Philippine History: the Struggle and Glory
Pre-colonial period
Even before the Spaniards set foot in the Philippine Islands, the Philippines had somehow established itself a rich culture and tradition circling around hundreds of ethnic tribes scattered in the country. With influences from the Chinese, Indo-Malays, and Arab merchants, Filipinos learned the tricks of the trade and created their systematized government in dynasties and kingdoms during 900 A.D.
The first settlers in the Philippines were said to be cavemen resembling features of a Java Man and Peking Man who existed 250,000 years ago. It was in Palawan where the oldest human fossil remains were found, estimated to be about 30,000 years old. Archeologists hypothesized that the first human migrations to the Philippine islands happened during the last phase of the Ice Age, where there were still land bridges connected to Asia and Borneo.
Back then, religious beliefs were very raw and spiritual in nature. Their faith revolved around the idea of spirits and supernatural entities, known as “diwatas,” and the people respected the spirits through rituals of animal sacrifice and nature worship. A “babaylan” (priestess or shaman) usually led the ritual by singing and dancing, a way to “communicate” with the spirits. During those times, spiritual and economic leadership was provided by women. Until now, folk religion serves a source of comfort and cultural pride to many Filipinos.
Though religious practices seemed primitive and very backward, this did not hinder Filipinos to start discovering their impeccable talent in arts and crafts. Various archeological evidences prove that Filipinos were already skilled in weaving, ship-building and mining in pre-colonial times. The trade industry was starting to pick up with linkages to powerful Hindu empires, allowing the Philippines to adapt some Indian practices and culture including the syllabic scripts used by indigenous groups in Mindoro and Palawan. Soon enough, many Chinese and Arab traders frequented the Philippines by 10th to 12th century.
It was also in the 12th century where Muslim Arabs established their religion and settlements in Sulu which were then ruled by a Datu. Sultans from Borneo introduced Islam in the neighboring provinces of Sulu, including some parts of Luzon. For a couple of hundred years, the Islamic religion remained dominant until the arrival of Spaniards.
Colonial Period
Spanish Era. In 1521, Portuguese Ferdinand Magellan and his Spanish expedition arrived in Cebu and set up friendly relationships with local chieftains, some of them even became Roman Catholics. However, some local leaders did not succumb to foreign domination. Led by local chief named Lapu-Lapu, Magellan and his troops were killed in what came to be known as the “Battle of Mactan.”
Other Spanish expeditions were sent off to the Philippines during the next decades. In a 1543 expedition led by Ruy López de Villalobos, they gave the name Las Islas Filipinas—after King Philip II of Spain—to the islands Samar and Leyte. Permanent settlement was not established until Miguel López de Legazpi, the first Governor-General of the Philippines, arrived in Cebu in 1565.
After years of establishing small communities in different rural areas, Legazpi founded a capital in Manila which became the center of Spanish trade, military, and religious activities in the archipelago. The Philippines was then proclaimed as a province of New Spain (Mexico). During the Spanish colonization, one of their primary goals was the propagation of Catholicism in the entire country. Eventually, Filipinos converted to Christianity, from which the Muslims in Mindanao and the north of Luzon were detached and separated.
The 19th century opened the country to world trade. It was also during this time where abuses of the colonizers became rampant, resulting to the birth of a Filipino nationalist movement. With demands for equality among Filipinos and Spaniards, several propaganda were founded by the “ilustrados” (enlightened ones) like Dr. Jose Rizal, Marcelo Del Pilar, and Mariano Ponce among others. The creation of Rizal's two novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, which depicted the corrupt system of Spanish government in the Philippines, ignited the Filipinos' desire for freedom and and liberation. But the execution of Rizal in Decemeber 30, 1896 sparked the revolution led by Andres Bonifacio against the Spanish government.
Bonifacio's secret society, “Katipunan,” started war in different provinces with Emilio Aguinaldo leading the “Katipuneros” in Cavite. Because of internal factions between Bonifacio and Aguinaldo, the former was executed on the latter's orders. Aguinaldo then drafted a constitution creating the Republic of Biak-na-Bato in Bulacan. But after negotiations and peace talks with the Spaniards, he accepted amnesty in exchange for his exile in Hong Kong. However, another revolution broke out between Spain and U.S. In 1898.
American Era. The defeat of the Spanish squadron by the American troops at the Manila Bay on May 1, 1898 marked the start of another foreign colonization. Aguinaldo went back with the invitation from the U.S., and declared independence on June 12, 1898 in Kawit, Cavite, establishing the first Philippine Republic under Asia's first democratic constitution. But it was a short-lived freedom as Philippines was transferred from Spain to U.S. through the Treaty in Paris, ending the Spanish-American war.
Outraged with the U.S. occupation, the first Philippine Republic protested and fought, which resulted to the Philippine-American War (1899–1913). A nationwide guerrilla movement started, but because Filipino soldiers were inferior to American troops in terms of weapons, they suffered several deaths and defeats. The capture of Gen. Frederick Funstion ended the revolution in 1901 but the matter of Philippine independence was still in question. Resistance from some guerrillas were still rampant especially in Mindanao, until 1913.
