Trivia about the Philippines. Source: www.itsmorefuninthephilippines.com, wwww.tourism.gov.ph Message me if you want to have a copy of this presentation. Thanks!

2. • The exotic jeepney is a post-war creation
inspired by the GI jeeps that the American
soldiers brought to the country in the 1940s.
Enterprising Filipinos salvaged the surplus
engines and came out unique vehicles of art.

3. • Short distance and feeder trips could not be
more exciting than via Philippine quick
transports – the tricycle, a motorcycle with a
sidecar, and the pedicab, a bicycle with a
sidecar.

4. • The world’s longest underground river system
accessible to man can be found at the St. Paul
National Park in the province of Palawan.

5. • The largest Philippine wild animal, the tamaraw,
is a species of the buffalo that is similar to the
carabao. It is found only in the island of Mindoro.

6. • The highest mountain in the Philippines is Mt.
Apo, a dormant volcano found in Mindanao, at
2,954 meters (9,689 feet). Mt. Pulog in Luzon is
the second highest at 2,928 meters (9604 feet).

7. • Filipino bowler Rafael
"Paeng" Nepomuceno
was the first bowler to
be elevated to the
International Bowling
Hall of Fame based in
St. Louis, Missouri,
USA. The Philippine
Congress has named
him “Greatest Filipino
Athlete of All Time.”

8. • Philippine National
Hero and writer Jose
Rizal could read and
write at age 2. He
grew up to speak
more than 20
languages, including
Latin, Greek, German,
French, and Chinese.
What were his last
words?
"Consummatum est!"
("It is done!")

9. • The largest city in the Philippines is Davao City.
With an area of 2,211 sq. km., it is about three
times the size of the national capital, Metro
Manila.

10. • Cebu is the oldest Philippine city.

11. • Negros Occidental has the most cities among
Philippine provinces.
 Bacolod
 Bago
 Cadiz
 Escalante
 Himamaylan
 Kabankalan
 La Carlota
 Sagay
 San Carlos
 Silay
 Sipalay
 Talisay
 Victorias

12. • Filipinos celebrate the world’s longest religious
holiday. The Christmas season begins on
September 1st, as chillier winds and Christmas
carols start filling the air, and ends on the first
week of January, during the Feast of the Three
Kings.

13. • Paskuhan Village in the province of Pampanga
is Asia’s only Christmas theme park and the third
of its kind in the world.

14. • The popular toy, the yoyo, was invented by 16th
century hunters in the Philippines.

15. • Diving paradise Anilao,
in the province of
Batangas, is the theme
of a picture book that
bagged the
International Prize for
Underwater Images at
the 27th World Festival
of Underwater Images
in France in November
2000. “Anilao" book
creators and Filipino
scuba divers Scott
Tuason and Eduardo
Cu Unjieng defeated big
names in underwater
photography such as
Jacques Mayol, Pascal
Kobeh, Monique
Walker, and Alessandro

16. • The biggest game preserve and wildlife
sanctuary in the Philippines is located on Calauit
Island in Palawan, which has the largest land
area among the Philippine provinces.

17. • The antibiotic erythromycin
— used to treat a wide
variety of bacterial
infections, such as
respiratory tract infections,
middle ear infections, and
skin infections — was
created by Filipino scientist
Abelardo Aguilar, and has
earned American drug giant
Eli Lilly billions of dollars.
Neither Aguilar nor the
Philippine government
received royalties.

18. • Fernando Amorsolo was officially the first
National Artist of the Philippines. He was given
the distinction of National Artist for Painting in
1972.

19. • The largest fish in the world, the Whale Shark,
locally known as Butanding, regularly swims to
the Philippine waters.

20. • The world’s shortest and lightest freshwater fish
is the dwarf pygmy goby (Pandaka Pygmaea), a
colorless and nearly transparent species found
in the streams and lakes of Luzon. Males have
an average length of 8.7 mm. and weigh 4-5 mg.

21. • On January 18, 1995, Pope John Paul II offered
mass to an estimated 4 to 5 million people at
Luneta Park, Manila, Philippines, making it to the
Guiness Book of World Records for the Biggest
Papal Crowd.

22. • The Philippine Madrigal Singers bagged the
1997 European Choral Grand Prix, the choral
olympics of the world’s best choirs. The group,
being the only Asian choir, bested five regional
champions from all over Europe, earning them
the title as the "world’s best choir."

