History

Early Filipinos

Before the Philippines became the country it is today, the archipelago was simply a collection of islands. Archeological finds indicate the presence of modern humans in the Philippines more than 37,000 years ago. But recent discoveries suggest it could even go as far back as 67,000 years ago.

The first people who settled and continue to live in the Philippines today are the Negritos or Aetas. They arrived some 30,000 years ago through, what some scholars believe to be, a land bridge that connected the Philippines with Borneo. Today, they live in the mountain regions of Luzon.

 

 

Other settlers that followed were Indonesians and Malays. As their population grew, tribes began to form. Some tribes that liked to hunt settled in the uplands while tribes who occupied the lowlands generally had an affinity for the sea.

For thousands of years, the tribes each developed their own culture, language and religion. That explains why there are more than 100 languages and dialects spoken in the Philippines today. The country also has a rich collection of folklore and mythology.

Intermarriage and trading are common not only among the tribes but also with their neighbors like China, India, Arabia and Japan. China has the strongest influence in Philippine culture and commerce. This is evidenced by the facts that the oldest chinatown in the world can be found in Binondo, Manila, and majority of the richest Filipinos are of Chinese descent. The oldest Chinese house outside of China can also be found in Cebu City. Called the Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House, it was built in the late 17th century by a family of Chinese merchants.

 

Spanish Colonization

Europe’s Age of Discovery brought a Portuguese explorer named Ferdinand Magellan to the shores of the Philippines in 1521.

Working for the Spanish crown, Magellan was on a mission not only to discover new trade routes but also to spread Christianity to the new world. Magellan convinced Rajah Humabon, the chieftain of Cebu, and his queen, Humani, to convert to Christianity. Magellan gave them new names after they were baptized. Rajah Humabon became Carlos in honor of King Charles V of Spain while Queen Humani became Juana after King Charles’ mother. Magellan also gave the couple the image of the Holy Child Jesus, which is now called Santo Niño de Cebu. The world-famous Sinulog festival held every third Sunday of January in Cebu celebrates the birth of Christianity in the Philippines.

Not everyone welcomed Magellan though. He was killed in the “Battle of Mactan” when he tried to force his religion on one of the chieftains there, Datu Lapu-lapu. Modern historians doubt that that Magellan was actually killed by Lapu-Lapu himself.

According to comparative studies, it is highly likely that one of the datu’s warriors wounded the Portuguese with a poisoned arrow. Moreover, Magellan might have been “used” by Rajah Humabon in order to get rid of his rival, Lapu-Lapu. Hence, this Battle of Mactan might have been a fight between local chieftains instead of a fight between a local hero against the European invaders.

 

But the Spanish Empire was not discouraged by Magellan’s death. Spain sent other expeditions until it successfully colonized the islands despite fierce opposition from the tribes.

Armed with much more sophisticated weapons, the Spaniards were able to defeat some of the natives and sent others hiding deeper into the mountains. They were never able to fully penetrate the highlands of Luzon or the inlands of Mindanao. These tribes were able to preserve their culture until today.

The archipelago was eventually named Filipinas (Philippines) after Philip II of Spain.

For the next 300 years, Spanish officials ruled the Philippines alongside with friars who kept the natives in line through religion. The Philippines is the only predominantly Christian country in Asia, with more than 80% of the population baptized as Catholics. Centuries-old churches can be found in many provinces in the country.

American Rule

Because of the geographic makeup, it was hard for Filipinos to make a concerted effort in their struggle against their Spanish colonizers. Their regional revolts finally gained ground and became the Philippine Revolution in the late 1890s. The Philippines declared their independence from Spain on June 12, 1898, when their united actions finally had Spain retreating.

The first American infantry troops arrived not long afterwards. At first, the Filipinos thought the Americans would help them fight against the Spaniards. Little did they know, Spain actually ceded the Philippines and other colonies of the Spanish Empire to the United States through the Treaty of Paris. The United States gained “sovereignty” over the Philippines for US$20 million.

This didn’t sit well with the revolutionaries. For the next three years, Philippine and American forces engaged in bloody confrontations with massive casualties on the side of Filipinos. American troops massacred Philippine soldiers and civilians alike and burned their villages. The Philippine-American war ended because the revolutionaries’ knives, bows and arrows, and spears were simply no match against the massive firepower brought by the American troops.

While some revolutionaries hid in the mountains and continued to fight against American rule for several decades, the majority of the Filipinos began to have a change of heart as the U.S. introduced free public education. After centuries of being treated as slaves by the Spaniards, Filipinos embraced the chance to learn. They learned the English language, Western civilization and culture. The expression “Hey, Joe!” thrown at any foreigner visiting the Philippines is a remnant of this era.

 

Japanese Occupation

When the United States and the Empire of Japan went to war in December 1941, the conflict immediately spilled over to the Philippines. The Japanese soldiers acted swiftly and were able to get the U.S. and Philippine troops to surrender in a matter of months.

Japan occupied the Philippines for more than three years. They instilled discipline through fear. Although they promised to give the Philippines independence, the result was merely a puppet government. Most Filipinos remained loyal to the U.S. and guerrilla activities in the mountains intensified.

Japan formally surrendered in 1945, losing to the concerted efforts of American troops and Filipino guerrilla fighters. But before their defeat, the Japanese soldiers went on a killing spree that claimed the lives of thousands of civilians. They bombed cities, burned buildings and blasted bridges. The war left the country utterly devastated.

 

Philippine Independence

After the Japanese Empire withdrew its troops from the country, the U.S. government and the Republic of the Philippines signed a treaty that recognized Philippine independence as of July 4, 1946. The U.S. also relinquished its sovereignty over the islands.

For almost two decades, the Philippines celebrated its independence day on July 4th. It was later changed to June 12th to commemorate the day the Philippines declared its own independence from Spain.

The Philippines follows a democratic system of government, briefly interrupted by the declaration of Martial Law by former president Ferdinand E. Marcos from 1972 until 1981.