24 questions to
which "the
Philippines" is the correct answer:
Which country in Asia
1.was the firstto become a republic, but replaced a sitting
president in 2001 without benefit of elections, death
or disability, resignation, or impeachment? 2.was the first to embrace democratic processes, but
whose elections are the region's bloodiest and most
fraudulent? 3.was the first to write a constitution for itself but
endured 14 years of dictatorial rule? 4.had the second highest gross national product [GNP],
next to Japan, in 1938? 5.has been characterized by UNICEF as
"first among the worst-managed children's health care
systems in Asia"? 6.has the weakest, most under-funded Armed Forces? 7.is the largest per-capita debtor to the International
Monetary Fund? 8.spends one-thirdof its annual national budget to pay the
interest fees on its foreign debt? 9.has the highest per-capita crime rate and is known as
the region's "kidnap capital"? 10.
is overwhelmingly Catholic, but has
the secondlargest number of child prostitutes? 11.
pays the secondhighest retail electricity rates, next to
Japan? 12. is currently, next to Bangladesh, the
region's poorest nation-state?
Which country in the world
13.
is the only one named after a foreign
colonizer-king? 14. is the only one, save for Nepal, that continues to
face a communist insurgency? 15. is the only one to ask for and host foreign combat troops to help quell
criminality? 16.
taught the world how to grow rice but for the last 10 years has
been a net importerof the staple? 17. has been characterized by the World Health Organization as
"the epicenter of the global tuberculosis
epidemic"? 18. expects its metropolian population
to double [from 11 million to 22 million] in less than 17
years and its total population to double [from 80 million to 160 million] in less
than 29 years? 19.
has been
tagged internationally as "the number one violator of intellectual property rights?" 20. ranks second only to Madagascar worldwide in the list of countries with
the most threat- ened mammals? 21.
currently ranks, among 180 states surveyed, as
the 11thmost corrupt country? 22. in a study of 186 countries, is
the 6th most culturally fragmented nation-state [contain- ing 87
distinct nations that speak in excess of 160 living languages, excluding
their dialects]? 23.
deforests its remaining timberland at the rate
of 100,000 hectares/year? 24. used to be the largest exporter of abaca hemp and sugar, but is
now the world's largest exporter of domestic
labor?
National
Defense
$1.2
billion
What it cost to
build
the Bataan Nuclear
Plant.
11
million
Metro Manila's
population in 2002.
Our projected total
population in 2032.
Metro Manila's
projected population in 2020.
Our total population
in 2002.
The number of
Filipinos forced by sheer
need to seek
employment overseas.
Estimated total
annual remittances [bank, non-
bank, and non-cash]
of all overseas Filipinos.
Interest paid [as of
1986] for
the foreign loan to
fund that plant.
22
million
80
million
7
million
$20
billion
The percentage of our
national budget in 2002 that went to pay the interest on our foreign debt.
32.3%
Thailand
has 50 fighters. We have 6.
Estimated annual
incidence of illegal
abortions performed
in RP. [1999]
400,000
Number of hectares
deforested annually in the country, 1996 -
2001.
100,000
$3.5
billion
Number of
watts
generated by that
facility.
0
Estimated number of
"mail-order brides"
who left the
Philippines in 1997.
77,000
Estimated amount of
foreign capital that left the country, 1999 -
2000.
$36.5
billion
U.N. estimate of
number of prostitutes
in the Philippines.
[2001]
600,000
U.N. estimate of
number of child
prostitutes in the
Philippines. [2001]
100,000
The Philippines total
commercial reliance on imported energy usage.
[1997]
72%
World Bank estimate
of amount lost by government
every year to
"massive graft and corruption." [1998]
P200
billion
Amount "missed"
[uncollected] by the Bureau of
Internal Revenue due
to "leakages." [2001]
P243
billion
Number of Filipinos
who die of cardiovascular disease. [2001]
9/minute
UNICEF estimate of
Filipino children who die annually
"of diarrhea and
acute respiratory infections." [1999]
38%
Percentage of
Filipino children with
IDA [iron deficiency
anemia]. [2000]
30%
Percentage of
Filipino children "stunted"
by severe
malnutrition. [2000]
30%
Percentage of
American population that pays income taxes.
56%
Percentage of
Philippine population that pays income
taxes.
2.2%
Additional amount
allocated in the national budget
to "modernize" the
Philippine Armed Forces. [2001]
P10
billion
Total amount
allocated in the national budget as our
local governments'
share in national revenues. [2001]
P8.9
billion
Number of death row
in-
mates in the
Philippines. [2002]
1,837
Street value of "fake
U.S. Federal Reserve bonds
and certificates"
seized in the Philippines in 2001.
$2
trillion
Percentage of members
of the
Philippine
legislature who belong
to "political
dynasties." [2002]
Yes, that's a
crime.
56%
Estimated number
of
"loose"
[unregistered] firearms
in the
Philippines. [1999]
2
million
Our foreign debt.
