THEORIES ON THE ORIGIN OF THE PHILIPPINES

I. LAND BRIDGE THEORY

 Our country was once part of mainland Asia. As a consequence of the melting
of ice during the post glacial era, the level of the seas rose. Due to the
sudden rise in the levels of the sea, lower regions including the land bridges
connecting Asia and the Philippines were submerged. This resulted in the
separation of the Philippines from Asia.

II. VOLCANIC ERUPTION THEORY

 Posited by geologists. They hypothesized that the Philippines was of volcanic
origin. The sudden eruptions of volcanoes underneath the sea had caused the
emergence of islands above seas.

III. REMNANT OF A LOST CONTINENT THEORY

 States the Philippines is a remnant of the continent of Lemura or Mu in the
Pacific. This continent sank during the prehistoric era. Other remnants of the
aforementioned lost continent were Borneo, Celebes, Java, Sumatra,
Carolines, Palaus, Hawaii, Samoa, Tahiti and other small islands in the Pacific.

THEORIES ON THE ORIGIN OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE

I. WAVE MIGRATION THEORY

 Propounded by Otley Beyer in 1947.
 According to him, there was a group of humans akin to the Java Man, who
lived 250, 000 years ago. This group was the ancestors of two pygmy groups
who reached the Philippines via land bridges thousands of years ago. From
the south, these Australoid-Sakay type of men came to the Philippines. They
were basically food foragers considering that they relied on hunting and food
gathering in order to survive.
 Following the pygmies was the group Beyer called Indonesians (A and B),
who reached the country using boats. This group is more advanced since they
practice horticulture.
 The last wave of migrants, who also came from the south, was the Malays.
This group was most advanced. The Malays had knowledge of glass-making ,
iron making and pottery and had their own system of government. They were
able to reached the country using boats called balangays.
 This theory is the most attacked owing to its lack of factual basis.
Nonetheless, this theory is the most popular explanation on how ancient men
reached the Philippines

II. Landa Jocano’s Theory

 According to Landa Jocano, Philippine society developed as a single unitary
system. Jocano asserted that our culture developed from within the country
and not part of the Southeast cultural environment. According to him, there
were 3 major time categories in the development of the Filipinos:
  Formative Period – 500, 000 – 250, 000 years ago, started
when the first hominids arrived in the Tabon Caves of Palawan.
It was during his period when these hominids developed
techniques in grinding and polishing stone tools. Moreover,
pottery and horticulture were also introduced during this
period.
 Incipient Period – notable developments took place. Among
these were local manufacture of metal artifacts, improvement
of earthenware pottery, acquisition of form and decorative
techniques and the beginning of long distance trade.
 Emergent Period – trade further thrived in the Philippines
during this period. Contact with Southeast Asian population was
expanded and culminated when the Indian influence reached
the country in 100 A.D. Also the emergence of cultural behavior
pattern among the people and the development of Filipino
social organization in terms of politics, economics and religion
among others.

III. Solheim’s Theory

 propounded by Wilhelm Solheim II
 Solheim’s Archaic Period started from the arrival of man in the islands up to
5,000 B.C. On the other hand, the Incipient Filipino Period began where
the Archaic Period ended until 1,000 B.C. It was during this time that the
Nasuntao, a maritime people, traveled from Mindanao Island and Indonesia to
the North, passing though Taiwan to reach South China. The Formative
Filipino Period, however, was from 1,000 B.C. to 500 A.D. After this was the
Established Filipino Period, which according to Solheim was from 500 A.D
up to 1521. People during the said time frame were mostly traders.