READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

MODULE 1 - DEFINITION, ISSUES AND METHODOLOGY

L.1 HISTORY
- study of the past, specifically people, societies, events, and problems.
- Greek word “historia” means knowledge acquired through inquiry or
investigation (pag-uusisa at pagsisiyasat)
- it is a disciplined existed 2,400 years ago as mathematics and philosophy
- Mantra of “no document, no history” (document + historical event can be
provided,
then it cannot be considered as historical fact) however this loophole was
recognized by historians by considering some factors that can affect its
credibility.
- Herodotus (485 BC-425BC) - Father of History

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES

PRIMARY
- Direct or firsthand evidence
- Compelling and direct evidence of human activity
- Sources that are actual records that have survived
- Ex. speeches, diaries, autobiography
SECONDARY
- Sources that has not been made by the one who participated in the historical event
- Created by historians and scholastic writers based on their interpretation
- Created later historical event
- It describes, discuss, analyze, evaluate, summarize, and process primary sources
- Ex. movies, textbooks, biography

L.2 QUESTIONS AND ISSUE IN HISTORY

- history as disciplined turned into a complex and dynamic inquiry: What is history? Why study history?
- for whom? can be answered by historiography: history of history

HISTORIOGRAPHY
● writing of history based on critical examination of sources, particular details from authentic materials
● also refers to the theory and history of historical writing (Vann, 2020)
● lets students have better understanding, they don’t just provide historical facts, but also understanding of facts
and historian’s contexts.
● it coaches student to critical “lessons” of history

POSITIVISM
● the belief that historians should pursue the objective truth of the past by allowing
historical sources to "speak for themselves", without additional interpretation.
● emerged between 18th and 19th century
● requires evidence
● Auguste Comte (1798-1857) - Father of Positivism
POST-COLONIALISM
● school of thought that emerged in the early 20th century
● colonized nations grappled with idea of creating their identities and
understanding their societies
● post colonialism history looks for two things:

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 ○ FIRST to tell history of their nation; highlight their identity free from colonial discourse and knowledge
○ SECOND to criticize the methods, effects, and idea of colonialism
● reaction and alternative of colonial history
● accusation that history is written by the victories; more powerful and more dominant player
○ Ex. World War II - US as hero and Japan as oppressors; Filipinos support Japan are considered traitors
● Thorough historical investigation will reveal more nuanced instead of simplified story of hero vs. villain
● Edward Said (1935-2003) - Father of Post-Colonialism

L.3 HISTORY AND HISTORIAN

- historian’s job is not just to seek historical evidence but also interpret these facts
- “Facts cannot speak for themselves”
- give meaning and organize them (timeline, establish causes, and write history)
- historical research requires rigor
- historical methodology comprises certain techniques and rules to follow

Annales School of History

● school of history born in France
● scholars like the two above, Fernand Braudel, and Jacques Le goff studied
other subjects in a historical manner; concerned with social history and studied
longer historical periods such as history of peasantry, history of medicine,
history of environment
● advocate people and classes who were not reflected in the history of society in
the grand manner be provided with space in the records of mankind
● married other disciplines like geography, anthropology, archeology, and
linguistics
● oral account = validate claims of his informant through comparing and
corroborating with written resources

MODULE 2 - HISTORICAL SOURCES

L.1 HISTORICAL SOURCES: PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES
- most important research tools

PRIMARY SOURCES
● immediate, first-hand accounts of topic, direct connection
● sources produced at the same time as the event/period/subject being studied
SECONDARY SOURCES
● created by someone who didn’t experience/participate first-hand; sources, which were produced by an author that
used primary source as material

CONTENT AND CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS

● source and the information is credible and logical

CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS CONTENT ANALYSIS

● reliable and trustworthy author ● content analyzation
background of the author and event main idea
type of source specific information

EXAMINING THE AUTHOR’S ARGUMENT

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 ARGUMENTS BIASES
● expressing a point of view ● variety of context have been created and
● main idea called “claim” of thesis statement preserved
● too negative and doesn’t admit anything positive
● source fails to mention important details

STRENGTHENING AUTHORS - deep understanding of the issue

IMPORTANCE OF AUDIENCE - very important consideration in an argument

CRITICAL READING - big part of understanding an argument

PERSPECTIVE ANALYSIS - latin word “prospective” means view; thorough investigation of an individual's point of view

