History
Scientific evidence is generally accepted that the first significant human settlement occurred sometime during the most recent ice age, the Pleistocene Epoch. At that time sea levels wer lower, creating land bridges that connected the Southeast Asian mainland to some of the present-day islands of the Malay Archipelago. Historians theorize that Paleolithic hunters from the mainland may have followed herds of wild animals across these land bridges, later finding their way the Philippine islands. The Philippines are the Aeta and Agta tribes who continue to be primarily hunters and food gatherers thousand years ago. They are one of the world's few remaining populations of Pygmies, who are characterized by shorter than overage height. The Spanish colonizers called them Negritos. A Spanish expedition led by- explorer and navigator, Ferdinand Magellan made the first recorded European contact with the Philippine Islands. The first permanent Spanish settlement in the Philippines was established on Cebu.