SETTLEMENT

1st Stage of Philippine History

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Settlement is the coherence of the early Filipinos as a simple group, village and society or nation state. From the start of our history last 250,000 BC, the treasure of our culture can be seen, most of all, in the archeological remains and to the national awareness of the early and current community. Upon the arrival of the Austronesian, the Philippine culture had gained its huge improvement. In the emergence of metals like gold and steel, the knowledge in agriculture, pottery, carpentry that were inherited from our ancestors had greatly improved.

Due to this improvements, development of Filipino civilization that has an appropriate standing vision for every settlement came. Communications to the neighboring places and the exchanging of trades started to emerge. An idea from and towards China and Southeast Asia. In the end part of the Settlement era, Islam in Sulu and the early Christians already spread. On the entrance of the 16 century, the Filipino is already intact and improved. The establishing of Filipino State as a society now has direction.

Early Filipinos (250,000 BC - 5,000 BC)
The Filipino community had already explain their roots through mythological stories. The most popular is the myth about Malakas and Maganda, wherein it was stated, that they were the first parents who came from the split bamboo. The stories about Sicalac and Sicavay of the "Yligueynes" is not far from this myth and to the first couple Mandaya. However, the time of the early Filipinos can be scientifically illustrated through the archeological remains, fossils or artifact.

The Pleistocene
This time had shown a huge improvement in geology and cultural. Featured here is the appearance of continental shelves in the different parts of the Southeast Asia. This appearance were explained by investigating the glacier and inter-glacier period. In glacier period, there were huge ice in high places of the world and due to this, the level of water in the ocean decreases. Because of the decreased level of water in the ocean that surrounded the continent of Asia and Australia, huge land area that used to be submerged had surface. These are Sundaland, Sahulland & Wallacea.

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Sundaland is now part of Asia. This is now composed of region contain in Sunda shelf. This started in the isthmus of Malaya towards Sumatra, Dyawa, Kalimantan, Palawan and other small island like Riau and Lingga. Sahulland on the other hand is now now composed of Irian (New Guinea) and Australia wherein part of it are the few lands near Timor. Meanwhile, Wallace can be found between Sundaland and Sahulland, from Lumbok & Bali to Sulawesi, Molukas, shores of Kalimantan and turn to the islands between Sulawesi and Mindanao, the same with Sulu, western shore of Luzon until the end portion of Batanes.

These portions of the three huge land or territories will surface and emerge in every glacier and inter-glacier period. The last part of the pleistocene era, there was volcanic eruptions that resulted to the movements of plates under ground. We are in the period of inter-glacier. It was believed that the arrival and propagation of man, animals and plants is due to the crossing of land-bridge that joins the terrains during inter-glacier period. Carried by the early people are the lifestyles, plants and animals coming from its original place.

Cagayan and the Homo Erectus Philippinensis
It was assumed that the early settlers in the Philippines started to live 250,000 BC. They used rough furniture stone. The oldest proof of their existence can be presently seen in Cagayan. The artifacts, furniture stones and animal remains found in the valley of Cagayan can be likened to the remains and equipments of the Homo erectus javanensis.

Novaliches, Rizal and the early Homo sapiens (150,000 - 100,000 BC)
The smooth and sharp stone furnitures can be found in Novaliches, Rizal and Batangas. The people living the mentioned places were assumed to be in the tier of Homo sapiens, compared to the Homo erectus in Cagayan.

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Source:
Philippine History
Zeus A. Salazar