23. • There are 12,000 or so species of seashells in
the Philippines. The Conus Gloriamaris or "Glory
of the Sea" is the rarest and most expensive in
the world.

24. • The largest bell in Asia hangs at the belfry of the
221-year old Panay Church. It is 7 feet in
diameter and 7 feet in height, and weighs 10.4
tons. Its tolling can be heard as far as 8 km.
away. It was casted from 70 sacks of coins
donated by the townspeople as a manifestation
of faith and thanksgiving.

25. • The Basilica of San
Sebastian is the only
steel church in Asia
and was the second
building to be made
out of steel, next to
the Eiffel Tower in
Paris.

26. • Camiguin province holds the distinction of
having the most number of volcanoes per
square kilometer than any other island on earth.
It is also the only place in the Philippines which
has more volcanoes (7) than towns (5).

27. • The altar at the Holy Rosary Cathedral in
Dipolog City was designed by Dr. Jose Rizal.
The Cathedral was erected by the Spanish friars
sometime in 1895, before Dipolog City became
a municipality.

28. • Magat Dam is Asia’s biggest dam project at the
time of its construction. It serves the primary
function of power generation and irrigation.

29. • The Cagayan River or Rio Grande de Cagayan
is the Philippines’ mightiest watercourse – the
longest and widest river in the country. Small
streams originating form Balete Pass, Cordillera,
Caraballo and Sierra Madre Mountains meet
other streams and rivers and flow to the
Cagayan River.

30. • Magapit Suspension Bridge is the first of its kind
in Asia. It spans the Cagayan River at Lallo and
is 0.76 kilometers long. The hanging bridge links
the first and second districts of Cagayan going
towards the Ilocos Region via the scenic Patapat
Road on the Ilocos Norte-Cagayan Inter-
Provincial national highway.

31. • PANCIT HABHAB (Lucban)- Made from rice
flour, these local noodles acquired its name and
developed its unique attraction by the way it is
eaten. Otherwise known as Pancit Lucban,
these noodles are hawked in the streets and
served on a piece of banana leaf, sans fork or
any other utensils. Thus, it is eaten straight from
the leaf, licking permitted... "habhab"-style.

32. • Tagala - the Philippines first Filipino-Spanish
dictionary which was printed in 1613, 25 years
older than the first book printed in the United
States.

33. • Mayon is the most beautiful mountain I have
ever seen, the world-renowned Fujiyama (Mt.
Fuji) of Japan sinking into perfect insignificance
by comparison. British traveler-writer A. Henry
Savage Landor

34. • Limasawa Island –
where Ferdinand
Magellan first landed in
the Philippines which
give way to the
discovery of the
Philippines and where
the first mass was
celebrated.

35. • Calbiga Cave – The Philippines’ biggest karst
formations and one of the largest in Asia, the
2,968-hectare cave system is composed of 12
caves with wide underground spaces, unique
rock formations and sub-terranean watercourse.

36. • Lake Lanao is the second largest lake in the
Philippines, probably the deepest in the country
and is considered one of the major tropical lakes
in Southeastern Asia. The lake is home of
endemic cryprinids, the species found only in the
lake and nowhere else in the world.

37. • Halo-Halo! Halo-halo
literally
means, "mix-mix".
And its is just that:
a mixture of
sweetened fruits
and beans,
lavished with
pinipig (crisp
flattened rice
flakes), sugar and
milk, topped by
crushed ice and ice
cream

38. • KALESA - The kalesa or karitela is a horse-driven
carriage that was introduced during the
18th century. It was used by Spanish officials and
the nobles as a means of transportation.

39. • BAKYA -Made primarily of lightwood (laniti and
santol trees), it is sculpted with a slope and
shaved to a smooth finish, then painted with
floral designs or varnished to a high sheen.

40. • SORBETES - This sweet
treat was concocted in the
early 1920's, a time where
a single centavo could buy
you almost anything. The
process of this ice cream
making and selling it in
carts with colorful designs
is still the same. Back in the
old days, these ice cream
dealers bred their own
cows and milked them with
their own hands to ensure
the freshness and
sanitation of the milk
needed to make the "dirty
ice cream".

