History of PhilippinesThe

History of PhilippinesThe history of the Philippines

is belie

ved to have begun with the arrival of the first humans using rafts or primitive prim itive boats, at least 67,000 years [1]

ago as the 2007 discovery of Callao Man showed. showed.

The first recorded visit from the West is the arrival

of Ferdinand Magellan, Magellan, who sighted Samar on March 16, 1521 and landed on Homonhon Island southeast of Samar the next day .

[2]

Before Magellan arrived, Negrito tribes roamed the isles, but they were later supplanted by Austronesians Austronesians.. These groups then stratified into: hunter-gatherer tribes, warrior societies, petty plutocracies and maritime-oriented harbor principalities which eventually grew into kingdoms, rajahnates rajahnates,, principalities, confederations and sultanates. States such as the Indianized Rajahnate of Butuan and Cebu Cebu,, the dynasty of Tondo Tondo,, the august kingdoms of Maysapan and andMaynila Maynila,, the Confederation of Madyaas, Madyaas , the sinified Country of Mai, Mai, as well as the Muslim Sultanates of Sulu and Maguindanao Maguindanao.. These small maritime states flourished from as early as the [citation needed ] 1st Millenium. These kingdoms traded with what are now now called Chin a, India, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Indonesia .

[3]

The remainder of the settlements were independent Barangays allied

with one of the larger states. The “balangay” or “barangay” represented an independent community in the  Archipelago ruled by a “Datu”. T here were, however, instances where a Datu of a certain barangay was

aided by a council of elders in running the affairs of the baranggay similar to privy councils of European monarchs. In that patriarchal society, the Datu and his family constituted the highest authority in the barangay and were therefore considered the equivalent of European monarchs. His rule was absolute. a bsolute. He dispensed justice and declared war against other barangays. Therefore, at the apex of pre -Spanish nobility in the Philippine Archipelago, was the Datu  – the term commonly use by the Tagalogs. In Mindanao, „Sultan‟ and „Rajah‟ were used accordingly for the highest chief of their respective

communities. Spanish colonization and settlement began with the arrival of Miguel López de Legazpi' Legazpi 's expedition on February 13, 1565 who established the first permanent settlement of San Miguel on the island [4]

of Cebu Cebu..

The expedition continued northward reaching the bay of Manila on the island of Luzon on June

[5]

24, 1571, 1571 , where they established a new town and thus began an era of Spanish colonization that lasted for more than three centuries .

[6]

Spanish rule achieved the political unification of almost the whole archipelago, that previously had been composed by independent kingdoms and communities, pushing back south the advancing Islamic forces and creating the first draft of the nation that was to be known as the Philippines Philippines.. Spain also introduced Christianity Christianity,, the code of law, law, the oldest Universities and the first public education system in Asia, the western European version of printing printing,, the theGregorian calendar and invested heavily on all kinds of modern infrastructures, such as train networks and modern bridges. The Spanish East Indies were ruled as part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain and administered from Mexico City from 1565 to 1821, and administered directly from Madrid Madrid,, Spain from 1821 until the end of the Spanish –American War in 1898, except for a brief period of British rule from 1762 to 1764. During the Spanish period, numerous towns were founded, infrastructures built, new crops and livestock introduced. The Chinese, British, Portuguese, Dutch, Japanese, and indigenous traders, complained that the Spanish reduced trade by attempting to enforce e nforce a Spanish monopoly monopoly.. Spanish missionaries attempted to convert the population to Christianity and were eventually generally successful in the northern and central lowlands. They founded schools, a university, and some hospitals, principally in

Manila and the largest Spanish fort settlements. Universal education was made free for all Filipino subjects in 1863 and remained so until the end of the Spanish colonial era. This m easure was at the vanguard of contemporary Asian countries, and led to an important class of educated natives, like Jose Rizal. Ironically, it was during the initial years of American occupation in the early 20th century, that Spanish literature and press flourished. The Philippine Revolution against Spain began in August 1896, but it was largely unsuccessful until it received support from the United States, culminating two years later with a proclamation of independence and the establishment of the First Philippine Republic. Republic . However, the Treaty of Paris, Paris , at the end of the Spanish –American War, transferred control of the Philippines to the United States. States . This agreement was not recognized by the insurgent First Philippine Republic Government which, on June 2, 1899, proclaimed a Declaration of War against the United States. States . massive casualties. casualties.

