Philippined History: Spaces for Conflict

and Controversies Prelim

3 Philippine History: Spaces for

Conflict and Controversies

CONTENTS
3.1. “One past but many histories”:
controversies and conflicting views
in Philippine history.
a. Site of the First Mass
b. Cavite Mutiny
c. Retraction of Rizal
d. Cry of Balintawak or Pugadlawin

OUTCOMES
LO4.
Demonstrate the ability to use primary
sources that will enable them to argue
in favor or against a particular issue.
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the module, with the use
of various activities, the learning
objectives will be attained by the BCC
1st year students taking up Readings in
Philippine History with 75% success:
1. Students will be able to interpret
historical events using primary
sources.
2. Students will be able to recognize
the multiplicity of interpretation
that can be read from a
historical text.
3. Students will be able to identify
the advantages and disadvantages
of employing critical tools in
interpreting historical events points).
through primary sources.
4. Students will be able
demonstrate ability to argue forobserved
against a particular issue using
primary sources.
Befor
e we jump off towards the key
concepts of module 3, I would like
you to reflect on this quotation
which says, “Study the past if you
would define the future.” –
Confucius. Now, for me to be able
to know if you have read this part
of the module, write this quotation
at the very end of your learning
activity sheets for Readings in
Philippine History only, and have a
corresponding 4-5 sentence
explanation of it below 😊 (Note
that this will be an additional 10
to If you have noticed or have
or from history books, news, or
even from different mass media
platforms nowadays, significant events
in the past always have different
versions, like choices in a multiple-

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 Philippined History: Spaces for Conflict
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choice test, in fact, there are sometimes contextual, and subtext

two sides of the stories and this is when analyses. However, we will have
fakes news proliferation becomes an in-depth discussion only on
rampant, but of course, you are given contextual analysis which will
the freewill on whose narration will you mainly help you on historical
believe in. As eyewitnesses and even endeavor later on.
people who actually took part in the
A contextual analysis is an
significant have contradicting narrations,
analysis of a text (in whatever
which complicates the study of history.
medium, including multi-media)
While many may agree that what counts
that helps us to assess that text
is the event and its contributions to
within the context of its historical
what we are and what we have today,
and cultural setting, and also in
history enthusiasts would continue to
terms of its textuality – or the
seek and demand the exact narration of
qualities that characterize the text
events to finally put to rest these
as a text.
controversies. The emergence of
modern technology has little In addition, based on the
contribution to shed light to these book of Solmerano et. al (2018), a
controversies, it is a must for historians contextual analysis combines
to put to rest on these while the primary features of a formal analysis with
and secondary sources are still
features of “cultural archeology,”
available. or the systematic study of social,
political, economic, philosophical,
Now, I assume that the
religious, and aesthetic conditions
paragraph above poses a problem. You
that were (or can be assumed to
may be wondering as to how can we
have been) in place at the time
know which side of the story is based on
and place when the text was
truth and accuracy or to whom will we
created. While this may sound
believe in? This is the very reason why
complicated, it is in reality
you will be introduced to some key
deceptively simple: it means
concepts in historical research and
“situating” the text within the
methodology which will eventually help
milieu of its times and assessing
you in the long run to re-assess conflicts
the roles of author, readers
and controversies in history.
(intended and actual), and
There are actually three (3) “commentators” (critics, both
data analyses in doing historical professional and otherwise) in the
research namely: content, reception of the text).

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 Philippined History: Spaces for Conflict
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“History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who
we are and why we are.”
Course Discussion
How to use contextual analysis
A contextual analysis can
proceed along many lines,
depending upon how complex one
wishes to make the analysis. But it
generally includes several key
questions:
1. What does the text reveal
about itself as a text?
 Describe (or characterize)
the language (the words, or
vocabulary) and the rhetoric
(how the words are arranged
in order to achieve some
purpose). These are the
primary components of style.
2. What does the text tell us
about its apparent intended
audience(s)?
 What sort of reader does the
author seem to have
envisioned, as demonstrated
by the text language and
rhetoric?
 What sort of qualifications
does the text appear to
require of its intended
reader(s)? How can we tell?
 What sort of readers appear to
be excluded from the text’s
Readings in Philippine History ‖ Endiape, A.A
Prelim
-David McCullough
intended audiences? How can
we tell?
 Is there, perhaps, more than
one intended audience?
3. What seems to have been
the author’s intention?
 Why did the author write this
text? And why did the author
write this text in this particular
way, as opposed to other ways
in which this text might have
been written?
 Remember that any text is the
result of deliberate decisions by
the author. The author has
chosen to write (or paint, or
whatever) with these particular
words and has therefore chosen
not to use other words that she
or he might have used. So, we
need to consider:
-what the author said (the
words that have been
selected).
-what the author did not
say (the words that were
not selected).
- how the author said it (as
opposed to other ways it
might or could have been
said).
4. Can we identify any non-
textual circumstances that
affected the creation and
reception of the text?
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Historical thinking involves the

 Such circumstances include ability to arrive at meaningful and
historical or political events, persuasive understandings of the
economic factors, cultural
past by applying all the other
practices, and intellectual or
aesthetic issues, as well as historical thinking skills, by
the particular circumstances drawing appropriately on ideas
of the author’s own life. from different fields of inquiry or
disciplines and by creatively fusing
Generally, if we talk about
disparate, relevant (and perhaps
interpretation it is defined as the
contradictory) evidence from
act of explaining, reframing, or
primary sources and secondary
otherwise showing your own
works. Additionally, synthesis may
understanding of something. To be
involve applying insights about the
more specific, Historical
past to other historical contexts or
interpretation is the process by
circumstances, including the
which we describe, analyze,
present. These insights (secondary
evaluate, and create an
sources) may come from social
explanation of past events. We
science theories and perspectives
base our interpretation on primary
and/or the writings of other
[firsthand] and secondary
historians (historiography) (“What
[scholarly] historical sources. We
is historical interpretation?” n.d).
analyze the evidence, contexts,
points of view, and frames of Importance of Context in
reference. Yes, it is a complicated Analysis and Interpretation
process, but historical thinking By Grace Fleming, edited by Stacy
improves with practice. Jagodowski
Interpretation might explore January 28, 2019
causality (what made something
happen), processes (revolutions, Historical context is an important
economic depressions), conflicts part of life and literature and
(social class, race, gender), without it, memories, stories, and
historical outcomes (effects of characters have less meaning.
past events), or many more topics
(creative thinking) (“What is But what exactly is historical
historical interpretation?”n.d). context? It’s essentially the details
that surround an occurrence. In
Historical Interpretation more technical terms, historical
requires synthesizing (combining) context refers to the social,
a variety of evidence, primary and religious, economic, and political
secondary (critical thinking).

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conditions that existed during a contemporary sensibilities, might

certain time and place. actually be interpreted in a
completely different manner by
Basically, it’s all the details
considering the era it is from.
of the time and place in which a
Moreover, scholars and educators
situation occurs, and those details
rely on historical context to analyze
are what enable us to interpret and
and interpret works of art,
analyze works or events of the
literature, music, dance, and
past, or even the future, rather
poetry. Architects and builders rely
than merely judge them by
on it when designing new
contemporary standards.
structures and restoring existing
A strong understanding of buildings. Judges may use it to
historical context behind a work’s interpret the law, historians to
creation can give us a better understand the past. Any critical
understanding of and appreciation analysis is required, you may need
for the narrative. In analyzing to consider historical context as
historical events, context can help well. Nonetheless, without
us understand what motivates historical context, we are only
people to behave as they did. seeing a piece of the scene and not
fully understanding the influence of
Put another way, context is the time and place in which a
what gives meaning to the details. situation occurred.
It’s important, however, that you
don’t confuse context with cause. Another view of historical
“Cause” is the action that creates interpretation
an outcome, “context” is the
Interpretations are in
environment in which action and
essence thoughtful efforts to
outcome occurs (Fleming, 2010).
represent and explain past events.
On the other hand, Fleming Interpretations include 3 vital
(2010) had deliberately discussed elements based on (“What is
that “whether dealing with fact or historical interpretation?” adapted
fiction, historical context is from Drew, R., n.d):
important when interpreting
1. Purposeful, thoughtful
behavior and speech. No work of efforts - Interpretations are
literature can be fully appreciated conscious reflections on the past,
or understood without historical not simply irrational spur-of-the-
context. What may seem moment opinions. Take time to
nonsensical or even offensive to apply logic and organization to

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 Philippined History: Spaces for Conflict
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your explanation of the past-not witness to the event. In a deeper

merely emote or react to the sense, taking historical perspective
evidence. means understanding the social,
2.Representations - cultural, intellectual, and emotional
Interpretations are efforts to give settings that shaped people’s lives
an audience an image or and actions in the past.
description of the event/issue
Multiperspectivity – refers to
being focused on. We cannot
multiple subjects’ views on one
recreate the past perfectly, but we
can try to represent faithfully how particular object; in the case of
events transpired by ground our history in education,
version in the historical evidence. multiperspectivity typically
concerns a historical event or
3. Past events - Interpretations
figure.
are the reflections of those of us
studying the past, not of the Additionally, according to
participants in those events. We Stradling (2003) as cited by
refer to the collection Wansink et. al. (2018) defined the
representations of the past done by characteristics of multiperspectivity
historians as historiography. The
as “A way of viewing, and a
views of participants from the past
predisposition to view, historical
constitute our primary sources or
event, personalities, developments,
historical evidence. Without the
cultures, and societies from
process of reflection removed from
the event by time the creator of different perspectives through
the view is inevitably partially drawing on procedures and
influenced by the impact the processes which are fundamental
person/event had on them. to history as a discipline” (p.14)