41. • The Philippine Basketball Association is Asia's
premier and the world's second oldest
professional league.

42. • Philippine Airlines took to the skies on March 15,
1941, using a Beech Model 18 aircraft amid the
specter of a global war. It became Asia's first
airline.

43. • The world's largest pearl was discovered by a
Filipino diver in a giant Tridacna (mollusk) under
the Palawan Sea in 1934. Known as the "Pearl of
Lao-Tzu", the gem weighs 14 pounds and
measures 9 1/2 inches long and 5 1/2 inches in
diameter. As of May 1984, it was valued at US$42
million. It is believed to be 600 years old.

44. • Alto Broadcasting System (ABS) Channel 3, the
first television station in the country, went on the
air in 1953.

45. • The symbolic name for the Philippines, Juan dela
Cruz, is not a Filipino invention? It was coined by
R. McCulloch-Dick, a Scottish-born journalist
working for the Manila Times in the early 1900s,
after discovering it was the most common name in
blotters.

46. • Lipa City in Batangas is dubbed as the “Rome of
the Philippines” because of the number of
seminaries, convents, monasteries, retreat
houses, and a famous cathedral located in it.

47. • Basilica of St. Martin de Tours in Taal, Batangas
built by Augustinian Missionaries in 1572, is
reputed to be the biggest catholic church in East
Asia. It is so huge that it can house another big
church

48. • Kibungan is known as the “Switzerland of
Bengued” because of the frost during the cold
months

49. • The Delmonte
Pineapple Plantation
in Bukidnon is
considered to be the
biggest in the far east

50. • The Philippines is home to
some of the world's most
exotic birds.
One of the most
endangered species is the
exotic Kalangay or the
Philippine cockatoo
(Cacatua
haematuropygia), which
belongs to Psittacidae or
the family of parrots.
Some cockatoos can live
up to 50 years. They are
known for mimicking
human voices. Most of
them measure 33
centimeters in length and
weigh 0.29 kilogram.

51. • Palawan bearcat is neither a bear nor a cat.
Known in Southeast Asia as binturong, the
bearcat is a species of its own, with population in
the forests of Palawan, Borneo, Burma and
Vietnam.

52. • Calamian Deer - Calamian Islands, north of
Palawan province, keep a species of deer that
cannot be found elsewhere. Scientists referred to
the hog deer in the islands as Calamian deer in
order to distinguish them from other hog deer in
the world.

53. • World's Smallest Hoofed Mammal - South of
Palawan, lies the Balabac Island, home of the
world's smallest hoofed mammal - the Philippine
mouse deer. Locally known as Pilandok (Tragalus
nigricans), this ruminant stands only about 40
centimeters at the shoulder level.

54. • The flagpole located in
Rizal Park, is where the
starts of 0 kilometer
reading in measuring all
distances from Manila.

55. • The word "boondocks," which is now a part of the
English language, dictionary, and vocabulary, comes
from the Tagalog word "bundok," meaning
"mountain.“
• The Philippines became the first Asian country to
win FIVE major international beauty pageant crowns
— two for Miss Universe, in 1969 and 1973, and
three for Miss International, in 1965, 1970, and
1979.
• Philippines Herald war journalist Carlos P. Romulo
was the first Asian to win a Pulitzer Prize in
Journalism in 1942. He was also aide-de-camp to
General Douglas MacArthur in World War II;
Philippine resident commissioner in the U.S.
Congress from 1944-46; and the first Asian to
become UN President in 1949.

56. • Of the 500 known coral species in the world, 488
are found in the Philippines.
• Of the eight species of marine turtles worldwide,
five are reported to be found in the Philippines:
the Green Turtle, Hawkbill, Leatherback, Olive
Ridley, and Loggerhead.
• Of the eight known species of giant clams in the
world, seven are found in the Philippines.

