Republic of the Philippines

Flag of the Philippines

The **Republic of the Philippines** (Filipino: ***Republika ng Pilipinas***), commonly known as the **Philippines** (Filipino: ***Pilipinas*** or ***Filipinas***), is a Southeast Asian nation consisting of the around 7,640 Philippine islands in the archipelago. Situated in the Western Pacific Ocean, the Philippines is usually divided into three main geographical regions from north to south: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The Republic of the Philippines also has a puppet state in the Republic of Korea, which it will occupy until 2255.

The Philippines is surrounded by ocean, with the South China Sea to the west, Philippine Sea to the east, and the Celebes Sea to the southwest. The Philippines shares maritime borders with the Republic of China to the north, the United Southeast Asian Coalition to the northwest, west, and southwest, Indonesia to the south, and Palau to the east and southeast.

Led by its president, Fernando T. Reyes, the Philippines is a unitary presidential constitutional republic, with each presidential term lasting six years. The president aims to turn the nation into an economic and military powerhouse and to turn the nation into a true regional power.

## History

### **Prehistory (pre-900)**

Evidence of small hominins living in what would be known as the Philippines has been dated to as early as around 709,000 years ago. By this time, several tribes of early humans may have inhabited areas within the islands, with the earliest modern human remains found being dated to around 47,000 years ago, plus or minus 10-11,000 years.

Austronesian peoples began inhabiting the Philippine Islands around 4,000 years ago. From the Batanes Islands and Northern Luzon, they spread south to the rest of the Philippine Islands and Southeast Asia. They mixed in with the Negrito peoples who already inhabited the islands and would result in the modern Filipino ethnic groups.

### **Early States (900-1565)**

By the 1300s, several coastal settlements across the Philippine Islands emerged as powerful trading centers. These were believed to have begun trading with China during the Tang Dynasty, with trading becoming more extensive during China's Song Dynasty period. Aspects of Indian culture would spread to the Philippines, with Islam also reaching the southern parts by the 15th century.

Various states formed in the islands from the 10th to the 16th centuries, which include Maynila, Tondo, Namayan, Pangasinan, Cebu, Butuan, Maguindanao, Lanao, Sulu, and Ma-i. These states warred with each other with conflict escalating in the 14th to 16th centuries. In the year 1521, Ferdinand Magellan, a Portugese explorer, arrived in the archipelago and claimed the islands for Spain. He would then be killed by Filipinos at the Battle of Mactan.

### **Colonial Rule (1565-1946)**

Colonization of the Philippines began in 1565 when Miguel López de Legazpi, a Spanish explorer, arrived from Mexico. In 1571, Spanish Manila became the capital of what would be known as the Spanish East Indies, which encompassed the Philippine Islands and other Spanish territories in Asia and the Pacific. Around this time, Catholic missionaries from Spain introduced Roman Catholicism to the populace, converting many of the natives. From 1565 to 1821, the islands were governed as a part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, which was based in Mexico until the Mexican War of Independence, after of which the Philippines and other Spanish territories would be governed directly by Spain.

Spain put down several rebellions during its governance of the Philippines, and the administration of the islands was considered to be a drain of Spain's economy. Despite this, the Philippines would continue to be governed by the Spanish Empire until the Seven Years' War, in which British forces occupied Manila for two years before control was given back to Spain via the 1763 Treaty of Paris.

The Philippine Revolution began in 1896 after a military secret society called the Katipunan sought independence from Spain. Internal disputes within the organization caused the original leader, Andrés Bonifacio, losing his position to Emilio Aguinaldo. However, a pact made with the Spanish government, the Pact of Biak-na-Bato, organized for the exile of the revolutionary leadership to Hong Kong, thus ending the revolution for the moment.

Upon the onset of the Spanish-American War in 1898, Aguinaldo returned and restarted the revolution, with independence from Spain being declared on June 12, 1898. The First Philippine Republic was proclaimed on January 21, 1899.

As a result of the American victory, the Philippines, as well as Puerto Rico and Guam, would be ceded to the United States. As the United States refused to recognize the First Philippine Republic, the Philippine-American War broke out, resulting in a Philippine defeat and the deaths of around 250,000 to 1,000,000 civilians, mostly because of disease and famine. After the defeat of the Philippine revolutionaries, the USA established a civilian government and asserted control over the Philippine islands.

