History
The Negritos were the original inhabitants of the Philippines who
arrived some 25,000 years ago. However, archaeological findings
suggest that there were earlier settlers.
There were other waves of migrations of Indo-Chinese, who were followed
by the Malayans. In 1521, the Portuguese voyager Ferdinand Magellan
arrived and found the islands to be thriving centers of commerce
with traders from India, Arabia and China. Powerful Islamic influence
was established in 1380 the Arab-taught Makdum.
However, the arrival of Magellan who claimed the archipelago for
Spain facilitated the growth of Christianity and the emergence of
a new culture.
However, Spanish colonization only began in 1565 when voyager Miguel
Lopez de Legazpi established a Spanish base in the town of Manila.
The Philippines managed to win their independence after 327 years
under Spanish rule in 1898, but found themselves controlled by the
Americans from 1900-1942, and the Japanese from 1942-1945. The Americans
brought over their educational and legal systems and introduced
their style of government.
The Philippines regained democracy as a Republic with the end of
the Japanese occupation in 1946. True democracy was fully achieved
by the Filipinos after the "People Power Revolution" in 1986 which
led to the downfall of the reigning dictatorship.
Culture
The Philippines might be seen as the most westernized of Asian countries,
but culture in the Philippines is a wonderful blend of foreign influences
with native elements.
Its distinctive Malay influence is harmoniously integrated with
the patina of Spanish and American influence. Popular Western culture
such as beauty contests, soap operas, violent and sentimental Filipino
movies, and local bands perfectly imitating Western pop tunes can
be witnessed.
However, the traditional theatre, literature and kundimans (love
songs) in the national language have not been forgotten.
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