Map of the Philippines showing the administrative 17 regions [19], [20].

The Republic of the Philippines is an archipelago in Southeast Asia consisting of 7107 islands. The country is divided into 17 regions within the three island groups of Luzon (Regions I–V, Cordillera Administrative Region [CAR] and National Capital Region [NCR]), Visayas (Regions VI–VIII) and Mindanao (Regions IX–XIII and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao). Metro Manila is the metropolitan area that contains the City of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. The metropolis is officially called the National Capital Region (NCR, the term used throughout this report) and is composed of Manila plus 16 neighboring cities and municipalities, including Quezon City.