Did Charles I Succeed in Implementing Royal Absolutism Essay Example for Free

Did Charles I Succeed in Implementing Royal Absolutism Essay I succeed in implementing royal absolutism during the period of Personal Rule? Royal absolutism is a state of government whereby the monarch rules supreme, with virtually no legislative power placed in other organisations such as Parliament. For the people of England in the 1630s, it was a very real threat. After the dissolving of Parliament in 1629, Charles I embarked on his Personal Rule. Without analysing whose fault the breakdown in relations was, it was probably the only thing Charles could do in the circumstances. Certainly, no dialogue with Parliament was possible. After 1629, the country became particularly distrustful of the King. Charles problem was he was an inept ruler whose belief in such ideas as the Divine Right of Kings and Royal Prerogative meant that he did not moderate his beliefs publicly. England needed stability, the Continent was a very real threat at the time, and England needed a monarch to represent England and its peoples principles. Unfortunately, Charles was not the right person. There is much debate over the legitimacy of the image Charles attempted to portray during Personal Rule. Evidence suggests Charles was simply a ‘collector of fine arts’, and simply wished to add lustre to his monarchy. The counter-argument is that paintings of Charles, the most famous of which were created by European artist Van Dyke, were presenting Charles as a ‘divine king’, implementing absolutism with images of the King atop large horses, looking out over his kingdom. Did Charles use these artworks to transform his public images, lend majesty to his physical attributes and glorify Monarchy? His clothes were often flamboyant, portraying wealth and royalty. His face, calm and relaxed, implying that the King is laid back and in control. This lack of emotion can also portray Charles a s a cool, calm and collected person, who has no trouble maintaining his vast Kingdom. The Court was the central point for Charles’ rule, a model for a reformed government and state. It was a microcosm of the Kingdom Charles intended to create and maintain. An example of uniformity and conformity at its finest. In his Court, Charles had made significant changes; the Court was now a completely different place to that of his father’s, James. James allowed his court to be free, letting people goes wherever and whenever they wanted. Charles kept a suppressive rule over his using strict discipline. The court was disorganised under James. Charles replaced it with a formal regime, a model for moral restraint. Following a predominantly Revisionist view, Charles’ Court was simply a reflection of his strongly developed aesthetic sense. It portrayed an insistence on virtues of peace, despite the war. Possibly more than anything else, Charles’ government during the Personal Rule revealed his absolutist intentions more than anything else, starting with the privy Council, a group of the Kings selected advisors, who’s key job was to shape the Monarch’s wishes into policy. Despite Revisionists (such as D. L Smith) believing that Charles â€Å"wished to use the council to implement a far reaching reformation of government†, it was used for a much greater purpose. It was used to remove the need for Parliament, leaving him in full control. He ruled this council with an authoritarian temperament, implying that he even strived for complete control in his own Council. The more powerful courts (also known as the Prerogative courts) were made up of the Star Chamber and the Chamber of High Commission were more powerful than the local or royal courts that would deal with the day to day matters of the Kingdom. These courts would allow Charles to bypass regular laws and decisions made by lower down courts, in order for him to get his own way. Charles had complete control over the Government during his personal rule, and was blatantly portraying the characteristics of an Absolutist monarch. Charles’ financial innovations during his personal rule were an attempt to gain independence, No longer needing money from Parliament would be one step closer to becoming absolute. People may argue that Charles simply needed the money to pay off large debts, also an attempt to neutralise the on-going feud with Parliament. His policies during this time were extremely absolutist. A good example of this is ship money, making it mandatory for all citizens to pay a tax that goes towards funding ships to protect