List of firsts in the Philippines

The following is the list of firsts in the Philippines.

In order to be listed, each feat must be backed up by a third-party reliable source explicitly stating that the feat is the first. Corporate milestones, such as the first branch or property of a particular company in the Philippines, are excluded, unless it is also a first in its industry.

Architecture and engineering

The following are the first buildings or structures of their type.

Religious buildings

• First mosque: Masjid Sheikh Makhdum in Simunul, Tawi-Tawi – 1380
• First Catholic church: Basilica del Santo Niño – 1735
• First synagogue: Temple Emil in Taft Avenue, Malate, Manila – 1922
• First steel building church: San Sebastian Church – 1888

Hotels and restaurants

• First luxury hotel: Hotel del Oriente in Binondo, Manila – 1889

Shopping malls

• First department store: Hoskyn's Department Store in Iloilo City – 1877

Building certifications

• First LEED Platinum certified building: Zuellig Building in Makati City – awarded in 2013

Education buildings

• First 24-hour public library building: Cebu City Public Library in Cebu City – started their operations in 2018

Transportation buildings

• First elevated railway stations: LRT Line 1 stations from Baclaran Station to United Nations Station in Pasay City and Manila – December 1, 1984
• First depressed railway station: Buendia Station of the MRT Line 3 in Makati City – December 15, 1999
• First underground railway station: Katipunan Station of the LRT Line 2 in Quezon City – April 5, 2003
• First landport: Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange in Parañaque City – November 5, 2018

Roads and bridges

• First steel bridge: Ayala Bridge in Manila – 1908
• First concrete bridge and road: Forbes Bridge and Luna Street in Iloilo City – 1910
• First toll road: North Luzon Expressway from Balintawak, Quezon City to Guiguinto, Bulacan – August 4, 1968. Formerly known as North Diversion Road.
• First double-decked highway: the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 – January 14, 2021
• First grade-separated highway: the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 1 – December 10, 1998
• First bike lane network: Marikina Bikeways Project in Marikina City – July 22, 2001
• First protected bike lane along a national highway: at the Laguna Lake Highway in Taguig City – February 7, 2019
• First traffic light intersection: Plaza Goiti (Plaza Lacson) in Manila – 1920s
• First wire-cable suspension bridge: Puente Colgante Bridge in Manila – constructed in 1852 and replaced by the Quezon Bridge in 1939

Other

• First installed elevator: at the Burke Building
• First installed air conditioning system in an office: at the Quezon Executive Office in Malacañang Palace – under the supervision of Mr. A.D. Williams on May 27, 1936
• First installed air conditioning system in a public structure: at the Crystal Arcade in Escolta, Manila – building built in 1932
• First installed air conditioning system in a hotel: at the Manila Hotel in along Manila Bay – building built on July 4, 1912
• First installed air conditioning system in a mall: at the Ali Mall in Cubao, Quezon City – building opened to the public on June 30, 1976
• First installed intercom system in a public structure: at the Manila Hotel in along Manila Bay – building built on July 4, 1912
• First luxury box: Premier Suites at the Mall of Asia Arena

Beauty pageants

Big Four pageants

• First Filipino Miss World: Megan Young (2013)
• First Filipino Miss Universe: Gloria Diaz (1969)
• First Filipino Miss International: Gemma Cruz (1964)
• First Filipino Miss Earth: Karla Henry (2008)
• First Filipino to represent the country more than two Big Four pageant competitions: Catriona Gray (Miss World 2016 and Miss Universe 2018)
• First consecutive titles in Miss Earth: Jamie Herrell (2014) and Angelia Ong (2015)
• First Miss Universe hosted: 1974 in Manila
• First Miss Earth hosted: 2001 in Manila

