IslandsPH.com is a new type of information resource for the Philippines. We are in the first phase of development at this time, dedicated to building a kid-friendly, fun interactive encyclopedia type experience where visitors of all ages can come to explore and learn about the country and people. The intended audience for this site is anyone wanting to explore and learn about the Philippines in an engaging and fun way.
The inspiration comes from my childhood where I spent weekends browsing encyclopedias learning about new and exciting things and places, and later doing the same thing at the local library. Most geographic focused sites tend to be travel only with specific tours and tourist type activities being covered. This is all good, but the scope tends to be limited. We want to do more and let people understand the country, it’s people, culture, and really get to know why so many people love to call this place home. We want local Filipinos to be able to learn more about their home country and hopefully contribute to the experience. For potential foreign visitors – they will have the opportunity to learn about what the country is really about, rather than just a Disneyland type set of brochures of fabulous beaches to visit.
Different regions of the country are presented together with information about how people live, play, work, climate, cuisine, history and government. This is especially important in a country like the Philippines which has such an extensive range of cultures, climates, geographic features, languages just to name a few. It is a country of over 7,600 beautiful islands with the glue holding it all together likely being the friendly and strong family values of its people, regardless of the diverse nature of its many communities. I’ve been very fortunate to be able to work and live in many countries around the world, not only across Asia but also North America and Europe. One defining characteristic of the Philippines is how foreigners come here to visit and/or work, fall in love with the country and people, and never want to leave. This happens in many places, but it seems to be a universal constant of the country, not the exception.
One challenge of building a site such as this is the amount of information needed to be researched, written and presented in a modern way. Until recently progress has been slow due to other projects (our network infrastructure in particular) that had to take priority. This is changing with much more time being devoted to this effort. I’m also interested in working with others with similar interests that would like to assist and build the site together.
Future phases of the development will merge community, member, and travel related services into the site. Our main focus of providing an engaging and informative environment to see and learn about the country will always remain, but in time we will integrate other services as appropriate.
Examples of some of the areas being covered by the site are presented below.
Regions Across the Philippines
The Philippines is comprised of over 7,600 islands. The three main geographical areas are Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Luzon includes the largest island (Luzon) and other islands in the northern part of the country. The Visayas are in the middle of the country while Mindanao, in the southern part of the country, includes the second largest island, Mindanao and surrounding islands.
Each geographic area is made up of several official regions which in turn are home to many provinces (see above link). The main Region page shows a map of the country and the regions. Each region has it’s own page providing an overview, map, and a listing with links to each province, major cities and popular tourist destinations within that region. Province pages follow a rough template including quick facts, climate, things to do, fiestas, food, transportation, and other information that are interesting and unique to that particular province. Where available corresponding photo gallery pages specific to the province are included. Embedded videos are integrated into these pages where appropriate. Links are provided to additional resources where visitors can go to get more in-depth information on the area. The format of the province, interesting location and city pages is expected to be expanded over time.
Fiestas and Culture
Philippine Fiestas are colorful and vibrant festivals with their roots dating back to the Spanish colonial period. Traditionally rooted in Christian saints, some early festivals were adapted from harvest feasts that celebrated guardian spirits. Today fiestas can be found in nearly every town and village across the country. Some are still religious based however many now have their basis in food, agriculture, crafts, or historical or other culturally significant events. If a local town or village has something that can set it apart from the village down the road, you can bet they have a fiesta to celebrate it! Fiestas not only bring people together but also give local communities a much needed economic boost.
Today’s fiestas are community celebrations where locals and outsiders come to eat, drink, sing, dance and renew relationships. They can be large, organized, regional events or small town or barangay (village) in scope. According to Wikipedia there are more than 42,000 known festivals in the country. We can’t hope to cover all of these but do make an attempt to document the most prominent (in time).
Cuisine
The cuisine of the Philippines, like so many areas of Philippine culture, is tightly coupled with the history, geography, and climate mixed together with about 120 different ethnic groups, each with their own local customs and history. It is an integral part of local art and culture. Being the second largest tropical island archipelago in the world, the cuisine reflects this. Seafood of course is a major component, but local fruits such as bananas, mangoes, durian, pineapple, jackfruit, papaya, guava, avacado, coconut, rambutan, and pomegranate are widely used and consumed.
Philippine cuisine has been strongly influenced by foreign foods brought in from traders and later immigrants. Some of the most notable are Malay, Chinese, Spanish, Mexican and American. The merging of the numerous indigenous foods with foreign influences results in what some refer to as the original fusion cuisine.
Marine Ecosystems / Diving and Snorkeling
The Philippines is a treasure of natural beauty blending vibrant ecosystems, dramatic landscapes, lush rainforests, volcanic peaks, countless waterfalls and a level of biodiversity found few other places. As spectacular as all of this is, there is another side of the Philippines few see which is at least as spectacular and amazing.
The country lies within the Coral Triangle, the global epicenter of marine biodiversity and home to one of the richest marine-life systems on earth. Over 20 years ago I was encouraged to use a borrowed snorkel and mask and swim out to the shallow waters off El Nido. It took a bit of convincing to make me go to the effort and endure the minor discomfort of the mask, but when I did, I discovered a new magical world that was quite literally life changing. Nothing has been the same since.
The Philippines has some of the most amazing snorkeling and diving destinations in the world. Many however are endangered and need help. Destructive practices such as cyanide and dynamite fishing have decimated coral communities and the fish populations that live and depend on these ecosystems. Coral reefs which once teamed with vibrant life are now destroyed and are now nothing more than rubble. Reduced fish populations put the livelihoods of millions dependent on fishing at risk. The short sighted and selfish practices of a few fishermen looking to make an easy buck is threatening the regional fishing and tourism industries as well as significantly ruining an ecosystem the entire world depends on to survive.
The country has enacted laws prohibiting these destructive practices but their enforcement remains problematic in many areas. Progress is slowly being made with help from institutions such as the Institute of Environmental and Marine Sciences (Silliman University). Their work with Apo and Sumilon Islands is proof that these ecosystems can be turned around and restored. It seems the main question is can enough be done quick enough to build back the region? I suspect education is the key, which in our own small way I hope to be able to contribute to with this site and a few others.