republic · Maritime Southeast Asia

Philippines

1946 CE – present · capital Manila

Archipelagic republic independent since 1946, Asia's largest Catholic-majority country and the oldest democracy in South-East Asia.

Origins

The Philippines became independent from the United States on 4 July 1946, ending the transition set out for the Commonwealth of the Philippines. Its first president, Manuel Roxas, took office amid wartime devastation, and the new republic signed trade and military base agreements that kept it closely tied to America.

Rule and society

A presidential system modelled on the American constitution faced the communist-led Hukbalahap rising, defeated under Ramon Magsaysay in the 1950s. Ferdinand Marcos imposed martial law from 1972, ruling through cronies until the People Power Revolution of 1986 brought Corazon Aquino to power. Politics remains dominated by powerful families, while millions of Filipinos work abroad.

To the present

The 1987 constitution restored democratic institutions, and American bases closed in 1992. A long Muslim insurgency in Mindanao led to the Bangsamoro autonomous region in 2019. The country today faces disputes with China in the South China Sea.

Lineage

Commonwealth of the Philippines 1935 CE – 1946 CEPhilippines

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Philippines. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/philippines
MLA
“Philippines.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/philippines. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Philippines.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/philippines.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Philippines’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/philippines (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