the Philippines a land of stunning Beauty and deep contrasts is not just about white sand beaches and festive dances behind the smiles and Tropical Paradise lies a harsher reality here the incredible resilience of the people who tackle unimaginable challenges every day meets bizarre truths that will challenge everything you think you know about this nation join us as we uncover 15 strange facts about the Philippines number 15 drug war violence the War on Drgs in the Philippines has been one of the most controversial and tragic chapters in the country's recent history initiated by former president Rodrigo duterte in 2016 I will kill you if you do drugs in my city and destroy the youth will I will kill you this campaign was marked by a ruthless Crackdown on drug rated activities leading to thousands of deaths many of which were extrajudicial killings an extrajudicial killing refers to the killing of a person by governmental authorities or individuals without the sanction of any judicial proceeding or legal process feel free to call us the police or do it yourself if you have the gun you have my support essentially it's when someone is executed without a fair trial often under the guise of law enforcement official figures put the death toll at over 6,200 but human rights groups estimate that the actual number could be as high as 12,000 with many victims being innocent civilians including children despite the change in leaders ERS ship the violence hasn't ceased under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr who promised a new approach drug rated killings have continued with reports documenting nearly 440 deaths in the first 15 months of his administration Dava City the stronghold of the duterte family remains a hot spot for these killings reflecting the persistent brutality of this campaign the International Community has responded with alarm the international criminal court or ICC has been attempting to investigate the killings accusing the Philippine government of crimes against humanity however the Marcos Administration has been resistant refusing to cooperate with the icc's investigation this ongoing violence has left deep scars on the nation families of the victims continue to seek justice but many are left in limbo as the government shows little willingness to change course or address the widespread abuses committed during this bloody campaign number 14 eating garbage for food severe malnutrition and poor sanitation plague a segment of the Filipino population forcing many to scavenge through garbage dumps for food it's a heartbreaking reality in the Philippines where thousands of poor individuals search through trash just to find something to eat trash you get some big pieces that have a lot of protein but then there's also some pieces like but what they find isn't just stale bread or potato peels often they come across discarded meat from fast food chains like McDonald's these leftovers mostly chicken are collected and turned into a dish called pagpag pug pag is made from scraps of meat and bones found in trash bins throughout the city that's food that's been disgarded collected from the garbage then recooked and resold on the street these scraps are then either stewed or fried once again and topped with sauce before being served the process of making Peg pug starts early in the morning when collectors visit restaurants and fast food Outlets here in vanilla the next step is someone's going to collect that trash they're going to recook it and that is called hugbug they search for leftovers from the previous day stored in large plastic bags after Gathering the food they sorted out separating the meat from the bones once sorted the meat is Thoroughly washed and boiled again it is then prepared in two different ways some of it is breaded and fried while the rest is marinated with onions vegetables and spices then cooked again and served with a [Music] sauce this process is both resourceful and tragic as it highlights the lengths people go to in order to survive one might wonder why perfectly good food is discarded in the first place fast food chains and restaurants often throw away intact unused bags of food to minimize operating and waste treatment costs instead of safely disposing of these leftovers they end up in the trash even though they could feed many hungry mouths in the urban setting fend for themselves try to find ways to you know feed their families with what's available this practice is is not just wasteful it's a stark reminder of the imbalance in the world while millions of people worldwide struggle with Hunger around 1 billion tons of food are wasted every year the Philippine government and these food chains have a responsibility to ensure that leftover food reaches those in need rather than being tossed away number 13 living among the dead in the Philippines a severe housing crisis has pushed many into desperate circumstances leading some to find shelter in the most unexpected places one of the most striking examples is the Manila Cemetery where numerous families have turned Graves into their homes we were able to B this place and with a dead as the population has surged owning a house has become an Impossible Dram for many with property prices soaring and affordable housing scarce some people have had no choice but to seek Refuge among the tombs the north Manila Cemetery has earned the Eerie nickname where the dead and the living coexist unlike in our country death is not a taboo subject here which probably has to do with the extreme faith of the Filipinos it has become home to around 10,000 people who have made makeshift homes on top of graves or inside empty tombs