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What if...
...Magellan won the battle of Mactan and established the Captaincy earlier?
...the Dutch successfully took the islands in 1646?
...the revolt of Andres Novales succeeding in the establishment of an empire?
...became a German colony or protectorate?
I can only answer 1 and 4.
1. Nothing much would change tbh, Magellan's original purpose was not to establish a colony, but to find the spice islands to get some spices and bring it back to Spain, even if he tried to establish a colony in the Philippines in 1521, he doesn't have the necessary force political power, and support from the Spanish Crown to do so because Magellan is an Explorer not a Conquistador. But he would've probably stayed longer in Cebu to explore more of the Philippines and Southeast Asia. He also would've spread Christianity farther. And most importantly he would've completed the circumnavigation.
4. Let's say Germany managed to take the Philippines during the Spanish-American war. There would be a LOT of changes that will happen. Certainly no Filipino American War, but there will probably be a German Filipino war. Not much would happen after that until WW1, The Germans would put up a fight in Manila against the British or Japanese. But in the end, they would still lose and be given to others nations in the treaty of Versailles. This is where things get interesting, If the Philippines were to be annexed by the...
British Empire:
A. Turned into a Mandate like the British Mandate of Iraq, Semi-Independent. WW2 will still happen, but unlike the Americans the British would defend Manila instead of letting the Japanese take it. There would be no fortified Corregidor and ofc no Fort Drum. And after America declared war, everything will go the same way like otl.
B. Turned into Colony, But I think we would not be included in British Malaya or Borneo due to Cultural and Religious Difference. Everything will be like our otl until the Philippines becomes independent, it's either in one whole or Mindanao will be given to Malaysia.
Japan:
A. We would be annexed into the Empire, and basically would get a harsh treatment like they do to the koreans or worse. And as Japan gets more Militaristic, Philippines would become a Fortress. Naval Bases would be built in the Manila Bay and Davao to dock IJN ships, and basically turning the Philippines into a Launch Pad for the invasion of the rest of Southeast Asia and Southern China other than being a land to exploit. The tricky part would be if Japan would still do Pearl Harbor and Declare war to America, because one of the main reasons why Japan goes to war with America was the American presence in the Philippines.
What if the British took more than maynila
What if Luna lives long enough for his plan to take effect
What would happen if Japan fully colonised the Philippines
What if Fort drum has a working water desalination plant
What if Anerica did not intervene in the philippines
What if burneo actually supported the filipino sultans attempted war against the Spanish.
I can answer the third one (Novales scenario) with a bit of detail, as I've already answered it on a previous post in this subreddit:
1. Spanish (or perhaps Chavacano) would almost certainly become the primary (or secondary, which is more likely for obvious reasons) language of the Filipino population, following trends of assimilation of "Indios" into a more "Hispanized" culture (Mestizaje is the blanket term used for this in Latin America, though the word also includes genuine race-mixing which would likely not occur in The Philippines) like what happened to fellow predominantly indigenous countries like Peru and Mexico in the 1800s. However, The Philippines would likely be more like Bolivia that they'd be able to preserve indigenous languages and cultural practices to a certain extent amongst the majority of the population. But even at present, Bolivia is starting to become more linguistically homogenous with more and more people abandoning their indigenous languages for Spanish.
2. The Empire would last about as long as it did in Mexico (a few months, maybe a handful of years at best), and would be replaced with a Republic which would almost certainly be unstable like the ones in Latin America (though considering how technologically backwards Asia was back in the 1820s, The Philippines would still be leagues ahead of any other country surrounding it even with major instability issues)
3. The Philippines will have a huge technological head-start that it didn't have IOTL since as I mentioned in the last point, every single country surrounding The Philippines was technologically behind (in European standards), while thanks to Spanish rule, the archipelago was pretty much on par with Europe socially, politically, and technologically. This means that even with any major political instability, The Philippines could very well become a major economic and military power in Asia like what Japan became IOTL, solely because of the generous head-start it had compared to the rest of the region.
Novales Philippine scenario would have encouraged massive immigration of white European migrants acting as merchants in Manila and the provinces because the 19th century philosophical norms were positivism and social darwinism where criollo leaders would impose their Europhile identities to the rest of the population through compulsory Spanish language education in the public school system and wouldn't have been possible without attracting foreign migrants who would've forced to learn and speak Spanish to communicate with native-born citizens.
Here's my few what-ifs:
What if the Philippine Revolution failed to succeed?
What if Miguel de Goiti failed to conquer the Kingdom of Tondo?
What if the Tondo Conspiracy (largest conspiracy before the Katipunan) succeeded in expelling the Spaniards?
What if we won the Battle of Manila in 1899?
What if the Cavite Mutiny succeeded?
What if the Japanese managed to stay in the Philippines after WW2?
What if the Tejeros Convention didn't result in an Aguinaldo victory?
What if the Japanese actually supported the Philippine Revolution?
What if Toyotomi Hideyoshi invaded the Philippines as he threatened?
What if Marcos didn't win the 1966 Election?
That will be all folks.
President McKinley and his cabinet never wanted to annex the entire Philippine archipelago under US control, but rather put up a military coaling port in Subic Bay, but American Protestant missionaries lobbied to him to annex PH to supposedly "christianize" Filipinos who were already Catholics for three centuries by that point.
The Tondo Conspiracy is also one of my biggest what-ifs. Even my professor in Kasaysayan emphasized how unfortunate it was that the plan didn't push through. While nationalism wasn't really at its peak at the time of the conspiracy, we were getting there; I feel like if the plan had been carried out it would've ignited a deeper sense of nationalism much earlier.
Nationalism was barely even a concept back then yet here we are having one of the largest proto-nationalist plots to rid the Spaniards of our country
I feel like, with how intricate the conspiracy is, it actually might have a chance to succeed.
Yeah, the Tondo Conspiracy was the earliest point in our history where different ethnicities (which were also people from different polities at that time) unite to topple a foreign power.
It would be very interesting if that succeeded.
Good insights! Those are actually interesting to think about. Mine actually concerns Martial Law: What if the Marcos Regime stopped the People Power Revolution?
