History of Philippines in Timeline

The Philippines is a Southeast Asian archipelagic country in the western Pacific Ocean, comprised of 7,641 islands spanning approximately 300,000 square kilometers. The islands are geographically divided into Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. With a population exceeding 110 million, it ranks as the world's twelfth-most-populous country.

1900: Forest Cover

In 1900, forest cover was 70 percent of the Philippines' total land area.

1902: American Civilian Government Established

In 1902, after the fall of the First Philippine Republic, an American civilian government was established with the Philippine Organic Act.

1911: Wettest Recorded Typhoon

From July 14 to 18, 1911, the wettest recorded typhoon to hit the Philippines dropped 2,210 millimeters in Baguio.

1919: First Filipino Feature Film

In 1919, local film-making began in the Philippines with the release of the first Filipino-produced feature film: Dalagang Bukid (A Girl from the Country), directed by Jose Nepomuceno.

1924: Summer Olympic Games Participation

The Philippines has participated in every Summer Olympic Games since 1924, except when they supported the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics.

1933: Emergence of Sound Films

In 1933, sound films and larger productions emerged in the Philippine film industry.

1934: Tydings–McDuffie Act Granted

In 1934, the Tydings–McDuffie Act granted a ten-year transition to independence.

1935: Commonwealth of the Philippines Created

In 1935, the Commonwealth of the Philippines was created, with Manuel Quezon as president and Sergio Osmeña as vice president.

1935: Republic of the Philippines

In 1935, the official title "Republic of the Philippines" was included in the constitution as the name of the future independent state.

December 1941: Japan invades the Philippines

In December 1941, the Empire of Japan invaded the Philippines during World War II.

1942: Resistance Against Japanese Occupation

Beginning in 1942, the Japanese occupation of the Philippines was opposed by large-scale underground guerrilla activity.

1944: Philippine Resistance and Allied Troops Defeated the Japanese

In 1944 and 1945, the Philippine resistance and Allied troops defeated the Japanese.

October 11, 1945: Philippines became a founding member of the United Nations

On October 11, 1945, the Philippines became a founding member of the United Nations.

July 4, 1946: Independence Recognized

On July 4, 1946, during the presidency of Manuel Roxas, the country's independence was recognized by the United States with the Treaty of Manila.

1946: Philippines became independent

In 1946, the Philippines became independent after the United States retook the Philippines from the Japanese.

1946: Progressive Step

The introduction of women's suffrage during the Commonwealth period (1935–1946) signifies a progressive step towards gender equality in the Philippines.

1948: Population Growth Start

Between 1948 and 2010, the population of the Philippines increased almost fivefold from 19 million to 92 million.

1951: Mutual Defense Treaty signed with the United States

In 1951, the Philippines and the United States signed a Mutual Defense Treaty, establishing a security alliance between the two countries.

1962: Decline in Quality Films Start

The 1962–1971 decade saw a decline in quality films, although the commercial film industry expanded until the 1980s in the Philippines.

1963: Science High Schools Established

In 1963, science high schools for talented students were established in the Philippines.

1965: Marcos Wins Presidential Election

In 1965, Macapagal lost the presidential election to Ferdinand Marcos.

1967: Largest Global Supplier of Nurses

Since 1967, the Philippines had become the largest global supplier of nurses.

1969: Marcos Reelection

In 1969, Ferdinand Marcos was reelected as president.

1971: Decline in Quality Films End

The 1962–1971 decade saw a decline in quality films, although the commercial film industry expanded until the 1980s in the Philippines.

September 21, 1972: Marcos Declares Martial Law

On September 21, 1972, Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law.

1972: Martial Law Declared

In 1972, the Philippines experienced a period of martial law under the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.

1972: Winter Olympic Games Debut

The Philippines debuted at the Winter Olympic Games in 1972, being the first tropical nation to compete.

1973: Plans to harness nuclear energy began

Plans to harness nuclear energy in the Philippines began during the early 1970s, during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, in response to the 1973 oil crisis.

1975: Philippines valued relations with China

Since 1975, the Philippines has valued its relations with China, its top trading partner, and cooperates significantly with the country.

1976: Major Earthquake in Moro Gulf

In 1976, a major earthquake occurred in the Moro Gulf.

1979: Filipino hip-hop Origin

Filipino hip-hop originated in 1979 in the Philippines.

1980: Summer Olympic Games Boycott

The Philippines supported the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics.

