Reading in Philippine History
History and the Historian
WHAT IS HISTORY?
 History refers to the study and
interpretation by a historian on the
data and other source of the past
human activity, people, societies and
civilizations leading to the present
day.
 The word HISTORY has several meanings. It
can mean everything that's ever happened in
the past. But historians usually refer to their
own body of writing as historiography, not
history. A written record depends upon
primary sources, what the historian terms
evidence.
There are three things that you have to remember
about history.
 First, history as we all know is based on past
events. Second, it is interpreted by someone
usually by historian. They gather, discard and
interpret the sources that they encounter. And
finally, and the most important is that history
relies on data and documents which historian
call as historical sources.
History’s Subject Matter
 Like other social sciences, the subject matter
of history is the life of people and humanity.
But history has always been known as the
study of the past. While this definition of
history is not wrong, it is incomplete.
 The word HISTORY came from the Greek
word Historia which means inquiry. And the
definition of word Historia does not mean
past events. It denotes asking question or
investigation of the past done by person
trained to do so or by persons who are
interested in human past.
 Historian is an expert or student of history,
especially that of a particular period,
geographical region or social phenomenon.
There are many duties of a historian. These
historians seek not only historical evidence
and facts but also to interpret these facts.
 A historian also gives meaning to
these facts and organizes them
chronologically. A person who must be able
to recognize the evidence, decide how useful
it is and come to conclusion based on what he
has found out. The historian therefore is
responsible for reconstructing the past.
 Some authors define history as
a study of historical perspective. In
reconstructing the past, a historian can be
subjective; after all he is
human, fallible and capable error. People’s
memories are filled with bias, self
righteousness, pride, vanity, spinning,
obstruction and outright lies.
 The best approach is to do all we can to
reconstruct as fully as possible our picture of
the past. To do this, most
scholars use historiography or what they
call history of history. Historiography
is the study of how history was
written, by whom and why it was
recorded as such. It is concerned
with how historians have presented
history.
 One way for a historian to be objective is to
follow the historical method. It is the core
protocols historians’ use for handling sources
where there is an agreed ground rules for
researching and writing academic research or
professional history.
 An objective historian must verify sources, to
date them, locate the place of origin and
 identify their intended functions. It is
important for a historian to base their
accounts on source materials.
Because certain events happened so long ago and
because sometimes the evidence is
incomplete, historians have different approaches and
views about what happened in the past. This is the
subjective nature of history, one historian claims an
event happened a certain way, while another disagree
completely.
Philippine History
 Some prominent Filipinos continuously
conduct their research like Renato
Constantino who supposed that our
Philippine History is a story of struggle.
 One example of re-evaluation of history is the
famous Filipino Anthropologist Felipe Landa
Jocano who disputed Henry Otley Beyer
regarding Filipinos who descended from
Negritos and Malays through Beyer’s
Migration Theory.
 Filipino Historian Teodoro A. Agoncillo
quoted as saying “There is a great
similarity between legal evidence and
historical evidence.”
Murillo-Velarde Map
 The only difference lies in the fact that in
legal evidence it is the judge who determines
whether the account of a witness is
acceptable or not.
 A big part of how history is explained
depends greatly on how historians plot and
narrate the historical facts.
Birth of Philippine History
 According to H.O. Beyer’s Migration
Theory, the history of the Philippines is
believed to have taken off with the arrival of
the first humans using rafts or boats at least
67,000 years ago as the 2007 discovery of
Callao Man suggested.
 Negrito tribes first inhabited the isles and
more groups later migrated to the islands like
the story of the Ten Bornean Datus. But the
written record of the Philippine Islands
started with the coming of the Spaniards. Not
because they had no history, culture and
literature before but many believed that
Spaniards destroyed the earlier records as
completely as possible.
 The same scenario happened when the
Philippines was under the American and
Japanese colonization. Many pre-colonial
records were lost and were no longer
retrieved. Therefore much of what is known
about pre-Spanish days is still insufficient.
There is still much to be uncovered. Others
said that some of our recovered records came
from other countries which were in touch
with the islands.