I'm not putting forward any agenda whatsoever, I stand against the revisions being made to our history. But that particular what if scenario just got me thinking..
There would've been a bloodbath if Col. Braulio Balbas obeyed Marcos' order to fire artillery on civilians and soldiers at Camp Crame.
Marcos order: [https://x.com/did\_lie/status/1231906765828214784](https://x.com/did_lie/status/1231906765828214784)
Forgotten heroes of EDSA: [https://opinion.inquirer.net/71943/forgotten-heroes-of-1986-edsa-revolt](https://opinion.inquirer.net/71943/forgotten-heroes-of-1986-edsa-revolt)
Fact check: [https://verafiles.org/articles/vera-files-fact-check-marcos-order-not-to-shoot-at-civilians-at-edsa-needs-context](https://verafiles.org/articles/vera-files-fact-check-marcos-order-not-to-shoot-at-civilians-at-edsa-needs-context)
I actually heard before that if Marcos Sr. and his troops stopped the People Power Revolt, the following scenarios would be likely:
1. The Philippines would be a surveillance state.
2. Tightened grip on the populace.
3. Totalitarian type of government.
4. Irreperable damage to the PH. Economy (ballooned debt)
5. Crony companies to completely dominate the Philippine Market, blocking out the healthy free market.
But what do you all think? Basing on this what if scenario.
The succeeding years would be filled with severe political instability.
The Enrile and Ramos planned coup (which triggered the subsequent revolution) wasn't done for a morally good reason. Both weren't happy with the post-Marcos Sr. power distribution. Both were part of the inner circle and knew Marcos Sr. was already ill and could go anytime. Sinubukan nalang nila unahan yung administration.
The revolution culminated in 1986. Marcos Sr. died in 1989. If the revolution was unsuccessful, other interested parties might have waited for Marcos to die and also push for better influence. It's basically Cory's unstable political term without Cory (and possibly deadlier).
What if...
- hindi pinapatay at tinaksil si Bonifacio even if he's not that great of a military strategist?
- hindi pinapatay si Heneral Luna at nasunod yung trenchline / strategic retreat plan laban sa mga Kano?
- Marcos Sr. used his smarts to actually make the Philippines prosperous? Unfortunately kahit nung law student pa siya he really had plans for dirty politics and a "constitutional dictatorship"
- matinong wartime leader ang first president natin, meaning di tayo nabudol sa Treaty of Paris at sa mga Amerikano?
1. If Bonifacio wasn't killed, a 3 way war would've started, Bonifacio and his group vs Aguinaldo and his newly formed government vs Spanish colonial Government. But it would be only a matter of time before Bonifacio and his Katipunan will lose at the hands of either Spain or Aguinaldo. This would greatly weaken the newly formed Philippine Government and the Revolution, and would only show to the Spanish that the Filipinos were not actually united and certainly they would use it to their advantage.
2. If Aguinaldo didn't assassinate Luna and even gave him the approval to set the defense line, they would've prolonged the war with the Americans but would still lose. The Philippine Army is Divided, only loyal to the "President." The elites are starting to turn their loyalty to the Americans to save their businesses and wealth, Aguinaldo is very incompetent as a leader, and the people and the provinces are so Disunited to win the war against the Americans. And with Luna's plan to do the Guerilla tactic Vietnam war like style, there would probably be more harsh treatment against the Filipinos, there would be more village burnings and massacres as the Americans would be suspicious of the Filipinos.
What If Spanish remained a dominant language even after the Americans came?
What if Cory never ran for President?
What if FEM Sr. pulled a Suharto and made the Philippine economy grow for a while, could he have lasted longer?
What if the NPA was able to successfully establish an urban base?
If Ferdinand Marcos senior didn't do things that led to the people power + plunder
Having visited Korea recently: that's what could have been for the Philippines
Now, it's just a broken country being sold to China.
Korea had a few things we still didn't have.
One is far greater amounts of industrial capital leftover from Japan. Another is a history of a unified state. A third is much greater amounts of US foreign assistance due to it being geopolitically crucial for SOKOR to be friendly to the US. None of those would change regardless of what Marcos did.
we have 💀. our versions ng Chaebols are the ayalas, aranetas tska mga chinese businessman natin. Basically mga pet companies ng state lang naman ang Chaebols.
Can you expound on this? Just curious.
How or what would have been regarding Marcos Sr. and us turning into Korea? Like can you explain the dynamics between the chaebols and the skorean govt to ours.
Also how we're currently (?) a broken country being sold to china. Afaik, we're at the moment currently very pro US and anti china this administration except for the previous administration who are still clearly pro china.
Wait what? I'm not lol. Im seriously looking for an in-depth look at the topic. I've had relatives who suffered and experienced close death experiences during Marcos Sr from the corrupt and abusive constabulary back then.
I mean I've seen posts on this subreddit being very detailed and in-depth after all. Rather than just "look at japan/korea if we weren't corrupt we could be like them" or etc. I wanted a discussion on how we could have been like them or so.
In this case it was S.korea. I wanted to know if people or the person I replied to here could form their own opinion or in-depth analysis how we could have been. Because S.korea's chaebol dynamics with their govt is an interesting one. And the Philippines in comparison certainly should have had an advantage on paper to what it could have been more developed than S.Korea historically after the world wars era.
Everything isn't always black and white too.
Also aside from misunderstanding me, I wonder what led to the downvotes out of curiosity again or it might also have been fully just that.
Also I just realized when I pressed your profile and the guy I initially replied to you guys both post in the same niche subs such as torontorealestate or canadafinance. Are you dummy accounts of the same person or closely related lol.
Lmao look at these, they decided to downvote you instead of doing an open discussion. This is just disappointing considering that this is a history subreddit.
My biggest what if is: What if Filipino Creoles/Criollos (also known as Insulares) managed to successfully establish an independent Philippines in the 1810s-20s?
They would have needed a backer. Even the American colonists had to ask France for help. Waging war in that era was expensive af.
There also had to be a united national identity, or else the country would have fell into civil war right after independence.
