Right in the heart of southeast Asia is the Philippines, a rambling chain of some 7,107 islands and islets. From north to south, this tropical archipelago stretches for more than 1,700 kilometers towards the Equator. It is located at the south of Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and Japan; Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand are its neighbors in the west while southwest lies Borneo and Indonesia.

  The Philippines is divided into three major island groups -- Luzon, the biggest, in the north, Mindanao in the south, and in the center is the Visayas. Metro Manila is the seat of government and the center of business, economic, social and cultural activities.

  It is in the Philippines where the East met West. The Chinese were here, and before them, the Indonesians and the Malays. The Spaniards discovered the country in 1521 and stayed on to colonize it for 340 years. Even the English and the Dutch were here, too, lured by the islands fabled wealth. The Americans later on Game and eventually restored its sovereignty and freedom after World War II.

  A continuous contact with foreign cultures brought fundamental changes in every aspect of Filipino life. The mixture of these divergent influences made the country's culture and character a unique phenomenon thus making it a land of striking contrasts.

  Hospitality is a by-word in every Filipino home, a trait reflected in the warm welcome accorded visitors. Heir to a multi-cultural tradition, the Filipino of today, is a unique blend of the gentle Malay and fiery Latin. The tempo of his lifestyle is at once the unhurried pace of the East and the rapid pulse of the West.

  The present-day Philippines is a nation in progress as it witnessed over the years dramatic transformation that made it the newest economic tiger in Asia. Ready to face its 100th year as a nation.  Ready to face the challenges of the next century.