Another key point in this Based on Candelaria & Alporha

module is the idea of perspective. (2018), Geoffrey Barraclough
The word perspective has a Latin defines history as “the attempt to
discover, on the basis of
root, “perspectus,” meaning “look
fragmentary evidence, the
through” or “perceive.” This
significant things about the past.”
original meaning suggests a
He also notes “the history we
perspective as inherently relative
read, though based on facts, is
to the vantage point of a particular
strictly speaking, not factual at all,
viewer (i.e., subject). However,
but a series of accepted
according to Torres (2018),
judgements.”
Perspective refers to the point of
view of the said writer who was a

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Further, as written by Torres
(2018), historical sources are
written by various authors with
different perspectives. More to the
point, on the account of
Candelaria & Alporha (2018), this
means that there is multitude of
ways by which we can view the
world, and each could be equally
valid, and at the same time,
equally partial as well. Historical
writing is, by definition, biased,
partial, and contains
preconceptions. The historian
decides on what sources to use,
what interpretation to make more
apparent, depending on what his
end is.
Though historical sources are
important in the writing of history,
the historian is careful in using
these sources as the writer may
be biased or prejudiced on the
subject, he/she is discussing.
The judgments of historians on
how the past should be seen make
the foundation of historical
interpretation. Interpretations of
the past, therefore, vary according
to who reads the primary
source, when it was read, and how
it was read. Moreover,
interpretations of historical events
change over time; thus, it is an
important skill to track changes in
an attempt to understand the past.
Readings in Philippine History ‖ Endiape, A.A
Prelim
“Sa Aking Mga Kabata” is a
poem purportedly written by Jose
Rizal when he was eight years old
and is probably one of Rizal’s most
prominent works. There is no
evidence to support the claim that
this poem, with the now
immortalized lines “Ang hindi
magmahal sa kanyang
salita/mahigit sa hayop at
malansang isda” was written by
Rizal, and worse, the evidence
against Rizal’s authorship of the
poem seems all unquestionable.
There exists no manuscript of
the poem handwritten by Rizal.
The poem was first published in
1906, in a book by Hermenegildo
Cruz. Cruz said he received the
poem from Gabriel Beato
Francisco, who claimed to have
received it in 1881 from Rizal’s
close friend, Saturnino Raselis.
Rizal never mentioned of having a
close friend by the person of
Raselis.
Further criticism of the poem
reveals more about the wrongful
attribution of the poem Rizal. The
poem was written in Tagalog and
referred to word “kalayaan”. But it
was documented in Rizal’s letters
that he first encountered the word
through a Marcelo H. del Pilar’s
translation of Rizal’s essay “El
Amor Patrio,” where it was spelled
as “kalayahan.”
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While Rizal’s native tongue was The three (3) case studies to be
Tagalog, he was educated in re-examined:
Spanish, starting from his
Case Study 1: Where did the 1st
mother, Teodora Alonso. Later
Catholic Mass Take Place
on, he would express
in the Philippines?
disappointment in his difficulty in
expressing himself in his native Case Study 2: Did Rizal
tongue. retract?
The poem’s spelling is also Case Study 3: Where did
suspect-the use of letters “k” and the Cry of
“w” to replace “c” and “u,” Rebellion
respectively was suggested by Happen?
Rizal as an adult. If the poem was
indeed written during his time, it Case Study 1: Where did the 1st
should use the original Spanish Catholic Mass take place in the
orthography that was prevalent in Philippines?
his time.
 Butuan or Limasawa? (The site
Many of the things we accept of the first mass in the
as “true” about the past might Philippines: A Re-examination of
not be the case anymore; just Evidence)
because these were taught to us
There is a controversy
“facts” when we were younger
regarding the site of the first
does not mean that it is set in
mass ever celebrated on
stone-history is, after all, a
construct. And as a construct, it
is open for interpretation. There
might be conflicting and
competing accounts of the past

that need one’s attention

and can impact the way we view
our country’s history, and
identity. It is important, Philippine soil. Pigafetta tells us
therefore, to subject evaluation that it was held on Easter
not only in primary source, but Sunday, the 31’ of March 1521,
also the historical interpretation on island called “Mazaua.” Two
is reliable to support our native chieftains were in
acceptance of events of the past. attendance, the rajah of Mazaua

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 Philippined History: Spaces for Conflict
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and the rajah of Butuan. After the
Mass the party went up a little hill
and planted a wooden cross upon
its summit. The subject of
controversy is the identity of this
place which Pigafetta calls
“Mazaua.” There are two
conflicting claims as to its
identity: one school of thought
points to the little island south of
Leyte which in the maps is called
Limasawa; the other school
rejects that claim and points
instead to the beach called Masao
at the mouth of Agusan River in
northern Mindanao, near what
was then the village (now the city
of Butuan).
In this paper we shall try to
reexamine and reassess the
evidence for these two claims.
Based on Candelaria & Agusan or somewhere else. In this
Alporha (2018), it must be noted
that there are only two primary
sources that historians refer to an
identifying the site of the first
Mass. One is the log kept by
Francisco Albo, a pilot of one-off
Magellan’s ship, Trinidad. He was
one of the 18 survivors who
returned with Sebastian Elcano on
the ship Victoria after they
circumnavigated the world. The
other, and the more complete, was
the account of Antonio Pigafetta,
Primo viaggio intorno al mondo
(First Voyage around the World).
Readings in Philippine History ‖ Endiape, A.A
Prelim
Pigafetta, like Albo, was a member
of the Magellan expedition and an
eyewitness of the events,
particularly, of the first Mass.
According to Pigafetta, the
first Mass was celebrated on March
31, 1521, an Easter Sunday.
Pigafetta referred to the venue as
“Mazaua.” Some say that the
venue is the island of Limasawa
in Leyte. Others, however, claim
that Pigafetta was referring to
Masao the community at the
Source: Google. A portrait of the
First Easter Sunday Mass in the
Philippines
mouth of Agusan River adjacent to
what is now the city of Butuan.
Nearing 500 years since the first
Mass, debates continue whether it
was held on Limasawa Island, in
module we shall try to re-examine
and reassess the evidence for
these two claims. And we shall
begin with Butuan tradition.
Further, based on the re-
examination of evidence by
Bernard (2002), there is a
controversy regarding the site of
the first Mass ever celebrated on
Philippine soil. Pigafetta tells us
that it was held on Easter Sunday,
the 31st of March 1521, on an
island called “Masaua.” Two native
chieftains were in attendance: the
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rajah of Mazaua and the Rajah of an inscription which might be

Butuan. After the Mass the party translated as follows:
went up a little hill and planted a
To the Immortal Magellan: The
wooden cross upon its summit. The
People of Butuan with their Parish
subject of controversy is the
Priest and the Spaniards resident
identity of this place which
therein, to commemorate his
Pigafetta calls “Mazaua.” There are
arrival and the celebration of the
two conflicting claims as to its
First Mass on this site on the 8 th of
identity: one school of thought
April 1521. Erected in 1872, under
points to the little island south of
the District Governor Jose Ma.
Leyte which in the maps is called
Carvallo.
Limasawa; the other school rejects
that claim and points instead to the Supporting evidence based on
beach called Masao at the mouth of Arevalo et al. (2019):
Agusan River in Northern
Mindanao, near what was then the  It was mentioned that the
village (now the city) of Butuan. king came to their ship in a
balanghai. Butuan is now the
I. The Butuan Tradition site of at least nine
excavated balanghai (boat)
This account is also based on relics; by contrast, Limasawa
the comprehensive examination of has no significant
evidence made by the Jesuit Priest archeological relics or
Bernard, M. (2002), Butuan claim balanghai tradition.
rests upon a tradition that was  The distance to Cebu from
almost unanimous and unbroken Mazaua according to
for three centuries, namely 17th, Pigafetta was 35 leagues
the 18th, and the 19th. On the [140 miles]. The distance
strength of that tradition and from Limasawa to Cebu is
embodying it, a monument was only 80 miles.
erected in 1872 near the mouth of  Abundance of gold in the
the Agusan River at a spot that Agusan Valley.
 Butuan to pursue claim it
was then within the municipal
was site of First Mass in RP
boundaries of Butuan, but which
485 years ago. Local
today belongs to the separate
executives and church
municipality of Magallanes named officials as well as historians
after Ferdinand Magellan. The refilling of petition to
monument was a brick pillar on National Historical Institute
which a marble slab that contained (NHI) asserting that Butuan
City, particularly Mazzaua