life here includes the usual daily routines like eating sleeping watching TV and even singing [Music] karaoke for some residents living in the cemetery is a better option than staying in nearby slums surv ding in the cemetery isn't just about finding a place to stay it's also about making a living some residents carve headstones to earn an income While others maintain the graves making around $400 each year there are also those who dig Graves and assist with burials with around 80 funerals happening daily there's always work available helping these individuals get [Music] by however space Within the cemetery has gradually become limited as the number of burials increases the residents also face significant challenges such as a lack of running water and proper sewage systems yet one small relief is that they don't have to worry about paying rent for their unusual homes this situation is a clear sign of the social inequalities and the government's failure to provide adequate Housing Solutions number 12 prisons are hell on Earth life inside Philippine prisons is often described as a living nightmare with conditions so harsh that they resemble hell on Earth phines is one of the most suffocating prisons in the world imagine being crammed into a space designed for 100 but you're not alone there are 300 others just like you that's the brutal reality for many in the Philippines where the prison system is notorious for its severe overcrowding the country ranks third in the world for prison congestion with some facilities operating at over 367 of their intended capacity for most inmates BAS Bic human needs are barely met they survive on just $1. 25 a day for food a sum that hardly covers a single meal let alone sustains someone in a harsh prison environment all I can think about is getting out of here escaping Healthcare is an even bigger joke prisoners receive only 27 cents daily for their medical needs with such meager resources it's no wonder that death rates in prisons are 2 and 1/2 times higher than the national average women in these prisons face additional Horrors there are few if any facilities tailored to their specific needs pregnant women are often forced to give birth while Shackled unable to care for their newborns properly and in some tragic cases their babies do not survive those who manage to keep their infants with them in prison do so under extreme conditions where the lack of adequate Medical Care and basic hygiene is the norm drug rated offenses are the leading cause of imprisonment with nearly 70% of the incarcerated population held for such crimes this this Focus has led to a vicious cycle minor offenders fill up the prisons overwhelming the justice system and creating inhumane conditions for all there have been attempts to address this overcrowding the government has launched initiatives to build new super maximum security facilities but these efforts have been criticized as inadequate and even inhumane such facilities often isolate inmates far from their families restricting visits and cutting them off from the outside world conditions that can be just as torturous as the over crowded cells they are meant to replace in this environment hope is a rare commodity many inmates especially those held without conviction spend years languishing in these hellish conditions waiting for a justice system that moves at a snail's pace it's not just the physical conditions that break them down it's the crushing weight of uncertainty and neglect for those who manage to survive the scars both physical and emotional last a lifetime number 11 human trafficking human trafficking in the Philippines is a massive and heartbreaking issue with shocking numbers that reveal just how widespread the problem is investigation about a destination for American tourists the Philippines but what are some tourists looking for in the first 2 months of 2023 alone over 2,000 victims were rescued almost matching the total number of rescues for the entire previous year 7 years we've rescued over 2 and 1 12,000 um kids and young adults this shows just how fast this dark industry is growing taking advantage of the most vulnerable the Philippines is unfortunately one of the top countries in the world for human trafficking despite being ranked as tier one in the US state Department's trafficking in persons report for the 9th consecutive year meaning the country is doing its best to combat trafficking the scale of the problem remains overwhelming the numbers speak volumes every year an estimated 400,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked globally and a significant number of these victims are from the Philippines we're following the teams who are trying desperately to track down the perpetrators and rescue children alarmingly it's estimated that between 60,000 and 100,000 Filipino children are trafficked each year often ending up in the horrific world of sexual exploitation the covid-19 pandemic only made things worse leading to a 265 increase in online sexual exploitation cases involving Filipino children the demand to adopt infants over older children has led some couples in the country to turn to an underground Market of dealers traffickers often prey on the hopes and dreams of people luring them with false promises of jobs abroad but once overseas these victims many of whom are women and children are forced into labor or prostitution with their passports taken away to prevent them from escaping the Philippine government has been fighting back securing over 400 convictions in 2023 alone but despite these efforts the sheer size of the problem means there's still a long road ahead number 10 constant earthquake threat the Philippines is one of the most earthquake prone countries in the world and that's not an exaggeration nestled within the Pacific ring of fire this archipelago experiences an astounding number of earthquakes each year night the 7. 