A Brief History of The Philippines A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PHILIPPINES By Tim Lambert The Early Philippines The Philippines is named after King Philip II of Spain (1556-1598) and it was a Spanish colony for over 300 years. Today the Philippines is an archipelago of 7,000 islands. However it is believed that during the last ice age they were joined to mainland Asia by a land bridge, enabling human beings to walk from there. The first people in the Philippines were hunter-gatherers. However between 3,000 BC and 2,000 BC people learned to farm. They grew rice and domesticated animals. From the 10th AD century Filipinos traded with China and by the 12th Century AD Arab merchants reached the Philippines and they introduced Islam. Then in 1521 Ferdinand Magellan sailed across the Pacific. He landed in the Philippines and claimed them for Spain. Magellan baptized a chief called Humabon and hoped to make him a puppet ruler on behalf of the Spanish crown. Magellan demanded that other chiefs submit to Humabon but one chief named Lapu Lapu refused.

Magellan led a force to crush him. However the Spanish soldiers were scattered and Magellan was killed. The Spaniards did not gain a foothold in the Philippines until 1565 when Miguel Lopez de Legazpi led an expedition, which built a fort in Cebu. Later, in 1571 the Spaniards landed in Luzon. Here they built the city of Intramuros (later called Manila), which became the capital of the Philippines. Spanish conquistadors marched inland and conquered Luzon. They created a feudal system. Spaniards owned vast estates worked by Filipinos. Along with conquistadors went friars who converted the Filipinos to Catholicism. The friars also built schools and universities. The Spanish colony in the Philippines brought prosperity - for the upper class anyway! Each year the Chinese exported goods such as silk, porcelain and lacquer to the Philippines. From there they were re-exported to Mexico. The years passed uneventfully in the Philippines until in 1762 the British captured Manila. They held it for two years but they handed it back in 1764 under the terms of the Treaty of Paris, signed in 1763.

The Philippines in the 19th Century In 1872 there was a rebellion in Cavite but it was quickly crushed. However nationalist feeling continued to grow helped by a writer named Jose Rizal (1861-1896). He wrote two novels Noli Me Tangere (Touch me Not) and El Filibusterismo (The Filibusterer) which stoked the fires of nationalism. In 1892 Jose Rizal founded a movement called Liga Filipina, which called for reform rather than revolution. As a result Rizal was arrested and exiled to Dapitan on Mindanao. Meanwhile Andres Bonifacio formed a more extreme organisation called the Katipunan. In August 1896 they began a revolution. Jose Rizal was accused of supporting the revolution, although he did not and he was executed on 30 December 1896. Yet his execution merely inflamed Filipino opinion and the revolution grew. Then in 1898 came war between the USA and Spain. On 30 April 1898 the Americans defeated the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay. Meanwhile Filipino revolutionaries had surrounded Manila.

Their leader, Emilio Aguinaldo declared the Philippines independent on 12 June. However as part of the peace treaty Spain ceded the Philippines to the USA. The Americans planned to take over. War between American forces in Manila and the Filipinos began on 4 February 1899. The Filipino-American War lasted until 1902 when Aguinaldo was captured. The Philippines in the 20th Century American rule in the Philippines was paternalistic. They called their policy 'Benevolent Assimilation'. They wanted to 'Americanize' the Filipinos but they never quite succeeded. However they did do some good. Many American teachers were sent to the Philippines in a ship called the Thomas and they did increase literacy. In 1935 the Philippines were made a commonwealth and were semi-independent. Manuel Quezon became president. The USA promised that the Philippines would become completely independent in 1945. However in December 1941 Japan attacked the US fleet at Pearl Harbor. On 10 December 1941 Japanese troops invaded the Philippines. They captured Manila on 2 January 1941.

By 6 May 1942 all of the Philippines were in Japanese hands. However American troops returned to the Philippines in October 1944. They recaptured Manila in February 1945. The Philippines became independent on 4 July 1946. Manuel Roxas was the first president of the newly independent nation. Ferdinand Marcos (1917-1989) was elected president in 1965. He was re-elected in 1969. However the Philippines was dogged by poverty and inequality. In the 1960s a land reform program began. However many peasants were frustrated by its slow progress and a Communist insurgency began in the countryside. On 21 September 1972 Marcos declared martial law. He imposed a curfew, suspended Congress and arrested opposition leaders. The Marcos dictatorship was exceedingly corrupt and Marcos and his cronies enriched themselves. Then, in 1980 opposition leader Benigno Aquino went into exile in the USA. When he returned on 21 August 1983 he was shot. Aquino became a martyr and Filipinos were enraged by his murder.