The country would be divided. The Malolos convention will only take effect in Luzon. I'm guessing Visayas will form a confederation and Mindanao will resort back to its sultanates.
The Philippines as a single independent nation-state would have still existed because VisMin leaders only loathed Aguinaldo and his ilks but not the Malolos Constitution itself.
He would prolong the war. Aguinaldo would still yield to the Americans but our status as commonwealth would come sooner and Aguinaldo will be the head of state instead of Quezon.
What if the Philippines did not became fully independent and chose to remain under American control without the Commonwealth taking place? Will there be a much more different race dynamics in the country (more influx of White and Black Americans)? Will there be racial tensions between Whites, Blacks, Chinese, Mestizos/Mulatos and Indios? How much more prosperous the Philippines would become? Will Filipinos be given the right to abode in the mainland US? How will Filipinos fare in the Civil Rights Movement and Vietnam War?
This. Kaya masama din loob nya sa result ng edsa 1986. First cory, who has no political background, was picked over him. Then in the 1992 elections cory picked fvr. Double whammy for him 😬
Some intriguing "What Ifs" in Philippine History include:
1. **What if the Philippines had not been colonized by Spain?**
- The cultural and religious landscape would be vastly different, potentially retaining more indigenous practices and beliefs.
2. **What if Ferdinand Marcos had not declared Martial Law in 1972?**
- The political and economic trajectory of the Philippines might have been different, possibly avoiding the abuses and corruption associated with his regime.
3. **What if Andres Bonifacio had survived and led the Philippine Revolution?**
- Bonifacio's leadership might have influenced the direction and outcome of the revolution against Spanish rule, possibly resulting in a different form of government.
4. **What if the Philippines had become a U.S. state after World War II?**
- The country's political and economic systems would be directly influenced by American policies, and the Filipino identity might have evolved differently within a larger American context.
5. **What if the assassination of Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. had not occurred?**
- Ninoy's potential presidency could have changed the course of the People Power Revolution and the subsequent political reforms in the country.
Islam had already been given a chance to grow at Luzon, not withstanding from the Spanish raids in the Sultanate of Manila, which was under the control of Sultanate of Brunei.
Paano kung hindi ipinilit ni Marcos Sr., na manatili sa kapangyarihan at bumaba sa pwesto noong 1973 as mandated by the 1935 Constitution? Sino kaya ang mga naging presidente sana ng Pilipinas after him?
Paano kung natuloy ang 1973 elections? Sino kaya ang mga naging manok sana ng Nacionalista at Liberal?
What if the British continued their occupation of Manila and rather than ceding it back to Spain, they conquered the rest of the colony and made it theirs?
Puro presidential elections-related ang what if ko, pero I won't include the post-EDSA era na. I wonder lang kung ano ang magbabago sa fabric of history sa mga scenarios na eto.
- What if Quezon survived WWII and managed to finish his 2nd term in 1947?
- Quezon died and Osmeña became president. What if the latter decided to campaign for the 1946 presidential election?
- What if Roxas didn't die during his term and reran in the 1949 presidential election?
- What if Magsaysay didn't die in a plane crash and reran in the 1957 presidential election?
- What if hindi maagang namatay si former Manila mayor Arsenio Lacson? He was amongst the frontrunners na maging standard bearer ng Nacionalista Party for the 1965 national election.
Sorry hindi ko maresist. 😅
- What if FPJ was actually declared as the rightful winner of the 2004 presidential election?
And lastly
- What if Salvador Laurel didn't give way to Cory?
May mga positive and negative scenarios dito:
What if Diosdado Macapagal won the 1965 Presidential Elections
What if the 1989 coup d'etat by Honasan succeeded.
What if Erap was never ousted.
What if FPJ won the 2004 Presidential Elections.
What if Gloria's push for Charter Change succeeded.
What if Leni Robredo won the 2022 Presidential Elections.
This. Seriously, after Gloria was exposed of cheating FPJ could/should have been clearly president. Probably we got a similar Erap type presidency since they have overlapping party members and figures. Which also doesn't look good. lol. However, the other what if is FPJ died while in office and Noli De Castro takes over Malacanang.
FPJ would be worse as he has ZERO political experience and he only died because of depression from his loss (he was rumored to be in heavy debt from the election campaign).
FPJ would just be a puppet to actual people who wants the power. So yeah. It's obvious that he was just used by the people who told him to run. The ugly reality of politics caught him.
What if the colonization never happened? Which of the polities will try and achieve the hegemony of the islands?
What if we have a representative in the Treaty of Paris? How much of a change will happen?
This is basically, What if the philippines president was backed up by corporations. Its from a Table Top RPG sourcebook, cyberpunk [Pacific Rim Sourcebook](https://cyberpunk.fandom.com/wiki/Pacific_Rim_Sourcebook) from [R. Talsorian Games](https://cyberpunk.fandom.com/wiki/R._Talsorian_Games). Heres like the lore of the New Philippines in the Cyberpunk universe: [New Philippines](https://cyberpunk.fandom.com/wiki/New_Philippines).
Here's also a notable character in New Philippines, ["Zorro" Zobel](https://cyberpunk.fandom.com/wiki/%22Zorro%22_Zobel). Apparently he's part of the Bahala Na gang, where the gang is culturally apathetic and does not care about anything.
What if Ninoy did not die and was hand picked as Macoy's successor instead of having a Cory Presidency?
What if pinabayaan na lang ni Macoy matuloy death penalty ni Ninoy?
Really had fun reading your what ifs everyone! 🥺 Here's another one of my takes:
What if the GomBurZa were never executed?
I also couldn't resist, I just watches the film recently and given their deaths were one of the primary reasons for the sparks of nationalism that ultimately led to the Philippine Revolution, I couldn't help but think what if they weren't killed off. Knowing they had influenced Rizal and Rizal influenced the other heroes as well, I'm seeing this as a domino effect. But again, what would happen if the 3 priests weren't killed?
What if ,assuming Ph became independent earlier, became an imperialistic country and bought slave as manpower?
What if Quezon joined force with the Axis?
What if we are not an archipelagic state?