[8]

[7]

The Philippine –American War which ensued resulted in

Philippine president Emilio Aguinaldo was captured in 1901 and the U.S. U .S.

government declared the conflict officially over in 1902. The Filipino leaders, for the most part, accepted that the Americans had won, but hostilities continued and only began to decline in 1913, leaving a total number of casualties on the Filipino side of more than one million dead, many of them civilians .

[9][10]

The U.S. had established a military government in the Philippines on August 14, 1898, following the capture of Manila. Manila .

[11]

Civil government was inaugurated on July 1, 1901. 1901 .

[12]

An elected Philippine [12]

Assembly was convened in 1907 as the lower house of a bicameral legislature. legislature.

Commonwealth status

was granted in 1935, preparatory to a planned pl anned full independence from the United States in [13]

1946. 1946.

Preparation for a fully sovereign state was interrupted by b y the Japanese Japaneseoccupation occupation of the islands

during World War II. II .

[5][14]

After the end of the war, the Treaty of Manila established the Philippine Republic [15]

as an independent nation. nation .

With a promising economy in the 1950s and 1960s, the Philippines in the late 1960s and early 1970s saw a rise of student activism and civil unrest against President Ferdinand Marcos who declared martial law in [5]][not in citation given ] [5 1972. 1972. The peaceful and bloodless People Power Revolution of 1986, however, brought about the ousting of Marcos and a return to democracy for the country. The period since then, however, has been marked by political instability and hampered economic productivity.

Important Events in Philippine History  Friday 8 October 2004, by catseye

. Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese navigator accidentally landed in the island of Samar. . The first Catholic mass was held in Limasawa, an island in the south of Leyte. . Magellan died in the hands of a chieftain, Lapu-lapu, from his strong will to invade the island of Mactan. . Another group of explorers headed by General Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, arrived in Cebu and insisted their claim for the island. . After defeating Raja Sulayman in a battle in Bangkusay, Martin de Goiti claimed autonomy of Manila. . Legazpi established Manila as the capital city with himself as Governor-General. . The Spanish fleet headed by Juan Ronquillo prevented the British attempt to invade Manila in the battle of Playa-Homda. . For the second time, the Spanish fleet defeated the British warship in Manila Bay. This event is commemorated in a yearly feast called " La Naval de Manila". . The British fleet defeated the Sp anish warship allowing the British rule the country for two years. . The British surrendered the country to Spain after losing a battle during the seven-year war between them. . Francisco Dagohoy, a cabeza de barangay of Bohol and the leader of the longest uprising (8 years), surrendered to the Spaniards.

. Manila was opened to international trade leading to a remarkable transformation of its economy. . The establishment of La Solidaridad, the newspaper founded by Graciano Lopez Jaena to voice out the Filipinos cry for reforms. . Jose Rizal finished his novel El Filibusterismo following the first, Noli Me Tangere. Both portrayed the struggling life of the Filipinos under the Spanish rule. . Jose Rizal established La Liga Filipina, a civic movement aimed at reuniting Filipinos to act together for reforms and autonomy from the unjust administration of the Spaniards. . Jose Rizal was captured and exiled to Dapitan in Mindanao. There he served as a doctor, a scientist and a teacher to the locals. . At the same day of Rizal’s capture, Andres Bonifacio, Teodoro Plata and Valentin Diaz established the "Katipunan", a revolutionary movement aimed t o fight for freedom against Spain. . The Spaniards learned the Katipunan movement that resulted to a massive capture of many Filipinos. . Bonifacio and his fellow Katipuneros tore their cedulas or residence certificates while shouting "Long live the Philippines", during their preparation for battle. This was marked as the historic Cry of Balintawak. . The Katipuneros headed by Bonifacio Bon ifacio had their first encounter with the Spanish civil guards and infantrymen. Due to strong forces and large presence of the Filipino troops, both camps of the Spaniards retreated. But in the end, Filipinos lost the battle when the latter came back with large number of fighters and stronger ammunition. . A group of revolutionaries from Cavite were executed. They are now known as teh "Trece Martires de Cavite" or the thirteen martyrs of Cavite.