[June, 2002]
$54.9
billion
Average Annual GDP, 1980-1990:
Philippines
Laos
Vietnam
Cambodia
Myanmar
Indonesia
Thailand
Malaysia
South Korea
China
1.0%
3.7%
4.6%
6.5%
6.8%
7.7%
8.3%
8.7%
9.4%
10.2%
Percentage of
Filipino children who
have dental caries or
gum disease. [1999]
98%
Amount extorted by
kidnappers for ransom in the
Philippines in 2001.
This does not include unreported
payments.
P211
million
Number of people
kidnapped in the country in 2000 other than
by the Abu
Sayyaf.
219
Number of kidnappings
in the country in 2000 foiled by police.
4
Number of fatalities
in "the world's worst peacetime
sea disaster," when
the ship M/V Dona Paz sank off
Manila in 1987 after
colliding with a foreign tanker.
4,000+
Average number of
Filipinos leaving RP
daily to work abroad
for the year 2002.
2,670
Amount contributed by
overseas Filipino workers to the Overseas Filipino Workers Administration in
2001.
P875
million
Amount allocated by
OWWA for overseas Filipino workers' benefits in
2001.
P91
million
Average cost of
purchasing a fake
visitor's visa to
Japan in 2002.
P175,000
53
58
105
130
Philippines
245
Estimated number of
Filipina
prostitutes in
Japan. [1998]
150,000
Amount invested by
Japan for
research and
development. [2000]
$4.6
billion
Amount invested by
Singapore for
research and
development. [2000]
$570
million
Amount invested by
South Korea for
research and
development. [2000]
$142
million
Amount invested by
the Philippines for
research and
development. [2000]
$0
Singapore
54.3
Japan
47.9
South
Korea
44.4
Philippines
2.9
Average starting
monthly salary of a teacher at the University of the Philippines.
[2000]
P9,000
Volume of water lost
by Manila Water
due to theft
and leakage. [2001]
54%
Volume of water lost
by Maynilad
due to theft and
leakage. [2001]
65%
The University of
Santo Tomas' [Asia's first university] ranking in Asiaweek's appraisal of
Southeast Asia's
best 77 universities.
[2000]
74th
Number of Filipinos
infected
with
tuberculosis.
25
million
Number of Filipinos
infected with
the infectious form
of the disease.
600,000
Number of Filipinos
dying of
the disease daily.
[2001]
130
Monthly salary of the
chair of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.
[2001]
P908,333
Estimated number of
Filipinos detained during the martial law regime. [1972 -
1986]
70,000
Estimated number of
Filipinos tortured by the Philippine military during the martial law
regime.
36,000
Estimated number of
Filipinos summarily executed by the Philippine military during the martial law
regime.
3,257
Exact number of
Filipino officers/soldiers prosecuted for human rights
violations.
0
Number of countries,
apart from Afghanistan, that asked for American
combat troops on
their soil to "help combat banditry and
criminality."
1
Number of Mindanaoans
displaced by the "all-out-war" declared by
our central
government against our Muslim
secessionists.
1.6
million
Number of lives lost
in the ongoing conflict in Mindanao since
1968.
120,000+
Number of elections
held in RP.
85
Number not marred by
fraud and/or violence.
0
Percentage of total
earnings paid as income tax by salaried workers in RP.
[2003]
10.58%
Percentage of total
earnings paid as income tax by professionals and business proprietors in RP.
[2003]
1.33%
Minimum cost of open
heart surgery at
the Philippine Heart
Center. [2002]
P300,000
Backlog of charity
patients awaiting
surgery at the PHC.
6,000+
Number of charity
patients expected to die
in 2003 while
awaiting surgery at the PHC.
2,400
Amount lost to the
government due to "manipulated public biddings" in
2002.
P22
billion
This nation is at a
crossroads. Quite simply, it must reform or perish. Either this country moves
forward or dies.
---President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo January 8,
2003
It is
the state that is dying. Reform has long been a vain hope. The only question
that remains is whether it dies peacefully or
violently.
---David C. Martinez January 10,
2003
Amount malversed by
Department of Public
Works officials in
"ghost automotive repairs." [2002]
P182
million
Total value of goods
imported by the Philippines in 2001.
P33
billion
Total value of goods
exported by the Philippines in 2001.
P25
billion
160
million
RP: Terrible
Truths
Startling
Statistics
BACK TO
TOP
Overpopulation
The
Diaspora
India
has 25 destroyers. We have 1.
Taiwan
has 4 submarines. We have 0.
Illegal
Abortions
BACK TO
TOP
Deforestation
The
Economy
Corruption
Health
Crime
Equity
Disasters
Congestion
Brunei
Cambodia
Indonesia
China
Education
Telephones
Number of telephones
per 100 inhabitants. [1997]
Justice
Elections
Bloodbath
Amount spent by our
central government on that conflict. [as of
2001]
P7
million/day
All
Alone
Net loss in
2001.
P8
billion
Prostitution
Metro
Manila
75%
Country-wide
66%
Percentage of
citizens dissatisfied with "the way democracy works" in the Philippines.
[November, 2002]
24 questions to
which "the
Philippines" is the correct answer:
