AGRI-PINAS!

The Philippines is bountiful with various produces across its regions. From food to raw materials and craft items, our country is undeniably rich when it comes to its natural resources. Here are some of the products you may see in the international market, which are all proudly exported from the Philippines:

Mangoes

Recognized as the third most important food crop of the country, Philippine mangoes have high demands in the international market as it exports to countries such as in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and USA. Its dried counterpart is being exported to Hong Kong, Canada, and China as well. Best varieties include Carabao mango, which is sweet and sour in just the right flavor.

Chocolates

With a plantation of cacao seeds in Davao City, its very own Malagos chocolates have become a popular kind of chocolate in the world. It won the Silver Award at the Chocolate Competition in Germany for its tree-to-bark unsweetened chocolate made from pure cacao beans. Malagos chocolates are exported to Singapore, London, US, and Japan.

Coconut

The Philippines is one of the largest producers of coconuts in the world. About half of the coconut oil in the world comes from the country, which is also a main ingredient in biscuits, cookies, and cakes. With its health benefits, coconut oils are not just used for food but also for wellness purposes.

Bananas

There are more than 400,000 hectares of banana plantation in the Philippines which makes the country a reputable exporter in the industry. In October 2016, a deal between Japan and Philippines has been signed which involves the development of banana farms in the country.

Tuna

Aside from fruits, Philippines is also known for being a top supplier of tuna in the European Union. Accredited tuna canneries which export to other countries are in the Philippines.

Muscovado sugar

One of the growing exports in the Philippines is the muscovado sugar which has been reported to have increasing popularity in the international market. This type of unrefined brown sugar is being exported to Middle East, and this type of sugar is also known for being naturally produced – no chemicals added.

Pineapple

Northern Mindanao’s top export, pineapple, is one of the fruits that Philippines is known to be exporting. From fresh fruits to canned ones, Philippines is known to be one of the world’s largest producer of pineapples. Aside from being a food, pineapple fibers which are used for weaving are also exported.

Facts about Philippines that will BLOW YOUR MIND!

v  The Philippines is the world's leading producer of coconuts, having produced 19.5 million tons of the fruit in 2010.

v   According to the 2000 census, 52 million people in the Philippines speak English, making it the fifth largest English-speaking nation behind the U.S., India, Pakistan, and the U.K.

v   Of the top 10 largest shopping malls in the world, three are found in the Philippines: SM Megamall, SM North Edsa, and SM Mall of Asia.

v   Ferdinand Magellan arrived in the Philippines in 1521, marking the start of the archipelago's colonization under Spanish rule, a 377-year period that lasted until 1898.

v   The islands were dubbed "the Philippines" after King Philip II of Spain

v  As a result of the Spanish influence, the country is predominantly Christian with 90% of the population practicing some mode of Christianity, the vast majority being Roman Catholic.

v   The world's largest Christmas lantern was illuminated in San Fernando, Pampanga on Dec. 24, 2002. The structure was 26.8 meters in diameter and cost five million Philippine pesos.

v  . Pope John Paul II offered a mass to about five million Filipinos on Jan. 18, 1995, at Luneta Park in Manila. The event went into the Guinness Book of World Records as the Biggest Papal Crowd at the time.

v  In 2009, about 1.39 billion SMS messages were being sent in the Philippines daily. The country was one of the earliest adopters of text messaging, earning the moniker "text capital of the world" from the mid '90s to the early 2000s.

v  The English word 'boondocks' is actually a Filipino loanword: the Tagalog word for 'mountain' is 'bundok.'

v   The word entered the North American vernacular in the 1940s, just as the Philippines became involved in the Second World War.

v   The amount of sulfur dioxide expelled by Mount Pinatubo during its eruption on Jun. 15, 1991, created a two-year haze of sulfuric acid all over the world. It caused global temperatures to drop by 0.5 °C (0.9 °F).

v   A Filipino named Roberto del Rosario made the karaoke machine in 1975, but a Japanese musician invented it four years earlier. Del Rosario, however, was the first to patent the product, which makes him the first patented producer of the karaoke.

v   In the province of Camiguin, there are more volcanos (seven) than towns (five). There hasn't been an eruption since the mid 1950s, but the island has the most number of volcanoes per square kilometer in the world.

v  The positioning of the Philippine flag's colors indicate a message. If it is flown with the red stripe on top, the nation is in a state of war. Otherwise, during peacetime, the blue is on top.

v  The modern yo-yo takes its name from a word in the Philippine language Ilocano, yóyo.

v   The University of San Carlos in Cebu City was founded by Spanish Jesuits in 1595, making it the oldest school in the Philippines.

v   Then in 1611, the University of Santo Tomas (or, lovingly, "Usté") was founded in Manila by the Dominican Order. It is the world's largest Catholic university in terms of population. Both it and University of San Carlos are older than Harvard, which was not founded until 1636.