1981: End of Martial Law

In 1981, the period of martial law that began in 1972 ended.

1982: Release of Acclaimed Films

In 1982, critically acclaimed Philippine films such as Himala (Miracle) and Oro, Plata, Mata (Gold, Silver, Death) were released.

August 21, 1983: Aquino Assassination

On August 21, 1983, opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr. was assassinated.

1984: Economic Contraction

In 1984 and 1985, the Philippine economy contracted by 7.3 percent annually due to an early 1980s recession.

1984: Nuclear power plant completion

In 1984, the Philippines completed Southeast Asia's first nuclear power plant in Bataan.

1985: Economic Contraction

In 1984 and 1985, the Philippine economy contracted by 7.3 percent annually due to an early 1980s recession.

1985: Poverty Rate

In 1985, the Philippines had a poverty rate of 49.2 percent which then reduced to 18.1 percent in 2021.

1986: Decline of CPP-NPA after the return of democracy

After the return of democracy in 1986, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its military wing, the New People's Army (NPA), experienced a decline militarily and politically.

1986: Chernobyl disaster

Following Marcos' ouster and the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, the nuclear power plant in Bataan was not commissioned due to political and safety concerns.

1986: People Power Revolution

In 1986, the People Power Revolution forced Marcos to flee and Corazon Aquino became president.

1986: Government Reforms Begin

In 1986, the return of democracy and government reforms began, hampered by national debt and corruption.

1987: Fifth Republic Constitution Enacted

In 1987, the constitution of the Fifth Republic was enacted, governing the country as a unitary presidential republic.

1990: Progress in Sanitation

Between 1990 and 2015, the Joint Monitoring Programme noted that "good progress" had been made in the Philippines regarding access to improved sanitation.

1990: Filipino hip-hop Mainstream

In 1990, Filipino hip-hop entered the mainstream music scene.

1990: Major Earthquake on Luzon

In 1990, a major earthquake occurred on Luzon.

June 1991: Eruption of Mount Pinatubo

In June 1991, the eruption of Mount Pinatubo occurred.

1991: Devolution of power to local governments

In 1991, a law was passed to devolve some powers to local governments in the Philippines, marking steps towards decentralization.

1995: Military Modernization Program began

In 1995, a military modernization program began in the Philippines to improve its defense system.

1996: Peace agreement with Moro National Liberation Front

In 1996, the Moro National Liberation Front, a major separatist organization in Bangsamoro, signed a final peace agreement with the Philippine government.

1996: First satellite purchase

In 1996, the Philippines bought its first satellite.

1997: Asian Financial Crisis

In 1997, the onset of the Asian financial crisis overshadowed economic gains.

1999: Forest Cover Declined

In 1999, forest cover declined to about 18.3 percent.

1999: Visiting Forces Agreement

In 1999, the Visiting Forces Agreement was signed supplementing the Mutual Defense Treaty with the US.

2000: Jade Artifacts

In 2000 BC, Jade artifacts have been dated, with lingling-o jade items made in Luzon with raw materials from Taiwan.

January 20, 2001: Arroyo Succeeds Estrada

On January 20, 2001, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo succeeded Joseph Estrada as president due to the 2001 EDSA Revolution.

2003: Designated a major non-NATO ally

In 2003, the Philippines was designated as a major non-NATO ally by the United States.

2003: Observer Status

Since 2003, the country has sought to obtain observer status in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

2004: Alternative Education Offered

In 2004, the Philippine government began offering alternative education to out-of-school children, youth, and adults to improve literacy; madaris were mainstreamed in 16 regions that year.

2004: Presidential Election

The 2004 presidential election was tainted by electoral fraud allegations.

2007: Text messaging popularity

In 2007, The Philippines sent an average of one billion SMS messages per day, showing how popular text messaging is as a form of communication.

2009: Power grid management

Since 2009, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines manages the country's power grid.

2010: Population Growth End

Between 1948 and 2010, the population of the Philippines increased almost fivefold from 19 million to 92 million.

2010: Pinoy pop influenced by K-pop and J-pop

From 2010 to 2020, Pinoy pop (P-pop) in the Philippines was influenced by K-pop and J-pop.

2010: Protestant Population

In 2010, Protestants made up about 5% to 7% of the population in the Philippines.

2010: ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement

In 2010, the Philippines entered into the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement.

2010: Economic Growth

Since around 2010, the Philippines has experienced an average annual growth rate of six to seven percent, emerging as one of the world's fastest-growing economies.

