History of Philippines in Timeline
The Philippines is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia, located in the western Pacific Ocean. It comprises 7,641 islands, divided into three main geographical areas: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, covering approximately 300,000 square kilometers. With a population exceeding 110 million, it ranks as the world's twelfth most populous nation.
1900: Forest cover
In 1900, forest cover was 70 percent of the Philippines' total land area.
1902: Establishment of American Civilian Government
After the fall of the First Philippine Republic in 1902, 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-Produced Feature Film
In 1919, the first Filipino-produced feature film, Dalagang Bukid (A Girl from the Country), directed by Jose Nepomuceno, was released.
1924: Participation in Summer Olympic Games
Since 1924, the Philippines has participated in every Summer Olympic Games, except when they supported the American-led boycott.
1933: Emergence of Sound Films
In 1933, sound films and larger productions emerged.
1934: Tydings-McDuffie Act
In 1934, the Tydings–McDuffie Act granted a ten-year transition to independence through the creation of the Commonwealth of the Philippines the following year.
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.
1942: Guerrilla activity
Beginning in 1942, the Japanese occupation of the Philippines was opposed by large-scale underground guerrilla activity.
1944: Defeat of Japanese forces
In 1944, 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 by the United States
On July 4, 1946, the United States recognized the Philippines' independence with the Treaty of Manila.
1946: Philippines became independent
In 1946, the Philippines achieved independence after the United States retook the Philippines from the Japanese after World War II.
1948: Philippines population
Between 1948 and 2010, the population of the Philippines increased almost fivefold from 19 million.
1951: Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States
In 1951, a Mutual Defense Treaty between the Philippines and the United States was signed.
1962: Decline in Quality Films
The 1962 decade saw a decline in quality films.
1963: Establishment of Science High Schools
In 1963, science high schools for talented students were established.
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 has become the largest global supplier of nurses.
1969: Marcos Reelection
In 1969, Ferdinand Marcos was reelected as president due to improved economy.
1971: Decline in Quality Films
The 1971 decade saw a decline in quality films.
September 21, 1972: Declaration of Martial Law by Marcos
On September 21, 1972, Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law and began to rule by decree.
1972: Martial Law under Ferdinand Marcos
In 1972, Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law, beginning a period characterized by dictatorship, political repression, and human rights violations.
1972: Debut at Winter Olympic Games
In 1972, the Philippines debuted at the Winter Olympic Games.
1973: Plans to harness nuclear energy
In the early 1970s during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, plans to harness nuclear energy began in response to the 1973 oil crisis.
1975: Philippines values relations with China
Since 1975, the Philippines has valued its relations with China, which is 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.
1980: Boycott of Summer Olympics
In 1980, the Philippines supported the American-led boycott of the Summer Olympics.
1981: End of Martial Law
Martial law, which began in 1972, ended in 1981 under the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.
1982: Release of Acclaimed Films
In 1982, critically acclaimed Philippine films Himala (Miracle) and Oro, Plata, Mata (Gold, Silver, Death) were released.
August 21, 1983: Assassination of Benigno Aquino Jr.
On August 21, 1983, opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr. was assassinated at Manila International Airport.
1984: Economic Contraction
In 1984, the economy contracted by 7.3 percent annually due to Marcos' heavy borrowing.
1984: Completed Southeast Asia's first nuclear power plant
The Philippines completed Southeast Asia's first nuclear power plant in Bataan in 1984.
1985: Poverty rate
In 1985, the Philippines' poverty rate was 49.2 percent.
1985: Economic Contraction
In 1985, the economy contracted by 7.3 percent annually due to Marcos' heavy borrowing.
1986: Decline of CPP-NPA after 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), began to shrink militarily and politically.
1986: Chernobyl disaster
In 1986, after the Chernobyl disaster political issues following Marcos' ouster and safety concerns prevented the plant from being commissioned.
1986: Government reforms began
In 1986, government reforms began and were hampered by national debt, government corruption, and coup attempts.
1986: People Power Revolution
In 1986, the People Power Revolution forced Marcos and his allies to flee to Hawaii.
1987: Fifth Republic Constitution enacted
In 1987, the constitution of the Fifth Republic was enacted, establishing the country as a unitary presidential republic.
1990: Mainstream Filipino Hip-Hop
In 1990, Filipino hip-hop entered the mainstream.
1990: Major Earthquake on Luzon
In 1990, a major earthquake occurred on Luzon.
1990: Good progress on Philippine population had access to improved sanitation
The Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation noted that "good progress" had been made between 1990 and 2015.