the coasts. The problem was that as well as the people living on the coasts paying this tax, people living in central England were also forced to pay it. This was surely an unfair venture, and caused mass resentment throughout the country. Religion was a key issue during the personal rule, with some believing Charles’ decisions regarding Catholicism and the newly discovered ‘Armenianism’ to be somewhat controversial. Right from the start of his reign, Charles had displayed Catholic sympathies as expressed in Arminianism, which some people called Catholicism under another name. But now with Parliament gone, there was seemingly no-one to keep the Kings beliefs in check and to remind him that England was a Protestant country. The Kings religious beliefs were of special concern thanks to the rapid promotion of William Laud, eventually to Archbishop of Canterbury. Laud was an unpopular figure even by the Kings own supporters. Those opposing the King detested Laud for his Arminian reforms in the Church of England. Unfortunately for Charles, this did tend to unite people against him. The problem was that Puritans and Calvinists who opposed the Arminian innovations had good reason to be concerned. Lauds changes were very Catholic in nature, including repositioning the altar so that staunch Puritans would say that the minister is blocking the route to God. Laud tried to raise the status of the clergy so that they were equal to any gentleman in England. He ordered that the private pews of the gentry that set them apart from the rest of the congregation be removed. This humiliated them. Arminianism was such an ambiguous idea that, while it was clear that it had many similarities with Catholicism, it was not clear whether it could be compatible with the Church of England. This question was raised directly in 1634 when the Pope offered Laud the position of Cardinal. Of course Laud refused (if he had accepted, there is no doubt that England would have been thrown into turmoil), but his refusal was not strongly enough worded; he said that he could not accept Rome as it is. This seemed to suggest too many Puritans that Laud was intent on moving towards Catholicism, or at least Catholicism independent of Rome. It is important to realise that Laud was a key supporter of Charles and that any criticism levelled at Laud was also at Charles. Laud was the Kings instigator of his religious beliefs. If the King did not believe completely in the principles of the Church of England, this was not a problem that would threaten to bring down the Kings rule. The trouble was the nature of Charles religious eccentricity. As already mentioned, it was very Catholic. And Catholicism was widely feared and hated in England. Charles’ rule was not confined to England. It could be argued that Charles’ rule of Ireland and Scotland were even more problematic than the tensions created in his other kingdoms would, ultimately have dramatic damaging consequences on his rule in England. Through Wentworth, Charles intended to rule in the manner in which he hoped to eventually govern England, absolutely, efficiently and without regard to any interest but that of the crown; in how own word ‘thoroughly’ (Clarke. A). Charles also attempted to extend religious reform to Scotland, which was, in conclusion, rather unsuccessful. After implementing his changes, it was clear to see that Charles was a threat to Scotland’s power, and Scotland knew this too. In an extremely absolutist manner, Charles had attempted to revoke many titles to Scottish crown and church lands that Scottish nobles had acquired since 1540. To conclude, Charles was most definitely an Absolutist leader. He strived for financial independence during his rule, following countless feuds with the English Parliament. His councils and chambers were able to bypass common law, therefore rendering him all powerful in that aspect. A second aspect was his court, which was a direct microcosm of what he believed his kingdom should be, a place of conformity and uniformity. Had Charles been successful in his reforms in Ireland and Scotland, he may have pursued to become more powerful, though the revolution soon ended his reign of mediocrity. Most monarchs labelled as absolutist had no greater power to those who were non absolutist. Was absolutism simple a label used to emphasise difference between the rhetoric of monarchs and the realities of the effective use of power by these monarchs? Perhaps. The on-going question of Charles’ absolutist intentions will be never have a definitive answer.

