Philippine History Reviewer

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the Philippine History review material, spanning pre-colonial social structures, colonial expeditions, revolutionary periods, presidential administrations, martial law, and constitutional provisions.

Dawn Man

The earliest group of people cited to have arrived in the Philippines approximately 250,000 years ago.

Negritos

A group of early settlers who arrived in the Philippines between 25,000 and 30,000 years ago.

Indonesians

An early migrant group that arrived in two waves: the first wave around 3,000–4,000 BC and the second wave around 1,500–500 BC.

Malays

Seafaring people who migrated to the Philippines and introduced ironworking, pottery-making, weaving, and jewelry-making.

Maginoo

The noble class in ancient Filipino society consisting of the ruler or chief of the barangay.

Maharlika

The noble or upper class in pre-colonial society; generally composed of free people.

Timawa

The social class consisting of freemen or commoners in ancient Filipino society.

Alipin

The dependent or servile class in pre-colonial Philippine society.

Aliping Namamahay

A category of slaves who lived in their own houses, could own personal property, and fulfilled specific service obligations to their masters.

Aliping Saguiguilid

A category of slaves who resided directly within their master's household and performed domestic labor.

Barangay

An ancient Filipino socio-political community named after the Malay sailboat 'balangay', headed by a Datu and typically consisting of 30 to 100 families.

Bathala

The supreme deity and creator of heaven, earth, and mankind in ancient indigenous Filipino religion.

Anitos

Ancestral spirits venerated and worshipped by the pre-colonial Tagalogs.

Diwatas

Spirits venerated and worshipped by the pre-colonial Visayans.

Babaylan / Katalona

Indigenous religious priests or priestesses who conducted rituals, spiritual healing, and sacrifices in pre-colonial communities.

Kangan

A collarless, short-sleeved upper garment traditionally worn by ancient Filipino men.

Bahag

A strip of cloth wrapped around the waist and between the legs worn by pre-colonial Filipino men.

Putong

A traditional cloth wrapped around the head worn by pre-colonial Filipino men.

Kalombigas

Gold armlets worn as body ornaments by ancient Filipinos.

Baro

A wide-sleeved upper garment worn by ancient Filipino women.

Patadyong

A traditional wrapped skirt worn by pre-colonial Filipino women.

Encomienda System

A royal award established in 1570 by Miguel López de Legazpi that granted an encomendero authority over native populations to collect tribute and demand forced labor.

Polo y Servicios

The mandatory system of forced labor imposed on native Filipinos during the Spanish colonial era.

Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)

A treaty signed on June 7, 1494, that divided newly discovered lands outside Europe between Spain and Portugal.

Ferdinand Magellan

A Portuguese navigator sailing under the Spanish crown who arrived in the Philippines on March 17, 1521, introduced Christianity, and died in the Battle of Mactan on April 27, 1521.

Loaisa Expedition

A Spanish maritime expedition launched in 1525 under Garcia Jofre de Loaisa that failed to reach the Philippines.

Cabot Expedition

A 1526 Spanish expedition led by Sebastian Cabot that failed to locate the Strait of Magellan.

Saavedra Expedition

A 1527 expedition led by Alvaro de Saavedra that reached Mindanao but failed to establish a colony.

Villalobos Expedition

A 1542 Spanish expedition led by Ruy Lopez de Villalobos that reached Mindanao and named the archipelago 'Islas Filipinas' in honor of Crown Prince Philip.

Legazpi Expedition

The 1564 Spanish expedition commanded by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi that successfully established permanent Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines.

Katipunan (KKK)

Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan; a revolutionary secret society founded by Andres Bonifacio aiming to secure Philippine independence from Spain.

Pact of Biak-na-Bato

A truce signed on December 14–15, 1897, between Spanish colonial authorities and Emilio Aguinaldo providing for financial indemnity, surrender of arms, and Aguinaldo's exile to Hong Kong.

Treaty of Paris (1898)

The peace treaty signed on December 10, 1898, formally ending the Spanish-American War, under which Spain ceded the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico to the United States for $20 million.

Malolos Congress

The constituent assembly convened on September 15, 1898, at Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan, which ratified independence and framed the Malolos Constitution.

Felipe G. Calderón

The primary author of the Malolos Constitution of the First Philippine Republic.

First Philippine Republic

The government inaugurated on January 23, 1899, with Emilio Aguinaldo as president, recognized as the first constitutional republic in Asia.

William Howard Taft

The official inaugurated on July 4, 1901, as the first American Civil Governor of the Philippines, marking the shift from military to civil governance.

Jones Law of 1916

Also known as the Philippine Autonomy Act, a U.S. federal statute that established an elected bicameral Philippine Legislature and pledged future independence.

Tydings-McDuffie Law

The 1934 U.S. law signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt establishing a ten-year Commonwealth transition period leading to full Philippine independence on July 4, 1946.

Commonwealth of the Philippines

The transitional government established on November 15, 1935, governed by the 1935 Constitution, with Manuel L. Quezon serving as its first president.

Jose P. Laurel

The president who headed the Japanese-sponsored Second Philippine Republic from October 14, 1943, to August 17, 1945.

Hukbalahap

Short for Hukbong Bayan Laban sa Hapon (People's Army Against Japan); an anti-Japanese guerrilla resistance army active during World War II.

Douglas MacArthur

The American military commander who declared 'I shall return' upon evacuating in 1942 and fulfilled his pledge at Leyte on October 20, 1944.

Preamble

The introductory statement of a constitution that outlines its fundamental principles, national ideals, and underlying purposes.

Manuel Roxas

The last President of the Philippine Commonwealth and the first President of the independent Third Philippine Republic, serving from 1946 to 1948.

Ramon Magsaysay

The seventh President of the Philippines, known as the 'Man of the Masses' and 'Savior of Democracy,' who died in a plane crash on Mt. Manunggal on March 17, 1957.

Diosdado Macapagal

The ninth President of the Philippines, known as the 'Poor Boy from Lubao,' who enacted Republic Act No. 3844 and changed Independence Day from July 4 to June 12.

Proclamation No. 1081

The official proclamation signed by Ferdinand Marcos on September 21, 1972, placing the entire Philippines under Martial Law.

Proclamation No. 2045

The presidential decree signed by Ferdinand Marcos on January 17, 1981, that formally lifted Martial Law in the Philippines.

EDSA People Power Revolution

A nonviolent civilian and military uprising from February 22 to 25, 1986, that ended the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos and restored constitutional democracy.

Jaime Cardinal Sin

The Archbishop of Manila who mobilized widespread civilian participation along EDSA to safeguard military defectors during the 1986 revolution.

Constitution

The fundamental and supreme organic law of a nation that structures governmental authority and guarantees civil liberties.

Bill of Rights

Article III of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, designated as the 'Heart of the Constitution,' which establishes legal limits on state authority to protect civil freedoms.

Eminent Domain

The state's inherent power to expropriate private land for public utility or purpose upon the settlement of just compensation.

Natural-born Citizens

Filipino citizens who hold citizenship from birth without the necessity of performing any legal act to acquire or perfect that status.

Suffrage

The constitutional right and civil privilege granted to eligible citizens under Article V to vote in public elections.

Civil Service Commission (CSC)

An independent constitutional body responsible for promoting an efficient, honest, and merit-based Philippine civil service.

Commission on Elections (COMELEC)

An independent constitutional commission entrusted with the administration and enforcement of all election laws and processes.

Commission on Audit (COA)

An independent constitutional body vested with the authority to examine, audit, and settle all government revenues and expenditures.

Naturalized Citizens

Individuals who acquire Philippine citizenship through a formal legal process rather than holding it from birth.