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The Spanish colonial period The Spaniards ruled the Philippines for 300 years under these conditions, continually harassed by

Chinese pirates, by the Moros (Mohammedans from Mindanao and Sulu), by the Dutch and the English

who wanted to take possession of the Islands, and finally by the frequent revolts on the part of the

natives.

Magellan and the Spanish influence: 

Even though early history isclearly one of tribal rulethat engaged in a bustlingeconomy, European

historians credit thevoyages of Magellan, andsucceeding expeditionsfrom Spain, as the officialaccreditation and discoveryof the region. When he wascredited with the discoveryof the Philippines, it wasalready inhabited bypeoples whose culture andmodernization was by nomeans that far behind mostother areas of the world. 

The Spanish weresurprised by theadvances made by thesepeople. For instance,

the people of this landwere skilled in weaponsmaking and other typesof metal works. TheFilipinos were alreadymaking their owncannons -- large one ofiron and small, portable,ones of bronze. Theywere surprised to find aswivel type gun, knownas a 'lantaka' whichallowed the gunner totrack a moving target.

 These 'primitive' peoples,found by Magellan, were also'peoples of the sea'. They useda navigational instrumentsimilar to a compass and weremuch more skilled andexperienced in all types offishing and fisheries activities.

This 'discovery', the historianspoint out, is relevant, becauseit is what placed the Philippine

archipelago on the maps of theworld.

It occurred whenhe, Ferdinand Magellan, aPortuguese explorer, landed atHomonhon Islet, near presentday Samar, claiming the landsfor Spain. It is believed that

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this event occurred on the 17day of March in the year 1521.He was later killed on theMactan Island of Cebu in aclash with native warriors whowere led by a chieftain

named Lapu-Lapu. 

The Philippines, a jewel of Spain 

During this time in world history, Spain was in fierce competitionwith Portugal to dominate, through colonization, the lands of theworld.

Clearly the Philippines was a prize catch for Spain, based on itsnumber of islands and its size; which, at the time, was estimated tobe larger than it actually was. However size alone was not whatmade it a great prize -- its location made it a worthy and valuablecatch. The archipelago was formally named Las Felipinas, in 1543 byRuy Lopez de Villalobos who followed Magellan to this territory. Itwas named in honor of Spain's King Philip II (actually the CrownPrince, who was actually excommunicated from the Catholic Church,by the Pope Paul IV in 1552). It was known to be composed ofthousands of islands and islets (now known to be 7,107), andspanning over eighteen hundred (actually 1854) kilometers fromnorth to south, stretching from China to the north to the Indonesianarchipelago at the south. Permanent Spanish occupation began in1565, and by 1571 the entire country, except for the strictly IslamicSulu archipelago, was under Spanish control. 

The northern most tip of the country, Y'ami, of the Batanes Island group, is only 241 kilometers southof what is known as Taiwan today; while the southern most tip, Sibutu of the Tawi-Tawi group ofislands, is just 14.4 kilometers north of what is known as Borneo. Thus, the Philippines, was located ina strategic location, both politically and economically. They were the window to the New World.

To its east is the Pacific Ocean and beyond it, the New World (the Americas). To the west are thekingdoms of Indochina including modern day Cambodia and Siam (Thailand) while southwest isMalaysia.

Christianity's introduction 

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Spanish colonizers succeeded in introducing Christianity tothe islands. Still today, Christianity represents over 85% ofreligious beliefs. They were highly successful in the regionof modern day Luzon and Visayas but were unsuccessful inMindanao, south region, where Moslems staved off theSpanish efforts.

Of course there are many recorded horror stories, ofhistorically significant, where the Spanish forced theinduction of Christianity upon the 'heathens' of theseislands -- leading to thousands of deaths and tortures ofthe residents of the islands.

Still today, many small towns and remote barrioscelebrate, through re-enactment in fiesta stage plays,called moro-moro, the forced conversion of the peoples toChristianity by the threatened force of the Spaniards.These plays always end the same way -- most of the peopleconvert and find 'happiness' in their new found religion,

while the remaining are either killed or flee to themountains, to be hounded by the Spaniards the rest oftheir lives. 

Unrest for Spain

Spain's rule lasted from the 16th through the 19th century, with much of its rule fraught by a series ofrevolts. For instance, when three Filipino priests were executed for national activities, a group ofreformists formed the Propaganda Movement. This movement paved the way for the PhilippineRevolution, years later. 

