CHAPTER/ MODULE 2: CONTENT AND CONTEXTUAL

ANALYSIS OF SELECTED PRIMARY SOURCES IN

PHILIPPINE HISTORY

Republic of the Philippines

BOHOL ISLAND STATE UNIVERSITY
Main Campus
Tagbilaran City

LESSON 2: WEEK 3

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this chapter, the student is expected to:

 Analyze 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.

The KKK and the Kartilya ng Katipunan

The Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK) or

Katipunan is arguably the most important organization formed in the Philippine history. While
anti-colonial movements, efforts, and organizations had already been established centuries prior to
the foundation of the Katipunan, it was only this organization that envisioned

1) a united Filipino nation that would revolt against the

Spaniards for
2) the total independence of the country from Spain.

Previous armed revolts had already occurred before the foundation of the Katipunan, but none
of them envisioned a unified Filipino nation revolting against the colonizers. For example, Diego
Silang was known as an llocano who took up his arms and led one of the longest running revolts in
the country. Silang. However, was mainly concerned about his locality and referred to himself as El
Rey de Ilocos (The King of Ilocos). The imagination of the nation was largely absent in the
aspirations of the local revolts before Katipunan. On the other hand, the propaganda movements led
by the ilustrados like Marcelo H. del Pilar, Graciano Lopez Jaena, and Jose Rizal did not envision
a total separation of the Philippines from Spain, but only demanded equal rights, representation
and protection from the abuses of the friars. In the conduct of their struggle, Katipunan created a
complex structure and a defined value system that would guide the organization as a collective
aspiring for a single goal. One of the most important Katipunan documents was the Kartilya ng
Katipunan. The original title of the document was "Manga [sic] Aral Nang [sic] Katipunan ng
mga A.N.B." or "Lessons of the Organization of the Sons of Country" The document was written by
Emilio Jacinto in the 1896. Jacinto was only 18 years old when he joined the movement. He was a
law student at the Universidad de Santo Tomas. Despite his youth, Bonifacio recognized the value
and intellect of Jacinto that upon seeing that Jacinto's Kartilya was much better than the Decalogue
he wrote, he willingly favored that the Kartilya be distributed to their fellow Katipuneros. Jacinto
became the secretary of the organization and took charge of the short-lived printing press of the
Katipunan. On 15 April 1897 Bonifacio, appointed Jacinto as a commander of the Katipunan in
Northern Luzon. Jacinto was 22 years old. He died of Malaria at a young age of 24 in the town of
Magdalena, Laguna.The Kartilya can be treated as the Katipunan's code of conduct. It contains
fourteen rules that instruct the way a Katipunero should behave, and which specific values should
he uphold. Generally, the rules stated in the Kartilya can be classified into two. The first group
contains the rules that will make the member an upright individual and the second group
contains the rules that will guide the way he treats his fellow men.

Below is the translated version of the rules in Kartilya:

I. The life that is not consecrated to a lofty and reasonable purpose is a tree without a shade, if not a
poisonous weed.
II. To do good for personal gain and not for its own sake is not a virtue.
III. 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.
IV. 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.
V. The honorable man prefers honor to personal gain; the scoundrel, gain to honor.
VI. To the honorable man, his word is sacred.
VII. Do not waste thy time: wealth can be recovered but not time lost.
VIll. Defend the oppressed and fight the oppressor before the law or in the field.
IX. The prudent man is sparing in words and faithful in keeping secrets.
X. 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.
XI.Thou must not look upon woman as a mere plaything, but as 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.
XII. 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.
XIII. 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.
XIV. When these rules of conduct shall be known to all, the longed- for sun of Liberty shall rise
brilliant over this most unhappy 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 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.

As the primary governing document, which determines the rules of conduct in the Katipunan,
properly understanding the Kartilya will thus help in understanding the values, ideals, aspirations,
and even the ideology of the organization.
Analysis of the "Kartilya ng Katipunan

This primary source also needs to be analyzed in terms of content and context. As a written
document for a fraternity whose main purpose is to overthrow a colonial regime, we can explain the
content and provisions of the Kartilya as a reaction and response to certain value systems that they
found despicable in the present state
Analysis of the "Kartilya ng Katipunan This primary source also needs to be analyzed in terms
of content and context. As a written document for a fraternity whose main purpose is to
overthrow a colonial regime, we can explain the content and provisions of the Kartilya as a reaction
and response to certain value systems that they found despicable in the present stateof things that
they struggled against with. For example, in the fourth and the thirteen rules in the Kartilya are an
invocation of the inherent equality between and among men regardless of race, occupation or status.
In the context of the Spanish colonial era where the indios were treated as the inferior of
the white Europeans, the Katipunan saw to it that the alternative order that they wished to
promulgate through their revolution necessarily destroyed this kind of unjust hierarchy.

The following are the methods of data analysis in historical research.

1. Content/Textual Analysis- is a research method for studying documents and communication

artifacts, which can be texts of various formats, pictures, audio or video. Content analysis is best
understood as a broad family of techniques. Effective researchers choose techniques that best help
them answer their substantive questions.

There are five types of texts in content analysis:

1. Written text, such as books and papers
2. Oral text, such as speech and theatrical performance
3. Iconic text, such as drawings, paintings and icons
4. Audio-visual text, such as TV programs, movies and videos
5. Hypertext, which are texts found on the internet

There are two general categories of content analysis: conceptual analysis and relational analysis.

a. Conceptual analysis can be thought of as establishing the existence and frequency of concepts in
a text.
b. Relational analysis builds on conceptual analysis by examining the relationships among concepts
in a text.

