Philippine setting

The following are the important events in Philippine history that may have contributed to the development of Philippine tourism. Some events in Philippine history are so popular that tourists visit the areas here incidents happened and continue to appreciate these historical episodes. Here are some of the important periods in Philippine history which are now part of Philippine tourism

Arrival of the Different Tribes Through Land Bridges and Boats

In the early part of history and as confirmed by world history, huntergatherers existed in Southeast Asia at least since 8000 BCE. There was mixing of people as each race met along the routes. Some of those who went to Southeast Asia, aside from hunting and gathering, also used tools of stone and wood and grew crops to supplement their supply of food. Maybe, these people also grew crops for food in response to an increasing population. The population growth might have trigged people to migrate in their dugout canoes to nearby uninhabited islands. The Chinese from the mainland sailed to Taiwan in small boats as early as 4000 BCE. In 25,000 BCE, the forefathers of todays Negritos and Aetas migrated to the Philippines using the hypothetical land bridges that were said to connect the Philippine archipelago with the Asian mainland. These first settlers were food gatherers and hunters. They used bows and arrows and stone tools.

In the 2000s, people in small boats began populating the islands the Philippines. These people who migrated from the Asian mainland brought with them the knowledge of rice cultivation and raising domesticated animals. This group of migrants also brought with them a system of government known as the barangay. Similar to the early settlers of other civilizations, this group of people believed in animism. As early as 1000AD, settlers of the country were trading with people from other nations. Since the archipelago was part of the water superhighway in the East, it was frequented by traders from Arabia, Indian, Annan, China and later from Europe. Islam reached the southern part of the country through the island of Borneo in 1830. Islam spread throughout the country as far as Luzon in the north. In 1450, the Sultanate of Jolo was established covering the island of Mindanao as well as parts of Borneo. Up to the present, the Sultanate of Jolo exists and the claims on Borneo as part of the Philippines is being pushed by the living heirs.

Spanish Colonial Times

March 16, 1521 is a significant date in Philippine history. It was the day when the first European travelers reached the Philippines. Led by the Portuguese Ferdinand Magellan, a Spanish expedition which sailed across the Pacific Ocean from east to west landed on Homonhon Island. The first recorded blood compact in Philippine history happened between Magellan and Rajah Kulambo. The first mass on Philippine soil was celebrated in Limasawa on May 31, 1521. On April 27, 1521, Magellan died in a battle against Lapu-Lapu, chieftain of Mactan, in the province of Cebu. This was known as the battle of Mactan, considered as the first act of resistance against foreign rule. In 1543, the country was called Las Islas Filipinas (The Philippine Islands) by Ruy Lopez de Villalobos, another expedition leader who successfully reached the archipelago. He named the country in honor of the son of King Charles I, Philip II (1556-1598) of Spain. The first Spanish settlement was established in Cebu by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi in 1565. Legazpi also became the first spanish governor-general. On June 24, 1571, legazpi established a government in Manila and proclaimed it the capital of the Philippines. Legazpi called Manila as the distinguished and ever loyal city. In the 1600s the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade route started. Manila, together with Mexico, became the transshipment ports for goods between Spain and China. Silver from Mexico was traded for any kind of Chinese merchandise.

In the 1830s, the Port of Manila in Aduana (now part of the Tondo district of Manila) was opened to the world market. On February 17, 1872 three Filipino martyr priests Jose Burgos, Mariano Gomez and Jacinto Zamora were publicly executed allegedly for being the leaders of the Cavite Mutiny. The incident trigged the formation of several reform movements against Spanish rule. Eastern Telecom became the first telecommunications company in the Philippines when it connected Manila through telegraphic cable to the Western world in 1880. In the later part of 1888, Filipinos based in Barcelona established a reform movement with its propaganda newspaper La Solidaridad. The propaganda movement was primarily organized to bring before the world the defects of spanish governance in the Philippines.

In 1894, Andres Bonifacio formed the Katipunan or KKK. Compared to the La Liga Filipina, the propaganda movement in spain, the KKK was mass based, its members coming from the lower and middle classes. The members and the leaders of the organization believed that armed revolution must be undertaken to overthrow Spanish rule. On August 23,1896, Andres Bonifacio led the Cry of Balintawak which marked the beginning of the revolution against Spain. A week after, the first battle for the Philippine independence took place in a bridge in San Juan del monte. On December 30, 1896, Jose Rizal was executed in Bagumbayan (present-day Rizal park). Aguinaldo established the government of the first Philippine Republic in 1897 at the Biak-na-bato caves, San Miguel, Bulacan. It was also known as the Biak-na-bato Republic.