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Home » Travel to Philippines » History of Philippines
History of Philippines
 The
history of Philippines is as interesting as the country itself. The
rich and unique history of Philippines mainly shows the Asian, European,
and American influences. Though, the Negritos were the earliest inhabitants
of the Philippines islands, its history can be traced only after the
Spanish advent in the early 16th century AD.
Ferdinand Magellan, the famous Portuguese navigator, landed on the islands in 1521, and named the region after Philip II of Spain. Later, the tribes were converted to Christianity, and today Philippines is the only southeast Asian country with Christian majority. In 1565, Miguel Lopez de Legaspi established the first Spanish settlement in Cebu and later captured Manila in 1571, defeating a Muslim king. The Filipino, who are freedom-loving people, waged hundreds of war against Spanish rule and finally succeeded in 1896. It was possible only due to active support from the United States, which took control of the islands in 1898.
Soon, the Filipino rose against the American occupation, resulting into the Philippine-American War, and a constitution was drawn up in 1935, giving the Philippines power of internal self-governance. During World War II (1939-45), Filipinos fought alongside Americans, and the country was occupied by the Japanese between 1942 and 1945. After the defeat of Japan in 1945, the United States granted it complete independence in 1946. From 1946 to 1965, the country saw a number of presidents coming and going, until Ferdinand Marcos won the presidential elections in 1965. His two consecutive terms ended in 1972, but Marcos instituted martial law and suppressed all political opposition.
Various revolutionary organizations and parties were formed to oppose the Marcos regime. The turning point for the regime came after the assassination of Benigno Aquino upon his return from exile in 1983. Public opinion rallied behind his widow, Corazon Aquino in a massive campaign of demonstrations and non-violent protest, popularly known as 'People Power'. When US decided to withdraw his backing from Marcos, he fled the country in February 1986, and took shelter in Hawaiian Island and died there in September 1989. In 1991, Fidel Ramos became the president of Philippines and ruled it until May 1998, when the Asian financial crisis hit the Philippines badly. In 1998 presidential elections, Joseph Estrada, a popular film star and the president of the newly formed LMP party (Laban ng Masang Pilipino), won the poll by a comfortable margin. In a Supreme Court ruling of January 2001, he was thrown out of office and replaced by his deputy, Gloria Arroyo. Arroyo was re-elected in May 2004.
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