The Philippines has Ancient Mini Governments?! 🇵🇭

They existed long before colonization, and these were communities usually led by a leader called a datu. This was called a “barangay.” The name is believed to come from the word “balangay,” which means boat, because these boats carried groups of people who traveled together. Originally, a barangay was a community. But over time, the term came to refer to a place. Then, During Spanish and American rule, the term barangay was gradually replaced by “barrio,” a Spanish word meaning village. But in 1974, President Marcos Sr. officially revived the traditional term “barangay,” replacing the Spanish term “barrio” and making it part of local government. And today, cities and municipalities across the Philippines are divided into barangays, with roughly 42,000 across the country. And that's how the barangay became the smallest political unit in the Philippines. #philippines #interesting #facts #interestingfacts #filipino #didyouknow #history #philippinehistory #barangay