History is the study of life in society in the past, in all its aspect, in relation to
present developments and future hopes. It is the story of man in time, an
inquiry into the past based on evidence. Indeed, evidence is the raw material
of history teaching and learning.
The history of the Philippines dates from the earliest hominin activity in the
archipelago at least by 709,000 years ago.[1] Homo luzonensis, a species of
archaic humans, was present on the island of Luzon[2][3] at least by 134,000
years ago.[4]
The earliest known anatomically modern human was from Tabon Caves in
Palawan dating about 47,000 years.[5] Negrito groups were the first
inhabitants to settle in the prehistoric Philippines.[6] These were followed by
Austroasiatics, Papuans, and South Asians.[7] By around 3000 BCE, seafaring
Austronesians, who form the majority of the current population, migrated
southward from Taiwan.[8] By 2000 BCE the archipelago was the crux of a
trans-oceanic Philippine jade culture.[9]
Scholars generally believe that these ethnic and social groups eventually
developed into various settlements or polities with varying degrees of
economic specialization, social stratification, and political organization.[10]
Some of these settlements (mostly those located on major river deltas)
achieved such a scale of social complexity that some scholars believe they
should be considered early states.[11] This includes the predecessors of
modern-day population centers such as Manila, Tondo, Pangasinan, Cebu,
Panay, Bohol, Butuan, Cotabato, Lanao, Zamboanga and Sulu[12] as well as
some polities, such as Ma-I, whose possible location is either Mindoro or
Laguna.[13]
These polities were influenced by Islamic, Indian, and Chinese cultures. Islam
arrived from Arabia, while Indian Hindu-Buddhist[14] religion, language,
culture, literature and philosophy arrived through expeditions such as the
South-East Asia campaign of Rajendra Chola I.[15] Some polities were
Sinified tributary states allied to China. These small maritime states
flourished from the 1st millennium.[16][17]
These kingdoms traded with what are now called China, India, Japan,
Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. The remainder of the settlements were
independent barangays allied with one of the larger states. These small
states alternated from being part of or being influenced by larger Asian
empires like the Ming dynasty, Majapahit and Brunei or rebelling and waging
war against them.[18]
The first recorded visit by Europeans is Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition,
which landed in Homonhon Island, now part of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, on
March 17, 1521. They lost a battle against the army of Lapulapu, chief of
Mactan, where Magellan was killed.[19][20][21] The Spanish Philippines
began with the Pacific expansion of New Spain and the arrival of Miguel
López de Legazpi’s expedition on February 13, 1565, from Mexico. He
established the first permanent settlement in Cebu.[22]
Much of the archipelago came under Spanish rule, creating the first unified
political structure known as the Philippines. Spanish colonial rule saw the
introduction of Christianity, the code of law, and the oldest modern university
in Asia. The Philippines was ruled under the Mexico-based Viceroyalty of New
Spain. After this, the colony was directly governed by Spain, following
Mexico’s independence.
Spanish rule ended in 1898 with Spain’s defeat in the Spanish–American War.
The Philippines then became a territory of the United States. U.S. forces
suppressed a revolution led by Emilio Aguinaldo. The United States
established the Insular Government to rule the Philippines. In 1907, the
elected Philippine Assembly was set up with popular elections. The U.S.
promised independence in the Jones Act.[23] The Philippine Commonwealth
was established in 1935, as a 10-year interim step prior to full independence.
However, in 1942 during World War II, Japan occupied the Philippines. The
U.S. military overpowered the Japanese in 1945. The Treaty of Manila in 1946
established the independent Philippine Republic
