is waterfalls is the Maria Cristina falls, it can be found in the North Western part of Lanao
province in Mindanao, while the most popular is Pagsanjan falls in Laguna, where tourist
came in droves.

Natural Resources
The Philippines is rich in natural resources. It has fertile, arable
lands, diverse flora and fauna, extensive coastlines, and rich
mineral deposits. About 30% of the land area of the country
was determined be geologically prospective by the Philippine
Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau. But Only 1.5% of country's
land area is covered with mining permits. Despite the rich
natural resources of the Philippines, the government is
restricting its exploitation. A logging ban is imposed on many
areas of the country and only in select areas are "sustainable
logging" allowed. However illegal logging and small-scale
illegal mining continues is many areas. In July 2012, President
Benigno Aquino III ordered a stop to all mining activities in all
(78 areas) protected and eco-tourism sites. A positive step in
the right direction to protect the natural resources of the
Philippines.
Our Land
The Philippines’ primary source of livelihood is its fertile land. Rich, wide plains suitable for
farming are found in the Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, South western Bicol, Panay,
Negros, Davao, Cotabato, Agusan and Bukidnon. The country ‘s six major crops
are rice, corn, sugarcane, coconut, abaca and tobacco. Except for rice and corn, all these
products are exported, along with bananas and pineapples.

Our Forests
The Philippines also boasts of wide tracts of lush, green forests. In fact, almost half of the
country’s total land area is forested. Sixty percent of these forests are found in Mindanao.

Mineral resources
Except for petroleum and a number of metals, mineral resources abound in Philippine soil.
The country’s mineral deposits can be classified into metals and non-metals. Our metal
deposits are estimated at 21.5 billion metric tons, while non-metal deposits are projected at
19.3 billion metric tons. Nickel ranks first in terms of deposits and size, it is found in Surigao
del Norte, Davao, Palawan, Romblon and Samar. Iron is found in Ilocos Norte, Nueva Ecija,
Camarines Norte and Cotabato. While copper in Zambales, Batangas, Mindoro, Panay and
Negros. Among non-metal deposits, the most abundant are cement, lime, and marble.
Other non-metals include asbestos, clay, guano, asphalt, feldspar, sulfur, talc, silicon,
phosphate, and marble.

Fishery Resources
With its territorial waters measuring as much as 1.67 million square kilometers and located
in the worlds fishing center, the Philippines is definitely rich in marine resources. Of the
2,400 fish species found in the country. 65 have good commercial value. Other marine
products include corals, pearls, crabs and seaweeds. Some of the countries best salt water
fishing area’s are found in Sintangki Island in Sulu Estancia in Bohol, Malampaya in
Palawan, Lingayen Gulf in Pangasinan, San Miguel lake in Camarines Norte, Bantayan
Channel in Cebu, and the seas of Quezon and Sorsogon.

On the other hand, among our biggest fisher water fishing areas are Laguna de Bay,
Bombon Lake in Batangas, Bato Lake in Canmarines Sur, Naujan Lake in Mindoro and Mainit
lake in Agusan del Norte. Continue to Early Filipinos

The First “Filipinos”

Many historians and scientists believe that the first inhabitants of the Philippine islands
emerged during the Pleistocene period. There are two theories on where the inhabitants
(first Filipinos) came from namely: Beyer’s “Migration Theory” and Jocano’s “Evolution
Theory”. Noted social scientist Henry Otley Beyer believes that Filipinos descended from
different groups that came from Southeast Asia in successive waves of migration. Each
group had a distinct culture, with it’s own customs and traditions. While Jocano believes
that Asians, including Filipinos are the result of a lengthy process of evolution and
migration.

Migration Theory

The first migrants were what Beyer caked the “Dawnmen” (or “cavemen” because they lived
in caves.). The Dawnmen resembled Java Man, Peking Man, and other Asian Home sapiens
who existed about 250,000 years ago. They did not have any knowledge of agriculture, and
lived by hunting and fishing. It was precisely in search of food that they came to the
Philippines by way of the land bridges that connected the Philippines and Indonesia. Owing
perhaps to their migratory nature, they eventually left the Philippines for destinations
unknown.

The second group of migrants was composed of dark-skinned pygmies called “Aetas’ or
“Negritoes”. About 30,000 years ago, they crossed the land bridged
from Malaya, Borneo, and Australia until they reached Palawan,
Mindoro and Mindanao. They were pygmies who went around
practically naked and were good at hunting, fishing and food
gathering. They used spears and small flint stones weapons.

The Aetas were already in the Philippines when the land bridges
disappeared due to the thinning of the ice glaciers and the
subsequent increase in seawater level. This natural events “forced”
them to remain in the country and become its first permanent
inhabitants.

Because of the disappearance of the land bridges, the third wave of

migrants was necessarily skilled in seafaring. These were the
Indonesians, who came to the islands in boats. They were more
advanced than the Aetas in that: they had tools made out of stone and steel, which enabled
them to build sturdier houses: they engaged in farming and mining, and used materials
made of brass; they wore clothing and other body ornaments.

Last to migrate to the Philippines, according to Beyer, were Malays. They were believed to
have come from Java, Sumatra, Borneo, and the Malay Peninsula more than 2,000 years
ago. Like the Indonesians, they also traveled in boats.

The Malays were brown-skinned and of medium height, with straight black hair and flat
noses. Their technology was said to be more advanced than that of their predecessors. They
engaged in pottery, weaving, jewelry making and metal smelting, and introduced the
irrigation system in rice planting.

Jocano’s Theory

Renowned Filipino anthropologist Felipe Landa Jocano disputes Beyer’s belief that Filipinos
descended from Negritoes and Malays who migrated to the Philippines thousands of years
ago. According to Jocano, it is difficult to prove that Negritoes were the first inhabitants of
this country. The only thing that can positively concluded from fossil evidence, he says is
that the first men who came to the Philippines also went to New Guinea, Java, Borneo, and
Australia.

In 1962, a skullcap and a portion of a jaw-presumed to be a human origin-were found in

the Tabon Caves of Palawan by archaeologist Robert Fox and Manuel Santiago, who both
worked for the National Museum. Carbon dating placed their age at 21,000 to 22,000 years.
This proves, Jocano argues, that man came earlier to the Philippines than to the Malay
Peninsula; therefore, the first inhabitants of our islands could not have come from the
region. The “Tabon Man” is said to resemble Java Man and Peking Man. He gathered fruits,
leaves and plants for his food. He hunted with weapons made of stone. Although further
research is still being done on his life and culture, evidence shows that he was already
capable of using his brain in order to survive and keep himself safe.
Instead of the Migration Theory, Jocano advances the Evolution Theory, as a better
explanation of how our country was first inhabited by human beings, Jocano believes that
the first people of Southeast Asia were products of a long process of evolution and
migration. His research indicates that they shared more or less the same culture, beliefs,
practices an even similar tools and implements. These people eventually went their separate
ways; some migrated to the Philippines, the others to New Guinea, Java and Borneo. Proof,
Jocano says, can be found in the fossils discovered in different parts of Southeast Asia, as
well as the recorded migrations of other peoples from the Asian mainland when history
began to unfold. Continue to Spanish Expeditions to the Philippines. Also see "About the
Philippines".