William Howard Taft, the first American Governor-General in the country, established a civil government in 1901 and declared English as the official language. Hundreds of American teachers were recruited and Catholic church was disestablished, distributing and selling some of the church land to private owners.
In 1913, the American government under the new administration of Woodrow Wilson decided to start a process of leading the Philippines to its independence, making the U.S. administration in the country temporary. American officials concentrated on establishing education and a sound legal system, also granting the Filipinos a free trade status with the U.S.
The Philippine Autonomy Act in 1916, also known as the Jones Law, stated that Philippine independence would be subjected to the establishment of a stable government. The United States Congress passed a new Philippine Independence Act in 1934, known as the Tydings-Mcduffie Act, which granted independence by 1946.
Educational and health systems in the country improved drastically. Literacy rate reached 50% by 1930s and several sickness were eliminated. U.S. trade policies strengthened exports of agricultural products and goods.
Commonwealth and World War II
On May 14, 1935, Manuel Quezon won and became the President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, featuring a very strong executive, unicameral National Assembly, and a Supreme Court composed entirely of Filipinos since 1901. They established a stronger national defense, greater control over the economy, reforms in education, improvement in transport, and industrialization.
Revision of Philippine Congress occurred in 1939 to restore a bicameral Congress and permit the reelection of Quezon in 1941. Because of possible agressions from other South East Asian countries, Gen. Douglas McArthur was sent to the Philippines as a military adviser, and eventually became the field marshal of the Commonwealth army.
On Dec. 8, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack in the Philippines just after the Pearl Harbor bombing. Japanese soldiers were scattered in the islands of Luzon along with aerial bombardment around Manila. Under the command of McArthur, American and Filipino soldiers withdrew to the Bataan Peninsula and to the entrance of Manila Bay, blocking the entrance from the Japanese troops. But in less than a month, Manila was declared an Open City to prevent further destruction from war. The Japanese started invading Manila and other provinces until the Philippine defense shattered and the United States-Philippine forces surrendered.
About 80,000 prisoners of war detained by the Japanese soldiers at Bataan were forced to take on the so-called Bataan Death March to a prison camp 105 kilometers to the north. It is said that over 10,000 men died along the way.
Forcing the surrender of all remaining U.S.-Philippine troops, the Japanese threatened to kill the captured Bataan troops. Many soldiers refused to surrender and guerrilla resistance continued throughout the Japanese occupation.
The new colonizer organized a new government for the Philippines.
Jose P. Laurel was declared the President of the independent republic
of the Philippines but the people did not support it as it was supported
by the Japanese.
Guerrilla resistance was very effective during the Japanese regime,
and it came to a point where Japan only controlled 12 out of 48 provinces
in the country. The “Hukbalahap” (Hukbo ng Bayan Laban
sa mga Hapon / People’s Army Against the Japanese) gained control
over Central Luzon with about 30,000 people in the army.
The establishment of a “Philippine Republic” under President Jose P. Laurel was Japan’s effort to win the Filipinos’ loyalty. But the “puppet government” and Japanese’ brutality did no good to win the people’s hearts. Meanwhile, President Quezon set up a government-in-exile in Washington with his other officials. After his death, Vice President Sergio Osmeña took over and returned to the Philippines with much hope and liberation forces.
McArthur and his troops came back to the Philippines in 1944. The battle of Leyte Gulf and the second battle of the Philippine Sea destroyed the Japanese navy and opened a way to recover all the islands. On July 5, 1945, McArthur announced that “all the Philippines are now liberated.” Total surrender from the Japanese happened on Sept. 2, 1945. By then, Manila was extensively destroyed and about one million Filipinos died because of war.
On July 4, 1946, the Americans withdrew its sovereignty and finally recognized Philippine independence.
Philippine Republic
Elections were held in April 1946 and Manuel Roxas defeated Osmeña for the presidency. Under his administration, Roxas granted general amnesty for those who worked for the Japanese. He also declared the “Hukbalahap” (Huks) illegal. His term ended when he died in 1948 because of a heart attack.
Vice President Elpidio Quirino became the President, ran for election in 1949 and won against Jose P. Laurel. Despite efforts to reconstruct the remnants of war in the Philippines, violence was still dominant because of the Huks. The communist guerrillas wanted to attain land reform and political power by causing terror, and by 1954, they were finally brought under control.
During that time Ramon Magsaysay defeated Quirino in the presidential
elections. Filipinos saw hope in this new administration as he made
significant progress in land reform and economic changes. His premature
death in a plane crash in 1957 paved the way for Vice President Carlos
Garcia to succeed and win the elections within the same year.
Garcia started the campaign “Pilipino Muna” (Filipinos
First Policy) which favors all Filipino businessmen, its own products
and services over the foreigners. But the prevalence of graft and
corruption and the disfavor of U.S. in Garcia's policy made him unpopular
and led to the union of Liberal and Progressive parties. In 1961 elections,
outgoing Vice President Diosdado Macapagal won and started a new administration
battling corruption and establishing alliances with neighboring countries.
