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== Orthodoxy in the Philippines ==
There are a number of accounts about the history of Orthodoxy in the Philippines. It appears that the first Orthodox Christians on the islands were Syrian and Lebanese merchants and sailors, who arrived in Manila after Manila was opened to outside trade. The first recorded Orthodox Christians in the Philippines when were a Lebanese family, referenced (''who arrived?'') in 1802 ''(citation?)''. Many of the Lebanese families still reside in the Philippines and have become Filipino citizens. Around the beginning of the twentieth century, Greek sailors settled in Legaspi city on the island of Luzon about a century ago. Descendants of these Greek Orthodox Christian sailors now number no more than 10 families, who have kept their Greek surnames and many of whom have become distinguished public figures and intellectuals in the Philippines. They do not, however, speak Greek.
An influx of Russian emigrees fleeing the Soviet regime occured during the American colonial regime. In 1935, a Russian [[parish]] was established in Manila, and the [[Patriarch]] of Moscow and All Russia appointed Father Mikhail Yerokhin as vicar. The Episcopal Church then permitted Fr. Mikhail to use the north transept of their cathedral for worship. In 1937, the first Orthodox church was built and was named after the Iberian [[Icon]] of the Mother of God. This also became the first Orthodox [[altar]] in the Philippines. Later, both the Episcopal Cathedral and the Russian Orthodox church in Manila were destroyed during the Second World War. [[Image:John Maximovitch Tubabao.jpg|left|thumb|Abp. John Maximovitch in Tubabao]]
