The Existence of Filipino Culture During the Pre-Colonial Period

“History is not a single, well-defined narrative, but a terrain of contestation between competing and
evolving interpretations whose influence is as much shaped by time and place as by any given set of
facts.” - E.H. Carr,

What makes historiography as interesting as it is, are the various interpretations of each historian
given the same set of facts and evidences. In this case, we will be talking about Teodoro Agoncillo’s
statement regarding Philippine history prior to the year 1872. Upon researching and reading materials
about this matter, I disagree with his statement. In my opinion, it came across as subjective and
discrediting of actual sources and evidences that contain proof of pre-colonial Filipino history and
culture.

History writing is not a selective process but an accurate depiction and description of events that
happened in the past which are heavily supported by facts and evidence. Each historian is entitled to their
own interpretations of historical events; however, it is crucial that any kind of falsification or distortion of
these facts are avoided since they contradict the core values of being a historian. In Teodoro Agoncillo’s
version of the Philippine’s History, he purposefully excluded in his narration the events that he deemed
irrelevant. According to him, Filipinos had no history of their own as they did not play any “Active role in
carving out their destiny”. History doesn’t have a complete narrative which means that there will always
be more facts and evidences to discover. Though this may be due to the lack of resources at that time, for
Agoncillo to make a groundless statement that denies any source of information on the period prior to
1872 and going as far to say that it was “analogous to the blank pages in the manuscript which Fr. Manuel
Blanco allegedly wrote on the history of the Philippines” was unacceptable as neither statements were
based on actual facts and evidences. 1

Contrary to his statement, even before Spanish colonization, the Philippines already had existing
cultures. However, as most of our history was documented and recorded by our colonizers, they did not
know how to interpret Filipino culture. These were depicted in a publication by Juan de Plasencia titled
"Customs of the Tagalogs". It is shown in the document the distinct Filipino cultures such as the use of
Baybayin which was the writing script that was commonly used during the pre-colonial period; moreover,
proof of existing cultures such as Marriage customs, superstitions, and religion were stated in the
publication. Plasencia also mentioned that “These people always had chiefs, called by them datos, who

1
Zafra, Nicolas. "On The Writing Of Philippine History." Philippine Studies 6, no. 4 (1958): 454-60. Accessed
February 25, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42720410.
governed them and were captains in their wars, and whom they obeyed and reverenced." which proves
even the existence of social classes and government structures even before the rule of Spaniards. 2

In conclusion, the fact that Filipino culture and beliefs were already existing during the pre-
colonial period debunks Agoncillo’s statement regarding Filipinos not having their own history prior the
year 1872. However, I would like to add that publications and documents like these that provide insight
and incite debate are what keeps history moving and relevant.

2
Blair, E. H. “The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898,” October 11, 2004.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/13701/13701-h/13701-h.htm#d0e1500.
Aira Kirsten R. Dela Vega History-11B

Bibliography

Blair, E. H. “The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898,” October 11, 2004.

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/13701/13701-h/13701-h.htm#d0e1500.

Zafra, Nicolas. "On The Writing Of Philippine History." Philippine Studies 6, no. 4 (1958): 454-60.
Accessed February 25, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42720410.