2012: Boracay recognized as the best island in the world

In 2012, Travel + Leisure called Boracay as the best island in the world.

2012: Income Inequality

In 2012, income inequality in the Philippines began to decline.

2012: Scarborough Shoal standoff

In 2012, the Scarborough Shoal standoff occurred after China seized the shoal from the Philippines, leading to an international arbitration case which the Philippines eventually won.

2012: Military modernization program expanded

The military modernization program that began in 1995, was expanded in 2012 to build a more capable defense system.

2013: Roman Catholic Population

As of 2013, the Philippines had the world's third-largest Roman Catholic population and was Asia's largest Christian nation.

2014: Peace agreement with Moro Islamic Liberation Front

In 2014, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a major separatist organization in Bangsamoro, signed a final peace agreement with the Philippine government.

2015: Improved Sanitation Access

In 2015, the Joint Monitoring Programme noted that 74 percent of the Philippine population had access to improved sanitation and "good progress" was made between 1990 and 2015.

2015: Gold Production

In 2015, the country's gold production is 21 metric tonnes.

2016: Household Access to Water and Sanitation

As of 2016, 96 percent of Filipino households had an improved source of drinking water, and 92 percent had sanitary toilet facilities.

2016: Launch of Diwata-1

In 2016, Diwata-1, the Philippines' first micro-satellite, was launched on the United States' Cygnus spacecraft.

2016: Duterte Elected

In 2016, Rodrigo Duterte was elected president.

2016: Genetic Markers Project

In 2016, a National Geographic project concluded that people living in the Philippine archipelago carried genetic markers in the following percentages: 53 percent Southeast Asia and Oceania, 36 percent Eastern Asia, 5 percent Southern Europe, 3 percent Southern Asia, and 2 percent Native American.

2016: Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement

In 2016, the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement supplemented the Mutual Defense Treaty with the US.

2017: Air domestic market leaders

In 2017, the air domestic market was dominated by Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific.

December 2018: Total Roads

As of December 2018, there were 210,528 kilometers of roads in the Philippines, the dominant form of transportation.

2018: Malasakit Centers Established

Since 2018, Malasakit Centers (one-stop shops) have been set up in several government-operated hospitals in the Philippines to provide medical and financial assistance to indigent patients.

2019: Higher Education Institutions

As of 2019, the Philippines had 1,975 higher education institutions, of which 246 are public and 1,729 are private.

2019: Railway Footprint

As of 2019, the Philippines had a railway footprint of only 79 kilometers.

2019: Literacy Rate

In 2019, the Philippines had a basic literacy rate of 93.8 percent of those five years old or older and a functional literacy rate of 91.6 percent of those aged 10 to 64.

2019: Universal Health Care Act

In 2019, the Universal Health Care Act was enacted by President Duterte, facilitating the automatic enrollment of all Filipinos in the national health insurance program.

2019: Tourism Jobs and Visitors

In 2019, tourism provided 5.7 million jobs in the Philippines. Also in 2019, The Philippines recorded 8.26 million international visitors.

May 1, 2020: Philippine Population

As of May 1, 2020, the Philippines had a population of 109,035,343, with over 60 percent living in the coastal zone and 54 percent in urban areas.

May 2020: ABS-CBN Franchise Denial

In May 2020, the Philippine government denied ABS-CBN's franchise renewal, which had been the country's largest TV network.

2020: Ethnic Diversity Census

According to the 2020 census, the Philippines' largest ethnic groups were Tagalog (26.0 percent), Visayans (14.3 percent), Ilocano and Cebuano (both eight percent), Hiligaynon (7.9 percent), Bikol (6.5 percent), and Waray (3.8 percent).

2020: Population Distribution

As of 2020, Calabarzon was the region with the greatest population in the Philippines, while the National Capital Region (NCR) was the most densely populated.

2020: Main export and import markets

As of 2020, the Philippines' main export markets were China, the United States, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, and its primary import markets were China, Japan, South Korea, the United States, and Indonesia.

2020: Languages Spoken at Home

As of 2020, the top languages generally spoken at home in the Philippines are Tagalog, Binisaya, Hiligaynon, Ilocano, Cebuano, and Bikol.

2020: Religion Census Data

Census data from 2020 found that 78.8 percent of the population in the Philippines professed Roman Catholicism.

2020: Pinoy pop influenced by K-pop and J-pop

From 2010 to 2020, Pinoy pop (P-pop) in the Philippines was influenced by K-pop and J-pop.

