READINGS IN PHHILIPPINE HISTORY
PHILIPPINE HISTORY IN A GLIMPSE
The Early Philippines
The Philippines is named after King Philip II of
Spain (1556-1598) and it was a Spanish colony
for over 300 years.
Today the Philippines is an archipelago of 7,000
islands. However, it is believed that during the last
ice age they were joined to mainland Asia by a
land bridge, enabling human beings to walk from
there.
The first people in the Philippines were hunter-
gatherers. However, between 3,000 BC and
2,000 BC people learned to farm. They grew rice
and domesticated animals. From the 10th AD
century Filipinos traded with China and by the
12th Century AD Arab merchants reached the
Philippines and they introduced Islam.
Then in 1521 Ferdinand Magellan sailed across
the Pacific. He landed in the Philippines and
claimed them for Spain. Magellan baptized a chief
called Humabon and hoped to make him a puppet
ruler on behalf of the Spanish crown. Magellan
demanded that other chiefs submit to Humabon
but one chief named Lapu Lapu refused.
Magellan led a force to crush him. However the
Spanish soldiers were scattered and Magellan
was killed.
The Spaniards did not gain a foothold in the
Philippines until 1565 when Miguel Lopez de
Legazpi led an expedition, which built a fort in
Cebu. Later, in 1571 the Spaniards landed in
Luzon. Here they built the city of Intramuros (later
called Manila), which became the capital of the
Philippines. Spanish conquistadors marched
inland and conquered Luzon. They created a
feudal system. Spaniards owned vast estates
worked by Filipinos.
Along with conquistadors went friars who
converted the Filipinos to Catholicism. The friars
also built schools and universities.
The Spanish colony in the Philippines brought
prosperity - for the upper class anyway! Each
year the Chinese exported goods such as silk,
porcelain and lacquer to the Philippines. From
there they were re-exported to Mexico.
The years passed uneventfully in the Philippines
until in 1762 the British captured Manila. They
held it for two years but they handed it back in
1764 under the terms of the Treaty of Paris,
signed in 1763.
The Philippines in the 19th Century
In 1872 there was a rebellion in Cavite but it was
quickly crushed. However nationalist feeling
continued to grow helped by a writer named Jose
Rizal (1861-1896). He wrote two novels Noli Me
Tangere (Touch me Not) and El Filibusterismo
(The Filibusterer) which stoked the fires of
nationalism.
In 1892 Jose Rizal founded a movement called
Liga Filipina, which called for reform rather than
revolution. As a result Rizal was arrested and
exiled to Dapitan on Mindanao.
Meanwhile Andres Bonifacio formed a more
extreme organisation called the Katipunan. In
August 1896 they began a revolution. Jose Rizal
was accused of supporting the revolution,
although he did not and he was executed on 30
December 1896. Yet his execution merely
inflamed Filipino opinion and the revolution grew.
Then in 1898 came war between the USA and
Spain. On 30 April 1898 the Americans defeated
the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay. Meanwhile
Filipino revolutionaries had surrounded Manila.
Their leader, Emilio Aguinaldo declared the
Philippines independent on 12 June. However as
part of the peace treaty Spain ceded the
Philippines to the USA. The Americans planned to
take over.
War between American forces in Manila and the
Filipinos began on 4 February 1899. The Filipino-
American War lasted until 1902 when Aguinaldo
was captured.
 The Philippines in the 20th Century
American rule in the Philippines was paternalistic.
They called their policy 'Benevolent Assimilation'.
They wanted to 'Americanize' the Filipinos but
they never quite succeeded. However they did do
some good. Many American teachers were sent
to the Philippines in a ship called the Thomas and
they did increase literacy.
In 1935 the Philippines were made a
commonwealth and were semi-independent.
Manuel Quezon became president. The USA
promised that the Philippines would become
completely independent in 1945.
However in December 1941 Japan attacked the
US fleet at Pearl Harbor. On 10 December 1941
Japanese troops invaded the Philippines. They
captured Manila on 2 January 1941. By 6 May
1942 all of the Philippines were in Japanese
hands.
However American troops returned to the
Philippines in October 1944. They recaptured
Manila in February 1945.
The Philippines became independent on 4 July
1946. Manuel Roxas was the first president of the
newly independent nation.
Ferdinand Marcos (1917-1989) was elected
president in 1965. He was re-elected in 1969.
However the Philippines was dogged by poverty
and inequality. In the 1960s a land reform
program began. However many peasants were
frustrated by its slow progress and a Communist
insurgency began in the countryside.
On 21 September 1972 Marcos declared martial
law. He imposed a curfew, suspended Congress
and arrested opposition leaders.
The Marcos dictatorship was exceedingly corrupt
and Marcos and his cronies enriched themselves.
Then, in 1980 opposition leader Benigno Aquino
went into exile in the USA. When he returned on
21 August 1983 he was shot. Aquino became a
martyr and Filipinos were enraged by his murder.
In February 1986 Marcos called an election. The
opposition united behind Cory Aquino the widow
of Benigno. Marcos claimed victory (a clear case
of electoral fraud). Cory Aquino also claimed
victory and ordinary people took to the streets to
show their support for her. The followers of
Marcos deserted him and he bowed to the
inevitable and went into exile.
Things did not go smoothly for Corazon Aquino.
(She survived 7 coup attempts). Furthermore, the
American bases in the Philippines (Subic Bay
Naval Base and Clark Air Base) were unpopular
with many Filipinos who felt they should go. In
1992 Mount Pinatubo erupted and covered Clark
in volcanic ash forcing the Americans to leave.
They left Subic Bay in 1993.
In 1992 Fidel Ramos became president. He
improved the infrastructure in the Philippines
including the electricity supply. Industry was
privatized and the economy began to grow more
rapidly.
However, at the end of the 1990s the Philippine
economy entered a crisis. Meanwhile, in 1998
Joseph Estrada, known as Erap became
president. Estrada was accused of corruption and
he was impeached in November 2000. Estrada
was not convicted. Nevertheless, people
demonstrated against him and the military
withdrew its support. Estrada was forced to leave
office and Vice-president Gloria Macapagal-
Arroyo replaced him. She was re-elected in 2004.
MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY
What is History? How is it different from other
disciplines or other forms of writing? How is it
the same?
History is……
 a recitation of unrelated facts that do not
contribute to a larger story.
 an agreed upon set of facts or a forever-
fixed story that is never subjected to changes and
updates.
 a simple acceptance of what is written
about a historical topic, event or person
 a simple historical chronology of famous
dates, incidents and people.
 a strict reliance solely on the past with no
examination of how the past has influenced the
present or how it may influence the future.
 about one absolute truth, one particular
perspective, or one set of facts and figures.
 a chronological storytelling in its finest
form; it sequentially weaves together many
related historical and contemporary events and
ideas that linked to a larger story.
SOME OTHER DEFINITIONS OF THE NATURE
HISTORY
Some comments about history by famous
authors and individuals
WHY STUDY HISTORY?
History- both knowledge of the past and the
practice of researching and making sense of what
happened in the past- is critically important to the
welfare of individuals, communities and the future
of our nation. According to processhistory.com,
the study of history is essential for the following:
To Ourselves:
Identity:
History nurtures personal identity in an
intercultural world. History serves as the
trademark of a group of people, distinguishing
them from the rest wherever they are. This
distinct identity is unique and you carry with it a
profound superiority.
Critical Skills:
History teaches critical 21st century skills and
independent thinking. The practice of history
teaches research, judgment of the accuracy and
reliability of sources, validation of facts,
awareness of multiple perspectives and biases,
analysis of conflicting evidence, sequencing to
discern causes, synthesis to present a coherent
interpretation, clear and persuasive written and
oral communication and other skills
(processhistory, 2015).
To Our Communities:
Vital Places to Live and Work:
History lays the groundwork for strong, resilient
communities. No place really becomes a
community until it is wrapped in human memory:
family story, tribal traditions, and civic
consciousness. By way of analogy, even in the
bible, the famous story of the prodigal son
illustrates that nothing in this earth is more
precious than the love of a family to a son who
became astray because of material interest.
History would probably bring us to the old
memories of the significant things in the past.
Economic Development:
History is a catalyst for economic growth. People
are drawn to communities that have preserved a
strong sense of historical identity and character
(processhistory, 2015). Learning from the many
mistakes of our ancestors, we have to really move
on and make a change. History is perhaps
attached to our old culture and beliefs that many
would not want to go away. Economic growth is
somehow related to how people effect change
such as for example the old manner of farming
and doing things.   
To Our Future:
Engaged Citizens:
History helps people craft better solutions. At the
heart of democracy is the practice of individuals
coming together to express views and make
action. Students of history become better
individuals when they see and perform their vital
roles in the community. When young people go
out of the shells and start engaging themselves to
the many programs, activities and the like of the
community, then we can truly say that they are
engaged citizens of their respective place.
Leadership:
History inspires local and global leaders. History
provides leaders with inspirations and role models
for meeting the complex challenges that face our
communities, nations, and the world. Our national
politics can speak of this. Many of the highest
officials of the government started as local
leaders such as mayors, governors etc. This
would only show that local governments are the
training grounds of future national leaders.
Legacy:
History, saved and preserved, is the foundation
for future generations. History is crucial to
preserving democracy for the future by explaining
our shared past (processhistory, 2015). Nothing
beats history. We may die. Our ancestors may die
but the only legacy they can leave behind is their
experiences and good stories which are worthy of
emulations. 
 
HISTORY DIFFERENTIATED
History vs. Past
The past is not the same as history. The past
involves everything that ever happened since the
dawn of time- every thought and action of man or
woman on earth, every leaf that fell in the tree
and every chemical change in this universe and
others.
