GEN 004: Readings in Philippine History | Semester 1, Period 1

LESSON 1: Why Study the Kasaysayan – mga salaysay na may

saysay; story of our past that has a
Past: History as Our Lens
meaning
for the Future
Ambeth Ocampo – historian who said
learning history is about making sense
Learning History
of those facts; two meanings of
History – study or record of past
saysay cannot be separated if we
events; a story of the past
really want to learn history
Story – historia (Spanish), histoire
Historical Sources
(French), gesichte (German)
- materials used to understand
Zeus Salazar – historian who said the
historical events
word “kasaysayan” is rooted in the
- credible sources of history
word “saysay”
Primary Sources
Saysay
- created or written by people who
- first meaning: story or salaysay
were direct participants or
- narrative about past events
eyewitnesses to the historical
- composed of facts and details
event being studied
that we often memorize during
- materials that were created during
classes
that historical period
- comprised of names of heroes,
- examples: archival accounts,
significant historical places,
artifacts, letters, diaries,
important historical events
government records, photos and
- second meaning: meaning,
videos, newspaper, articles, oral
relevance, or significance
history
- wisdom and lessons we can
- materials represent original
extract from historical facts and
perspective or information about
details about history
the period being examined
- analyze history to understand its
relevance and meaning to society

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GEN 004: Readings in Philippine History | Semester 1, Period 1

Secondary Sources
- materials created by an author
using primary sources or other
secondary sources
- examples: scholarly articles, history
books, written analysis by historians
- made by individuals not directly
involved in the event being
examined
Historical Distortion – changing
historical facts to suit personal or
political interests
Historical Revisionism - revisiting the
sources of a historical record or period
with a different perspective or new
data that could alter how we see it
Misinformation – false or inaccurate
information that is mistakenly or
inadvertently created or spread
Disinformation – false information that
is deliberately created and spread in
order to influence public opinion or
obscure the truth
In looking information online, make
sure to:
- check the source
- verify the facts
- read more

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GEN 004: Readings in Philippine History | Semester 1, Period 1
LESSON 2: The Pre-
Colonial Way of Living:
Philippine Peopling
Theories
Prehistoric Period
- Magellan arrived in 1521
- the archipelago (Philippines) was
already inhabited by human
settlements
Evidences of Ancestors
- in 2018, archeologists discovered a
fossil of a butchered rhinoceros
and tools in Kalinga province;
recovered 700,000 years old
- discovery of long toe bone from
new human species found in 2010
in Callao Cave Cagayan; dated
67,000 years old; came from
human species homo luzonensis
- fossil predates human remains
recovered in 1962 and 2004 from
Tabon Cave, Palawan; remains
belonged to homo sapiens, the
modern humans
Peopling Theories
First strand – first inhabitants of
Philippines were indigenous people
William Meacham – believed there
are already people living in
Philippines and entire Southeast Asia
called Austronesians; they developed
culture and language
Bennet Bronson and F. Landa Jocano
