Philippines Guide and Reference for Filipino Culture, Society, People, Humanities, Places, Travel & Destinations
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Philippines: The History The West discovered the Philippines when Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese explorer who sailed for Spain, landed in Cebu in 1521. However, colonization didn't actually begin until 1565, when Miguel Lopez de Legazpi established a Spanish base in the town of Manila. Because Philippine society was loosely organized, without a central government, the Spanish conquest was rapid and total. Only the Muslims in the south and some inaccessible hill tribes were able to resist Spanish influence. Along with the Spanish conquerors came a new religion, Christianity, a new language, new laws and the galleon trade. Despite several uprisings against Spain, including the Katipunan, a revolutionary movement inspired by Dr. Jose Rizal and led by Andres Bonifacio, it was the United States of America that broke the Spaniard's grip on the Philippines. Unfortunately, that began the nation's second period of colonization. Once again there was resistance, this time led by Emilio Aguinaldo; but his rag-tag army was no match for Admiral Dewey's forces. In 1901, with Aguinaldo's capture, the Americans were entrenched. The Americans brought over their educational system, their legal system
and planted the seeds of their own style of government. In 1935, the
Philippines became an American commonwealth country with Manuel Luis
Quezon as president. The status quo ended with the Japanese Occupation;
and it wasn't until 1946, after the end of the Pacific war, that the
Philippines finally regained true independence as the Republic of the
Philippines under the presidency of Manuel Roxas. Still one of the strongest
democracies in Asia, the current president as of July 2016 is President Rodrigo Duterte.
Travel Quotes: People who dont travel cannot have a global view, all they see is whats in front of them. Those people cannot accept new things because all they know is where they live. Martin Yan
Merienda Philippines CuisineMerienda is taken from the Spanish, and is a light meal or snack especially in the afternoon, similar to the concept of afternoon tea. If the meal is taken close to dinner, it is called merienda cena, and may be served instead of dinner. More details at Merienda Philippines Cuisine Philippines: Language and DialectWhile there are over 100 regional languages in the Philippines, the national language is Filipino, with English as the most widely spoken second language. All business, governmental and legal transactions are conducted in English. Philippines: Useful Filipino Phrases |