philippine story

8/9/2019 Philippine Story

1/12

Philippine Story

Early History -The Negritos are believed to have migrated to the Philippines some30,000 years ago from Borneo, Sumatra, and Malaya. The Malayans followed insuessive waves. These people belonged to a primitive epoh of Malayan ulture,whih has apparently survived to this day among ertain groups suh as the!gorots. The Malayan tribes that ame later had more highly developed materialultures.

!n the "#th ent. $rab traders from Malay and Borneo introdued !slam into thesouthern islands and e%tended their influene as far north as &u'on. The first(uropeans to visit )"*+" the Philippines were those in the Spanish e%peditionaround the world led by the Portuguese e%plorer -erdinand Magellan. therSpanish e%peditions followed, inluding one from NewSpain )Me%io under &/pe' de illalobos, who in "*#+named the islands for the infante Philip, later Philip !!.

Spanish Control - The on1uest of the -ilipinos by Spain did not begin in earnestuntil "*2#, when another e%pedition from New Spain, ommanded by Miguel &/pe'de &egaspi, arrived. Spanish leadership was soon established over many small

independent ommunities that previously had nown no entral rule. By "*4",when &/pe' de &egaspi established the Spanish ity of Manila on the site of a Morotown he had on1uered the year before, the Spanish foothold in the Philippineswas seure, despite the opposition of the Portuguese, who were eager to maintaintheir monopoly on the trade of (ast $sia.

Manila repulsed the atta of the 5hinese pirate &imahong in "*4#. -or enturiesbefore the Spanish arrived the 5hinese had traded with the -ilipinos, but evidentlynone had settled permanently in the islands until after the on1uest. 5hinese tradeand labor were of great importane in the early development of the Spanisholony, but the 5hinese ame to be feared and hated beause of their inreasing

numbers, and in "203 the Spanish murdered thousands of them )later, there werelesser massares of the 5hinese.

The Spanish governor, made a vieroy in "*67, ruled with the advie of thepowerful royal audienia. There were fre1uent uprisings by the -ilipinos, whoresented the enomienda system. By the end of the "2th ent. Manila had beomea leading ommerial enter of (ast $sia, arrying on a flourishing trade with5hina, !ndia, and the (ast !ndies. The Philippines supplied some wealth )inludinggold to Spain, and the rihly laden galleons plying between the islands and NewSpain were often attaed by (nglish freebooters. There was also trouble from


2/12

other 1uarters, and the period from "200 to "223 was mared by ontinual warswith the 8uth, who were laying the foundations of their rih empire in the (ast!ndies, and with Moro pirates. ne of the most diffiult problems the Spanish faedwas the sub9ugation of the Moros. !ntermittent ampaigns were onduted againstthem but without onlusive results until the middle of the "7th ent. $s the powerof the Spanish (mpire waned, the :esuit orders beame more influential in thePhilippines and a1uired great amounts of property.

Revolution, War, and U.S. Control - !t was the opposition to the power of thelergy that in large measure brought about the rising sentiment for independene.Spanish in9usties, bigotry, and eonomi oppressions fed the movement, whihwas greatly inspired by the brilliant writings of :os; arbroe out in "676.

$fter the ?.S. naval vitory in ManilaBay on May ", "676, 5ommodore@eorge 8ewey supplied $guinaldo

with arms and urged him to rally the -ilipinos against the Spanish. By the time?.S. land fores had arrived, the -ilipinos had taen the entire island of &u'on,

e%ept for the old walled ity of Manila, whih they were besieging. The -ilipinoshad also delared their independene and established a republi under the firstdemorati onstitution ever nown in $sia. Their dreams of independene wererushed when the Philippines were transferred from Spain to the ?nited States inthe Treaty of Paris )"676, whih losed the Spanish=$merian >ar.

!n -eb., "677, $guinaldo led a new revolt, this time against ?.S. rule. 8efeated onthe battlefield, the -ilipinos turned to guerrilla warfare, and their sub9ugationbeame a mammoth pro9et for the ?nited StatesAone that ost far more moneyand too far more lives than the Spanish=$merian >ar. The insurretion waseffetively ended with the apture )"70" of $guinaldo by @en. -rederi -unston,

but the 1uestion of Philippine independene remained a burning issue in thepolitis of both the ?nited States and the islands. The matter was ompliated bythe growing eonomi ties between the two ountries. $lthough omparativelylittle $merian apital was invested in island industries, ?.S. trade buled largerand larger until the Philippines beame almost entirely dependent upon the$merian maret. -ree trade, established by an at of "707, was e%panded in"7"3.