– believed the claims of Meacham
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but did not emphasize on the
connection between people due to
lack of evidence
Second strand – first inhabitants came
from outside regions
H. Otley Beyer – believed people
living in the Philippines came from
different homelands and arrived
through waves of migration
Waves of Migration Theory
- Indonesians A (seafaring and
stone tool-using
- Indonesians B (bark cloth-wearing)
- Proto-Malays (terrace building)
from Central Asia
- Deutero-Malays from insular
Indonesia
- one of the most popular theories
on peopling in the Philippines
- already been debunked by
historians due to lack of evidence
Wilhelm G. Solheim II – claimed
Austronesians from the edges of the
Celebes Sea dispersed throughout
the region
Peter Bellwood – argued that
Austronesians came from southern
portion of China
Human History of the Philippines
Denisovans – ancient human species
inhabited the archipelago;
interacted and interbred with modern
humans who came from Africa 40,000
to 50,000 years ago; proof of their
presence is in the DNA of an
indigenous group in Bataan
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GEN 004: Readings in Philippine History | Semester 1, Period 1
Ayta Magbukon – indigenous group
possessing the highest level of
Denisovan ancestry in the world
Negritos – first modern humans who
arrived, came in two waves: Northern
Negritos of Luzon, Southern Negritos of
Mindanao
Manobo-related people – entered
Mindanao 15,000 years ago
Sama-related people – entered
12,000 years ago
Cordilleran-related groups – from
Formosa and southern China, arrived
7,000 to 10,000 years ago
Interaction of these people for
thousands of years resulted to
interbreeding which contributed to
the generic makeup of present-day
Filipinos
Austronesians
- scattered from maritime Southeast
Asia, Oceania, New Zealand,
islands of Pacific Ocean,
Madagascar island west of Africa
- expert maritime navigators,
widespread presence in Pacific
and Southeast Asia
- their culture is also apparent to our
culture today, example is similarity
of words
- all languages in Philippines belong
to Austronesian group of
languages
- house: bahay in Tagalog, balay in
Visayan and Bahasa (Indonesia),
bale in Pampango
- similarities on construction of
houses: large roofing, windows,
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elevated from the ground;
commonly called bahay kubo
- usage of rice terracing for farming
and jar burials and boat coffins for
burial
Indigenous Peoples – communities
who already lived in a specific territory
even before the arrival of colonizers,
have been able to guard their ethnic
identity and culture from outside
influence
Indigenous people in our country:
- Lumads of Mindanao (more than
eighteen non-Muslim ethnic group
- Peoples of the Cordillera (more
than ten ethnic group in Cordillera
Administrative Region)
- scattered peoples of the
mountainous area of the
archipelago (Aetas, Negritos,
Mangyans in Mindoro Island)
Facts
There were already people living in
the archipelago before the arrival of
Spaniards (Magellan and his crew).
Ferdinand Magellan and his men did
not discover the Philippines, they
rediscovered it.
Spaniards reached the Philippines
through sailing in the sea.
There are several theories that
explain how people inhabited the
archipelago (peopling theory).
The first modern humans who arrived
in the country were the Negritos.
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GEN 004: Readings in Philippine History | Semester 1, Period 1