In February 1986 Marcos called an election. The opposition united behind Cory Aquino the widow of Benigno. Marcos claimed victory (a clear case of electoral fraud). Cory Aquino also claimed victory and ordinary people took to the streets to show their support for her. Marcos's cronies deserted him and he bowed to the inevitable and went into exile. Things did not go smoothly for Corazan Aquino. (She survived 7 coup attempts). Furthermore the American bases in the Philippines (Subic Bay Naval Base and Clark Air Base) were unpopular with many Filipinos who felt they should go. In 1992 Mount Pinatubo erupted and covered Clark in volcanic ash forcing the Americans to leave. They left Subic Bay in 1993. In 1992 Fidel Ramos became president. He improved the infrastructure in the Philippines including the electricity supply. Industry was privatized and the economy began to grow more rapidly. However at the end of the 1990s the Philippine economy entered a crisis. Meanwhile in 1998 Joseph Estrada, known as Erap became president. Estrada was accused of corruption and he was impeached in November 2000.

Estrada was not convicted. Nevertheless people demonstrated against him and the military withdrew its support. Estrada was forced to leave office and Vice-president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo replaced him. She was re-elected in 2004. The Philippines in the 21st Century Today the Philippines is still poor but things are changing. Since 2010 the Philippine economy has grown at about 6% a year. Today there is reason to be optimistic for the future. Today the population of the Philippines is 103 million. Philip II --�Kids Encyclopedia | Children's Homework Help | Kids Online Dictionary | Britannica Philippines : The Spanish Colony (Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)) In 1521 Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer working for Spain, arrived in the Philippines on ships that were making the first circumnavigation of the globe. He first landed in the central Philippines near Leyte Island. Magellan was reportedly killed by a datu named Lapu-Lapu while leading an ... To cite this page: Philip II. Photograph. Britannica Online for Kids. Web.

Countries Named After People - Sarathc.com Sarathc.com Personal website & blog of Sarath Chandran - my view, my thoughts Visitors Blogs Articles Countries Named After People Countries Named After People Articles Countries Named After People Here is a list of countries who were named after certain people. I have tried my best to keep the facts true. please keep in mind that i am not an etymologist , just a curious mind. Country Name: Republic of Armenia Person Named After: Armenak Armenak is the great grandson of Haik (Hayk), is the legendary patriarch and founder of the Armenia Armenian Diaspora Country Name: Azerbaijan Person Named After: Atropat Atropat was a prominent commander and ruler of ancient Atropatena on 4th century BC what is the inheritance of the modern Azerbaijan. Atropatena Country Name: Bermuda Person Named After: Juan de Bermúdez Juan de Bermúdez was a Spanish navigator of the 16th century.

His fame is chiefly due to his discovery of the Bermuda Islands in 1503 Its interesting to read the log of juan de bermudez in which i believe he referes to exploration and discovery of the island Bermuda Islands Country Name: Bharat (India) Person Named After: Emperor Bharata Bharata is a legendary king in Hindu mythology. He was the first to conquer all of Greater India, uniting it into a single entity which was named after him as Bhāratavara. Bharata’s empire covered all of the Indian subcontinent, Bactria, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgistan, Turkmenistan, and Persia. Bhāratavarṣa Country Name: Bolivia Person Named After: Simón Bolívar (Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte Blanco) Simón Bolívar was one of the most important leaders of Spanish America’s successful struggle for independence against Spain. Following the triumph over the Spanish Monarchy, Bolívar participated in the foundation of Gran Colombia, a nation formed from several liberated Spanish colonies.

Gran Colombia Country Name: Republic of Colombia Person Named After: Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus was a Genoese navigator, colonizer and explorer whose voyages across the Atlantic Ocean—funded by Queen Isabella of Spain—led to general European awareness of the American continents in the Western Hemisphere. Columbus Map Country Name: Philippines Person Named After: King Philip II Philip II was King of Spain from 1556 until 1598, King of Naples from 1554 until 1598, king consort of England and Ireland from 1554 to 1558[1][2], lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories, such as Duke or Count; and King of Portugal and the Algarves as Philip I of Portugal from 1581. He ruled one of the world’s largest empires which included territories in every continent then known to Europeans. Philip’s dominions further included the Kingdom of Sicily, the Duchy of Milan, and Franche Comté, a strategically important territory on the eastern borders of the kingdom of France.