History by contrast, is a process of interpreting
evidence or records from the past in a thoughtful
and informed way. It is the narrative that gives
meaning, sense, and explanation to the past in
the present.
History vs. Prehistory
History and prehistory show differences between
them in their nature and substance. The main
difference between history and prehistory is the
existence of records.
History vs. Herstory
The word “history” is etymologically unrelated to
the possessive pronoun his. Traditionally, history
has been defined as “the study of the past as it is
described in written documents.” Feminists
argued that is has been men (“his” “story”) who
usually have been the ones to record the past.
Herstory, by contrast, is history written from a
feminist perspective, emphasizing the role of
women, or told from a woman’s point of view. It is
a neologism coined as a pun with the word
“history” as part of a feminist critique of
conventional historiography, which in their opinion
is traditionally written as “his story”, e.i., from the
masculine point of view. What about women?
Should an event in the past was written down be
called “herstory?” (“History,”2018; “Herstory”,
2018)  
HISTORICAL SOURCES AND CRITICISMS
HISTORICAL SOURCES
PRIMARY SOURCES
A primary source provides direct or first-hand
evidence about an event, an object, a person, or
a work of art. These primary sources provide the
original materials on which other research is
based and enable students and other researchers
to get as close as possible to what actually
happened during a particular event or era.
Published materials can be viewed as primary
sources as long as they come from the time
period that is being discussed, and were written
or produced by someone with first-hand
experience of the event. For instance, the
stenographic notes of a court trial and the news
reporter’s account of the trial are primary sources.
All physical objects, including photographs, and
cultural institutions and practices are primary
sources themselves and all accounts written
about them by those who had actually seen and
experienced are primary sources.
History as an academic discipline heavily relies on
primary sources, as evaluated by a community of
scholars, who report their findings in books,
articles and papers. As one historian says,
“Primary sources are absolutely fundamental to
history”. Generally, a historian capitalizes on all
available primary sources that were created by
the people involved at the time being studied. In
reality some sources have been destroyed, while
others are not available for research. The most
reliable eyewitness reports of an event may be
memoirs, autobiographies, or oral interviews
taken years or even centuries ago. Manuscripts
that are sources for classical texts can be copies
of documents, or fragments of copies of
documents. For this reason, history is usually
taught in schools using secondary sources.
Historians who are into publishing academic
articles with fresh or new perspectives prefer to
go back to available primary sources and to seek
new ones. Primary sources, be it accurate or not,
offer new inputs into historical questions and most
 modern history dwells on archives and special Three Types of Written Sources
collections for the purpose of finding useful
primary sources. It is then essential to classify the 1. Narrative sources or literary sources tell a
sources to determine its independence and story or message. These include diaries, films,
reliability. In context such as historical writing, it is biographies, leading philosophical works and
indeed advisable to use primary sources but in scientific works.
the absence of one, the author may use the 2. Diplomatic sources include charters and
secondary sources with great caution. other legal documents which observe a set
format.
Determine if Primary Source
3. Social documents are records created by
Ask yourself: organizations, such as register of births and tax
records.
1. Was it produced, written, or painted during
a specific time period?
2. Did the person live during the time or
SECONDARY SOURCES
event?
Secondary sources generally describe, discuss,
Different Kinds of Primary Sources:
interpret, comment upon, analyze, evaluate,
Literary or Cultural Sources: summarize, and process primary sources. These
secondary source materials can be articles in
1. Novels, plays, poems (both published and newspapers or popular magazines, book or movie
in manuscript form) reviews, or articles found in scholarly journals that
2. Television shows, movies, or videos discuss or evaluate someone else’s original
3. Paintings or photographs research. All writings by people who have never
experienced nor observed personally the objects
Accounts that describe events, people, or ideas: and have based their writings upon the
information gathered from those who have
1. Newspapers knowledge of the events are secondary sources.
2. Chronicles or historical accounts
3. Essays and speeches In historiography, when a study of history is
4. Memoirs, diaries, journals, and letters subject to historical scrutiny, a secondary source
5. Philosophical treaties or manifestos becomes a primary source. The historian’s
publication can likewise be a primary source.
Information about people: Documentary films are considered secondary or
primary sources depending on how much the film
1. Census records maker modifies the original source.
2. Obituaries
3. Newspaper articles Whether a source is regarded as primary or
4. Biographies and autobiographies secondary in a given context may change,
depending upon the present state of knowledge
Finding information about a place: within the field. For example, if a document refers
to the contents of a previous but undiscovered
1. Maps and atlases letter, that document may be considered ‘primary’,
2. Census information since it is the closest known thing to an original
3. Statistics source, but if the letter is later found, it may then
4. Photographs be considered ‘secondary’.
5. City directories
Determine if Secondary Source
6. Local libraries or historical societies
Ask yourself:
Finding information about an organization:
1. Was it produced, written, or painted after a
1. Archives (sometimes held by libraries,
specific time period?
institutions, or historical societies
2. Did the person live after the time or event?
 Examples of Secondary Sources: the textual criticism, it involves factor such as
competence, good faith, position, and bias of the
1. Books with endnotes and footnotes author (Sanchez, 1980). It also involves
2. Reprint of artwork determining the intention of the source of data
3. A journal or magazine which interprets or while external criticism conducts document
reviews previous findings analysis using science.
4. Conference proceedings
To simplify, the authenticity of the document is
5. Literary Criticism
determined by external criticism, whereas
6. Book reviews
credibility is established by internal criticism.
The purpose of criticism is to validate historical
sources that tend to manipulate conclusions
TERTIARY SOURCES which are indeed deceptive in the analysis and
Tertiary sources are publications that summarize study of history. We don’t entertain lies in
and digest the information in primary and studying history.
secondary sources to provide background on a
KATIPUNAN AND THE REVOLUTION:
topic, idea or event.
MEMOIRS OF A GENERAL
Examples of Tertiary Sources:
By Santiago Alvarez Translated by Carolina
1. Dictionaries Malay
2. Almanacs
Who is Santiago V. Alvarez?
3. Fact books
4. Directories, Guidebooks and Manuals Born July 25, 1872 and died October 30, 1930, he
IMPORTANCE OF HISTORICAL SOURCES was the only child of revolutionary general
Mariano Alvarez and Nicolasa Virata, was born in
1. Useful in writing and learning history Imus but was raised in Noveleta, Cavite. He was
2. Can be useful in doing historical research known as Kidlat ng Apoy (Lightning of Fire)
that is important in establishing historical truth. because of his inflamed bravery and participation
3. However, a student should not scrutinize in the Battle of Dalahican.
these sources to avoid deception. Rather, the
student must dwell on internal and external Santiago was among the first in Cavite to take up
criticism. arms against Spain. All through the Revolution,
he fought side by side with his father. In the 36-
HISTORICAL CRITICISM  hour battle in Dalahican, one of the bloodiest
External Criticism encounters during the Revolution, he scored a
decisive victory and repulsed the Spanish troops.
The practice of verifying the authenticity of
evidence by examining its physical When the American civil government was
characteristics. This also refers to the established in the Philippines in 1901, Santiago
genuineness of the document a researcher used assisted in the organization of the Nacionalista
in a historical study. Some questions that illustrate Party, where he later became president of its
external criticism include: Who was the author, directorate. The memoirs was published in the
what was his/her qualifications, personality, and year 1902 in Sampaguita, a Tagalog weekly, in 36
position? How soon after the events was the installments (from July 24, 1927 to April 15,
document written and how was the document was
1928). These were reproduced in book from and
written and is it related to other document?
translated in English by Paula Carolina S. Malay.
Internal Criticism
Malay graduated from the University of the
 This is the examination of truthfulness of the Philippines. She taught economics at various
evidence. It looks at the content of the document universities during the 1950s and 1960s. She
to determine its authenticity. This is referred to as
turned to translation and writing during the martial
law period.
A Summary of the Memoirs of a General
The events I have related in this account of the
Katipunan and the Revolution reverberate with
shouts of “Long live our patriots!” and “Death to
the enemy!” These were in answer to the enemy’s
assaults with mausers and cannons, the latter
fired from both land and sea.
The Magdiwang government honored me with an
appointment as captain general, or head of its
army. Gen. Artemio Ricarte was lieutenant
general.
I will now attempt to write down what I saw and
what I know about the Katipunan and the
Revolution. First, I shall narrate the events
relating to the Revolution beginning from March
14, 1896; then I shall deal with the organization
and the activities of the Most Venerable Supreme
Society of the Sons of the People
(Kamahalmahalan at Kataastaasang Katipunan
ng mga Anak ng Bayan). The Katipunan account
is based on records which were entrusted to me
by the original founder of the Katipunan. In the
interest of honorable truth, I shall now attempt to
write a history of the Katipunan and the
Revolution which I hope will be acceptable to all.
However, I realize that it is inevitable that, in the
narration of actual happenings, I shall run the risk
of hurting the feeling of contemporaries and
comrades- in- arms. I would like to make it clear
that I shall try to be as possible and that it is far
from my intention of depreciate anyone’s
patriotism and greatness.
I shall be honored if these memoirs become a
worthy addiction to what Gen. Artemio Ricarte as
already published in this weekly.
The memoirs continued on the narration of Gen
Santiago Alvarez encounter with Emilio Aguinaldo
and Raymundo Mata in Manila as he
accompanied them for their initiation into the
Katipunan secret society. He narrated the arrival
until the time they went to one of the quarters of
the caretaker of the central telephone exchange
on San Jacinto Street in Binondo until the time
they are escorted to go to the Katipunans’
headquarters. He even narrated that before they
leave the quarter his two companions were
blindfolded until they reached the house of
Andres Bonifacio, the Katipunan Supremo. They
were escorted in a room in which the ritual will be
executed. After the event he narrated that he was
asked by Emilio Aguinaldo to accompany him to
see Andres Bonifacio again to learn more about
the Katipunan. He continued narrating that they
travelled to and from Manila aboard Spanish
vessels called “Ynchausti boats”. They bore
names like “Isabel”, “Dominga”, and others. He
described his encounter with Andres Bonifacio
together with her wife Gregoria de Jesus. He said
that they are welcomed cordially with fraternal
embraces, they happily exchanged news and
talked about the progress of the Katipunan.