Denisovan DNA was found in the

Filipino indigenous group Ayta
Magbukon, which entails the strong
potential presence of Denisovans in
the country before the arrival of
modern humans from Africa.
Recent studies debunked the earlier
theories raised by experts on
peopling in the Philippines.
There are two major strands of
peopling theories: (1) first inhabitants
of the Philippines were the
indigenous people, (2) first
inhabitants of the Philippines came
from outside regions.
Magellan and his crew were not the
first inhabitants of the Philippines.
The famous “wave of migration
theory” has already been debunked
by historians.
The homo luzonensis is considered as
new human species.
Archeological discoveries of
prehistoric fossils and tools in the
Philippines prove the existence of
human activity and presence in the
country even before the arrival of
the Spaniards.
Filipinos and our regional neighbors
do not have Australian heritage. We
have Austronesian heritage.
Peopling theories are competing
theories that attempt to explain how
our ancestors started to populate the
archipelago.

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GEN 004: Readings in Philippine History | Semester 1, Period 1
LESSON 3: The Pre-
Colonial Way of Living:
Its Structure and Way of
Living
Barangay
- people themselves living together
in a community
- haop or dolohan in Visayan
communities
- from the word balangay, referred
to boat that transport inhabitants
to their settlements
- composed of thirty to a hundred
households
- inhabitants were closely related by
blood
- headed by datu or chieftain
- independent, no central
government
- formed alliances with nearby
barangays or bigger political
entities such as chiefdom in Borneo
- in some areas, barangays live
together to form a larger
community; datus form council to
unify decisions
- in networks or alliances, datus
were led by more economically
powerful datu (pangulo,
kaponoan, rajah, lakan)
- located on seacoasts or banks of
rivers and lakes, main means of
transportation were boats
Datu
- protect the barangay and
promote welfare and interest
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- had executive, legislative, and
judicial powers
- role was to govern the barangay
- had a staff to assist him
- receive respect, labor, and tributes
from his people
- not considered as “kings”
- powers were checked by the
customs and laws of the barangay
- can also be replaced by a better
and stronger datu who can
protect the barangay better
Nobles
- datu and his relatives who belong
to the noble lineage
- also called datu in Visayas, called
maginoo in Tagalog communities
- ruling class of the barangay who
wielded vast influence
- guarded their lineage by making
sure they only marry those who
belong to their rank
- limited number of heirs through
birth control, kept daughters and
sons secluded
Freemen
- timawa or maharlika
- offspring of inherently free people
- descendants of mixed marriage of
nobles and commoners
- dependents who earned freedom
- personal followers of datu
- help datu in activities that involve
the welfare of barangay
(agricultural labor of houses,
fighting wars)
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GEN 004: Readings in Philippine History | Semester 1, Period 1
Dependents
- people who were not able to pay
their debts, cannot pay legal fines,
captured in battle, born to
dependent parents
- oripun in Visayan communities,
alipin in Tagalog communities
- served the members of barangay,
give labor or service as payment
for freedom
Facts
Before the arrival of Spaniards, the
archipelago was composed of
several communities called
barangay.
Barangays within the archipelago are
independent.
A barangay was headed by a datu.
A datu had executive, legislative, and
judicial powers. He is not equivalent to
“king”.
The nobles are relatives of the datu
and comprise the ruling class of the
barangay.
The freemen were followers of the
datu who were tasked to assist him in
governing the barangay.
The dependents were generally
composed of people who were not
able to pay their debts or fines.
The social stratification during pre-
colonial Philippines was not strict.
Barangays were located on
seacoasts or banks of rivers and lakes.
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The main means of transportation
were boat. Road systems only started
to exist during the Spanish period.
There was rich maritime trading
between barangays and other major
communities within Southeast Asia.
Houses during the pre-colonial period
were elevated off the ground.
Laws of barangay were either
customary or written.
Customary laws composed the
majority of laws in a barangay.
Before the arrival of Spaniards,
women were considered by the
barangay as equal to men.
Women had an active role in the
affairs of the barangay. They could
own and inherit property, take an
active role in trading and industries,
and succeed as datu in absence of
male heir.
Pre-colonial people had a sense of
fashion which varied according to
social standing, current fashion
trends, and occasion.
For males upper part is kanggan,
collarless jacket with short sleeves and
lower part is bahag, strip of cloth
wrapped in waist. They also wear
headgears called putong.
The datu wore red kanggan, while
those below him wore blue or black.
A red putong entailed manliness or
bravery.
For women, upper part is baro or
camisa, a jacket with sleeves and
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GEN 004: Readings in Philippine History | Semester 1, Period 1

lower part is saya, a tapis/long cloth

wrapped aroung waist.
Walking bare-chested to expose
tattoos was a symbol of masculinity.
Since gold was abundant, people
filled their bodies with golden
ornaments and jewelries.
Tattooing was a common practice. It
was a symbol of beauty. It served as
a proof of bravery and skill in battle for
men.
Tattoos were only seen on the
residents from Visayans, which was
why the Spaniards called them
pintados.
There were no slippers or shoes during
the pre-colonial period. They all
walked barefooted.
Pre-colonial people believed in
polytheism, they had more than one
god to worship to, considered
Bathala as the supreme deity.
Babaylans were considered as
religious or spiritual leaders. They were
of either sex but usually women from
wealthy families.
Male transvestites (crossdressers)
could also be a babaylan.

