THE HISTORY OF THE PHILIPPINES in 12 minutes

The first humans are believed to have arrived in the Philippines around 60,000 years ago using rafts or boats, leading to the settlement of diverse groups across the archipelago. Over thousands of years, these groups developed into early states. Austronesians and Malayo-Polynesian speakers arrived in waves starting from 4000 BC, and a jade culture emerged during the Neolithic era. By 1000 BC, four distinct peoples had formed: tribal groups, warrior societies, petty plutocracy, and harbor civilizations. Metallurgy was introduced through trade with India, and from 300–700 AD, the islands' seafaring peoples began trading with Indianized kingdoms and East Asian principalities, adopting influences from Buddhism and Hinduism. Artifacts such as glass, agate, and gold were exchanged, and Indian culture began influencing Southeast Asia and the Philippines from the 1st Century AD, leading to the establishment of new kingdoms with Indian cultural influences. The Laguna Copperplate Inscription, dated 900 AD, is the oldest Philippine document, showing the use of mathematics and a standard system of weights and measures in pre-colonial societies. It also indicates a Hindu–Old Malay culture similar to those in Java, Peninsular Malaysia, and Sumatra.

Before the unification of the Philippine archipelago, numerous maritime societies existed as semi-autonomous city-states under the rule of the plutocracy, with some states existing alongside highland societies. These small structures were influenced by or part of larger Asian empires like Maja Pahit, the Ming Dynasty, and Brunei. The Buddhist pre-Hispanic Philippine island-state of Ma-i flourished around 1225, attracting trade from as far as the Kingdom of Ryukyu and the Empire of Japan. The 'Description of the Barbarous Peoples' by Chao Jukua documented this trade, noting the honesty of its people. The Hindu Maja Pahit empire ruled much of what is now Indonesia, including Luzon and the Sulu archipelago in the 1300s. However, after the Battle of Manila in 1365, Luzon and Sulu regained independence. The Islamic era began in 1380 when Makhdum Karim introduced Islam to the Philippines, and the Sultanate of Sulu was established by converting the Hindu king Rajah Baguinda to Islam. The religion spread through conquest and conversion, and by the arrival of Muslim traders and missionaries. By the end of the 15th century, the Sultanate of Maguindanao had risen to prominence, and Islam was introduced to Mindanao by Shariff Mohammed of Johor.

In 1521, the Spanish, led by Ferdinand Magellan, reached the archipelago, claiming it for the Spanish Empire and converting some local leaders to Roman Catholicism. However, Magellan was killed in the Battle of Mactan. Further Spanish expeditions led to the naming of the islands after Philip of Austria in 1543. Spanish colonization began in earnest in 1565 with Miguel López de Legazpi, who established settlements in Cebu and later made Manila the capital. The Castilian War of 1578 was a conflict between Christian Spaniards and Muslim Bruneians over control of the archipelago, ending with no significant changes in power. By the late 16th century, Christianity and Spanish culture had spread across the islands, with the establishment of a cathedral, monasteries, and churches. The Philippines was ruled by the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later directly by Spain, until local revolts and the American–Spanish War in 1898 led to its transfer to U.S. control. The U.S. established the Insular Government and later the Philippine Commonwealth as a step towards independence, which was promised in the Jones Act. However, the Philippines was occupied by Japanese forces during World War II and was liberated by the U.S. in 1945. The Treaty of Manila in 1946 established the independent Philippine Republic, which was marked by internal conflicts, a period of dictatorship under Ferdinand Marcos, and significant progress and development. Marcos was removed in 1986 and replaced by Maria Corazon Aquino, and since then, five other presidents have ruled the Philippines.