TH1707

PHILIPPINE TOURISM OVERVIEW

Political Structures and Subdivisions o Region VI – Western Visayas
According to Section 1 – Article X of the 1987 o Region VII – Central Visayas
Constitution of the Philippines, the territorial and o Region VIII – Eastern Visayas
political subdivisions of the Republic of the o Region IX – Zamboanga Peninsula
Philippines are the following (Lazo, 2009):
o Region X – Northern Mindanao
o Provinces – A province is comprised of a group of
o Region XI – Davao Region
municipalities and component cities. Its role is to
coordinate national development process through o Region XII – SOCCSKSARGEN
effective integration of programs and projects of o Region XIII – Caraga
all its sub-localities, and assume basically area- o Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
wide functions, roles, and activities. (ARMM)
o Cities – A city is similar to a municipality but is Geographical Characteristics
more urbanized and better developed. It serves The Philippines is an archipelago made up of 7, 641
as a general purpose government for the islands and islets (as of August 2017). Its three (3)
coordination and delivery of all basic, regular, and main islands are Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. It is
direct services within its jurisdiction. bounded by the Philippine Sea to the east, the
o Municipalities – A municipality consists of a Celebes Sea to the south, the Sulu Sea to the
number of barangays and serves primarily as a southwest, and the South China Sea to the west and
general purpose government for the coordination north. It is also positioned on the Ring of Fire1 that is
and delivery of basic, regular, and direct services why it is subject to frequent earthquakes and volcanic
within its jurisdiction. eruptions (Britannica, 2017).
o Barangays – A barangay is the basic political unit [1] Ring of Fire – it is a string of volcanoes and sites of seismic activity, or
of the government. It serves as the primary earthquakes,
2017).
around the edges of the Pacific Ocean (National Geographic,

planning and implementing unit of government

Landforms (World Atlas, 2017)
programs, projects, and activities, and as a forum
in which the collective views of the people in the o Volcanoes – Mayon Volcano is the most active in
community may be crystallized and considered. the Philippines and considered as one (1) of the
most dangerous on the planet, however, it does
o Autonomous Regions (in Muslim Mindanao and
not stand alone. In 1991, Mount Pinatubo
the Cordilleras) – a region with the right or power
erupted, and proved to be one (1) of the most
of self-government which was created primarily
significant volcanic eruptions recorded in history.
by the enactment of Organic Act by Congress.
o Mountain Ranges – Extending about 1,100 miles
As of December 2016, the Philippines has the
(1,770 km) north to south, its many islands are
following number of provinces, cities, municipalities,
mostly mountainous, with narrow coastal plains.
and barangays:
Many islands are covered by tropical rain forests.
o provinces – 81 The highest point in the Philippines is Mt. Apo at
o cities – 145 9,692 ft. (2,954 m).
o municipalities – 1,489 Bodies of Water
o barangays – 42,036 o Rivers – The longest river is Río Grande de Cagayan
o autonomous regions – 2 in Luzon, which is 217 miles (350 km) long. Other
As of August 2017, the Philippines has 17 significant rivers include the rivers in Abra, Bicol,
administrative regions composed of the following: Chico, and Pampanga. In Mindanao, main rivers
include the Mindanao River and Agusan River.
o Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)
o Lakes – Laguna de Bay, just southeast of Manila, is
o National Capital Region (NCR)
the largest lake of the Philippines. Lake Taal, also
o Region I – Ilocos Region south of Manila, occupies a huge volcanic crater
o Region II – Cagayan Valley and contains an island that is a volcano itself. Lake
o Region III – Central Luzon Lanao is the largest lake of Mindanao and the
o Region IVA – CALABARZON source of Agusan River.
o Region IVB – MIMAROPA
o Region V – Bicol Region
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 TH1707