Other pageants

• First Filipino Miss International Queen: Kevin Balot (2012)
• First Filipino Miss Supranational: Mutya Johanna Datul (2013)
• First Filipino Miss Heritage: Odessa Mae Tadaya (2014)
• First Filipino Miss Globe: Ann Lorraine Colis (2015)
• First Filipino Miss Scuba International: Cindy Pacia Madduma (2015)
• First Filipino Miss United Continents: Jeslyn Santos (2016)
• First Filipino Mrs. Grandma Universe: Agnes Jakosalem (2017)
• First Filipino Reina Hispanoamericana: Teresita Marquez (2017)
• First Filipino Miss Multinational: Sophia Senoron (2017)
• First Filipino Miss Eco International: Cynthia Thomalla (2018)
• First Filipino Miss Summer World: Kaycee Coleen Lim (2018)
• First Filipino Miss Landscape International: Karen Grace Atienza (2018)
• First Filipino Miss Tourism Worldwide: Zara Carbonell (2018)
• First Filipino Miss Intercontinental: Karen Gallman (2018)
• First Filipino Miss Tourism World Intercontinental: Francesca Taruc (2019)
• First Filipino Noble Queen of the Universe: Patricia Javier (2019)
• First Filipino Miss Trans Global: Mela Franco Habijan (2020)
• First Filipino Miss Eco Teen International: Roberta Tamondong (2020)
• First Filipino Miss Aura International: Alexandra Faith Garcia (2021)
• First Filipino Miss Culture International: Samela Aubrey Godin (2021)
• First Filipino Miss Interglobal: Miriam Damoah (2021)
• First Filipino Miss Summit International: Nica Zosa (2022)
• First Filipino Reina Internacional del Cacao: Jerelleen Rodriguez (2022)
• First Filipino Miss Global: Shane Tormes (2022)
• First Filipino Miss CosmoWorld: Meiji Cruz (2022)
• First Filipino Miss Planet International: Maria Luisa Varela (2023)
• First Filipino Miss Chinese World: Annie Uson Chen (2023)
• First Filipino Miss Environment International: Shannon Robinson (2023)
• First Filipino Manhunt International: June Macasaet (2012)
• First Filipino Mister International: Neil Perez (2014)
• First Filipino Mr Gay World: John Raspado (2017)
• First consecutive titles in Miss Asia Pacific International: Maria del Carmen Ines Zaragoza (1982) and Bong Dimayacyac (1983)
• First consecutive titles in Miss Tourism International: Rizzini Alexis Gomez (2012) and Angeli Dione Gomez (2013)
• First consecutive titles in Mr Gay World: John Jeffrey Carlos (2019), Leonard Kodie Macayan (2020) and Joel Rey Carcasona (2021)
• First Mister International hosted: 2015 in Manila
• First Miss Intercontinental hosted: 2019 in Manila
• First Mister World hosted: 2019 in Manila

National-level pageants

• First Miss Philippines: Anita Noble (1926)
• First Miss World Philippines: Vivien Lee Austria (1966)
• First Filipino Miss Universe Philippines:
• Myrna Panlilio (1964) (Binibining Pilipinas)
• Rabiya Mateo (2020) (Miss Universe Philippines Organization)
• First openly bisexual woman Miss Universe Philippines: Beatrice Gomez (2021)
• First Miss International Philippines: Edita Vital (1960)
• First Miss Philippines Earth: Carlene Aguilar (2001)

Others

• First Filipino to represent the country in the Miss Universe pageant: Teresita Sanchez (1952)
• First Filipino semifinalist at the Miss Universe pageant: Blesilda Ocampo (1954)
• First Filipino to be a runner-up in the Miss Universe pageant: Blesilda Mueler Ocampo (1954)
• First Filipino to place in the Miss World pageant: Pinky Amabuyok (1968)
• First Filipino to win Best in National Costume award in the Miss Universe pageant: Charlene Gonzales (1994)
• First Filipino to win Best in Miss Photogenic award in the Miss Universe pageant: Vida Valentina Doria (1971)
• First Mutya ng Pilipinas winner: Jane Mozo de Joya (1968)
• First Filipino to place in the Miss Universe pageant from the 21st Century: Venus Raj (2010)
• First Filipina Muslim to win Miss Asia Pacific International: Sharifa Akeel (2018)
• First Binibining Pilipinas candidate who joined the National Pageant twice: Elvira Gonzales (1964 and 1965)
• First Filipino to represent the country in the Miss Grand International pageant: Ali Forbes (2013)
• First Filipino to represent the country in the Miss Supranational pageant: Lourenz Grace Remetillo (2011)
• First Binibining Pilipinas winner to be dethroned: Anjanette Abayari (1991)
• First Filipino to place in the Miss Intercontinental pageant: Maria Sovietskaya Bacud (1995)
• First Filipino to place in the Mr. World pageant: Andrew Wolff (2012)
• First Filipino to place in the Miss Earth pageant: Cathy Untalan (2006)
• First Filipino and Miss World contestant ever to win the Miss Talent award: Louvette Monzon Hammond (1978)
• First Filipino to place in the Miss Supranational pageant: Elaine Kay Moll (2012)
• First Filipino semifinalist at the Miss International pageant: Edita Vital (1960)
• First Filipino to use interpreter at the Miss Universe pageant: Maxine Medina (2016)
• First Filipino to win the Asia's Next Top Model: Maureen Wroblewitz (2017)
• First Filipino to walk in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and to appear in the pages of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue: Kelsey Merritt (2018 and 2019)
• First consecutive titles in Miss Millennial Philippines: Shaila Mae Rebortera (2018) and Nicole Yance Borromeo (2019)

