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Description
NARRATOR: "We'll explore the Philippines, an archipelago of 7,107 islands located in Southeast Asia in what is known as the Pearl of the Orient-"
"Wait a minute. Is this the Philippines?"
"Only in the archipelagic group of islands."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Philippines or the Philippine Islands is an archipelagic region in the Southeast Asia with over 7,107 islands, divided into three separate group of islands with Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao respectively. It is situated on the western part of the Pacific Ocean consisting of over six thousand islands, was divided into three countries (Ilocos, San Lazaro, and Mindanao), and it is bounded by the West Philippine/South China Sea to the west, the Philippine Sea to the east, and the Celebes Sea to the south. As of 2020 Pan-Philippine Census, the Philippines has a population of 105.5 million people, making the archipelago to the thirteenth most populous region, even if a future unification happens in the near future.

Pre-colonial Philippines was first inhabited by Negritos as the archipelago's first inhabitants before the arrival of the Austronesians which brought the languages to the island. The location in the Southeast Asia and its strategic importance has led to flourishing of trade relations between the Chinese, Indians, and Arabs as it adopts animism, Hinduism, and Islam which establishes city-states and island kingdoms called Kedatuan, Rajahnates, and Sultanates. The rise of Ma-I based on Chinese records gave the rise of the native polity before the arrival of the Europeans. The arrival of Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer who leads the sailing fleet for Spain, marked the beginning of Spanish colonization. In 1543, Spanish explorer Ruy Lopez de Villalobos named the archipelago Las Islas Filipinas in honor of King Philip II of Castille. Spanish colonization via New Spain, beginning in 1565, led to the Philippines becoming governed by the Crown of Castille, as part of the Spanish Empire, for more than 300 years. The colonization has introduced the Roman Catholicism, which later became the dominant region and Manila emerged as the western hub of trans-Pacific trade. It also led to the selective, if not mass immigration of immigrants from Latin America, Iberia, and later the rest of Europe which has led to changes in demographics and culture as another wave of Chinese and other Asian migrants came to the region and settle down. Rival European powers like the Dutch, the British, and French had clashed with the Spanish forces for the control of the islands would later led the French to acquire the northern half of Luzon, in what is today's Ilocos by the end of 19th century.

The Spanish Second Republic Era (1868-1903) has made profound changes to the society, culture, and economy as the adoption of the new constitution guaranteed the rights of indios or the native/Austronesian Filipinos and brought the island into a new era of economic boom, bolstered by expansion of railway system and immigration from Asia and Europe. However, the Gibraltar Crisis has led to the Iberians to cede control of Mindanao to the British, which they established a protectorate after renewed protests by the descendants of migrants comprising Filipino, Iberian, and Latin American Catholics as well as rebellions by Moro Muslims has allowed them to cement their colonial rule. In Ilocos-Cordillera, the French has consolidated the control of the colony which implemented a series of reforms in the fields of education, bureaucracy, and language which created the pidgin creole. While the Spanish colony of San Lazaro/Philippines would be formally transitioned into an autonomous dominion after the passage of Seville Decrees that created a self-governing constituent republic. In the British colony of Mindanao, the creation of planter class was a result of migration of Chinese, Malays, Indians, Japanese, British, and other European venture business class, farmers, and opportunists that brought the economic boom in the island, displacing the Visayan Catholic class and improving the Moro population.

The outbreak of World War II and subsequent Qing Chinese invasion of the archipelago has led to a creation of a client state under the leadership of local collaborator Artemio Ricarte, while exploiting the natural resources for Chinese military effort during the course of the conflict. The defeat and eventual liberation of the archipelago during the closing stages of the war has led to the British, Iberian, and the French to formally re-establish the colonial rule, although a brief periods of anarchy, looting, insurgency, and murder would derail any attempts by administrators to restore order. In the aftermath of the war, the Manila Trials Riots and May Rising led to the outbreak of the First Philippine War (1944-1953) led by anti-fascist All-Filipino Revolutionary Army or AFRA and the Integralist-based Philippine National Army which led to a protracted guerilla conflict.

The insurgents of pro-Italian PNA has launched an insurrection which attempted to establish a fascist-backed republic, only to collapse and surrender in 1951 while the Revolutionary Army's continuing battle has prolonged the conflict which led to a successful military campaign and formal surrender of the AFRA forces in late 1953. The British, Americans, Iberians, and the French had gathered a five-point summit in New York to determine the possibility of an establishing a federated republic under a temporary interim government, the terms of the said treaty were vague on how unification were to occur.

In 1961, a monarchy referendum on the British Protectorate of Mindanao and Borneo has voted in favor of installing a multiethnic monarchy and voted to reject unification with San Lazaro. The 1963 saw the election of pro-Japanese Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. and the Ilocanization policies has further diminished the possibility of a federalization and unification. Unresolved conflicts, heightened tensions with the geopolitical blocs, and language differences has led to a failure of the creation of Maharlika Alliance.