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 Philippined History: Spaces for Conflict
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island (Barangay
Pinamangculan) was the
official site of the first mass
on Easter Sunday in 1521.
 Historian Gregorio Zaide,
who originally supported the
Limasawa claim, also
claimed that “It is high time
for contemporary historians
and the Philippine
government to correct their
mistake and accept that the
first Christian mass was
celebrated in Masao, Butuan,
Agusan del Norte and not in
Limasawa, Leyte, on Easter
Sunday, March 31, 1521.”
The 17th Century
The Butuan tradition was
already in possession by the
middle of the 17th century: so
much so that it was accepted
without question by two Jesuit
historians who otherwise were
quite careful of their facts. Here is
Father Francisco Collin’s account of
Magellan’s arrival and of the first
Mass:
At the end of three months
and twelve days during which they
traversed 4, 000 leagues, having
crossed the Equator a second
times, they climbed up to 15
degrees North latitude where they
came upon two islands which they
named Las Velas (the Sails). At 12
degrees North they came upon the
Ladrones Islands. A few days later
Readings in Philippine History ‖ Endiape, A.A
Prelim
they saw the island of Ibabao
(Samar) in this Archipelago. But
the first island they touched at was
Humunu, a small uninhabited
Island near Guiuan Point…. To that
and other islets they gave the
name of Buenas Senas [Good
Omens] but to the entire
Archipelago they gave the name
San Lazaro, being the Saturday of
Saint Lazarus’ Sunday in Lent of
the year 1521.
On Easter Day, in the
territory of Butuan, the first Mass
ever offered in these parts was
celebrated and a cross planted.
Magellan then took formal
possession of the islands in the
name of the emperor and of the
Crown of Castille.
The man who gave the most signal
service to our men was the chief of
Dimasaua, relative of the chief of
Butuan and of that of Zebu, whither
he led the armada, which entered
the harbour at noon on the 7 th of
April, the Octave of Easter.
Collin had obviously read
some authentic accounts of
Magellan’s voyage, for his
narration is accurate up to the
landing in Homonhon. (He spells it
Humunu, as does Pigafetta.) After
that, Collin’s account becomes
vague, he abruptly brings Magellan
to Butuan without explaining how
he got there. Then he brings him
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to Limasawa (which he misspells
Dimasaua), and from there the
account becomes again accurate
and detailed. The important thing
in Collin’s account as far as our
present purpose is concerned, is
the fact that he represents the first
Mass, as well as the solemn
planting of the cross and the
formal taking possession of the
Islands in the name of the Crown
of Castile, as having taken place at
Butuan on Easter Sunday of 1521.
The other Jesuit writer of the
mid-17th century was Father
Francisco Combes S.J. (1620-
1665) who, like Colin, had lived
and worked as a missionary in the
Philippines, and whose Historia de
Mindanao y Jolo was also reissued
230 years afterwards in a having them do reverence to the
handsome edition edited by
Wenceslao Retana assisted by
Father Pastells. In his account of
Magellan’s Voyage, Combes gives a
somewhat different version of the
route taken by the Discover. Here
is the account:
The first time that the royal
standards of the Faith were seen to
fly in this island (of Mindanao) was
when the archipelago was first
discovered by the Admiral Alonso
(sic) de Magallanes. He followed a
new and difficult route (across the
Pacific), entering by the Strait of
Siargao, formed by the island and
that of Leyte, and landing at the
Readings in Philippine History ‖ Endiape, A.A
Prelim
Island of Limasaua which is at the
entrance of that strait. Amazed by
the novelty and strangeness of the
(Spanish) nation and the ships, the
barbarians of that island welcomed
them and gave them good
refreshments.
While at Limasaua, enjoying
rest and good treatment, they
heard of the River of Butuan,
whose chieftain was more
powerful. His reputation attracted
our men thither to see for
themselves or be disillusioned,
their curiosity sharpened by the
fact that the place was nearby. The
barbarian (chief) lived up to our
men’s expectations, providing
them with the food they needed….
Magellan contented himself with
cross which is erected upon a
hillock as a sign to future
generations of their alliance…the
solemnity with which the cross was
erected and the deep piety shown
by the Spaniards, and by the
natives following the example of
the Spaniards, engendered great
respect for the cross.
Not finding in Butuan the
facilities required by the ships,
they returned to Limasaua to seek
further advice in planning their
future route. The Prince of
Limasaua told them of the three
most powerful nations among the
Pintados (Visayans), namely those
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of Caraga, Samar, and Zebu. The Cebu. Combes, on the other had
nearness of Zebu, the facilities of mentions two visits to Limasawa:
its port and the more developed in his version, Magellan visits
social structure (being more Limasawa first: from there he goes
monarchical) aroused everyone’s to Butuan; then he returns to
desire to go thither. Thus, guided Limasawa and thence to Cebu.
by the chief of Limasaua, passing
Both Colin and Combes
between Bool and Leyte and close
agree that it was from Limasawa
to the Camotes Islands, they
and with the help of Limasawa’s
entered the harbour of Cebu by the
chieftain that the Magellan
Mandawe entrance on the 7th of
expedition went to Cebu. Both
April 1521, having departed from
Colin and Combes also agree that
Limasaua on the first day of the
Magellan arrived in Cebu on the 7 th
month.
of April 1521: that is to say, on the
For our present purpose, the Octave of Easter, or one week after
main point in that account is that the first Mass which – in this
Magellan landed at Butuan and tradition – was supposed to have
there planted the cross in a solemn been celebrated at Butuan.
ceremony. Combes does not
Both Colin and Combes
mention the first Mass. What he
agree were to exercise a strong
mentions are the two other events
influence over subsequent writers.
which, from Pigafetta;s account,
An example of the quick and wide
had occurred on the same day as
diffusion of Colin’s influence is the
the first Mass, namely planting of
following. In 1698 (thirty-five
the cross and the formal claiming
years after Colin’s work had
of the archipelago on behalf of the
appeared in Madrid) there issued
Castilian Crown. These events,
from the press in Naples in a multi-
says Combes, took place at
volume work (subsequently
Butuan.
reprinted several times in several
Comparison of Colin and places) entitled Giro del Mondo (A
Combes accounts: Voyage Around the World). It was
written by the Calabrian, Giovanni
It is to be noted that both
Francesco Gemelli Careri, who had
Colin and Combes picture Magellan
visited many places, including the
as visiting both Butuan and
Philippines. Of the first Mass on the
Limasawa. In Colin’s account,
Philippines soil, he says:
Magellan went first to Butuan, then
to Limasawa and from thence to