The Philippines Country Name: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Person Named After: “Imam” Muhammad ibn Saud Muhammad ibn Saud is considered the first head of the House of Saud, which is technically named for his father, Saud ibn Muhammed ibn Muqrin. The initial power base was the town of Ad-Dar’iyah, where he met Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab, who came to Saud for protection. Ibn Saud granted this and the two decided to work together to rid the Arabian peninsula of what they saw as innovations in the practice of Islam by bringing the religion back to its purest form. They formed an alliance, and this was formalized by the wedding of Ibn Saud’s son to Ibn Abdul Wahhab’s daughter. Country Name: Republic of Seychelles Person Named After: Jean Moreau de Séchelles Jean Moreau de Séchelles was a French official and politician.The Seychelles islands, ceded to the French East India Company in 1756, were named in his honor. French East India Company Country Name: Kingdom of Swaziland Person Named After: King Mswati II Mswati II was the king of Swaziland.

He was also the eponym of Swaziland. Called by the anthropologist Hilda Kuper “the greatest of the Swazi fighting kings,” Swaziland reached its greatest territorial extent under Mswati II (Kuper (1980 [1947]). He was the son of Sobhuza I of Swaziland. Country Name: Kingdom of Cambodia Person Named After: Sage Kambu Swayambhuva Kambu Swayambhuva (or Kaundinya) was a Hindu sage prince of Kamboja lineage who finds mention along with sage Agastya, Kaundinya Swayambhuva, king Rajendra Chola, king Ashoka Maurya and king Pushyamitra Shunga in Shloka-22 in Ekamata Stotra. The legend holds that Kambu Swayambhuva was a learned prince who had initially been an Indian king. He had ventured into the Far East and entered an area having jungles that was being ruled by a king of Naga lineage. Defeating the Naga king, prince Kambu married his daughter Mera and developed the land into a fertile and flourishing country.

World InfoZone - Philippines Facts Philippines Facts The Philippines consist of more than seven thousand islands. Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. The Pacific Ocean contains the deepest ocean trenches in the world. The Mindanao trench, close to the Philippines, is six and a half miles deep. The highest point in the Philippines is Mount Apo (2,954 m). There are over two hundred volcanoes on the islands, though only a small number are active. Fossil evidence of Homo sapiens sapiens has been found in the Tabon Cave Complex. It is estimated that the area was inhabited around fifty thousand years ago. World Heritage properties in the Philippines include the two thousand years old Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras. The Portuguese explorer, Ferdinand Magellan, was the first European to visit the Philippines. Magellan was in the service of the King of Spain. Ferdinand Magellan was killed in the Philippines in 1521. The islands were a colony of Spain from 1565 to 1898. The Spanish colony was named the Philippines, after Philip of Spain (King Philip II).

The capital city of Manila is named after a white-flowered mangrove plant, the nilad (Maynilad - there is nilad). Under Spanish colonization many people became Roman Catholics, except in the Muslim south. Jose Rizal (1861-96) is a major Philippine novelist whose works played a significant role in the movement for independence from Spain. Rizal was executed by the Spanish in 1896. Following the Spanish-American War, the islands of the Philippines, along with Puerto Rico , were ceded to the USA (1898). The Philippines is the third largest English speaking country in the world (after the USA and the UK). The Philippines became a republic in 1946. Ferdinand Marcos ruled the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. Benigno Aquino, the opposition leader, was assassinated in 1983. Corazon Aquino was the first female president of the country (1986 to 1992). The eruption of Mount Pinatubo, on the island of Luzon, in 1991 left a large number of people homeless.

Many thousands of people were evacuated from the area before the eruption. In February 2000, thirty thousand people were forced to leave their homes when the Mount Mayon volcano erupted. In 1993 seventy people were killed during an eruption. An entire village was buried by a landslide on the island of Leyte in February 2006. It was estimated that over one and a half thousand people lost their lives. In December 2009 peace talks resumed between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Malaysia, having broken down 16 months previously. In February 2010 the army captured Abu Sayyaf, leader Mujibar Alih Amon, suspected of the kidnapping raid on a Malaysian resort in 2000 and the killing of Christian missionaries in 2001. In June Benigno Aquino became president. In February 2011 the government and the communist New People�s Army (NPA) met in Oslo and agreed to work towards a peace deal by 2012; this was their first negotiation since 2004. Philippines Sections The Philippines The Philippines! Want to go ocean diving? Then visit my new friends!

