Precedents Even before the formal Spanish conquest of the Philippines, on the islands there were already Muslims and Moors who had escaped from the recently overthrown
Emirate of Granada. As Muslim Castilian speakers were recorded to have been in the area as they spread throughout the Muslim world even as far as Islamic Manila, one of them was a man named Pazeculan. This Castilian speaking Moor was in the service of the Rajah of Manila and Admiral of the
Brunei Sultanate,
Rajah Matanda, when he encountered the
Magellan expedition.
Spanish conquest .|150px Spain and the Philippines share a common history in the fact that the Philippines was part of the
Spanish Empire for three hundred years and was the sole Spanish colony in
Asia.
Portuguese explorer
Ferdinand Magellan first encountered the Philippines and named the islands after King
Philip II of Spain. In 1565, Spanish explorer
Miguel López de Legazpi arrived from present-day
Mexico and established a European settlement in
Cebu. Soon afterwards, the
Captaincy General of the Philippines was governed from the
Viceroyalty of New Spain, based in
Mexico City. For the next 300 years, the Philippines was a Spanish province. Trade and communication between Spain and the Philippines was administered by the
Manila galleon. In 1896, the
Philippine Revolution began for independence from Spain. The revolution lasted through 1898 when the
Spanish–American War broke out. The Spanish–American War resulted in Spain losing its domain over the Philippines and the nation was transferred over to the
United States, thus ending the Philippine Revolution. The Philippines would be governed by the United States until 1946.
Post Independence During the
Spanish Civil War,
Filipino volunteers fought for both sides in the war. In 1947, the
Philippines and
Spain established diplomatic relations. It was manifested when Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Teodomiro de Aguilar presented his credentials to then-President
Manuel Roxas on January 30, 1947. Aguilar mentioned to Roxas that his government had decided to establish a legation in the country as a living proof of the interest of Spain in this new republic. On June 15, 1954, President
Ramon Magsaysay's speech upon his acceptance of the credentials of Spanish Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Fermin Sanz Orio, was often heralded as the first time that a president used the national language to respond to a foreign envoy's credential speech. On July 1, 1962, President
Diosdado Macapagal and his entourage was welcomed by Generalissimo and Mrs. Francisco Franco upon their arrival at Barajas International Airport in Madrid.
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and First Gentleman
Jose Miguel Arroyo with
Spanish King Juan Carlos I and
Queen Sofía at the
Royal Palace of Madrid, June 30, 2006. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, relations between both nations have strengthened through cultural and historical similarities. In 1995, King
Juan Carlos I paid his first official visit to the
Philippines. There have been several high-level visits between leaders of both nations. with Spanish King
Felipe VI in Madrid, 2014. with Spanish Prime Minister
Mariano Rajoy in Madrid, 2014. King Juan Carlos I and his wife,
Queen Sofia, attended the 1998 centennial celebrations in
Manila, commemorating 100 years of independence from Spain. The mediation of the Spanish King is said to have produced the pardon and liberation of two Philippine domestic workers sentenced to death in
Kuwait and the
United Arab Emirates. Philippine President,
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, concluded her second state visit in
Spain in July 2006, bringing back millions of dollars of Spanish investments, particularly in
tourism and
information technology. Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines, Jorge Domecq, told the reporters that the "Philippines is the only country in Asia to receive more aid and development assistance from Spain than any other Asian country". He added that the Philippines remains a priority of the Spanish aid in development efforts and partnerships with the
EU, even despite budget cuts on development funding brought on by austerity measures being implemented by the Government of Spain. In July 2012, the Queen Sofia visited the Philippines for a fourth time. She inspected several development projects around the former Spanish colony that her country's government is funding via the
AECID. She visited the
National Library,
National Museum and the
University of Santo Tomas. She also met with Spanish nationals residing in the Philippines, and attend a reception at the Spanish Embassy. She also attended a state dinner in her honour at
Malacañang Palace hosted by President
Benigno Aquino III. Also during her visit in the former colony of her country, Queen Sofia expressed appreciation to Aquino for the country's effort to reintroduce the
Spanish language in the Philippine public education system. Filipinos are one of the largest Asian communities in Spain, with a number of individuals obtaining Spanish citizenship. Most Filipinos in Spain work in various jobs and companies such as domestic and healthcare services, some individuals also work in education and government institutions.
Philippe Jones Lhuillier, presents his Credentials to His Majesty King
Felipe VI of Spain at the Palacio Real de Madrid. In 2017, both nations celebrated 70 year of diplomatic relations. On September 5 of the same year, the Spanish frigate
Méndez Núñez made the historic port-visit, making it the first
Spanish Navy vessel in the Philippines, since the
Battle of Manila Bay during the
Spanish–American War in 1898. Currently, diplomatic relations between Spain and the Philippines are considerably weaker unlike the priorities that Spain has with other
ASEAN countries, such as
Cambodia,
Indonesia,
Singapore,
Thailand, and
Vietnam. However, their relations have continued to be maintained, based on a shared history and culture. Likewise, in 2022, both countries celebrated the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. ==Cultural cooperation==