2020: COVID-19 Pandemic Reaches Philippines

In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic reached the Philippines, necessitating nationwide lockdowns.

2021: Household electrification level

As of the end of 2021, the Philippines' household electrification level was about 95.41%.

2021: First Olympic Gold Medal

In 2021, Hidilyn Diaz secured the Philippines' first-ever Olympic gold medal in weightlifting at the Tokyo Olympics.

2021: Installed power capacity

In 2021, the Philippines had a total installed power capacity of 26,882 MW, with the majority generated from coal, oil, hydropower, natural gas and geothermal sources.

2021: Poverty Rate Decline

In 2021, the Philippines reduced its poverty rate to 18.1 percent, a significant decrease from 49.2 percent in 1985.

2021: Dito Telecommunity entry

In 2021, the entry of Dito Telecommunity improved the country's telecommunications service that had been dominated by the PLDT-Globe Telecom duopoly for more than two decades.

2021: Leading Causes of Death

In 2021, the leading causes of death in the Philippines were ischaemic heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, COVID-19, neoplasms, and diabetes.

2021: Water Withdrawals

In 2021, the total water withdrawals amounted to 89 billion cubic meters.

2021: Tourism Contribution

In 2021, tourism contributed 5.2 percent to the Philippine GDP.

January 2022: Women's Football Team Qualified

In January 2022, the Philippines women's national football team qualified for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, their first World Cup.

2022: AFP Manpower

As of 2022, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) had a total manpower of around 280,000, including active military personnel, reserves, and paramilitaries.

2022: Number of airports

As of 2022, the Philippines had 90 national government-owned airports, with eight being international.

2022: Marcos Wins Election

In 2022, Bongbong Marcos, the son of Ferdinand Marcos, won the election.

2022: Second biggest exporter of nickel ore

In 2022, The Philippines was the world's second biggest exporter of nickel ore.

2022: Health Expenditure

In 2022, per-capita health expenditure in the Philippines was ₱10,059.49, and health expenditures were 5.5 percent of the country's GDP.

2022: Dangerous Country for Journalists

In 2022, the Philippines was listed as the seventh-most-dangerous country for journalists by the Committee to Protect Journalists due to 13 unsolved murders of journalists.

2022: Total Water Withdrawals

In 2022, the total water withdrawals increased to 91 billion cubic meters from 89 billion cubic meters in 2021 and the total expenditures on water were amounted to ₱144.81 billion.

2023: Forest Cover Estimates

According to official estimates, the Philippines had 7,000,000 hectares of forest cover in 2023.

2023: American Citizens

As of 2023, almost 300,000 American citizens live in the Philippines, with up to 250,000 Amerasians scattered across the cities of Angeles, Manila, and Olongapo.

2023: Life Expectancy

As of 2023, average life expectancy in the Philippines is 70.48 years (66.97 years for males and 74.15 years for females).

2023: Expanded Protected Areas

As of 2023, protected areas were expanded to 7,790,000 hectares.

2023: Budget Allocation for Education

As of 2023, the Philippine education sector was allocated ₱900.9 billion from the ₱5.268 trillion budget. The country has 1,640 public libraries affiliated with the National Library of the Philippines.

2023: Labor force and unemployment rate

As of 2023, the Philippines' labor force was around 50 million, and its unemployment rate was 3.1 percent.

2023: Record remittances from overseas Filipinos

In 2023, remittances from overseas Filipinos reached a record US$37.20 billion, accounting for 8.5 percent of the Philippines' GDP.

2023: International visitors

In 2023, the Philippines attracted 5.45 million international visitors, with most tourists coming from South Korea, United States, Japan, Australia, and China.

2023: Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership

In 2023, the Philippines entered into the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership free trade agreement.

2023: Philippine military spending

In 2023, the Philippines spent US$477 million (1.4 percent of GDP) on the military, primarily the Philippine Army, focusing on internal threats.

2023: Women's Football Team First World Cup

The Philippines women's national football team qualified for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, their first World Cup.

January 2024: Gross international reserves

As of January 2024, the Philippines' gross international reserves totaled US$103.406 billion.

2024: Global Peace Index Ranking

In 2024, the Philippines ranked 104th out of 163 countries in the Global Peace Index.

2025: Estimated nominal GDP

In 2025, the Philippine economy is estimated to have a nominal gross domestic product of US$507.7 billion, making it the world's 34th largest.

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