Child 1 and 2 (from school): Ma, pa, good afternoon!

We are home na po (nagmano kay

mama at papa)
Mama: Hello mga anak!
Papa: Kumusta kayo?
Child 1: Okay lang po pa
Child 2: Okay lang po. No problems naman po in school.
Mama: That’s good. Sige kain na tayo. Naghanda na ako ng hapunan for us.
(Habang kumakain sila)
Child 1: May sasabihin po ako sainyo ma. (sad look crossing over his face)
Mama: Ano yun anak?
Child 1: I had a hard time understanding the lesson today po kasi nakalimutan ko na
ang mga lessons last school year.
Papa: Ganun ba anak? Ano ba kasi yung lesson nyo ngayon?
Child 1: Differential equations po. It requires our knowledge of the integration formulas
and nakalimutan ko na po sila. I could not understand the lesson kanina.
Papa: Kaya pala. Since tapos na tayong lahat, manood tayo ng tv. I want you all
especially ikaw anak (points at child 1) to know something very important.
Child 1: Ano po yun pa?
Papa: Malalaman mo rin yun. Tara.
(They all sit down and open the tv)
(tv show sound played)
Host: Good evening Philippines! We are at it again for some important discourse on
history. This is “HISTOR’YAN!” We are accompanied by some well known historians of
the Philippines. Let us all give a round of applause to historian 1, historian 2, and
historian 3! (Applause from the audience as the historians appear)
Historian 1, 2, and 3: Good evening po.
Host: You can sit down. Thank you for being with us.
Historian 1: It is great to be here.
Host: Are you ready to be asked by our intellectual audience over here? (points to the
audience, audience claps)
Historian 2: We are more than ready.
Host: Okay. Let us begin. (looks at the audience)
(Audience 1 raises hand)
Host: Yes?
Audience: Hi po. I am (name). What is history? What is its concept?
Historian 3: Before we go to its concept I will first define what is history. History is the
analysis and interpretation of the human past enabling us to study continuity and
changes that are taking place over time. In short, it studies the past and how much
change has occurred over time.
Host: Okay. Since you have mentioned the past, does history have a contribution in
explaining what is happening today or what may happen in the future?
Historian 1: Yes, there is. Discoveries in history are used by us historians to compare
the present and the past. With these comparisons, we can help analyze the future also.
For example, there are changes in the patterns of weather through time from the past
towards the present. The data in the changing of weather can help experts predict what
is likely to happen in the future.
Audience 2: As historians, what do you do?
Historian 2: We historians use all forms of evidence to examine, interpret, revisit, and
reinterpret the past. These include not just written documents, but also oral
communication and objects such as buildings, artifacts, photographs, and paintings.
From those things, we can take a closer look to what happened in the past.
Host: History is even labeled as the mother of Social Sciences. Why is that?
Historian 3: Because it is the basis of all subjects of study which fall under the category
of Humanities and Social Sciences. Those subjects rely on history for understanding.
Social Sciences mostly deal on past happenings and how much it affected the present
time.
Audience 3: How important is history?
Historian 1: It has been said that he who controls the past controls the future. Our view
of history shapes the way we view the present, and therefore it dictates what answers
we offer for existing problems.
Historian 2: Let me state an example. All of you know about Mathematics right?
(audience agrees) I presume most of you know that to be good at Mathematics, one
must be well grounded on the basics of Mathematics. Let us say Differential Equations.
To fully understand differential equations, one must know the lessons before it like
differential calculus and integral calculus, and to know the latter, one must be good at
Algebra. If one does not know anything before differential equations, he will have a hard
time understanding the whole lesson.
Historian 3: Same goes with history. If one does not know history and does not study it,
he will have a hard time understanding the present. You see, history is the bridge to the
present and the future.
Host: Wow! Those were such wise words coming from our historians. I think we can
conclude that history is indeed important. We can determine the patterns of changes
through time of a certain society, thing, climate, etc. By these, we can presume future
circumstances and understand why it is like this in the present time. I think we can rap
up. Thank you for being with us historians. Let us give them a round of applause!
(Audience round of applause) Tune in again for another important discourse in
“HISTOR’YAN!”
(turns of the tv)
Papa: So what did you learn anak?
Child 1: That the past po should never be forgotten. History is important.
Child 2: Opo. And that past events have roles to play in understanding the present.
Mama: So ngayon anak anong gagawin nyo?
Child 1: Like the historians studying history, mag rereview po ako sa dati ko pong Math
lessons.
Child 2: Tapos I will show more enthusiasm na po in our history class. Gusto ko rin
pong maging historian. Maganda po yong makadiscover ka ng mga things in the past
na makaka explain sa mga present na mga bagay.
Papa: Very good mga anak.
Child 1 and 2: Salamat po pa!

--The end--