Macapagal ran for reelection but was defeated by Senate President Ferdinand Marcos, who was a former party-mate in the Liberal Party. In 1967, Philippines became one of the founding countries of the Association of the South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). However, a new Huk uprising started in Central Luzon because of demands on land reform. There were also threats to start a civil war in Mindanao and Marcos started a major military campaign to control them. In his administration, Marcos prioritized developments on infrastructure and was able to build more schools than all of his predecessors combined. He also intensied the campaign on tax collection which uplifted the economy in the 1970s.
Marcos was the only President to have won a reelection when he beat Sergio Osmeña, Jr., in the 1969 elections. But violence and accusations on fraud increased the civil disorder in his second term. He was unable to minimize government corruption or create growth in economy at par with population growth. The Communist Party of the Philippines formed the New Peoples Army while the Moro National Liberation Front demanded to separate Mindanao from the Philippines.
Some 2,000 protesters attempted to barged in Malacañang Palace, the presidential residence, in 1970. Hand grenades were thrown and several people were killed in a Liberal Party rally in 1971 at Plaza Miranda in Quiapo, Manila. The congress then called for a Constitutional Convention (Con-con) seeking to revise the 1935 Consitution. Charging the threats of a communist rebellion, Marcos declared martial law in Sept. 21, 1972. This means that the government and military forces have control over the civilian population of a designated terrotory. A plebescite in 1973 gave Marcos the right to be President beyond the end of his term.
The administration continued to enforce martial law for almost ten years, until 1981, when Marcos was reelected despite several accusations on fraud. Ruling by decree, the president closed down Congress and media establishments; stopped press freedom and other civil liberties; and ordered the imprisonment of opposition leaders and militant activists including Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr.
But even before the Constitution could be revised and later on implemented, Marcos made several amendments including the extension of martial law and a law allowing himself to be President and concurrent Prime Minister. Despite these and other questionable amendments, the economy and tourism went up. There were surpluses in budget and trade industries.
Marcos lifted martial law in January 1981 to settle the Catholic Church before Pope John Paul II arrived in the Philippines. However, the President still held the government's power for arrest and detention. What sparked Filipinos to go against the Marcos administration was the assassination of Benigno Aquino, Jr. at the Manila International Airport (known today as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport or NAIA).
At the 1986 elections, both Marcos and Corazon Aquino, widow of Benigno, declared themselves President of the country. Filipinos were outraged and thousands protested in what was known all over the world as People Power. After Gen. Fidel Ramos and Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile denounced their support from the dictator, Marcos and his family fled the country to find refuge in the United States in February 1986.
Despite having no prior political experience, Aquino proved to be an effective leader who gave hope to Filipinos. Though her administration was challenged with foreign debt and a number of coup d'etat, she was able to create a revolutionary government under the Freedom Constitution, and later on replaced it with the 1987 Constitution which defined and reestablished democracy in the country.
In June 1992, Fidel Ramos was proclaimed the 12th Philippine President and was so far the oldest person to assume presidency at the age of 64. The first quarter of his term was defined by economic boom, technological development, political stability and satisfaction of the basic needs of people. He was the first Christian democrat to be elected in the country and became one of the most influential leaders in Asia.
Vice President Joseph Ejercito Estrada, known to be an action star before he joined politics, won the 1998 elections and was inagurated in the historical town of Malolos, Bulacan. He assumed office with agricultural problems and the Asian Financial Crisis, therefore slowing the economic growth in his first year at office. In 2000, he declared an “all-out-war” against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and captured rebels in camps and headquarters. But allegations on corruption led to the impeachment trial in the Senate courtesy of house speaker Manuel Villar. People Power II in 2001 forced Estrada to resign and he was arrested for the case of plunder.
Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo finished the remaining years of Estrada as President. Several trials and protests faced her administration. First was the so-called EDSA III where Estrada's supporters demanded for the ex-president's release. Arroyo declared a state of rebellion because of violence and continuous protests.
In 2003, the Oakwood Mutiny occurred where a group of 321 armed soldiers led by Army Capt. Gerardo Gambala and Lt. Antonio Trillanes IV took over the Oakwood Premier Ayala Center (now Ascott Makati) serviced apartment tower to show the alleged corruption of the current administration.
Arroyo ran for the 2004 elections despite saying she would no longer do so. She won with her running mate, Noli de Castro, and became President for another six years.
Allegations on election fraud gained momentum when the “Hello Garci” scandal broke off. An audio recording of wiretapped conversations between Arroyo and then Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano was made public and proved that the President asked the officer for her to win at least one million votes over Fernando Poe, Jr. Arroyo apologized via TV appearance, with her famous line, “I am sorry.”
In 2006, the President issued a State of Emergency for one week because of alleged plots to overthrow the government. Her administration also pushed for Charter Change but efforts were hindered by the opposition because of a possible extension of term for Arroyo.
After the dramatic death of Corazon Aquino in August 2009, the Filipino public pushed for the presidential candidacy of her son Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino, III. On June 30, 2010, Aquino was inagurated in the Quirino Grandstand, Manila. He is the first president to be a bachelor, and second president not to drink alcohol beverages.
Sources:
http://www.philippinecountry.com/
http://www.philippinepresidents.org/
http://www.immigration.gov.ph/
