MODULE 2: CONTENT AND

CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF
SELECTED PRIMARY SOURCES

Introduction

The key function of primary sources is to give

facts. To establish the credibility and authenticity of
primary sources, content and contextual analysis must
be done.

This session is designed to guide you in analyzing

the context, content and perspective of different kinds
of primary sources. It is also expected that your critical
and analytical skills will be developed as you will be
exposed to different primary sources.

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 CONTENT AND CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF
SELECTED PRIMARY SOURCES

A. Desired Learning Outcomes

• Analyse the context, content, and perspective of different kinds of primary sources.
• Determine the contribution of different kinds of primary sources in understanding
Philippine history.
• Develop critical and analytical skills with exposure to primary sources

B. Objective

• Identify the historical importance of the text and examine the author’s main argument and
point of view.

C. Pre-Test

What do you think are the advantages of using primary sources?

1._________________________________________________________.
2._________________________________________________________.
3._________________________________________________________.
4._________________________________________________________.
5._________________________________________________________.

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 D. Key Concept

In context analysis, you consider the historical context of the source (time and place
it was written and the situation at the time), the authors background, intent (to the extent
discernable), and authority on the subject; and the source’s relevance and meaning today.
On the other hand, content analysis applies appropriate techniques depending on
the type of the source (written, oral, visual). In the process, you will be asked to identify
the authors main argument or thesis, compare points of view, identify biases, and evaluate
the authors claim based on the evidences presented or other available evidence at the
time.

LAGUNA COPPERPLATE TRANSLITERATION

The Laguna Copperplate Inscription:
An Ancient Text That Changed the Perception of the History of the Philippines

A high-contrast copy of the Laguna Copperplate Inscription.

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 Tagalog Translation

Mabuhay! Taóng Siyaka 822, buwán ng Waisaka, ayon sa aghámtalà. Ang ikaapat na araw ng pagliít ng buwán,
Lunes. Sa pagkakátaóng itó, si Dayang Angkatán sampû ng kaniyáng kapatíd na nagngangalang Buka, na mga
anák ng Kagalang-galang na si Namwarán, ay ginawaran ng isáng kasulatan ng lubós na kapatawarán mulâ sa
Punong Pangkalahatan sa Tundún sa pagkatawán ng Punong Kagawad ng Pailáh na si Jayadewa.
Sa atas na itó, sa pamamagitan ng Tagasulat, ang Kagalang-galang na si Namwarán ay pinatawad na sa lahát at
inalpasán sa kaniyáng utang at kaniyáng mga náhulíng kabayarán na 1 katî at 8 suwarna sa harapán ng Kagalang-
galang na Punong Kagawad ng Puliran na si Ka Sumurán, sa kapangyarihan ng Kagalang-galang na Punong
Kagawad ng Pailáh.
Dahil sa matapát na paglilingkód ni Namwarán bilang isáng sakop ng Punò, kinilala ng Kagalang-galang at
batikáng Punong Kagawad ng Binwangan ang lahát ng nabubuhay pang kamag-anak ni Namwarán na inangkín
ng Punò ng Dewatà, na kinatawán ng Punò ng Medáng.
Samakatwíd, ang mga nabubuhay na inapó ng Kagalang-galang na si Namwarán ay pinatawad sa anumán at
lahát ng utang ng Kagalang-galang na si Namwarán sa Punò ng Dewatà. Itó, kung sakalì, ay magpapahayag
kaninumán na mulâ ngayón kung may taong magsasabing hindî pa alpás sa utang ang Kagalang-galang...

The Laguna Copperplate Inscription is the name of an inscription written on an artifact that has great
significance for the understanding of the history of the Philippines during the 10th century AD – a time when
many scholars believed that the area was isolated from the rest of Southeast Asia.

Political Entities in Southeast Asia in the 10th Century

During the 10th century, a number of political entities were in existence in Southeast Asia. One of the most
famous of these was the Khmer Empire, which dominated much of the Southeast Asian mainland. To its east,
the modern country of Vietnam was divided between the Chinese in the north, and the Kingdom of Champa in
the south. The seas below the Southeast Asian mainland were beyond the reach of the Khmers and were largely
controlled by a maritime empire known as Srivijaya.

However, there is little information on the area in the part of this region where the modern country of the
Philippines is now situated. This lack of information led many scholars to believe that it was isolated from the
rest of the region. Thus, the Laguna Copperplate Inscription is an important artifact, as it has allowed scholars
to re-evaluate the situation in this part of Southeast Asia during the 10th century AD.
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 Characteristics of the Laguna Copperplate

The Laguna Copperplate is a thin piece of copper sheet measuring about 20 x 20 cm (7.9 x 7.9 inches), which
was discovered around 1987. It has been reported that this artifact was found during dredging activities with a
mechanical conveyor in the Lumbang River, which is situated in the Province of Laguna. This province is
located to the east of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is interesting to note that the Laguna Copperplate
only came to the attention of scholars in 1990, when it was offered for sale to the National Museum in Manila,
after attempts to sell it in the antiques market had been met with little interest.

