Theories on the Formation of the Philippine Archipelago

The Philippine archipelago was declared a Republic in 1898, but a number of wars between the Philippines and the
Spanish and the Philippines and the Americans followed. The country began to govern itself after 1934 and was
recognized as a country in its own right in 1946 after the Second World War. The countries current constitution dates back
to 1987. It has a population of 105 million people and rising and is divided into three areas: Luzon, Visayas, and
Mindanao. Its capital city is Manila. The country covers an area of 115,000 square miles and consists of 7,107 of islands.
It is also one of the rising nations economically in the world and is classed as an emerging nation financially due to its
economic competitiveness.

1. Ice Age Theory. Glaciers stored portions of the water on the earth in the form of ice. This ice formation caused a drop
in the world’s ocean levels. During this period, the Philippine archipelago was part of the continental landmass of Asia
via land bridges. Scholars believed that land bridges connected the Philippines to mainland Asia. When the Ice Age
ended about 10,000 years ago, the ice formation melted and the sea levels rose and submerged the rest of the Earth
including the land bridges that connected Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines, to the Asia. Part of the result
was the creation of the Indonesian and Philippine archipelagos. Since then, these islands had been populated by
migrating people who travelled by boats. The migrants came mainly from Indonesia and the Malay Peninsula.
However, there were also migrants from the coasts of Indochina and, to a lesser extent, from China and Taiwan. The
similarity between Philippine plants and animals with those in Asia strongly supports this theory. The Benguet pine is
the same variety of pine tree as that growing in the Himalayan Mountains between China and India. In addition, this
theory states that the Philippine mountain ranges follow the coastline of Asia of which they were once a part.

2. Wave of Migration Theory. According to the theory of H. Otley Beyer, a renowned archaeologist, the Philippines was
once a part of the Asian continent because of land bridges. This geographical feature was common during the
Pleistocene Period or the Ice Age some 1.8 million years ago. Waves of migrants from mainland Asia made their way
to the Philippines crossing these land bridges. After the Glacial Period, the ice around the continent began to thaw,
causing waters to rise and the oceans to form over the land bridges. The lands above sea level shaped the islands
dotting the archipelago. This theory also explains the similarities of plants and animal species found in the country and
in some parts of the Asian region. The theory also identifies five land bridges that connected one area to another:
Palawan and Borneo; Philippines, Taiwan, and Asia; Borneo and Sulu-Mindanao; New Guinea-Mindanao (Jocano
1975)

3. Land Bridges Theory. It states that the Earth was once made up of huge landmasses connected by land bridges and
floating on big bodies of water. The formation of land bridges was a result of the recession of the seabed by about 100
meters during the Ice Age. When the ice melted, these land bridges were destroyed and the landmasses were
separated from one another. The landmasses gradually scattered and spread out floating on the water level. Part of
these landmasses is presumed to be the present-day Philippines that was formerly connected to mainland Asia.

4. Asiatic Theory. Propagated by Dr. Leopoldo Faustino, this theory states that the Philippines was once a part of
continental Asia. The islands were formed through the process of diastrophism. This explains the movement of the
earth that caused some parts either to rise or sink. This happens with the folding, faulting, and wrapping of the Earth.

5. Sunda Shelf Theory or Land Migration Theory. This theory states that the Philippine archipelago was formed over
70 million years ago. The Philippines was once a part of the Sunda Shelf which in turn was a huge part (at least
1,800,000 square kilometers) of the continent of Asia that was projecting high in the surface of the ocean. The land
broke from the main continent through a series of events. This has been learned through study of rock formations, the
fossil record and other verifiable scientific data. A good starting point is this overview from Manila Museum.

6. Bottom-of-the-Sea Theory. In 1976, Dr. Fritjof Voss, a German scientist, stated that the Philippines was never a part
of mainland Asia. Dr. Voss claimed that the Philippine islands were located directly above a fault in the earth’s crust.
Powerful earthquakes pushed up the landmass from the ocean floor and the Philippine islands rose from the bottom
of the ocean.

7. Volcanic Eruption Theory or Magmatic Theory. Dr. Bailey Willis, a noted geologist, concluded that the Philippines
was a result of the eruptions of submarine volcanoes along the western side of the Pacific basin. These eruptions
caused magma and lava to pile up, forming the Philippine isles. Some 200 million years had passed since the
eruption of these volcanoes. This natural phenomenon caused the splitting of rocks followed by the waters
surrounding them. This phenomenon also happened in Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Solomon Islands, and New
Zealand. These countries form what is now known as the Pacific Ring of Fire. There are 250 volcanoes around the
region. The Philippines has 22 active volcanoes. It is no wonder then than earthquakes occur quite frequently around
the country. This theory adds that the rocks, which include the cores of our mountain systems of today, are similar to
the rocks found beneath the ocean.

8. Tectonic Plates Theory or Pacific Theory. This theory comes from the idea that Asia was formed as a result of the
movement of the Earth’s crust by a strong earthquake, particularly of the continental plate. The Philippines was
formed due to explosions in the Pacific basin. It is believed that the movements of the lands on the surface of the
earth are caused by the movements of these continental plates.

9. Lost Continent Theory. A group of geographers believed that the Philippine archipelago constitutes the remains or
remnant of a lost continent called Mu or Lemuria during prehistoric times. This vast continent was destroyed and had
sunk below the ocean waters by a series of geographical occurrences like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
However, a few portions of land – which now make up the Philippines – were left above water. The other remnants of
which are Marianas and other mid-Pacific Islands, and Borneo, Java, Sumatra, and Celebes.