After scouring through the forum, I found out that Philippine-centric timelines were so scarce. So, I decided to make my own. Just a warning, though. This may contain fictional personalities, incorrect grammar, ASB-ish moments and other things you may find annoying. Please bear with me, since this is my first time doing this.
Now, without further ado, let's begin...
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Background
Spain entered a period of instability at the start of the 19th century, beginning with the Peninsular War; a conflict that left the country in ruins. During the time that Spain has no king, Spanish liberals assembled at Cádiz to create a constitution, hoping that it could change the nation for the better. However after Napoleon's forces withdrew from Spain in 1814 the new monarch, Fernando VII, rejected the constitution, and have arrested those who dare oppose him.
The colonies of Spain had also began to demand reforms. During the time of the 1812 Cortes, representatives from across the Spanish Empire clamored for self-governance. But their hopes were dashed after the restoration of the monarchy, which tried to reinstate the old, oppressive order. Left with no alternative, the viceroyalties of New Spain, New Granada, Perú and Rio de la Plata declared independence from the Spanish Crown.
The Philippine Islands were the furthermost possession of Spain, and its only one in Asia. For centuries, it was controlled by the powerful (and corrupt) religious orders, and their allies from the colonial government, like a personal fiefdom. However, by the end of the 1700s things began to change. With the opening of Manila to international trade, foreign products made their way upon this side of the world; among them were printed materials containing ideas from the Age of Enlightenment. Consequently, the Philippines began to transform itself from a mercantilist economy into an proto-capitalist one. This created a lot of opportunities to many people, who in turn began to amass a fortune in trade, which in turn gave rise to the first middle class.
These middle class slowly began to embrace the ideology of liberalism, and started to address the injustices by the colonial authorities. This doesn't go unnoticed, however. The religious orders felt threatened by the new intelligentsia. So they started to scheme against them.