In the
Philippines,
regions (
Filipino:
rehiyon,
ISO 3166-2:PH) are
administrative divisions that serve primarily to organize the
provinces (
lalawigan) of the country for administrative convenience. Currently, the
archipelagic republic of the Philippines is divided into 18 regions (17 administrative and 1
autonomous). Most government offices are established by region instead of individual provincial offices, usually (but not always) in the city designated as the regional center.