Climate Customs Regulations

o November to February – cool To facilitate customs examination, visitors are
o March to May – hot and dry advised to fill in the Baggage and Currency
o June to October – is rainy, with the months Declaration Form before disembarking. Visitors are
between July to September characterized by allowed to bring in the following items duty-free:
typhoons reasonable quantity of clothes and jewelry, two (2)
bottles of wine or liquor of not more than one (1) liter
o Average Temperature – 78 degrees Fahrenheit/25
each, and 400 sticks of cigarettes or two (2) tins of
degrees Celsius to 90 degrees Fahrenheit/32
tobacco. Any antiques acquired during ones stay
degrees Celsius
must be accompanied by a certificate from the
o Average Humidity – 77% National Museum.
Foreign Exchange Regulations
Tourism Network System A person may import to or export from the
It involves a pool of information that is shared among Philippines, legal tender Philippine currency of an
tourism enterprises to integrate information about amount not exceeding PHP50,000 without prior
tourist destinations, facilities, and other related authorization from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
services, which aims to make them accessible for (BSP) (either physically or by electronic transfer).
promotion and commercialization. Any person may carry up to the amount of USD10,000
The expected value and benefits for the participating (or equivalent in any other foreign currency) in cash
firms are the enrichment of the flow of knowledge or other monetary instruments, into and out of the
amongst partners, the access to complementary Philippines. If one wishes to bring more than the
assets, and con-joint actions for innovative processes equivalent of USD10,000, a written declaration must
(Ndou, et. al, 2016). be made in the form of the BSP’s Foreign Currency
and other FX-Denominated Bearer Monetary
Types of Tourism Network System (Arxiv, 2008) Instruments Declaration Form (Philippine Embassy,
2017).
Real Tourism Network – this is the actual connections
and/or partnerships among the tourism system Health Regulations
stakeholders such as hotels, tourism agencies, service A certificate of vaccination against yellow fever is
companies, restaurants, associations, etc. that share required for travelers coming from an infected area.
publicly available documents such as membership
lists for associations, commercial publications, and References:
ownership. Lazo. Jr. (2009). Philippine governance and the 1987 constitution. Manila: Rex
Bookstore Inc.
Virtual Tourism Network – it is made up of a
Commission on Elections. (2016). 1987 Constitution – Article X. Retrieved on
multiplicity of autonomous and interdependent October 23, 2017 from:
tourism enterprises without physical borders of https://www.comelec.gov.ph/?r=References/RelatedLaws/Constitution/1987C
onstitution/Article10
separation from the environment. It relies on internet Philippine Statistics Authority. (2017). Provincial Summary. Retrieved on October 23,
infrastructures to integrate and exchange value with 2017 from: http://nap.psa.gov.ph/activestats/psgc/SUMWEBPROV-JUN2017-
CODED-HUC-FINAL.pdf
each other. Britannica. (2017). Philippines. Retrieved on October 23, 2017 from:
https://www.britannica.com/place/Philippines
World Atlas. (2017). Philippines Geography. Retrieved on October 23, 2017 from:
Entry Regulations http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/philippines/phland.htm
National Geographic. (2017). Ring of Fire. Retrieved on October 23, 2017 from:
Tourists can visit the Philippines without a visa if https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/ring-fire/
staying in the country for 21 days or less; provided Philippine Embassy-USA. (2017). About the Philippines. Retrieved on October 23,
they have a passport that is valid for at least six (6) 2017 from: http://www.philippineembassy-usa.org/about-the-philippines-dc/
Department of Tourism. (2014). Philippines travel sales manual. Manila:
months and a return ticket or a ticket to another Department of Tourism
destination outside the Philippines. If they wish to Philippine Embassy. (2017). Bring Currency into the Philippines. Retrieved on
October 24, 2017 from: https://www.philippine-embassy.org.sg/the-philippines-
stay longer, they must obtain a Visa Extension either 2/bringing-currency-into-the-philippines/
before their trip from a Philippine Consulate or Semantic Scholar. (2016). Value Creation on Tourism Network Systems. Retrieved
Embassy. Or, once in the country, they may obtain it on November 6, 2017
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/5ef0/2f9d722377ed1378b66f51794e15065b8
from:

from the Bureau of Immigrations. d1e.pdf

Arxiv. (2008). Tourism Networks and Computer Networks. Retrieved on November
7, 2017 from: https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/0801/0801.2196.pdf

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