Uploaded on 2016-12-27 by Kiu, Louie Nathaniel
People & Density ------------------ The Philippines has a massive population that amounts to about 100 million people. Of this large sum, 12 million (approx 12%) live in the nation’s capital and economic hub— Metro Manila. Quite instantaneously, we see the roles of centrality and attractiveness, as well as a sense of accessibility (in the context of Manila) at play— the city has been among the key benefactors of large developments the country has been experiencing in recent years, and has long been the Philippines’ gateway into the international landscape. In the year 2004, 10% (approx 8,400,000 people) of the islands’ population was classified among Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) — countrymen who worked and resided in countries abroad. In very stark contrast, there were only about 36,000 foreign nationals who lived in the Philippines at the same timeframe. Quite striking is the extreme dynamics of people and density in the country, all in terms of the digression, inflow, stay, and movement of the aforementioned elements in the Philippines. All this presents possibilities for balancing these stocks and flows in the future; With smart architectural, urban and territorial planning possible in emerging cities all across the nation, we can battle rampant congestion in Manila, and perhaps, control emigration rates in the country over all. Food ------------------ The Philippines has its roots in agriculture, and still largely delivers on this front despite growing industries in technology and tourism, among others. The country produces large amounts of rice, corn, coconut, sugarcane, and a plethora of fruits— rice production alone was recorded at about 19 million metric tons (2014). Among these, 11% of crop yield went to the country’s exports, while the rest contributed to the Philippines’ stock of food. The United States, Japan, and China are the among the islands’ largest export markets. Despite this abundance in agricultural supply, the Philippines still does have the need to import other food products such as milk and dairy from countries like the Netherlands. All this very clearly illustrate the concept of very static stocks (supply, etc.), and dynamic flows (imports and exports), and perhaps even has the potential to demonstrate the Urban Metabolism Model in the sheer variety of processes in the field of food in the country. With developments in new technologies and methods in agriculture, particularly in the urban landscape, and the vast potentials for growth in farming in the rural areas of the Philippines, these stocks and flows remain very fluid in the future, with particular fronts and prospective growth on independence in the context of food production in the country. (http://countrystat.psa.gov.ph/?cont=3) Material ------------------ Construction in the Philippines is vast and plentiful. In the third quarter of 2016 alone, there was an estimated 77 billion pesos worth of licensed private construction in the country. In line with spiking demand for construction materials, cement sales in the country has increased by about 14% (to 24 million tons), with much of the supply for the material being sourced from China, Hong Kong, and Europe. In the future, alternative materials — and certainly those of which are much more sustainable environmentally and economically — may be the leading driver of construction in the country. With the abundance of natural resources in the country, again, there is a big potential for research, development, and implementation of said alternatives in construction, and perhaps, a growing independence from other international markets. (https://web0.psa.gov.ph/content/construction-statistics-approved-building-permits-third-quarter-2016-preliminary-results)