Philippines–Spain relations

España y Filipinas by Juan Luna

Spain and the Philippines share a common history in the fact that the Philippines was part of the Spanish empire for three hundred years and was the sole Spanish colony in Asia. Portuguese-born Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan first encountered the Philippines and named the islands after King Philip II of Spain.[1]

In 1565, Spanish explorer Miguel López de Legazpi arrived from Mexico and established a European settlement in Cebu. Soon afterwards, the Philippines was governed from the Viceroyalty of New Spain based in Mexico City. For the next 300 years, the Philippines was a Spanish colony. Trade and communication between Spain and the Philippines was administered by the Manila galleon.

In 1896, the Philippine Revolution began for independence from Spain. The revolution lasted through 1898 when the Spanish–American War broke out. The Spanish–American War resulted in Spain losing its domain over the Philippines and islands nation was transferred over to the United States, thus ending the Philippine Revolution. The Philippines would be governed by the United States until 1946.

During the Spanish Civil War, Filipino volunteers fought for both sides in the war. In 1947, the Philippines and Spain established diplomatic relations.[2] Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, relations between both nations have strengthened through cultural and historical similarities. In 1995 King Juan Carlos I of Spain paid his first official visit to the Philippines.[3] There have been several high-level visits between leaders of both nations.

King Juan Carlos I and his wife Queen Sofia attended the 1998 centennial celebrations in Manila, commemorating 100 years of independence from Spain. The mediation of the Spanish King is said to have produced the pardon and liberation of 2 Filipina domestic workers sentenced to death in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo concluded her second state visit in Spain in July 2006, bringing back millions of dollars of Spanish investments, particularly in Tourism and Information Technology

Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Jorge Domecq told the reporters that the "Philippines is the only country in Asia to receive more aid and development assistance from Spain than any other Asian country". He added that the Philippines remains a priority of the Spanish aid in development efforts and partnerships with the European Union, even despite budget cuts on development funding brought on by austerity measures being implemented by the Government of Spain.[4]

Filipino President Benigno Aquino III with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in Madrid, 2014.

In July 2012, the Queen Sofia visited the Philippines for a fourth time. She inspected several development projects around the former Spanish colony that her country's government is funding via the Agencia Española de Cooperacion Internacional para el Desarollo (AECID). She visited the National Library, National Museum and the University of Santo Tomas. She also met with Spanish nationals residing in the Philippines, and attend a reception at the Spanish Embassy. She also attended a state dinner in her honour at Malacañan Palace hosted by President Benigno Aquino III.[5][6] Also during her visit in the former colony of her country, Queen Sofia expressed appreciation to Aquino for the country’s effort to reintroduce the Spanish language in the Philippine public education system.[7]

Filipinos are one of the largest Asian communities in Spain, with a number of individuals obtaining Spanish citizenship. Most Filipinos in Spain work in various jobs and companies such as domestic and healthcare services, some individuals also work in education and government institutions.[8]

In 2017, both nations celebrated 70 year of diplomatic relations.[2] On 5 September 2019, the Spanish frigate Méndez Núñez made the historic port-visit, making it the first Spanish Navy vessel in the Philippines, since the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War in 1898.[9]