 It was a hydrographical chart of the
Philippine Island drawn by Jesuit Father
Pedro Murillo Velarde (1696-1753) and
published in Manila in the year 1734. It
was the first and believed to be the most
important map of the Philippines.
  It shows that our country that time was a
vital part of Spain and it illustrates the
maritime routes from Manila to Spain
and to those colonies of Spanish Empire
in the New World.
Importance of Studying History
1. Revisiting and studying history is important
because it allows us to know and appreciate
our past, which in turn allows understanding
our present and the present will be our
foundation for the future.
2. Studying history can provide us a vision into
our cultures of origin as well as cultures with
which we might be less familiar.
3. It will increase our cross-cultural awareness
and understanding of things we do not know
from our past.
Problems in Studying the Philippine
History
Students lack interest in studying our
Philippine History due to the following
possible reasons:
 Some teachers do not dig deeper in the
discussion of Philippine History to hopefully
trigger enthusiasm of students about our
history.
 Lack of training and seminar to opportunities
for both teachers and
students learning together about Philippine
History.
 Presentation of topics in textbooks, at times,
no longer fit the interest of
the students.
 The pedagogy of teaching Philippine History
must help students become
critical thinkers rather than being just passive
recipient of lessons.
Historical Sources
 Historical sources are tangible remains of the
past. It is an object from the past or testimony
concerning the past on which historians
depend in order to create their own depiction
of the past. There are three kinds of sources
namely: primary, secondary, and tertiary
sources.
Primary Source
 A primary source is a testimony of an
individual who was a participant in or a direct
witness to the event that is being described. It
is a document or physical object which was
written or created during the time under a
study. Those sources were present during an
experience or time period and offer an inside
view of a particular event. Primary sources
are characterized by their content, regardless
of whether they are available in original
format, in microfilm, in digital format or in
published format.
Category of Primary Source
 The most common are written sources or
documents. They are written or printed
materials that have been produced in one
form or another sometime in the past. And
there may be published materials. Such as
travelogue, transcription of speech,
autobiographies, journals or newspapers.
They can be also in manuscript form or any
handwritten or type record that has not been
printed. Example of these is archival
materials, memoirs, diary, personal letter or
correspondence.
 The next category is the numerical records
which include any type of numerical data in
printed or handwritten form.

 The third category is oral statements which
include any form of statement made orally by
an eyewitness. It maybe through video
recordings, audio recordings, or transcribed.
 Another category is the relics or any objects
whose physical or visual characteristics can
provide some information about the past.
These include artifacts, ruins and fossils.
 The last category of primary sources is the
images. It includes photograph, posters,
paintings, drawing cartoons and maps.
Secondary Sources
 A secondary source interprets and analyzes
primary sources. These sources are one or
more steps removed from the event. It is
prepared by an individual who was not direct
witness to an event, but not who obtained his
or her description of the event from someone
else. Secondary sources may have pictures,
votes or graphics of primary sources in them.
Example in Secondary Sources is:
history textbook, printed materials (serials or
periodicals which interpret preview
research), biographies, nonfiction text such
as newspaper, magazine, journals, works of
criticism and interpretation.]
Tertiary Sources
 The last kind of sources is the tertiary source.
It provides third hand information by
reporting ideas and details from secondary
source. An eyewitness is more reliable than
testimony at second hand, which is more
reliable than hearsay or tertiary sources. This
does not mean that tertiary sources have no
value, merely that they include potential for
an additional layer of bias. Some examples
of this kind of source are encyclopedia,
almanac, Wikipedia, YouTube, dictionaries,
message boards, social media sites and other
search sites.
Historical Criticism
 It is also known as the historical-critical
method, Historical criticism is a branch of
criticism that investigates the origin of text or
source in order to understand the word behind
the text. The primary goal of historical
criticism is to discover the text primitive
original historical context and its literal
sense. The secondary goal seeks to establish
a reconstruction of historical situation of the
author and recipients of the text.
 Historical criticism seeks greater
understanding of the texts by analyzing the
historical and social contexts in which they
developed. The goal of historical criticism,
traditionally, has been to try to understand the
text’s meaning in its original context and to
answer questions about the text, such as:
Who wrote it? When was it written? What
else what happening at the time of its writing?