Business and economy

• First Filipino-owned firm to list on the Nasdaq stock exchange: Hotel 101 (June 27, 2025)

Education

• First Filipino Superintendent of schools: Camilo Osías – 1915
• First Filipino language instructor of Harvard University: Lady Aileen Orsal – introduced on August 25, 2023.

Energy

• First nuclear power plant: Bataan Nuclear Power Plant

Exploration

• First Filipino to reach the North Pole on board a Russian vessel (icebreaker): Ramon Ilusorio – 1996
• First Filipino to sail solo across Pacific Ocean: Florentino Das – May 14, 1955
• First Filipino to reach the peak of Mount Everest: Leo Oracion – May 17, 2006
• First Filipino to reach the peak of Seven Summits: Romi Garduce – January 6, 2012
• First Filipino (Filipina) to ski to North Pole (True North): Samelene Pimentel - April 21, 2015
• First Filipino (Filipina) to ski to South Pole: Samelene Pimentel - December 26, 2017
• First Filipina to reach the Seven Summits: Carina Dayondon - December 16, 2018
• First Filipino to reach the 3rd deepest spot on Earth: Deo Florence Onda – March 23, 2021

Government and politics

President

Vice–President

• First Vice–President: Sergio Osmeña – 1935
• First Female Vice–President: Gloria Macapagal Arroyo – 1998

Senate

• First Senate President: Manuel L. Quezon – 1916
• First Female Senator: Geronima Pecson – 1947
• First Muslim Senator: Hadji Butu – 1916
• First Female senator to be re-elected: Eva Estrada Kalaw – 1965
• First actor to become senator: Rogelio de la Rosa – 1957

House of Representatives

• First House Speaker: Sergio Osmeña – 1907
• First Female Representative: Elisa Rosales-Ochoa – 1941
• First openly transgender woman representative: Geraldine Roman – 2016
• First Female House Speaker: Gloria Macapagal Arroyo – 2018
• First Representative to be expelled: Arnolfo Teves Jr. – 2023

Supreme Court

• First Chief Justice: Cayetano Arellano – 1901–1920
• First Chief Justice to be impeached: Renato Corona – 2011
• First Female Chief Justice:
• Maria Lourdes Sereno – 2012–2018 (de facto; tenure nullified through Quo warranto petition)
• Teresita de Castro – 2018 (de jure)
• First Female Associate Justice: Cecilia Muñoz-Palma – 1973

Cabinet

• First Female Social Welfare Secretary: Asuncion A. Perez – 1948
• First Muslim Justice Secretary: Simeon Datumanong – 2003

Others

• First Presidential and Vice–Presidential elections: 1935
• First Senate elections: 1916
• First Elections for House of Representatives: 1898
• First State of the Nation Address: Delivered by Manuel L. Quezon at the Legislative Building on November 25, 1935
• First Filipina judge of the International Criminal Court: Miriam Defensor Santiago – December 12, 2011
• First Nobel Prize laureate: Maria Ressa – 2021 Nobel Peace Prize