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GEN 004: Readings in Philippine History | Semester 1, Period 1
LESSON 4: Transition
Towards Colonization:
Contextualizing the
Arrival of the Spaniards
Age of Exploration/Discovery
The 15th through early 17th century
was characterized by growing
European exploration of the world.
Age of Exploration or Age of
Discovery was a period in time which
European states explored the
unknown world in search for territory
and wealth.
There was an increasing
sophistication of maritime travel
technology.
Portugal and Spain were the top
competing states during this period.
England and Netherlands were
explorers too.
The unknown territories located by the
Europeans were called the New
World.
The exploration sparked European
colonialism which oppressed the
native population of the areas they
explored.
To sustain economic development,
European countries had to engage in
trading with other territories.
Spices (pepper, cloves, ginger,
cinnamon, nutmeg) were highly in
demand in Europe because: (1)
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spices enhanced the bland taste of
food and (2) preserved meat in
absence of refrigeration.
Spices could be used to buy land and
pay taxes. Spices were abundant in
Asia.
Participation in the spice trading
entailed possibility of huge profits for
European countries.
European countries were motivated
to explore because of profit, power,
and religion.
European states used Christianity as a
reason to invade other territories,
although they really want to
economically enrich their kingdoms.
Spain and Portugal were champions
of Catholic Church in spreading
Christianity.
There were explorers commissioned
by European states to explore the
“unknown territories to search for
trading routes, spices, wealth, and
new territories.
European Explorers
Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) –
Italian explorer and navigator,
completed four voyages across the
Atlantic Ocean (1492, 1493, 1498,
1502) sponsored by Catholic
Monarchs of Spain, having
widespread European exploration
and colonization of the Americas
Pedro Alvares Cabral (1467-1520) –
Portuguese navigator, first European
to reach Brazil (April 22, 1500)
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GEN 004: Readings in Philippine History | Semester 1, Period 1

Francisco Pizarro (1478-1541) – had - arrived on Homonhon Island in

expeditions that led to the Spanish Guinan, Eastern Samar: March 17,
conquest of Peru 1521
- Enrique of Malacca was
John Cabot (1450-1499) – sailed from
Magellan’s slave who understood
Bristol in 1497 and discovered
the local language
Newfoundland and Cape Breton
- went to Sugbu (Cebu) on April 7,
Island on the North American coast
1521
Bartolomeu Dias (1450-1500) – - befriended ruler of Cebu, Rajah
Portuguese explorer, first to reach Humabon, promised him to be
Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, Spain’s representative, converted
first European mariner to round the them to Christianity
southern trip of Africa, opening the - attacked Mactan Island
way for a sea route from Europe to (Lapulapu is the datu)
Asia (1488) - died in the Battle of Mactan
Vasco da Gama (1460-1524) – The remaining crew of Magellan
Portuguese explorer, first European to reached Spice Islands.
reach India by sea
On September 22, 1522, three years
Prince Henry the Navigator (1394- after the expedition left Spain, only 18
1460) – financially supported of 253 crew survived and reached
Portuguese explorations Spain.

Ferdinand Magellan Philippine Expeditions

- Portuguese explorer considered as Saavedra Expedition (1527-1529)
the first one to circumnavigate the
Villalobos Expedition (1541-1546) – in
globe
1542, named Leyte and Samar
- theorized that there was a possible
“Filipinas” in honor of Spain’s prince,
route to the East, specifically the
Philip II: basis to call the archipelago
Spice Islands (Maluku Islands or
“Las Islas Filipinas”, later called
Moluccas, currently part of
“Philippines
Indonesia) by sailing westwards
from Europe Legazpi Expedition (1564) – Spaniards
- supported by the king of Spain to successfully occupied the
sail, with five old ships and 235 men archipelago
- left Spain on September 20, 1519
Reasons why Legazpi Easily
- sailed through Pacific ocean
Conquered the Philippines
(largest ocean in the world)
without seeing land for about 90 Lack of unity
days
Since there was no unified
government in the Philippines during

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GEN 004: Readings in Philippine History | Semester 1, Period 1

that time, it was only composed of

several fragmented barangays,
which were separated by numberless
bodies of water. Because of this lack
of unity, it was impossible for the local
population to resist or fight the well-
trained and well-equipped invading
Spanish forces.
Divide and Conquer
Since each barangay was
independent, there was no idea of
national consciousness. In short,
people living in barangays had no
idea that all inhabitants within the
archipelago belonged to one group
of people. This was used by the
Spaniards to their advantage. They
allied themselves with some datus
and tasked these datus to help them
defeat other barangays. Those who
will help the Spaniards were
rewarded. This strategy is commonly
called as divide-and-conquer
strategy.
Sword and Cross
Aside from violence, Spaniards also
used religion in the colonization
process. Given the sophistication of
their religion, a lot of natives,
especially the datus, decided to
convert to Christianity. With them
already baptized as Christians, it led
them not to resist anymore and
instead embrace the Spanish invasion
in the archipelago.

