The Philippines is a tiny country situated in Southeast Asia. Comprising of more than 7,100 islands, it's endowed with countless natural beauties and wonders. Small as it is but it had also contributed numerous events which were of enormous importance in world history. Here are some of them.
Battle of Mactan
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The Battle of Mactan is a historic event that took place in the Visayas during the Age of Exploration and navigation. The Battle of Mactan was fought on April 27, 1521. The warriors of Lapu-Lapu, a native chieftain of Mactan Island, defeated Spanish sailors and soldiers under the command of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. The Battle of Mactan is commemorated by a memorial monument, known as the Mactan Shrine, in honor of Rajah Lapu Lapu and Ferdinand Magellan.
Because Magellan underestimated the capabilities of the natives, his forces suffered a humiliating defeat that eventually led to his untimely death. Lapu-Lapu utilized a strategy that gave him and his warrior's advantage; they waited for Magellan's group in a shallow shore where they (Spaniards) can't use their canons forcing Magellan and his men to engage in a hand to hand battle using only their sword/sable. In some accounts, Magellan even boasted that he will teach the native a lesson. But surprisingly, without the aid of canons and guns, the Spanish sailors were easily beaten by the Filipinos. Because of this incident and victory of Lapu-Lapu, he was regarded as the first Filipino hero.
Sandugo or Blood Compact
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Blood compact or blood covenant is an ancient tradition. It is an old ritual where two people drink each other's blood as part of a native custom to seal a friendship, a pact or treaty, or to validate an agreement. One of the more classic examples of the blood compact called Sandugo in Filipino language took place in Bohol, Philippines. The ritual was made in native Bohol-style between the Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and Filipino chieftain of Bohol, Datu Sikatuna. A blood compact was also made between Ferdinand Magellan and Rajah Humabon. Magellan himself took part in several of these ceremonies before attacking Mactan Island.
Battle of Bataan
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One of the most historic events that took place in the Philippines during World War II was the Battle of Bataan. This battle led the so-called Fall of Bataan which is commemorated annually by the US and the Philippines. The Battle of Bataan represented the most intense phase of Imperial Japan's invasion of the Philippines. The capture of the Philippine Islands was crucial to Japan's effort to control the Southwest Pacific, seize the resource-rich Dutch East Indies, and protect its Southeast Asia flank. It was the largest surrender in American and Filipino military history.
Death March
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The Bataan Death March, also known as The Death March of Bataan, is a historic and tragic event in Philippine and American History. It took place in the Philippines in 1942 and was later accounted as a Japanese war crime. The 60-mile (97 km) march occurred after the three-month Battle of Bataan during World War II. The march, involving the forcible transfer of 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war captured by the Japanese in the Philippines from the Bataan peninsula to prison camps. Beheadings, cut throats and casual shootings were common, likewise, deliberate refusal to allow the prisoners food or water while keeping them continually marching for nearly a week in tropical heat. Falling down, unable to continue moving was tantamount to a death sentence. Strings of Japanese trucks were known to drive over anyone who fell. Accounts of being forcibly marched for five to six days with no food and a single sip of water are in post war archives including filmed reports. Only 54,000 of the 72,000 prisoners reached their destination.
Balangiga Massacre
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The Balangiga Massacre is a tragic and controversial incident in Philippine History and US history as well. It was a manifestation of human cruelty and injustice. The Balangiga Massacre, as it is known in the Philippines, or the Balangiga Affair, as it is known in the US, was an incident in 1901 during the Philippine -American War where more than forty American soldiers were killed in a surprise guerilla attack in the town of Balangiga on Samar island. Filipinos regard the attack as one of their bravest acts in the war. The subsequent retaliation by American troops resulted in the killing of 2000-3000 Filipinos on Samar, the majority were civilians. The heavy-handed reprisal earned a court-martial for Gen. Jacob Smith, who had ordered the killing of everyone ten years old and over. Reprimanded but not formally punished, Smith was forced into retirement from the service because of his conduct. The attack and the subsequent retaliation remains one of the longest-running and most controversial issues between the Philippines and the United States. Conflicting records from both American and Filipino historians have confused the issue.
Battle of Leyte Gulf
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Considered to be one of the most remarkable incidents in the Philippines is the Battle of Leyte Gulf. This event is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and also, by some criteria, the largest naval battle in history. It was fought in waters near the Philippine island of Leyte, from October 23 to 26 in 1944, between naval and naval-air forces of the Allies and the Japanese Empire. The Battle of Leyte Gulf included four major naval battles: the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, the Battle of Surigao Strait, the Battle of Cape Engaño and the Battle off Samar, as well as other actions. Leyte Gulf is also notable as the first battle in which Japanese aircraft carried out organized kamikaze attacks.
People Power Revolution
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The People Power Revolution is probably the greatest historic event that leaved a notable marked in world history. This event inspired many former communist countries in Europe to achieve freedom through peaceful means. This revolution which is also known as the EDSA Revolution and the Philippine Revolution of 1986 was a series of nonviolent and prayerful mass street demonstrations in the Philippines that occurred in 1986. These protests were the culmination of a long resistance by the people against the 20-year running authoritarian regime of then current president Ferdinand Marcos and made news headlines as “the revolution that surprised the world”. The majority of the demonstrations took place at EDSA (Epifanio delos Santos Avenue) in Quezon City and involved over 200,000 Filipino civilians as well as several political, military, and religious figures. The protests occurred from February 22 to 25 in 1986, when Marcos fled Malacañang Palace to the US and conceded to Cory Aquino as Philippine President.
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A similar event took place in 2001 which toppled President Joseph Estrada from office known as he EDSA Revolution of 2001. This historic event is also called by the local media as EDSA II or the Second People Power Revolution.