History

• First Filipino marriage to a foreigner: Nicolasa de Alvarez, a native Filipino to Pablo Alvarez, a Spaniard – 1585
• First scientific map of the Philippines: Murillo Velarde map – 1734
• First Filipina to lead an uprising against a foreign power: Gabriela Silang – 1763
• First Filipino documented serial killer: Juan Severino Mallari – 1816–1826
• First waterworks system in the Philippines: Carriedo – July 24, 1882
• First Filipino novel: Nínay – authored by Pedro Paterno and published in 1885
• First President of Katipunan: Deodato Arellano – elected in October 1892
• First ice cream store in the Philippines: Clarke's Ice Cream Parlor – 1899
• First automobile in the Philippines: Richard-Brasier roadster car – imported in 1904
• First labor union in the Philippines: Unión Obrera Democrática Filipina – established on February 2, 1902
• First aircraft to fly in the Philippines: Shriver's Skylark biplane of James "Bud" Mars – February 21, 1911
• First labor day in the Philippines: throughout the establishment of Congreso Obrero de Filipinas on May 1, 1913
• First female chief nurse and superintendent of the Philippine General Hospital: Anastacia Giron-Tupas – 1917
• First Balagtasan in the Philippines: took place at Instituto de Mujeres in Manila on April 6, 1924
• First comic strip in the Philippines: Kenkoy – published on January 11, 1929
• First Filipina to be featured on the Philippine peso: Tandang Sora – appeared on ₱100 banknote from the English series from 1951 to 1966
• First US president to visit Manila: Dwight D. Eisenhower – June 14, 1960
• First national celebration of Philippine Independence Day on June 12: 1962
• First chop-chop lady in Philippine history: Lucila Lalu – her mutilated body was discovered in the parts of Metro Manila on May 28, 1967
• First National Artist of the Philippines: Fernando Amorsolo – posthumously awarded on April 27, 1972
• First female commercial airline captain: Aimee Carandang – 1993
• First Aeta lawyer in Philippine history: Wayda Cosme – 2001
• First recipient of Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title: awarded in February 2002 to the towns of Bago and Kankanaey in Bakun, Benguet
• First Philippine variety show to be franchised in another country: Eat Bulaga! – throughout Eat Bulaga! Indonesia which was aired on July 16, 2012
• First female Quezon Service Cross recipient: Miriam Defensor Santiago – posthumously awarded on December 3, 2018
• First Filipino Lorenzo il Magnifico Award recipient: Michael Villagante – awarded on October 31, 2021
• First Philippine program to launch non-fungible tokens (NFTs) or digital trading cards: Idol Philippines – throughout a partnership with Theta Network which was launched on August 12, 2022
• First Filipino to travel to all the countries in the world (recognized by the United Nations): Odette Aquitania Ricasa – August 25, 2022
• First commercial airline in the Philippines: Iloilo-Negros Air Express (INAEC) – February 1, 1933

Military

• First supersonic aircraft: Northrop F-5 – first unit acquired in 1965 (also first in Southeast Asia)
• First AFP Chief: Artemio Ricarte – appointed on March 22, 1897
• First Filipino graduate of the United States Military Academy: Gen. Vicente Lim, Philippine Army, 1914
• First Filipino graduate of the United States Naval Academy: Col. Jose Emilio Olivares, US Army, Philippine Scouts, 1923
• First Filipino graduate of the United States Air Force Academy: Col. Roberto Barangan, Philippine Air Force, 1966
• First Filipino graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy:
• First female Battalion Commander: Ramona Palabrica-Go – appointed in January 2003
• First female Fighter Pilot: Jul Laiza Mae Camposano-Beran – introduced on March 31, 2022

Performing arts

Film

• First films screened: Un Homme Au Chapeau (Man with a Hat), Une scene de danse Japonaise (Scene from a Japanese Dance), Les Boxers (The Boxers), and La Place de L’ Opera (The Place L’ Opera) at the Salon de Pertierra in Escolta, Manila – January 1, 1897
• First films shot: Panorama de Manila (Manila landscape), Fiesta de Quiapo (Quiapo Fiesta), Puwente de España (Bridge of Spain), and Esceñas Callejeras (Street scenes) by Antonio Ramos (also first Filipino motion picture producer) – 1898
• First hall exclusively for film viewing: Cine Walgrah at No. 60 Calle Santa Rosa in Intramuros, Manila – 1900
• First Filipino-owned movie theater: Cinematograpo Rizal established by Jose Jimenez along Azcarraga street in Manila – 1903
• First film produced in the Philippines: La vida de Jose Rizal by Rizalina Photoplay Company and directed by Edward Gross, an American – August 23, 1912
• First film produced in the Philippines by Filipinos: Dalagang Bukid – September 19, 1919
• First kissing scene in Philippine cinema: Luis Tuason and Isabel "Dimples" Cooper in the film Ang Tatlong Hambog – 1926
• First Filipino horror movie: Ang Manananggal – 1927
• First all-talking, completely sound Filipino film: Punyal na Ginto – March 9, 1933
• First Filipino film to have gained international recognition: Zamboanga – 1937
• First Filipino female feature film director: Carmen Concha – 1939
• First Filipino movie with colored sequences: Ibong Adarna – 1941
• First Filipino movie in full-color: Prinsipe Amante – 1951
• First Filipino movie to be acclaimed in an international film festival: Genghis Khan – showed on the Venice Film Festival in 1952
• First Filipino full-length animation film: Tadhana – 1978
• First Filipino short film to win Best Short Film Award in Cannes Film Festival: Anino by Raymond Red – May 25, 2000
• First Filipino film director to win Best Director Award in Cannes Film Festival: Brillante Mendoza – May 23, 2009
• First Filipino Actress to win Best Actress Award in Cannes Film Festival: Jaclyn Jose – May 22, 2016
• First Filipino Actress with 2 movies that reached ₱800 million mark: Kathryn Bernardo (The Hows of Us and Hello, Love, Goodbye) – 2018 and 2019
• First animated Netflix film from the Philippines: Hayop Ka!: The Nimfa Dimaano Story – October 29, 2020
• First Filipino Actor to win Best Actor Award in Asian Academy Creative Awards: Arjo Atayde – December 4, 2020
• First Filipino Actor to win Best Actor Award in Venice Film Festival: John Arcilla – September 11, 2021
• First Filipino Actress to win Outstanding Asian Star in Seoul International Drama Awards: Belle Mariano – September 5, 2022
• First openly transgender woman to win best supporting actress at the Metro Manila Film Festival: KaladKaren – April 11, 2023

