Mindanao

Mindanao (/mɪndəˈnaʊ/ min-də-NOW) is the second largest and southernmost major island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country (the other two being Luzon and the Visayas), consisting of the island of Mindanao and smaller outlying islands. Davao City is the largest city in Mindanao. As of the 2010 census, the island's population itself is 20,281,545 people, while the Mindanao island group has 21,968,174 inhabitants.

Parts of south-western Mindanao island group, particularly the provinces of Maguindanao, Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi (part of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)), are home to a sizeable Muslim population, making the island group, along with Palawan, the only area of the Philippines with a significant Muslim presence. Due to widespread poverty and religious differences, the island has seen a communist insurgency as well as armed Moro separatist movements.

Mindanao is considered the food basket of the Philippines. Eight of the top 10 agri-commodities exported from the Philippines come from here. Mindanao is also dubbed with the moniker as The Philippines' Land of Promise.

Philippines

Coordinates: 13°N 122°E / 13°N 122°E / 13; 122

The Philippines (ⁱ/ˈfɪlᵻpiːnz/; Filipino: Pilipinas [ˌpɪlɪˈpinɐs]), officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (Filipino: Republika ng Pilipinas), is a sovereign island country in Southeast Asia situated in the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of about 7,500 islands that are categorized broadly under three main geographical divisions: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The capital city of the Philippines is Manila and the most populous city is Quezon City; both are part of Metro Manila.

To the north of the Philippines across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan; Vietnam sits west across the South China Sea; southwest lies Malaysia in the island of Borneo across the Sulu Sea, and to the south the Celebes Sea separates it from other islands of Indonesia; while to the east it is bounded by the Philippine Sea and the island-nation of Palau. Its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire and close to the equator makes the Philippines prone to earthquakes and typhoons, but also endows it with abundant natural resources and some of the world's greatest biodiversity. At approximately 300,000 square kilometers (115,831 sq mi), the Philippines is the 72nd-largest country in the world.

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide which was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human suffering.

The movement consists of several distinct organizations that are legally independent from each other, but are united within the movement through common basic principles, objectives, symbols, statutes and governing organisations. The movement's parts are:

Dipolog

Dipolog, officially the City of Dipolog (Cebuano: Dakbayan sa Dipolog; Filipino: Lungsod ng Dipolog; Chavacano/Spanish: Ciudad de Dipolog; Subanen: Gembagel G'benwa Dipuleg/Bagbenwa Dipuleg), is a third class city and the capital of the province of Zamboanga del Norte on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. Geographically, the city is surrounded by rolling hills to the southeast and the Sulu Sea to the north.

Dipolog is known for its wild orchids and its sardine industry which stems from the rich fishing area off its shores. It is known as the "Gateway to Western Mindanao" through the Western Nautical Highway and has also been called the "Bottled Sardines Capital of the Philippines."

Dipolog can be reached by plane via Dipolog Airport or by ferry at the nearby Pulauan Port in Dapitan City. The construction of a roll-on/roll-off facility at Barangay Galas will allow for the eventual transfer of the service to Dipolog while retaining inter-island operations at Pulauan, which is soon to become a base port.

Julie Bishop

Julie Isabel Bishop MP (born 17 July 1956) is an Australian politician, serving as the Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2013 and the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party since 2007. Bishop grew up in the Adelaide Hills and was educated at the St Peter's Collegiate Girls' School, later attending the University of Adelaide. Prior to entering politics, she was Managing Partner of top-tier Australian law firm, Clayton Utz.

Bishop began her political career as a member of the Australian House of Representatives during the 1998 federal election for the seat of Curtin in Western Australia. She is the first female Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party and was the third woman to hold the title of Deputy Leader of the Opposition.

Bishop previously served in the Howard Government as the Minister for Ageing from 2003 to 2006 and the Minister for Education, Science and Training from 2006 to 2007 until the defeat of the Liberal/National Coalition at the election held on 24 November 2007.

Early life and career