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 Philippined History: Spaces for Conflict
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On Whit Sunday the first
Mass was said on the land of
Butuan, a cross erected and
possession taken in the name of
the most invincible Charles 5th.
The lord of Oimasaua (sic)
kinsman of the King of Butuan and
to him of Cebu, was assisting to
Magellan, for he brought the ships
into the port on the 7th of April.
Before Mass was said on Whit
Sunday, the lord and the king of
Cebu were baptized, and by their
means, many men note and
others to the number of 500, and
after dinner the queen with 300
more.
Careri has obviously
confused two distinct events: one
event was the first Mass (which he
places at Butuan); the other event
was the baptism of the rajah of
Cebu. Careri is also confused
regarding dates. Neither event
took place on “Whitsunday”; the
first Mass occurred on Easter
Sunday, the baptism in Cebu took
place two weeks later. But the
important point at the moment is
the fact Careri may have read (or
misread) Colin: note his
misspelling of the word for
Limasawa. Alternatively, Careri
and Colin were using the same
source.
As for Combes, he too is
constantly being quoted by
subsequent writers who either cite
Readings in Philippine History ‖ Endiape, A.A
Prelim
him by name or merely take over
his material without attribution.
One of those who cite him by
name is the 18th century
Augustinian scholar, fray Joaquin
Martinez de Zuniga (1760-1818)
who wrote a history of the
Philippines which was promptly
translated into English, and whose
other work, the Estadismo, we
shall quote below. One of Combes
statements which was repeated
oftenest by subsequent writers was
his remark that the Strait of
Siargao lie “between” that island
and Leyte, and the island of
Limasawa is “at the mouth “or
entrance” of that strait. A glance at
the map will show that the
statement was not altogether
accurate.
The 18th Century
One passage in Colin which
seems to have been
misunderstood, and which may
have misled some later writers,
occurs in an early section of his
book in which he describes the
island of Mindanao:
After that of Manila, the
island of Mindanao is the largest in
size and the best in qualities
among the isands of this Philippine
Archipelago. Upon these two
largest islands, the other islands
depend for protection and security.
Mindanao takes its name from the
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 Philippined History: Spaces for Conflict
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Principal Province or Kingdom in it,
and this is so called from its many
lakes: for danao in the language
most widely used in these islands
means “lake”; whence,
“Maguindanao”, the place and the
dwellers of lakes…
The first Province that faces
the sea from across New Spain
[Mexico] is that of Caraga, which
begins at the Cape of San Agustin
and stretches some fifty leagues to
the point of Surigao in the
northeast; and from there the
coastline stretches westward some
fifteen leagues to the river of
Butuan, noteworthy in the history
of these Islands, not so much for
its gold and other good qualities as
for the fact that it was one of the
first places where the Discoverer,
the Illustrious Hernando de
Magallanes, landed and was
accorded good treatment…
Colin does not say that
Magellan first sighted the Cape of
San Agustin and then sailed
northwards along the Pacific coast
of Mindanao, rounded Surigao
point, and then sailed westward to
Butuan. Indeed, in another place
(as we have seen) he said explicitly
that Magellan entered Philippine
waters farther north, namely, near
Samar, landing first at Homonhon.
But careless readers, seeing
Collin’s description of eastern
Mindanao, coupled with Combes’s
Readings in Philippine History ‖ Endiape, A.A
Prelim
statement that Magellan had
“entered” Philippine waters through
Siargao Strait, jumped to the
conclusion that Magellan must
have come by the southern route
as later explorers did. This mistake
became quite widespread in the
18th and 19th centuries.
One of the major historians
who made this error (and who in
turn influenced later writers) was
the Augustinian fray Juan de la
Concepcion (1724-1787) whose
14-volume History of the
Philippines was published in Manila
shortly after his death. Here is
what fray Juan says about
Magellan’s coming and about the
first Mass in the Islands:
The general left the islands
which he called las Velas Latinas or
the Archipelago of San Lazaro – a
name which they still retain,
although they have also added the
name of Marianas Islands. It is said
that this was the Celebes of
antiquity, although I do not think
this opinion is solidly founded.
They sailed 300 leagues westward,
discovered many islands with
abundant of
The 19th Century
These explanations and
evidence of the excerpt are taken
from the article of Bernard, M.
(2002). Towards the end of the
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 Philippined History: Spaces for Conflict
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18th century and at the beginning
of the 19th, one of the important
writers who accepted the Butuan
tradition was the Augustinian, fray
Joaquin Martinez de Zuňiga (1760-
1818), whose Historia de Filipinas
was published in Sampaloc in
1803. His other work, a description
of his travels around the Islands,
remained in manuscript for nearly
a century, until Retana brought it
out in a two-volume edition in
1893. In this latter work, fray
Joaquin has this to say:
On Easter Sunday of the
year 1521 Magellan was in Butuan.
He ordered the sacrifice of the
Mass to be celebrated ashore, and
he planted a cross on a hillock near
the beach. The natives were
present at these ceremonies, and
they also witnessed the taking of
possession of the land in the name
of the Crown of Castile. These rites
over, Magellan proceeded to Cebu
where they killed him.
By the 19th Century, the
Butuan tradition was taken for
granted, and we find it mentioned
in writer after writer, each copying
from the previous, and being in
turn copied by those who came
after. Among the many who could
be cited as mentioning the first
Mass in Butuan is the English, John
Foreman:
Readings in Philippine History ‖ Endiape, A.A
Prelim
On the 16th of March 1521 the
Ladrones Islands were reached….
After a bloody combat …. the fleet
continued its course westward.
Coasting along the North of the
Island of Mindanao they arrived at
the mouth of Butuan River, where
they were supplied with provisions
by the chief. It was Easter Week on
this shore the first Mass was
celebrated in the Philippines.
Unfortunately, in copying
what previous authors had written,
some subsequent writers copied
not only the essence of the Butuan
tradition but also a good deal of
the erroneous details that were
peripheral to that tradition. The
accumulated errors of three
centuries may be found illustrated
in the work of a Dominican friar,
whose two-volume treatise on the
friars was published at Santo
Tomas in Manila in 1901. Here is
his account of the coming of
Magellan and the first mass:
After many days of good
sailing, he caught sight of the
Marianas Islands which he named
the Archipelago of San Lazaro,
having discovered them on the
Saturday of Passion Sunday (7
March 1521). A little later he came
to Philippine territory where the
Spaniards were well received by
the natives at Punta Guiguan to the
east of Samar; and passing later
through the Strait of Surigao, they
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 Philippined History: Spaces for Conflict
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dropped anchor at Limasagua,
whose chieftain came aboard and
was entertained by Magellan. The
latter, on Easter Sunday,
disembarked at Butuan, a town in
the island of Mindanao, where the
first Mass in the Philippines was
celebrated. He returned to
Limasagua; and learning of the
importance of Cebu, he proceeded
thither; following the coast
between Samar and Leyte and
passing by the Camotes, he arrived
in Cebu on 7 April 1521.
The misstatements in that
short passage are numerous, not
the least of which is the almost
incredible notion that Magellan had
sailed from “Limasagua” (sic) to
Cebu by coasting between Samar
and Leyte! The good friar had not
only checked on original sources:
he had not even bothered to look
at a map!
II. The Shift in Opinion
(Limasawa: The place of the 1st
mass in the Philippines)
How then did the shift in
opinion – from Butuan to Limasawa
come about? How was the Butuan
Readings in Philippine History ‖ Endiape, A.A
Prelim
tradition – so well entrenched for
three centuries – finally dislodged?
Some recent defenders of Butuan
tradition have blamed the shift of
opinion on two Americans, namely
Emma Blair and James Alexander
Robertson, whose 55-volume
collection of documents on the
Philippine Islands was published in
Cleveland from 1903 to 1909. But
the “blame” (if blame it is) does
not rest alone upon Blair and
Robertson. They indeed
contributed enormously to the shift
in opinion but the man initially
responsible for the shift seems to
have been a Spanish Jesuit scholar
- Father Pablo Pastells S.J.A.
The shift in opinion from
Butuan to Limasawa was due to a
rediscovery and a more attentive
study of two primary sources on
the subject: namely, Pigafetta’s
account and Albo’s log. What the
effect of the study was may be
seen in the change in Pastell’s
thinking.
Pastells had collaborated
with Retana in a new edition of
Combes. Retana (as we have seen)
had accepted the Butuan tradition
in his edition of Martinez de Zuňiga
in 1893. In their joint edition of
Combes of 1897, neither Retana
nor Pastells showed any sign of
change of opinion. They accepted
the Butuan tradition as if they were
not aware of any contrary opinion.
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Meanwhile, however, Pastells was how such a well-read scholar and

preparing his own edition of bibliographer like Retana did not
Francisco Colin’s Labor evangelica, seem to take into consideration
which was eventually published in when preparing his editions of
three volumes in Madrid in 1903. Martinez de Zuňiga and of Combes.
While preparing that edition,
How little known Pigafetta’s
Pastells had occasion to restudy
work may be illustrated from the
both Pigafetta and Albo, and it was
experience of Rizal. Rizal
then that he realized that the
apparently had not known of
three-century Butuan tradition had
Pigafetta’s work until he came
been erroneous. Colin, of course
across the Italian text in the British
(as we have seen earlier) had
Museum. To “Plaridel” (Marcelo H.
contributed materially to the
del Pilar) who was in Spain, Rizal
strengthening of that tradition by
wrote from London on 4 February
stating that the first Mass had been
1889:
celebrated at Butuan. To that
statement Pastells appended a See to it that someone there
footnote: should learn Italian, because have
here some manuscripts in Italian in
Magellan did not go to
Italian that deal with the first
Butuan. Rather, from the island of
coming of the Spaniards to the
Limasawa he proceeded directly to
Philippines. They were written by
Cebu. In that island he had
one of Magellan’s companions. As I
dealings with Rajah Siagu, chieftain
have no time to translate them
of Butuan; and this would explain
myself, being busy about many
the author’s [i.e., Colin’s] error.
things, it would be good if one of
See the “Voyage” of Pigafetta and
our countrymen should translate
the diary of Albo, both of whom
the work into Tagalog or Spanish,
were eyewitness.
so that the situation of our people
We have spoken of the in 1520 may become known.
“rediscovery” of Pigafetta’s account Italian is easy to learn. By the Ahn
and of Albo’s log. The word method it can be in one month. I
“rediscovery” is not unwarranted. am now learning Dutch.
Although these works had been
It seems dear from that
published earlier and were
passage that Rizal had not
available in the great libraries, they
previously known of Pigafetta’s
were not well known to many
work and that he took it for
people them with the attention that
they deserved. This may explain