"The Pearl of the Orient" Here are the basics on a very diverse country.... The Land The Pearl of the Orient, the Philippines. The Philippines officially consist of 7,107 islands of which only 2000 are inhabited. Only about 500 of the islands are larger than 1 one square mile, and 2,500 aren't even named. The 7,100 islands scattered in an archipelago which is actually part of a great primeval mountain range stretching from Japan south to Indonesia. Prehistoric geological activity (the Philippines has over 200 known volcanoes) and incessant monsoon rains have resulted in a rich landscape with a magnificent variety of natural wonders. From the powdery fine sands of Boracay, to the mysterious elegance of Bohol's Chocolate Hills, or from the majestic perfection of Mt. Mayon's famous cone, to the incredible triumph of the Banaue Rice Terraces, the Philippines is filled with natural wonders sufficient for more than a lifetime of study. The total area of the Philippines is 191,000 sq. mils.

From North to South the Philippines stretches 1,156 miles, and from East to West 687 miles. The highest Peak is Mt. Apo in Mindanao, at 7,385 ft. Mt. Pulog in North Luzon is the second at 7,325 ft. There are 37 volcanoes, 18 of which are classed as active including the Mt. Mayon Volcano in South Luzon and Mt. Pinatubo nort west of Manila in Central Luzon. The longest rivers are the Cagayan, Pampanga, and Agno in Luzon. History and Culture The Philippines is unique as the only Christian country in Asia, over 90% of the population is Christian. The Spanish did a thorough job. The Philippines has developed a unique mixed culture of foreign influences, mainly Spanish and North American, which can be seen everyday, as even the smallest village square is converted into a basketball court. Ever since US colonial times the country has been crazy about this sport of giants - even though the Filipinos themselves tend to be under tall.

During the period of Spanish occupation, Spanish was taught in schools and developed, as the language is still present to-day, in the numerical system and in the Zamboangan language in Chavacano. Spanish was abolished as a compulsory subject in 1968. Since the declaration of total independence from the USA in 1946, English has remained the language of commerce and Politics. Newspapers, TV, Radio, and Government statistics are evidence of this. The Philippines education system is largely based on the North American model: primary education (elementary schools), secondary education (high schools), and higher education (colleges, universities). School attendance is compulsory for the first four years of the six years elementary school. With an illiteracy rate of only 12% of the population over fifteen, the standard of education is high compared with other developing countries. First officially gaining modern European notice, the islands were discovered by the Portuguese explorer, Ferdinand Magellan sailing as a representative of Spain while searching for the legendary Spice Islands in 1521. It was however, Ruy Lopez de Villalobos, another Spaniard who gave the islands its present name after King Philip II of Spain in 1542.

Utilizing a careful balance of superior technology and religious conversion, the Spaniards colonized the islands and remained in power for over three centuries. During the latter decades of the 19th century, a rise of nationalism swept the country and became the foundation for Spain's inevitable eviction. Filipino national heroes like Aguinaldo, Bonifacio, and Rizal emerged as revolutionary vanguards who led the way to Philippine independence. Filipino guerillas with the help of the Americans (who were engaged with Spain in a war over Cuba) eventually succeeded in forging a new republic in 1899 with Emilio Aguinaldo as the first president of the Republic of the Philippines. The Americans however stayed on and defined their role as one of tutelage and instituted massive political, social, and economic development making the Philippines a commonwealth and promising independence in 1945. During World War II however, the Japanese defeated the Philippine-American forces and were able to occupy the Philippines for 3 ï¿½ years. They were eventually defeated when the Philippine-American guerilla forces were bolstered by the triumphant and promised return of General Douglas MacArthur and his powerful expeditionary force.

On July 4, 1946 the Philippines was finally declared an independent nation In 1521 Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese seafarer, arrived at the Islands, erected a Cross in Mactan and claimed the whole archipelago for Spain. Lapu Lapu, a proud Filipino chief, opposed the Spanish authority and this led to a battle in which Magellan was killed. Roy Lopez de Villalobos, was the next to try and claim the Islands for Spain. He reached the island realm with an expedition in 1543, and named it "Filipinas" after King Philip II of Spain. The permanent Spanish colonial rule of the Philippines began in 1565. In November of that year, Miguel Lopez de Lagaspi landed with his fleet at Bohol. In Tagbilaran, Legaspi sealed a blood friendship with the island ruler Rajah Sikatuna. He went on to conquer Cebu, a short time later and erect the first Spanish Fort in the Philippines. In 1571, Legaspi conquered Manila, and a year later the while country, with the exception of strictly Islamic Sulu Islands and Mindanao, was under Spain domination.