Music

• First Philippine opera in the Tagalog language: Sangdugong Panaguinip composed by Ladislao Bonus – premiere on August 2, 1902, at the Zorrilla Theater in Manila.
• First Filipino international opera singer: Jovita Fuentes (Madama Butterfly) – 1925
• First Filipino boy band act to land a spot on the US Billboard Top 100 Chart: The Rocky Fellers – 1963
• First Filipino solo recording artist to chart in the US, as her debut single "If You Leave Me Now" peaked at 44 at the Billboard Hot 100 chart: Jaya – 1989
• First Filipino to win a Tony Award: Lea Salonga for Best Actress in a Musical (Miss Saigon) – June 2, 1991
• First Filipino and Asian solo singer to land in the Top 10 at the US Billboard 200, as her studio album Charice peaked at number 8: Charice – 2010
• First Filipino group to be nominated in the Billboard Music Awards: SB19 – 2021
• First Filipino act and P-pop artist featured on the Recording Academy Grammy's Global Spin live series: Felip – 2022

Television

• First Filipino to win a Daytime Emmy Award for a non-acting category: Ronnie del Carmen for Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Animated Program as one of the directors of Freakazoid in 1996.
• First Filipino to win a Primetime Emmy Award for a non-acting category: Jess Española for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program as an assistant director of "Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind" from the 19th season of The Simpsons.

Publications

• First daily newspaper: The Philippines Herald

Religion

• First Filipino Christians: Rajah Humabon, Rajah Kolambu, and 400 other Filipino – April 14, 1521
• First Religious Order in the Philippines: Franciscans – 1577
• First Filipino Priest: Martin Lakandula – 1590
• First Catholic printed book in the Philippines: Doctrina Christiana – 1593
• First Filipino Catholic cardinal: Rufino Santos – by Pope John XXIII in 1960
• First Filipino Catholic bishop: Jorge Barlin – 1905
• First Filipino Catholic saint: Lorenzo Ruiz – canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 18, 1987
• First Filipino Master of the Order of Preachers: Gerard Timoner III – elected on July 13, 2019
• First Filipino Pontifical Swiss Guard: Sebastian Esai Eco Eviota – joined on January 22, 2022
• First Filipino Superior General of the De La Salle Brothers: Armin Luistro – elected on May 18, 2022
• First Filipino Provincial Superior of the Society of Jesus in the Philippines:Horacio De La Costa.
• First Marian international shrine in the Philippines: Antipolo Cathedral – declared on June 18, 2022
• First Catholic Holy Mass: Site of event disputed – 1521
• Easter Mass in Limasawa – officially recognized by the government through Republic Act No. 2733
• Other proposed sites of the event by historians includes Masao, or Mazaua in Butuan, and Magallanes in Agusan del Norte
• First Papal visit in the Philippines: Pope Paul VI from November 27–29, 1970 in Manila
• First National Eucharistic Congress of the Philippines hosted: 1929 in Manila
• First Eucharistic congress hosted: 1937 in Manila
• First National Youth Day of the Philippines hosted: 1986 in Manila
• First World Youth Day hosted: 1995 in Manila
• First World Meeting of Families hosted: 2003 in Manila
• First Asian Youth Day hosted: 2009 in Cavite