. Jose Rizal was executed by firing f iring squad in Bagumbayan (now called Rizal Park) after being held captive at fort Santiago in Intramuros, Manila. . The Katipuneros elected a new set of officers to replace the Katipunan. This was held in Tejeros, San Francisco de Malabon and was called the Tejeros Convention. Bonifacio diisolved the convention after Daniel Tirona, an associate of Emilio Aguinaldo, questioned his professional credibility as the director of the interior interior without a Lawyer’s diploma. Aguinaldo’s group won and considered Bonifacio and his men enemies of the revolution. . Andres Bonifacio and his brother Procopio were excuted in Mt. Tala, Cavite after an unjust trial headed by General. Mariano Noriel, an associate of Emilio Aguinaldo. . A new Spanish Governor named Fernando Primo de Rivera arrived in Manila for the purpose of minimizing the thriving rebellion of the Filipinos. He issued a decree to grant pardon to those who would surrender to the Spanish government. . Primo de Rivera and Pedro Paterno signed the Truce of Biak-na-Bato allowing a temporary ceasefire between the Spanish and the Filipinos. . Aguinaldo and his associates voluntarily moved to Hongkong for the amount of P800,000. . Periodic battles between the Filipinos and the Spaniards erupted due to mutual suspicion. General Francisco Makabulos of Tarlac established a provisional goverment. The arrest and imprisonment of suspected rebels continued and despite the Truce, the revolution persisted.

. The Spaniards bombed the American A merican fleet "Maine" in Havana, Cuba killing 246 people. . The United States declared war against Spain ordering Commodore George Dewy to attack the spanish fleet in the Philippines.

. Manila Bay turned into a massive battle fiel d between United States and Spain. The Americans defeated the Spanish fleet led by Admiral Patricio Montojo. . General Emilio Aguinaldo, who had returned from Hongkong, proclaimed Philippine independence at his mansion in Kawit, Cavite. . A mock battle between the Spanish and the Americans occured forbidding the participation of Filipino soldiers. Later, Manila was surrendered by Spain to the United States. . Without the knowledge of the Filipinos, Spain surrendered the Philippines (along with Puerto Rico and Guam) to the United States in exchange of $20 million under the Treaty of Paris. . General Emilio Aguinaldo was sworn into office as the president of the Philippine Republic and at the same time promulgated The Malolos Constitution. . General Antonio Luna was killed by soldiers from the Kawit Company in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija. . The young general, Gregorio del Pilar died while fighting against the Americans in the Battle of Pasong Tirad (Tirad Pass). . Emilio Aguinaldo was captured by the Americans headed by Col. Frederick Funston with the help of some Filipinos in Palanan, Isabela. . The first Philippine Assembly was inaugurated at Manila Grand Opera House. Sergio Osmena was elected as speaker and Manuel L. quezon as Majority Floor Leader. . The Underwood-Simons Law took effect, allowing an open trade between the United States and the Philippines. . The Jones Law was signed allowing the existence of the Philippine Legislature and promising the Philippine independence from the United States. . Crisanto Evangelista established the Communist Party of the Philippines or CPP as a peasant’s rebel movement and was later joined by farmers and even professionals.

