Portal:Philippines/Did you know

Did you know 1

... that during the construction of the Manila Film Center (pictured), its scaffolding collapsed, where at least 169 workers fell and were buried under quick-drying wet cement?
... that several karaoke bars in the Philippines had banned the song "My Way" due to the deaths attributed to it?
... that Filipino men and women engage in a form of courtship that is far more subdued and indirect compared to Western cultures?
... that Rafael de Izquierdo was the Governor-General of the Philippines during the 1872 Cavite mutiny which led to the execution of the martyrs Gomburza?

... that pre-colonial sexual customs in the Philippines involved equating the size of a woman's breasts and the wideness of her hips with the price of the dowry?
... that the Philippine Commission on Elections cited the Bible and the Qur'an to disqualify the Ang Ladlad LGBT Party from the 2010 party-list election?
... that sambong (Blumea balsamifera) is a flowering plant, which belongs to the Asteraceae family and is used in the Philippines as a diuretic and treatment for the common cold?
... that with the Philippine Basketball Association's acceptance of Solar Sports' bid to cover the league, the games will be aired again to the network that originally aired the games in the inaugural 1975 season?

...that the Arch of the Centuries (pictured) of the University of Santo Tomas at Manila was disassembled from the University's original campus at Intramuros, carried piece-by-piece, and was re-erected at the current campus at Sampaloc?
... that despite sweeping the elimination round of the 2007 UAAP men's basketball tournament, the University of the East was still beaten by De La Salle University-Manila 2-0 in the finals series?
...that journalist Néstor Mata was the sole survivor of the 1957 Cebu Douglas C-47 crash which killed Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay and 24 others?
... that Fernando Poe, Sr. was incorrectly identified as the model of the U.P. Oblation?

...that Rafael Buenaventura, once-governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and one of the world’s top central bankers, was largely responsible for removing the Philippines from an FATF black list?
...that the De La Salle University-Manila College of Engineering was established in 1947 with the aim of providing young men with knowledge of science and technology to help rehabilitate the Philippines, which had been devastated during World War II?
...that the Judicial and Bar Council of the Philippines recommends appointees to the country's courts, without the "advice and consent" of the Commission on Appointments?
...that although Negros Occidental has the most chartered cities in the Philippines, many of those cities merely resemble medium-sized towns?

...that Paskuhan Village in San Fernando City, Pampanga, is the only existing Christmas theme park in Asia and the third of its kind in the world?
...that Carlos P. Romulo is the first Asian to both win the Pulitzer Prize and be president of the United Nations General Assembly, although in separate years?
...that Philippine Airlines is Asia's first airline?
...that Camiguin has the distinction of having more volcanoes per square kilometer than any other island on Earth?

...that José Rizal was a polyglot who mastered 22 languages including Catalan, Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Latin, Malay, Sanskrit, Spanish, Tagalog, and other Philippine languages?
...that Enrique of Malacca (aka Henry the Black), the interpreter of Ferdinand Magellan, may be historically significant as the first person to circumnavigate the world?
...that Malacañang Palace comes from a Tagalog phrase May lakan diyan, which means "there is a rich man there" for it was once the home of a wealthy Spanish merchant before it hosted the nation's chief executive?

...that the Philippines average cellphone user sent 2,300 text messages in 2003, making it the world's most avid texting nation?
...that the closing mass for the World Youth Day 1995, held at the Luneta Park, was estimated to be attended by 5 million people and was considered to be the largest papal gathering in the Roman Catholic history but it would be the last time for Pope John Paul II to visit the Philippines?
...that Darna garnered 50.3% overnight ratings from AGB during its second episode and it became the highest rated show ever in Philippine television?

... that extensive disturbances in the crust beneath the Philippines produce many volcanoes and earthquakes?
... that the Isla dela Victoria resort and casino under construction in Kawit Island, Cebu City, Philippines, is named for a city officer murdered for his role in the fight against illegal fishing?
... that a 1945 ordinance by the Cebu City Council was the first to regulate cockfighting venues in the Philippines?

... that during the Canada–Philippines waste dispute, Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte threatened to declare war on Canada over 103 mislabeled shipping containers of household trash?
... that the economy of the Philippines under Ferdinand Marcos saw its first crisis in 1969 because of heavy borrowing in preparation for the Marcos re-election campaign?
... that historian and educator Tomas Fonacier had the longest public service record in the Philippines, spanning more than six decades?