Notes 1

Peopling of the Philippines (Josh San Pedro)

The peopling of the Philippines can be studied within the disciplines of anthropology,
archaeology, genetics, and linguistics.

In 1970, a skull cap of a man was found in Palawan’s Tabon cave. It is believed that this man
had lived 16,500 years ago.

Recently in Cagayan Valley, at Callano cave, archaeologists found a bone of a man believed to
have existed 26,000 years ago.

Theories of Migration:

H.Otley Beyer – Waves of Migration theory

Philippines was originally inhabited by the Negritos (Austroloids), the earlier batch of
Homo Sapiens from Out-of-Africa theory.
There were three waves:
Malay
Indones A
Indones B

Robert Blust / Lawrence Red – Linguistic theory

Tagalog, Cebuano, Ibanag are much in common with the Austronesians [Bahasa
(Malaysia/Indonesia), Malagsy (Madagascar), Maori (New Zealand), and others (Taiwan). These
are mainly divided into: Formosan and Malayo-Polynesian.

Robert Bellwood – Out of Taiwan theory

From Taiwan to Batanes to the rest of Luzon, then to the West (Indonesia, Malaysia,
Andaman Islands, Madagascar, and to the East (Melanesia, Polynesia, New Zealand, Hawaii, and
Easter Island),
Basis: Material Culture (pottery, fish hooks, and boat designs) and Language.

Jared Diamond – popularized Austronesian theory

He wrote a book, ‘The Express Train to Polynesia.’

William Meacham – unconvinced about Out-of-Taiwan theory but believed on the possibility of
the migration coming from a land between Taiwan, Sumatra, and Tenggara.

Wilhelm Solheim – Nusantao hypothesis

an alternative theory that focused on the maritime nature of the peopling of the
Philippines and Southeast Asia, rather than following a ‘primacy’ of linguistics and agricultural
methods. The cradle or ‘homeland’ of these Austronesian-speaking peoples lay not in Taiwan or
Southern China, but rather, in the area of Celebes Sea, Island South East Asia (ISEA). He
considered that the Nusantao would probably be similar to the indigenous groups like the
Badjao and Samal, who continue to be seafaring in nature.

Conclusion: Not to rely on one source only but to seek what will fit the rest.
‘Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.’

The Early Peopling of the Philippines based on mtDNA. (Arenas et al.)

Colonization of the Philippines happened 60,000 years ago.

The fossil record confirms that our modern humans were in the Philippines at least 40,000–
50,000 years ago. The genus Homo possibly 66,700 years ago.
Negritos – related to the first wave of migration of homo sapiens outside Africa.
Philippines has a relevant role in the Out-of-Taiwan theory that colonize South-east Asia and
Oceania.

Main results of the Research:

1.) Migration in the Philippines occurred with long-distance dispersal and through all north
and south migration routes.
2.) The settlements of the Philippines was rapid and caused by increasing population.
3.) There is evidence that there is early settlement in the Philippines.
4.) The finding supports the Paleolithic expansion of Eurasia. This supports the arrival of
modern humans to Australia crossing water barriers.
5.) Migration routes from both the north and south were used to colonized the Philippines.
6.) Rapid demographic growth was favored by optimal environmental conditions present in
the region at the time of the expansion.

Re-Reading Philippine History: Constantino’s A Past Revisited. (John Schumacher, SJ)

Book: ‘The Philippines: A Past Revisited.’ By Renato Constantino.

Constantino’s view of history as means of liberation for the Filipino people.

His view:
- to re-examine the historical record
- to seek the unifying thread which gives meaning to the national evolution of the
Filipino people.
‘Thread’ – Filipino resistance to the colonial oppression.
‘People’s history’ – struggle of the Filipino masses.

Constantino’s Historical theory and method:

There is a miseducation of the Filipino by the American-created educational system. The
goal of such (mis)education is for the Filipino people’s ‘benevolence to colonial master.’
Constantino’s critique of historians:
Previous historians directed their attentions t ‘great’ men as ‘heroes’.

Framework of analysis – Marxist historical theory.

The material development of society which makes possible the growth of consciousness
in the collective body (institutions, laws, customs, and prejudices) – which makes the
Superstructures.
This history of the Filipino people is a history of economic struggles against oppression.
Revolts that happened through the centuries added a qualitative increase in national
consciousness (qualitative change) that leads to the birth of the Filipino nation.
By studying these struggles, the laws governing the development of consciousness will
be manifest ‘so that guidance will be afforded to the present generation in its move toward a
higher form of struggle for the people's cause’.

Outline of People’s History according to Constantino:

1.) The early resistance of the people to Spanish rule – as BLIND INSTINCTIVE FORCE.
2.) Emergence of class leadership which directed the resistance – helped ARTICULATE
THE ASPIRATIONS OF THE MASSES FOR FREEDOM.
3.) The birth of Filipino people – THE ASPIRATIONS OF THE PEOPLE GRAVE BIRTH TO
REVOLUTION.
4.) The revolution FELL into the hands of the ILUSTRADO elite who COMPROMISE with
the Americans.
5.) RESISTANCE of the people CONTINUED against American miseducation.
6.) New form of resistance:
- Against exploitation of the masses.
- Against elite who are partners of the colonial exploiters.

Schumacher’s Main Critique on Constantino:

1.) Constantino’s book has highly selective sources.
2.) It has employed a determinist historical theory.
3.) It framework is borrowed from Western, non-Filipino tradition.
Schumacher’s:
- To deny the existence of class differentiation is difficult in front of the evidences.
- To say that the producers owned and control the means of production is contrary to the
practice of the debt-peonage in pre-Hispanic society.
- Revolution is not an heir of an earlier rationalistic thinking but simply a blind and abstract
material force flowing through a material body politic.
- There is an abstraction in the ‘people’s’ history of Constantino. It ignores the religious and
cultural developments.
- There is a role of Christianity or role of religion in the forming the ideas and values in the
formation of nationalist tradition.
- Quoting another book, Pasyon at Rebolusyon by Rafael Ileto: there is ‘a dominant role of
popular religious tradition played in motivating and inspiring the revolutionary masses.
- Catholicism became indigenous which impelled them to resist oppression.
Schumacher response on Constantino’s treatment of religious history:
- Missionaries do not come for wealth.
- Wealth may have been used for the material and cultural development of the Filipino
people and support the work of evangelization.
- People are not passive objects acted upon by missionaries but intelligent human
agents.
- There was no attention given to the role of missionaries in developing Philippine
agriculture. They introduce new crops; taught the use of iron plow, etc.

Importance of Constantino’s book according to Schumacher:

1.) It is the first attempt to synthesize the whole history of the Filipino people.
2.) His works have made use of the specialized works that have been written in recent years
both inside and outside the Philippines, many of which often seem to escape the notice
even of reputable historians.
3.) The author has a serious point of view and a coherent historical methodology which he
has attempted to apply consistently.

Important points of Contestation:

Basic point – Constantino has un-acceptably deterministic synthesis built on a rigid framework,
and hence not respecting the complexity of the historical experience of the Filipino people.
1. Far too little attention has been given to the economic factors in the social and
cultural and even religious development of the Filipino people.
2. More attention deserves to be given to the real causes of revolts prior to the
Revolution, and to the popular resistance to the Americans and their Filipino allies
and the methods by which it was quieted.
3. What is needed is to determine why some acted "according to their class interests"
and others did not.