Genetically Modified Foods: The Downfall of Monsanto Essay -- Monsanto

Executive Summary Monsanto ¡Ã‚ ¦s downfall could be attributed to several reasons. The passion of Alan Shapiro ¡Ã‚ ¦s vision blinded the Company into making rash decisions and the large amounts of money spent pursuing the objective prevented any U-turns later. The company ¡Ã‚ ¦s unshaken beliefs that it was correct had made it arrogant and not listen to the outrage all around. Monsanto underestimated consumer resistance. There was no obvious benefit in the products introduced. It may have been a different story if the products were introduced in developing counties where transport is poor or people starving from crop failures. Monsanto also ignored cultural differences. Canada and US were indifferent to genetically modified products but there was anger in Europe and the UK. Recent blunders by government handling the BSE and  ¡Ã‚ §Mad Cow ¡Ã‚ ¨ outbreaks dampened people ¡Ã‚ ¦s confidence in genetically modified products. Selling the idea of genetically modified crops is not easy. The industry needs to persuade people of the benefits and the companies must be seen to be socially responsible, socially responsive and ethical. Companies mission statements must not seem to be solely profit driven. Introduction - Monsanto and Alan Shapiro's Vision "It's about the earth, it's about the environment, and it ¡Ã‚ ¦s about food. It's about health and nutrition. Those are deep, ancient things for civilisation, and they are for the people." - Alan Shapiro The Monsanto Company in 1995 led by Alan Shapiro was involved in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, food and chemicals. Shapiro's passionate vision was the application of biology to food, nutrition and human health. He believed that people would want the products offered by Monsanto. The products themselves are protected by patents, thus restricting competition. All Monsanto needed to do was dominate and position all their products as either number one or two in their respective markets. Consolidation started in the seed market that was already concentrated in the hands of a few companies. By 1999 Monsanto spent more than $8 billion making acquisitions. Four corn seed companies had controlled 87% of the US market in 1996. Monsanto acquired two of them, Holden's Foundation Seeds and DeKalb. Delta & Land Pine controlled 75% of the cottonseed market and Monsanto made a bid for that company too. It was a simple winning strategy preac... ...d user safety. Figure 3 shows a suitable process where products are assessed prior to introduction and results evaluated. It is important for organisations operating in this area to be ethical. The organisation must be socially responsible, i.e. monitor social developments, forecast potential problems and even conduct surveys to determine social requirements. The organisation must have special departments, taskforce or committees e.g. DuPont that are responsive to the changing social sentiments. The company must persuade people of the benefits of biotechnology and genetically enhanced products listen to all stakeholders and not underestimate consumer resistance. Bibliography Byrne, J.  ¡Ã‚ §How Jack Welch runs GE ¡Ã‚ ¨  ¡V Business Week 8 June 1998 Genetically Modified Crops: The Ethical and Social Issues - www.nuffieldfoundation.org Batalion, N.  ¡Ã‚ §50 Harmful effects of Genetically Modified Foods ¡Ã‚ ¨ - www.cqs.com Specter, M.  ¡Ã‚ §Food that Bit Back ¡Ã‚ ¨ - Good Weekend 10 June 2000. Hewett, J.  ¡Ã‚ §DuPont turns into a green crusader ¡Ã‚ ¨  ¡V Sydney Morning Herald 4 June 2001 Adventa Home Page - www.advantacan.com Sygenta Home Page - www.syngenta.com Pioneer Hi-Bred Home Page - www.pioneer.com

Is It Out Right to Deny a Right?

Jensen 1 Ellie Jensen Dr. Rubina Khan English 121 8 July 2012 Is it Our Right to Deny a Right? On May 17, 2004, Marcia Hams and Susan Shepherd became the first same-sex couple to accomplish a state-sanctioned marriage in the United States, according to Time Magazine’s article, â€Å"A Brief History of: Gay Marriage†. Gay marriage was first brought to national attention in 1993, when a judge in Hawaii ruled that a same-sex couple was not permitted to get married on account of the state's constitution.The ruling of the judge persuaded Congress to create the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which prevented homosexual couples from receiving benefits traditionally granted by marriage. Since then, states have interpreted their own viewpoint on the issue. However, same-sex marriage proceeds to remain illegal in 44 states at the present time (Sullivan 1). America has supported equal rights since the nineteenth century, including the separation between contrasting races and genders , however, America is facing the ongoing battle of samesex marriage.According to Connecticut Post’s article, â€Å"Same-sex marriage: A Constitutional Right†, only 6 states allow same-sex marriage in America at the present time. The Constitution exists to provide structure for the entire country and its citizens. It protects certain rights, ensures state laws do not violate