An Incomplete Artifact

Investigations by Antoon Postma, a Dutch anthropologist, have revealed that the inscription on the Laguna
Copperplate is incomplete, and it is highly likely that there was another similar piece of copperplate with
inscriptions on it that has been lost. In an article published in 1992, Postma wrote that:
“Moreover, certain persons, after viewing a photo of the LCI (Laguna Copperplate Inscription), alleged,
without being asked, that they had seen a similar piece of copperplate with inscriptions around the same time
(1987). Its importance, however, was not realized then, and the possible second page of the LCI might have
ended up in a local junk yard and been irretrievably lost to posterity.”

Origins of the Inscription on the Laguna Copperplate

The inscription on the surviving copperplate is in itself intriguing, and has provided enough material for scholars
to analyze. For instance, the type of script used in the Laguna Copperplate Inscription has been identified as the
so-called ‘Early Kawi Script,’ a writing system that originated in the Indonesian island of Java, and was used
across much of maritime Southeast Asia during the 10th century AD.

In fact, this script is said to have been derived from the Pallava script, which has its origins in India. As for the
language of the inscription, it has been found to be heavily influenced linguistically by Sanskrit, Old Malay,
and Old Javanese. Both the type script, and the language of the Laguna Copperplate Inscription, therefore,
shows that this area was not actually isolated from the rest of Southeast Asia, as had been previously assumed.

The Inscription
The inscription begins by providing a date:

“Hail! In the Saka-year 822; the month of March-April; according to the astronomer: the fourth day of the dark
half of the moon; on Monday.”

The Saka era has its origins in India (supposedly marking the ascension of the Kushan emperor Kanishka), and
the year 822 is said to correspond with the year 900 AD in the Gregorian calendar. The use of this calendrical
system is further evidence that there were cultural links between this area of Southeast Asia and its neighbors,
which at that time, were largely under the cultural influence of India.

As for the subject matter of the Laguna Copperplate Inscription, it has been suggested that the inscription is a
“semi-official certificate of acquittal of a debt incurred by a person in high office, together with his whole
family, all relatives and descendants.”
This acquittal is also said to be confirmed by other officials/leaders, some of whom have been mentioned by
name, along with their area of jurisdiction. These officials include “His Honor the Leader of Puliran,
Kasumuran; His Honor the Leader of Pailah, representing Ganasakti; (and) His Honor the Leader of Binwangan,
representing Bisruta.” The recording of these names suggests that there was some sort of political and social
organization in the Philippines of the 10th century AD.
To conclude, the Laguna Copperplate, which would probably not attract instant public attention as gold or silver
artifacts would, is in fact an immensely important object. This seemingly insignificant artifact has sparked a re-
assessment of the history of the Philippines prior to the coming of the Spanish, in particular the 10th century
AD, and the archipelago’s relationship with the rest of Southeast Asia.

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 Ernesto Legisma Alberto Dealino Alfredo Evangelista
(sand laborer) (antique dealer) (Head, Anthropology Div.
of the National Museum)

Antoon Postma Dr. Johann de Hector Santos

(Dutch Casparis (Filipino
Anthropologist; (Dutch expert on anthropological
ancient writing scripts Indonesian writing) enthusiast)
in SEA region)
• old Hindu calendar • Monday, April 21,
• ancient Indonesian (900 C.E.) 900 C.E.
writing called Kavi
• Saka year 822

Wawa, Lumbang River, Laguna

Map showing the

places inscribed in
LCI according to
Antoon Postma

Map showing the

places inscribed
in LCI according
to Jaime Figueroa
Tiongson

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 Sources:
Modified CHED Second Generation GE Faculty Training Materials
Cryer, A. B., 2015. Laguna Copperplate Inscription Explained. [Online]
Available at: http://everything.explained.today/Laguna_Copperplate_Inscription/
Morrow, P., 2006. The Laguna Copperplate Inscription. [Online]
Available at: http://www.mts.net/~pmorrow/lcieng.htm
Postma, A., 1992. The Laguna Copper-Plate Inscription: Text and Commentary. Philippine
Studies, 40(2), p. 183–203.
Santos, H., 1996. The Laguna Copperplate Inscription. [Online]
Available at: http://www.bibingka.com/dahon/lci/lci.html
stock.adobe.com
www.flaticon.com
www.bing.com

E. Activities and Assessment

❖ Exercises on Examining Primary Documents

Task at Hand: Complete the following concept map about the Manunggul Jar.

