Member-only story
The Time The Philippines Almost Stole Malaysia’s Name
Oddities of history
Unlike other post-colonial nations, the Philippines never changed its name. Many nations opted to choose new names for themselves after throwing off the shackles of their former colonial masters. The Philippines never did despite winning their independence twice.
The Philippines won their independence from Spain in 1899 when the Spanish lost a war with the United States. Unfortunately, ownership of the colony passed from Spain to the US who spent three years pacifying the population.
The Philippines again won its independence in 1946 after nearly 50 years of US ownership and years of brutal Japanese occupation. But after all of that, the island nation has opted to keep the name that they were given centuries ago.
The Philippines takes its name from Philip II of Spain who was the reigning monarch at the time that the Spanish claimed the distant islands as their own.
That is not to say that the Philippines has not tried to shed its Spanish name in favor of a new more local moniker. In fact, during the 1960s, the Philippines attempted to rename themselves Malaysia in an oddity of history.
