Short answers, pulled from the story.
The first human bones found in the Philippines date back 709,000 years to a site now known as Callao Cave. These remains suggest an unknown species of early hominin lived on these islands long before modern humans arrived.
Emilio Aguinaldo declared independence on the 12th of June 1898 following the Spanish-American War. This declaration occurred after Spain ceded control to the United States in December 1898 along with Puerto Rico and Guam.
Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law on the 21st of September 1972 using the specter of communism to justify his rule. His administration was characterized by political repression censorship and human rights violations.
The country has 23 active volcanoes including Mayon Taal Canlaon and Bulusan which have the largest number of recorded eruptions. Rich mineral deposits exist due to complex geologic structure and high seismic activity.
Tagalog represents 26.0 percent of the population according to the 2020 census followed by Visayans at 14.3 percent. Indigenous peoples consist of 110 ethnolinguistic groups totaling 15.56 million people in 2020 including Igorot Lumad Mangyan and indigenous groups of Palawan.