History of Manila Timeline

In the Treaty of Paris in 1898, Spain handed over the Philippines to the United States of America for US$20,000,000, ending 333 years of Spanish rule in the islands after over three hundred years of colonial rule.

Image source: Treaty of Paris (1898)

American troops invaded Manila in 1898, waging war with the Spaniards and Filipinos. The US Navy, under Admiral George Dewey, defeated the Spanish squadron in the Battle of Manila Bay on May 1, 1898.

Image source: Battle of Manila Bay

War broke out between the Filipinos and the Americans on February 4, 1899, beginning the Philippine–American War. The battle caused more than 200 Filipino casualties.

Image source: Battle of Manila (1899)

The Americans pursued the retreating Filipino forces province by province, until General Emilio Aguinaldo, then president of the Republic, surrendered in Palanan, Isabela on March 23, 1901.

Image source: Emilio Aguinaldo

Manila continued under an American military government until civil government was established for the city on July 31, 1901.

In 1935, the United States government committed itself to granting the Philippines independence after a ten-year transition, a period that was extended by one year due to World War II.

Image source: Commonwealth of the Philippines

The General Headquarters of the Philippine Commonwealth Army was stationed in Manila under the Commonwealth government, active from December 21, 1935 to January 3, 1942, when the Philippines was invaded by Japanese Imperial forces.

Vargas assumed the chairmanship of the Philippine Executive Commission and was appointed Mayor of Greater Manila in December 1941. On the evening of New Year's Day 1942, a Japanese courier delivered notice that Japanese forces bivouacked at Parañaque would enter Greater Manila the following day.

Filipino and American combat units were ordered to withdraw from the city, and all military installations were removed on December 24, 1941 (Philippine time).

Image source: Battle of Manila (1945)

Japanese Imperial forces took control of the main general headquarters of the Commonwealth Army on January 3, 1942. León Guinto was later appointed mayor of Greater Manila in January 1942, succeeding Vargas.

On October 20, 1944, American and Philippine Commonwealth troops, led by American General Douglas MacArthur, began the reconquest of the Philippines.

Image source: Douglas MacArthur

From February 3 to March 3, 1945, much of the city was destroyed during the Battle of Manila, the last of many battles fought in Manila's history. Between 100,000 and 500,000 civilians were killed by Japanese troops in the Manila massacre.

Once Manila was officially liberated, the rebuilt general headquarters of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and the Philippine Constabulary was relocated to the city from March 4, 1945 to June 30, 1946, preparing military operations in Luzon against the Japanese with American help and guerrillas.

On July 4, 1946, the Philippine flag was raised for the first time in Rizal Park, marking Philippine independence.

Image source: Independence Day (Philippines)

With Arsenio Lacson becoming the first elected mayor in 1952 — all mayors were appointed prior to this — the City of Manila underwent its Golden Age, was revitalized, and once again became the 'Pearl of the Orient', a moniker it earned before the outbreak of the war.

After Lacson's term, Antonio Villegas led the city through most of the 1960s, and Ramon Bagatsing served for nearly the entire 1970s until the 1986 People Power Revolution, becoming the longest serving Mayor of Manila. Together they are known as 'the Big Three of Manila'.

During the Marcos era, Metropolitan Manila was enacted as an independent entity in 1975, encompassing several cities and towns as a separate local-regional unit and the seat of government of the Philippines.

Image source: Metro Manila

After the People Power Revolution, Corazon Aquino was installed as president in 1986. During her presidency, Manila witnessed eight unsuccessful coup attempts, the most serious occurring in December 1989.

In 1992, Alfredo Lim became the mayor of Manila and was known for his anti-crime crusades. When he ran for president in 1998, his vice mayor Lito Atienza was elected as city mayor.

Lim defeated Atienza's son Ali in the 2007 city election and immediately reversed all of Atienza's projects, claiming they contributed little to improvements of the city.

Councilor Dennis Alcoreza filed human rights complaints before the Commission on Human Rights against Lim and other Manila officials on July 17, 2008. Controversies also included the resignation of 24 city officials and his bloody resolution of the Manila hostage crisis, one of the deadliest hostage crises in the Philippines.

The relationship between Lim and Atienza turned bitter, with the two facing off in the 2010 city elections, in which Lim won against Atienza.

A complaint was filed in 2012 by Vice Mayor Isko Moreno and 28 city councilors, which cited that statements made by Lim in a meeting were 'life-threatening' to them.

During the 2013 elections, former President Joseph Estrada defeated Lim in the mayoral race despite having recently moved from neighboring San Juan, where he had served as long-time mayor.

Estrada was reelected in 2016 but lost to former actor and Vice Mayor Isko Moreno, who campaigned on a change platform and youthful image, colloquially referred to as 'Yorme' (a reversed phonemic of the word 'Mayor').

In 2022, Moreno launched an ultimately unsuccessful bid for the presidency in elections held that May.

Image source: 2022 Philippine presidential election

Mayor Honey Lacuna turned out to be unpopular with Manila residents, losing to Isko Moreno in the 2025 Manila local elections.