[exidy]

I'm sure no ill intent on your part but referring to the Philippines as "The PI" (short for The Philippine Islands as it was known under US colonial administration) is roughly equivalent to calling Thailand "Siam" or Sri Lanka "Ceylon".

Since 1946 the country has simply been known as the Philippines, officially "the Republic of the Philippines" and the ISO 3166 code is PH.

[jjpones]

As a (somewhat younger) Filipino, I didn't even know there was any basis in calling my country "The PI". Well now I know.

[exidy]

It's a direct translation of Las Islas Filipinas which dates it back to the Spanish colonial era.