Philippines (HSE)

The Republic of the Philippines (Filipino: Republika ng Pilipinas) is a sovereign island nation located in Southeast Asia.

History
The islands were first discovered by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 and came under Spanish rule from 1565 to 1898 in which the islands were ceded to the United States after the latter's victory in the Spanish-American War. In 1935, the Commonwealth of the Philippines was established as a transition to independence. This was interrupted with the outbreak of the Second World War. In December 8, 1941, Japanese forces landed on the tip of Lingayen Gulf in Luzon. Filipino and American forces fought bravely against the Japanese in order for General Douglas MacArthur to escape the Philippines. The islands fell to Japan on May 1942. Resistance against the Japanese continued all the way until MacArthur returned to the Philippines in October 1944. Manila was liberated in March 1945 after the bloodiest urban battle during the war.

Independence was achieved on July 4, 1946 as the Republic was proclaimed. The country was still recovering from the aftermath of the Second World War when it sent troops to Korea to assist the South against the Northern Invasion in 1950. Because it was an ally of the United States and the West, it was attacked and invaded by Chinese forces during the Third World War. The capital, Manila, was under siege. Just like Bataan nine years prior, Filipino and American soldiers fought bravely against the Chinese.

The Philippines was occupied under the PLA until the Sao Paulo Peace Accords in August 1951, represented by Elpidio Quirino. While the Soviet Union did not intend to annex the Philippines, the Korean People's Army was deployed as part of peacekeeping operations to make sure the country will not support the United States in its operations against the Soviet Union. The KPA occupation was met with resistance from Filipino populace who fought with guerrilla tactics and fled to the vast jungles of the archipelago. KPA occupation ended when North Korea was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1971.

The Philippines as of today has been neutral in foreign affairs for fears of antagonizing the country with the Soviets.