The election of socialist-nationalist Lorenzo Tañada as the Premier of San Lazaro has eroded any attempts to federate all three Philippine countries as the attempted pro-Italian coup in Mindanao led to the Islamist insurgency and sectarian violence which currently posses a stumbling roadblock on possible unification talks. In the 1980s, Ilocos has underwent a bloodless revolution as protests against the dictatorship of Marcos before his sudden death from heart attack and the inauguration of Raul Manglapus as president, which led to years of democratization and reforms that facilitated the country's transition into global economy, and country is now one of the fastest-growing economies and become part of newly-industrialized country. San Lazaro is a highly-developed country, a member of La Hispanidad and the Greater Asia-Pacific Cooperative Sphere, and the country is a global leader in technology with a high-standard of living. Since 1980s, Mindanao has been a constant waves of sectarian and religious violence which exploded into internal conflict, and since 2002 the country has become increasingly volatile, described as the "Bosnia of the Pacific" even with the communist insurgents and transnational criminal organizations seeking attempts to undermine the fragile stability of the country through violent means.

Cross-border cooperation between the Inter-Philippine countries remains cooperative in economic/trade and diplomatic terms which led to the formation of the Manila Group in 1995, to foster cooperation between them based on building political, economical, and cultural ties has been supplanted with the creation of Maharlikan Union, a pan-Philippine supranational political and economic union after the signing of Treaty of Cebu in 2007 and in 2021, the creation of Unified Pan-Philippine Market which ensures the free movement of goods, services, and capital which made attempts to solidify the common market. However, the 2018 Marawi Affair has thrown the project into setback which led to suspension of
Mindanao as a membership of the Maharlikan Union as diplomatic tensions between the San Lazaro and Mindanao spirals into near-confrontation. In 2022, Mindanao would resume its diplomatic relations with its neighbors, rejoining the bloc and establishing measures to the creation of the unified passport, citizenship, and currency but the project were yet to be implemented. The Pan-Philippinism remained a current political debate given the opinion on reunification increasing among the general public.

NOTE: This is my own work on alternate/parallel reality but this map is meant to show what happens if the Philippines failed to unite, given in any circumstances that cultural, linguistic, and geographical differences which remains a big problem on the development of the country's potential. I do not condone nor endorse the independence movement, which was controversially spearheaded by the former Philippine president.

Description
NARRATOR: "We'll explore the Philippines, an archipelago of 7,107 islands located in Southeast Asia in what is known as the Pearl of the Orient-"
"Wait a minute. Is this the Philippines?"
"Only in the archipelagic group of islands."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Philippines or the Philippine Islands is an archipelagic region in the Southeast Asia with over 7,107 islands, divided into three separate group of islands with Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao respectively. It is situated on the western part of the Pacific Ocean consisting of over six thousand islands, was divided into three countries (Ilocos, San Lazaro, and Mindanao), and it is bounded by the West Philippine/South China Sea to the west, the Philippine Sea to the east, and the Celebes Sea to the south. As of 2020 Pan-Philippine Census, the Philippines has a population of 105.5 million people, making the archipelago to the thirteenth most populous region, even if a future unification happens in the near future.

Pre-colonial Philippines was first inhabited by Negritos as the archipelago's first inhabitants before the arrival of the Austronesians which brought the languages to the island. The location in the Southeast Asia and its strategic importance has led to flourishing of trade relations between the Chinese, Indians, and Arabs as it adopts animism, Hinduism, and Islam which establishes city-states and island kingdoms called Kedatuan, Rajahnates, and Sultanates. The rise of Ma-I based on Chinese records gave the rise of the native polity before the arrival of the Europeans. The arrival of Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer who leads the sailing fleet for Spain, marked the beginning of Spanish colonization. In 1543, Spanish explorer Ruy Lopez de Villalobos named the archipelago Las Islas Filipinas in honor of King Philip II of Castille. Spanish colonization via New Spain, beginning in 1565, led to the Philippines becoming governed by the Crown of Castille, as part of the Spanish Empire, for more than 300 years. The colonization has introduced the Roman Catholicism, which later became the dominant region and Manila emerged as the western hub of trans-Pacific trade. It also led to the selective, if not mass immigration of immigrants from Latin America, Iberia, and later the rest of Europe which has led to changes in demographics and culture as another wave of Chinese and other Asian migrants came to the region and settle down. Rival European powers like the Dutch, the British, and French had clashed with the Spanish forces for the control of the islands would later led the French to acquire the northern half of Luzon, in what is today's Ilocos by the end of 19th century.