With the zeal typical of the Spanish at the time, churches were built and the propagation of Catholicism began. In 1898, as a result of a dispute over Cuba, a war between Spain and the USA broke out. Under Admiral Dewey the Spanish Fleet was decisively beaten in Manila Bay. The USA paid the Spanish US$20 million for possession of the Philippines and this was ratified by the Treaty of Paris in 1898. After President Roosevelt recognized the newly drawn up Philippine constitution, Manuel L. Quezon was sworn in as president of the Philippine Commonwealth. Following the attack on Pearl Harbour, Japanese troops landed in Luzon and conquered Manila in 1942. This brought about the brutal Japanese military rule, which continued till 1944 when General Douglas MacArthur fulfilled his promise to return and liberate the Philippines from Japanese. In 1946, the Philippines received full independence as had been promised in 1935 by the USA. The first President of the Republic was Manuel Roxas. The People The Philippines today is a dynamic result of its tumultuous history resulting in a nation rich with influences and flavors from its different colonial experiences.

Due in large part to Spanish influences, it has the distinction of being the only pre-dominantly Christian country in Asia. The people are known throughout the world for their hospitality and friendly disposition especially towards visitors. They are quite a fun loving crowd always ready to lend a helping hand if not a friendly smile. Customs and Traditions Due to its diverse colonial history, Filipino customs and traditions are equally as diverse. Some traditions have been eroded by modernization but a lot of them are still noticeable and can be traced back to colonial ancestry. For example, the "fiesta" or the celebration of a town's patron saint's feast day is a direct carry over from Spanish times. Once a year, Philippine towns hold huge feasts to celebrate this event which is next only to Christmas and New Year's Day in order of importance. (click above) History of Philippines History of Philippines ___ History of the Philippines Early History: The Philippine archipelago was settled at least 30,000 years ago, when migrations from the Indonesian archipelago and elsewhere are believed to have occurred. Additional migrations took place over the next millennia. Over time, social and political organization developed and evolved in the widely scattered islands.

The basic unit of settlement was the barangay (a Malay word for boat that came to be used to denote a communal settlement). Kinship groups were led by a datu (chief), and within the barangay there were broad social divisions consisting of nobles, freemen, and dependent and landless agricultural workers and slaves. Over the centuries, Indo-Malay migrants were joined by Chinese traders. A major development in the early period was the introduction of Islam to the Philippines by traders and proselytizers from the Indonesian islands. By A.D. 1500, Islam had been established in the Sulu Archipelago and spread from there to Mindanao; it reached the Manila area by 1565. In the midst of the introduction of Islam came the introduction of Christianity, with the arrival of the Spanish. Spanish Control: Ferdinand Magellan was the first European recorded to have landed in the Philippines*. He arrived in March 1521 during his circumnavigation of the globe. He claimed land for the king of Spain but was killed by a local chief. Following several more Spanish expeditions, the first permanent settlement was established in Cebu in 1565.

After defeating a local Muslim ruler, the Spanish set up their capital at Manila in 1571, and they named their new colony after King Philip II of Spain. In doing so, the Spanish sought to acquire a share in the lucrative spice trade, develop better contacts with China and Japan, and gain converts to Christianity. Only the third objective was eventually realized. As with other Spanish colonies, church and state became inseparably linked in carrying out Spanish objectives. Several Roman Catholic religious orders were assigned the responsibility of Christianizing the local population. The civil administration built upon the traditional village organization and used traditional local leaders to rule indirectly for Spain. Through these efforts, a new cultural community was developed, but Muslims (known as Moros by the Spanish) and upland tribal peoples remained detached and alienated. Trade in the Philippines centered around the “Manila galleons,” which sailed from Acapulco on the west coast of Mexico (New Spain) with shipments of silver bullion and minted coin that were exchanged for return cargoes of Chinese goods, mainly silk textiles and porcelain. There was no direct trade with Spain and little exploitation of indigenous natural resources. Most investment was in the galleon trade.

But, as this trade thrived, another unwelcome element was introduced—sojourning Chinese entrepreneurs and service providers. During the Seven Years’ War (1756–63), British East India Company forces captured Manila. Although the Philippines was returned to Spain at the end of the war, the British occupation marked the beginning of the end of the old order. Rebellions broke out in the north, and while the Spanish were busy fighting the British, Moros raided from the south. The Chinese community, resentful of Spanish discrimination, supported the British with laborers and armed men. The restoration of Spanish rule brought reforms aimed at promoting the economic development of the islands and making them independent of subsidies from New Spain. The galleon trade ceased in 1815, and from that date onward the Royal Company of the Philippines, which had been chartered in 1785, promoted direct and tariff-free trade between the islands and Spain. Cash crops were cultivated for trade with Europe and Latin America, but profits diminished after Spain’s Latin American colonies became independent in the 1810s and 1820s.