A. MANUNGGUL JAR

The Manunggul Jar dated back to around 710-890 BCE. It was discovered in 1964 in Manunggul Cave
in Palawan. The jar’s cover has two human figures riding on a boat. The human figure at the back is holding
a paddle with both hands while the one in front has its two arms crossed against the chest. The boat also
has eyes and mouth. The upper portion of the jar has curved scrolls. Archaeological findings show that this
jar was used for secondary burial, a prehistoric burial practice wherein only the bones were put in a jar
within a year after the death of a person. The bones were washed and painted with a red hematite as part
of the preparatory practices for secondary burial. The jar was then placed in the most lighted and attractive
part inside the cave.
Source: http://philmuseaum.tripod.com/archaeo.html (last accessed on 16 January 2013)

Prehistoric
Belief
Discovery of represented
the Jar by the Jar
Make a Make a
timeline of timeline of
what what
happened happened
on 27 April on 27 April
Description
1521 from Purpose
1521 from
the pointJarof
of the what
the point of
7|Page Make a happened
view of the view of the
Spaniards.of
timeline on 27 April
Spaniards.
what 1521 from
happened the point of
 B. BATTLE OF MACTAN

Read the narrative of Antonio Pigafetta about the events that occurred on that fateful day of April 27, 1521.

Carlos V. Francisco Watercolor Stock

On Friday, April 26, Zula, a chief of the island of Matan, sent one of his sons to present two goats to
the captain-general, and to say that he would send him all that he had promised, but that he had not
been able to send it to him because of the other chief Cilapulapu, who refused to obey the king of
Spagnia. He requested the captain to send him only one boatload of men on the next night, so that they
might help him and fight against the other chief. The captain-general decided to go thither with three
boatloads. We begged him repeatedly not to go, but he, like a good shepherd, refused to abandon his
flock. At midnight, 60 men of us set out armed with corselets and helmets, together with . . .some of
the chief men. . .We reached Matan three hours before dawn. The captain did not wish to fight then,
but sent a message to the natives. . .to the effect that if they would obey the king of Spagnia, recognize
the Christian king as their sovereign, and pay us our tribute, he would be their friend; but if they wish
otherwise, they should wait to see our lances wounded. They replied that if we had our lances, they
had lances of bamboo and stakes hardened with fire. [They asked us] not to proceed to attack them at
once; but to wait until morning, so that they might have more men. They said that in order to induce
us to go in search of them; for they had dug certain pitholes between the houses in order that we might
fall into them. When morning came, 49 of us leaped into the water up to our thighs and walked through
water for more than two crossbow flights before we could reach the shore. The boats could not
approach thereafter because of certain rocks in the water. The other eleven men remained behind to
guard the boats. When we reached land, those men had formed in three divisions to the number of
more than 1500 persons. When they saw us, they charged down upon us with exceeding loud cries,
two divisions on our flanks and the other on our front. When the captain saw that, he formed us into
two divisions, and thus did we begin to fight. The musketeers and crossbowmen shot from a distance
for about half-hour, but uselessly, for the shots only passed through the shields which were made of
thin wood and the arms (of the bearers.) The captain cried to them,”Cease firing! Cease firing! But his
order was not at all heeded. When the natives saw that we were shooting our muskets to no purpose,
crying out they determined to stand firm, but they redoubled their shouts. When our muskets were
discharged, the natives would never stand still, but leaped hither and thither, covering themselves with
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 their shields. They shot so many arrows at us and hurled so many bamboo spears (some of them tipped
with iron) at the captain-general, besides pointed stakes hardened with fire, stones and mud, that we
could scarcely defend ourselves. Seeing that, the captain-general sent some men to burn their houses
in order to terrify them. When they saw their houses burning, they were roused to greater fury. Two of
our men were killed near the houses, while we burned 20 or 30 houses. So many of them charged down
upon us that they shot the captain through the right leg with a poisoned arrow. On that account, he
ordered us to retire slowly, but the men took to flight, except 6 or 8 of us who remained with the
captain. The natives shot only at our 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. The mortars in the boats could not aid
us as they were too far away. The natives continued to pursue us, and picking up the same spear four
or six times, hurled it at us again and again. Recognizing the captain, so many turned upon him that
they knocked his helmet off his head twice, but he always stood firmly like a good knight, together
with some others. An Indian hurled a bamboo spear into the captain’s face, but the latter immediately
killed him with his lance, which he left in the Indian’s body. Then, trying to lay hand on sword, he
could draw it out but halfway, because he had been wounded in the arm with a bamboo spear. When
the natives saw that, they all hurled themselves upon him. One of them wounded him on the leg with
a large cutlass. . .That caused the captain to fall face downward, when immediately they rushed upon
him with iron and bamboo spears and with their cutlasses, until they killed our mirror, our light, our
comfort, and our true guide. When they wounded him, he turned back many times to see whether we
were all in the boats. Thereupon, beholding him dead, we, wounded, retreated, as best we could, to the
boats, which were already pulling off.