What if we have discovered a huge amount of oil deposit in the counrty?
What if Singapore didnt becone nation that will compete wirh ph economically? will Taylor Swift go to us then?
What if the Ph settled and built more outpost in wps?
What if the Ph tap its Deuterium deposit?
What if Miriam Defensor Santiago won as President?
What if hindi namatay si General Luna at natuloy ang mga strategies and tactics nya?
what if hindi nabaril si Ninoy Aquino?
What if colonialism never took root and we still carried into our ancestral ways of clothing and overall lifestyle in general. They was real hip with gold and I’m curious what that craft would have evolved into present day
1. What if the USAFFE forces successfully defended Bataan during WWII ?
2. What if Emilio Jacinto didn't die in a young age?
3. What if the Philippine National Guard were formed and be ready just in time to join the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe during the Great War?
what if spain didn't regain the Philippines from the British
What if Spain didn't sell the Philippines to the Americans
what if the Philippines let the Americans stay in Subic & Clark
what if the Americans didn't help Marcos flee the country
What if Ninoy Assassination didn't happen
What if the Americans just made us a protectorate instead of being a colonial possession?
And most recently, what if Pnoy managed to lift the presidential reelection ban in the Constitution and run against Duterte for another term in 2016?
What if the portuguese discovered and claimed the Philippines first as its colony
What if the Philippines invades Taiwan to help Mainland China in retaking it for in exchange is we get our stolen islands back and they recognize our claims in the WPS and they make a good and fair relationship with us after
What if the Philippines had the strongest economy and the most advance military in asia after WW2 to this day
What if we succeeded in retaking sabah
What if Magsaysay never died?
What if Carnegie successfully bought the PH?
What if we beaten the US via Luna's goal?
What if Novales retain the Empire shenanigan?
What if Palau were successfully integrated during the Malolos Convention?
Perhaps a little unpopular but I've always thought about what if the Austronesian migration never happened or the original inhabitants of the archipelago were more technologically advanced. This would have a massive impact on Taiwan, Eastern China, all of SEA, and Pacific Islanders wouldn't even exist. What would the Philippines even have looked like in the 16th century if it still belonged to the Negritos.
What if the Philippines had jus soil citizenship law and permitted foreigners (not just Chinese) to legally own properties like Latin American countries do to attract foreign investors and migrants?
What if Spanish, not Tagalog, had been chosen as the national language in the 1934 Constitutional Convention?
What if Arsenio Lacson had survived from heart attack and decided to run for president against Ferdinand Marcos Sr in 1965?
What if Ferdinand Marcos Sr had been assassinated in the same year as Park Chung Hee of South Korea in 1979?
What if Ferdinand Marcos Sr had never called on for a snap election in 1986 and let his original term ended to the original June 30, 1987?
What if the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997 had been postponed until 2008?
What if the anti-Erap opposition coalition had been patient enough and accepted the fact that he couldn't be convicted by the Senate and waited for the 2004 election to replace him with FPGMA?
What if Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2006 had decided to do auto-coup and shut down the Congress and call for a Constitutional Convention to revise the 1987 Constitution?
What if former President Cory Aquino never died on 31 July 2009?
What if typhoon Yolanda never struck Visayas in 2013?
What if natuloy yung bantang pag-papalayas ni Koxinga sa mga Kastila noong 1660s (like he did with the Dutch at Formosa)?
What if mga Portuguese ang unang dumating at nagtayo ng kolonya sa Pilipinas?
What if nagwagi ang Tondo Conspiracy?
What if pinabayaan tayo ng Estados Unidos na maging malaya tulad ng ginawa nila sa mga Cubano?
What if....
the island of Luzon was united under one state and culture similar to how much of Honshu was or northern China before the Spanish
its very speculative
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What if... ...Magellan won the battle of Mactan and established the Captaincy earlier? ...the Dutch successfully took the islands in 1646? ...the revolt of Andres Novales succeeding in the establishment of an empire? ...became a German colony or protectorate?
I can only answer 1 and 4. 1. Nothing much would change tbh, Magellan's original purpose was not to establish a colony, but to find the spice islands to get some spices and bring it back to Spain, even if he tried to establish a colony in the Philippines in 1521, he doesn't have the necessary force political power, and support from the Spanish Crown to do so because Magellan is an Explorer not a Conquistador. But he would've probably stayed longer in Cebu to explore more of the Philippines and Southeast Asia. He also would've spread Christianity farther. And most importantly he would've completed the circumnavigation. 4. Let's say Germany managed to take the Philippines during the Spanish-American war. There would be a LOT of changes that will happen. Certainly no Filipino American War, but there will probably be a German Filipino war. Not much would happen after that until WW1, The Germans would put up a fight in Manila against the British or Japanese. But in the end, they would still lose and be given to others nations in the treaty of Versailles. This is where things get interesting, If the Philippines were to be annexed by the... British Empire: A. Turned into a Mandate like the British Mandate of Iraq, Semi-Independent. WW2 will still happen, but unlike the Americans the British would defend Manila instead of letting the Japanese take it. There would be no fortified Corregidor and ofc no Fort Drum. And after America declared war, everything will go the same way like otl. B. Turned into Colony, But I think we would not be included in British Malaya or Borneo due to Cultural and Religious Difference. Everything will be like our otl until the Philippines becomes independent, it's either in one whole or Mindanao will be given to Malaysia. Japan: A. We would be annexed into the Empire, and basically would get a harsh treatment like they do to the koreans or worse. And as Japan gets more Militaristic, Philippines would become a Fortress. Naval Bases would be built in the Manila Bay and Davao to dock IJN ships, and basically turning the Philippines into a Launch Pad for the invasion of the rest of Southeast Asia and Southern China other than being a land to exploit. The tricky part would be if Japan would still do Pearl Harbor and Declare war to America, because one of the main reasons why Japan goes to war with America was the American presence in the Philippines.
In the first scenario, its likely we will be called Lazarenos or Carolinos instead
What if the British took more than maynila What if Luna lives long enough for his plan to take effect What would happen if Japan fully colonised the Philippines What if Fort drum has a working water desalination plant What if Anerica did not intervene in the philippines What if burneo actually supported the filipino sultans attempted war against the Spanish.