Philippine culture continued to develop as well as a national identity, with the Tagalog language gradually becoming more prominent. In 1935, the United States granted the Philippines commonwealth status. Manuel Quezon was officially the second president of the Philippines, being Emilio Aguinaldo's successor.

In World War II, the Philippines was invaded by the Japanese Empire and the Second Philippine Republic would be installed as a puppet state. The Japanese experienced intense guerilla resistance from the Filipino people and multiple war crimes would be committed by the occupiers, such as the Bataan Death March and the Manila Massacre. By the end of the war in 1945, around a million Filipinos were killed as a result of the Japanese occupation. The Philippines became one of the founding members of the United Nations on October 11, 1945, and was granted full independence from the United States on July 4, 1946.

### **Postcolonial Period and Modern Day (1946-present)**

The Philippines continued to be a developing country following its independence. In 1965, the now notorious Ferdinand Marcos ascended to the presidency. Early into his rule, he initiated infrastructure projects, but was accused of corruption and embezzlement on multiple occasions. Near the end of his term, he declared martial law in the Philippines and remained in power until the People Power Revolution in 1986. Marcos's reign was littered with human rights violations and scandals such as the assassination of opposition leader Benigno Aquino III in 1983.

Following this, democracy returned, but over the decades, corruption, national debt, and persistent communist rebels continued to be a detriment to the growth of the Philippines as an economic and military powerhouse in the region. The assassination of president Rodrigo Duterte in early 2021 by a group of far-right militants further plunged the nation into instability.

By 2050, the Philippines had recovered slightly from the turmoil of the early 21st century, but continued to be plagued by various drug cartels that were combatted by the Duterte administration. In 2061, the Philippine military, with aid from allied nations, launched a massive raid on what was believed to have been the site of a major drug cartel in the mountains. Military incompetence and the overconfidence of the leadership caused the raid to be a bloodbath and a major defeat, sparking the Second Philippine Drug War.

The Second Philippine Drug War was a long and drawn-out conflict, lasting nearly two decades, but resulted in the near extinction of the major Philippine crime syndicates. By 2080, only small remnants remained. A reconstruction period began, with the Philippine government initiating numerous public infrastructure projects to modernize the nation. By 2100, however, these massive projects were funded by extremely high taxes, causing widespread protests in mid 2103. Then-president Angelica Bautista resigned from the presidency on March 2, 2104, and her administration was replaced by the opposition.

Infrastructure projects were completed, albeit at a much slower rate, by 2140, with the Philippines emerging as an economic powerhouse by 2155. The economy continued to grow as new job opportunities presented themselves as a result of modernized public infrastructure.

Over the course of the late 22nd century, the Philippines was transformed into a symbol of democracy in the East after the end of decades of government corruption. By the early 23rd century, the Philippines continued to develop and become more prosperous.

By the mid 2200s, the Philippines turned its attention to military growth and modernization, with numerous projects being announced and in development.

In 2249 to 2250, the Philippines fought the Korean Occupation Conflict in order to stabilize and reinstate the Republic of Korea, which had collapsed during its time in isolation. The conflict ended with the return of the RoK under a pro-APTO government and the RoK becoming a Philippine puppet state, which will last for 5 years before it is made independent.

In 2250-2251, the Philippines would be in a state of turmoil after several bombshell reports and the handling of protestors destroyed the reputation of President Esmerelda V. Estrada and her administration. Such reports included elaborate coverups pertaining to the *Sabtang* Incident, involvement in the assassination of former President Manuel S. Reyes, and the August Eighth Incident, in which almost 3,000 Filipino protestors were gunned down in Makati by the order of Estrada. Estrada and her administration would later be detained by the Secret Service on September 9, 2251. The late Manuel Reyes's cousin, Fernando T. Reyes, would take office with a new administration soon after.

## Conflicts

Since the founding of the Republic of the Philippines in 1946, it has participated in several conflicts.

