Who Discovered The Philippines?

            We all have heard the history of the discovery of the Philippines for the nth time starting from our elementary years and even on our college. Philippines was discovered by Ferdinand Magellan on March 16, 1521 as so our teachers would tell us. However, as I pondered along our discussion, I realized that Ferdinand Magellan was not really the first person who discovered the Philippines. In fact, there were already inhabitants on this country long before he had stepped foot on the country’s ground. How will I be able to discuss this historical fact to other students, Filipinos, or foreigners who may perhaps contradict the idea?

            As a Philippine history student and as a Filipino, perhaps, the most effective way to thoroughly explain the so-called discovery of Magellan of the Philippines without any biases to any races is to efficiently reinstate the premise that history is an open question. We all know that history varies according to the perspective of the writer. On the late 16^th century, civilization was at peak on the European countries. Many of the recorded discoveries were credited to the Westerners. Thus, it is not so impossible that the early European writers thought that they had first discovered many things including the Philippines. The term coined “Discovery of Magellan of the Philippines” is only based on the writer’s point of view. With that perspective, we can consider that, truly, Magellan first discovered the Philippines ahead from other Spanish or Portuguese expeditioners.

            On the other hand, with a different perspective, we cannot consider Magellan as the first person who discovered the Philippines because there are evidences that there were already inhabitants in the Philippines before the Spaniards came. Technically, those inhabitants first discovered the islands of the Philippines. However, the credit of this discovery cannot be given to the early inhabitants because they have no written account to prove this. Besides, no one fully asserts to oppose the ideas in the Westerner’s perspective. As we can see in our history, it is not on those people who just saw, live, and went away that the credit of discovery is given. Instead, those who saw, wrote the specific details and assert with full power that this credit goes.

            In conclusion, one cannot really consider only one perspective on the explanation of history. There are a lot of bases on why, and how things happened and how and who discovered these and those. Thus, believing on any of these does not change any detail of history at all, it only changes perspectives. So as to who really have discovered the Philippines? It depends on the perspective you believe.