June 1991: Eruption of Mount Pinatubo
In June 1991, the eruption of Mount Pinatubo occurred.
1991: Law devolved some powers to local governments
In 1991, a law was passed that devolved some powers to local governments in the Philippines as steps towards decentralization.
1995: Military modernization program began
In 1995, a military modernization program began in the Philippines to build a more capable 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: Bought first satellite
In 1996, the Philippines bought its first satellite.
1997: Asian Financial Crisis
In 1997, the onset of the Asian financial crisis overshadowed Ramos's economic gains.
1999: Visiting Forces Agreement
In 1999, the Mutual Defense Treaty was supplemented with the Visiting Forces Agreement.
2000: Jade Artifacts
Jade artifacts in the Philippines have been dated to 2000 BC, with lingling-o jade items made in Luzon with raw materials from Taiwan.
January 20, 2001: Arroyo succeeds Estrada
On January 20, 2001, Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo succeeded Joseph Estrada after his overthrow by the 2001 EDSA Revolution.
2003: Major non-NATO ally
In 2003, the Philippines was designated a major non-NATO ally.
2003: Sought observer status
The Philippines has sought to obtain observer status in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation since 2003.
2004: Electoral Fraud Allegations
During the 2004 presidential election, Arroyo's administration was tainted by electoral fraud allegations.
2004: Alternative Education Programs
In 2004, the government began offering alternative education to out-of-school children, youth, and adults to improve literacy; madaris were mainstreamed in 16 regions.
2007: SMS messages per day
In 2007, the Philippines sent an average of one billion SMS messages per day.
2009: National Grid Corporation manages power grid
Since 2009, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines manages the country's power grid.
2010: Philippines population
Between 1948 and 2010, the population of the Philippines increased almost fivefold to 92 million.
2010: Influence on Pinoy Pop
From 2010, Pinoy pop (P-pop) was influenced by K-pop and J-pop.
2010: Economic growth
Since around 2010, the Philippines has experienced an average annual economic growth rate of six to seven percent.
2010: ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement
The Philippines entered into the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement in 2010.
2012: Boracay called the best island in the world
In 2012, Travel + Leisure called Boracay the best island in the world.
2012: Income inequality began to decline
In 2012, the Philippines' income inequality began to decline.
2012: Scarborough Shoal standoff
In 2012, the Scarborough Shoal standoff occurred after China seized the shoal from the Philippines. This led to an international arbitration case that the Philippines won, although China rejected the result.
2012: Military modernization program expanded
In 2012, the military modernization program that began in 1995 was expanded to further develop a more capable defense system.
2013: Roman Catholic Population
As of 2013, the country had the world's third-largest Roman Catholic population.
2014: Peace agreement with Moro Islamic Liberation Front
In 2014, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, another significant separatist organization in Bangsamoro, signed a final peace agreement with the Philippine government.
2015: Access to improved sanitation
In 2015, the Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation noted that 74 percent of the Philippine population had access to improved sanitation.
2015: Gold production
In 2015, the country's gold production was 21 metric tonnes.
2016: Household water sources and sanitation
As of 2016, ninety-six percent of Filipino households had an improved source of drinking water and 92 percent of households had sanitary toilet facilities.
2016: Election of Rodrigo Duterte
In 2016, Rodrigo Duterte was elected president.
2016: Genetic Study of Filipinos
In 2016, a National Geographic project indicated that people in the Philippine archipelago carried genetic markers: 53% Southeast Asia and Oceania, 36% Eastern Asia, 5% Southern Europe, 3% Southern Asia, and 2% Native American.
2016: Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement
In 2016, the Mutual Defense Treaty was supplemented with the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.
2016: Launched first micro-satellite
In 2016, the Philippines launched its first micro-satellite, Diwata-1, on the United States' Cygnus spacecraft.
2017: Air domestic market
In 2017, the Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific dominated the air domestic market.
December 2018: Kilometers of roads in the country
In December 2018, there were 210,528 kilometers of roads in the Philippines.
2018: Establishment of Malasakit Centers
Since 2018, Malasakit Centers have been set up in several government-operated hospitals to provide medical and financial assistance to indigent patients.
2019: Railway footprint
As of 2019, the Philippines had a railway footprint of only 79 kilometers, which it planned to expand.
2019: Higher Education Institutions
As of 2019, the Philippines has 1,975 higher education institutions.
2019: Universal Health Care Act Enactment
In 2019, the Universal Health Care Act was enacted, facilitating the automatic enrollment of all Filipinos in the national health insurance program.