57. • Filipino Eriberto N. Gonzales Jr. consumed 350
chilis in 3 minutes at the annual Magayon
Festival chili-eating contest held at Penaranda
Park, Legazpi, Albay on May 27, 1999, making it
to the Guiness Book of World Records for the
most chilis eaten.
• The longest possible eclipse of the Sun is 7 min.
31 sec. The longest eclipse in recent times took
place west of the Philippines on June 20, 1995,
lasting for 7 min. 8 sec.
• The 900 sq m Relief Map of Mindanao in
Dapitan City was personally done by Dr. Jose

58. • The Zamboanga Golf Course and Beach Park
was founded in 1910 by Gov. John Pershing. It
is one of the oldest golf courses in the
Philippines.
• The Kinabayo is an exotic and colorful pageant
re-enacting the Spanish-Moorish Wars,
particularly the Battle of Covadonga where the
Spanish forces under General Pelagio took their
last stand against the Saracens. They were able
to reverse the tide of war with the miraculous
apparition of St. James, the Apostle. A Kinabayo
Festival is celebrated every July in Dapitan City,
attracting thousands of tourists to the city.

59. • RA 8973 signed by then President Joseph E.
Estrada in February 2001 created the province
of Zamboanga Sibugay. A total of sixteen
municipalities compose this newest province in
the Zamboanga Peninsula.
• Angono Petroglyphs – This cultural heritage site
dates back to circa 3000 B.C. and is the most
ancient Filipino, or more aptly, prehistoric Filipino
work of art. Besides being the country’s oldest
“work of art” it also offers us an evocative
glimpse into the life of our ancestors. The site
has been included in the World Inventory of
Rock Art under the auspices of UNESCO,
ICCROM and ICOMOS and nominated as one of

60. • Cagayan de Oro City - “The City of Golden
Friendship,” known for its warm people and old-fashioned
hospitality
• Waling Waling Orchids - With some 800 to 1,000
species of orchids, the Philippines has one of
the richest orchid floras in the world. Philippine
orchids come in an amazing array of shapes,
sizes and colors. Most grow only in old-growth
forest, often on branches of huge trees dozens
of meters above the forest floor.
• Maria Teresa Calderon – A Filipina World
champion speed reader as listed in the
Guinness Book of World Records

61. • In the Philippines, Filipinos were introduced to
the English language in 1762 by British
invaders, not Americans. Philippines is the
world's 3rd largest English-speaking nation, next
to the USA and the UK.
• The world's second deepest spot underwater is
in the Philippines. This spot, about 34,440 feet
(10,497 meters) below the sea level, is known as
the Philippine Deep or the Mindanao Trench.
The Philippine Deep is in the floor of the
Philippine Sea. The German ship Emden first
plumbed the trench in 1927.

62. • Compostela Valley is known to be laden with
gold, thus earning the monicker “Golden Valley
of Mindanao”
• Both Tridacna gigas, one of the world's largest
shells, and Pisidum, the world's tiniest shell, can
be found under Philippine waters. Tridacna
gigas grows as large as one meter in length and
weighs 600 pounds while Pisidum is less than 1
millimeter long. A shell called glory of the sea
(Connus gloriamaris) is also found in the
Philippines and considered as one of the most
expensive shells in the world.

63. • Seahorses are small saltwater fish belonging to
the Syngnathidae family (order
Gasterosteiformes), which also includes pipefish
and sea dragons. Most seahorse species,
probably the most peculiar creatures in the
water, live in the Coral Triangle. There are at
least 50 known seahorse species in the world.
They inhabit temperate and tropical waters but
most of them are concentrated in the warm
coastal waters of the Philippines.

64. • Donsol, a fishing town in Sorsogon province,
serves as a sanctuary to a group of 40 whale
sharks (Rhincodon typus), which are considered
as the largest fish in the world. Locally known as
"butanding", whale sharks visit the waters of
Donsol from November to May. They travel
across the oceans but nowhere else have they
been sighted in a larger group than in the waters
of Sorsogon. They measure between 18 to 35
feet in length and weigh about 20 tons.

65. • Flying Lemur - One of the most distinct creatures
on Earth lives in the Philippines. It doesn't have
wings but it can glide across 100 meters of
space in a single leap. Like the lemurs of Asia, it
moves around at night. Its head resembles that
of a dog while its body has similarities with the
flying squirrel of Canada.
In Mindanao, people call it "kagwang". Around
the world, it is known as colugo or the flying
lemur.

66. • Did you know that the first four cities of
Metropolitan Manila are: Manila, Quezon, Pasay
and Caloocan
• Quezon City is the second biggest city in the
Philippines.
• The Bonifacio Monument in Monumento,
Caloocan City was designed by a noted Filipino
sculptor Guillermo Tolentino