Name: TIPO, MARINELLA L.

Course & Year: BSED MATH- 1B

INDIVIDUAL THOUGHT PAPER

SUCESOS DE LAS ISLAS FILIPINAS

Sucesos De Las Islas Filipinas (Events on the Philippine Islands), written by Antonio De
Morga, a Spanish lawyer, historical anthropologist, and government official during the 17th
century, was the first thorough lay narrative of Spain’s conquest of the Philippines. This book
recounts views about Filipinos from the standpoint of Spaniards. In fact, this book is regarded
noteworthy since it contains the first formal record of the Philippines as a Spanish colony.
Morga’s work is regarded as the best account of Spanish colonization in the country and is based
in part on documentary study, astute observation, and his own engagement and understanding.
Rizal was so taken with Morga’s work that he decided to annotate it and create a new edition. He
carefully included footnotes to every chapter of the Sucesos that would distort Filipino cultural
traditions. In addition, the book presents the history of the Philippines wars, conspiracies,
diplomacy, and evangelization in a very disconnected manner. Historians including Rizal have
noted clear bias in the work, with many made-up stories and altered facts in order to support
Morga’s defense of the Spanish conquest.

As described in Chapter 8 of Rizal’s annotations to the book Morga the Sucesos De Las
Islas Filipinas, inhabitants appearance, customs, attire, system of governments, gentility and
other events with a Filipino focus is described. This illustrates how the pre-Hispanic Filipinos, or
possibly Indio, interacted with the Spanish. This chapter was essential for Rizal’s
anthropological research as well as his attempt to recreate the pre-Hispanic Philippines for his
fellow Filipinos. Rizal recognized every inaccuracy in Morga’s work, even grammatical
mistakes. On each statement, he added a comment that might have referenced different cultural
customs in the Philippines. Furthermore, in his book Rizal corrected Morga’s misspellings of
several native names, flora and fauna, and social classes. He also clarified the locations. For
instance, Morga claimed that buyo, also known as ikno in Tagalog, is made from a leaf of a plant
and a seed or nut from the areca palm that is white inside. Rizal however clarified that the fruits
is not from the betel, or ikno in Tagalog, but rather from the Bonga, or the areca palm.

Also Rizal’s main focus in the social organization of the natives is Morga’s claim that the
groom contributes a dowry he had received from his parents, while the bride contributes nothing
until she inherits some of her parents. He elaborated that Filipino families are not in a rush to
marry off their daughters as women are not considered a burden in the family. In addition,
daughters are valued as rare treasures, which is why the groom pays the dowry. In the customs of
the Philippines, a woman chooses her spouse rather than searching for one. When a woman
marries, she is esteemed by her community and inherits their nobility in pre-colonial Philippines.
To a man, getting married entails introducing him to a lifestyle to which he is not accustomed as
a bachelor, particularly in terms of finances or the economy. (Page 282)

Regarding the matter of economics and subsistence, Rizal disagreed with Morga’s
assertion that the people of the Catanduanes Islands are decent and subject to Spanish
encomenderos. He described how these encomendores would demand blankets from the Indio’s
at the lowest prices possible, which did not correspond to the actual value of the goods. (Page
264)

For geographic locations, Tendaya Island according to Morga is one of the largest in
terms of size. Fr. Urdaneta claimed that it was close to Maluco and Fr. Colin said it is in the
Leyte region. But in accordance with Rizal’s correction and the evidence from other historical
sources, Tandaya was a town lord. As a result, the island with that name has never existed. (Page
241) Moreover, Bisaya is regarded as the land of the painted people (tattooing) in terms of
culture and traditions. Morga contends that Spain introduced civilization to the Philippines,
whereas the Filipinos live in an uncivilized society but Rizal claimed that before the Spaniards
came, we already practiced civilized lifestyles, abaca textiles and house building timber. Also
Morga claimed of the ancient Filipinos prowess: “They prefer to eat salt fish that begin to
decompose and smell.” Rizal noted that this was another idea of the Spaniards, who like any
other nation were interested in food. All those who have eaten it and tasted it know that the fish
Morga says does not taste better when it is beginning to decay in “bagoong” and that it is not or
should not be rotten.

It will be simple to use contextual classification techniques to quickly define what Rizal
accomplished and the reason behind the annotations. By dividing these categories from the
haphazard definitive texts into sections based on historical context and annotation, word
correction, the distinction between Filipinos and Spaniards, and the inevitability of the
backwardness experience by the Philippines during Spanish occupation. So some of the
categories outlined in Rizal’s classification scheme for his annotation to Morga’s book include
technological advancement, economic conditions, religious views, geographical profile,
livelihood and lifestyles, culture and customs. The purpose of this classification system is to
identify common characteristics that existed in the country even before the coming of the
Spaniards.

Rizal wanted to demonstrate through his commentary that the pre-conquest past was one
of which the Filipino people could be proud, that their ancestors were diligent workers with
exceptional talent and high moral standards, and that the rich heritage had been lost and
destroyed during the conquest. He sought to establish that the Filipinos had their own culture and
morality long before the arrival of the Spaniards, had mastered handicraft techniques, and had
established thriving trade in with other nations. In addition, Rizal aimed to emphasize that the
Filipinos had a distinct culture before the Spanish arrived. Also the Spanish had devastated,
demoralized, exploited and destroyed the Filipinos. In short Rizal annotations that shed insights
on the history and awareness of the country. The annotation made by Rizal reflects his opinions
on the nation’s past. His worked was framed by Morga’s, and Rizal’s illustrates a wide range of
Philippine historiography. I think Rizal views of the pre-conquest past in light of the current state
of historical studies is valid because it serves as a valuable resources in the history of the
Philippines and his annotation presents a more accurate portrayal of the Philippine’s pre-colonial
landscape that reveals the country’s thriving and established civilization. Also the importance of
Rizal perspective on Philippine history lies in the fact that it continues to have an impact and
when considered in the context of Philippines historiography, it is still the key to understanding
how Philippines is reconstructing its past in order to create a sense of national identity.

After examining this book, I learned a lot, especially about the way our forefathers lived.
We Filipinos already had a rich culture, beliefs, and a way of life long before Spanish conquest.
To sum up, the culture of the Philippines is extensive, rich, and beautiful. Our ancestors did not
live in a stubborn, ignorant, barbaric, and savage manner; rather they had their own way of life.
We the current generation should never forget this; instead, we should honor them and their
memories. Also Morga's Chapter 8: Sucesos De Las Islas Filipinas was an important historical
source, but Rizal was aware of its biases and limits. He urged a more critical view of Philippine
history as well as an appreciation of precolonial Philippine society's accomplishments and
contributions in their own right.