June is probably a month giving Filipinos a lot of emotions, because not long ago we just celebrated the National Day of June 12th, the founding of Bacolod City on June 18th, and today we once again welcome the founding day of the capital city of Manila (June 24th), the Philippines.
Manila is the second largest city in the Philippines and also the capital of the Philippines. Manila has always been one of the most densely populated cities in the world with 14,800 people/km2 (2017). Manila today is not only considered a major commercial center of the country but also as the leading tourist destination of the country Philippines.
Despite the influence of many past invasions, Manila has risen and has had the present appearance. Here are some features of the formation history of Manila:
- Manila was formerly a settlement of Muslims in the late 16th century. In 1571, Manila was conquered by Spanish conquerors, who destroyed the settlement and built the walled fortress city Intramuros, becoming the capital of the colony at the same time. Later, Manila spread out of the walls and extended to the north, east, and south, linked together through churches that were built during the Spanish colonial period.
- At different times, Manila was always the target of invasion by foreign forces, such as: China invaded in 1574, Netherlands raided in the middle of the 17th century, in 1762 was occupied by the British and then the renaissance of Spanish colonialists.
- Manila was also the center of the struggle against Spanish colonialism in the 1890s. After the Spanish defeat to the US, Manila became the US government headquarters of the Philippines.
- Manila under the American period developed both socially and economically, American policy also encouraged the gradual autonomy of the Philippines, and Manila became a major trading and tourist center.
- World War II broke out, Manila was occupied by Japan in 1942 and then regained American sovereignty in 1945.
- In 1946, Manila City became the capital of the Philippines, but due to the impact of the war, the government chose Quezon as the nation’s new capital since 1948. However, by 1976, Manila again became the capital and the permanent seat of the nation government.
Through historical events, we can understand why Manila is considered “the city of the past and the modern”. Thanks to that, today, Manila is always a large tourist attraction around the world.
Congratulations to Manila day!