He also mentioned in his memoirs the day
Bonifacio went to Cavite to establish a council of
the Katipunan. The council was said to be known
as the Magdiwang. They selected officers as well,
while both councils approved their respective
regulation uniforms, with a common set of rank
insignias, very few were able to comply because
of unsettling events coming one after the other.
His narration ended on Saturday September 28,
1896, wherein Captain Apoy and General Vibora
prepared to go to the field to inspect the
fortifications to the west along the Cavite-
Batangas border, which were under the command
of Brig. Gen. Eleuterio Marasigan and Col.
Luciano San Miguel. But before the two generals
could leave, the commander of the troops
defending Dalahikan, Major Aklan, came to the
war ministry to report that they had sighted the
enemy fortifying the narrowest neck of Dalahikan.
The enemy activity, which had started in the night,
included the massing of Spanish troops.
THE TABON CAVE
By Robert B. Fox
Who is Robert Bradford Fox?
He was an anthropologist and leading historian on
the prehispanic Philippines. Fox actively served
the National Museum of the Philippines from 1948
to 1975. In the 1960s, he led a six- year
archaeological research project in Palawan,
focused mainly on the caves and rockshelters of
Lipuun Point in the southern part of the island. Its
most outstanding site is the Tabon Cave complex,
the large main cave where the only Pleistocene
human fossils in the Philippines were found.
The Tabon Cave
During the initial excavation of Tabon Cave, June
and July 1962, the scattered fossil bones of at
least three individuals were excavated, including
a large fragment of a frontal bone with the brows
and portions of the nasal bone. These fossil
bones were recovered at the rear of the cave
along the left wall. Unfortunately, the area in
which the fossil human bones were recovered
had been disturbed by Magapode birds.
It was not possible in 1962 to establish the
association of these bones with a specific flake
assemblage, although they were provisionally
related to either Flake Assemblage II or III.
Subsequent excavations in the same area now
strongly suggest that the fossil human bones
were associated with Flake Assemblage III, for
only the flakes of this assemblage have been
found to date to this area of the cave, the
available data would suggest that Tabon Man
may be dated from 22,000 to 24,000 years ago.
But, only further excavations in the cave and
chemical analysis of human and animal bones
from disturbed and undisturbed levels in the cave
will define the exact age of the human fossils.
The fossil bones are those of Homo sapiens.
These will form a separate study by a specialist
which will be included in the final site report from
Tabon Cave. It is important to point out. However
because of a recent publication (Scott 1969), that
a preliminary study of the fossil bones of Tabon
Man shows that it is above average in skull
dimensions when compared to the modern
Filipino. There is no evidence that Tabon Man
was "... amass brainy individuals..." (Scott 1969,
36). Moreover, Scott's study includes many
misstatements about the Tabon Caves. Always
the problem when writers work from
"conversation."
Homo sapiens is unquestionably of great antiquity
in Asia. The Niah skull is securely dated to about
38,000 B.C., bring"...much the earliest Homo
sapiens (modern man) found so Far East"
[Harrison (1964) 179]. Tabon man may be
tentatively dated to about 22,000 to 24,000 years
ago. The controversial keilor cranium found near
Melbourne, Australia is claimed to date to about
16,000 B.C. [Shutler (1865), 2; McCarthy 91961),
147].
The writer believes that the first major movement
of Homo sapiens into the Philippines occurred
with the exposure of the Sunda shelf during the
last glacial beginning, according to various
estimates, some 45,000 to 55,000 years ago, the
land bridge of the previous Riss Glacial,
estimated as terminating between 100,000 to
130,000 years ago, would appear to be too early
for any significant movements of modern man into
the islands at that time. Further excavations in
Tabon Cave and other areas of Palawan during
1969-70, the receipt of additional C-14 dates and
more detailed geochronological studies of the
Quezon area and the rest of Palawan will greatly
help to clarify the geologic events of the late
Pleistocene in Palawan and their relationship to
the upper Paleolithic cultures.
Pleistocene is the geological epoch that lasted
from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago,
spanning the world's most recent period of
repeated glaciations.
Riss Glaciation: the second youngest glaciation
of the Pleistocene epoch in the traditional,
quadripartite glacial classification of the Alps.
Carbon 14 dating: a way of determining the age
of certain archeological artifacts of a biological
origin up to about 50,000 years old. It is used in
dating things such as bone, cloth, wood and plant
fibers that were created in the relatively recent
past by human activities.
But certainly history has an unending discovery of
what might really happen in the past or what
might be the origin of the things around us. Like
the recorded earlier species of the Homo sapiens
which was the Homo erectus who may have lived
here in Cagayan Valley as early as 400,000 BC
together with now extinct species like the pygmy
elephant, rhinoceros, giant turtle and crocodile.
For many years we believe to Homo erectus as
the oldest species of homos until Professor
Armand Mijares revealed the discovery on what
we call now the Homo luzonensis found inside
Callao Cave in Peñablanca, Cagayan.
CALLAO MAN
By Armand Salvador B. Mijares
Who is Armand Salvador B. Mijares?
He is a University of the Philippines Associate
Professor Armand Salvador B. Mijares, who led
an international multidisciplinary team in
discovering the newest human species here in
Cagayan Valley. The project that led to the
discovery of Homo luzonensis was funded by the
Wenner-Gren Foundation, the Leakey Foundation
Research Grant, and the University of the
Philippines via the Enhanced Creative Work and
Research Grant in cooperation with the National
Museum of the Philippines, the Cagayan
Provincial Government, and the Protected Area
Management Board – Peñablanca.
His group started excavating in the year 2003 but
later stopped for they did not find anything, for
Southeast Asian archeologist would only
excavate cave sites up to two meters. But later in
the year 2004 when a discovery in Indonesian
island was found it prompted Prof. Armand to dig
deeper, luckily little by little they are unveiling
another account of history from the fossils that
they have discovered.
This latest discovery uncovers another story in
our history. For as we connect one from the other,
we will be able to know what possibly is the root
of our ancestors.
THE PREHISPANIC SOURCE MATERIALS
FOR THE STUDY OF THE PHILIPPINE
HISTORY
By William Henry Scott
Who is William Henry Scott?
William Henry Scott was born July 10, 1921 died
October 4, 1993. He was a historian of the Gran
Cordillera Central and Prehispanic Philippines.
He rejected the description of anthropologist as
applying to himself. During the time when
Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial law in 1972,
Scott was arrested as a subversive and placed in
military detention. Scott was given "a memorable
and triumphant welcome back in Sagada"
following his acquittal. He continued to be critical
of the Marcos regime. Scott's first well known
academic work is The Discovery of the Igorots.
Who is Pedro Alcantara Monteclaro’s
Maragtas?
Pedro Alcantara Monteclaro is the one who wrote
Maragtas, or History of Panay from the first
inhabitants and the Bornean immigrants from
which the Bisayans are descended to the arrival
of the Spaniards, was published by Kadapig sang
Banwa (Advocate of the Town) at the El Tiempo
Press, Iloilo, in 1901. It is written in mixed
Hiligaynon and Kin-iraya, the author having been
a native of the border region between these two
Visayan dialects. A second edition was published
by the Makinaugalingon Press in 1929, and a
third edition in 1957 by Sol Gwekoh under a
copyright held by the author's son Juanito L.
Monteclaro, which differs from the original only in
certain orthographic reforms and a more
colloquial version of the title.
Pedro Monteclaro was born in Miag-ao, Iloilo, on
15 October 1850, graduated from the Seminario
Colegio de Jaro in 1865, was twice married, and
had five children. He served as Teniente Mayor in
1891, and Gobernadorcillo in 1892-1894, and
became a local hero during the Revolution and
the American invasion both for his leadership and
diplomacy. He served as Liaison Officer during
the American occupation of the area, and was the
first President of Miag-ao (1901-1903), during
which period he began the researches which
resulted in his publication of the Maragtas. He
was also known as a poet in both the vernacular
and Spanish, and a few of his Visayan songs
have survived. He died on 13 April 1909, and is
memorialized in the name of the local Philippine
Constabulary base, Camp Monteclaro, at whose
gate his statue stands.
THE MARAGATS
The word maragtas is used by the author as the
equivalent of the Spanish historia, and glossed in
the 1957 edition with Visayan sayuron (account),
though commentators have regularly sought
some Sanskrit origin for the word. (Guillermo
Santiago-Cuino, for example, considered it a
corruption of a Sanskrit term meaning "great
people" or "great country.") Present-day speakers
of Visayan, however, know the word only as the
title of this book or of some prehispanic
manuscript believed to be its origin. It is in
consideration of this latter opinion that the
provenance and contents of the book must be
examined in detail.
Provenance: Consideration of the provenance
(place where something originally came or began,
or a record tracing the ownership history that
helps to confirm their authenticity and value) of
the Maragtas must begin with the author's own
statement as set forth in his "Foreword to the
Readers," which is here quoted in full:
I wrote this Maragtas, a history of the first
inhabitants of the island of Panay, with great
reluctance for fear I might be considered too
presumptuous. I would therefore have refrained
from writing it but for my burning desire to reveal
to the public the many data which I gathered from
records about the first inhabitants of the island of
Panay, the arrival of the Datus from Borneo, their
possession and settlement of our land, their
spread to different parts of the Island, and their
customs and habits until the Spaniards came and
ruled the Philippines.
