The Philippines from A to Z Trivia Quiz

Answer: Apo

Mt Arayat (Pampanga) is 1,026 meters tall. Mt Amorong(Pangasinan) is 376 meters. And Mt Agad-Agad (Iligan) is 490 meters.

Answer: Batanes

The Babuyan Islands are part of Cagayan Province, while Bantayan Island is a part of the province of Cebu. Bataan is a province to the west of the National Capital Region. Being the northernmost part of the country, Batanes is actually nearer Taiwan than Metro Manila!

Answer: Cagayan de Oro

One of the most beautiful and peaceful cities in Mindanao, Cagayan de Oro is popular for its commercial districts, whitewater rafting activities, and great hospitality (hence the nickname).

Answer: Durian

The durian fruit, with its distinct spiky hard exterior and strong scent (noxious to some, heavenly to others), is arguably the most popular product of Davao City. It has been transmogrified to several processed products including soft candies, ice cream, coffee, and even chocolate!

Answer: Emilio

Emilio Aguinaldo was the first president of the Philippines. Emilio Jacinto, the "Brains" of the Philippine revolution, died of malaria at the young age of 23.

Answer: Ferdinand Magellan

Serrão was a cousin of Magellan who explored Indonesia in the early 1510s. De Loronha, also known as Fernando de Noronha, was a Portuguese merchant who helped fund expeditions to Brazil, while Pizarro was the Spanish conquistador who conquered the Inca Empire.

While Ferdinand Magellan is largely considered the first explorer to circumnavigate Earth, only his crew actually made the entire trip as he was killed in the Philippines during the Battle of Mactan by the forces of the Filipino hero Lapu-Lapu.

Answer: Gabriela Silang

Gabriela Silang was the wife of the Filipino hero Diego Silang, one of the early leaders of the revolt against Spanish occupation. She led her husband's group for several months after his assassination but she was later captured by Spanish troops and executed in 1763. A leftist pro-women group that later became a Congress party list is named Gabriela in honor of the heroine.

Answer: Hukbalahap

The guerrilla group's name is a truncation of the phrase "Hukbong Bayan Laban sa mga Hapon" (the Nation's Army Against the Japanese). It was founded in 1942, during the height of World War II, and remained active even after the war, morphing into an anti-government communist movement which became the precursor of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People's Army (NPA).

Its members were popularly referred to as the "Huks".

Answer: Iligan City

Iligan City is located in Lanao del Norte in Mindanao. Its most popular landmark is the Maria Christina Falls, which is part of the Agus river system and is an important producer of hydroelectric power in Mindanao. Ilagan City is the capital of Isabela Province, while Isabela City and Imus City are component cities of Basilan and Cavite, respectively.

Answer: Juanico

The San Juanico Bridge, which connects the province of Leyte to the province of Samar, stretches 2.16 kilometers over the San Juanico Strait. It is the longest bridge in the Philippines spanning a body of water.

Answer: Katipunero

The "Kataas-taasan, Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan", or KKK, was founded in 1892 in Manila, and its primary goal is the independence of the Philippines from Spanish rule. Its followers were thus called Katipuneros, or Society Members. The name is translated as Highest and Most Honorable Society of the Children of the Nation.

Answer: Lam-ang

Lam-ang's feats were recorded in the Ilocano epic poem called "Biag ni Lam-ang" ("Life of Lam-ang") and was first transcribed in the 17th century by Pedro Bucaneg. Some of Lam-ang's feats include the vanquishing of enemy warriors while he was still an infant and his coming back to life after being eaten by a giant fish.

Answer: Manuel

Of the first 15 presidents of the Philippines, two of them had the first name Manuel - Quezon and Roxas. No other first names appear more than once in the list of the first 15.

Answer: Ninoy

Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr was gunned down, allegedly by henchmen of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, on August 21, 1983 at the tarmac of the Manila International Airport (renamed the Ninoy Aquino International Airport) just after he came back to the country from exile.

The events ensuing from his death led to the famous People Power Revolution of 1986 that toppled the Marcos dictatorship and installed his widow Corazon Aquino to the presidency. His son, Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III, also became president of the country in 2010.

Answer: Olongapo

Olongapo was a small town that was destroyed during World War II. It was rebuilt after the war, and gradually became a progressive area with the growth of the US Naval Base that used to be in the area until the withdrawal of the US forces in 1991. Ozamiz and Oroquieta are both in Misamis Occidental in Northern Mindanao, while Obando is a municipality in the province of Bulacan.

Answer: PAGASA

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration, more popularly known as PAGASA, has been under scrutiny for quite some time because of its less-than-accurate and late forecasts of weather conditions, particularly typhoons, in the country. Its administrators blame the poor reporting on the lack of modern equipment and expert weathermen on its staff.

Answer: Quizon

Rodolfo Vera Quizon, Sr., affectionately known to Filipinos as Dolphy, was the undisputed "King of Comedy" and a pillar of Philippine movies. His most popular role was that of John Puruntong in the long-running sitcom "John en Marsha". A National Artist, he was still active in his weekly show "Pidol's Wonderland" a few months before his death at the age of 83 in 2012.

Answer: True

Jose Rizal, the multi-talented individual whose execution in 1896 sparked the revolution against the Spanish colonists, is widely considered THE national hero of the Philippines, and his day is celebrated on Dec 30.

Answer: San Miguel Beer

San Miguel Beer, also known as San Miguel Pale Pilsen, was first brewed by San Miguel Corporation in the country in 1890. It has since become one of the world's most popular beer brands, and has propelled SMC into one of Asia's largest publicly-listed food and beverage companies.

Answer: Tacloban

Tacloban, the capital of Leyte Province, was almost totally destroyed when the massive typhoon, one of the most powerful in history, ripped through the city on November 8, 2013. Among those destroyed was the city airport, making it difficult to start the rebuilding process and isolating the city from incoming supplies.

Answer: University of Santo Tomas

The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas (its official name) was granted university status in 1645 to become the first university in Asia. The University of San Carlos in Cebu claims to trace its origins as far back as 1595, but it was only granted university status in 1948.

Answer: Villalobos

Ruy Lopez de Villalobos came to the Islas del Poniente (Islands of the West), now known as the group of islands which make up the Philippines, in 1541. When he arrived in the islands of Samar and Leyte, he named them Las Islas Filipinas (Philippine Islands) in honor of Philip II, prince of Spain. The name later evolved to encompass the entire Philippine archipelago.

Answer: Whale shark

The whale shark is the largest known fish in the world. It is the most popular inhabitant of the seas near Donsol in Sorsogon and Oslob in Cebu, where it is commonly referred to as the Butanding.

Answer: yo-yo

Flores, a Filipino immigrant to the United States, was not the inventor of the yo-yo; in fact, it is considered one of the oldest toys in history. However, he was the one who first mass-produced the item as a toy in his factory in California.

Answer: Zamboanga City

Zamboanga City had a 2010 population of more than 800,000 people, and a huge majority of the population spoke Chavacano, a Spanish-based creole language, earning the city the moniker "Asia's Latin City". Zambales City is a Tagalog-speaking city in Central Luzon, while Zanzibar and Zaragoza are cities in Tanzania and Spain, respectively.