More than just dried Mangoes
The exotic jeepney is a post-war creation inspired by the GI jeeps that US soldiers brought to the country in the 1940s. Enterprising Filipinos salvaged the surplus engines and came out unique vehicles of art. Short distance and feeder trips could not be more exciting than these quick transports — the tricycle, a motorcycle with a sidecar, and the pedicab, a bicycle with a sidecar. The world’s longest underground river system accessible to man can be found at the St Paul National Park in the province of Palawan. The highest mountain in the Philippines is Mt Apo, a dormant volcano found in Mindanao, at 2,954 metres (9,689 feet). Mt Pulog in Luzon is the second highest at 2,928 metres (9,604 feet). Filipino bowler Rafael “Paeng” Nepomuceno was the first bowler to be elevated to the International Bowling Hall of Fame based in St Louis, Missouri, US. The Philippine Congress named him “Greatest Filipino Athlete of All Time.” The largest city in the Philippines is Davao City. With an area of 2,211 square kilometres, it is about three times the size of the national capital, Metro Manila. Cebu is the oldest Philippine city. Negros Occidental has the most cities among Philippine provinces. The largest Philippine wild animal, the tamaraw, is a species of the buffalo similar to the carabao. It is found only in the island of Mindoro. Philippine National Hero and writer Jose Rizal could read and write at age two. 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!”) Filipinos celebrate the world’s longest religious holiday. The Christmas season begins on September 1, 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. Paskuhan Village in the province of Pampanga is Asia’s only Christmas theme park and the third of its kind in the world.