In order that the readers of this Maragtas should
not accuse me of having merely composed this
book from imagination, I wish to mention two
manuscripts I found. One of these was given to
me by an 82-year old man, who had been the first
teacher of the town and who said it had been
given him by his father who, in turn, got it from his
father, the old man's grandfather. The long years
through which the manuscript must have passed
wore out the paper so much that it was almost
impossible to handle. Worse yet, it was only
written in a black dye and smeared with sap
which had burned the paper and made it almost
useless. The other manuscript I found in a
bamboo tube where my grandfather used to keep
his old papers. This manuscript, however, was
hardly legible at all, and was so brittle I could
hardly handle it without tearing it to pieces.
Having located one manuscript, I concluded there
would most likely be another copy somewhere, so
I decided to inquire of different old men and
women of the town. My search was not in vain for
I then came across the aforementioned old man
in the street, who even gave me the manuscripts
dealing with what happened in the town of Miag-
ao from the time of its foundation. I copied these
records in a book on 12 June 1901, as a memoir
for the town of Miagao, but did not publish them
for the reasons stated. Besides, I was waiting for
someone better qualified to write a history of the
Island of Panay from the time of its first
inhabitants.
I should like my readers to know that my purpose
in writing this Maragtas is not to gain honor for
myself but to transmit to others what I read in the
records I collected.
The author therefore claims the Maragtas as an
original work based on various data that he
collected, which -considering its many
ethnographic, linguistic and historic details, its
many Spanish terms, and such modern theories
as a geological connection between Palawan and
Borneo, is exactly what it sounds like.
The publisher's introduction is equally clear: The
following account of history called Maragtas
written by Mr. Pedro A. Monteclaro describes the
different ways of life of the first inhabitants of
Panay Island... and] is of great importance as a
collection of many different passages which
hereto fore have been scattered. The dramatic
description of the two nearly illegible documents
among these data is intended, as the author
explicitly states, to show that the work is not sheer
fiction: he carefully records the exact date when
he first copied them down but neither states nor
implies that they are transcribed in the present
work; moreover, the contents of one of
them-"what happened in the town of Miag-ao from
the time of its foundation"- does not directly
concern the subject matter and is relegated to the
last page of the epilogue. n the same epilogue, he
emphasizes his having consulted "all the old men
of every town" by giving his reason-"my
documents did not give me clear and complete
data on the things of the past."
Summary of the Maragtas
The Maragtas consists of a publisher's
introduction by Salvador Laguda, the author's
"Foreword to the Readers," six chapters and an
epilogue entitled, "Author's concluding statements
to his countrymen in the island of Panay."
Although the author of the Maragtas did not
provide any data or clues by which the
authenticity of this code could be established, an
interesting parallel appeared in Cuillermo
Santiago-Cuino s "El Codigo de Maragtas" in the
20 February 1938 issue of FI Debate, which
professed to have been translated direct from
"ancient Filipino writing."
It was based on written and oral sources then
available, and contains three sorts of subject
matter folk customs still being practiced or
remembered by old folks, the description of an
idealized political confederation whose existence
there are reasonable grounds to doubt and for
which there is no evidence, and a legend
recorded in 1858 of a migration of Bornean
settlers, some of whom are still remembered as
folk heroes, pagan deities, or progenitors of part
of the present population of Panay. There is no
reason to doubt that this legend preserves the
memory of some actual event itself or to decide
which of its details are historic facts and which are
the embellishments of generations of oral
transmission.
THE BOXER CODEX
The Boxer Codex, sometimes known as the
Manila Manuscript contains illustrations of ethnic
groups in the Philippines, ethnic groups across
Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Micronesia at the
time of their initial contact with the Spaniards with
additional Taoist mythological deities and
demons, and both real and mythological birds and
animals copied from popular Chinese texts and
books in circulation at the time
The Boxer Codex depicts the Tagalogs, Visayans,
Zambals, Cagayanes or possibly Ibanags, and
Negritos of the Philippines in vivid color. The
technique of the paintings, as does the use of
Chinese paper, ink, and paints, suggests that the
unknown artist may have been Chinese. It is
believed that the original owner of the manuscript
was Luis Pérez Dasmariñas, son of Governor
General Gómez Pérez.
Dasmariñas, who was killed in 1593 by Sangleys
or Chinese living in the Philippines. Luis
succeeded his father in office as Governor-
General of the Philippines. Since Spanish colonial
governors were required to submit written reports
on the territories they governed, it is likely that the
manuscript was written under the orders of the
governor.
THE FIRST VOYAGE AROUND THE
WORLD
by Antonio Pigaffeta
Introduction
The Philippines had a long and arduous history,
which details can be seen in numerous books by
different authors. It is important to note that some
of these authors were fated to witness a
significant fragment of history being made, thus
tasked themselves to immortalize such
remarkable time for posterity. Antonio Pigafetta,
who had been the chronicler of Ferdinand
Magellan, documented what transpired during the
first ever circumnavigation. His documentation is
deemed as a notable primary source as it helped
historians validate various historical claims as
facts. His own narration about circumnavigation
was one of the greatest achievements in the
history of navy exploration and discovery. Apart
from his account on the circumnavigation, this
Italian seafarer and geographer described
peoples, countries, goods, and even the
languages spoken. He gave us an idea about pre-
colonial Philippines and narrated the first mass,
an event in Philippine history that had stirred
waves of constroversy and demanded further
scrutiny.
Who is Antonio Pigafetta?
A Venetian scholar and explorer, Pigafetta (c.
1491 – c. 1531) traveled with Portuguese explorer
Ferdinand Magellan and his crew under the order
of King Charles I of Spain on their voyage around
the world. He served as Magellan’s assistant and
kept an accurate journal, which became the
source of information on Magellan’s voyage. He
was one of the 18 men who returned to Spain in
1522, out of the approximately 240 men who set
out three years earlier. Pigafetta’s voyage
completed the first circumnavigation of the world.
His journal, however, centers on the events in the
Mariana islands and the Philippines.
Pigafetta was born into a wealthy Vicenza family
and studied navigation among other things. He
served on board the galleys of the Knights of
Rhodes, and accompanied the papal nuncio,
Monsignor Chieregati, to Spain. Later, he joined
the Portuguese captain Ferdinand Magellan and
his Spanish crew on their trip to the Maluku
Islands. While in the Philippines Magellan was
killed, and Pigafetta was injured. Nevertheless, he
recovered and was among only 18 of Magellan’s
original crew who, having completed the first
circumnavigation of the world, returned to Spain
onboard another vessel, the Victoria. Pigafetta
was one of the 18 men who returned to Spain in
1522, out of the approximately 240 who set out
three years earlier.
HISTORICAL CONTENT
(Table below shows the chronology of events
happened in Philippines when Magellan arrived)
MARCH They came upon an island
17, 1521 named Homonhon in Samar, where
they rested for the day. Since that
this date is considered to be the
opening day of the Philippines.
Originally Magellan named
the newly discovered archipelago in
honor of St. Lazarus - San Lazaro
but later it was renamed. In 1542 the
island was decided to name in honor
of King Philip II. And up to now, in all
the maps of the world they are
marked as Filipino.
They saw 9 men in a boat
approaching them and these men
came from the island Zuluan. These
men were giving signs of joy for
Magellan's arrival.
MARCH There was an exchange of
18, 1521 gifts between them. These people
became very familiar and friendly
with native folks, and explained
many things to them in their
language, and told them the names
of some islands which they saw with
their eyes before them.
The above-mentioned
people, who had promised to return,
came about midday, with two boats
laden with the said fruit cochi, sweet
oranges, a vessel of palm wine, and
a cock..
MARCH The seignior of the natives
22, 1521 was painted (tattooed) and had
many accessories like rings and
bracelets. They call the natives
caphri, or heathen.
The blood compact is where
the Rajah and Magellan drank each
other’s blood mixed with the native
wine, Atuba in southern Leyte. They
sealed an implicit political pact
between Spain and the Philippines.
MARCH Because of this alliance, the
28, 1521
Rajah allowed Magellan and his men
to come ashore to celebrate mass.
Rajah Kolambu was also invited to
the mass along with Rajah Siagu of
Butuan, his brother.
MARCH
It is the first Catholic mass in
31, 1521 the Philippines officiated by Father
Pedro de Valderama in the shore of
a town named as Limasawa in the
tip of Southern Leyte.
 Limasawa is known as the
birthplace of Roman Catholicism in
the Philippines. Conducted near the
shores of the island, the Holy First
Mass marked the birth of Roman
Catholicism in the Philippines.
Magellan instructed his
comrades to plant a large wooden
cross on the top of the hill
overlooking the sea.
APRIL 7, Ferdinand Magellan and his
1521 fleet of ships under the flag of Spain
arrived in Cebu. Magellan was
welcomed by the native chieftain of
Cebu, Rajah Humabon, Magellan
sent an ambassador and the
interpreter the king Rajah Humabon
said that all ships were required to
pay tribute. But both parties not
agreed and then there was an
exchange of warnings between the
two parties.
APRIL 8, Magellan asked his Malay
1521 slave Enrique to assure the natives
of Cebu that they came as friends
and were not enemies. Rajah
Humabon, Cebu chieftain, welcomed
them and soon a blood compact
ensued. Rajah Humabon was
baptised and was named Don Carlo.
Rajah Humabon swore to
help Magellan conquer his enemies.
Especially the growing muslim
community. Queen Juana also
converted to Christianity and was
handed a Wooden Child Jesus
sculpture
APRIL Ferdinand Magellan arrived
27, 1521 at the shores of Mactan three hours
before sunrise. Magellan sent a
message to the natives saying that if
they still refused to recognize the
Spanish king and pay them tribute,
they would demonstrate how
effective their swords were at
wounding people. In reply, Lapu-
Lapu’s men told Magellan that
although the Spaniards had lances,
they, too, were armed with bamboo
and stakes hardened with fire. The
natives requested Magellan’s party
to wait until morning before attacking
so they could gather more warriors,
to which Magellan obliged.