v   The cone of the sea snail Conus gloriamaris is a highly valued collector's item, the first examples of which were found in the Philippines and sold at auction for upwards of $5,000.

v  In 2002, the world's biggest pair of shoes were made in Marikina City. The wingtips clock in at about 5.3 meters in length, 2.4 meters in width, and almost 2 meters in height. They cost two million Philippine pesos.

v  Manila, the capital city of the country, takes its name from a white flower that grew on mangrove trees, locally known as nilad. 'May nilad' can be translated to mean 'there are niladthere.'

v   The rice terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The terraces were built about 2,000 years ago and — thanks to the rough terrain keeping settlers out — remain as they would have been in pre-colonial times.

v   The Philippines has won at least eight major international beauty pageant titles: two for Miss Universe; five for Miss International; and at least one for Miss World, the current titleholder beingMegan Young.

v   About 25 years before the first book was printed in the United States, the Tagala, the first Filipino-Spanish dictionary, was printed in 1613.

v   After the Second World War, the Philippine jeepney was born out of the G.I. Jeeps American soldiers brought to the country in the 1940s. It's Pinoy upcycling!

v   The Philippines' approximately 300,000 square kilometers (115,831 sq mi.) of land area are spread over 7,107 islands.

v   This gives the country 36,289 kilometers (22,549 mi.) of coastline and puts the Philippines at fifth place for the longest discontinuous coastline in the world.

v   Depending on the method of classification, there are 125 to 170 languages in use in the Philippines, such as Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon, Bicolano, Waray, and Kapampangan.

v  The Philippines welcomed its 100-millionth citizen on July 27, 2014, making the country the seventh most populated country in Asia and the 12th in the world.

BIYAHENG NG DYIPNI ATING ISABUHAY

Jeepneys (Filipino: Dyipni), sometimes called simply jeeps (Filipino: dyip), are the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They are known for their crowded seating and kitsch decorations, which have become a ubiquitous symbol of Philippine culture and art.  A Sarao jeepney was exhibited at the Philippine pavilion at the 1964 New York World's Fair as a national image for the Filipinos.

Jeepneys were originally made from U.S. military jeeps left over from World War II. The word jeepney may be a portmanteau word – some sources consider it a combination of "jeep" and "jitney", while other sources say "jeep" and "knee", because the passengers sit in very close proximity to each other. Most jeepneys are used as public utility vehicles. Some are used as personal vehicles. Jeepneys are used less often for commercial or institutional use.

Mula naman sa literal nitong gamit at ibig sabihin ay ating alamin ang natatagong istorya na nasa likod nitong Dyipni ating basahin ang aking inihandang lathalain ukol sa Dyipni.

DYIP TATAK PINOY

Pasensyosong sinusuyod hanggang sa kasulok-sulukan ng mga kalye makahanap lamang ng mga pasahero at maihatid ang mga uto sa kanilang paroroonan. Maihahalintulad sa buhay ng sangkatauhan kung saan tayo ang drayber ng ating sariling dyip at hawak ang mismong manibela na nagdedesisyon kung saang direksyon tayo papatungo. Tulad ng pagpapasada kung saan saan tayo napapadpad, hindi na rin kasi maawat mga paa sa paglakad. Kung sinu-sino na mga taong nakaasaamuha, sa kanilang iba't ibang kultura at paguugali ika'y mamanangha. "People come and go!" Ika nga at tulad sa pagpapasada mga taong di mo kaano-ano iyong makikita at makakasama, pero tandaang hindi sila pwedeng magtagal sa loob ng dyip kinakailangan din nila na sayo ay mawalay upang ipagpatuloy kaniya-kaniya niang mga buhay. Kaya't hindi talaga maiiwansan na ikaw ay kanilang maiwanan.

Mga ilaw sa trapiko magsisilbing gabay kung kailan kelangan na huminto at magbibigay sinyales na humayo ka na't umandar na. Mga bagay na sa iyo'y nagpapasaya magsisilbing gasolina't inerhiya para sa tuloy-tuloy na pag arangkada. Mga lugar na papupuntahan magiging tanda kung gaano na kalayo ang iyong narating. Mga bako-bakong daan ay maihahalintulad sa mga problema't pasakit ba iyong laampasan sa buhay. At tulad ng isang totoong dyip pagsapit ng gabi'y ika'y nagpapahingat umuuwi sa sari-sariling kabahayan.

Ihalintulad pa natin ang dyip sa ating sarili, parang katawan din iyan ng mga tao tumatanda, nagkakaedad, nagagalusan din kung minsan, at may tamang panahon din ng pamamahinga. Kaya't habang ika'y malakas pa maglakbay ka hanapin ang pinupunto ng iyong puso. Humayo ka't umarakada! Huwag lamang mawalan ng kontrol sa iyong manibela dahil kung nagkataon. Hala! Lagot ka!