What makes a Republic?

Answer 1

the most common description of a Republic is a State without a Monarch. So the head of state it not a Monarch and the population have some impact on the government through free elections and popular vote

Answer 2

A "republic" is a system of government in which the rulers are elected by the people. This contrasts with a monarchy, where power is inherited through family lines.

However, virtually all modern monarchies are constitutional monarchies, where the power of the crown is heavily limited and usually confined to a ceremonial role. Both modern republics and monarchies are likely "democratic" in the modern understanding of the word. In fact, non-democracies are more likely to call themselves republics (for eg: PRC, DPRK and Vietnam) than monarchies (such as Australia, Malaysia, and Thailand).

The Philippines went from a monarchist colony until the overthrow of Spanish rule in 1898 to a republic. This is probably due to the influence of the new colonial power, the USA, which was a staunch republic.

Due to the disparate nature of the Philippine archipelago, it would have proved difficult to nominate an indigenous monarch.