RPH 1

• Even before Magellan and his crew arrived in 1521, the archipelago was already inhabited by human settlements
• This disproves the notion that Magellan discovered the Philippines
• Archeological discoveries in the Philippines that prove activities of ancestors of modern humans

  • Fossil of a butchered rhinoceros and tools used to butcher it in Kalinga province, dated to 700,000 years old
  • Discovery of a long toe bone from a new human species found in 2010 in Callao Cave, Cagayan, dated 67,000 years old
  • Three sets of human remains recovered from Tabon Cave in Palawan, dated to 16,500, 31,000, and 47,000 years old, belonging to Homo sapiens
• Archeologists discovered a fossil of a butchered rhinoceros and tools used to butcher it in Kalinga province


  2018
• The fossils recovered are dated to 700,000 years old
• Analysis of the fossils and tools indicate that there was an attempt to cut the meat of the rhinoceros, implying an apparent effort to eat it
• Discovery of a long toe bone from a new human species found in Callao Cave, Cagayan


  2010
• The bones gathered are dated 67,000 years old and came from a new human species, Homo luzonensis
• Human remains recovered from Tabon Cave in Palawan


  1962 and 2004
• The three sets of human remains recovered from Tabon Cave are dated to 16,500, 31,000, and 47,000 years old, and belonged to Homo sapiens, the modern humans
• These archeological findings prove that even during the prehistoric period, human species inhabited the archipelago
• Until now, scientists continue to research how our ancestors started to populate the archipelago
• People theories


  Theories raised to explain how the archipelago was populated
• Major strands of people's theories

  • First strand: Indigenous people who inherently lived within the archipelago and had undergone a lengthy process of internal development
  • Second strand: [not provided]
• Theory of William Meacham


  • There were already people living in the Philippines and the entire Southeast Asia
  • These people are called Austronesians
  • These people were connected by trade and other forms of relationships
  • Throughout time, these people developed differences in culture and language within their own inhabited area
• Archeologist Bennet Bronson and Filipino anthropologist F. Landa Jocano also believed the claims of Meacham
• Bronson and Jocano did not emphasise on the connection between the people due to the lack of evidence
• Waves of migration theory

  1. Seafaring and stone tool-using "Indonesians A" migrated first

  2. Followed by bark cloth-wearing "Indonesians B"

  3. Next were terrace-building "Proto-Malays" from central Asia

  4. Lastly, "Deutero Malays" sailed from insular Indonesia
• Waves of migration theory


  • One of the most popular theories on people in the Philippines
  • Lacks evidence and has been debunked by historians and the scientific community
• The second strand argues that the people living in the Philippines came from outside regions, implying people
• H. Otley Beyer


  American anthropologist who developed the waves of migration theory
• The waves of migration theory remains to be one of the most popular theories on people in the Philippines
• Austronesians


  A group of maritime-oriented people who lived within the edges of the Celebes Sea including northeastern Borneo, the northern Celebes and southwestern Mindanao
• Austronesian people's movement


  1. Travelled within the different parts of the region to expand their trading activities

  2. Dispersed throughout the Philippines
• Solheim's theory


  • Austronesians lived within the edges of the Celebes Sea including northeastern Borneo, the northern Celebes and southwestern Mindanao
• Bellwood's theory


  • Austronesians came from the southern portion of China and crossed the strait to reach Formosa (now Taiwan)
  • From there, Austronesians reached Luzon and eventually spread all throughout the region
  • Rice agriculture led Austronesians to look for new lands to settle in
• In recent years, studies have been conducted to trace the human history of the Philippines
• These studies present results that would debunk the people theories discussed above
• Even before the arrival of modern human species in the country, there were already ancient human species who inhabited the archipelago called the Denisovans
• The proof of their presence is in the DNA of an indigenous group residing in Bataan
• The indigenous group Ayta Magbukon possesses the highest level of Denisovan ancestry in the world, leading to the claim that Denisovans prominently inhabited the archipelago prior to the arrival of modern humans
• These Denisovans later interacted and interbred with modern humans who came from Africa 40,000 to 50,000 years ago
• The first modern humans who arrived were the Negritos


  1. Came in two waves

  2. Some took the northern route who later became the Northern Negritos in Luzon

  3. Others took the southern one who later became the Southern Negritos of Mindanao
• The interaction among these people for thousands of years resulted in interbreeding which contributed to the genetic makeup of present-day Filipinos
• All these studies and theories attempt to trace how people started to inhabit the archipelago
• The body of knowledge continues to move forward and there are more discoveries in the future that would either support or refute these claims
• Despite this uncertainty, experts are certain that the people who inhabited the archipelago and the surrounding areas of the region belonged to Austronesian-speaking groups or commonly called Austronesians
• Regions where Austronesians are scattered

  • Maritime Southeast Asia
  • Oceania
  • New Zealand
  • Islands of the Pacific Ocean
  • Madagascar island west of Africa
• Austronesians


  • They were expert maritime navigators, which explains their widespread presence in the Pacific and Southeast Asia
  • Their culture is also apparent in our common culture today
• Similarities in words used despite differences in languages


  • Bahay (Tagalog)
  • Balay (Visayan)
  • Bale (Pampango)
  • Bahasa (Indonesia)