>hen the 8emorats ame into power in "7"3, measures were taen to effet asmooth transition to self=rule. The Philippine assembly already had a popularly


3/12

eleted lower house, and the :ones $t, passed by the ?.S. 5ongress in "7"2,provided for a popularly eleted upper house as well, with power to approve allappointments made by the governor=general. !t also gave the islands their firstdefinite pledge of independene, although no speifi date was set.

>hen the ood, who was appointedgovernor=general, largely supplanted -ilipino ativities with a semimilitary rule.owever, the advent of the @reat 8epression in the ?nited States in the "730s andthe first aggressive moves by :apan in $sia )"73" shifted ?.S. sentiment sharplytoward the granting of immediate independene to the Philippines.

The Commonwealth - The are=awes 5utting $t, passed by 5ongress in "73+,provided for omplete independene of the islands in "7#* after "0 years of self=government under ?.S. supervision. The bill had been drawn up with the aid of aommission from the Philippines, but Manuel &. Cue'on, the leader of the

dominant Nationalist party, opposed it, partially beause of its threat of $meriantariffs against Philippine produts but prinipally beause of the provisions leavingnaval bases in ?.S. hands. ?nder his influene, the Philippine legislature re9etedthe bill. The Tydings=M8uffie !ndependene $t )"73# losely resembled theare=awes 5utting $t, but stru the provisions for $merian bases and arrieda promise of further study to orret Dimperfetions or ine1ualities.E

The Philippine legislature ratified the billF a onstitution, approved by Presidentar ame suddenly to the Philippines on 8e. 6 )8e. 4, ?.S.time, "7#", when :apan attaed without warning. :apanese troops invaded theislands in many plaes and launhed a piner drive on Manila. Ma$rthurGs

sattered defending fores )about 60,000 troops, four fifths of them -ilipinos werefored to withdraw to Bataan Peninsula and 5orregidor !sland, where theyentrenhed and tried to hold until the arrival of reinforements, meanwhileguarding the entrane to Manila Bay and denying that important harbor to the:apanese. But no reinforements were forthoming. The :apanese oupied Manilaon :an. +, "7#+. Ma$rthur was ordered out by President ainwright assumed ommand.

The besieged ?.S.=-ilipino army on Bataan finally rumbled on $pr. 7, "7#+.>ainwright fought on from 5orregidor with a garrison of about "",000 menF he


4/12

was overwhelmed on May 2, "7#+. $fter his apitulation, the :apanese fored thesurrender of all remaining defending units in the islands by threatening to use theaptured Bataan and 5orregidor troops as hostages. Many individual soldiersrefused to surrender, however, and guerrilla resistane, organi'ed and oordinatedby ?.S. and Philippine army offiers, ontinued throughout the :apaneseoupation.

:apanGs efforts to win -ilipino loyalty found e%pression in the establishment )t."#, "7#3 of a DPhilippine


5/12

The enormous tas of reonstruting the war=torn ountry was ompliated by theativities in entral &u'on of the 5ommunist=dominated ubalahap guerrillas)us, who resorted to terror and violene in their efforts to ahieve land reformand gain politial power. They were finally brought under ontrol )"7*# after avigorous atta launhed by the minister of national defense, hen Pope Paul !


6/12

visited Manila in Nov., "740, an attempt was made on his life. !n "74", at a &iberalparty rally, hand grenades were thrown at the speaersG platform, and severalpeople were illed. President Maros delared martial law in Sept., "74+, hargingthat a 5ommunist rebellion threatened. The "73* onstitution was replaed )"743by a new one that provided the president with diret powers. $ plebisite ):uly,"743 gave Maros the right to remain in offie beyond the e%piration )8e., "743of his term. Meanwhile the fighting on Mindanao had spread to the Sulu$rhipelago. By "743 some 3,000 people had been illed and hundreds of villages

burned. Throughout the "740s poverty andgovernmental orruption inreased, and !meldaMaros, -erdinandGs wife, beame moreinfluential.

Martial law remained in fore until "76", whenMaros was reeleted, amid ausations ofeletoral fraud. n $ug. +", "763, oppositionleader Benigno $1uino was assassinated atManila airport, whih inited a new, more

powerful wave of anti=Maros dissent. $fter the -eb., "762, presidential eletion,both Maros and his opponent, 5ora'on $1uino )the widow of Benigno, delaredthemselves the winner, and harges of massive fraud and violene were leveledagainst the Maros fation. MarosGs domesti and international support eroded,and he fled the ountry on -eb. +*, "762, eventually obtaining asylum in the?nited States.