In 1834 the Royal Company of the Philippines was abolished, and free trade was formally recognized. With its excellent harbor, Manila became an open port for Asian, European, and North American traders. In 1873 additional ports were opened to foreign commerce, and by the late nineteenth century three crops—tobacco, abaca, and sugar—dominated Philippine exports. Rise of Nationalism: Also in the late nineteenth century, Chinese immigration, now with official approval, increased, and Chinese mestizos became a feature in Filipino social and economic life. So, too, did the growing Filipino native elite class of ilustrados (literally, enlightened ones), who became increasingly receptive to liberal and democratic ideas. Conservative Catholic friars continued to dominate the Spanish establishment, however. They resisted the inclusion of native clergy and were economically secure, with their large land holdings and control of churches, schools, and other establishments. Despite the bias against native priests, brothers, and nuns, some members of Filipino religious orders became prominent to the point of leading local religious movements and even insurrections against the establishment. Additionally, ilustrados returning from education and exile abroad brought new ideas that merged with folk religion to spur a national resistance.

One of the early nationalist leaders was José Rizal, a physician, scientist, scholar, and writer. His writings as a member of the Propaganda Movement (intellectually active, upper-class Filipino reformers) had a considerable impact on the awakening of the Filipino national consciousness. His books were banned, and he lived in self-imposed exile. Rizal returned from overseas in 1892 to found the Liga Filipina (Philippine League), a national, nonviolent political organization, but he was arrested and exiled and the league dissolved. One result was the split of the nationalist movement between the reform-minded ilustrados and a more revolutionary and independence-minded plebeian constituency. Many of the latter joined the Katipunan, a secret society founded by Andres Bonifacio in 1892 and committed to winning national independence. By 1896, the year the Katipunan rose in revolt against Spain, it had 30,000 members. Although Rizal, who had again returned to the Philippines, was not a member of the Katipunan, he was arrested and executed on December 30, 1896, for his alleged role in the rebellion.

With Rizal’s martyrdom, the rebels, led by Emilio Aguinaldo as president, were filled with new determination. Spanish troops defeated the insurgents, however, and Aguinaldo and his government went into exile in Hong Kon g in December 1897. When the Spanish-American War broke out in April 1898, Spain’s fleet was easily defeated at Manila. Aguinaldo returned, and his 12,000 troops kept the Spanish forces bottled up in Manila until U.S. troops landed. The Spanish cause was doomed, but the Americans did nothing to accommodate the inclusion of Aguinaldo in the succession. Fighting between American and Filipino troops broke out almost as soon as the Spanish had been defeated. Aguinaldo issued a declaration of independence on June 12, 1898. However, the Treaty of Paris, signed on December 10, 1898, by the United States and Spain, ceded the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico to the United States, recognized Cuban independence, and gave US$20 million to Spain.

A revolutionary congress convened at Malolos, north of Manila, promulgated a constitution on January 21, 1899, and inaugurated Aguinaldo as president of the new republic two days later. Hostilities broke out in February 1899, and by March 1901 Aguinaldo had been captured and his forces defeated. Despite Aguinaldo’s call to his compatriots to lay down their arms, insurgent resistance continued until 1903. The Moros, suspicious of both the Christian Filipino insurgents and the Americans, remained largely neutral, but eventually their own armed resistance had to be subjugated, and Moro territory was placed under U.S. military rule until 1914. United States Rule: U.S. rule over the Philippines had two phases. The first phase was from 1898 to 1935, during which time Washington defined its colonial mission as one of tutelage and preparing the Philippines for eventual independence. Political organizations developed quickly, and the popularly elected Philippine Assembly (lower house) and the U.S.-appointed Philippine Commission (upper house) served as a bicameral legislature.

The ilustrados formed the Federalista Party, but their statehood platform had limited appeal. In 1905 the party was renamed the National Progressive Party and took up a platform of independence. The Nacionalista Party was formed in 1907 and dominated Filipino politics until after World War II. Its leaders were not ilustrados. Despite their “immediate independence” platform, the party leaders participated in a collaborative leadership with the United States. A major development emerging in the post-World War I period was resistance to elite control of the land by tenant farmers, who were supported by the Socialist Party and the Communist Party of the Philippines. Tenant strikes and occasional violence occurred as the Great Depression wore on and cash-crop prices collapsed. The second period of United States rule—from 1936 to 1946—was characterized by the establishment of the Commonwealth of the Philippines and occupation by Japan during World War II. Legislation passed by the U.S. Congress in 1934 provided for a 10-year period of transition to independence.

