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In 1521 Ferdinand Magellan arrived at the Molukken on the archipelago. He tried to turn the local population to Christianity but lost his life in The Battle of Mactan near Cebu. He was killed by Lapu-Lapu's men.

The Spanish interest in the area however continued and some dozens of years later in 1571 Maynila (the present Manila) was conquered.
Hereafter new Spanish troops were invoked and the country got further conquered, inch by inch. The occupation would last for the next coming three hundred years.

With aid of the Americans in 1898, after many years of resistance, the Spaniards were finally dissipated from Manila, and on June 12, 1898 Philippine independence was exclaimed by Emilio Aguinaldo.


Lapu-Lapu fighting Magellan