When the sun rose,
Magellan, including his crew of 49
(11 remained on the ship) witnessed
how the natives were highly
organized at warfare. The natives
shot only at their legs, for the latter
were bare; and so many were the
spears and stones that they hurled
at us, that we could offer no
resistance.
Native continued to retire
from the shore always fighting up the
knees in the water. One of them
wounded him on the left leg with a
large cutlass, which resembles a
scimitar, only being larger. That
caused the Ferdinand Magellan to
fall face downward, when
immediately they rushed upon him
with iron and bamboo spears and
with their cutlasses, until they killed
him.
CUSTOMS OF THE TAGALOG
by Juan de Plasencia, OSF
Introduction
This literary work reflects the customs of the
Tagalog before which provides us a background
of their lifestyle, beliefs, and traditions during the
early times. This literature is important as it
preserves the customs and beliefs of the Filipinos
that reflect who we were and influence who we
are today. The text foregrounds two important
figures: the observer (de Plasencia) himself, with
his own background, subjectivities and biases;
and the observer’s subject (Tagalogs), seen as
the “Other". In colonial situations, the relationship
of these figures – the colonizer and the colonized
– flows in both but unequal directions; the former
being dominant, while the latter is the inferior one.
Plasencia's Customs of the Tagalogs is very
essential and interesting until now. Like, who
wouldn't want to know about the customs of the
Tagalogs before?
Author’s Background
A Spanish priest of the Franciscan Order, he
spent most of his missionary life in the
Philippines, where he founded numerous towns in
Luzon and wrote several religious and linguistic
books.
Plasencia is reported to have arrived in the
Philippines in 1578 and joined forces with another
missionary, Fray Diego de Oropesa. They both
started preaching around Laguna de Bay and
Tayabas, Quezon where he founded several
towns. The following years, they also put up a
large number of towns in the provinces of
Bulacan, Laguna and Rizal including Caliraya,
Majayjay, Nagcarlan, Lilio (Liliw), Pila, Santa
Cruz, Lumban, Pangil, Siniloan, Morong, Antipolo,
Taytay, and Meycauayan.
He wrote a number of books intended to promote
the understanding of both the Spanish language
among the natives, and the local languages
among the missionaries, to facilitate the task of
spreading Christianity.
Plasencia is believed to have authored the first
book printed in the Philippines, the Doctrina
Christiana, which was not only printed in Spanish
but also in Tagalog, in both Latin script, and the
commonly used Baybayin script of the nativesof
the time, and it even had a version in Chinese.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE DOCUMENT
It was written on the year 1589 during the
Spanish Colonial Period. After receiving the
Lordship’s letter, Plasencia wished to reply
immediately; but he postponed his answer in
order that he might first thoroughly inform himself
in regard to People’s request, and to avoid
discussing the conflicting reports of the Indians.
Therefore, he collected Indians from different
districts – old men, and those of most capacity;
and from them he had obtained the simple truth,
after weeding out much foolishness, in regard to
their government, administration of justice,
inheritance, slaves, and dowries.
HISTORICAL CONTENT
The work of Plasencia is considered by many
historians as an example of a friar account. This
kind of writing is one of the most common
contemporaneous accounts during the early part
of the Spanish period. The original text of
Plasencia’s Customs of the Tagalogs is currently
kept in Archivo General de Indias in Seville,
Spain. There is also a duplicate copy of it in the
Archivo Franciscano Ibero-Oriental, in Madrid,
Spain. The original text of Plasencia’s Customs of
the Tagalogs is currently kept in Archivo General
de Indias in Seville, Spain. There is also a
duplicate copy of it in the Archivo Franciscano
Ibero-Oriental in Madrid, Spain. In the Philippines,
an English version of it appeared in volume VII of
the Blair and Robertson collections. Another
English translation of it was published as part of
the volume for the pre-Hispanic Philippines of the
Filipiniana Book Guild series and what will be
presented below is from this version. There is
several historical information in the document of
Plasencia: Social System, Government, and
Laws, Inheritance, Property, Marriage and
Customs, Religious Beliefs and Practices, The
Twelve Disciples of Darkness, Superstitious
Beliefs and Burial.
SOCIAL SYSTEM
In the Social System, the social class of Filipinos
prior to Spanish colonization, the Chieftain (Datu)
is the highest, followed by Nobles (Maharlika) and
Commoners (Aliping Namamahay), and the
Slaves (Aliping Saguiguilir) as the lowest in the
hierarchy of the society. Datu was the chief and
captain of wars who governed them and to whom
they obeyed and reverenced. Individuals who
were identified as Maharlika were the free-born
who do not pay any tax or tribute to the Datu.
Aliping Namamahay were the married, who
served their master and live in their own houses
and lords of their property and gold. Aliping
Namamahay served their master in his house and
on his cultivated lands, and they may be sold.
GOVERNMENT AND LAWS
Barangay is a term pertaining to a unit of
government. It is a group of people consisting of
30 to 40 families and is being ruled and governed
by a Datu. Datu's function includes law
implementation, ensuring peace and order, and
giving protection within his control as well as
settling individual disputes in the court together
with the council of leaders. They had laws by
which they condemned to death a man of low
birth who insulted the daughter or wife of a chief;
likewise witches, and others of the same class.
They condemned no one to slavery unless he
merited the death penalty.
INHERITANCES
The succession of thrones played as part of the
inheritances of the Filipinos at that time. The Datu
transfers his position to his 1st son; if the 1st son
dies, the 2nd son succeeds their father; in the
absence of male heirs, it is the eldest daughter
that becomes the chieftain.
PROPERTY
The chief in some villages had also fisheries, with
established limits, and sections of the rivers for
markets. No one could fish without paying unless
he belonged to the chief's barangay. The lands on
the mountain ridges are not divided but owned in
common by the barangay. The lands inhabited
were divided among the whole barangay. At the
time of the rice harvest, any individual or any
particular barangay, although he may have come
from some other village, if he commences
clearing any land may sow it.
MARRIAGE AND CUSTOMS
The first part of courtship was referred to as
Paninilbihan. If the man succeeded in the
courtship, he asked for the parents' permission
and had to satisfy several conditions: give a
dowry, pay the panghihimuyat, pay the wet nurse
bigay-suso, pay the parents himaraw, or bribe for
the relatives called sambon. Marriage belonging
to different social class were not common during
those times. There are also various instances of
divorcement which grounds include adultery,
abandonment by the husband, insanity, and
cruelty. The cases of divorce in relation to dowry
depend on who acted the divorce. If the wife
initiated the divorce before childbirth and has
married another, all her dowry and an equal
additional amount go to the husband. If the wife
did not marry after leaving the husband, the
dowry has to be returned to the husband. If the
husband left his wife, he lost only half of the
dowry and the rest is returned. If he possessed
children during the divorce, the whole dowry and
fine went to the children and held by their
grandparents or relatives.
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES
Filipinos had traditional beliefs even in the
precolonial period. They believe in the immortality
of soul and life after death. They worship various
Gods that are associated with their environment.
The existence of the number of gods of whom
they made offerings are some of the following:
Bathalang Maycapal -Creator, Agni-Fire God,
Idinayale-God of agriculture, Lalahon-Goddess of
Harvest, Sidapa-God of Death, Siginarugan-God
of Hell, Balangaw-Rainbow God, Diyan
Masalanta-Goddess of Love, and Mandarangan-
War God. Their beliefs included animals, sun,
moon, and even rocks along the seashores are
adored. There was no old tree to which they did
not attribute divine honors. Diseases were
thought to be caused by the temper of the
environmental spirits. The Anitos or Diwata are
adored private idols to whom permissions were
asked from them to go. They were believed to
have jurisdictions over mountains and open
country, sowed fields, and seas. By carving on
ivory or gold called licha or larawan, it is being
made to keep a memory of the dead.
THE TWELVE DISCIPLES OF DARKNESS
When Spanish friars arrived to evangelize the
Philippines, they spread propaganda about
indigenous beliefs as a strategy for converting
natives to Catholicism. Anything the friars didn’t
understand was deemed "unChristian" and evil.
They found no written records on the native
religion because everything was based on oral
tradition which was passed down through
generations.
1. CATOLONAN, commonly known all over
the Philippines, was either a man or a woman.
These priests were honorable one among the
natives and were held ordinarily by people of
rank, this rule being general in all the islands.
2. MANGAGAUAY. These priests even
induced maladies by their charms, which in
proportion to the strength and efficacy of the
witchcraft, are capable of causing death.
3. MANYISALAT. These priests had the
power of applying such remedies to lovers that
they would abandon and despise their own
wives, and in fact could prevent them from
having intercourse with the latter.
 4. MANCOCOLAM, whose duty was to emit
fire from himself at night, once or oftener each
month. This wallows in ordure and filth which
falls random houses.
5. HOCLOBAN which originates in
Catanduanes is a powerful witch who causes
death, can heal as well, and can destroy a
home.
6. SILAGAN which originated in Catanduanes
eats a liver and causes violence and death.
7. MAGTATANGAL is a creature whose head
separates and body walks with the intention of
showing himself to people.
8. OSUANG, which is equivalent to” sorcerer”
they say that they have seen him fly and that
he murdered men and ate their flesh.
9. MANGAGAYOMA. They made charms for
lovers out of herbs, stones, and wood, which
would infuse the heart with love.
10. SONAT, which is equivalent to” preacher”
It was his office to help one to die, at which
time he predicted the salvation or
condemnation of the soul.
11. PANGATAHOJAN, was a soothsayer and
predicted the future. This office was general in
all the islands.