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granted that the other Filipinos in fines del siglo XV, Ed. Martin
Spain knew nothing of it. Fernandez de Navarrete
(reprinted Buenos Aires
You’ve gone reading this far,
1945, 5 Vols.) IV, 191-225.
isn’t it tiring? Now to get your
As cited in Miguel A. Bernard
reward. Write “I can do this”
“Butuan or Limasawa? The
(handwritten only), below your
Site of the First Mass in the
answers on your personal
Philippines: A Reexamination
reflection. This is equivalent to 5
of Evidence” 1981,
points.
Kinaadaman: A Journal of
III. The Evidence for Limasawa Southern Philippines, Vol.
III, 1-35 as cited by
We now come to the Candelaria & Alporha (2018).
evidence in favour of Limasawa.
The evidence may be outlined as 1. On the 16th of March
follows: (1521) as they sailed in a
westerly course from
1. The evidence of Albo’s Ladrones, they saw land
Logbook towards the northwest;
2. The evidence of Pigafetta but owing to many
a)Pigafetta’s testimony shallow places they did
regarding the route. not approach it. They
b) The evidence of found later that its name
Pigafetta’s map.
was Yunagan.
c) The two native
2. They went instead that
kings.
same day southwards to
d) The seven days at
“Mazaua”. another small island
named Suluan, and there
Primary Source: Albo’s Log they anchored. There
they saw some canoes,
Source: Diario o derotero but these fled at the
del viage de Magallanes Spaniards’ approach. This
desde el cabo se S. Agustin island was at 9 and two-
en el Brazil hasta el regreso thirds degrees North
a Espana de la nao Victoria, latitude.
escrito por Frandsco Albo,” 3. Departing from those two
Document no. xxii in islands, they sailed
Collecion de viages y westward to an uninhabited
island of “Gada” where they
descubrimientos que hicieron
took in a supply of wood
por mar los Espanoles desde
and water. The sea around

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Philippined History: Spaces for Conflict
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that island was free from
shallows. (Albo does not
give the latitude of this
island, but from Pigafetta’s
testimony, this seems to be
“Acquada” or Homonhon, at
10 degrees North latitude.)
4. From that island they sailed
westwards towards a large
island names Seilani that
was inhabited and was
known to have gold. (Seilani
– or, as Pigafetta calls it,
“Ceylon” – was the island of
Leyte.)
5. Sailing southwards along
the coast of that large island
of Seilani, they turned
southwest to a small island
called “Mazaua.” That island
is also at a latitude of 9 and
two-thirds degrees north.
6. The people of that island of
Mazaua were very good.
There the Spaniards planted
a cross upon a mountain-
top, and from there they
were shown three islands to
the west and southwest,
where they were told there
was much gold. “They
showed us how the gold was
gathered, which name in
small pieces like peas and
lentils.”
7. From Mazaua they sailed
northwards again
towards Seilani. They
followed the coast of
Seilani in a north-
westerly direction,
ascending up to 10
Readings in Philippine History ‖ Endiape, A.A
Prelim
degrees of latitude where
they saw three small
islands.
8. From there they sailed
westwards some ten
leagues, and there they
saw three islets, where
they dropped anchor for
the night. In the morning
they sailed southwest
some 12 leagues, down
to a latitude of 10 and
one-third degree. There
they entered a channel
between two islands, one
of which was called
“Matan” and other
“Subu”.
9. They sailed down that
channel and then turned
westward and anchored
at the town (la villa) of
Subu where they stayed
many days and obtained
provisions and entered
into a peace-pact with
the local king.
10. The town of Subu was
on an east-west direction
with the islands of
Suluan and Mazaua. But
between Mazaua and
Subu, there were so
many shallows that the
boats could not go
westward directly but
has to go (as they did) in
a round-about way.
It must be noted that in
Albo’s account, the location of
Mazaua fits the location of the
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island of Limasawa, at the
southern tip of Leyte, 9°54’N.
Besides, Albo does not mention the
first Mass, but only the planting of
the cross upon a mountain-top
from which could be seen three
islands to the west and southwest,
which also fits the southern end of
Limasawa.
Primary Source: Pigafetta’s
Testimony on the Route of
Magellan’s Expedition
Source: Emma Blair and
James Alexander Robertson,
the Philippine Islands, Vols.
33 and 34, as cited in Miguel
A. Bernad, “Butuan or
Limasawa? The Site of the
First Mass in the Philippines:
A Reexamination of
Evidence” 1981,
Kinaadaman: A Journal of
Southern Philippines, Vol.
III, 1-35 as cited by
Candelaria & Alporha (2018).
1. Saturday, 16 March 1521 –
Magellan’s expedition sighted
a “high land” named “Zamal”
which was some 300 leagues
westward of Ladrones (now
the Marianas) Islands.
2. Sunday, March 17 – “The
following day” after sighting
Zamal Island, they landed on
“another island which was
uninhabited” and which lay
“to the right” here would
Readings in Philippine History ‖ Endiape, A.A
Prelim
mean on their starboard
going south or southwest.)
There they set up two tents
for the sick members of the
crew and had a sow killed for
them. The name of this
island was “Humunu”
(Homonhon). This island was
located at 10 degrees North
latitude.
3. On that same day (Sunday,
March 17), Magellan named
the entire archipelago the
“Islands of Saint Lazarus,”
the reason being that it was
Sunday in the Lenten season
when the Gospel assigned
for the Mass and liturgical
Office was the eleventh
chapter of St. John, which
tells of the raising of Lazarus
from the dead.
4. Monday, March 18 – In the
afternoon of their second day
on that island, they saw a
boat coming towards them
with nine men in it. An
exchange of gifts was
happened. Magellan asked
for food supplies, and the
men went away, promising
to bring rice and other
supplies in “four days”.
5. There were two springs of
water on that island of
Homonhon, also they saw
there some indications that
there was gold in these
islands. Consequently,
Magellan renamed the island
and called it the “Watering
Place of Good Omen”
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(Acquada la di bouni separate island but is

segnialli). actually on the mainland of
6. Friday, March 22 – At noon Leyte (i.e., “Ceylon”). On the
the natives returned. This other hand, Hibuson
time they were in two boats, (Pigafetta’s Ibusson) is an
and they brought food island east of Leyte’s
supplies. southern tip.
7. Magellan’s expedition stayed
Thus, it is easy to see
eight days at Homonhon:
what Pigafetta meant by
from Sunday, March 17, to
the Monday of the following sailing “toward the west
week, March 25. southwest “past those
8. Monday, March 25 – In the islands. They left Homonhon
afternoon, the expedition sailing westward towards
weighed anchor and left the Leyte, then followed the
island of Homonhon. In the Leyte coast southward,
ecclesiastical calendar, this passing between the island
day (March 25) was the of Hibuson on their portside
feast-day of the Incarnation, and Hinunangan Bay on their
also called the feast of the starboard, and then
Annunciation and therefore continued southward, then
“Our Lady’s Day.” On this
turning westward to
day, as they were about to
“Mazaua.”
weigh anchor, an accident
happened his narrow escape 10. Thursday, March 28 –
from death as grace obtained In the morning of Holy
through the intercession of Thurday, March 28, they
the Blessed Virgin Mary on anchored off an island where
her feast-day. the previous night they had
9. The route taken by the seen a light or a bonfire.
expedition after leaving That island “lies in a latitude
Homonhon was “toward the of nine and two-thirds
west southwest, between towards the Arctic Pole (i.e.,
four islands: namely, North) and in a longitude of
“Cenalo” is a misspelling in one hundred and sixty-two
the Italian manuscript for degrees from the line of
what Pigafetta in his map demarcation. It is twenty-
calls “Ceilon” and Albo calls five leagues from the
“Seilani”: namely the island Acquada and is called
of Leyte. “Hiunanghan” (a Mazaua.”
misspelling of Hinunangan)
seemed to Pigafetta to be a
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 Philippined History: Spaces for Conflict
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11. They remained seven Primary Source: Pigafetta

days on Mazaua Island. and Seven Days in Mazaua
12. Thursday, April 4 –
They left Mazaua, bound for Source: Emma Blair and
Cebu. They were guided James Alexander Robertson,
thither by the king of Mazaua the Philippine Islands, Vols.
who sailed in his own boat. 33 and 34, as cited in Miguel
Their route took them past A. Bernad, “Butuan or
five “islands” namely: Limasawa? The Site of the
Ceylon, Bohol, Canighan, First Mass in the Philippines:
Baibai, and Gatighan.” A Reexamination of
13. At Gatighan, they Evidence” 1981,
sailed westward to the three
Kinaadaman: A Journal of
islands of the Camotes
Southern Philippines, Vol.
Group, namely Poro,
III, 1-35 as cited by
Pasihan, and Ponson. Here
Candelaria & Alporha (2018).
the Spanish ships stopped to
allow the king of Mazaua to 1. Thursday, March 28 – In
catch up with them, since the morning they
the Spanish ships were much anchored near an island
faster than the native where they had seen a
balanghai- a thing that light the night before a
excited the admiration of the small boat (boloto) came
king of Mazaua. with eight natives, to
14. From the Camotes whom Magellan threw
Islands they sailed some trinkets as
southwards towards “Zubu.” presents. The natives
15. Sunday, April 7 – At paddled away, but two
noon they entered the hours later two larger
harbour of “Zubu” (Cebu). It boats (balanghai) came,
had taken them three days in one of which the native
to negotiate the journey king at under an awning
from Mazaua northwards to of mats. At Magellan’s
the Camotes Islands and invitation some of the
then southwards to Cebu. natives went up the
It must be pointed out that both Spanish ship, but the
Albo and Pigafetta’s testimonies native King remained
coincide and corroborate each seated in his boat. An
exchange of gifts
other. Pigafetta gave more details
happened. In the
on what they did during their
afternoon that day, the
weeklong stay at Mazaua.