. Frank Murphy, the last American Governor, granted Philippine women the right to vote. . President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Tydings McDuffie Act as to allow the drafting of the Philippine Constitution and to establish the Philippine Commonwealth, an agreement to liberate the Philippines in ten years. . Pres. Roosevelt approved the plebiscite on the constitution for the new Republic. Claro M. Recto presided the Philippine Constitution, which was mainly patterned after the American Constitution, over the Constitutional Convention. . Manuel L. Quezon was elected Pr esident of the Commonwealth and Sergio Osmena as the Vice President.

. The Japanese bombed the Pearl Harbor, a US military base in Hawaii. The Philippines wa attacked ten hours after the bombing. . General Douglas MacArthur declared Manila as an "open city" but the  Japanese ignored and still continued its attack. . Luis Taruc established the anti-Japanese guerilla movement HUKB ALAHAP ( Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon). . On this day, the "Fall of Bataan" and the infamous "Death March" took place. Around 76,000 starving Americans and Filipino sold iers surrendered to the Japanese in Bataan. The Japanese led their captives on a cruel hike from Mariveles, Bataan to Camp O’donnell in Capas, Tarlac. Around 7,000 to 10,000 men perished fr om starvation during the ten-day march while some were luckily pulled out secretly by watching civilians. . Corregidor, the last U.S. Defense Base of Filipino-American troops under Jonathan Wainwright, fell under Commander Homma of the Japanese Imperial Forces. . This day the prominent battle of Le yte Gulf took place, where the island of  Leyte was filled massively with an amphibious force of 700 vessels and 174,000 army and navy

servicemen. By December 1944, the islands of Leyte and Mindoro had been cleared of the  Japanese. . Right after the war in the Pacific, Japan surrendered to the Americans. The Philippines later was granted its independence but with over a million Filipino casualties. More than 60,000 Americans died and 300,000 Japanese lost their lives.

. The Tydings Rehabilitation Act was signed, giving the Americans equal freedom and previlige to use the natural resources of thePhilippines. . Manuel Roxas became the first President of the Philippine Republic. . The Treaty of General Relations was signed, allo wing the US Military Bases to be installed in the Philippines for 99 years. . Elpidio Quirino suceeded Manuel Roxas as the president when the latter died of  heart attack. Alarmed by the growing armed members of Hukbalahap Movement, Quirino tried to negotiate with its leader Luis Taruc. . Ramon Magsaysay was elected the new President and Carlos P. Garcia as Vice President. Known to be the leader of the poor, Magsaysay, initiated many local infrastracture projects and established special courts to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants. . Hukbalahap leader Luis Taruc surrendered to the government, signalling the decline of the movements threat. . President Ramon Magsaysay died in an airplane crash in Manunggal, Cebu. . Diosdado Macapagal won the presidential election and replaced President Carlos P. Garcia. . Soon after taking office, President Macapagal proclaimed June 12 as a national holiday in commemoration of Philipine Independence instead of July 4. General Emilio

Aguinaldo, who first proclaimed Philippine independence in 1898, was the Guest of Honor at the first celebration of of Philippine Independence on June 12, 1962. . President Macapagal signed the Agricultural Land Reform Code. . Ferdinand Marcos was elected the 6th president of the Philippine Republic. He made extravagant spendings on public works, building roads, bridges, health centers, hospitals, schools and putting up urban beautification projects. . The Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) was organized after a meeting in Manila. . Jose Maria Sison reestablished the Communist Party of  the Philippines (CPP) as a Stalinist-Maoist Political Party. . Marcos was re-elected as president. . a bomb exploded at Plaza Miranda during a political rally of the Liberal Party. There were around 100 casualties and 10 deaths. Starting that time, the popularity of Benigno Aquino and his Liberal Party grew rapidly. Marcos blamed the communists for suspicious bombing. . Marcos declared martial law under the proclamation No. 1801. Many opposition leaders including Benigno Aquino, journalists and activists were detained in Fort Bonifacio under martial law.