12. BAYOGUIN, signified a” cotquean,” a man
whose nature inclined toward that of a woman
or termed as homosexual.
SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEFS
The Filipinos’ superstitious beliefs were
evidenced by their idea of creatures such as
Tiyanak, Kapre, Tikbalang, Dwende, Aswang. It is
also referred to as the beliefs in the magical
power of amulet and charms such as gayuma or
love potion, anting-anting and kulam. Most of
them thought that the spirit of the dead can
incarnate itself in animals. The Pre-Spanish
Filipinos said that those who are stabbed to
death, eaten by crocodiles, or killed by arrows
climb on a rainbow to heaven and evolve into
gods
BURIALS
 This burial ceremony included burying their dead
in certain wooden coffins, in their own houses.
They bury with the dead, gold, cloth, and other
valuable objects - saying that if they depart rich
they will be well received in the other world, but
coldly if they go poor.
THE KARTILLA OF KATIPUNAN
Jim Richardson
Background of the Author
Emilio Jacinto was born in 1875 on the 15th of
December. He was the only son of a man named
Mariano Jacinto and a woman named Josefa
Dizon. Shortly after he was born, his father
passed away. This untimely death forced his
mother to send Emilio to live with his uncle, Don
Jose' Dizon. His mother believed that his uncle
could care for the young Emilio better then she
could after the death of Mariano.
Emilio attended the San Juan de Letran College
when he first embarked on his college career.
However, he later attended the University of San
Tomas in order to study law. Emilio left college
before completing his law degree.
THE KARTILLA
Taught in schools and universities, the Kartilla is
the best-known of all Katipunan texts. Making
manifest the KKK’s principles and teachings, it
was printed as a small pamphlet for new
members. It is the only document of any length
set in print by the Katipunan prior to August 1986
that is known to be still extant.
The earliest reference to the Kartilla yet found is
in the minutes of a Supreme Assembly meeting
held in December 1895. Whether it is the KKK
branches or the individual recruits who are to be
the charged this amount is not clear, and nor is it
known whether the title phrase ------ “To those
who want to join this Katipunan”- Truly means
recruits, or in practice should be taken to mean,
“To those who have joined this Katipunan”.
Authorship of the Kartilla has always been
credited to Emilio Jacinto, and there is little doubt
this attribution is sound: it dates back to the
Sensacional memoria of Isabelo delos Reyes,
whose sources included several senior of KKK
veterans, and it has never been challenged.
Bonifacio, the story goes, had originally intended
that his “Decalogue” should be printed and
handed to new recruits, but then read Jacinto’s
Kartilla and decided it was superior. The two
texts, though, are not comparable. Bonifacio
seeks only to enumerate the duties of Katipunan
members, Jacinto couches his primer, four times
as long, rather as a statement of aspirations and
ethical values. Bonifacio lists ten obligations;
Jacinto presents twelve “guiding principles” and
fourteen “teachings”.
Mga Aral ng Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan
(Teachings of the Katipunan of the Sons of the
People)
1.The life that is not consecrated to a lofty and
reasonable purpose is a tree without a shade, if
not a poisonous weed.
2. To do good for personal gain and not for its
own sake is not virtue.
3. It is rational to be charitable and love one's
fellow creature, and to adjust one's conduct, acts
and words to what is in itself reasonable.
4. Whether our skin be black or white, we are all
born equal: superiority in knowledge, wealth and
beauty are to be understood, but not superiority
by nature.
5. The honorable man prefers honor to personal
gain; the scoundrel, gain to honor.
6. To the honorable man, his word is sacred.
7. Do not waste thy time: wealth can be
recovered but not time lost.
8. Defend the oppressed and fight the oppressor
before the law or in the field.
9. The prudent man is sparing in words and
faithful in keeping secrets.
10. On the thorny path of life, man is the guide of
woman and the children, and if the guide leads to
the precipice, those whom he guides will also go
there.
11. Thou must not look upon woman as a mere
plaything, but as a faithful companion who will
share with thee the penalties of life; her (physical)
weakness will increase thy interest in her and she
will remind thee of the mother who bore thee and
reared thee.
12. What thou dost not desire done unto thy wife,
children, brothers and sisters, that do not unto the
wife, children, brothers and sisters of thy
neighbor.
13. Man is not worth more because he is a king,
because his nose is aquiline, and his color white,
not because he is a priest, a servant of God, nor
because of the high prerogative that he enjoys
upon earth, but he is worth most who is a man of
proven and real value, who does good, keeps his
words, is worthy and honest; he who does not
oppress nor consent to being oppressed, he who
loves and cherishes his fatherland, though he be
born in the wilderness and know no tongue but
his own.)
14. When these rules of conduct shall be known
to all, the longed-for sun of Liberty shall rise
brilliant over this unhappiest portion of the globe
and its rays shall diffuse everlasting joy among
the confederated brethren of the same rays, the
lives of those who have gone before, the fatigues
and the well-paid sufferings will remain. If he who
desires to enter (the Katipunan) has informed
himself of all this and believes he will be able to
perform what will be his duties, he may fill out the
application for admission.
MGA GUNITA NG HIMAGSIKAN
By Emilio Aguinaldo
Introduction
The Philippines was a colony of Spain for 333
years. Needless to say, our culture bears a
hispanic heritage. One of the greatest legacies of
the colonization is the country’s Christianization
which still prevails until today. Our customs and
traditions mirrror the teachings of Christianity that
had been imposed on our forefathers.
Despite of the strong Spanish influences, some
Filipinos aimed for independence. People
clamored for liberty and freedom from
oppressions. Jose P. Rizal, in his two novels, Noli
Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo illustrated
myriads of abuses perpetrated against the Indios
(as the Filipinos were called), many of which
triggered various revolts from different parts of the
archipelago. The publication of the said novels
stirred national consciousness that consequently
inspired the establishment of the KKK. The KKK
as mentioned in previous modules was a secret
organization formed by Andres Bonifacio. It
gained popularity among people who had enough
of the croocked colonial system, the stark
economic and political inequalities, the mayhem,
the slavery and other types of atrocities. The goal
was to attain freedom and create an independent
government that will serve the interests of the
Filipino people. This fervor was enough for them
to take up arms against Spain even if it had cost
them their lives. The revolution was arduous and
bloody, and it tested the faith and loyalty of some
Filipinos. Despite of its flaws, we can all agree
that it inspired such remarkable valor among
priviledged and commoners alike. Together, they
fought with this resounding battlecry, ‘’Mabuhay
ang Pilipinas! Mabuhay ang Inang Bayan!’’
Don Emilio Aguinaldo, in his writing, “Mga Gunita
ng Himagsikan” narrated what happened during
the revolution, how our forefathers endured the
battle in the name of freedom. Read and
internalize his narration below.
Paglalarawan sa may akda
Sino si Emilio Aguinaldo?
Si Heneral Emilio Aguinaldo Y Famy ay
ipinanganak noong ika-22 ng Marso 1869 sa
Cavite el Viejo, o mas kilala ngayon bilang Kawit.
Siya ay ang pangpito sa walong anak nina Carlos
Jamir Aguinaldo at Trinidad Famy- Aguinaldo.
Ang pamilyang Aguinaldo ay kilala dahil ang
kanyang amang si Carlos Aguinaldo ay ang
itinalagang gobernadorcillo. Hindi nakapagtapos
ang Heneral sa Colegio de San Juan de Letran
dahil sa cholera outbreak noong 1882.
Sa kabilang banda, siya ay naging Cabeza de
Barangay ng Binakayan noong siya’y 17 taong
gulang pa lamang. Noong 1895, ang Batas Maura
na kumikilala sa mga pamahalaang lokal ay
ipinisatupad. Sa gulang na 25, si Emilio ang
naging kauna-unahang gobernadorcillo ng Cavite
el Viejo. Siya ay sumali sa Katipunan sa ilalim ng
Magdalo at nahalal bilang president ng
Pamahalaang Panghihimagsik sa Bario Tejeros,
San Francisco de Malabon noong ika-22 ng
Marso 1897.
Itinatag niya ang kalayaan ng bansa noong ika-12
ng Hunyo 1898 sa balkonahe ng kanyang bahay
sa Kawit.
Siya ang kauna-unahang presidente ng Pilipinas
at itinatag ang Malolos Republic. Siya ang
pinakabata at pinakamatandang namatay na
president sa gulang na 94 anyos dahil sa
Coronary Thrombosis noong ika-6 ng February
1964.
Inilathala ni Heneral Aguinaldo ang unang libro ng
kanyang “Mga Gunita ng Himagsikan” noong
1923-1946. Ayon sa isinulat na libro ng heneral,
ang kanyang mga gunita ay batay sa talaarawan
na kanyang itinago at mga dokumento.
Pagsusuri ng Konteksto
Dumanas ang ibang Pilipino nang matinding
pagmamaltrato ng mga Kastila sa loob ng
madaming taon. Naitatag ang Katipunan upang
tugunan ang hirap na dinadanas ng mga Pilipino.
Nagkaroon ng dalwang pangkat sa lalawigan ng
Cavite. Ito ang Magdiwang at Magdalo.
Pinamunuaan ni Mariano Alvarez ang Magdiwang
at Baldomero Aguinaldo naman ang Magdalo.
Hindi nagkaunawaan ang dalawang pangkat na
ito. Nais ng Magdalo na palitan ang Katipunan
bilang isang rebolusyonaryo habang Magdiwang
naman ay gusting panatilihin ang umiirial na
pamamahala.
Ayon sa paglalahad ni Heneral Artemio Ricarte,
nanguna sa paglaban sa hukbo ng Kastila sa San
Francisco de Malabon, bagamat taliwas ang
Sangguniang Magdalo sa paghihimagsik, sila ay
nahikayat at napilit na sumali sa labanan matapos
makamit ang tagumpay sa pakikidigma. Dahil
dito, nagkaroon ng madugo at masalimuot na
labanan sa pagitan ng mga Pilipino at Espanyol.