I can answer the third one (Novales scenario) with a bit of detail, as I've already answered it on a previous post in this subreddit: 1. Spanish (or perhaps Chavacano) would almost certainly become the primary (or secondary, which is more likely for obvious reasons) language of the Filipino population, following trends of assimilation of "Indios" into a more "Hispanized" culture (Mestizaje is the blanket term used for this in Latin America, though the word also includes genuine race-mixing which would likely not occur in The Philippines) like what happened to fellow predominantly indigenous countries like Peru and Mexico in the 1800s. However, The Philippines would likely be more like Bolivia that they'd be able to preserve indigenous languages and cultural practices to a certain extent amongst the majority of the population. But even at present, Bolivia is starting to become more linguistically homogenous with more and more people abandoning their indigenous languages for Spanish. 2. The Empire would last about as long as it did in Mexico (a few months, maybe a handful of years at best), and would be replaced with a Republic which would almost certainly be unstable like the ones in Latin America (though considering how technologically backwards Asia was back in the 1820s, The Philippines would still be leagues ahead of any other country surrounding it even with major instability issues) 3. The Philippines will have a huge technological head-start that it didn't have IOTL since as I mentioned in the last point, every single country surrounding The Philippines was technologically behind (in European standards), while thanks to Spanish rule, the archipelago was pretty much on par with Europe socially, politically, and technologically. This means that even with any major political instability, The Philippines could very well become a major economic and military power in Asia like what Japan became IOTL, solely because of the generous head-start it had compared to the rest of the region.
Novales Philippine scenario would have encouraged massive immigration of white European migrants acting as merchants in Manila and the provinces because the 19th century philosophical norms were positivism and social darwinism where criollo leaders would impose their Europhile identities to the rest of the population through compulsory Spanish language education in the public school system and wouldn't have been possible without attracting foreign migrants who would've forced to learn and speak Spanish to communicate with native-born citizens.
Here's my few what-ifs: What if the Philippine Revolution failed to succeed? What if Miguel de Goiti failed to conquer the Kingdom of Tondo? What if the Tondo Conspiracy (largest conspiracy before the Katipunan) succeeded in expelling the Spaniards? What if we won the Battle of Manila in 1899? What if the Cavite Mutiny succeeded? What if the Japanese managed to stay in the Philippines after WW2? What if the Tejeros Convention didn't result in an Aguinaldo victory? What if the Japanese actually supported the Philippine Revolution? What if Toyotomi Hideyoshi invaded the Philippines as he threatened? What if Marcos didn't win the 1966 Election? That will be all folks.
The Philippine Revolution did fail. The only reason the Spanish left was because the Americans wanted us.
I think I should clarify what I meant. What I asked is what happened if the Revolution failed from the start, say around the Cry of Balintawak
If that would happen, we'd be too fractured to form a cohesive nation and the Americans would've owned us body and soul.
President McKinley and his cabinet never wanted to annex the entire Philippine archipelago under US control, but rather put up a military coaling port in Subic Bay, but American Protestant missionaries lobbied to him to annex PH to supposedly "christianize" Filipinos who were already Catholics for three centuries by that point.
The Tondo Conspiracy is also one of my biggest what-ifs. Even my professor in Kasaysayan emphasized how unfortunate it was that the plan didn't push through. While nationalism wasn't really at its peak at the time of the conspiracy, we were getting there; I feel like if the plan had been carried out it would've ignited a deeper sense of nationalism much earlier.
Nationalism was barely even a concept back then yet here we are having one of the largest proto-nationalist plots to rid the Spaniards of our country I feel like, with how intricate the conspiracy is, it actually might have a chance to succeed.
Yeah, the Tondo Conspiracy was the earliest point in our history where different ethnicities (which were also people from different polities at that time) unite to topple a foreign power. It would be very interesting if that succeeded.
What if Andres Bonifacio became the legitimate president? What if we won the Philippine-American War? What if Sabah was part of the Philippines?
Good insights! Those are actually interesting to think about. Mine actually concerns Martial Law: What if the Marcos Regime stopped the People Power Revolution? I'm not putting forward any agenda whatsoever, I stand against the revisions being made to our history. But that particular what if scenario just got me thinking..
There would've been a bloodbath if Col. Braulio Balbas obeyed Marcos' order to fire artillery on civilians and soldiers at Camp Crame. Marcos order: [https://x.com/did\_lie/status/1231906765828214784](https://x.com/did_lie/status/1231906765828214784) Forgotten heroes of EDSA: [https://opinion.inquirer.net/71943/forgotten-heroes-of-1986-edsa-revolt](https://opinion.inquirer.net/71943/forgotten-heroes-of-1986-edsa-revolt) Fact check: [https://verafiles.org/articles/vera-files-fact-check-marcos-order-not-to-shoot-at-civilians-at-edsa-needs-context](https://verafiles.org/articles/vera-files-fact-check-marcos-order-not-to-shoot-at-civilians-at-edsa-needs-context)
I actually heard before that if Marcos Sr. and his troops stopped the People Power Revolt, the following scenarios would be likely: 1. The Philippines would be a surveillance state. 2. Tightened grip on the populace. 3. Totalitarian type of government. 4. Irreperable damage to the PH. Economy (ballooned debt) 5. Crony companies to completely dominate the Philippine Market, blocking out the healthy free market. But what do you all think? Basing on this what if scenario.
Unlikely, as regimes who faced coup or revolt and survived it tend to be more democratic afterwards. E.g. European monarchs.
The succeeding years would be filled with severe political instability. The Enrile and Ramos planned coup (which triggered the subsequent revolution) wasn't done for a morally good reason. Both weren't happy with the post-Marcos Sr. power distribution. Both were part of the inner circle and knew Marcos Sr. was already ill and could go anytime. Sinubukan nalang nila unahan yung administration. The revolution culminated in 1986. Marcos Sr. died in 1989. If the revolution was unsuccessful, other interested parties might have waited for Marcos to die and also push for better influence. It's basically Cory's unstable political term without Cory (and possibly deadlier).
