Manila History, Philippines

Manila in Brief Retrospect

The city of Manila which is today the capital and prime city of the Philippines actually began as a Muslim settlement in the mid 16th century. Although the city today is home to the Archdiocese of Manila and is largely known for its Christian Catholic churches, cathedrals and predominant Roman Catholic population, early Manila was ruled over by three rajahs and was recognized by sultanates from other regions such as those in Brunei and Sulu. The name Manila was derived from its earliest moniker Maynilad giving reference to a flowering mangrove common to the area the Nilad.

The Spanish Take-over in 1570

The three rajahs Rajah Sulayman Rajah Lakandula and Rajah Matanda all had their respective jurisdictions among the areas near the Pasig River. In 1570, however the Spanish conquistadors ordered the occupation of Manila. This prompted the more than three centuries rule of Spain over the Philippines. Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi organized the conquest although it was his secondary, Martin de Goiti who marched into Manila and successfully defeated the locals with his escort of approximately three hundred Spanish soldiers.

It was in 1959 that Spain proclaimed Manila as the capital of the Philippines and the primary location for trading connections. A year after Martin de Goiti barged into Manila in 1570; Miguel Lopez de Legazpi followed into Manila and peacefully established a formal city council. This included mayors, councilors and a secretary. Intramuros, a walled city was built to isolate the Spanish from the rest of the locals.

The Filipino guerillas vs. American forces

For a brief period Manila was occupied by the British forces. This took place beginning the year 1762 and ended shortly in 1764. American forces fought with the Spanish colonizers and the Filipinos to occupy Manila in the year 1898. This was the time of the Spanish-American war and the accompanying Philippine-American War. Spain was defeated and the Americans soon took over Manila and the rest of the Philippines islands.

The Filipinos however refused to be subjected to another foreign conquest after having won the battle against Spain. This was the time when the First Philippine Republic was proclaimed by Emilio Aguinaldo at the Malolos Congress. Aguinaldo led the guerilla forces, which fought against the American soldiers that were by this time the new colonizers. However, the poor Filipino guerillas were quickly defeated by the well-armed Americans.

Finally, in the Treaty of Paris the Philippine islands were officially handed over to America. This treaty took place in the year 1898.

The long-deserved liberation

The American military finally abandoned their posts in Manila on 30 December 1941. In order to mitigate the destruction and loss being experienced by the city during the Second World War, President Manuel L. Quezon proclaimed Manila to be an open city. When the Philippine Executive Commission was initiated to govern over Manila, the city was expanded to include other districts. This was also the period when smaller municipalities like Las Pinas Malabon Mandaluyong Paranaque and Makati were created as part of Manila. The Battle of Manila in 1945 in which American Japanese and Filipino forces took part, severely devastated the city but finally earned Manila its long-awaited liberation.