$1uinoGs government faed mounting problems, inluding oup attempts,

signifiant eonomi diffiulties, and pressure to rid the Philippines of the ?.S.

military presene )the last ?.S. bases were evauated in "77+. !n "770, in

response to the demands of the Moros, a partially autonomous Muslim region wasreated in the far south. !n "77+, $1uino delined to run for reeletion and was

sueeded by her former army hief of staff -idel


7/12

Several natural disasters, inluding the "77" eruption of Mt. Pinatubo on &u'onand a suession of severe typhoons, slowed the ountryGs eonomi progress.owever, the Philippines esaped muh of the eonomi turmoil seen in other (ast$sian nations in "774 and "776, in part by following a slower pae of developmentimposed by the !nternational Monetary -und. :oseph Marelo (strada, a formermovie ator, was eleted president in "776, pledging to help the poor and developthe ountryGs agriultural setor. !n "777 he announed plans to amend theonstitution in order to remove protetionist provisions and attrat more foreigninvestment.

&ate in +000, (stradaGs presideny was buffeted by harges that he aeptedmillions of dollars in payoffs from illegal gambling operations. $lthough his supportamong the poor -ilipino ma9ority remained strong, many politial, business, andhurh leaders alled for him to resign. !n Nov., +000, (strada was impeahed bythe house of representatives on harges of graft, but the senate, ontrolled by(stradaGs allies, provoed a risis ):an., +00" when it re9eted e%amining thepresidentGs ban reords. $s demonstrations against (strada mounted andmembers of his abinet resigned, the supreme ourt stripped him of the

presideny, and ie President @loria Maapagal=$rroyo was sworn in as (stradaGssuessor.

Maapagal=$rroyo was eleted president in her own right in May, +00#, but theballoting was marred by violene and irregularities as well as a tedious vote=ounting proess that was ompleted si% wees after the eletion.


8/12

"HI%I""I&E ST'R(

"re-Spanish Times

There are two theories on the origins of thefirst -ilipinos, the inhabitants of what will

later be alled the Philippine !slands and eventually the


9/12

Batoin Bulaan provine. !n "674, an impasse between the Spanish governmentand $guinaldo arose. $fter negotiations between the two sides, $guinaldoaepted an amnesty from the Spaniards and ?SO 600,000.00 in e%hange for hise%ile to ong ong with his government.

"hilippine History )urin* the $merian Era

The Spanish=$merianwar whih started in 5uba, hanged the history of thePhilippines. n May ", "676, the $merians led by ?.S. Navy $dmiral @eorge8ewey, in partiipation of (milio $guinaldo, attaed the Spanish Navy in ManilaBay. -aed with defeat, the Philippines was eded to the ?nited Statesby Spain in"676 after a payment of ?SO +0 million to Spain in aordane with the Treaty ofParis ending the Spanish=$merian >ar. n :une "+, "676, -ilipinos led by (milio$guinaldo delared independene. This delaration was opposed by the ?.S. whohad plans of taing over the olony. $nd this led to a guerrilla war against the$merians. !n "70", $guinaldo was aptured and delared allegiane to the ?nitedStates. n the same year, >illiam oward Taftwas appointed as the first ?.S.governor of the Philippines. The ?.S. passed the :ones &awin "7"2 establishing an

eleted -ilipino legislature with a ouse of representatives Senate. !n "73#,the Tydings=M8uffie $twas passed by the ?.S. 5ongress, established the5ommonwealth of the Philippines and promised Philippine independene by "7#2.The law also provided for the position of President of the 5ommonwealth of thePhilippines. n the May "#, "73* eletions, Manuel &. Cue'onwon the position ofPresident of the Philippine 5ommonwealth.!n aordane with the Tydings=M8uffie $t of "73#, The Philippines was givenindependene on :uly #, "7#2 and the


10/12

!n tober "7##, @en. Ma$rthur with President Sergio smeHa )who assumedthe presideny after Cue'on died on $ugust ", "7## in e%ile in Sarana &ae, NewQor returned and liberated the Philippines from the :apanese.

The "hilippine Republi

n :uly #, "7#2, Manuel


11/12

n September "2, "77", despite the lobbying of $1uino, theSenate re9eted a new treaty that would allow a "0=year e%tensionof the ?S military bases in the ountry.!n the"77+ eletions, Pres. $1uino endorsed Seretary of8efense -idel


12/12

n the eve of the anniversary of the People Power

philippine story

Documents