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Spanish ships weighed
anchor and came closer
to shore, anchoring near
the native king’s village.
This Thursday, March 28,
was Thursday in Holy
Week, i.e., Holy
Thursday.
2. Friday, March 29 – “Next
day. Holy Friday,”
Magellan sent his slave
interpreter ashore in a
small boat to ask the king
if he could provide the
expedition with food
supplies, and to say that
they had come as friends
and not enemies. In reply
to the king himself came
in a boat with six or eight
men, and this time went
up Magellan’s ship and
the two men embraced.
Another exchange of gifts
was made. The native
king and his companions
returned ashore, bringing
with them two members
of Magellan’s expedition
as guests for the night.
One of the two was
Pigafetta.
3. Saturday, March 30 –
Pigafetta and his
companion had spent the
previous evening feasting
and drinking with the
native king and his son.
Pigafetta deplored the
fact that, although it was
Good Friday, they had to
eat meat. The following
Readings in Philippine History ‖ Endiape, A.A
Prelim
morning (Saturday)
Pigafetta and his
companion took leave of
their hosts and returned
to the ships.
4. Sunday, March 31 –
“Early in the morning of
Sunday, the last of March
and Easter day,” Magellan
sent the priest ashore
with some men to
prepare for the Mass.
Later in the morning
Magellan landed with
some fifty men and Mass
was celebrated, after
which a cross was
venerated. Magellan and
the Spaniards returned to
the ship for the noon-day
meal, but in the
afternoon, they returned
ashore to plant the cross
on the summit of the
highest hill. In attendance
both at the Mass and at
the planting of the cross
were the King of Mazaua
and the King of Butuan.
5. Sunday, March 31 – On
that same afternoon,
while on the summit of
the highest hill, Magellan
asked the two kings which
ports he should go to in
order to obtain more
abundant supplies of food
than were available in
that island. They replied
that there were three
ports to choose from:
Ceylon, Zubu, and
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Calagan. Of the three,
Zubu was the port with
the most trade. Magellan
then said that he wished
to go to Zubu and to
depart the following
morning. He asked for
someone to guide him
thither. The kings replied
that the pilots would be
available “any time.” But
later that evening the
king of Mazaua changed
his mind and said that he
would himself conduct
Magellan to Zubu but that
he would first have to
bring the harvest in. He
asked Magellan to send
him men to help with the
harvest.
6. Monday, April 1- Magellan
sent men ashore to help
with the harvest, but no
work was done that day
because the two kings
were sleeping off their
drinking bout the night
before.
7. Tuesday, April and
Wednesday, April 3 –
Work on the harvest
during the “next two
days,” i.e., Tuesday and
Wednesday, the 2nd and
3rd of April.
8. Thursday, April 4 – they
leave, bound for Cebu.
Using the primary sources
available, Jesuit priest Miguel A.
Readings in Philippine History ‖ Endiape, A.A
Prelim
Bernard in his work in Butuan or
Limasawa : The site of the first
mass in the Philippines: A
Reexamination of Evidence (1981)
lays down the argument that in the
Pigafetta account , a crucial aspect
of Butuan was not mentioned-the
river. Butuan is a riverine
settlement, situated on the Agusan
River. The beach Masao is in the
delta in the said river. It is a
curious omission in the account of
the river, which makes part of a
distinct characteristic of the
Butuan’s geography that seemed
to be too important to be missed.
It must also be pointed out
that later on, after Magellan’s
death, the survivors of his
expedition went to Mindanao, and
seemingly went to Butuan. In this
instance, Pigafetta vividly describes
a trip in a river. But note that this
account already happened after
Magellan’s death.
The evidence of Pigafetta’s
Maps taken from the article of
Bernard, M. (2002).
Pigafetta’s narrative are
illustrated with maps, or more
precisely, diagrams, or sketches.
Pigafetta ws no cartographer and
his maps had probably no value as
navigational charts. But they are
extremely useful in helping to
identify the islands which he
mentions in the narrative, and they
help to establish the relative
107
 Philippined History: Spaces for Conflict
and Controversies
positions (and even the relative
sizes) of those islands.
1. The first map shows the
Irge island of Samar (in the map it
is spelt Zzamal), and the smaller
islands of Suluan, Abarien,
Hiunangan, and “Humunu”
(Homonhon), which is also
described as “Aguada ly boni
segnaly.”
2. The second map is really a
double map. One map shows the
Island of Mindanao or Maguindanao
(the Map spells it Mamgdanao). It
shows on the northern shore a
deep indentation which is
recognizably Panguil Bay. To the
west of that is “Cippit” To the
extreme east, bordering on the
Pacific, are Butuan, Calagan, and
Benasan (spelt in the map Butuam,
Calagam, Benasam). The other
map shows the southern tip of
Zamboanga, the island of Basilan,
and the Sulu archipelago.
3. A third map is the one
most pertinent to our present
investigation, because it shows the
island of Mazaua (the map spells it
Mazzana) in relation to the
“islands” of “Ceilon” and
“Baibai”and to those of Bohol,
Gatighan, and the three islands of
the Camotes Group (in the map
called Polon, Pozon, and Ticobon).
The Two Kings taken from the
article of Bernard, M. (2002).
Readings in Philippine History ‖ Endiape, A.A
Prelim
There is confirmatory
evidence in the presence of two
native “kings” or rajahs at Mazaua
during the Magellan visit. One was
the “king” of Mazaua – who later
guided the Magellan expedition to
Cebu. The other was a relative
(“one of his brothers” as Pigafetta
says), namely the king of rajah of
Butuan.
Of this latter individual, Pigafetta
says that he was “the finest looking
man” that he had seen in those
parts. (We shall have more to say
about him later.) At the moment,
the relevant fact is that he was a
visitor to Mazaua. His territory was
Butuan, which was in another
island:
That island of his was called
Butuan and Calagan. When those
kings wished to see another, they
both went to hunt in that island
where we are.
The “island where we were”
was Mazaua, where they stayed
seven days. Therefore, Mazaua
could not have been Butuan.
Why then the Butuan Tradition?
How then did the strong
three-century tradition in favour of
Butuan arise? Here we are in the
realm of conjecture, but a number
of reasons could be adduced to
account for the tradition.
First, it must be remembered
that the tradition is based on
second-hand information. One
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 Philippined History: Spaces for Conflict
and Controversies
author repeats (and often distorts)
what previous authors have
written, and is in turn copied (and
distorted) by subsequent authors.
In such a chain, one author making
a mistake could easily start a
tradition that could last three
centuries.
A second reason is
suggested by Pastells. Magellan
and his men got to know the rajah
of Butuan at Masaua. According to
Pigafetta, that rajah was at Masaua
only on a visit. But is easy to see
how the fact that Magellan had
known the rajah of Butuan could
be misunderstand by later
historians as meaning that he had
known him at Butuan.
There is a third reason. It
must be remembered that the
Butuan tradition, while erroneous
as to the site of the first Mass, is
not entirely without validity.
Magellan’s expedition, after
Magellan death, visited several
places in Mindanao, very probably
including Butuan. (The riverine
community described by Pigafetta
in a later section of his account
could have been Butuan.)
Certainly, forty years later,
members of Legazpi’s expedition
visited Butuan. The people of the
district would remember these
visits by the bearded, white-
skinned men from Europe in their
big ships, and a tradition could
have grown among the people that
Readings in Philippine History ‖ Endiape, A.A
Prelim
“the first Spaniards came here.”
The Spanish missionaries coming
to Butuan would pick up this
tradition and conclude that
Magellan’s expedition had visited
Butuan.
One thing is dear: whoever
started the tradition that the first
Mass was celebrated at Butuan, it
was certainly neither Pigafetta nor
Albo, nor Maximilian of
Transylvania.
The Importance of Butuan
It must be remembered that
we are dealing here solely with a
question of fact: Was the first Mass
on Philippine soil – namely the one
celebrated at Butuan or Limasawa?
To reject the Butuan claim is in no
way to downgrade the cultural or
historical importance of Butuan.
Indeed, it is about time that
Philippine historians and students
of Philippine historians and
students of Philippine culture
should awaken to the importance
of Butuan in prehistoric days.
Pigafetta himself is a witness to
that importance (Bernard, 2002).
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 Philippined History: Spaces for Conflict
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Case Study 2: Did Rizal
Retract?
Jose Rizal is identified as a
hero of the revolution for his
writings that center on ending
Source: Google. A picture of Dr.
Jose Rizal. (Image)
colonialism and liberating Filipino
minds to contribute to creating the
Filipino nation. The great volume of
Rizal’s lifework was committed to
this end, particularly the more
influential ones, Noli Me Tangere
and El Filibusterismo. His essays
vilify not the Catholic religion, but
Readings in Philippine History ‖ Endiape, A.A
Prelim
the friars, the main agents of
injustice in the Philippine society.
It is understandable,
therefore, that any piece of writing
from Rizal that recants everything
he wrote against the friars and the
Catholic Church in the Philippines
could deal heavy damage to his
image as a prominent Filipino
revolutionary. Such document
purportedly exists, allegedly signed
by Rizal a few hours before his
execution. This document, referred
to as “The Retraction,” declares
Rizal’s belief in the Catholic faith,
and retracts everything he wrote
against the Church.
Primary Source: Rizal’s
Retraction
Source: Translated from the
document found by Fr. Manuel
Garcia, C.M. on 18 May 1935.
I declare myself a catholic and in
this Religion in which I was born
and educated I wish to live and
die.
I retract with all my heart
whatever in my words, writings,
publications, and conduct has been
contrary to my character as son of
the Catholic Church. I believe and I
confess whatever she teaches, and
I submit to whatever she demands.
I abominate Masonry, as the
enemy, which is of the Church, and
as a Society prohibited by the
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 Philippined History: Spaces for Conflict
and Controversies
Church. The Diocesan Prelate may,
as the Superior Ecclesiastical
Authority, make public this
spontaneous manifestation of mine
in order to repair the scandal which
my acts may have caused and so
that God and people may pardon
me.
Manila 29 of December of 1896
Jose Rizal
There are four iterations of the
texts of this retraction: the first
was published in La Voz Espanola
and Diario de Manila on the day of
the execution, 30 December 1896.
The second text appeared in
Barcelona, Spain, in the magazine
La Juventud, a few months after
the execution, 14 February 1897,
from an anonymous writer who
was later on revealed to be Fr.
Vicente Balaguer. However, the
“original” text was only found in
the archdiocesan archives on 18
May 1935, after almost four
decades of disappearance.
The Balaguer Testimony
Doubts on the retraction
document abound, especially
because only on eyewitness
account
of the writing of the document
exists-that of the Jesuit friar Fr.
Vicente Balaguer. According to his
testimony, Rizal woke up several
Readings in Philippine History ‖ Endiape, A.A
Prelim
times, confessed four times,
attended a Mass, received
communion, and prayed the
rosary, all of which seemed out of
character. But since it is the only
testimony of allegedly a “primary”
account that Rizal ever wrote a
retraction document, it has been
used to argue the authenticity of
the document.
The Testimony of Cuerpo de
Vigilancia
Another eyewitness account
surfaced in 2016, through the
research of Professor Rene R.
Escalante. In his research,
documents of the Cuerpo de
Vigilancia to Moreno.
Primary Source: Eyewitness
Account of the Last Hours of
Rizal
Source: Michael Charleston Chua,
“Retraction ni Jose Rizal: Mga
Bagong Dokumento at Pananaw,”
GMA News Online, published 29
December 2016 as cited by
Candelaria & Alporha (2018).
Most Illustrious Sir, the
agent of the Cuerpo de Vigilancia
stationed in Fort Santiago to report
on the events during the [illegible]
day in prison of the accused Jose
Rizal, informs me on this date of
the following:
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 Philippined History: Spaces for Conflict
and Controversies Prelim

