Rizal's Annotation of Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas

Annotation – a short explanation or note added to a text, image or the act of adding short
explanations or notes
Sucesos – work of an honest observer, a versatile bureaucrat, who new the workings of the
administration from inside
- Events, happenings, o occurences
Las Islas Filipinas – means “the Philippine Islamd”
Antonio De Morga
 Antonio de Morga Sanchez Garay (November 29, 1559 – July 21, 1636) was a
Spanish soldier, lawyer and high ranking colonial official for 43 years, in the
Philippines from 1594 – 1604, New Spain and Peru, where he was president of the
Real audiencia for 20 years.
 He was also a historian
 He published the book Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas in 1609, considered one of the
most important works on the early history of the Spanish colonization of the
Philippines.
Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas
Chapter 1: Magellan and Legazpi's seminal expedition
Chapter 2 – 7: Chronological report on government administration under Governor –
General
Chapter 8: Philippine Islands, the native there, there antiquity, custom and government
Modern historians (including Rizal) have notes that Morga has a definite bias and would
often distort facts or even rely on invention to fit his defense of the Spanish conquest.
What initially prompted Rizal to do the Annotation?
1. Rizal have been reflecting on his country’s history.
2. Blumentritt could not be persuaded to write a history of the Philippines.
What leads Jose Rizal to Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas?
 Rizal was an earnest seeker of truth and this marked him as a historian.
 He had a burning desire to know exactly the conditions of the Philippines when the
Spaniards came ashore to the islands.
 His theory was that the country was economically self-sufficient and prosperous.
 He believed that the conquest of the Spaniards contributed in part to decline of the
Philippine's rich tradition and culture.
 In 1889 – 1890 – Rizal spent several months in London to do historical research on
pre-colonial Philippines and to improve his English language skills.
 According to Dr. Ferdinand Blumentritt, the Spanish historian Dr. Antonio Morga
wrote Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas which was published in Mexico in 1609.
 Rizal laboriously hand-copied the whole 351 pages of the Sucesos.
  He sifted weighted, evaluated, each and every proof he could find in books,
manuscripts, documents and other records from the vast British Museum's
Filipiniana Collection.
 Rizal entertained the idea that it had a lively and vigorously community enriched
with the collective and sensitive art and culture of the native population.
Rizal's First consideration for the choice of Morga
1. The original book was rare.
2. Morga is a layman not a religious chronicler.
3. Rizal felt Morga to be more “objective” (than the religious writers who included many
miracles stories).
4. Morga was more sympathetic to the indios.
5. Morga was not only an eyewitness but a major actor in the events that he narrates.
Three kinds of Spanish delusions about the Philippines
1. Filipinos were an inferior race.
2. Filipinos were not ready for parliamentary representation and other reforms.
3. Denial of equal rights can be compensated by strict dispensation of justice.
Two categories in Rizal’s annotation
1. Rizal corrects the original one “the straight forward historical annotation”
2. Historical based reflect his anticlerical bias
According to Guerrero in 1998 results annotation of Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas
has three main propositions.
Three main propositions of Rizal’s annotation of Morga’s Sucesos
1. Awaken the consciousness of the Filipinos of their glorious ways of the past.
2. Correct what has been distorted about the Philippines due to Spanish conquest.
3. Proved that Filipinos are civilized even before the coming of the Spaniards.
Rizal and Morga's different views about Filipinos and Philippine culture.
Geography

A. LOCATION

Morga Rizal

The Philippines was inhabitable. Ptolemy in his geography indicated

three islands which are Sinadae,
Gilolo, Amboina and their
inhabitants, thus, Philippines was
not deserted and was actually
habitable
It extends up to 12 degrees south It is actually at exactly 25 degrees
latitude. and 40 minutes latitude north, until
12 degrees latitude south.
B. CLIMATE

Winters and summers are opposite In Manila, by December to

of those in Europe. February, the temperature goes
down more than it does during
August to September.
Rainy weather is from June to Thus, with regards to the season, it
September. Summer is from October resembles Spain as all the rest of
to May. the northern hemisphere.
C. PLANT SPECIES

Betel or Buyo, Pickles and Ginger Betel is “Kasubha” in Tagalog

are abundant.

Culture and Society

A. BODY TATTOO

Morga Rizal

Draws pattern first before putting Rizal agreed, it is the same method as
black powder where the blood oozes the Japanese
out.

B. INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Tribes of whom cannot be safe because They will always choose violence until
of violence. the Government enters because of
their inhumane ways as answer those
who do not submit to the Friars.
C. LIFESTYLE AND MORAL
PRINCIPLES

Men and women are money loving and We find it everywhere in the world even
in capitals so when there is price, they in Europe.
yield.
Bathing their body on rivers or streams Indios have hygienic customs which is
regardless of their age. the proper way of taking a bath.

D. GOVERNMENT

There are no king or lords to rule Rizal agreed that there were no such
them. kings.

Morga was critical of the system of Rizal argued that it was better that way
government because there are no rules because having aa leader that knows
for myriad communities, instead one what the tribe needs and what
leader for each tribe. problems they have is more effective.

Foods
A. FOOD

MORGA RIZAL

They prefer to eat salt fish which begin It is called “Bagoong” and all those who
to decompose and smell. have eaten it and tasted it know tat it
is not or ought to be not rotten
The ordinary food of the natives is very It seems that Morga refers to “Tawilis”
small fish which they call “Laulau”. or “Dilis” which is eaten by natives in
large quantities.

Faith
A. BELIEF ON CROCODILES

MORGA RIZAL

The native set traps on the borders of It is just like other nations have their
rivers and streams near their respect to lions and bears, putting their
settlements to secure them from which symbols in their shields and giving
thy fear and venerate. them vulnerable epithels
B. HEALERS
Grave sorcerers and wizards who
deceived the people and communicate
to them whatever they wish; they
believe in omens and superstitions,
they could tell whether the sick person
would live or die.
C. CUSTOM FOR THE DEAD
Proved through the story of Fr. Chirino
about the case of Armandao who is
sick. He often offer his body to see if he
will be cured, what could be said now
to all who died despite all thee masses
offer t the different virgins.

They buried their dead in their own
houses keeping their bodies and bone
for a long time in boxes and venerating
their skulls.
We find it much more natural and
pious to venerate the remains of our
loved ones than those fanatical martyrs
whom we have no dealings and who
probably will never remember us.

Economy
A. ECONOMY

MORGA RIZAL

Cotton is raised through the island They also have cotton and not just rice.
which they sell and trade aa threads.

the natives of the islands sell the Rizal agreed, it is very interesting
artifacts to the Japanese. history shaped and valued with the
price of one hundred offered for one of
tem
Natives are always mining for gold but The Indios on seeing that wealth
when the Spaniards came, the mining aroused the capacity of the
become lesser and they just treasured Encomienderos and soldiers, abandoned
what gold jewelry they have passing it the work in the mines, and the priest
through generations. historians relate that, in order to save
them from vexations.

The main propositions in results new edition of Morga’s Sucesos are the following:
1. The Filipinos had their own culture and civilization before the coming of the
Spaniards.
2. The Filipinos are disseminated, demoralllized, exploited and ruined by the Spanish
colonization.
3. The present state of the Philippines was not necessarily superior to its past.
Finally, with a new edition of Morga’s Sucesos, Rizal was able to produce the first history
book of the Philippines written for the Filipinos.