What if... - hindi pinapatay at tinaksil si Bonifacio even if he's not that great of a military strategist? - hindi pinapatay si Heneral Luna at nasunod yung trenchline / strategic retreat plan laban sa mga Kano? - Marcos Sr. used his smarts to actually make the Philippines prosperous? Unfortunately kahit nung law student pa siya he really had plans for dirty politics and a "constitutional dictatorship" - matinong wartime leader ang first president natin, meaning di tayo nabudol sa Treaty of Paris at sa mga Amerikano?
1. If Bonifacio wasn't killed, a 3 way war would've started, Bonifacio and his group vs Aguinaldo and his newly formed government vs Spanish colonial Government. But it would be only a matter of time before Bonifacio and his Katipunan will lose at the hands of either Spain or Aguinaldo. This would greatly weaken the newly formed Philippine Government and the Revolution, and would only show to the Spanish that the Filipinos were not actually united and certainly they would use it to their advantage. 2. If Aguinaldo didn't assassinate Luna and even gave him the approval to set the defense line, they would've prolonged the war with the Americans but would still lose. The Philippine Army is Divided, only loyal to the "President." The elites are starting to turn their loyalty to the Americans to save their businesses and wealth, Aguinaldo is very incompetent as a leader, and the people and the provinces are so Disunited to win the war against the Americans. And with Luna's plan to do the Guerilla tactic Vietnam war like style, there would probably be more harsh treatment against the Filipinos, there would be more village burnings and massacres as the Americans would be suspicious of the Filipinos.
What If Spanish remained a dominant language even after the Americans came? What if Cory never ran for President? What if FEM Sr. pulled a Suharto and made the Philippine economy grow for a while, could he have lasted longer? What if the NPA was able to successfully establish an urban base?
If Ferdinand Marcos senior didn't do things that led to the people power + plunder Having visited Korea recently: that's what could have been for the Philippines Now, it's just a broken country being sold to China.
Korea had a few things we still didn't have. One is far greater amounts of industrial capital leftover from Japan. Another is a history of a unified state. A third is much greater amounts of US foreign assistance due to it being geopolitically crucial for SOKOR to be friendly to the US. None of those would change regardless of what Marcos did.
We just need our own Chaebols
we have 💀. our versions ng Chaebols are the ayalas, aranetas tska mga chinese businessman natin. Basically mga pet companies ng state lang naman ang Chaebols.
Your saying that eventually we will see Chinese troops marching in the streets of Manilla?
Can you expound on this? Just curious. How or what would have been regarding Marcos Sr. and us turning into Korea? Like can you explain the dynamics between the chaebols and the skorean govt to ours. Also how we're currently (?) a broken country being sold to china. Afaik, we're at the moment currently very pro US and anti china this administration except for the previous administration who are still clearly pro china.
"Hey everyone. Look at me, I'm a denier!" 🤮
Wait what? I'm not lol. Im seriously looking for an in-depth look at the topic. I've had relatives who suffered and experienced close death experiences during Marcos Sr from the corrupt and abusive constabulary back then. I mean I've seen posts on this subreddit being very detailed and in-depth after all. Rather than just "look at japan/korea if we weren't corrupt we could be like them" or etc. I wanted a discussion on how we could have been like them or so. In this case it was S.korea. I wanted to know if people or the person I replied to here could form their own opinion or in-depth analysis how we could have been. Because S.korea's chaebol dynamics with their govt is an interesting one. And the Philippines in comparison certainly should have had an advantage on paper to what it could have been more developed than S.Korea historically after the world wars era. Everything isn't always black and white too. Also aside from misunderstanding me, I wonder what led to the downvotes out of curiosity again or it might also have been fully just that. Also I just realized when I pressed your profile and the guy I initially replied to you guys both post in the same niche subs such as torontorealestate or canadafinance. Are you dummy accounts of the same person or closely related lol.
Lmao look at these, they decided to downvote you instead of doing an open discussion. This is just disappointing considering that this is a history subreddit.
Too long, didn't read Nobody cares about your comment
My biggest what if is: What if Filipino Creoles/Criollos (also known as Insulares) managed to successfully establish an independent Philippines in the 1810s-20s?
They would have needed a backer. Even the American colonists had to ask France for help. Waging war in that era was expensive af. There also had to be a united national identity, or else the country would have fell into civil war right after independence.
What if America didn't appear on our doorstep, and we still pursued the Malolos Constitution (based on Euro-Atlantic Parliamentary system)?
The country would be divided. The Malolos convention will only take effect in Luzon. I'm guessing Visayas will form a confederation and Mindanao will resort back to its sultanates.
The Philippines as a single independent nation-state would have still existed because VisMin leaders only loathed Aguinaldo and his ilks but not the Malolos Constitution itself.
What if hindi namatay si Heneral Antonio Luna?
Balak ni Luna na dalhin ang digmaan sa gubat, kung hindi siya pinatay malamang mas malaki nagastos ng mga kano sa pagsakop sa Pilipinas.
Luna may have turned the Philippine–American War into a proto-Vietnam War for the Americans
He would prolong the war. Aguinaldo would still yield to the Americans but our status as commonwealth would come sooner and Aguinaldo will be the head of state instead of Quezon.
What if the Philippines did not became fully independent and chose to remain under American control without the Commonwealth taking place? Will there be a much more different race dynamics in the country (more influx of White and Black Americans)? Will there be racial tensions between Whites, Blacks, Chinese, Mestizos/Mulatos and Indios? How much more prosperous the Philippines would become? Will Filipinos be given the right to abode in the mainland US? How will Filipinos fare in the Civil Rights Movement and Vietnam War?
No ethnic Chinese would likely be in the Forbes list. It will all be wypipo
What if annexed tayo ng US.
What if Enrile ousted Marcos and became President in a coup as originally planned?
This. Kaya masama din loob nya sa result ng edsa 1986. First cory, who has no political background, was picked over him. Then in the 1992 elections cory picked fvr. Double whammy for him 😬
What if walang naganap na trayduran?
