Timeline of the Philippine Foreign Relations

Pre-Spanish Period
(982 BC-1565)

982 BC – Direct China contract with Filipino merchants

100 BC – Iron Age (relations between Philippines and Tami Nadu)
500 AD
to 800 AD – Emergence of barangay city state and trade
900 AD – Laguna Copperland Inscription
1380 – Makhdun Karim brought Islamic faith to Filipinos
1400 – Japanese establishment of a trading port and Aparri in Northern Luzon
– Muslims Arabs introduced Islam in the Southern parts of the Philippines
1500 – The Sultanate Brunei attacked the Kingdom of Tondo and established a city
with the Malays
1521 – The Arrival of Magellan
1565 – Arrival of Miguel Lopez De Legazpi
Spanish Period
(1565-1898)

1565 – The Manila (Acapulco Trade/Galleon Trade)

1781 – Tobacco Monopoly
1785 – Royal Company of the Philippines
1874 – Opening of the Port in Manila to International Trade
1869 – Opening of the Suez Canal
1898 – (June 12, 1898) Declaration of the Philippine Independence from Spain
American Period
(1898-1935)

1898 – A Treaty between Spain and United States of America in which the Spain
ceded the Philippines to US for $20M
– President Emilo Aguinaldo appointed Apolinario Mabini as the Republic’s
First Secretary of Foreign Affairs
1902 – Congress save a 25% on the regular American Tariff in favour of Philippine
 exports
– Promulgation of the Payne-Aldrich Act
– US Congress approach to the Philippine Bill which established the Philippine
Assembly
1913 – Establishment of the Underwood-Simmons Act
1915 – The passage of the Carpenter-Kiram Agreement
1916 – The Jones Law was enacted as the first and official commitments
1918 – Philippine Legislature created the Commission of Independence
1919 – The first Philippine Independence Mission
1920 – Farewell address of President Wilson to the US Congress
1932 – The Free Trade expansion between America and the Philippines under
Sen. Frank Murphy
1934 – Tydings-Mcduffie Act was enacted
1935 – President Roosevelt approved the Constitution of the Philippines
Japanese Period
(1929-1945)

1929 – Economic relations between Japan and the Philippines

1935 – Commonwealth Government
1938 – Barter Trade & Retail
1942 – Japanese Immigration to the Philippines
– Establishment of the Japanese Military Administration
– Death March (Fall of Bataan)
1943 – Inauguration of President Jose P. Laurel
1945 – Japan signed the terms and conditions of surrender on board the battleship of
USS Missouri at Tokyo Bay
1946-1986

1946 – US grants Philippine Independence

1947
to 1952 – The establishment of Military-Bases Agreement
1955 – Philippines became a founding member of SEATO
1959 – The negotiation of MBA1987 – Pursuit of Independent Foreign Policy
1989 – Philippines became a founding member of APEC
1963 – MAPHILINDO
1967 – Philippines became a member of the ASEAN
1975 – The Philippines and China formalized diplomatic relations
1979 – US-PH Trade Agreement
1970
to 1980 – OECF & JICA
1986-Present

1986 – EDSA Revolution

– De facto Government under President Corazon Aquino
1990’s – More diplomatic missions were established in the Middle East to improve
existing ties with the Arab States to respond to the growing needs of the OFWs
1991 – R.A 7157 (Foreign Service Act) was enacted
1994 – Asean Regional Forum (ARF)
1995 – Migrant Workers & Overseas Filipino Act
1998 – Philippines hosted the ASEAN Ministerian meeting on July
1999 – Visiting Forces Agreement concurred