Persecution of Muslims
The Philippines is predominantly a Christian society with a complicated history of relations between Islam and Christianity. Despite historic evidence of Islamization spreading throughout the islands in the 13th–16th centuries, the archipelago came under Spanish rule in the 16th century. The Spanish proselytized many natives, and labelled those who remained Muslims as "Moro", a derogatory term recalling the Moors, an Islamic people of North Africa who occupied parts of Spain for several centuries. Today, this term "Moro" is used to refer to the indigenous Muslim tribes and ethnic groups of the country. When the Spanish came to the Philippine islands, most of the natives in Luzon and Visayas were pagans with Muslim minorities, and while Spanish proselytized many natives, many Muslims in Luzon and Visayas were not exempted by the Spaniards from the Spanish Inquisition, wherein Muslims to become Catholics or die for their faith. Those who remained Muslims are only the natives of Mindanao and Sulu which the Spaniards did not invade or had control of only briefly and partially.
Spanish Colonial Fortifications of the Philippines
The Spanish Colonial Fortifications of the Philippines are strongholds constructed by Filipinos and Spanish under the rule of the Spaniards in the Philippines for protection against local and foreign aggressors during the Spanish Colonial Period. The fortifications were also used during the American and Japanese occupation eras. Many of the fortifications have been bady damaged, either due to old age or conflicts in the past. Currently, there has been initiatives to restore all Spanish fortifications throughout the Philippines. The initiative began when the Baluarte Luna of La Union and the Intramuros of Manila were restored in the 2010's. In 2013, a typhoon and earthquake hit Central Visayas and damaged numerous Spanish fortifications. This led to the largest restoration activity for fortifications in Philippine history.