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GEN 004: Readings in Philippine History | Semester 1, Period 1
LESSON 5: Understanding
Colonization: Spanish
Occupation
Institutional Changes during Spanish
Colonization
Reduccion
- resettlement system for native
population
- people from different barangays
were placed in chosen areas
- center of areas was called
poblacion, serves as the major
population center of area; church
and government offices located
- barrios and sitios surrounded
poblacion
- placed all people within area
where Spaniards can easily control
and rule them
- facilitated the collection of tax
easier for the Spaniards
- Filipinos who did not follow this
system fled to countryside, fearing
for their lives since they were
branded as tulisanes or bandits by
colonial government
barrio – cabeza de barangay
municipality – alcalde mayor
province – gobernadorcillo
Government Structure
- taxation was imposed, consisting
of direct and indirect taxes
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- direct taxes was buwis (tribute),
may be paid in cash or in kind,
partly or wholely, in form of local
produce (rice, tobacco, chicken)
- in 1570s, tribute was fixed at eight
reales or in kind (gold, blankets,
cotton, rice, bells)
- collection of buwis had been
associated with rampant cruelty
- collection of buwis was not
justifiable to people, they often
defied authorities and refuses to
pay
- collectors sent soldiers to collect
buwis by force
- those who cannot pay were
tortured or imprisoned
- some fled to countryside, having
their house looted or burned down
as punishment
- collectors exploited system to
increase their profits
- another tax collected was
bandala, the annual enforced
sale or requisitioning of goods (rice,
coconut oil)
- bandala essentially meant
confiscation
Polo y Servicio
- similar to a forced labor system
- men between 16-60, except
chieftains and their eldest sons
were required to serve for 40 days
each year in the labor pool
- drafted men or polistas were
obligated to give personal services
to projects (construction of
infrastructure, church construction,
cutting logs)
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GEN 004: Readings in Philippine History | Semester 1, Period 1

- resulted in the ruin of communities - top administrative posts in Spanish

men left behind colonial government were
- polistas were seldom paid, villages reserved for them
were forced to provide them rice - looked down with disdain on the
- drafting of polistas also coincided group below them, the insulares
with planting and harvesting - believed that people who were
seasons, caused shortage of born in Spain were more
workforce in communities, resulted prestigious and superior compared
to abandonment of rice fields, to those born in the Philippines
many people died in hunger
Insulares
Encomiendas
- full-blooded Spandiards but born
- parcels of land given by king of in the Philippines
Spain to people who helped - originally called espanoles filipinos
conquering the territory or simple Filipinos
- lands were given to encomendero
(usually soldiers, administrative Mestizos
officials, priests)
- born from foreign or native parents
- encomenderos never fulfilled their
- example is a Spanish father and
roles, they used the land to enrich
native mother, or vice versa
themselves
- people residing within the land of Principalias
encomenderos were subjected to
extreme levels of oppression, they - descendants of nobles during pre-
basically acted as servants of colonial period who allied
encomendero, unnecessary taxes themselves with Spain
were extracted from them - datus and their descendants were
given lands, positions, and wealth
Change in Social Standing - able to preserve their prestige in
their locality despite being under
- Spaniards were at the top
the Spaniards
- natives were at the bottom
Indios
Peninsulares
- full-blooded natives or inhabitants
- full-blooded Spaniards born from
- formerly the freemen or
Spain
dependents
- called peninsulares because Spain
- had no foreign descent or prestige
is located in Iberian Peninsula
in the society
region of Europe

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GEN 004: Readings in Philippine History | Semester 1, Period 1

Sangleys

- had the lowest standing in the

society
- composed of Chinese citizens who
went to Philippines to pursue
trading activities

Frailocracy

- rule of friars or priests

- able to establish themselves as
political figures
- have massive influence in every
aspect of society
- ruled supreme in governmental
matters
- as servants of God, people were
afraid to oppose them even if they
were already abusing their power
- able to accumulate economic
wealth and power through
encomiendas granted to them by
king of Spain
- according to Marcelo H. del Pilar,
friars control all fundamental
forces of society in the Philippines
- they control the educational
system, local inspectors of every
primary school
- control the minds or secretly
influence the people
- control all the municipal, local
authorities and medium of
communication
- execute all the orders of the
central government

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