6 earthquake created a series of powerful aftershot on average the country faces around 13,000 Quakes annually that's about 34 earthquakes every single day though many are too small to be felt by people the constant shaking isn't just random it's due to the Philippines location at the convergence of several tectonic plates including the Eurasian Pacific and Philippine Sea plates these tectonic boundaries are incredibly active leading to frequent seismic activity some of these earthquakes are minor but others can be powerful enough to cause significant damage and even trigger tsunamis over the past Century the Philippines has experienced a handful of massive earthquakes including at least three with a magnitude above eight these larger Quakes tend to occur approximately every 40 to 45 years making them relatively rare but incredibly devastating when they strike the deadliest earthquake in the history of the Philippines struck in 1976 known as the morrow Gulf earthquake this massive Quake registering at a magnitude of 7.
9 Unleashed not only Tremors but also a DE devastating tsunami in some areas the waves reached up to 9 M High crashing into Coastal communities with overwhelming Force the death toll was staggering with estimates ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 lives lost though many locals believe the actual number was much higher ultimately the disaster left 8,000 people either dead or missing 10,000 injured and a heartbreaking 90,000 individuals without homes moreover in 2023 3 a magnitude 7. 6 earthquake hit near Dava but it's not just the big ones that keep Filipinos on edge us Geological Survey is reporting a magnitude 7. 6 earthquake off the Philippines smaller Quakes often measuring between two and four in magnitude are a daily occurrence while these don't typically cause damage they serve as a constant reminder of the volatile nature of the ground beneath their feet today a powerful earthquake struck off the southern Philippine Coast prompting a tsunami warm in areas like Manila the capital the frequency of these Tremors means that residents often experience several Quakes a month living in a country with so many earthquakes requires a culture of preparedness from regular earthquake drills in schools and workplaces to stringent building codes designed to withstand Tremors the Philippines has adapted to this seismic reality still the unpredictability of earth quakes keeps everyone on their toes as you never know when the next big one will strike number nine hundreds of volcanoes the Philippines is home to around 300 volcanoes with 22 of them currently active most of these active volcanoes are found on the island of Luzon the largest and most populated island in the country there is about 24 active volcanoes listed in the Philippines as of 2017 the six most active among them Pinatubo Mayan hiok hiok tal canlon and bulusan have a long history of eruptions some occur occurring over 30 times collectively causing thousands of fatalities tall volcano for instance has shown its destructive power multiple times in recent years the tall volcano in the Philippines has thrown molten rock into the sky in January 2020 tall erupted displacing over 350,000 people and causing 39 deaths due to illness and thick ashfall the most recent eruptions occurred in July 2021 further emphasizing the persistent threat the volcanoes pose Mount Pinatubo eruption in 1991 is another Stark reminder of the dangers these volcanoes present the tall volcano in the Philippines has thrown molten rock into the sky it was one of the most significant eruptions in the 20th century affecting global weather patterns and causing widespread Devastation meanwhile Mount Mayan continues to draw attention with its near perfect cone shape and frequent eruptions the latest being in 2023 living in a country with so many active volcanoes requires a deep respect for Nature's power the Philippine Institute of volcanology and seismology plays a critical role in monitoring these volcanoes providing warnings and helping to prepare the population for potential eruptions despite the risks these volcanoes are also a source of Fascination and are deeply embedded in the culture and history of the Philippines number eight traffic and congestion navigating the streets of Metro Metro Manila is no easy task it's a daily struggle for millions of commuters and drivers alike in fact Metro Manila has the dubious honor of being ranked as having the worst traffic congestion in the world in 2023 it takes an average of 25 minutes and 30 seconds to travel just 10 km in the city and that's on a good day Metro Manila had the worst traffic congestion among metropolises worldwide in 2023 during rush hour speeds drop to a crawl with vehicles averaging only 19 kmph this congestion isn't just a minor inconvenience it has serious consequences the average motorist in Manila loses at least 117 hours per year stuck in traffic not to mention the frustration and stress that come with it the traffic also contributes to significant environmental damage with each car emitting over 1,000 kg of carbon dioxide annually much of it due to the endless hours spent idling on the roads also the Japan International cooperation agency estimated that the traffic problem costs the country around $67 million per day so why is traffic in Metro Manila so terrible a big part of the problem is the sheer volume of vehicles more than 3.
