Philippines
Taken as war booty during the Spanish-American War, fought over for years during the Philippine-American War, and given independence after World War II.
For many years, run by dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his wife, shoe-fetishist Imelda Marcos. Marcos' agents assassinated dissident Benigno Aquino, ultimately leading to his downfall.
Although primarily a Catholic nation, the Philippines is a hotbed of Islamic terrorists, such as the al Qaeda linked Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and Ramzi Yousef spent a lot of time plotting in the Philippines. Terry Nichols just happened to be passing through at about the same time.
Notorious for criminal mail-order-bride services, aimed at pathetic schmucks and/or homicidal madmen (like Terry Nichols).
Timeline
| 27 Apr 1521 |
Philippine natives kill explorer Fernando de Magellan. |
| 1 May 1898 |
Philippines seized from Spain by the United States, and turned into a colony. President McKinley called the occupation "benevolent assimilation." But what actually followed was the slaughter of 200,000 Filipinos. |
| 12 Jun 1898 |
A date celebrated by some Filipinos as their independence day. |
| 1934 |
U.S. grants semi-autonomy to Philippines. |
| 20 Oct 1944 |
American forces land at Leyte. 20,000 Americans die retaking the Philippines back from Japan. |
| 4 Jul 1946 |
Independence formally granted by the United States. |
| 21 Aug 1983 |
Opposition leader Benigno Aquino is assassinated by agents of President Marcos. |
| 22 May 1988 |
Marine Sgt. Marciano Contaoe, a guard of President Corazon C. Aquino, runs amok in Manila with his .45 and an M-16, killing 9 people and wounding 3 others in a drunken rage. He is sentenced to 300 years. |
| 28 Sep 1989 |
Former President Ferdinand Marcos dies in exile in Hawaii. |
| 15 Jun 1991 |
Pinatubo, which had been active since June 9, erupts with massive force. Because of advance warnings, relatively few people die; but Clark Air Force Base is abandoned, over 50,000 people lose their homes, and 650,000 lose their jobs as a result. |
| 16 Sep 1991 |
Philippine Senate refuses to renew U.S. leases on American military bases. |
| Dec 2000 |
A series of terror bombings occurs in Manila; suspected mastermind is Hambali. |
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