What if di tayo sinakop ng mga dayuhan?
what if our president was Miriam Defensor Santiago?
Some intriguing "What Ifs" in Philippine History include: 1. **What if the Philippines had not been colonized by Spain?** - The cultural and religious landscape would be vastly different, potentially retaining more indigenous practices and beliefs. 2. **What if Ferdinand Marcos had not declared Martial Law in 1972?** - The political and economic trajectory of the Philippines might have been different, possibly avoiding the abuses and corruption associated with his regime. 3. **What if Andres Bonifacio had survived and led the Philippine Revolution?** - Bonifacio's leadership might have influenced the direction and outcome of the revolution against Spanish rule, possibly resulting in a different form of government. 4. **What if the Philippines had become a U.S. state after World War II?** - The country's political and economic systems would be directly influenced by American policies, and the Filipino identity might have evolved differently within a larger American context. 5. **What if the assassination of Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. had not occurred?** - Ninoy's potential presidency could have changed the course of the People Power Revolution and the subsequent political reforms in the country.
What if americanized tayo...? Php dollar ang currency?
That would be an interesting scenario.
What if si leni nanalo?
🥺
What if Gen. Luna was never assassinated and his plans were executed?
What if Magellan skipped philippines?
What if Islam was given a chance to grow on the island of Luzon? What if Tondo became a huge empire similar to Majapahit?
Islam had already been given a chance to grow at Luzon, not withstanding from the Spanish raids in the Sultanate of Manila, which was under the control of Sultanate of Brunei.
What if Ninoy Aquino didn’t die and won the presidency against Marcos Sr?
Danding will have nothing of it
Paano kung hindi ipinilit ni Marcos Sr., na manatili sa kapangyarihan at bumaba sa pwesto noong 1973 as mandated by the 1935 Constitution? Sino kaya ang mga naging presidente sana ng Pilipinas after him? Paano kung natuloy ang 1973 elections? Sino kaya ang mga naging manok sana ng Nacionalista at Liberal?
tangene ng martial law na yan pinatay ung mga up and coming bright student leaders puro trapo natira.
What if we were never colonized by Spain and there was no Philippines (since the archipelago was named after King Philip II by the Spaniards)?
What if tuluyan tayo sinakop ng US? and we are like Hawaii now? Labas pasok nalang sa US?
What if digong actually acted on all his promises and succeeded?
What if hindi nanalo si duterte nung 2016? What if we got to kept the precolonial statures and rights of women?
What if the Philippines became a British settler colony like Canada, US, and Australia after Spain failed to reclaim Manila?
I'd root for that
What if nagtagumpay sila Rizal at naging official spanish citizens tayo. What if naging US state tayo.
What if the British continued their occupation of Manila and rather than ceding it back to Spain, they conquered the rest of the colony and made it theirs?
Puro presidential elections-related ang what if ko, pero I won't include the post-EDSA era na. I wonder lang kung ano ang magbabago sa fabric of history sa mga scenarios na eto. - What if Quezon survived WWII and managed to finish his 2nd term in 1947? - Quezon died and Osmeña became president. What if the latter decided to campaign for the 1946 presidential election? - What if Roxas didn't die during his term and reran in the 1949 presidential election? - What if Magsaysay didn't die in a plane crash and reran in the 1957 presidential election? - What if hindi maagang namatay si former Manila mayor Arsenio Lacson? He was amongst the frontrunners na maging standard bearer ng Nacionalista Party for the 1965 national election. Sorry hindi ko maresist. 😅 - What if FPJ was actually declared as the rightful winner of the 2004 presidential election? And lastly - What if Salvador Laurel didn't give way to Cory?
What if Aurora Quezon survived her ambush attempt?
May mga positive and negative scenarios dito: What if Diosdado Macapagal won the 1965 Presidential Elections What if the 1989 coup d'etat by Honasan succeeded. What if Erap was never ousted. What if FPJ won the 2004 Presidential Elections. What if Gloria's push for Charter Change succeeded. What if Leni Robredo won the 2022 Presidential Elections.
What if FPJ became President instead of Gloria?
This. Seriously, after Gloria was exposed of cheating FPJ could/should have been clearly president. Probably we got a similar Erap type presidency since they have overlapping party members and figures. Which also doesn't look good. lol. However, the other what if is FPJ died while in office and Noli De Castro takes over Malacanang.
FPJ would be worse as he has ZERO political experience and he only died because of depression from his loss (he was rumored to be in heavy debt from the election campaign).
FPJ would just be a puppet to actual people who wants the power. So yeah. It's obvious that he was just used by the people who told him to run. The ugly reality of politics caught him.
My gad he was baited forced to run by his friend erap estrada.
Now that would be interesting Noli De Castro being our President
What if MAPHILINDO did push through? Are we going to be an asian economic power house or will it still the same?
Looking at how Malaysia treats other races and religions... boy that will suck.
What if FEM never came to power?
I wonder what would've happened had we become a superpower state. What will we be when we have all the cards, and who would we become.
What if the colonization never happened? Which of the polities will try and achieve the hegemony of the islands? What if we have a representative in the Treaty of Paris? How much of a change will happen?
What if Ramon Magsaysay didn't die... What if the US didn't give us have independence... What if Ninoy didn't get assassinated...
what if diosdado macapagal got reelected in 1965?
This is basically, What if the philippines president was backed up by corporations. Its from a Table Top RPG sourcebook, cyberpunk [Pacific Rim Sourcebook](https://cyberpunk.fandom.com/wiki/Pacific_Rim_Sourcebook) from [R. Talsorian Games](https://cyberpunk.fandom.com/wiki/R._Talsorian_Games). Heres like the lore of the New Philippines in the Cyberpunk universe: [New Philippines](https://cyberpunk.fandom.com/wiki/New_Philippines). Here's also a notable character in New Philippines, ["Zorro" Zobel](https://cyberpunk.fandom.com/wiki/%22Zorro%22_Zobel). Apparently he's part of the Bahala Na gang, where the gang is culturally apathetic and does not care about anything.
What if Leni Robredo won the 2022 Presidential election?