The country’s first constitution was framed in 1934 and overwhelmingly approved by plebiscite in 1935, and Manuel Quezon was elected president of the commonwealth. Quezon later died in exile in 1944 and was succeeded by Vice President Sergio Osme a. Japan attacked the Philippines on December 8, 1941, and occupied Manila on January 2, 1942. Tokyo set up an ostensibly independent republic, which was opposed by underground and guerrilla activity that eventually reached large-scale proportions. A major element of the resistance in the Central Luzon area was furnished by the Huks (short for Hukbalahap, or People’s Anti-Japanese Army). Allied forces invaded the Philippines in October 1944, and the Japanese surrendered on September 2, 1945. Early Independence Period: World War II had been demoralizing for the Philippines, and the islands suffered from rampant inflation and shortages of food and other goods. Various trade and security issues with the United States also remained to be settled before Independence Day.

The Allied leaders wanted to purge officials who collaborated with the Japanese during the war and to deny them the right to vote in the first postwar elections. Commonwealth President Osme a, however, countered that each case should be tried on its own merits. The successful Liberal Party presidential candidate, Manual Roxas, was among those collaborationists. Independence from the United States came on July 4, 1946, and Roxas was sworn in as the first president. The economy remained highly dependent on U.S. markets, and the United States also continued to maintain control of 23 military installations. A bilateral treaty was signed in March 1947 by which the United States continued to provide military aid, training, and matériel. Such aid was timely, as the Huk guerrillas rose again, this time against the new government. They changed their name to the People’s Liberation Army (Hukbong Mapagpalaya ng Bayan) and demanded political participation, disbandment of the military police, and a general amnesty. Negotiations failed, and a rebellion began in 1950 with communist support. The aim was to overthrow the government.

The Huk movement dissipated into criminal activities by 1951, as the better-trained and -equipped Philippine armed forces and conciliatory government moves toward the peasants offset the effectiveness of the Huks. Populist Ramón Magsaysay of the Nacionalista Party was elected president in 1953 and embarked on widespread reforms that benefited tenant farmers in the Christian north while exacerbating hostilities with the Muslim south. The remaining Huk leaders were captured or killed, and by 1954 the movement had waned. After Magsaysay’s death in an airplane crash in 1957, he was succeeded by Vice President Carlos P. Garcia. Garcia was elected in his own right the same year, and he advanced the nationalist theme of “Filipinos First,” reaching agreement with the United States to relinquish large areas of land no longer needed for military operations. In 1961 the Liberal Party candidate, Diosdado Macapagal, was elected president. Subsequent negotiations with the United States over base rights led to considerable anti-American feelings and demonstrations.

Macapagal sought closer relations with his Southeast Asian neighbors and convened a summit with the leaders of Indonesia and Malaysia in the hope of developing a spirit of consensus, which did not emerge. The Marcos Era: Nacionalista Party leader Ferdinand Marcos came to dominate the political scene for the next two decades, beginning with his election to the presidency in 1965. During his first term, Marcos initiated ambitious public works projects that improved the general quality of life while providing generous pork-barrel benefits for his friends. Marcos perceived that his promised land reform program would alienate the politically all-powerful landowner elite, and thus it was never forcefully implemented. He lobbied strenuously for economic and military aid from the United States while resisting significant involvement in the Second Indochina War (1954–75). In 1967 the Philippines became a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Marcos became the first president to be reelected (in 1969), but early in his second term economic growth slowed, optimism faded, and the crime rate increased.

In addition, a new communist insurgency, this time—starting in 1968—led by the new Communist Party of the Philippines-Marxist-Leninist and its military arm, the New People’s Army, was on the rise. In 1969 the Moro National Liberation Front was founded and conducted an insurgency in Muslim areas. Political violence blamed on leftists, but probably initiated by government agents provocateurs, led Marcos to suspend habeas corpus as a prelude to martial law. Marcos declared martial law on September 21, 1972, and did not lift it until January 17, 1981. During this time, he called for self-sacrifice and an end to the old society. However, in the “New Society” Marcos’s cronies and his wife, former movie actress Imelda Romualdez-Marcos, wilfully engaged in rampant corruption. With her husband’s support, Imelda Marcos built her own power base. She became governor of Metropolitan Manila and minister of human settlements. The previously nonpolitical armed forces became highly politicized, with high-ranking positions being given to Marcos loyalists.