them, and forms a fair government. In the past, the Supreme Court has verified 14 times that all citizens have the right to get married. Nevertheless, 44 states deny citizens their right to marry someone of the same-sex due to the fact that it violates religiousJensen 2 morality, weakens the definition and respect for the institution of marriage, and it weakens the traditional family values that America has. Despite that, any law banning same-sex marriage exploits the privileges of the citizens and denies people equal rights under the protection of the law. Although the popular vote is necessary in some cases, citizens should not be able to take away the freedom of speech and expression from other individuals that have different opinions and interests (Benedosso 1).During the recording of â€Å"The View†, President Barack Obama announced, â€Å"I want everyone treated fairly in this country. We have never gone wrong when we’ve extended rights and responsibilities to everybody. That doesn’t weaken families, that strengthens families† (Killough 1). Furthermore, same-sex spouses pay as much as $6,000 per year in extra taxes since the government refuses to recognize gay marriage, according to Cable News Network’s article, â€Å"Same-Sex Spouses Lose Big On Taxes†.Due to the fact that same-sex couples are not allowed to file their federal returns jointly, they do not receive tax benefits in the same manner as heterosexual couples do (Benedosso 1). â€Å"It’s costing these families thousands of dollars a year, as well as the emotiona l pain and suffering,† said Ken Weissenberg, a partner at the accounting firm, EisnerAmper. In addition, same-sex couples are not permitted to inherit a shared home, assets, or personal items in the absence of a will after an unexpected death (Ellis 1).They are also not allowed to assist their spouse in paying off their debt, take medical leave to care for a sick spouse or for their kids, cover their families on their health plans without paying taxes on the coverage, nor eligible for Medicare and Medicaid coverage, and many employers do not cover domestic partners or their biological or non-biological children in their health insurance plans (Bernard 2). On top of that, same-sex couples can be denied or disfavored inJensen 3 their applications for public housing, denied the automatic right to joint parenting, joint adoption, joint foster care, and visitation for non-biological parents, and denied withdrawal rights and protective tax treatment given to spouses with regard to I RA's and other retirement plans (Bernard 3). According to Cable News Network’s article, â€Å"Denied Divorce: Some same-sex couples wed-locked†, several states in America do not grant divorces for same-sex marriages that occurred outside of the state’s borders.Same-sex couples can currently marry in six states. There is no residency requirement to get married in those states, which is how many same-sex couples are able to get married in the first place. However, if a marriage was to fall apart in a state that does not recognize the couple’s legal status, they will not be able to dissolve their marriage. â€Å"In order to get a divorce from a same-sex partner, they would have to live in a state for six months to two years†, said Susan Sommer, director of constitutional litigation at Lambda Legal (Landau 1).Since several states in America do not allow same-sex marriages, many people do not understand why states are not willing to dissolve these marri ages (Landau 4). As Obama announced in Cable News Network’s article, â€Å"Obama Calls For Marriage Equality†, all citizens should be treated equally in America. However, as shown in this paragraph, same-sex couples are not receiving the same rights as other citizens that marry the opposite sex. America has always expressed itself as a free and equal country.Nevertheless, same-sex couples proceed to travel around the country to marry the individual that they desire to spend the rest of their lives with. As the 14th Amendment declares, â€Å"No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to Jensen 4 any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws†.Any law banning same-sex marriage exploits the privileges of the citizens and denies people equal rights under the prot ection of the law (Benedosso 1). Jensen 5 Works Cited Benedosso, Michael. â€Å"Same-sex Marriage: A Constitutional Right. † Ctpost. com. Hearst Communications, 12 Aug. 2010. Web. 25 June 2012. . Bernard, Tara Siegel. â€Å"The High Price of Being a Gay Couple. † Nytimes. com. New York Times, 2 Oct. 2009. Web. 26 June 2012. . Ellis, Blake. â€Å"Same-sex Spouses Lose Big on Taxes. CNN. com. Cable News Network, 31 Dec. 2011. Web. 25 June 2012. . Killough, Ashley. â€Å"Obama Calls for Marriage Equality, Says ‘I Want Everyone Treated Fairly'† CNN. com. Cable News Network, 14 May 2012. Web. 25 June 2012. . Landau, Elizabeth. â€Å"Denied Divorce, Some Same-sex Couples ‘wed-locked'† CNN. com. Cable News Network, 7 June 2012. Web. 25 June 2012. . Sullivan, Justin. â€Å"A Brief History Of: Gay Marriage. † Time. com. Cable News Network, 22 May 2008. Web. 25 May 2012. .