EXTERNAL CRITICISM
● verifying the authenticity of evidence by its physical characteristics, consistency of time and the materials used
● quality of paper, type of ink, language, etc.
INTERNAL CRITICISM
● truthfulness and factuality of the evidence by looking at the author, its context, agenda, knowledge, intended
purpose
● unverified, falsified, and untruthful can lead to equally false conclusions; historical deceptions and lies will be
highly probable

SCANDALOUS CASE OF DECEPTION

● Code of Kalintiaw - set of rules contained in an epic written by Maragtas, debunked the authenticity by William
Henry Scott due to anachronism and lack of evidence to prove it existed in pre-colonial
● Ferdinand Marcos - Ang Maharlika in World War II it was disproved when historians counter checked with war
records of US

HISTORIOGRAPHY - HOW HISTORIANS DO HISTORY?

How knowledge of the past, recent or distant, is obtained and transmitted; simply put historiography is the history
of history.

MODULE 3 - CONTENT AND CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF SELECTED PRIMARY SOURCES IN

PHILIPPINE HISTORY PART 1

L.1 MAGELLAN’S FIRST VOYAGE AROUND THE WORLD BY PIGAFETTA

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FERDINAND MAGELLAN
- born in Portugal that makes him PORTUGUESE
- started his voyage on September 20, 1519 ended September 6, 1522
ANTONIO PIGAFETTA
- italian scholar and explorer
- ship called “Victoria” lead by “Sebastian Elcano”
- Ladrones Island (presently known as Marianas Island = Island of Thieves
- 10 days after they reached Zamal, now Samar, decided to land in another island 2 days after, March 18, 9 men
shows initiative “very familiar and friendly” they named the island as Humunu Island (Homonhon)
- first sign of gold in the island they named it with the archipelago of St. Lazarus
- March 25, two ballanghai (barangay)
- King names Raia Calambu, king of Zuluab and Calagan, Butuan and Caragua and the first king was Raia Siagu
- March 31, Easter Sunday by Fr. Pedro de Velderarama (LIMASAWA)
- April 7, reached Cebu guided by Raha Calambu
- April 14, the King of cebu was baptized as Christian
- 8 days after, April 23 (not declared), baptized all inhabitants
- April 26, Zula, principal man of Island of Matan (Mactan) requested men to fight Silapulapu
- April 27, 1521, with 49 men with Magellan they encountered 1,500 islanders of Mactan. Battle of Mactan
- Duarte Barbosa as new captain
- Ship Victoria returned to Spain on September 6, 1522
BY SIR
TREATY OF TORDESILLAS
● divided the world into East and West
● West goes to Spain
● East goes to Portugal
Expedition - South America (México/Nueva España) > Marianas (Island of Thieves) > Philippines (Archipelago Las Islas
Filipinas) > Molucas (Spice Island)

CAVITE MUTINY
● Lt. Ferdinand de Madrid
● mutiny = mutine “revolt”
● Arsenal is manufacturer of weapons

FILIPINO VERSION SPANISH VERSION

General Rafael De Izquierdo under his rule according to General Rafael De Izquierdo
● polo y servicio ● mutiny started by Mason (initiate progression)
● tax (200 laborers of Fort of San Felipe) ● intend to create Revolution (big and massive)
Fr. Mariano Gomez ● Lt. Ferdinand de Madrid (leader of Cavite Mutiny)
● Oldest
Fr. Jose Burgos
● Leader of Secularization (rights of Native/Filipino
Priest = Spanish Priest)
● Intramuros first mass
● Paciano - silent right hand
Fr Jacinto Zamora
● Gamble (bala at baril)

L.2 THE KKK AND THE KARTILYA NG KATIPUNAN, ANALYSIS OF THE “KARTILYA NG KATIPUNAN”
KKK
- Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan

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Cristobal (1997)
- writing of Kartilya has always been attributed to Emilio Jacinto
- “Decalogue” by Bonifacio planned to be published and given to newcomers but then he read Jacinto’s Kartilya
and concluded it was better and exceptional
JACINTO’S KARTILYA BONIFACIO’S DECALOGUE

● specify the duties and responsibilities of ● declaration of aspirations and ethical principles
Katipunan associates ● presents 12 “guiding principles” and 14
● presents 10 responsibilities “teachings”
- earliest discovery of Kartilya was in Supreme Assembly conference held in Dec. 1895 priced start at 4 kualta
- used in first stage of the revolt and survives PIR