In 1979 the United States reaffirmed Philippine sovereignty over U.S. military bases and continued to provide military and economic aid to the Marcos regime. When martial law was lifted in 1981 and a “New Republic” proclaimed, little had actually changed, and Marcos easily won reelection. The beginning of the end of the Marcos era occurred when his chief political rival, Liberal Party leader Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, who had been jailed by Marcos for eight years, was assassinated as he disembarked from an airplane at the Manila International Airport on August 21, 1983, following medical treatment in the United States. Marcos cronies were charged with this crime but were acquitted. Aquino, however, became a martyr and his murder the focus of popular indignation against a corrupt regime. The Catholic Church, a coalition of old political opposition groups, the business elite, the left wing, and even factions of the armed forces all began to exert pressure on the regime. There also was foreign pressure and, feeling confident with the support given by the Reagan White House, Marcos called a “snap” presidential election for February 7, 1986.

When the Marcos-dominated National Assembly proclaimed Marcos the winner, Cardinal Jaime Sin and key military leaders (including Minister of Defense Juan Ponce Enrile and acting Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Lieutenant General Fidel V. Ramos) rallied around the apparent majority vote winner, Aquino’s widow, Corazon Cojuango Aquino. The People Power Movement—a popular uprising of priests, nuns, ordinary citizens, and children, supported by defecting military units—ousted Marcos on the day of his inauguration (February 25, 1986) and brought Aquino to power in an almost bloodless revolution. The Aquino Years and Beyond: Corazon Aquino had wide popular support but no political organization. Her vice president, Salvador H. “Doy” Laurel, had an organization but little popular support. Enrile and Ramos also had large stakes in what they saw as a coalition government. The coalition unraveled quickly, and there were several attempts, including unsuccessful military coups, to oust Aquino.

She survived her fractious term, however, and was succeeded in the 1992 election by Ramos, who had served loyally as chief of staff of the armed forces and secretary of national defense under Aquino. President Ramos worked at coalition building and overcoming the divisiveness of the Aquino years. Mutinous right-wing soldiers, communist insurgents, and Muslim separatists were convinced to cease their armed activities against the government and were granted amnesty. In an act of reconciliation, Ramos allowed the remains of Ferdinand Marcos—he had died in exile in the United States in 1989—to be returned to the Philippines for burial in 1993. Efforts by supporters of Ramos to gain passage of an amendment that would allow him to run for a second term were met with large-scale protests supported by Cardinal Sin and Corazon Aquino, leading Ramos to declare he would not run again. Joseph Estrada, who had served as Ramos’s vice president and enjoyed widespread popularity, was elected president in 1998. Within a year, however, Estrada’s popularity declined sharply amid allegations of cronyism and corruption and failure to remedy the problems of poverty. Once again, street rallies supported by Cardinal Sin and Corazon Aquino took place.

Then, in 2000 Senate investigators accused Estrada of having accepted bribes from illegal gambling businesses. Following an abortive Senate impeachment trial, growing street protests, and the withdrawal of support by the armed forces, Estrada was forced out of office on January 20, 2001. Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (the daughter of the late President Diosdado Macapagal) was sworn in as Estrada’s successor on the day of his departure. Her accession to power was further legitimated by the mid-term congressional and local elections, when her coalition later won an overwhelming victory, but the elections were fraught with allegations of coercion, fraud, and vote buying. Macapagal-Arroyo’s initial term in office was marked by fractious coalition politics as well as a military mutiny in Manila in July 2003 that led her to declare a month-long nationwide state of rebellion, as a result of which charges were filed against more than 1,000 individuals.

Macapagal-Arroyo had declared in December 2002 that she would not contest the May 2004 presidential election, but she reversed herself in October 2003 and decided to run. She was reelected and sworn in for her own six-year term as president on June 30, 2004. With this new mandate, she was able to move with greater assurance on the political and economic reform agenda that had stalled during her first term in office. Source: Library of Congress * Note: From books published in western Europe before Ferdinand Magellan landed in the southern Philippines in 1521, it is quite clear that the members of Magellan's 1521 expedition were not the first Europeans in the Philippines. Laguna Copperplate Inscription (900 CE) is the first written document found in a Philippine language. Ferdinand Magellan arrived in March 1521 in the Philippines during his circumnavigation of the globe. Tagalog Couple from the Boxer Codex, a manuscript written circa 1595 which contains illustrations of Filipinos at the time of their initial contact with the Spanish.

Question: The Philippines were named after which king of Spain?
Answer: King Philip II