History of Philippine Heads of State

Before Spaniards arrived in the Philippines, the archipelago was not a unified nation. Rather, it was splintered into different barangays headed by a datu. These barangays were independent of one another, although some barangays united to form a confederation. In the barangays, the datu was leader, lawmaker, and judge. Although he often had a council of elders as his advisers, the datu’s word was law. After the Spanish conquest, the King of Spain became the de jure head of state of the country, represented by his Governor-General. After Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States of America for 20 million dollars, the head of state became the President of the United States, also represented by the American Governor-General. When the Filipinos fought for and achieved their independence, they elected their own Presidents.