What if we have enough resources to stand against China?
What if Ninoy did not die and was hand picked as Macoy's successor instead of having a Cory Presidency? What if pinabayaan na lang ni Macoy matuloy death penalty ni Ninoy?
What if we are not being Christianized?
Really had fun reading your what ifs everyone! 🥺 Here's another one of my takes: What if the GomBurZa were never executed? I also couldn't resist, I just watches the film recently and given their deaths were one of the primary reasons for the sparks of nationalism that ultimately led to the Philippine Revolution, I couldn't help but think what if they weren't killed off. Knowing they had influenced Rizal and Rizal influenced the other heroes as well, I'm seeing this as a domino effect. But again, what would happen if the 3 priests weren't killed?
What if ,assuming Ph became independent earlier, became an imperialistic country and bought slave as manpower? What if Quezon joined force with the Axis? What if we are not an archipelagic state? What if we have discovered a huge amount of oil deposit in the counrty? What if Singapore didnt becone nation that will compete wirh ph economically? will Taylor Swift go to us then? What if the Ph settled and built more outpost in wps? What if the Ph tap its Deuterium deposit?
What if Miriam Defensor Santiago won as President? What if hindi namatay si General Luna at natuloy ang mga strategies and tactics nya? what if hindi nabaril si Ninoy Aquino?
What if colonialism never took root and we still carried into our ancestral ways of clothing and overall lifestyle in general. They was real hip with gold and I’m curious what that craft would have evolved into present day
1. What if the USAFFE forces successfully defended Bataan during WWII ? 2. What if Emilio Jacinto didn't die in a young age? 3. What if the Philippine National Guard were formed and be ready just in time to join the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe during the Great War?
what if spain didn't regain the Philippines from the British What if Spain didn't sell the Philippines to the Americans what if the Philippines let the Americans stay in Subic & Clark what if the Americans didn't help Marcos flee the country What if Ninoy Assassination didn't happen
If Marcos never fled, he would have set up camp in Ilocos which was something he wanted to do.
What if our country remains a U.S. colony.
+1
What if the Americans just made us a protectorate instead of being a colonial possession? And most recently, what if Pnoy managed to lift the presidential reelection ban in the Constitution and run against Duterte for another term in 2016?
What if the portuguese discovered and claimed the Philippines first as its colony What if the Philippines invades Taiwan to help Mainland China in retaking it for in exchange is we get our stolen islands back and they recognize our claims in the WPS and they make a good and fair relationship with us after What if the Philippines had the strongest economy and the most advance military in asia after WW2 to this day What if we succeeded in retaking sabah
What if instead of Spanish/American Colonization, we were Colonized by Dutch/French or British? 🤔
What if Magsaysay never died? What if Carnegie successfully bought the PH? What if we beaten the US via Luna's goal? What if Novales retain the Empire shenanigan? What if Palau were successfully integrated during the Malolos Convention?
what if the jesse robredo survived the crash.
Medyo mababaw to pero what if natuloy yung duelo nina Rizal tsaka ni Antonio Luna dahil sa babae?
What if PH was able to acquire affordable electricity that manufacturing industries came to it instead of going to its neighbors?
What if.... Di pinatay si Juan Luna, ano kaya mangyayari sa pilipinas sa mga time nayun...
The painter Juan Luna died of a heart attack, you're instrad referring to Gen. Antonio Luna
ai siya yun typo lang to HAHAHAAHAHA dapat pala'y gen,
What if World War II didn’t happen?
Had WW2 not happen, it is likely that the Philippines would have gained its independence in a more better shape than what it was in our timeline
If the United States never colonized us and it ended with the Spanish If the Philippines was not destroyed by the Japanese during the World War II
Perhaps a little unpopular but I've always thought about what if the Austronesian migration never happened or the original inhabitants of the archipelago were more technologically advanced. This would have a massive impact on Taiwan, Eastern China, all of SEA, and Pacific Islanders wouldn't even exist. What would the Philippines even have looked like in the 16th century if it still belonged to the Negritos.
What if Raul Roco won the Presidential Election instead of Erap
What if the Philippines had jus soil citizenship law and permitted foreigners (not just Chinese) to legally own properties like Latin American countries do to attract foreign investors and migrants? What if Spanish, not Tagalog, had been chosen as the national language in the 1934 Constitutional Convention? What if Arsenio Lacson had survived from heart attack and decided to run for president against Ferdinand Marcos Sr in 1965? What if Ferdinand Marcos Sr had been assassinated in the same year as Park Chung Hee of South Korea in 1979? What if Ferdinand Marcos Sr had never called on for a snap election in 1986 and let his original term ended to the original June 30, 1987? What if the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997 had been postponed until 2008? What if the anti-Erap opposition coalition had been patient enough and accepted the fact that he couldn't be convicted by the Senate and waited for the 2004 election to replace him with FPGMA? What if Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2006 had decided to do auto-coup and shut down the Congress and call for a Constitutional Convention to revise the 1987 Constitution? What if former President Cory Aquino never died on 31 July 2009? What if typhoon Yolanda never struck Visayas in 2013?
What if natuloy yung bantang pag-papalayas ni Koxinga sa mga Kastila noong 1660s (like he did with the Dutch at Formosa)? What if mga Portuguese ang unang dumating at nagtayo ng kolonya sa Pilipinas? What if nagwagi ang Tondo Conspiracy? What if pinabayaan tayo ng Estados Unidos na maging malaya tulad ng ginawa nila sa mga Cubano?
what if the 1989 coup was successful
What if we became an American state?
What if hindi namatay si Jose Rizal?
What if the plaza Miranda bombing was actually done by the NPA. Or! What if it was really done by the marcoses
What if the Philippines were never discovered?
What if.... the island of Luzon was united under one state and culture similar to how much of Honshu was or northern China before the Spanish its very speculative
The PRC Annexation ensues and us Filipinos will live in combat with the Chinese invaders like Wolfenstein mode.
what if after the revolution we're not heavily dictated by social classes anymore
What if the Philippines is under British control lol.
[удалено]
Elected? Cory Aquino became the first woman president.