And ETC.
We have 2 types of Historical Criticism
1. External Criticism
- This type of criticism looks for the obvious
sign of forgery or misrepresentation. This
type of criticism tests the authenticity of the
sources. It is interested in the writing styles
of the eyewitness and his ignorance of the
facts. The historian also analyzes the original
manuscript; its integrity, localization and the
date it was written
- To ascertain if a particular data is fabricated,
forge, fake, corrupted or a hoax, that source
must undergo the test of authenticity. Since
external criticism is concern with the explicit
sign of misrepresentation, it is the first test
the historian employs to ascertain sources
validity.

Test of Authenticity
 The first step to test a source is to determine
the date of document to see whether it is
anachronistic. Anachronism means out of
time or order, something that could not have
been there at that particular time. It could be
a person, thing or idea placed in a wrong
time.
 The second step is to determine the author’s
handwriting, signature or seal. We can
compare the handwriting of particular author
to his other writings. Obvious sign of forgery
in include patch writing, hesitation as
revealed by ink blobs, pauses in the writing,
tremor causing poor line quality and erasures.
However, some people are highly skilled in
imitating others handwriting.
 The third test in determining the authenticity
of the source is by looking for the
anachronistic style. In this test we will
examine idiomatic expression or the
orthography used in the documents. An idiom
is an expression, word or phrase that has a
figurative meaning conventionally
understood by native speakers. When we say
‘break a leg’ we all know that it means good
luck. Orthography is a set of conventions for
writing a language. It includes norms of
spelling, hyphenation, capitalization, word
breaks, emphasis and punctuation.
 The fourth test is the anachronistic reference
to events. For example if the event cited in
the document is prior to the actual event, then
the document must be forged or fake.
 The fifth test of authenticity is the
provenance or custody of the document.
Provenance is the place of origin of earliest
known history of documents. It traces the
roots of any source.
 The other two test of authenticity is the
semantics and hermeneutics. Semantics is
the linguistic study of meaning. In this test
semantics determine the meaning of the text
and words of the source. We may ask: is the
meaning of the statements different from its
literal meaning? Hermeneutics on the other
hand is theory and methodology of
interpretation. Hermeneutics is more than
interpretation or method used when
immediate comprehension fails. In historical
criticism we determine ambiguities which are
a word or expression that can be understood
in two or more possible ways. Historians may
look also if the statement is meant to be ironic
(i.e. mean other than what it says).
2. Internal Criticism
- This type of criticism looks for deeper or
more intense study of sources.
Usually, historians first apply external
criticism before undergoing the test of
credibility because of internal criticisms
implicit character. It is important that the
document must be very similar or as close as
what really happened from a critical
examination of best available resources. It
refers to the accuracy of the content of a
document. Internal criticism has to do with
what the document says. It investigates the
content or substance of a document and the
author’s point of view. This type of criticism
tests the credibility of the source.
Test of Credibility
 The first step is the identification of the
author. It determines if the witness is reliable
or if he is consistent by comparing his other
 works. In this steps historian also examine
the mental processes of the witness, if he is
capable of telling the truth, or if he is
mentally challenged. Finally, we will look for
his personal attitudes, if he is telling
something beyond what he saw or bragging
about it. Many historian use some kind of
rubric to test the credibility of the author.
 The second step in testing the credibility of
the eyewitness is to determine the
approximate date. Example of this is again
Rizal’s poem “Sa aking mga kabata”. He
wrote that poem when he is only eight years
old and that poem is with rhythm and meter.
To think that when Rizal was 8 years old the
primary education in the Philippines was
nonexistent.
 The third step in testing the credibility of the
source is its ability to tell the truth. Historians
examine how near an eyewitness is to the
event. The closer a source is to the event
which it purports to describe, the more one
can trust it to give an accurate historical
description of what actually happened.
 Historian also look for the competence of the
eyewitness. Basically, they look for the
background of the author like education,
health, age or social status. The last test for
this step is the degree of the attention of the
eyewitness. Whether the sources witness the
event only partly or if he witnesses the event
from the start to finish.
