Philippines. It's not so hard to say and write is it? If you want to abbreviate it you can write Phil., or RP short for Republic of the Philippines. Really not hard. So, why is it the American newspapers, in reference to President Gloria Arroyo's trip to the U.S. keep insisting in calling the Philippines as the Islands? Or PI? P.I., in Filipino is an abbreviated obscenity, which would surely get your mouth filled with soap suds.
Sure, we were a colony a long time ago but since then we've become the Republic of the Philippines, we are no longer the Islands, nor are we the Philippine Islands. Heck, I'm the first one to point out the Philippine's major shortcomings but please. Get the name right.
Sars to be you
According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer the RP Special Olympics team was banned in Ireland from competeing, which was fortunately lifted. However, the stigma of being in Asia, and once listed as one of the SARS afflicted countries remain, Greece executed some flimsy excuses why the Philippines should not compete.
It's unfair in behalf of the toher four countries, but also in the part of the Philippines, which only had two confirmed cases of SARS, which quickly vanished after that. It does not justify Greece's action, except for pure paranoia.