The Spanish made serious tactile errors, during their reign, when dealing with the peoples of thePhilippines. For instance, toward the end of the 19th century, there was a young doctor-writer,named Jose P. Rizal, whom they arrested and later executed. His crime? He actively, and publicly,criticized Spanish officials, verbally and through the written media (in two novels) during the 1880s-

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90s. His scathing criticisms concerned the methods used by the Spanish to rule the Philippines. Rizal, atthe age of 30 was eventually imprisoned and on 30th December 1896, executed! This executionenraged the people deeply adding to the build up of injustices by the Spanish against them. 

A note on Rizal : Due to his bravery andforsaking of personal safety, through his deedsand written actions, Jose Rizal is nowrecognized, by historians, as one of Asia's truenationalist. He is often compared to otherAsian heroes, like Dr. Sun Yat-sen, of China. 

Dr. Jose P. Rizal 

Philippine Revolution 

Andres Bonifacio 

The Filipino independence movement was in a state of growth during this sameperiod, ultimately leading to the Philippine Revolution. After Rizal's arrest andexile, Andres Bonifacio, a self-educated man of humble origins, founded a secretsociety, the Katipunan, in Manila. This organization, modeled in part on Masonic

lodges, was committed to winning independence from Spain. Rizal, Lopez Jaena,del Pilar, and other leaders of the Propaganda Movement had been Masons, andMasonry was regarded by the Catholic Church as heretical. The Katipunan, likethe Masonic lodges, had secret passwords and ceremonies, and its members wereorganized into ranks or degrees, each having different colored hoods, specialpasswords, and secret formulas. New members went through a rigorous initiation,which concluded with the pacto de sangre, or blood compact. The Katipunanspread gradually from the Tondo district of Manila, where Bonifacio had foundedit, to the provinces, and by August 1896 - on the eve of the revolt against Spain -

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it had some 30,000 members, both men and women. Most of them were membersof the lower-and lower-middle-income strata, including peasants. The nationalistmovement had effectively moved from the closed circle of prosperous ilustradosto a truly popular base of support. The Revolution, itself, was first led by AndresBonifacio and then later it was taken up by Emilio Aguinaldo. 

The 1896 Uprising and Rizal's Execution

During the early years of the Katipunan, Rizalremained in exile at Dapitan. He had promised theSpanish governor that he would not attempt anescape, which, in that remote part of the country,would have been relatively easy. He retained, tothe very end, a faith in the decency of Spanish"men of honor". Consequently, an informer hadtipped off a Spanish friar about the KKK society'sexistence, and Bonifacio, his hand forced,proclaimed the revolution, attacking Spanishmilitary installations on August 29, 1896. Thegovernor, apparently forced by reactionary

elements, ordered Rizal's arrest en route despitenil substantial evidence to link him to the revolt.He was sent back to Manila to be tried by amilitary court as an accomplice of the insurrection. 

Under a new governor, who apparently had been sponsored as a hard-line candidate by the religiousorders, Rizal was brought before a military court on fabricated charges of involvement with theKatipunan. The events of 1872 repeated themselves. A brief trial was held on December 26 and - withlittle chance to defend himself - Rizal was found guilty and sentenced to death. On December 30,1896, he was brought out to the Luneta and executed by a firing squad. 

Rizal's death filled the rebels with new determination. At a convention held at Tejeros, the Katipunan'sheadquarters in March 1897, delegates elected Aguinaldo president and Bonifacio to the post ofdirector of the interior. 

President of the Revolutionary Assembly at Teieros

Interestingly, while Emilio Aguinaldo was mayor (1895) of Kawit in the province of Cavite, he haddirected attacks against the Spanish military's presence in Cavite. This, with the death of Rizal becamethe focal point in the nationalist revolt. During this time he was given the title of general by hisfollowers. 

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As 1897 wore on, Aguinaldo himself suffered reverses at the hands of Spanish troops, being forced fromCavite in June and retreating to Biak-na-Bato in Bulacan Province. In August armistice negotiationswere opened between Aguinaldo and a new Spanish governor. By mid-December, an agreement wasreached in which the governor would pay Aguinaldo the equivalent of US$800,000, and the rebel leaderand his government would go into exile to Hong Kong (when they failed to succeed in their insurrectionagainst the Spanish). Aguinaldo established himself in Hong Kong, and the Spanish bought themselvestime. Within the year, however, their more than three centuries of rule in the islands would come toan abrupt and unexpected end. 

Questions:

1.  When did FerdinandMagellan arrived in theHomonhonislet?

a)  May 17, 1522

b)  March 17, 1521 

c)  April 17, 1521 

2.  “Las Felipinas”was the former name of thePhillipines, given by ______________.  

a)  Ruy Lopez de Vllalobos

b)  MiguelLopez de Legazpi

c)  FerdinandMagellan

3.  What religion was introduced by the Spaniards?

a)  Islam

b)  Christianity

c)  Buddhism