The Spanish Second Republic Era (1868-1903) has made profound changes to the society, culture, and economy as the adoption of the new constitution guaranteed the rights of indios or the native/Austronesian Filipinos and brought the island into a new era of economic boom, bolstered by expansion of railway system and immigration from Asia and Europe. However, the Gibraltar Crisis has led to the Iberians to cede control of Mindanao to the British, which they established a protectorate after renewed protests by the descendants of migrants comprising Filipino, Iberian, and Latin American Catholics as well as rebellions by Moro Muslims has allowed them to cement their colonial rule. In Ilocos-Cordillera, the French has consolidated the control of the colony which implemented a series of reforms in the fields of education, bureaucracy, and language which created the pidgin creole. While the Spanish colony of San Lazaro/Philippines would be formally transitioned into an autonomous dominion after the passage of Seville Decrees that created a self-governing constituent republic. In the British colony of Mindanao, the creation of planter class was a result of migration of Chinese, Malays, Indians, Japanese, British, and other European venture business class, farmers, and opportunists that brought the economic boom in the island, displacing the Visayan Catholic class and improving the Moro population.

The outbreak of World War II and subsequent Qing Chinese invasion of the archipelago has led to a creation of a client state under the leadership of local collaborator Artemio Ricarte, while exploiting the natural resources for Chinese military effort during the course of the conflict. The defeat and eventual liberation of the archipelago during the closing stages of the war has led to the British, Iberian, and the French to formally re-establish the colonial rule, although a brief periods of anarchy, looting, insurgency, and murder would derail any attempts by administrators to restore order. In the aftermath of the war, the Manila Trials Riots and May Rising led to the outbreak of the First Philippine War (1944-1953) led by anti-fascist All-Filipino Revolutionary Army or AFRA and the Integralist-based Philippine National Army which led to a protracted guerilla conflict.

The insurgents of pro-Italian PNA has launched an insurrection which attempted to establish a fascist-backed republic, only to collapse and surrender in 1951 while the Revolutionary Army's continuing battle has prolonged the conflict which led to a successful military campaign and formal surrender of the AFRA forces in late 1953. The British, Americans, Iberians, and the French had gathered a five-point summit in New York to determine the possibility of an establishing a federated republic under a temporary interim government, the terms of the said treaty were vague on how unification were to occur.

In 1961, a monarchy referendum on the British Protectorate of Mindanao and Borneo has voted in favor of installing a multiethnic monarchy and voted to reject unification with San Lazaro. The 1963 saw the election of pro-Japanese Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. and the Ilocanization policies has further diminished the possibility of a federalization and unification. Unresolved conflicts, heightened tensions with the geopolitical blocs, and language differences has led to a failure of the creation of Maharlika Alliance.

The election of socialist-nationalist Lorenzo Tañada as the Premier of San Lazaro has eroded any attempts to federate all three Philippine countries as the attempted pro-Italian coup in Mindanao led to the Islamist insurgency and sectarian violence which currently posses a stumbling roadblock on possible unification talks. In the 1980s, Ilocos has underwent a bloodless revolution as protests against the dictatorship of Marcos before his sudden death from heart attack and the inauguration of Raul Manglapus as president, which led to years of democratization and reforms that facilitated the country's transition into global economy, and country is now one of the fastest-growing economies and become part of newly-industrialized country. San Lazaro is a highly-developed country, a member of La Hispanidad and the Greater Asia-Pacific Cooperative Sphere, and the country is a global leader in technology with a high-standard of living. Since 1980s, Mindanao has been a constant waves of sectarian and religious violence which exploded into internal conflict, and since 2002 the country has become increasingly volatile, described as the "Bosnia of the Pacific" even with the communist insurgents and transnational criminal organizations seeking attempts to undermine the fragile stability of the country through violent means.

Cross-border cooperation between the Inter-Philippine countries remains cooperative in economic/trade and diplomatic terms which led to the formation of the Manila Group in 1995, to foster cooperation between them based on building political, economical, and cultural ties has been supplanted with the creation of Maharlikan Union, a pan-Philippine supranational political and economic union after the signing of Treaty of Cebu in 2007 and in 2021, the creation of Unified Pan-Philippine Market which ensures the free movement of goods, services, and capital which made attempts to solidify the common market. However, the 2018 Marawi Affair has thrown the project into setback which led to suspension of
Mindanao as a membership of the Maharlikan Union as diplomatic tensions between the San Lazaro and Mindanao spirals into near-confrontation. In 2022, Mindanao would resume its diplomatic relations with its neighbors, rejoining the bloc and establishing measures to the creation of the unified passport, citizenship, and currency but the project were yet to be implemented. The Pan-Philippinism remained a current political debate given the opinion on reunification increasing among the general public.

NOTE: This is my own work on alternate/parallel reality but this map is meant to show what happens if the Philippines failed to unite, given in any circumstances that cultural, linguistic, and geographical differences which remains a big problem on the development of the country's potential. I do not condone nor endorse the independence movement, which was controversially spearheaded by the former Philippine president.