2. Contextual Analysis- is an analysis of a text in whatever medium, including multi-media that helps
us to assess that text within the context of its historical and cultural setting, and also in terms of its
textuality-or the qualities that characterize the text as a text. Furthermore, it combines features of
formal analysis with feature of "cultural heritage" or the systematic study of social, political, economic,
philosophical, religious, and aesthetic conditions that were or can be assumed to have been in place
at the time and place when the text was created.

3. Subtext of a document or object refers to it's secondary and implied meanings. It embraces the
emotional or intellectual messages embedded in, or implied by the document or object.

Moreover, one can analyze the values upheld in the document as consistent with the burgeoning
rational and liberal ideals in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Equality, tolerance, freedom,
and liberty were values that first emerged in the eighteenth century French Revolution, which spread
throughout Europe and reached the educated class of the colonies. Jacinto,an ilustrado himself,
certainly got an understanding of these values. Aside from the liberal values that can be dissected in
the document, we can also decipher certain Victorian and chivalrous values in the text. For
example, various provisions in the Kartilya repeatedly emphasized the importance of honor in
words and in action. The teaching of the Katipunan on how women should be treated with honor
and respect, while positive in many respects and certainly a significant stride from the practice o f
raping and physically abusing women, can still be telling of the Katipunan's secondary regard
for women in relation to men. For example, in the tenth rule, tne document of specifically stated
that men should be the guide of women and children, and that he should set a good example,
otherwise the women and children would be guided in the path of evil. Nevertheless, the same
documents stated that women should be treated as companions of men not as playthings that can be
exploited for their pleasure.

ln the contemporary eyes, the Katipunan can be criticized because of these provisions.
However, one must not forget the context where the organization was born. Not even in Europe or in
the whole of the West at that juncture recognized the problem of gender inequality. Indeed, it
can be argued that Katipunan's recognition of women as important partners in the struggle, as
reflected not just in Kartilya but also in the organizational structure of the fraternity where a women's
unit was established, is an endeavor advanced for its time. Aside from Rizal's known Letter to the
Women of Malolos, no same effort by the supposed cosmopolitan Propaganda Movement was
achieved until the movement's eventual disintegration in the latter part of the 1890s.
Aside from this, the Kartilya was instructive not just of the Katipunan's conduct toward other
people, but also for the members' development as individuals in their own rights. Generally
speaking, the rules in the Kartilya can be classified as either directed to how one should treat his
neighbor or to how one should develop and conduct one's self, Both are essential to the success
and fulfillment of the Katipunan's ideals. For example, the Kartilya's teachings on honoring one's
word and not wasting time are teachings directed toward self-development, while the rules on treating
the neighbor's wife, children, and brothers the way that you want yours to be treated is an
instruction on how Katipuneros should treat and regard their neighbors.

All in all, proper reading of the Kartilya will reveal a more thorough understanding of the
Katipunan and the significant role that it played in the revolution and in the unfolding of the Philippine
history, as we know it.

To Do!
Research and examine the three primary sources entitled:
a.) The Manunggul Jar as a Vessel of History
b.) Dasalan at Tocsohan
c.) Ang Dapat Mabatid ng mga Pilipino

After reading the primary sources, proceed now in answering the prepared self assessment
tasks below.

Self-assessment Task 1
Try to complete the information below using the set of words
provided in the box.
The Manunggul Jar was discovered in the early 1960’s in_______________,Palawan. This burial
jar features ____________ designs and is painted with _________ and ________. The lid of the jar
features two human figures with arms crossed on the chest representing the traditional practice
of the corps riding a boat. This artifact signifies the belief of the early Filipinos in the _____________.
The Manunggul Jar is a __________ of the Philippines. The jar was found in the chamber of the
_____________, one of the Manunggul caves in Palawan. The jar is found from about
______ years before the present. It was found by _________ and __________.

a. National Treasure
b. Afterlife
c Tabon Cave
d. 2800
e. curvilinear
f. Manunggul cave
g. Hematite
h. Robert Fox
i. Iron
j. Miguel Santiago
Self-assessment 2
Using the table below compare and contrast the idea of the
Marcelo H. del Pilar’s Dasalan at tocsohan to the real
Cathechism of the Catholic church. Use keyphrases/words
only.

Dasalan at Tocsohan

Cathechism
Self-assessment 2
Using the table below compare and contrast the idea of the
Marcelo H. del Pilar’s Dasalan at tocsohan to the real
Cathechism of the Catholic church. Use keyphrases/words
only.

Dasalan at Tocsohan

Cathechism
Self-assessment 2
Using the table below compare and contrast the idea of the
Marcelo H. del Pilar’s Dasalan at tocsohan to the real
Cathechism of the Catholic church. Use keyphrases/words
only.

Dasalan at Tocsohan

Cathechism

Assignment:

Using the table below compare and

contrast the idea of the
Marcelo H. del Pilar’s Dasalan at
tocsohan to the real
Cathechism of the Catholic church.
Use keyphrases/words
only
Using the table below compare and
contrast the idea of the
Marcelo H. del Pilar’s Dasalan at
tocsohan to the real
Cathechism of the Catholic church.
Use keyphrases/words
only
compare and contrast the idea of the
Marcelo H. del Pilar’s Dasalan at
tocsohan to the real
Cathechism of the Catholic church.
Use keyphrases/words
only.
1. Compare and contrast the idea of the Marcelo H. Del Pilar’s Dasalan at Tocsohan to the real
Cathechism of the Catholic church.
2. Compare and contrast the Philippine setting before and after the arrival of Spaniards in the
Philippines.
Source:https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/xavier-university-ateneo-de-cagayan/
accountancy/478423405-hist-1-readings-in-philippine-history-module-pdf/17975621