TIMELINE OF PHILIPPINE HISTORY

1380 Muslim Arabs arrived at the

Sulu Archipelago.

Ferdinand Magellan

1521
"discovers" the islands and
names them: Archipelago of
San Lazaro.

Spanish expedition commandeered by

1542
Ruy Lopez de Villalobos claims the
islands for Spain; names them
"Philippines" after Prince Philip, later
King Philip II of Spain; the Philippines
becomes part of Spanish Empire.

1872 Gomburza (Fathers Mariano

Gomez, Jose Burgos and
Jocinto Zamora) were
executed by the Spaniards.

1892 Jose Rizal founded the civic

organization La Liga Filipina.

Katipuneros tear their

cedulas & shout in contempt

1896 of the Spaniards in what is

called the Cry of Pugadlawin.

General Emilio Aguinaldo

1897 establishes the a new

republic at Biak-na-Bato in
Bulacan.

1886 José Rizal publishes anti-Spanish

novel, Noli Me Tangere (The Lost
Eden); and seers up
independence sentiment.

1896 Spanish execute Rizal for

instigating insurrection; public
outrage spawns rebellion.
American warship Maine was
blown up in Havana harbour,
triggers the SpanishAmerican

1898
war, the battle of Manila Bay
ensues.
Emilio Aguinaldo assembled
the Malolos Congress in
Bulacan, then declares
independence in Kawit, Cavite

1899 Treaty of Paris ends Spanish-American

War, cedes Philippines to U.S. after
payment to Spain by U.S. of $ 20 million.
Emilio Aguinaldo declares independence
then leads a guerrilla war against U.S.

1901
U.S. captures Aguinaldo; William
Howard Taft arrives as first U.S.
governor of Philippines.

Insurrection ends; Taft improves

1902
economic conditions, settles disputes
over church ownership of land,
establishes "Pensionado" program,
allowing Filipinos to study in U.S., which
helped modernize and westernize the
country.

1916 U.S. congress passes the Jones

Law establishing elected Filipino
legislature with house and senate.

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TIMELINE OF PHILIPPINE HISTORY
1934
U.S. congress approves the Tydings-
McDuffie Law promising Philippine
independence by 1946; transition to
independence begins.
Filipino people approve constitution

1935 creating the Philippine

Commonwealth with Manuel Quezon y
Molina as president.

Japanese invades the Philippines, and

1941 defeats Gen. Douglas MacArthur at

Bataan and Corregidor; Quezon
establishes government in exile in the
U.S.

1944
Quezon dies in exile; Vice President
Sergio Osmeña assumes the
presidency; MacArthur returns to the
Philippines and lands in Leyte with
little resistance.

1945 Gen. MacArthur liberates Manila

and President Osmeña establishes
government.
The U.S. gave the Philippines
independence and Manuel Roxas y

1946 Acuña is elected as the first

president of the new republic.

1965
Ferdinand E. Marcos is
elected by a big majority as
president.

1972
Martial Law was declared by
President Marcos. This period is
marked with human rights abuses
and corruption.

1981 Marcos lifts Martial Law.

Opposition leader Benigno "Ninoy"
Aquino returns from exile and is

1983 assassinated on arrival at Manila

International Airport; Aquino's widow
Corazon leads the "People Power" protest
movement.

1986
Marcos was officially declared winner in a
presidential election beating Corazon
Aquino amid charges of fraud;
demonstrations erupt; Marcos flees to
Hawaii; Aquino is declared president and
forms a new government.

1992 Endorsed by Aquino, her Secretary of

Defense Gen. Fidel Ramos wins
presidential election. U.S. Philippine
congress rejects a new treaty with the U.S.
and Subic Bay naval base and Clark Air
Field returns to Philippine government,

1996
ending American military presence in the
Philippines.
The government of Ramos agrees
to greater autonomy for southern
island of Mindanao. Moro
National Liberation Front (MNLF)
ends the guerrilla war with the

1997 government
Asian financial crisis grips Asia
and the Philippines escapes the
crisis despite series of currency
devaluations.

1998 Former movie actor Joseph

Estrada is elected president.

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On charges of corruption,
2000 the lower house impeach
Estrada.

2001 Estrada was forced to step down due

to public outrage over corruption
allegations. Vice President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo assumes the
presidency.

Presidential election takes place.

Arroyo's closest rival (a dear friend of

2004 Ex-President Estrada) is film actor

Fernando Poe, Jr. Arroyo narrowly
defeats Poe, taking 39.5% of the vote to
Poe's 36.6%.
A taped conversation between
President Arroyo & an election official

2005
surfaced during the 2004 elections
implying she influenced the official
election results. Calls for her
resignation and demonstrations
followed soon after. In September
2005, Congress voted down the filing
of an impeachment against Arroyo.

2007 Former President Joseph Estrada

is convicted of plunder, the first
ever in the history of the
Philippines.

First automated national

elections in the Philippines.

2010 Benigno "Noynoy" Simeon

Cojuangco Aquino III wins
the Presidential elections
and sworn in at Manila's
Rizal Park on June 30, 2010.

Rodrigo "Rody" Roa Duterte, the

former Mayor of Davao City
assumes the Presidency. He is the
first president to come from

2016
Mindanao.
Pres. Duterte declares Martial
Law in Mindanao Island due to

2017
the rebellion in Marawi City by
ISIS-affiliated Maute group on
May 23 and extended by both
houses of congress to December
31, 2017. The devastated city of
Marawi was declared liberated by
Duterte on October 17, 2017.
Starting March 10, the many parts of
the country, specially the National

2020
Capital Region, has been under various
levels of lockdown due to the Corona
virus (COVID-19) that started in Wuhan,
China and has spread worldwide.
Turning the economy from the fastest

2022
growing in Asia into a recession.
Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was sworn in
as president and Sara Duterte-
Carpio as vice-president of the
Republic.

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