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The Philippines

THE Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is an island nation located in the Malay Archipelago in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital. It lies 1,210 kilometers from mainland Asia and comprises 7,107 islands called the Philippine Archipelago, approximately 700 of which are inhabited. The country’s name originated with Ruy Lopez de Villalobos naming the islands of Samar and Leyte, Last Islas Filipinas after King Philip II of Spain during his failed expedition in 1543.

History

Archeological and paleontological evidence suggests that Homo sapiens existed in Palawan about 50,000 years ago. These inhabitants were called Tabon Man. During the Iron Age, Austronesian-speakers came from South China and Taiwan via land bridges and settled in the Philippines. Ethnic Chinese merchants arrived in the 8th Century.

The Portuguese Ferdinand Magellan, sailing for the Spanish kings, first set foot in the archipelago in 1521. He became friendly with most of the local chieftains and converted them to Roman Catholicism. However, not everyone was converted. Magellan was killed and the Spaniards were defeated by Lapu-Lapu, one of the chieftains who was protecting the rights of their local religion.

On April 27, 1565, the Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and 500 armed soldiers came to Cebu Island and established the first Spanish settlement on the islands. Roman Catholic missionaries marched with soldiers from island to island in search of native people. The Spaniards soon established churches and forts. Roman Catholicism was introduced and embraced by the majority.

New Spain ruled the Philippines until Mexican independence. A burgeoning Manila-Acapulco galleon trade began in the late 16th century. Spanish rule on the Philippines was briefly interrupted in 1762 when British troops invaded and occupied the islands as a result of Spain’s entry into the Seven Years’ War. The Treaty of Paris in 1763 restored Spanish rule and the British left in 1764. The brief British occupation weakened Spanish grip on power.

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