Source: Pigafetta, Antonio. “First Voyage Around the World.” In the Philippine Islands, Vol. 33, edited by E. Blair and J.
Robertson, 175, 177, 179, 181. Cleveland: A.H. Clark, 1909. Reprinted by Cacho Hermanos, 1973.

Task at Hand

• Make a timeline of what happened on 27 April 1521 from the point of view of
the Spaniards and another timeline for the natives.

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 C. ACT OF DECLARATION OF PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE

Read the Act of Declaration of Philippine Independence written and read by Ambrocio Rianzares-
Bautista on June 12, 1898 at Cavite el Viejo (Kawit).

Proclamation of Philippine Independence in Kawit, Ambrocio Rianzares-

Cavite on June 12, 1898 Bautista

In the town of Cavite-Viejo, Province of Cavite, this 12th day of June 1898: BEFORE ME,
Ambrocio Rianzares-Bautista, War Counsellor and Special Delegate designated to proclaim and
solemnize this Declaration of Independence by the Dictatorial Government of the Philippines, pursuant
to, and by virtue of, a Decree issued by the Egregious Dictator Don Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy
And having as witness to the rectitude of our intentions the Supreme Judge of the Universe,
and under the protection of the Powerful and Humanitarian Nation, the United States of America, we
do hereby proclaim and declare solemnly, in the name and by authority of the people of those
Philippine Islands. That they are and have the right to be free and independent; that they have ceased
to have any allegiance to the Crown of Spain; that all political ties between them are and should be
completely severed and annulled; and that, like other free and independent States, they enjoy the full
power to make War and Peace, conclude commercial treaties, enter into alliances, regulate commerce,
and do all other acts and things which an independent State has a right to do. . .And imbued with firm
confidence in Divine Providence, we hereby mutually bind ourselves to support this Declaration with
our lives, our fortunes, and with our most sacred possession, our Honor.
We recognize, approve, and ratify, with all the orders emanating from the same, the
Dictatorship established by Don Emilio Aguinaldo whom we revere as the Supreme Head of this
Nation, which today begins to have a life of its own, in the conviction that he has been the instrument
chosen by God inspite of his humble origin, to effectuate the redemption of this unfortunate country
as foretold by Dr. Don Jose Rizal in his magnificent verses which he composed in his prison cell prior
to his execution, liberating it from the Yoke of Spanish domination. .
Moreover, we confer upon our famous Dictator Don Emilio Aguinaldo all the powers necessary
to enable him to discharge the duties of Government, including the prerogatives of granting pardon
and amnesty.
And lastly, it was resolved unanimously that this Nation, already free and independent as of
this day, must use the same flag which up to now is being used, whose design and colors are found
described in the attached drawing, the white triangle signifying the distinctive emblem of the famous
Society of the Katipunan which by means of blood compact inspired the masses to rise in revolution;
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 the three stars, signifying the three principal islands of this Archipelago – Luzon, Mindanao and Panay
where this revolutionary movement started; the sun representing the gigantic steps made by the sons
of the country along the path of Progress and Civilization; the eight rays, signifying the eight provinces
– Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Bataan, Laguna, and Batangas – which declared
themselves in a state of war as soon as the first revolt was initiated; and the colors of Blue, Red, and
White, commemorating the flag of the United States of America, as a manifestation of our profound
gratitude towards this Great Nation for its disinterested protection which it lent us and continues
lending us. . .
In witness thereof, I certify that this Act of Declaration of Independence was signed by me and
by all people here as assembled including the only stranger who attended those proceedings, a citizen
of the U.S.A., Mr. L. M. Johnson, a Colonel of Artillery.

Source: “Declaration of Philippine Independence.” In The Laws of the First Philippine Republic (The Laws of Malolos),
edited by Sulpicio Guevara, 203-206. Manila: National Historical Commission, 1972

Task at Hand

1. What does the document want to convey?

2. How did the revolutionaries regard Aguinaldo based on this document?

3. According to the document, what do the symbols in the Philippine flag represent?

4. How did the Filipinos regard the United States of America based on the document?

5. What is the importance of this document in the history of our country?

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 Source:

Modified CHED Second Generation GE Faculty Training Materials

F. Reflection

❖ Answer this question comprehensively.

How can analysing primary sources contextually and in terms of content

enable you to understand and appreciate our history?

G. Post - Test

What do you think are the advantages of using primary sources?

1._________________________________________________________.
2._________________________________________________________.
3._________________________________________________________.
4._________________________________________________________.
5._________________________________________________________.

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