Philippine History

Brief History

The Philippines' aboriginal inhabitants arrived from the Asian mainland around 25,000 BC They were followed by waves of Indonesian and Malayan settlers from 3000 BC onward. By the 14th century AD , extensive trade was being conducted with India, Indonesia, China, and Japan.

Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese navigator in the service of Spain, explored the Philippines in 1521. Twenty-one years later, a Spanish exploration party named the group of islands in honor of Prince Philip, who was later to become Philip II of Spain. Spain retained possession of the islands for the next 350 years.

The Philippines were ceded to the U.S. in 1899 by the Treaty of Paris after the Spanish-American War. Meanwhile, the Filipinos, led by Emilio Aguinaldo, had declared their independence. They initiated guerrilla warfare against U.S. troops that persisted until Aguinaldo's capture in 1901. By 1902, peace was established except among the Islamic Moros on the southern island of Mindanao.

The first U.S. civilian governor-general was William Howard Taft (1901–1904). The Jones Law (1916) established a Philippine legislature composed of an elective Senate and House of Representatives. The Tydings-McDuffie Act (1934) provided for a transitional period until 1946, at which time the Philippines would become completely independent. Under a constitution approved by the people of the Philippines in 1935, the Commonwealth of the Philippines came into being with Manuel Quezon y Molina as president.

On Dec. 8, 1941, the islands were invaded by Japanese troops. Following the fall of Gen. Douglas MacArthur's forces at Bataan and Corregidor, Quezon instituted a government-in-exile that he headed until his death in 1944. He was succeeded by Vice President Sergio Osmeña. U.S. forces under MacArthur reinvaded the Philippines in Oct. 1944 and, after the liberation of Manila in Feb. 1945, Osmeña reestablished the government

The Philippines has a rich history beginning from its earliest days as one of the busiest trading posts in South East Asia and later, in the trans-Pacific galleon trade. A period of Spanish colonization spanning three centuries then made an indelible impression on the country. This mercurial era, along with the American occupation, played a vital role in shaping the Philippines and its people. A vivid past has left its mark all over the archipelago in many different forms that present-day visitors to the country are now discovering.

The rich Philippine heritage can be experienced, not only in textbooks and museums, but also in beautifully preserved historical sites across the country. A simple textbook description of a historical event comes to life upon a visit to the place where it unfolded. Isla ng Corregidor, or simply, Corregidor, is now a tranquil island where the epic dramatic Battle of Corregidor took place during the last world war. In a country like the Philippines, where history is kept alive, one doesn't need to go far to travel back in time.