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Philippine History
The term Filipino was originally denoted a person of Spanish descent born in the Philippines and was comparable to the term creole in the Spanish-American colonies, has been applied since the 19th century to the christianized Malays who constitute the bulk of the Philippine Island poplulation. Today, the Philippines is compounded of European, American, Asian and Middle Eastern cultures, as a diversified society and multicultural background makes our country unique.
The aboriginal inhabitants of the archipelago were pygmy negritos. During the pre-historic period, the Malayan people invaded the islands in successive waves beginning 200 BC. The first human in the Philippine is thought to have come from China and Malayan achipelago some 250, 000 years ago. Afterward, other people migrated to the island and among them are the Pygmies and the mongols from southeast Asia. In later years, Filipinos principally descendants of the Malay invaders, are divided mainly according to language and religion. In the south portion of the Archipelago, particularly in the west Mindanao are two muslim groups, the Moro and the Samal. Mestizos, person of mixed Filipno and white or chinese descent, form a small but politically important minority.
The Philippines was dicovered by Ferdinand Magellan March 16, 1521. Magellan was the first European to cross the Pacific Ocean and first to circumnavigate the globe. In 1506 , he went to the East Indies, participating military exploratory expedition in Malacca, now called Molluccas or Spice Island. By 1510, he had been promoted to the rank of Captain. He returned to Potugal in 1512 and in 1513, was stationed to Morroco, where he received wounds that left him lame for life.
Magellan renounced his Portuguese nationality and in 1517, offered his service to the King of Spain. King Charles the first. He subsequently secured the approval of Charles for an expedition that would attempt to reach the Moluccas by sailing west. The success of the voyage will bring wealth to Spain. On Sept 20 1519, Magellan sailed from Salucar de Barrameda with his five ships, in November of that year reach south America. In 1520, he explored the Rio de Plata and on March 31, 1520, his fleet put into Port San Julian, where he remained for nearly six months. During that period one ship was wrecked and a mutiny occured. After the mutiny has been quelled, magellan sailed into the Pacific, now named the straight of Magellan, again losing another ship by desertion.
After 38 days and a journey of 330 miles, on November 28, 1520, his three ships sailed into the ocean, which Magellan named...Pacific...because of it`s calmness. He reached the Marianas on March 6, 1521 and 10 days later discovered the Philippines, landing in the Island of Cebu on March 16, 1521. There he made his alliance with the ruler of the Island and agreed to aid an attack on the natives in a neighboring island of Mactan. Magellan was killed on April 27 during the Mactan expedition where he attempt to impose Christianity and Spanish sovereignty on the local chief Lapu-lapu. The rout subsequently nullified the alliance. Lapu-lapu became the national hero. Although Magellan did not live to complete the voyage, he did circumnavigate the globe by passinbg the eastern most point he had reached on an earlier voyage
The Philippines was under Spanish rules until the 1800`s. The Spanish American war commenced on April 21, 1898. Asian squadron of the US navy destroyed the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay. Spain ceded the entire Archipelago to the US, in return of $20 million dollars, and on December 21, the US proclaimed the establishment of the U.S. military rule. The Philippines became a United States commonwealth. In 1941, during the second World war, the Japanese invaded the Philippines. General Douglas MacArthur led the United State contingent to the Pacific against the Japanese, and soon there after the Philippines was granted independence. The Republic of the Philippines was formally proclaimed on July 4th 1946.
Boracay
The best vacation Capital of the world
Palawan
Famous for scuba diving and beautiful white sand beaches
Baguio City
The summer capital of the Philippines
Tagaytay
Home for the smallest active Volcano
Manila
The Capital City of the Philippines
Bohol
Home for chocolate hills
Orman
Co-founder & moderator of this site
Chin Pallaya
Co-founder & moderator of this site
