Origin Of The Philippines The history of Philippines dates back to some 50,000 years ago.

It may be surprising but there is sufficient archaeological evidence to back the claim, though we may not conclude that it is the 'history' of 'the Philippines' that dates back that far behind. However, there is little dispute about the statement that Homosapiens did exist in Palawan some 50,000 years back. Later, Austronesian-speaking people settled in the Philippines and established maritime trading with other parts of the South East Asia. It was done as early as 5,000 B.C. For a very long time, the archipelago remained untouched by the outsiders, lying peacefully in its own little part of the world. The west, however, did flow in with Ferdinand Magellan being the first in 1521, followed by Miguel Lpez de Legazpi in 1565. They formed the first Spanish settlements, which eventually turned the Philippines into their colony. Then came Roman Catholic missionaries, who converted most of the inhabitants to Christianity. The following 300 years of Philippines' history saw several turmoils with the Spanish military fighting off various local revolts and several external colonial challenges from as diverse quarters as the British, the Chinese, the Dutch, the French, the Japanese, and the Portuguese. The Spanish military was largely successful in defending their occupation. However, they could not avoid the occupation of the capital by the British during the Seven Years' War. Though that was a temporary occupation, it was still one of the most serious damages done to the Spanish rule in the archipelago. The Philippines opened up for world trade on September 6, 1834. In the Spanish mainland a propaganda protest began. The propagandists led by Rizal demanded, amongst other things, a greater representation in Spain, but the movement did not yield expected gains. So, Rizal returned to the Philippines and pushed for the reforms locally, which resulted in his arrest, trial, and execution for sedition on December 30, 1896. However, the spirit of revolution did not die down. Another revolution sprang up. It was led by Andrs Bonifacio and was continued by Emilio Aguinaldo, who managed to establish a revolutionary government though, the Spanish governor general Fernando Primo de Rivera announced the death of the revolution on May 17, 1897. The Spanish-American War broke out in 1898 and gradually proceeded up to the Philippines when Commodore George Dewey defeated the Spanish squadron at the Manila Bay. Spain ceded the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam and Cuba to the United States. It was the Americans who brought democracy to the Philippines. It was made a commonwealth country in 1935. The Philippines was to attain independence in the next decade, but it did not come as World War II broke out and Japan invaded. Independence, however, came Philippines' way on July 4, 1946. Ever since its independence, Philippines has faced a number of challenges but has managed to sail through, unscathed so far.

Philippine History 25,000 - 30,000 BC: Beyer's Migration Theory. The Aeta (Negrito), a short dark skinned, kinky-haired Pygmy, hailing from Central Asia, traveled to the Philippines by foot by way of the land bridges. The Aeto is purported to have brought to the archipelago skills in the use of the blow-gun and the bow and arrow. 22,000 BC: The approximated date of the remnats of the Tabon Cave Dweller which have been associated with te species knows as the Austroloid. 3,500 - 5,000 BC: Beyer's Migration Theory - The next two groups or waves of people arriving in the Philippines are Indonesian A and B. They are said to have introduced to the islands the home-edged weapons of the stone dager, stone-tipped spear and hand-held shield. 500 BC: Jocano's Theory - During the end of the Incipient Period, about the turn of the Millenium AD, Filipino contacts with the outside world became intensified, the major impetus being a relatively efficient maritime transportation. 200 BC: Beyer's Migration Theory - Three succesive waves of Malays arriving in the Philippines. The first Malays brought metal dagers, swords and spears. 100 BC: Beyer's Migration Theory - The second migratory wave was responsible for introducingthe ancient Visayan Baybayin Alphabet to the Philippines. 3 AD: Origin of the kris; believed to have beencrafted as a Hindu religous weapon with mystical powers. 200 AD: Francisco suggest that Baybayin Alphabet (aka Alibata) was brought to the archipelago by the Hindu Tamil by way of Malaysia around this time. 618 AD: Philippine - chinese contacts intesified during the Tang dynasty and peaked aroud the 14th to 15th centuries. It is believed that the Chinese introduced their fighting arts of kun-tao to the Royal Families as a gesture of good faith to trade relations. The practice of kun-tao has been maintained among the Samal Tausug, where it is known as langka-kuntaw. 977 AD: The Philippine island of Mindoro (known as Mai in Chinese) was known as a place of hospitality to Chinese traders and merchants.

1293 AD: The Srivijaya was succeeded by the Majapahit empire. During this time,Philipine-Indonesian relations intensified, and much of the so-called Indian cultural influences reached the Philippines. 1270 AD: Early evidence of an Islamic presence is furnished by a tombstone of a trader msissionary, in Indanan, Sulu. It bears the inscription "710 AH", using the Islamic dating system,which, in relation to the Christian calendar, approximates to this date. 1250 AD: Beyer's Migration Theory - The third wave of Malays believed to have been headed by the ten Bornean Datus whosettled in Panay. Legends of the 13th Century, as recorded in Maragtas (a written history of Panay) maintain that ten Dyak Datus (Muslim Chieftains) fled their homeland of Borneo - running from the cruel Sultan Makatunaw who had seized their property and ravaged their wives - sttled on Panay Island. The ten datus established the Confederation of Madyaas with Datu Sumakwel as its ruler. Sumakwel ruled this confederation through his Penal Code which was outlined in his book Maragtas. Known as the Maragtas Code, these are the oldest body of Laws believed to have existed in the Philippines. 1450 AD: Through the efforts of the trader, Sharif ul-Hasim Abubakr, Islam took deep roots in Sulu. Abubakr settled in Bwansa where he lived with its king, Rajah Baginda. Here Abubakr converted Baginda to Islam, married his daughter Paramisuli, and established Islam as the official religin of Sulu.