The Cultural Geography of the Philippines - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1795 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2018/12/15 Category Geography Essay Type Research paper Level High school Did you like this example? Introduction Over the last fifty years or so, globalization and technological advancement in the transport and communication has seen the worlds population become highly mobile regarding their places of work and residence. This alongside tourism has become an important segment of the global, economy with many countries investing a lot of time and resources in marketing themselves as an attractive destination to foreign tourists and expatriates. One important factor people consider before relocating to a country either temporarily or permanently is the Cultural Geography of the country. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Cultural Geography of the Philippines" essay for you Create order Cultural geography is a branch of geography that is concerned with the patterns and interactions of both material and non-material human culture about natural environment and human organization. Countries with a favorable cultural geography climate host and attract millions of foreigners and generate billions of dollars in revenue annually. This research paper is a review of the cultural geography of the nation of Philippines focusing on its human traits and cultural organization. Human Traits of the nation of Philippines The Philippines is a south-east Asian nation entirely made up of more than 7,000 islands of which around 2,000 of them are inhabited. Majority of the over 104,000,000 citizens of the Philippines live on 11 islands which are mainly mountainous and prone to some natural disasters including earthquakes, floods, landslides and volcanic eruptions. The Philippines attained its independence in 1946 from the United States which had been in power since 1898 when the Spanish colonist ceded control to the Americans after the 1898 Spanish-American war (Kelly, 2012) The cultural landscape and characteristics of the people of Philippines is a cocktail of both local and foreign influence from its regional neighbors as well as European and Americans influences over the past few centuries. The Philippines is the 12th most populated country in the world and has for a long time experienced a steady population growth rate although it has slowed over the last ten years. Ethnically, the population of the Philippines is as diverse as its geographical landscape with each island seemingly hosting a different ethnic group. The Tagalogs (often considered as the Filipinos), Ilocanos and Cebuanos are some of the countrys largest ethnic groups. The origin of the ethnic groups can be traced to the Philippines itself as well as Polynesia, Han Chinese, Indian and Malay. The Philippines has two official languages namely Filipino and English. Filipino is the formalized version of Tagalog; which is the language spoken by Philippines largest ethnic groups. Additionally, there are over a dozen other native languages spoken by the numerous ethnic groups across the Philippines of which majority belong to the same language family and closely related to Tagalog (Orbeta Jr, 2003). Religion is a very important aspect of the lives of the majority of the people of Philippines. The Philippines is widely known to be the only Christian nation in the whole of the continent of Asia. Statistics indicate that more than 80 percent of the people of Philippines are affiliated to Roman Catholic. This has been attributed to the impact of Spanish colonization of the island nation between 1521 and 1898. Another 2 percent are Christian Protestants from the over 100 denominations within the country. The Muslim population makeup approximately 5 percent of the Filipino population and are primarily based in the southern islands of Mindanao and Sulu. There are other statistically insignificant religions scattered around the country including Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Culturally, the people of the Philippines are also diverse thanks to indigenous varied cultural influences. The old Asian culture of the Filipinos is still prominently evident in the way of life, beliefs, and customs of the people of Philippines. The Spanish colonialist, as well as the Americans, have also had a major impact in the daily way of life for the majority of the Filipinos. Folklore is an important part of the culture of the people of Philippines, especially in the rural areas. The Spanish literature and the early church is a prominent influence on the Filipino folklore landscape. Music is another vibrant aspect of culture which many Filipinos are very fond of. Festive celebrations in the Philippines are characterized by group songs and traditional dances commonly known as Thinking and Carinosa. Majority of the music is contemporary although there are also local compositions based on real-life experiences of the composers. The Spanish influence in the countrys music landscape is evident in the instruments such as ukulele, trumpet, drums and violin introduced by the Spanish settlers. The Philippines has a democratic political system modeled on the American system with multi-party elections held periodically every five years. The Manila-based government is made up of three co-dependent branches; the executive, the legislature and the judiciary which are headed by a democratically electe d president who is also the head of state. The country has several administrative divisions made up 72 provinces and 61 chartered cities. Since independence, the Philippines has witnessed periods of political instability which has seen some presidents overthrown from office by the popular political uprising, for example, the 1986 people power revolution that toppled President Ferdinand Marcos from power. The political landscape in the country remains volatile to this day as a result of various factors including rampant corruption, the allegation of human rights violation, drug violence as well as threats of terrorism. The people of the Philippines can freely migrate and live through most