Ang gunita ni Heneral Emilio Aguinaldo patungkol
sa himagsikan ay ang paglalahad ng mga
salaysay at alaala sa mga taong lumahok sa
labanan. Sinambit dito ang kanilang karanasan sa
pagtatanggol, pagtataguyod, at sakripisyo upang
mabawi ng mga naghihimagsik ang kanilang
teritoryo at upang kamtan ang inaasam na
kalayaan para sa bayan.
Pagsusuri ng Nilalaman
Naganap ang nabigong paglusob sa Imus noong
ika-31 ng Agosto, 1896, ayon kay Heneral
Aguinaldo. Pagsapit ng gabi ay dumating ang
pangkat ng pangulo ng Sangguniang Madalo na
si Baldomero Aguinaldo upang sumaklolo at
hinarap ang Kalaban sa naturang luga.
Sa kabilang dako, dinala naman ni Emilio
Aguinaldo ang hukbo ng Cavite el Viejo sa
Binakayan upang dito nila lulusubin ang Infanteria
Marina dahil sa kanilang palagay na kung sila ay
lulusob sa kuta ng kalaban na matatagpuan sa
puntod ng kulanta, sa Polvorin, hindi nila ito
matatalo dahil ito ay malapit sa kutang Artelleria
ng Arsenal ng Cavite. Kung kaya’t hihintayin
nilang dumaan ang mga ito sa Bakayan. Ngunit
sila ay nabigo dahil bago sila makapasok sa
kabayanan ay nakasagupa na nila ang mga
Guardia Civil, at nagana pang sagupaan sa plasa
ng munisipyo at simbahan ng Imus. Napatay nila
ang dalawang kasapi ng kalaban at nakamkam
nila ang dalawang baril ngunit naiwan nila si
Teniente Marcelino Cajulis na sugatan sa
munisipyo.
Batay sa paglalahad ni Heneral Aguinaldo,
nagtungo sa kumbento ng Cavite el Viejo, ang
kuwartel ng Heneral, si Jose Tagle noong ika-1
ng Setyembre, 1896, upang humingi ng abuloy
bilang paghahanda sa kauna-unahang
pagsalakay sa mga kalaban sa Imus, Cavite. Ito
ay agad niyang sinang-ayunan. Ngunit, nabigo
sila at nagapi dahil ito ang kauna-unahang beses
na gumawa ng taktikang pagsulob si Aguinaldo.
Ayon pa rin sa Heneral noong ika-2 ng
Setyembre, 1896, “ang pangkat na pinanguluhan
ni Heneral Baldomero Aguinaldo, ay siya kong
inatasang lilibawa sa dakong hilaga o norte, sa
kanyang pagsalakay. Sa dakong timog ó sur, ay
ang kawal naman ng Capitan Municipal sa Imus,
si G. José Tagle, at sa pangharapan o liwasan ng
kumbento at simbahan, ay ang aking pangkat, at
ako pa rin ang nangunguna sa pagharap sa mga
kalaban.”
Sa pagtutuloy, giniba nila ang pinto ng simbahan
gamit ang palakol at maso at nagawa nilang
pumasok. Ngunit ang inabutan lamang ay si
Padre Buenaventura. Ayon sa pagsasalaysay ni
Emilio, “Ito’y kapagkarakang humarap sa akin
nang paluhod at humingi ng tawad. Kanyang
ipinagtapat sa akin pagkatapos na kaaalis pa raw
lamang ng mga Frayle at Guardia Civil na
nagpanakbuhan sa takot, ng kanilang marinig ang
tugtog ng banda ng musika at nang matanawan
nila sa torre ang makapal na kawal naming
dumarating. Dahil dito, muling nagtipon ang
kanilang mga kawal. Hinati na naming muli ang
grupo sa tatlong pangkat. Isinagawa ang
pagkubkob ng timog at kanluran na nababakuran
ng matibay na hacienda.”
“At palibhasa’y sa katibayan ng asyenda na tila
sinadya iyon, at sa karamihan ng kaharap nilang
mga guwardiya sibil, pare at legong prayle at
taongbayan pang basal ang ugali na pumanig
doon, ay hindi ito nakuhang wasakin karaka kaya
nga’t lumawig ang labanan hanggang sa umaga
na kinabukasan. Siyang pagkatalo sa nasa
asyenda na nangakukulong sila at lalang ng
madlang paraan. Tinibag namin ang mga pader,
sinunog ang kamalig ng palay, hanggang
akalaing idamay ang Bahay-uldóg sa
kinaroroonan ng kinakaaway,” dagdag pa ng
heneral.
Isinaad din ni Aguinaldo ang naging resulta ng
pagsalakay. Aniya, sa kadahilanang mayroong
taglay at maangkop na armas ang kanilang
kalban, maraming nalagas sa mapaghmagsik na
grupo kaya napahinto ang kanilang pagsulong.
Tanging ang kanyang Sarhento Cuadrillero na si
Guillermo Samoy lamang ang nakasunod sa
kanya sa may pinto ng hacienda at habang
pinapalakol at binabareta nila ito, lalong
lumalakas nag pamumutok ng kalaban sa
pangunguna ni Fray Eduarte.
Ipinagdiwang sa Imus ang pagkamatay ng ilan sa
mga kalaban tulad nina Tinyente Enrique Chacon,
Juan Perez na isang kabo, Isabelo del Rosario,
kasalukuyang kasalukuyang juez de paz (justice
of the peace) noon o kilala bilang asong ganid ng
prayel, dalawang pari na (isa rito ay si Padre Jose
Maria Learte na kura ng Imus), dalawang uldog at
isang kabong guwardiya sibil na pawing kastila.
Sa kabilang dako naman, ang pagkaurong sa
Bakood (Bacoor) na ikinasawi ng dalawang kawal
at ni Victorino Sambile na isang bihag. Ito ay ayon
naman sa paglalahad ni Carlos V. Ronquillo.
Agarang ibinatid ni Kornel Tagle ang tagumpay
na nakamit nil laban sa kaaway kay Heneral
Emilio Aguinaldo na kung saan ay nakalikom sila
ng 30 baril na Remington, dalawang ripleng
Winchester, isang kanyon de montaña, at mahigit
libong bala. Tinugunan naman si ng Heneral,
“Naniniwala ako na sa pakikihamok nating ito sa
kaharian ng Espanya, upang makalagot sila sa
kaalipinan, ay nasa piling natin ang Diyos na
lalong makapangyarihan sa lahat. Alam ng
Maykapal na iisa lamang ang ating layon, dili iba’t
ang mahango sa dustang kalagayan ang ating
Inang bayan.”
Mawawari sa mga winika ni Heneral Aguinaldo
ang lakas ng pananalig ng mga mapaghimagsik
na Pilipino sa Poong Maykapal na kung saan Siya
ay itinuturing nilang kakampi. Ayon pa sakanya,
isang malaking tagumpay ang mapalayas ang
mga prayle at guardia civil na kumukuta roon at
tuluyang makubkob ang hacienda. Nagging
mahalaga rin ang pagtulong ng mga baying nasa
ilalim ng Sangguniang Magdalo gaya ng Cavite el
Viejo sa pagtatanggol ng Imus.
Sa pagpapatuloy ng labanan, dumating ang tropa
nina Togores at Garcia. Nagkaroon ng
engkwentro sa pagitan ng Kolumnang Togores-
Garcia at pulutong nina Aguinaldo. Naparuong
nila ang hukbo ng Heneral sapagkat tumulong din
sa labanan ang hukbo ni Aguirre. Ayon kay
Ronquillo, ipinadala ni Gobernador Heneral
Blanco si Aguirre upang pamunuan ang hukbo at
upang makubkob muli ang Imus sa pamamagitan
ng dalawang piyesa ng canon Plasencia sa tulong
ng napakaraming sundalo.
Ayon sa isinalaysay ni Heneral Aguinaldo, ang
naganap na labanan noong ika-2 ng Setyembre
1896 ang kauna-unahan niyang pagkabigo sa
hukbo ng mga Espanyol.
Dumating naman si Gil Ignacio, ang pangulo ng
balangay “Gargano” ng katipunan, sa Kwartel ni
Emilio Aguinaldo upang humingi ng tulong
sapagkat ang Pulang Lupa (Parañaque) ay
napupuno ng Infanteria, Caballeria, at Artilleria.
Nagtungo ang pangkat ni Heneral Aguinaldo sa
Imus noong ika-3 ng Setyembre 1896. Pinutol nila
ang tulay ng Isabel II sa tabi ng hacienda ng Imus
na siya naming ikinagulat at ikinagulo ng mga
espanyol. Dahil dito, halos buong hapong
nagkaroon ng walang humpay na putukan sa
pagitan ng magkaibilang pangkat.
Nag-iwan ng halos dalawang karitong bangkay
nang matapos ang labanan. Nakamkam ng mga
naghihimagsik ang 70 na Remington at sableng
naiwan ni Heneral Aguirre. Nagpasyiya ang
Sangguniang Bayang Magdalo na ilipat ang
pamahalaang Panghihimahagsik sa bahay
hacienda ng Imus at naghirang ng panibagong
mga pinuno:
Pangulo: G. Baldomero Aguinaldo
Secretario de Guera: G. Candido Triá Tirona
Secretario de Hacienda: G. Cayetano Topacio
Secretariode Fomento: G. Glicerio Topacio
Secretario de Agricultura: G. Felix Cuenco
Secretario de Justicia: G. Sixto Espinosa
Teniente General en Jefe Abanderado: G.
