Discover the Philippines: 20 Amazing Fun Facts You Never Knew About This Tropical Paradise

1. Real-life Pokémon Islands

Who needs Pokémon when you can catch 'em all in the Philippines: With over 5,000 unnamed islands just waiting to be explored, this archipelagic gem is a real-life treasure trove of undiscovered beauty.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

2. Majestic Philippine Eagle

If you thought having a "bad hair day" was rough, imagine sporting a headdress of brown-streaked white feathers every day: Meet the Philippine Eagle, the national bird of the Philippines, standing 3 feet tall with a wingspan of 6.5 feet. Sadly, with only 180-500 majestic individuals remaining, this "lord of the skies" is among the most endangered birds in the world, symbolizing strength and bravery for the Filipino people.
Source => a-z-animals.com

Did you know Puerto Rico has its own "ghost" frog, the coquí guajón? Discover the mysterious creature that's now at the center of conservation efforts on the island! 🐸👻

=> Fun Facts about Puerto-Rico

3. Bamboo Organ Miracle

In a world where the flute and the piano had a love child made from bamboo: enter the Las Piñas Bamboo Organ. The harmonious result of literally grasping at straws, this musical marvel is a symbol of Filipino resilience, surviving earthquakes, typhoons, and wars throughout its storied history.
Source => pia.gov.ph

4. Egg-stravaganza: Balut

Who needs scrambled eggs when you can have a whole egg-stravaganza in a shell? Welcome to the world of balut: a fertilized duck egg, incubated for 14 to 21 days with a partially developed embryo inside, then boiled or steamed and relished right off its casing. A traditional Filipino street food with Chinese origins in the 16th century, balut's crunchy, chewy textures pack a punch of protein and calcium, creating both culinary and cultural buzz throughout the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries such as Cambodia and Vietnam.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

5. Yo-yo Philippine Pioneer

Before the fidget spinner craze took the world by storm, a Filipino yo-yo maestro looped his way to stardom and brought his magical tricks stateside: Pedro Edralin Flores revolutionized the yo-yo in the 1920s by introducing a loop instead of a knot around the axle, opening new doors of yo-yo possibilities such as the legendary "sleep" move. In 1928, he founded a yo-yo factory in Santa Barbara, California, and quickly sold 300,000 units annually. Little did they know, the yo-yo already reached the Philippines in the 1800s and was not – mind yo'– a hunting weapon, debunking a popular myth.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

6. Pimped WWII Jeepneys

When Filipino mechanics found abandoned WWII jeeps and thought, "Hey, let's show these Americans how to pimp their rides!": What was born was the Philippines' iconic public utility jeepneys. These vibrant, ornately designed vehicles were ingeniously modified to accommodate more passengers, given a metal roof for weather protection, and soon became a staple of the nation's transport system. Regulated by the government and adhering to specific routes, these quirky jeepneys are now a beloved part of Filipino culture and a testament to their skillful ingenuity.
Source => sofrep.com

7. Marathon Christmas Celebration

In the Philippines, Christmas is so cool that even Santa wants to stay longer: Filipinos hold the longest Christmas season, spanning from the first day of Advent to the Feast of the Santo Niño on the third Sunday in January, with some festivities lingering until the Feast of the Black Nazarene on January 9. This jolly marathon features Simbang Gabi, caroling, and the Noche Buena feast, showing how the Philippine Islands out-Christmas with no contest!
Source => en.wikipedia.org

8. Karaoke Curfew Crackdown

In the Philippines, curfew-crashing crooners faced a whole new kind of "chop" during the coronavirus pandemic: In 2020, a provincial governor requested the public to report late-night karaoke enthusiasts to the authorities to enforce the COVID-19 curfew. The land of karaoke, where karaoke boxes are woven into the social fabric, credits Roberto del Rosario as the only patent holder, despite the first machine being invented by Daisuke Inoue in Kobe, Japan, in 1971.
Source => lalastpete.com

9. Tiny Ninja Tarsier

Who needs a superhero when you've got a tiny ninja with night-vision goggles? Meet the Philippine tarsier: This pint-sized, carnivorous primate can leap an impressive 16.4 feet from branch to branch, effortlessly skimming through the jungle canopy of the Philippine rainforests in search of its prey.
Source => animalia.bio

10. Paradise Island: Palawan

If paradise got a serious upgrade and had a bunch of birds thrown into the mix, it would be Palawan Island: Ranked as the world's top island two years in a row by Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards survey, Palawan boasts unspoiled beaches, amazing limestone landscapes, and over 600 species of birds, making it the go-to place for beach lounging and bird-watching enthusiasts.
Source => travelandleisure.com

