Dubbed as the “Pearl of the Orient”, the Philippines has a rich and colorful history beginning with the arrival of the first humans via land bridges around 30,000 years ago.
The first notable forms of established organizations or societies were indigenous tribes which lived in “barangays” or small communities. A certain “barangay” was ruled by a chieftain called “datu” and within this group of people rose several social divisions composed of nobles, freemen and slaves.
The first Filipinos had already established trade relations with China, India and Islamic merchants as early as the 9th century before the arrival of the Westerners in the 16th century.
The Philippines was discovered by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1521. He claimed the land and offered it to the King of Spain, naming it Islas de San Lazaro. Magellan made ties with local chieftains and urged them to convert to Catholicism. However, not all tribes agreed to the idea of being dictated upon by foreign invaders. Several uprising ensued with Magellan getting killed in a fierce battle led by local chief Lapu- Lapu.
The Spanish empire continued to send expeditions to the archipelago and by 1543, Ruy Lopez de Villalobos successfully spearheaded a return trip to the island, conquered it anew and named it Las Islas Felipinas in honor of Prince Philip who later became Philip II of Spain.
Spain retained possession of the islands in the next 350 years, establishing permanent settlement and government. In 1898, a massive uprising erupted against Spain resulting to the proclamation of independence and the establishment of the first Philippine Republic. The Philippines were ceded to the U.S. in 1899 by the Treaty of Paris after the Spanish-American War. In 1935, United States granted the Philippines a Commonwealth status, a preparatory stage before the Philippines can be fully independent from U.S rule.
The Commonwealth government of the Philippines was interrupted as Japan invaded the country during the Second World War which lasted until September 1945. In 1946, the Philippines gained its sovereignty over the United States of America and elected Manuel Roxas as the first president of the independent Republic of the Philippines.
In 1972, the country once again entered another dark phase when former president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos proclaimed Martial Law drawing massive protest actions all over the country. The 1983 assassination of then-senator and staunch Marcos critic Benigno Aquino Sr, sparked a peaceful people power revolt, known as the EDSA Revolution forcing both Ferdinand and his wife Imelda to flee into exile.
Corazon Aquino, Benigno's widow, assumed office as the country's first-ever woman president. Though generally charismatic, Aquino was beset with numerous coup attempts led by right-wing elements and other Marcos loyalists.
The elections on May 1992 saw General Fidel Ramos winning the presidency in a tightly-contested seven-way race. Among the highlights of his presidency was the U.S. Navy's formal turnover of the Subic Bay Naval Base to the Philippines ending the foreigners' long-standing military presence.
On May 1998, former movie star Joseph Estrada was elected president of the Philippines. He was removed from office after nearly three years as the Philippine Senate began a series of investigations leading to an impeachment trial based on corruption charges. Another monumental people power revolt ensued in the heat of Estrada's impeachment proceedings, forcing him to leave office.
Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, daughter of former president Diosdado Macapagal, was named president in January 2001. She was successful in returning to power after defeating film star Fernando Poe in one of the most tightly-contested presidential elections ever.
Arroyo did not escape intrigues and controversies as she was saddled with a political crisis of her own in the summer of 2005, after she admitted calling an election official during the 2004 elections. She survived an impeachment bid in July 2005.
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