The Philippines is an archipelago located in Southeast Asia and consists of more than 7,000 islands. It has a population of around 107 million people and the official language is Filipino, while English is also widely spoken. The majority of the population are Roman Catholic, with some other religious denominations such as Protestantism and Islam also present.
The military of Philippines consists of three branches; Army, Navy, and Air Force. The total active personnel in the military are around 150,000 people. The Army has around 120,000 personnel with a focus on ground operations and border protection. It also has a Navy with 30,000 personnel for naval operations as well as 80 combat vessels for maritime defense missions within Philippine waters. The Air Force has 15,000 personnel with 70 combat aircrafts for air support operations and air defense missions within Philippine borders. Philippines is also part of the Organization of American States’ collective defense system as well as participating in United Nations peacekeeping missions. See naturegnosis to learn more about the country of Philippines.
Defense
The defense of Philippines includes (2008) about 106,000 men enlisted troops with about 130,000 men in reserve and is organized into an army of 66,000 men with 8 divisions of 3 brigades and 1 commanding force of 3 regiments. The Navy comprises 24,000 men with 1 frigate, 62 patrol boats, 7 landing craft, 2 naval infantry brigades, etc. The Air Force comprises 16,000 men with 30 fighter aircraft and approximately 100 armed helicopters. Half-military security forces amount to about 40,000 men. An additional 40,000 people have been organized in armed national units (CAFGU). The material is of Western origin.
Defense of Philippines costs decreased in 1985-2006 from 1.4% to 0.8% of GDP. To see related acronyms about this country, please check ABBREVIATIONFINDER where you can see that PHL stands for Philippines. The armed opposition consists of various communist and religious groups and comprises about 35,000 people. During 2006-08, fighting intensified both against the Maoist-inspired NPA (New People’s Army) and against Muslim groups in the south. The Philippines participates in some of the UN peacekeeping efforts, including in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and in Liberia (UNMIL).
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1992 Secretary of Defense Ramos is elected president
Twenty-five of 32 million eligible Filipinos took part in the May 1992 elections, considered the quietest and purest in the country’s history. The election was won by Aquino’s former defense minister, Fidel Ramos. In September, the U.S. left the base in Subic. They left behind a $ 8 billion base infrastructure, as well as thousands of women who had worked as prostitutes for North Americans.
In 1993, Congress and the government made contacts with the guerrillas in Mindanao and northern Luzon, at the same time as authorities were sharply criticized for their torture and disappearance.
In 1994, the Ramos government had to seek support from the opposition to bring the 10% VAT scam under control. The move was supported by the IMF, which provided loans to the government, leading to a 5% GDP growth. The campaign against the crime was led by Vice President Estrada. It brought, among other things, that 2% of the country’s police officers were fired and that another 5% was investigated for links to organized crime.
Meanwhile, the CPP/NPA/NDF was plagued by violent internal divisions. The party’s real leader and founder, José Maria Sison conducted an internal coup in the party from his exile in Belgium, and, under the motto ” fewer but better “, replaced most people in the Central Committee with his own people. Sison wanted to turn the movement back on the correct Maoist line. also related to the Maoist guerrillas in Peru, Sendero Luminoso mhp. political cooperation. Many were purged or chose to go voluntarily – from the party, the guerrillas and the illegal mass organizations. The result was a drastic decline in actions and impact.
In 1995, the widow of the late dictator, Marcos, Imelda Marcos was elected to Congress despite numerous accusations of corruption. Swiss banks returned US $ 475 million, which Marcos had deposited into his personal bank accounts there, but the government was convinced that several billion dollars still remain in various accounts.
The government reduced the restrictions on foreign investment and the tariffs, and this, together with the presence of trained and cheap labor, brought GDP growth to 6%. In the same year, US $ 2 billion flowed into the country, sent home from the 4.2 million working abroad.
At the end of 95, an unprecedented food crisis occurred, with increases in the price of rice of 70%. About two-thirds of the population lived below the poverty line. The farmer organizations made the government responsible for an incoherent and corrupt agricultural policy and demanded the implementation of land reform, which would at the same time ensure industrialization in the countryside, food self-sufficiency and environmental protection. More than half of the population are farmers, but 20% own 60% of the land. The small farmer owns an average of 2 hectares of land and in principle gets half the harvest, but in reality a large part of his income goes to pay his debts to the chief – the big landlord. In addition, there is an unemployment rate of almost 9%.