At 7:50 yesterday morning, were informed. They entered

Jose Rizal entered death row death row and together with Rizal
accompanied by his counsel. Senor signed the document that the
Taviel de Andrade, and the Jesuit accused had written.
priest Vilaclara. At the urgings of
At 5 this morning of the 30th,
the former and moments after
the lover of Rizal arrived at the
entering, he was served a light
prison… dressed in mourning. Only
breakfast. At approximately 9, the
the former entered the chapel,
Assistant of the Plaza, Senor
followed by a military chaplain
Maure, asked Rizal if he wanted
whose name I cannot ascertain.
anything. He replied that at the
Donning his formal clothes and
moment he only wanted a prayer
aided by a soldier of the artillery,
book, which was brought to him
the nuptials of Rizal and the
shortly by Father March.
woman had been his lover were
Senor Andrade left death row performed at the point of death (in
at 10 and Rizal spoke for a long articulo mortis). After embracing
while with the Jesuit fathers, March him she left, flooded with tears.
and Vilaclara, regarding religious
This account corroborates
matters, it seems. It appears that
the existence of the retraction
these two presented him with a
document, giving it credence.
prepared retraction on his life and
However, nowhere in the account
deeds that he refused to sign. They
was Fr. Balaguer mentioned, which
argued about the matter until
makes the friar a mere secondary
12:30 when Rizal ate some
source to the writing of the
poached egg and a little chicken.
document.
Afterwards he asked to leave to
write and wrote for a long time by The retraction of Rizal
himself. remains to this day, a controversy;
many scholars, however, agree
At 3 in the afternoon, Father
that the document does not tarnish
March entered the chapel and Rizal
the heroism of Rizal. His relevance
handed him what he had written.
remained solidified to Filipinos and
Immediately the chief of the firing
pushed them to continue the
squad, Seňor del Fresno and the
revolution, which eventually
Assistant of the Plaza, Senor Maure
resulted in independence in 1898.

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 Philippined History: Spaces for Conflict
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Case Study 3: Where did the
Cry of Rebellion happen?
Momentous even swept the
Spanish colonies in the late
nineteenth century, including the
Philippines. Journalists of the time
referred to the phrase “El Grito de
Rebelion” or “Cry of Rebelion” to
mark the start of these
revolutionary events, identifying
the places where it happened.
identification of the date and place
where the Cry happened.
Prominent Filipino historian
Teodoro Agoncillo emphasizes the
event when Bonifacio tore the
cedula or tax receipt before the
Katipuneros who also did the
same. Some writers identified the
first military event with the
Spaniards as the moment of the
Cry, for which, Emilio Aguinaldo
commissioned an “Himno de
Balintawak” monument to the
Heroes of 1896 was erected in
what is now the intersection of
Epifanio de los Santos (EDSA)
Avenue and Andres Bonifacio
Drive-North Diversion Road, and
from then on until 1962, the Cry of
Balintawak was celebrated every
26th of August. The site of the
monument was chosen for an
unknown reason.

Different Dates and Places of

the Cry

Various accounts of the Cry

In the Philippines, this
give different dates and places. A
happened in August 1896,
guardia civil, Lt. Olegario Diaz,
northeast of Manila, where they
identified the Cry to have
declared rebellion against the
happened in Balintawak on 25
Spanish colonial government.
August 1896. Teodoro Kalaw,
These events are important
Filipino historian, marks the place
markers in the history of colonies
to be in Kangkong, Balintawak, on
that struggled for their
the last week of August 1896. On
independence against their
the contrary, Santiago Alvarez, a
colonizers.
Katipunero and son of Mariano
The controversy regarding Alvarez, leader of the Magdiwang
this event stems from the faction in Cavite, put the Cry in