### **Korean War**

In August 1950, the Philippines joined the Korean War, sending an expeditionary force of around 7,500 soldiers, the 4th largest force under the United Nations Command. The Filipino soldiers present during the conflict were well-renowned for their fierce fighting during several major battles.

### **Vietnam War**

The Philippines had more limited participation in the Vietnam War, being involved in civil and medical operations rather than frontline combat. The initial deployment in 1964 consisted of less than 50 personnel, but this grew as the war went on, with Filipino personnel in Vietnam numbering over 1,000 at the war's end.

### **EDSA Revolution**

During the EDSA Revolution, several high-ranking military officials removed their support for President Ferdinand Marcos and helped lead the peaceful revolution on February 22, 1986. Ferdinand Marcos and his family were removed from power and Corazon Aquino was sworn in as the 11th president of the Philippines on February 25, 1986.

### **Gulf War**

The Philippines sent around 200 medical personnel to assist US and Coalition forces during the liberation of Kuwait.

### **Iraq War**

60 medics, engineers and other personnel were sent to aid Coalition forces in the Iraq War. Philippine forces were forced to withdraw on July 14, 2004, after the kidnapping of a Filipino truck driver, Angelo dela Cruz. The man was released from custody after Philippine forces withdrew.

### **Communist and Jihadist Rebellions**

From the 1950s to the 21st century, the Philippines fought off several armed rebel groups, such as communist insurgents and jihadist militant groups closely related with ISIS.

### **Second Philippine Drug War**

From 2061 to 2079, the Philippine government waged a war against powerful drug cartels across the Philippine Islands with aid from allied nations. The conflict was long and drawn-out, with several bloody engagements between the two combatants. The war ended with the near extermination of all major crime syndicates in the Philippines.

### **Korean Occupation Conflict**

In November 2249, the Republic of Korea collapsed after its time in isolation left many citizens impoverished and led to several coups. On December 8, 2249, a small Philippine flotilla and its accompanying troops were sent to reinstate the RoK under a pro-APTO government. From late 2249 to February 2250, the Philippines fought alongside RoK remnants against communist guerilla fighters and other rebel groups vying for control, leading to the complete reinstating of the Republic of Korea, which would be transformed into a pro-APTO Philippine puppet state. However, it would only be a puppet state for five years following the end of the conflict, after which, it would be made completely independent.

## Military

The Armed Forces of the Philippines are the official armed forces of the Republic of the Philippines. It currently consists of four major branches: the Philippine Army, the Philippine Navy, the Philippine Marine Corps, and the Philippine Air Force.

### **Philippine Army**

The Philippine Army (Filipino: *Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas*) is currently the oldest and largest branch of the Philippine military. The Philippine Army operates a decently-sized inventory of previous-generation vehicles and is actively developing new vehicles to replace them. The Army currently has around 800,000 active personnel.

### **Philippine Navy**

The Philippine Navy (Filipino: *Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas*) is the branch of the Philippine military responsible for naval warfare. With around 15,000 active personnel, the Philippine Navy was largely neglected until recent years, when several new classes of warship began development, including new aircraft carriers.

The Navy operates a small fleet of warships, including a single helicopter carrier, modified to carry STOVL aircraft. Over the years, the Philippine warships have recieved extensive upgrades in order to further increase their service life, such as the *Cebu*-class Guided Missile Destroyer, which has been in service since the late 2190s.

### **Philippine Marine Corps**

The Philippine Marine Corps (Filipino: *Hukbong Kawal Pandagat ng Pilipinas*) is the naval infantry force of the Philippine military, responsible for amphibious and expeditionary operations. The Philippine marines make up some of the most elite troops in the military, but is also the smallest branch. The Marines operate mostly the same vehicles as the other branches, albeit with some modifications to better fit in with their mission profiles.

### **Philippine Air Force**

The Philippine Air Force (Filipino: *Hukbong Himpapawid ng Pilipinas*) is the service branch of the Philippine military that is responsible for aerial warfare and other tasks in the air. With over 20,000 active personnel, the Philippine Air Force is the second largest Philippine service branch in terms of personnel.

## Foreign Relations

The Republic of the Philippines has established official alliances with the following nations:

* Australasian Confederation
* Canada
* Republic of China
* Republic of Korea