Discovery of the Philippines by the West and Revolution (2)

The Philippines were claimed in the name of Spain in 1521 by

Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer sailing for Spain,
who named the islands after King Philip II of Spain. They were
then called Las Felipinas. By the 1830's Spanish culture and
thought had penetrated into Filipino culture to the extent that the
Filipino people began thinking about liberation from Spain. The
government of Spain developed Filipino agriculture to the point
that it was self-sufficient.

After some attempts at independence, and an equal number of atrocities on

the part of Spain, Filipino Nationalists began to speak out. One of the most
famous of the time was Jose Rizal. He studied medicine at the University of
Santo Tomas in the Philippines and the University of Madrid. Rizal wrote two
important novels that portrayed the abuses of Spanish rule. Although the
books were banned, they were smuggled into the Philippines and widely read.
On the night of his execution, on December 30, 1896, Rizal proclaimed the
Philippines "the Pearl of the Oriental Seas". His death is annually
commemorated on December 30.

Rizal's execution gave impetus to the revolution. Although the

Filipino rebels, lead by Emilio Aguinaldo, did not win complete
independence, the Spanish were not able to end the rebellion. In
December of 1897, negotiations with Spain resulted in the the
Pact of Biak-na-Bato. All of the rebels were granted anmisty and the leaders
of the revolution returned in voluntary exile to Honk Kong. While in Hong
Kong, Aguinaldo and his compatriots designed what is today the Philippine
national flag.