Emilio Aguinaldo
 
Ayon pa kay Aguinaldo, “Ang panibagong
pamahalaan ay nagpasinaya agad sa
pagkakatatag ng maestranza ó gawaran ng
sandata at iba pa, sa kapakanan ng himagsikan
sa isang kamalig ng hacienda. Pinatayuan ko ito
ng mga aparatus ng ginagamit sa pagrerecarga
ng mga kartuchos ng baryo para sa sariling gamit
at pagbubuo ng baril na nasisira sa
pangangasiwa ni Coronel Eduardo Legaspi alias
Dodong. Dito rin ipinapagawa ang mga kanyong
tubong bakal ng mga kaldera, na nililikawan at
binabalutan muna ng kawad bago lalapatan pa ng
magkabiyak na kahoy molave ó gijo, tuloy
bubukluran ng sunud-sunod na plantsuelang
bakal. Ang mga kanyong tanso ay dito rin
ginagawa at binubuo, pati ang mga kampana ng
simbahan na binabasag bago tutunawin at bago
ihuhulog sa buuan para maging kanyon. Ito’y sa
pamamatnugot ni Heneral Ignacio Pawa, isang
Tsino.” (Mga Gunita ng Himagsikan , p.132)
Ang bagong pinaglipatan ay pinamalagian
hanggang noong kalahatian ng Marso 1987
matapos kunin ng mga Espanyol at siya naming
ikinamatay ng kapatid ni Heneral Aguinaldo na si
Tenyente Heneral G. Crispulo Aguinaldo.
Buhat ng mahigit 40,000 Infanteryiang Espanyol,
napagpasiyahan ng bagong Gobernador Heneral
na si Camilo Garcia de Polavieja na lusubin ang
Cavite na itinakda noong ika-15 ng Pebrero 1897
sa pangunguna ni Heneral Lachambre.
Nagpulong ang Sangguniang Bayang Magdalo at
Sangguniang Bayang Magdiwang na lumalayong
magsanib at magkaroon ng iisang pamahalaan at
tumugon sa planong isinagawa ng mga Espanyol
subalit hindi ito napagtibay. Dahil sa kaganapang
ito, nakapagsambit ng mabigat na salita si
Heneral Artemio Ricarte. Aniya, ang kakulangan
ng isa ay pinupunan ng isa, ang isa ay
sinasaklolohan ng isa, at ang dalawa ay
magkasangga sa anumang sitwasyon ngunit sa
huli, ang dalawa ay nagwalang bahala sa
kapahamakang inaabot ng isa hanggang sila’y
nagtatanimang unti-unti, lumala hanggang sa
muntik na ipagbaka ng mga magkababayan din.
(p. 18, “Himagsikan nang manga Pilipino Laban
sa Kastila.)
Pasikat pa lang ang araw noong ika-16 ng
Pebrero 1897 noong magsimula ang kagimbal-
gimbal na putok ng kanyon at baril sa mga
tanggulan sa pagitan ng Las Piñas at Bakood
(Bacoor), Silang, at Santa Rosa (Laguna de Bay).
Sina Koronel Pio del Pilar, Mariano Noriel, at
Agapito Bonson ang namahala sa mga tanod na
naghihimagsik sa Bacoor kasama ang kawal ng
Imus sa pamumuno ni Komandante Lucas
Camerino at mga kawal galing sa Noveleta
(Magdiwang) na sina San Gabriel at Montalan
kasama si G. Andres Bonifacio.
Iginiit ni Ricarte na noong Pebrero 16 ay halos
hindi na maaninag ang tanawin na nilukuban ng
putukan at panganganyon sa pagitan ng Bacoor
at Imus, gayon din sa Silang at Santa Rosa sa
Laguna. Bagamat napakalawak na ng pinsala,
maraming beses pa rin nagtangka ang mga
Kastila na salakayin ang mga naghihimagsik
ngunit hindi sila nagtatagumpay. Ipinagtanggol ng
mga naghihimagsik ang garrison sa Bacoor sa
pangunguna nina Koronel Pio del Pilar, Mariano
Noriel at Agapito Bonson. Tumugon rin ang tropa
sa Noveleta sa pamumuno ng mga kapitang sina
Gabriel at Montalan, kasama ang hukbo sa Imus
sa ilalim ni Mayor Lucas Camerino, at Brigadyer-
Heneral Lucino at si Andres Bonifacio. Sa halos
araw-gabing labanan, nanatili ang mga
naghihimagsik sa mga tanggulan hanggang
noong ika-26 ng Marso 1897. Ngunit sila ay
lumikas din dahil nakamit ng Espanyol ang Imus
noong ika-25 ng Marso.
Sa patuloy na paglalahad ng Heneral, umalis ang
mga Kastila sa Imus noong mga huling araw ng
Marso taong 1897. Sila ay dumaan sa lumang
sakahan sa timog ng kabayanan ng Cavite el
Viejo. Pumasok sila sa lupang sakop ng San
Francisco de Malabon hanggang sa Bakaw ng
naturang bayan. Nakuha nila ang Noveleta
matapos umurong sina Aguinaldo ngunit hindi nila
nakamkam ang tanggulang kinukutaan ng mga
naghihimagsik. Bagamat sila ay umurong, para
na rin silang nagwagi dahil sa mga iniwang labi
ng mga kastila.
Sa panahong iyon, ayon sa pagsasalaysay ni
Emilio Aguinaldo, dinadaing niya ang
karamdaman dala ng malaria kung kaya’t
inatasan niya sina Heneral Baldomero Aguinaldo,
Heneral Pantaleon Garcia at iba pa na sila na ang
bahalang magtanggol sa kabayanan ng Imus.
Inilarawan din ng Heneral ang kanyang
karanasan. “Sadyang ipinag-adya ako ng
Maykapal gayon din ang ating Inang Bayan. Ang
totoo, ako’y di halos makatakbo sa pag-urong na
ito sapagka’t nanghihina na ako, bakit ako’y
inaapoy ng lagnat kaya nagpagapang-gapang
lamang ako sa bambang (kanal) ng patubig sa
kabukiran at sa ibaba ng tulay ng kung tawagin ay
“Kay Julian.” Patang-pata ako noon pagka’t
nagkataon noon na ang dati kong karamdamang
“Malaria” ay muli na namang sumumpong sa
akin.”
Sa pagsasalaysay ni Heneral Ricarte, nakuha rin
ng mga naghihimagsik ang mga kwartel ng mga
Guardia Sibil sa Noveleta, San Francisco de
Malabon, Quintana, Naik, Pulangi, Magallanes,
Alfonso, Silang, Paliparan ng Dasmariñas, at
Imus. Nagamit nila ang mga armas na nalikom at
ang amunisyon, kabilang din ang mga
kinukumpuni gaya ng mga lantaka na gawa sa
bakal at ang mga kanyong inihagis sa pundisyon
sa Imus, na siyang pinangunahan ni Heneral Jose
Ignacio Paua, isang Kristyanong Tsino na taga-
Maynila na naninirahan sa San Francisco de
Malabon.
Sinaad din ni Heneral Ricarte na noong ika-4 ng
hapon, habang lumilikas ang mga Espanyol,
nakaenkwentro nila ang pangkat ni Bonifacio at
ng Magdiwang. Ngunit nanatili ang pwersa ng
Espanyol sa malayong lugar ng Bacao dahil
nabigo sina Bonifacio na itulak sila sa Imus.
Naging himpilan naman ng Kapulungan ng mga
Naghihimagsik ang Imus noong Hunyo 1897 at
muling mabawi ang Imus noong ika-28 ng Marso
taong 1898.
Ang alaala ng mapait na pangyayari sa kamay ng
mananakop ay nananatili at nagpapasiklab ng
poot sa mga naninirahan sa mga lugar na
pinangyarihan ng putukan, labanan, at patayan.
Sa nangyaring labanan sa pagitan ng mga Kastila
at ng mga Naghihimagsik, kahit ordinaryo o
relihisyong tao tulad ng paring Recoleto na si
Padre Jose Maria Liarte, na tinadtad ang
katawan, at ng iba pag resedenteng Espanyol na
pinana at pinagtataga hanggang mawalan na ng
buhay.
Spanish friars spread True
propaganda about
indigenous beliefs as
a strategy for a home.
converting natives to
Catholicism. The blood compact False
sealed the political
Prior to its False pact between
colonization, pre- Portugal and the
hispanic Philippines Philippines.
prohibited divorce,
The earliest reference True
If the wife initiated the False to the Kartilla was
divorce before found in the minutes
childbirth and has of a Supreme
married another, she Assembly meeting
is entitled to all of her held in December
dowry. 1895.
Was a veteran Antonio Pigafetta When Plasencia Doctrina
scholar and explorer arrived in the Christiana
who served as a Philippines in 1578
chronicler of and joined forces with
Ferdinand Magellan another missionaries
he authored, a book
Officiated the first Father Pedro de which is considered
ever Catholic mass to Valderama as the first book
be celebrated in the printed in the
Philippines Philippines.
Made charms for MANGAGAYOMA During precolonial True
lovers out of herbs, . period, the Filipinos
stones, and wood, believed in the
which would infuse immortality of the soul
the heart with love. and the life after
death.
Aliping namamahay False
served their master in Marriage belonging to False
his house and they different social class
cannot be sold were commonly
celebrated during the
Was always credited Emilio Jacinto pre-hispanic times.
as the principal author
of the Kartilla. The Philippines False
archipelago was
During the preolonial True originally named Las
period, old trees were Islas Filipinas by
attributed divine Ferdinand Magellan
honors by the
Filipinos. Pertains to the circumnavigation
complete navigation
A powerful witch who Hocloban of an island, a
causes death, and continent or an
can heal and destroy astronomical body
In the pre-hispanic Maharlika
Philippine society,
they were defined as
free-born.
Served as the Kartilla
guidebook for new
Katipuneros