May 1, 2020: Philippines population
As of May 1, 2020, the Philippines had a population of 109,035,343.
May 2020: ABS-CBN Franchise Denial
In May 2020, the Philippine government denied ABS-CBN's franchise renewal.
2020: Population distribution in the Philippines
As of 2020, Calabarzon was the most populous region in the Philippines, and the National Capital Region (NCR) was the most densely populated.
2020: Languages Spoken at Home
As of 2020, the top languages generally spoken at home are Tagalog, Binisaya, Hiligaynon, Ilocano, Cebuano, and Bikol.
2020: Religion Census
Census data from 2020 found that 78.8 percent of the population professed Roman Catholicism.
2020: 2020 Census Data on Ethnic Groups
In 2020, 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: COVID-19 Pandemic
In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic reached the Philippines, necessitating nationwide lockdowns.
2020: Islam as Second-Largest Religion
In the 2020 census, Islam was the country's second-largest religion, with 6.4 percent of the population.
2020: Influence on Pinoy Pop
Until 2020, Pinoy pop (P-pop) was influenced by K-pop and J-pop.
2021: Household electrification level
As of end-2021, the Philippines' household electrification level was about 95.41%.
2021: Installed power capacity
In 2021, the Philippines had a total installed power capacity of 26,882 MW, with coal as the primary source of energy.
2021: First Olympic Gold Medal
In 2021, the Philippines received its first-ever Olympic gold medal with weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz's victory in Tokyo.
2021: Poverty rate
In 2021, the Philippines' poverty rate was 18.1 percent.
2021: Entry of Dito Telecommunity
In 2021, the entry of Dito Telecommunity improved the telecommunications service in the Philippines.
2021: Total water withdrawals
In 2021, the total water withdrawals were amounted to 89 billion cubic meters.
2021: Tourism contribution to GDP
In 2021, tourism contributed 5.2 percent to the Philippine GDP, which was lower than the 12.7 percent contribution in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021: Leading Causes of Death
The country's leading causes of death in 2021 were ischaemic heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, COVID-19, neoplasms, and diabetes.
January 2022: Women's National Football Team qualified for World Cup
In January 2022, the 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: National government-owned airports
As of 2022, the Philippines had 90 national government-owned airports.
2022: Marcos wins 2022 election
In 2022, Marcos's son, Bongbong Marcos, ran with Duterte's daughter, Sara, and won the election.
2022: Nickel ore exporter
In 2022, Philippines was the world's second biggest exporter of nickel ore.
2022: Ranking of Press Freedom
In 2022, the Philippines was listed as the seventh-most-dangerous country for journalists by the Committee to Protect Journalists due to unsolved murders.
2022: Total water withdrawals
In 2022, the total water withdrawals increased to 91 billion cubic meters from 89 billion cubic meters in 2021.
2022: Per-capita Health Expenditure
Per-capita health expenditure in 2022 was ₱10,059.49.
2023: Forest cover
According to official estimates, the Philippines had 7,000,000 hectares of forest cover in 2023.
2023: American Citizens and Amerasians
As of 2023, almost 300,000 American citizens live in the country, and up to 250,000 Amerasians are scattered across the cities of Angeles, Manila, and Olongapo.
2023: Budget Allocation for Education
As of 2023, education, a significant proportion of the national budget, was allocated ₱900.9 billion from the ₱5.268 trillion budget. As of 2023, the country has 1,640 public libraries.
2023: Average Life Expectancy
As of 2023, the average life expectancy in the Philippines is 70.48 years (66.97 years for males, and 74.15 years for females).
2023: Philippine military spending
In 2023, US$477 million (1.4 percent of GDP) was spent on the Philippine military, primarily on the Philippine Army for internal security operations.
2023: Overseas remittances
In 2023, remittances from overseas Filipinos reached a record US$37.20 billion, accounting for 8.5 percent of the country's GDP.
2023: Philippine nominal gross domestic product
In 2023, the Philippine economy was the world's 34th largest, with an estimated nominal gross domestic product of US$435.7 billion.
2023: Number of international visitors
In 2023, the Philippines attracted 5.45 million international visitors.
2023: Women's National Football Team participated in World Cup
In 2023, the women's national football team participated in the FIFA Women's World Cup, their first World Cup.
2023: Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership free trade agreement
The Philippines entered into the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership free trade agreement (FTA) in 2023.
January 2024: Gross international reserves
As of January 2024, the Philippines' gross international reserves totaled US$103.406 billion.
2024: Philippines ranked in Global Peace Index
In 2024, the Philippines ranked 104th out of 163 countries in the Global Peace Index.