Science and technology

Communications

• First internet connection: March 29, 1994
• First Philippine-based bulletin board system: First-Fil RBBS – went online August 1986
• First 5G video call made: February 21, 2020 – by representatives of local firm Globe Telecom and AIS Thailand lasting more than three minutes

Electric transportation

• First hybrid electric train: DOST Hybrid Electric Train (HET) – April 24, 2019

Medical science

• First kidney transplant: Rainier Lagman by a 12-man medical team led by Dr. Jorge Garcia at the Makati Medical Center – May 28, 1994
• First pediatric liver transplant: Erica Buenaventura, a three-year-old, by an 11-member surgical team led by Dr. Vanessa De Villa at The Medical City Ortigas – January 7, 2011

Nuclear physics

• First nuclear reactor: Philippine Research Reactor-1 – first criticality in 1963

Space science

• First satellites:
• First satellite owned by a Filipino entity: Agila 1/Mabuhay – acquired as Palapa B2-P by Mabuhay Satellite Corporation from PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara in 1996
• First Filipino satellite launched to space: Agila 2 – launched in 1997
• First satellite designed and built by Filipinos / microsatellite: Diwata-1 – launched and deployed in 2016
• First Filipino cube satellite launched to space: Maya-1 – launched and deployed in 2018
• First asteroids named after a Filipino: 6282 Edwelda – named after Edwin Aguirre and Imelda Joson in 1995
• First minor planet named after a Filipino: 13241 Biyo – named after Dr. Josette Biyo in 1998
• First Filipina mission operations manager of NASA: Angelita Castro-Kelly – appointed in 1990

Sports

Olympics

• First competitor for the Philippines in the Olympics: David Nepomuceno (athletics) – 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris
• First Filipino Olympic medalist: Teofilo Yldefonso (swimming) – Bronze; Men's 200 meter breaststroke at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam
• First Filipino Olympic gold medalist:
• In a regular sport (official): Hidilyn Diaz (weightlifting) – Women's 55 kg at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo
• In a demonstration sport: Arianne Cerdeña (bowling) – 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul
• In a mixed-NOC competition: Luis Gabriel Moreno (archery; with Li Jiaman of China) – Mixed team at the 2014 Youth Summer Olympics in Nanjing
• First male Filipino Olympic gold medalist (official): Carlos Yulo (gymnastics) – Men's floor at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris
• First Filipino Olympic silver medalist: Anthony Villanueva (boxing) – Men's featherweight at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Tokyo
• First female Filipino Olympic silver medalist (official): Hidilyn Diaz (weightlifting) – Women's 53 kg weightlifting at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro
• First Filipino Winter Olympians: Juan Cipriano and Ben Nanasca (alpine skiing) – 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo
• First Filipino marathoner to qualify for the Olympics: Mary Joy Tabal (athletics) – 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro

By sports

Basketball

• First Filipino basketball player to score a basket in the history of Philippine Basketball Association: Gregorio "Joy" Dionisio – April 9, 1975
• First Filipino basketball team to win the All-Filipino title for 5 consecutive seasons in the history of Philippine Basketball Association: San Miguel Beermen – 2015–2019
• First Filipino World University Basketball Series champion: Ateneo Blue Eagles – August 11, 2022
• First Filipino player to be inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame: Carlos Loyzaga – August 23, 2023

Boxing

• First Filipino to win World Flyweight Champion division title: Francisco "Pancho Villa" Guilledo – June 18, 1923
• First Filipino to win 12 major world titles in eight weight divisions: Manny Pacquiao – 1998–2018

Chess

• First Filipino chess Grandmaster: Eugene Torre – 1974
• First Filipino Woman Grandmaster: Janelle Mae Frayna – September 2016
• First Filipino to be inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame: Eugene Torre – April 22, 2021

Football

• First official football game: Match at the opening of the Philippine Assembly – October 16, 1907
• First football tournament: 1913 Far Eastern Championship Games (also first in Asia)
• First Filipino to play in the English Premier League: Neil Etheridge for Cardiff City F.C. (2018–19 season) (also the first Southeast Asian)
• First Filipino football team to qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup: Philippines women's national football team – January 31, 2022
• First Filipino football team to reach podium finish in the Southeast Asian Games: Philippines women's national football team – May 21, 2022
• First Filipino AFF Women's Championship champion: Philippines women's national football team – July 17, 2022
• First Filipino goalscorer at a FIFA Women's World Cup: Sarina Bolden – against New Zealand on July 25, 2023