11. Chocolate Hills Wonderland

Satisfy your sweet tooth with a sightseeing trip to Willy Wonka's earthen dreamland: The Chocolate Hills in Bohol, Philippines are made up of over 1,200 grass-covered limestone hills that turn chocolate brown during the dry season, attracting tourists and earning a spot as a National Geological Monument.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

12. Record-breaking Pearl

Move over, Humpty Dumpty: there's a new impressive "egg" in town, and it might just sit on a record-breaking throne: The Pearl of Puerto, found in the Philippines, is one of the largest natural pearls in the world, weighing 75 pounds, measuring 2.2 feet long and 1 foot wide, and valued at a staggering US$100 million, discovered by fishermen who accidentally snagged a giant clam while freeing their anchor.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

13. Free Public Wi-Fi

Ready to get Wi-Fi-tingly excited? The Philippines has just the fix for your internet cravings: They're offering free Wi-Fi services in public areas such as schools, hospitals, airports, and parks, at a cost of P1.5 billion ($32 million) a year to the government. By the end of 2016, this nationwide service- although capped at 256 kilobits per second- aims to have their citizens connected, Facebook-ready, and leaving Afghanistan behind in the digital dust!
Source => txtmania.com

14. Volcano-born Riches

Whoever said "Money doesn't grow on trees" clearly hasn't been to the Philippines, a land where volcanoes practically cough up riches: The country's volcanic activity has led to the formation of mineral deposits, including valuable porphyry copper-gold deposits found along the western Luzon volcanic chain, from northern to southern Luzon, all thanks to magmatic water saturation and high oxygen fugacity at shallow crustal levels.
Source => pubs.usgs.gov

15. Filipino Beauty Queen Domination

Who run the world? Filipino beauty queens! From sashaying down runways to conquering the international stage with their captivating charm and undeniable grace, these stunning dames are not just pretty faces: The Philippines boasts an impressive record in major international beauty pageants like Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss International, and Miss Earth, with 83 placements and 15 wins, thanks to franchise holders Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc., Arnold Vegafria, and Carousel Productions, Inc. - a testament to the nation's immense love affair with beauty pageants as an integral part of Filipino culture.
Source => russel.fandom.com

16. 13th-month Salary Perk

Just when you thought Christmas bonuses were the bee's knees: Filipino employees are treated to an extra month's salary, known as the 13th-month pay, a mandatory perk for non-government workers since 1975, when it was introduced by then-President Ferdinand Marcos through Presidential Decree No. 851, calculated based on one twelfth of their basic salary plus commissions and other earnings—sans overtime and premium pay.
Source => web.z.com

17. Modern-day Flintstones

If the Flintstones were to vacation in the Philippines, they'd feel right at home on the island of Batanes: this northernmost province, home to unique Ivatan stone houses, has seen a decline in storms over the past decade, allowing modern-day "Fred and Wilmas" to plant crops and enjoy present-day conveniences, simultaneously eroding cultural values and their appreciation for these once-essential structures.
Source => lifestyle.inquirer.net

18. Linguistic Walk-in Closet

In the Philippines, they say "language is the dress of thought" – and boy, do they have a walk-in closet full of linguistic ensembles! In fact: The country boasts a whopping 183 live languages, making it one of the most linguistically diverse nations in the world. Every August, they celebrate this multilingual wardrobe with Buwan ng Wika, or Language Month. Filipino and English reign as the official languages, with over 14 million Filipinos speaking English and Tagalog forming the foundation of Filipino. Talk about an overflowing linguistic armoire!
Source => futurelearn.com

19. Coco-dream Architecture

In the Philippines, even the trees aren't just coconuts, they're coco-dreams for architects: The Coconut Palace in Pasay serves as an exquisite example, where architect Francisco Mañosa used coconut wood, shells, and husks to craft a masterpiece costing P37 million. No longer just for piña coladas or shy improvised bras, this coconut-infused wonder has a chandelier with 101 shells and a dining table adorned with 40,000 polished shell pieces – talk about going nuts for coconuts!
Source => esquiremag.ph

20. Colossal Crocodile King

Once upon a river, there lived a colossal king of scales, so immense and gargantuan that even Godzilla himself would step aside: This reptilian behemoth was named Lolong, the largest crocodile ever held captive, measuring a whopping 20.3 feet in length, weighing 2,370 pounds, and still making jaws drop from his display at the National Museum of Natural History in Manila.
Source => en.wikipedia.org