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The Battle of Mactan was a fierce clash fought in the Philippines on 27 April 1521. The warriors of Lapulapu, one of the Datus of Mactan, overpowered and defeated a Spanish force fighting for Rajah Humabon of Cebu under the command of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who was killed in the battle. The outcome of the battle resulted in the temporary departure of the Spanish crew from the archipelago. Upon landing, Magellan's small force was immediately attacked by the natives with a heavy barrage of ranged weapons, consisting of arrows, iron-tipped "bamboo" throwing spears (probably rattan bangkaw), fire-hardened sticks, and even stones. They surrounded Magellan's landing party, attacking from the front and both flanks. 

Battle of Leyte Gulf, (October 23–26, 1944), decisive air and sea battle of World War II that crippled the Japanese Combined Fleet, permitted U.S. invasion of the Philippines, and reinforced the Allies’ control of the Pacific. The first landings in the Leyte area were made on October 17 and 18 when offshore islands in Leyte Gulf were seized. Precisely on schedule, on October 20, four U.S. Army divisions (1st Cavalry, 7th, 24th, and 96th Infantry) poured ashore on the east coast of Leyte, where strong opposition was met at only one of the four division beaches. A vast armada of battleships, carriers, cruisers, and destroyers pounded the area with shells and bombs before the landing and during its early stages.

At the time of the Morotai and Palau landings, MacArthur was planning to invade Mindanao, southernmost of the large islands in the Philippines. However, naval strikes against the Philippines in September revealed unexpectedly weak Japanese defenses on both Mindanao and Leyte in the central Philippines. It was then proposed that plans be changed to bypass Mindanao and land directly on Leyte. The Joint Chiefs of Staff, then meeting with the British Chiefs of Staff at the Octagon Conference in Quebec, quickly approved the proposed changes, and MacArthur scheduled the Leyte attack for October 20, 1944.