 The fourth step is the willingness to tell the
truth. If the eye witness is coerced, forced or
somebody threaten him to tell something then
his account is not valid. If the eyewitness
wants to hide something for personal reason.
 The last step is to look for corroboration. This
particular step rest upon the independent
testimony of two or more reliable sources.
The words independent testimony must be
emphasized. For instance, if the soldier who
fought the battle, a general who oversaw the
battle and a doctor who treated those
wounded who fought the battle, all recorded
the same fact or all agree about an event,
historians consider that event proven.
Some Conflicting Views in Philippine History
Lesson Proper
 It is important to note the various
historical accounts that exist in order to
explain and expound the complexities of
the past. Historians create their narratives
through a survey and analysis of primary
sources available in the archives,
libraries, or the antique collections of
document enthusiasts.
 The output can be a wide range of
accounts that explain a nation’s history.
But there are events and accounts in our
history that present conflicting views by
our historians.
Site of the First Mass in the Philippines
 There was a controversy regarding where
the first mass was held in the Philippines
when Ferdinand Magellan reached our
archipelago – in (Masao) Butuan or
Limasawa (Leyte)
 Masao, Butuan – During the 17th
century, two Jesuit historians accounted
for Magellan‟ s voyage in the Philippines,
Father Francisco Collins (1592-1660) in
his work Labor Evangelica, published in
1663, recounted the events when
Magellan first landed on the local shore.
The work was published 240 years later in
 three volumes with annotations of father
Pastells in Madrid in 1903.
Collins’ Account of Magellan’s Arrival
The following is the account of Collins
regarding the arrival of Magellan and the first
mass.
 “At the end of three months and twelve
days during which they traverse 4,000
leagues (22,200 km), having crossed the
equator a second time , they climbed up
to 15 degrees North Latitude where they
came upon two islands which they
named Las Velas (The Sails)”
 “At twelve degrees North they came
upon the Ladrones Islands (now
Marianas Island). A few days later 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 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
Dimasawa, relative of the chief of
Butuan and of that of Zebu, wither he
leads the Armada, which entered the
harbor at noon on the 7th of April , the
Octave of Easter”
 Collins seemed familiar and precise with
the accounts of Magellan‟s voyage and
for his narration of Magellan’s landing in
Homonhon Island which they spelled
Humunu as written in Pigafetta’s
Chronicle.
Combes’ version on the account of
Magellan’s Voyage:
 The second Jesuit writer was father
Francisco Combes (1620- 1665). He and
Collins both lived and worked as
missionaries here in the Philippines. Like
Collins, his book (History of Mindanao)
was also printed and published in Madrid
in 1667. Combes’ work was edited by
Wenceslao Retana and Father Pastells.
 “The first time that the royal standards of
the faith were seen to fly in this island
(of Mindanao) was then the archipelago
was first discovered by the Admiral
Alonzo de Magallanes.”
 “He followed a new and difficult route
(across the Pacific), entering the Strait of
Siargao , formed by the island and that of
Leyte, and landing at the island of
Mazaua (Limasawa) which is the
entrance of the 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
Butuan , whose chieftain was more
powerful. His reputation attracted our
men tither to see for themselves or be
disillusioned, their curiosity sharpened
by the fact that the place was nearby.”
 “The barbarian’s chief lived up to our
men’s expectations providing with the
food they needed. Magellan contented
himself with having them do reverence
They used Pigafetta’s records as follows:
to the cross which is erected upon a
Hillock as a sign to future generations of
their alliance.”
 “The solemnity with which the cross was
created and the deep piety shown by the
Spaniards, and the natives following the
examples of the Spaniards, engendered
great respect for the cross.”
 According to this account, Combes
explained that Magellan landed in
Butuan and he put the cross in a solemn
ceremony, but he did not mention about
the first mass held.
Two Contradicting Accounts of the two
Jesuit Historians
1. Combes – Magellan went first to
Cavite Mutiny
Limasaua then to Butuan and went
back to Limasaua before sailing to
Cebu.
2. Collin - Magellan went first to
Butuan then to Limasaua before
sailing to Cebu.