Tennis

• First Filipino juniors Grand Slam champion: Francis Alcantara – 2009 Australian Open – Boys' doubles in Melbourne, Australia
• First Filipina juniors Grand Slam champion: Alexandra Eala – 2020 Australian Open – Girls' doubles in Melbourne, Australia
• First Filipino juniors Grand Slam singles champion: Alexandra Eala – 2022 US Open – Girls' singles in New York City, United States
• First Filipina to defeat a WTA top-30 player: Alexandra Eala against Jeļena Ostapenko (then-ranked 25) at the 2025 Miami Open – Women's singles second round in Miami, United States
• First Filipina to defeat a top-10 player (in the Open Era) since the WTA rankings began in 1975: Alexandra Eala against Madison Keys (then-ranked 5) at the 2025 Miami Open – Women's singles third round in Miami, United States
• First Filipina to reach a WTA Tour final: Alexandra Eala at the 2025 Eastbourne Open – Women's singles in Eastbourne, England, United Kingdom

Volleyball

• First Asian Women's Volleyball Cup hosted: 2022 in Manila

Others

• First Asian Games hosted: 1954 in Manila
• First Filipina NEC Karuizawa 72 champion: Yuka Saso (golf) – 2020 LPGA of Japan Tour in Kitasaku District, Nagano, Japan
• First Filipina Simone Asia Pacific Cup champion: Princess Mary Superal (golf) – 2022 Simone Asia Pacific Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia
• First Filipina U.S. Women's Open champion: Yuka Saso (golf) – 2021 U.S. Women's Open in San Francisco, California, United States
• First Filipina World Games medalist: Junna Tsukii (karate) – 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama, United States
• First Filipino APF Asian Women's 9-Ball Open champion: Chezka Centeno – August 28, 2022
• First Filipino Asian Winter Games medalists: Marc Pfister, Christian Haller, Enrico Pfister, Alan Frei, and Benjo Delarmente (curling) – gold at the 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China (also the first Southeast Asian gold medalists at the Asian Winter Games)
• First Filipino F1 Academy champion: Bianca Bustamante (motorsport) – 2023 F1 Academy season in Cheste, Valencian Community, Spain
• First Filipino Junior World Championships qualifier: Sofia Frank (figure skating) – 2021 Santa Claus Cup in Budapest, Hungary
• First Filipino JuJutsu World Championship gold medalist: Meggie Ochoa (jiu-jitsu) – 2018 JuJutsu World Championship in Malmö, Sweden
• First Filipino North Pole Marathon finisher: Victor Consunji – April 2016
• First Filipino Spartan World Championships finisher: Elias Tabac – December 2021
• First Filipino to win all gold medals in the Southeast Asian Games: Carlos Yulo (gymnastics) – 2021 Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam
• First Filipino UCI Mountain Bike World Championships participant: Ariana Evangelista (cycle sports) – 2022 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Les Gets, France
• First Filipino Universiade gold medalist: Wesley So (chess) – 2013 Summer Universiade in Kazan, Russia
• First Filipino U.S. Open Nine-ball champion: Efren Reyes – 1994
• First Filipino Winter Universiade participant: Misha Fabian (figure skating) – 2019 Winter Universiade in Krasnoyarsk, Russia
• First Filipino World Artistic Gymnastics Championships gold medalist: Carlos Yulo (gymnastics) – 2019 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Germany
• First Filipino World Athletics Championships medalist: EJ Obiena (pole vault) – 2021 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, United States
• First Filipino W Series participant: Bianca Bustamante (motorsport) – 2022 W Series in Barcelona, Spain
• First full Twenty20 International match of the Philippine national cricket team: vs. Papua New Guinea, March 22, 2019, in Amini Park, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (2018–19 ICC T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Qualifier – Regional Final)
• First Southeast Asian Games hosted: 1981 in Manila

Transportation

• First Filipino to pilot a Concorde: Capt. Joe "Pepot" Gonzales, August 7, 1975
• First Filipino airline to operate 100 aircraft: Cebu Pacific, July 2025

See also

• List of records of the Philippines

Notes

References