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.