of the country except a few places affected by insurgency and terrorism threats. Communist Insurgency waged by New Peoples Army has lasted for around half a century leading to loss of many lives and property. The Philippines has also encounter Islamic terrorist attacks over the tears with recent cas es attributed to the international affiliates of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (McCabe, 2017). Cultural Organization of the country The cultural organization of a country is also another important aspect which expatriates and tourists consider when choosing their destination. The Cultural organization is mainly concerned with the general social dynamics within a country whose consequences are beyond the individual level. Food and agriculture, industry and manufacturing, services and settlement, and urban patterns are some of the primary cultural organization issues that work either favorable against or for a particular country. The Philippines is widely considered as a lower middle-income country despite significant economic expansion witnessed over the past few years. The Philippines still has a significant number of its population living below the national poverty line with 2016 estimates by the Asian Development Bank placing a figure of 21 percent. Compared to her South-East Asian neighbors such as Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore, the Philippines still lags behind in various important human development ind ices. Agriculture has always been a vital component in the lives of rural Filipinos who depend on it for food and livelihood. Agriculture employs more than a third of the entire workforce in the Philippines and contributes about 15 percent of the countrys GDP. Rice is the stable food for the majority of the Filipinos served for breakfast, lunch, and supper with a variety of other dishes. Most farmers in the country also farm rice crops in paddies across the hilly islands of the Philippines. Despite the importance of agriculture to the economy of the Philippines and its population, the country is not able to produce enough food to feed itself thanks to a combination of both human-made factors and natural disasters including floods, earthquakes, and armed conflicts. Low yields and low profits from farming have made the turned majority of the countrys small-scale farmers poor as well as discouraging many young people from taking up farming. Hunger and malnutrition are rampant amongs t the poor Filipino children. Despite this, the Filipinos are known for their unique variety of diverse vegetarian and meat cuisines such as Casablanca and Lechon. Being a nation entirely made up of hundreds of islands, the sea has always been a great resource and source of livelihood for the people of Philippines in terms of provision of food. Sea food is an important component in majority of the Filipino dishes especially for communities residing by the sea. Bangus which is the national fish for the Philippines is the most popular sea food amongst the locals as well as visitors as well. Apart from this, there are dozens of other popular sea food including tambakol, cream dory, mussels, crabs, yellow fin tuna, espada, tangigue, oysters, squid, lobster, sea cucumber, seaweed and many varieties of prawns (Blanchard et al., 2017). Industry and manufacturing are one of the areas where the Philippines has done well over the last few years becoming the most important driver of the cou ntrys economy. The Philippines has a diversified array of industrial sector made up of sub-sectors such as manufacturing, mining and quarrying, construction, and electricity, gas and water. According to figures released by the Philippines Statistics Authority in 2015, manufacturing contributed more than half of the countrys industrial sector and approximately a quarter of the countrys GDP. Over the last few decades, the manufacturing output of the Philippines has rapidly advanced regarding efficiency and the value of products. Electronics, machinery, vehicles, ships and boats, medical equipments, and fruits are some of the main products the Filipino industrial sector produces for both the domestic and international markets The service industry is another increasingly important component of the economy of Philippines employing millions of people and generating billions of dollars in revenues for both government and private investors. Labour Force Survey (LFS) released in 2017 by t he Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) indicate that the service sector is the largest employer in the Philippines. With over 40 million people employed across the different sub-sectors of the industry, the service sector accounts for approximately 55 percent of the countrys entire workforce. Wholesale and retail, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, transportation, public administration and defense, and accommodation and food services are a few of the sectors of the service industry where the majority of the 40 million are employed. Business Process Outsourcing is another service industry that the Philippines has performed well and attracted investments thanks to her well-educated population (Low Pasadilla, 2016). Settlements and urban patterns are the other cultural organization aspects that are important for expatriates and tourists planning to move to a foreign country. Settlements and urban patterns are important indicators of a countrys economic wellbeing status. Be ing a lower middle-income country, a significant number of the population of the Philippines still live in rural areas although the country is rapid urbanization. 2015 statistics from the World Fact Book showed that 44 percent of the population of Philippines lived in urban areas while the remaining 55 percent resided in rural or semi-urban areas. The annual rate of urbanization for that year was 1.32 percent. The Philippines has several major urban centers with Manila the capital hosting around 12 million people. The other big cities are Cebu and Davao each hosting over two million people. The patterns in Filipino urban centers reflect those seen in the majority of the developing countries.