Readings in Philippine History ‖ Endiape, A.A 113

 Philippined History: Spaces for Conflict
and Controversies
Bahay Toro in Quezon City on
24 August 1896. Pio Valenzuela,
known Katipunero and privy to
many events concerning the
Katipunan stated that the Cry
happened in Pugad Lawin on 23
August 1896. Historian Gregorio
Zaide identified the Cry to have
happened in Balintawak on 26
August 1896, according to
statements by Pio Valenzuela.
Research by historians Milagros
Guerrero, Emmanuel Encarnacion,
and Ramon Villegas claimed that
the event took place in Tandang
Sora’s barn in Gulod, Barangay
Banlat, Quezon City, on 24 August
1896.
Primary Source: Accounts of the
Cry
Guillermo Masangkay
Source: Guillermo Masangkay, “Cry
of Balintawak” in Gregorio Zaide
and Sonia Zaide, Documentary
Sources of Philippine History,
Volume 8 (Manila: National Book
Store, 1990), 307-309.
On August 26th, a big
meeting was held in Balintawak, at
the house of Apolonio Samson,
then cabeza of that barrio of
Caloocan. Among those who
attended, I remember, were
Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, Aguedo
del Rosario, Tomas Remigio,
Briccio Pantas, Teodoro Plata, Pio
Readings in Philippine History ‖ Endiape, A.A
Prelim
Valenzuela, Enrique Pacheco, and
Francisco Carreon. They were all
leaders of the Katipunan and
composed the board of directors of
the organization. Delegates from
Bulacan, Cabanatuan, Cavite, and
Morong were also present.
At about nine o’clock in the
morning of August 26, the meeting
was opened with Andres Bonifacio
presiding and Emilio Jacinto acting
as secretary. The purpose was to
discuss when the uprising was to
take place. Teodora Plata, Briccio
Pantas, and Pio Valenzuela were all
opposed to starting the revolution
too early…Andres Bonifacio,
sensing that he would lose in the
discussion then, left the session
hall and talked to the people, who
were waiting outside for the result
of the meeting of the leaders. He
told the people that the leaders
were arguing against starting the
revolution early and appealed to
them in a fiery speech in which he
said: “You remember the fate of
our countrymen who were shot in
Bagumbayan. Should we return
now to the towns, the Spaniards
will only shoot us. Our organization
has been discovered and we are all
marked men. If we don’t start the
uprising, the Spaniards will get us
anyway. What then, do you say?”
“Revolt!” the people shouted as
one.
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 Philippined History: Spaces for Conflict
and Controversies
Bonifacio then asked the people to
give a pledge that they were to
revolt. He told them that the sign
of slavery of the Filipinos wer (sic)
the cedula tax charged each
citizen. “If it is true that you are
ready to revolt… I want to see your
cedulas. It will be a sign that all of
us have declared our severance
from the Spaniards.”
Pio Valenzuela
Source: Pio Valenzuela, “Cry of
Pugad Lawin,” in Gregorio Zaide
and Sonia Zaide, Documentary
Sources of Philippine History,
Volume 8 (Manila: National Book
Store, 1990), 301-302.
The first place of refuge of Andres
Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, Procopio
Bonifacio, Teodoro Plata, Aguedo
del Rosario, and myself was
Balintawak, the first five arriving
there on August 19, and I, on
August 20, 1896, was the house
and yard of Apolonio Samson at
Kangkong. Aside from the persons
mentioned above, among those
who were there were Briccio
Pantas, Alejandro Santiago, Ramon
Bernardo, Apolonio Samson, and
others. Here, views were only
exchanged, and no resolution was
debated or adopted. It was at
Pugad Lawin, the house,
storehouse, and yard of Juan
Ramos, son of Melchora Aquino,
where over 1, 000 members of the
Readings in Philippine History ‖ Endiape, A.A
Prelim
Katipunan met and carried out
considerable debate and discussion
on August 23, 1896. The discussion
was on whether or not the
revolution against the Spanish
government should be started on
August 29, 1896…After the
tumultuous meeting, many of
those present tore their cedula
certificates and shouted “Long live
the Philippines! Long live the
Philippines!”
From the eyewitness
accounts presented, there is indeed
marked disagreement among
historical witnesses as to the place
and time of the occurrence of the
Cry. Using primary and secondary
sources, four places have been
identified: Balintawak, Kangkong,
Pugad Lawin, and Bahay Toro,
while the dates vary: 23, 24, 25,
or 26 August 1896.
Valenzuela’s account should
be read with caution: He once told
a Spanish investigator that the
“Cry” happened in Balintawak on
Wedneday, 26 August 1896. Much
later, he wrote in his Memoirs of
the Revolution that it happened at
Pugad Lawin on 23 August 1896.
Such inconsistencies in accounts
should always be seen as a red flag
when dealing with primary sources.
According to Guerrero,
Encarnacion, and Villegas, all these
places are in Balintawak, then part
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 Philippined History: Spaces for Conflict
and Controversies
of Caloocan, now, in Quezon City.
As for the dates, Bonifacio and his
troops may have been moving
from one place to another to avoid
being located by the Spanish
government, which could explain
why there are several accounts of
the Cry.
Module disclaimer:
The written discussions are
based on the books and reliable
sources; however, these are
shortcuts and summaries which
were solely utilized as an academic
guide for the course. Maybe you
are wondering why there are a lot
of readings (that eventually made
you bored) which is set for this
module – please be reminded that
the course/subject you are enrolled
in is READINGS in Philippine
History.
Another thing, for you to be
able to grasp the full and complete
primary source of every other case
re-examination, refer to the books
we have at the library, do not
solely rely on the information you
can get from the internet or
google. If you are still reading this
part here, let me know, by putting
a star at the top of your name
Readings in Philippine History ‖ Endiape, A.A
Prelim
on the front page. This is
equivalent to additional 5 points.
Here are the books I would like to
recommend; they are available at
BCC library:
 Candelaria J.L. and Alporha,
V. C. (2018). Readings in
Philippines History. Rex
Bookstore Inc.
 Corpuz R. M. and Tabotabo
C. V. (2018). Readings in
Philippine history.
Mindshapers Co., Inc.
 Martinez, R. M., Bumidang,
J. G., Tayaban, D. B.,
Fragata, R. D. L., Viloria, M.
I. T., Dulay, M. J., Cristobal,
J. M. (2018). The Readings
in Philippine History.
Mindshapers Co., Inc.
 Solmerano, E.M., Palencia,
M. M., and Galicia, R. M.
(2018). Readings in
Philippine history. Fastbooks
 Torres, J. V. (2018). BATIS:
Sources in Philippine History.
C & E Publishing, Inc.
116
 Philippined History: Spaces for Conflict
and Controversies Prelim

Summary

In this module, we have discussed the importance of familiarizing oneself

about the different kinds of historical sources. The historian’s primary tool
of understanding and interpreting the past is historian’s primary tool of
understanding and interpreting the past is the historical sources.

Historical sources ascertain historical facts. Such facts are then

analyzed and interpreted by the historian to weave historical narrative.
Specifically, historians who study certain historical subjects and events
need to make use of various primary sources in order to weave the
narrative. Primary sources, as discussed in the preceding chapter, consist
of documents, memoir, accounts, and other materials that were produced
at the period of the event or subject being studied.

Using primary sources in historical research entails two kinds of criticism.

The first one is the external criticism, and the second one is the internal
criticism. External criticism examines the authenticity of the document
or the evidence being used. This is important in ensuring that the primary
source is not fabricated. On the other hand, internal criticism examines
the truthfulness of the content of the evidence. However, this criticism
requires not just the act of establishing truthfulness and/or accuracy but
also the examination of the primary sources in terms of the context of its
production. For example, a historian would have to situate the document
in the period of its production, or in the background of its authors.

In other words, it should be recognized that facts are neither existing in a

vacuum nor produced from a blank slate. These are products of the time
and of the people.

Readings in Philippine History ‖ Endiape, A.A 117

 Philippined History: Spaces for Conflict
and Controversies Prelim

I. LEARNING ACTIVITIES

nsider the primary sources or

secondary sources we have in
A. Case Study Analysis. Write
this module, or you may opt to
two (2) case study analyses
gather information from the
among the three (3) case
internet or even from our
studies discussed in this
library but properly cite
module. Please be reminded
authors or references, using
that you have to choose
the APA 7th edition. Example:
only 2 among 3 case studies
discussed in the module.  How to use in-text
The teacher will upload a citation?
learning activity guide on how
APA in-text citation style
to make a case study analysis
uses the author's last
via google classroom or any
name and the year of
online media platform. Also,
publication, for example:
the rubric for grading this
(Field, 2005). For direct
analysis can be found there.
quotations, include the
You are asked to encode it with
page number as well, for
the following format: Arial, 12,
example: (Field, 2005, p.
1.0 margin, short bond paper.
14). For sources such as
However, I’ll be asking you a
websites and e-books that
printed plagiarism check result
have no page numbers,
for this analysis, to avoid
use a paragraph number,
significant copying and paste
for example: (Field, 2005,
from the internet. Use the
para. 1). More information
searchenginereports.net
on direct quotation of
plagiarism checker online.
sources without pagination
Tolerable percentage for
is given on the APA Style
plagiarism result is only 25%,
and Grammar Guidelines
more than the given
web page.
percentage will automatically
receive low point grade.  Example paragraph
with in-text citation
Moreover, in creating the
case study analysis, please co A few researchers in the
linguistics field have
developed training

Readings in Philippine History ‖ Endiape, A.A 118

 Philippined History: Spaces for Conflict
and Controversies Prelim

programs designed to foreign-accented speech

improve native speakers' (Doctoral dissertation).
ability to understand University of Colorado,
accented speech Boulder.
(Derwing et al., 2002;
Thomas, 2004). Their Referencing sample when
training techniques are using web page with
based on the research organizational author:
described above indicating
that comprehension In-text citation
improves with exposure to More than 300 million people
non-native speech. worldwide are affected by
Derwing et al. (2002) depression (World Health
conducted their training Organization, 2018).
with students

preparing to be social Referencing sample

workers but note that  World Health
other professionals who Organization. (2018,
work with non-native March 22).
speakers could benefit Depression.
from a similar program. https://www.who.int/e
n/news-room/fact-
Referencing sample when sheets/detail/depressio
using a reference from a book or n
printed materials:

 Derwing, T. M., Rossiter,

Guide question per case:
M. J., & Munro, M. J.
(2002). Teaching native 1. Where did the first mass
speakers to listen to happened? Is it in Butuan or in
foreign-accented speech. Limasawa?
Journal of Multilingual 2. Did Rizal retract?
and Multicultural 3. Where did the cry of
Development, 23(4), rebellion happened? Is it “Cry in
245-259. Balintawak” or “Cry in
Pugadlawin”?
 Thomas, H. K. (2004).
Training strategies for
improving listeners'
comprehension of

Readings in Philippine History ‖ Endiape, A.A 119

 Philippined History: Spaces for Conflict
and Controversies Prelim

REFERENCES

Arevalo, P. (2019). The first mass was in masao, butuan. Retrieved

August 27, 2020, from https://prezi.com/p/ngwo4nyosbsj/the-first-
mass-was-in-masao-butuan/

Bernad, M. (2002.). Butuan or Limasawa: The site of the first mass in the
Philippines: A reexamination of the evidence. Retrieved August 27,
2020, from
https://journals.ateneo.edu/ojs/index.php/budhi/article/view/582/57
9

Candelaria J.L. and Alporha, V. C. (2018). Readings in Philippines

History. Rex Bookstore Inc.

De Vianna, A. V. and Picadizo, M. V. M. (2018). Pahiwatig: A Guide for

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