The islands of the Philippines were politically divided between a number of thalassocratic rajanates and sultanates when famous Portuguese explorer Fernando Magellan arrived and claimed the area for Spain. The colonization process began in 1565 and from 1565 to 1821, the islands were governed as a territory of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and after Mexican War of Independence, directly from Madrid.

The Philippine War of Independence started in 1896 and was led by nationalist leader Andrés Bonifacio and his organization, Katipunan. On 12th of June 1898, in the wake of Spanish-American War in Cuba, Emilio Aguinaldo (Bonifacio’s successor) proclaimed independence in Kawit, Cawite. The following year, the First Philippine Republic was proclaimed, but it was short-lived; the islands were ceded to United States for 20 million USD and the Americans solidified their presence on the islands with the bloody Philippine-American war. For the next 45 years, the Philippines were governed as an insular area, and as a Commonwealth from 1935 until 1941, when the Japanese occupation commenced. After a brief but violent intervention by the Japanese during World War II, the islands gained full independence in 1946.

The Constitution of Philippines identifies the country as a stronghold of justice and democracy, but the situation of minorities in the country remains controversial.

The Cordillera peoples are indigenous people from the mountainous north of the country. They are both blessed and cursed to live in one of the most resource-rich provinces. Mining and damming projects in the area were fully supported by the American colonial administration, and continue to be developed under the current government. In April 1980, the Philippine army violently cracked down on tribal chieftains who had voiced their concerns over the industrial activity in the region, an event remembered as Cordillera Day. The 1995 Mining Code gave companies the freedom to devastate tribal lands, to displace and resettle people within their concessionary areas, and allowed for 100% foreign ownership. The Indigenous Peoples Rights Act came into existence in 1997 and gave more control to the Cordillera people over their own destiny, but the struggle against dam construction projects is ongoing.

The Moro people comprise of around 5% of the population of the Philippines and primarily reside in the south of the country. They form a rather loose alliance of tribes practicing the same religion, Islam. Today, the Moro people are still disadvantaged compared to the Christian majority in terms of employment and housing. They are frequently discriminated against, used as scapegoats, and portrayed as militant Islamists opposed to a democratic Philippine Republic. As a consequence of land grabbing by Christian militias, such as the Ilaga, a large number of Moros have fled to Indonesia and Malaysia.

On 15 October 2012 the Philippine government, headed by president Aquino, signed the ‘Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro’ with the Moro people. The agreement, considered as a breakthrough in the 15-year-old peace talks, established an autonomous region called ‘Bangsamoro’, which replaces the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

UNPO wishes strength to its Members in the Philippines, and hopes they increasingly become actors in shaping their own destiny.