Aaron Nephi Bautista

BSED – 2A Social Studies

Trends and Issues Social Studies

History, past and future of the Philippines

The history of the Philippines is a story of colonization and resistance to the

Colonizers. The Philippines is one of the countries that have multiple resources that
attract the colonizers to stay. Knowing Philippines that it is an archipelago country, the
ethnicity in the Philippines is divided into different tribes that have a significant role in
the history of the Philippines. This academic paper showcases the positive and negative
contributions of every colonizer of the Philippines.

Before the arrival of colonizers, the indigenous people are already knowledgeable
in various aspects like Agriculture, Religion, and Government. In the pre-colonial period,
the agriculture of the Philippines is very rich that first people who lived in the country
were able to survive during that time as they already had communities and government
led by the Datus and Elders. The settlements of early people learned how to maximize
their resources so that they are able to grow some crops, like bananas, rice, and root
crops that sustain their needs.

During the colonial period, some of the tribes welcomed the Spanish colonizers
not knowing the possible consequences. The colonized tribes are able to adopt some of
the ways of life and beliefs of the Spanish colonizers. First, the introduction of
Christianity is one of the legacies of the Spaniards that still exist in the Philippines.
Second, the education in the Philippines. Though, it is only accessible to the wealthy
people who have high positions in their government. The wealthy or scholar Filipinos
are able to learn the Spanish language which helped them in understanding the
Spaniards. Third, the judicial system. Although the indigenous people in the Philippines
have already a judicial system, the Spaniards developed their verdict to the accused.
They implemented some laws and codes that improved the reasonings in society,
especially in court that shaped our judicial system in present. Also, some of the
architecture right now in the Philippines are influenced by the Spaniards and become a
historical site to attract tourists; and generate economic income. In addition, the
Spaniards also introduce the taxing system, as we still practice right now. Furthermore,
those indigenous Filipinos that opposed the Spaniards had gone to war, like, Lapu-Lapu.
Lapu-Lapu and his comrades won the Battle of Mactan. They overpowered and defeated
the Spaniards, and slayed the Portuguese explorer, Ferdinand Magellan. This was one of
the battles between the Spaniards and Filipinos, as Spain conquered the Philippines for
333 years. As the Philippine Revolution begins, the secret organization called the
Katipunan fights the Spanish colonizers. As the Filipinos want independence from
Spanish colonization. They protected the Filipinos from the oppression of Spaniards.

In the American colonial period, they had also a significant contribution to the
Philippines. First, public education in the Philippines. The Spanish colonizer also
contributed to Filipinos; however, it is limited to wealthy people or scholars. Unlike the
Americans, the school is accessible to everyone who wants to study. With the help of
Thomasites, this system is implemented and still exists in the present-day Philippines.
The Americans taught the English language and used it as a medium of communication
during their period. The reason why they teach their colonized country is because they
want to control them by changing their cultural beliefs. Now, the English language is
considered the universal language that many countries still use in the present day. They
have also a major role in developing the infrastructure of the Philippines. They built
roads, ports, railways, and bridges to make transportation smooth. Furthermore, the
political system of the country into the Philippines Commonwealth. It becomes the
stepping stone for the Philippines to be an independent country. The Commonwealth
was halted because of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines. However, before the
Japanese invasion, the Filipinos also faced oppression from the Americans. They
suppressed the independence movements of Filipinos by promising that after the
Spanish-American war, they will give independence to the Philippines. They tricked the
Filipinos, especially former President Emilio Aguinaldo. In addition, the economic
policies of the Americans are favored by them. The American Government implemented
policies that led to land dispossession and agriculture inequality. Furthermore, the
Filipinos experienced maltreatment by Americans during that time. Discrimination
against the intellectual and race of Filipinos is being practiced.

The last colonizer of the Philippines is the Japanese. During their period, the
immediate outcome of the Japanese invasion was the removal of the American colonial
authority, providing a sense of freedom from American oppression. This gave some
Filipinos hope and quick comfort, as they regarded it as an opportunity for self-
government. They also promoted nationalism within Filipinos’ hearts. However, these
positive contributions to the Philippines did not last. As the colonization by the Japanese
is brutal, that they sexual slavery, massacred, and forced labor the Filipinos, including
women, men, and children. The Filipinos suffered under Japanese colonization.
Japanese soldiers destroyed and damaged infrastructure, including bridges, roads,
buildings, and cultural institutions created by Americans and Filipinos. This resulted in
important challenges to the country's development and restoration after the occupation.
In addition, the Filipinos experienced cultural suppression as the Japanese manipulates
Filipinos into that Americans are evildoers by posting propaganda and forcing Filipinos
to not practice any type of American practices.

In conclusion, these said colonizers of the Philippines have negative and positives
impact on the Philippines that shaped the country in various aspects. Filipinos are
known as crafty and easy to adopt in different countries due to their experiences in the
past, which is the effect of globalization. Though, the future of the Philippines still
depends on the politicians as we vote for them. Some of the Propaganda actions are
still existing in the Philippines, to manipulate the voters to elect unreliable and
incompetent politicians. In addition, the Philippines are facing economic issues that the
current government officials trying to solve. With that, studying Philippine History would
have a significant effect in shaping the good future of the Philippines, as the country
grows and develops.