Philippine History & Government – Core Vocabulary

A set of key vocabulary terms covering major people, events, institutions, and legal concepts from Philippine history, government structure, and José Rizal’s life and works.

Tabon Man

22,000-year-old human fossil found in Palawan, evidence of early Philippine habitation.

Negritos

Indigenous hunter-gatherer peoples such as the Aeta and Ati, among the archipelago’s earliest inhabitants.

Austronesian Migration

Arrival of Malayo-Polynesian–speaking peoples around 3000 BC, bringing farming, seafaring, and new languages.

Barangay

Pre-colonial basic political & social unit, a kinship community led by a datu.

Datu

Hereditary chieftain who governed a barangay in early Philippine societies.

Maharlika

Noble warrior class within the barangay social hierarchy.

Islamization

Spread of Islam from the 13th c. through Sulu & Mindanao via Malay-Indonesian traders and missionaries.

Ferdinand Magellan

Portuguese explorer whose 1521 voyage claimed the islands for Spain; killed at Mactan.

Lapu-Lapu

Chieftain of Mactan who defeated and killed Magellan in 1521.

Miguel López de Legazpi

Conquistador who established the first permanent Spanish settlement in Cebu (1565) and founded Manila (1571).

Manila Galleons

Annual Spanish trade ships linking Manila and Acapulco, carrying American silver and Asian goods (1565-1815).

Principalia

Spanish-era Filipino local elite co-opted to administer towns and collect taxes.

Propaganda Movement

Late-19th-century reformist campaign by ilustrados in Europe advocating rights and representation.

Noli Me Tangere

José Rizal’s 1887 novel exposing Spanish abuses; galvanized Filipino nationalism.

El Filibusterismo

Rizal’s 1891 sequel depicting revenge against colonial oppression.

Katipunan

Secret revolutionary society founded by Andrés Bonifacio in 1892 to gain independence from Spain.

Supremo

Title of the president of the Katipunan; first held by Andrés Bonifacio.

Philippine Revolution (1896)

Armed uprising against Spanish rule leading to the 1898 declaration of independence.

Treaty of Paris (1898)

Ended the Spanish-American War; Spain ceded the Philippines to the U.S. for $20 million.

First Philippine Republic

Independent government proclaimed by Emilio Aguinaldo on 12 June 1898 at Kawit, Cavite.

Philippine-American War

Conflict (1899-1913) between U.S. forces and Filipino republicans resisting American annexation.

Jones Law (1916)

U.S. act promising eventual independence and creating an all-Filipino elected legislature (Senate & House).

Tydings-McDuffie Act

1934 U.S. law establishing the 10-year Commonwealth, leading to full independence in 1946.

Commonwealth of the Philippines

Semi-autonomous government (1935-46) preparing for independence; Manuel L. Quezon was its first president.

Japanese Occupation

Period (1942-45) when Japan controlled the Philippines during World War II, establishing the Second Republic.

Hukbalahap

Communist-led guerrilla movement formed against Japan; later rebelled against post-war government.

Ferdinand Marcos

Philippine president (1965-86) who declared Martial Law in 1972 and ruled as dictator.

Martial Law (Proclamation 1081)

1972 decree suspending civil liberties, closing Congress, and extending Marcos’s power.

People Power Revolution

Non-violent 1986 uprising that ousted Marcos and installed Corazon Aquino as president.

1987 Constitution

Current charter restoring democracy, human rights safeguards, and a bicameral Congress.

Malolos Congress

1898 revolutionary assembly that drafted the first republican constitution in Asia.

Batasang Pambansa

Unicameral legislature (1978-86) under the 1973 Constitution and Marcos’s parliamentary system.

Senate of the Philippines

24-member upper chamber of Congress, elected at-large for six-year terms.

House of Representatives

Lower chamber of Congress, composed of district and party-list members elected for three-year terms.

Bill to Law Process

Three readings in each chamber, bicameral conference, and presidential approval or veto.

Supreme Court of the Philippines

Highest judicial body with 1 Chief Justice and 14 Associate Justices; exercises judicial review.

Writ of Amparo

Legal remedy (2007) protecting constitutional rights against state-related disappearances and threats.

Writ of Habeas Data

Court order compelling disclosure or destruction of personal information that violates privacy or rights.

José Rizal

National hero, polymath, and reformist whose writings inspired the revolution; executed in 1896.

La Liga Filipina

1892 civic organization founded by Rizal advocating peaceful reforms; its suppression spurred the Katipunan.

Battle of Manila Bay

May 1 1898 naval victory of Commodore Dewey over Spain, signaling U.S. entry into the Philippines.

Manila Galleon Trade

See ‘Manila Galleons’; vital 16th-19th-century trans-Pacific commerce route.

Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)

Muslim separatist group in Mindanao; signed 1996 peace agreement with the government.

New People’s Army (NPA)

Armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines founded in 1969.

Jones Law Senate

First fully elected Filipino upper chamber created by the Jones Law in 1916.

Principalia Class

Spanish-era local aristocracy granted privileges and land titles.

Tabon Caves

Archaeological site in Palawan revealing 30,500-year-old human habitation.

Spanish Friars

Members of religious orders (Augustinians, Dominicans, Franciscans) influential in colonial governance and education.

Galleon

Large Spanish sailing ship used in trans-Pacific trade between Manila and Acapulco.

Ilustrados

Educated Filipino elite who led reform movements in the late 19th century.

Declaration of Independence (1898)

Proclamation in Kawit asserting Philippine sovereignty from Spain.

Commonwealth Act 137

1901 law renaming the District of Morong as the Province of Rizal.

Supreme Court Judicial Review

Power to nullify laws or actions violating the Constitution, affirmed by 1987 charter.

Habeas Corpus

Legal writ requiring that a detained person be brought before a court to determine legality of detention.

Governor-General

Highest colonial official under Spain and later the U.S.; represented sovereign authority in the islands.

Senatorial District

Regional unit for electing two senators under the 1916-1935 Philippine Senate.

Kalibapi

Japanese-sponsored political party that ratified the 1943 Constitution during World War II.

Freedom Constitution (1986)

Provisional charter issued by President Aquino prior to ratification of the 1987 Constitution.

Judicial and Bar Council

Constitutional body that screens nominees for judicial appointments, including the Supreme Court.

Chief Justice

Head of the Supreme Court; administers judiciary and presides over presidential impeachment trials in the Senate.