

From "Las Islas Filipinas," it became "The Philippine Islands" in English. Since Felipe is translated into English as Philip, the name of the country is spelled in the Philippines when written in that language. In 1543, an expedition was led to the islands and named the archipelago "Las Islas Filipinas" in honor of Philip of Austria, who became the Felipe II of Spain in 1556.įilipino VS Philippino: How Did It Become Philippines from Filipinas? The Spaniards did not stop there and continued to dispatch other Spanish expeditions to the archipelago. Unfortunately, Magellan was killed by a local ruler, Lapulapu, upon the expedition. The Spaniards began to explore the whole archipelago.

He established friendly relations with the local leaders and converted some of them to Roman Catholicism. In 1521, the Spanish reached the archipelago through an expedition led by Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese-born Spanish explorer.

But, how come the official language of the Philippines is Filipino, not Philippino or Philipino? Well, their history, particularly during the Spanish colonization period, has the answer.įilipino VS Philippino: The Spanish Colonization - King Philip IIīefore the country was called the Philippines, this archipelago had no name yet. The language spoken in Spain is called Spanish. Filipino VS Philippino: Have you ever wondered why it is spelled as "Filipino", not Philippino? The answer can be traced down to their unique history!