MODULE 4 - CONTENT AND CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF SELECTED PRIMARY SOURCES IN

PHILIPPINE HISTORY PART 2
L.1 PROCLAMATION OF THE PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE (1898)
- The proclamation mentioned demonstrates the justifications behind the revolution against Spain. Specifically cited
are the abuse by the Civil Guards and the unlawful shooting of prisoners whom they alleged as attempting to
escape
- Act read by Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista.
- The flag was made in Hong Kong by Marcela Agoncillo, Lorenza Agoncillo, and Delfina Herboza.
- Accompanied by the Marcha Filipina Magdalo, as the national anthem, now known as Lupang Hinirang, which
was composed by Julián Felipe and played by the San Francisco de Malabon marching band.
- The Philippine Flag

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 L.2 A GLANCE AT SELECTED PHILIPPINE, POLITICAL CARICATURE IN ALFRED MCCOY
PHILIPPINE CARTOONS POLITICAL CARICATURE AMERICAN ERA (1900-1941)
- Knieper (2018) Political cartoons are drawings made for the purpose of conveying editorial commentary
on politics, politicians, and current events.
- Alfred McCoy’s extensive research in Philippine and American archives
- Artist-writer Alfredo Roces, designed the book “Philippine Cartoons”

L.3 CORAZON AQUINO’S SPEECH BEFORE THE U.S. CONGRESS

- Escobar (2018); On September of 1986 former President Corazon Aquino spoke before joint session of
US Congress for emergency $200 million aid appropriation

REPORTING
EVOLUTION OF THE PHILIPPINES CONSTITUTIONS
CONSTITUTIONS
- is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which state governed
- the word itself means to be part of qa wole
❖ The Constitution of the Philippines has been in effect since 1987
3 other constitutions effectively governed the country;
❖ The 1935 Commonwealth Constitution
❖ The 1973 Constitution
❖ The 1986 Freedom Constitution

VERSIONS OF ATTEMPTED CONSTITUTIONS

➔ 1897: Constitution of Biak-na-Bato
◆ The Constitution of the Philippines during Philippine Revolution, and was promulgated on November 1,
1897; from Cuba written by Isabelo Artacho and Felix Ferrer in Spanish and later on translated in Tagalog
➔ 1899: Malolos Constitution
◆ Battle of Manila Bay on May 1, 1898 (Spanish vs American)
◆ The Malolos Congress as elected, which selected a commission to draw a draft constitution on
September 17, 1898
◆ Approved by Congress on November 29, 1898, nad was promulgated by Aguinaldo on Jan. 21, 1899
“The Political Constitution of 1899”; Felipe Calderon the main author of the constitution
◆ Prior constitutional projects in the Philippines also influenced the Malolos Constitution such as The
Kartilya and the Sangguniang Hukuman, Biak-na-Bato Constitution of 1897, Mabini’s Constitutional
Program, Provisional Constitution of Mariano Ponce in 1998, etc.
➔ 1935: The Commonwealth Constitution
◆ Two acts; First, specified that legislative power would be vested in a bicameral legislature composed of
the Philippine Commission as the upper house and the Philippine Assembly as lower house. Second,
Jones Law, Senate as upper house
➔ 1973: Constitutional Authoritarianism
◆ 1965 Marcos Sr. was elected president, and in 1967 Congress passed a resolution calling for Con-Con
(Constitutional Convention) to change the 1935 Constitution. Marcos was re-elected in 1969
◆ Con-Con was held on November 20, 1970, convention began formally June 1, 1971 with former President
Carlos P. Garcia as convention president but he died and was succeeded by former President Diosdado
Macapagal, before it was finished the Martial Law was declared (Proclamation No. 1081) September 21,
1972
◆ Presidential Decree No. 73; reject proposed constitution on November 30, 1973
◆ EDSA People PowerRevolution of 1986
◆ February 25, 18896, former president Corazon Aquino

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 ➔ 1987: Constitution After Martial Law
◆ It allocates governmental powers among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the
government
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
- Headed by the President (head of state and chief executive) and his cabinet (appointed)
- Serving a single six years term
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
- Two Houses (The Senate and the House of Representatives)
➔ Attempts to Amend or Change the 1987 Constitution

Unpublished Work © 2023 Jenilyn L. Carlos