Evidence that shows Limasaua as the place
where the first mass was held:
1. Albo’s Log Book – Albo was part of
Magellan expedition. He was the
pilot (called contra maestre) in
Magellan‟s flagship Trinidad). He
was among the eighteen (18)
survivors of the expedition who
returned to Spain with Sebastian
Elcano on the ship Victoria. Albo
kept his own log book during their
voyage.
2. Pigafetta’s Chronicle - Antonio
Pigafetta was the official chronicler
of Ferdinand Magellan; he recorded
everything he observed during their
voyages.
 Pigafetta’s testimony regarding the route;
 Pigafetta‟ s drawn map;
 The two native kings as stated in
Pigafetta’s chronicle; and
 The seven day stay in the place called
“Mazaua”.
3. Summary of Albo and Pigafetta
Testimony.
4. Confirmatory evidence from
Legaspi expedition.
In relation to this issue a law was passed
in Congress, even though it is still under
debate, Republic Act 2733 declares
Limasawa Island in the province of
Leyte as the place where the first mass in
the Philippines was held.
 The 12th June of every year since 1898
is a very important event for all the
Filipinos. On this particular day, the
entire Filipino nation, as well as Filipino
communities, all over the world gathers
to celebrate the Philippines
Independence Day.
 1898 came to be a very significant year
for all of us – it is equally important as
1896 – the year when the Philippine
Revolution broke out owing to the
 Filipino’s desire to be free from the
abuses of the Spanish colony regime. But
we should be reminded that another year
is as historic as the two – 1872.
 The two major events in 1872 – first
was the Cavite Mutiny and the other was
the martyrdom of the three Filipino
priests in the persons of Fathers Mariano
Gomes, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora
(GOMBURZA). All Filipinos must
know the different sides of the story –
since this event led to another tragic yet
meaningful part of our history – the
execution of GOMBURZA which in
effect a major factor in awakening of
Nationalism among the Filipinos.
 Spanish Viewpoint of the
Mutiny The two Spaniards, Jose
Montero Vidal, a prolific Spanish
Historian, and Governor General
Rafael Izquierdo deemed that the event
of 1872 was earlier and was thought as a
big conspiracy among educated leaders,
mestizos, abogadillos or native lawyers,
residents of Manila and Cavite and the
native clergy.
 They insinuated that the conspirators of
Manila and Cavite planned to liquidate
high- ranking Spanish officers to be
followed by the massacre of the friars.
According to Vidal and Izquierdo, on the
day of January 20, 1872, Sampaloc
Manila celebrated the feast of the Virgin
of Loreto, as a tradition. They celebrated
the occasion with usual fireworks
displays.
 Apparently, those in Cavite misidentified
the fireworks as the sign for the attack,
and just like what was agreed upon, the
200-men contingent headed by Sergeant
La Madrid launched an attack targeting
Spanish officers at sight and seized the
arsenal in Fort San Felipe.
 When the news reached Gov. Gen.
Izquierdo, he ordered the reinforcement
of the Spanish forces in Cavite to
suppress the revolt. The “revolution” was
easily crushed when the anticipated
support from Manila did not come
ashore.
 Main leaders including Sergeant La
Madrid were killed in the battle, while
the GOMBURZA were tried by a court-
martial and were condemned to die by
strangling (Garote).
 Patriots like Joaquin Pardo de Tavera,
Antonio Ma. Regidor, Jose and Pio
Basa and other abogadillos were
suspended by the Audiencia (High
Court) from the practice of law, arrested
and were exiled to Guam.
 Furtheremore, Gov. Gen. Izquierdo
dissolved the native regiments of
artillery and ordered the formation of
artillery force to be composed
exclusively of Peninsulares (Spanish-
born Spaniard or mainland Spaniard
residing in newly colonized countries).
 Filipino Viewpoint of the Mutiny
Filipino scholar and researcher, Dr.
Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, wrote the
Filipino version of the incident in Cavite.
From his point of view, the event was an
ordinary mutiny by the native Filipino
soldiers and laborers of the Cavite
arsenal who turned out to be frustrated
with the end of their privileges.
 Ultimately, Tavera pointed Gov.
Izquierdo responsible for cold- blooded
policies such as the abolition of
privileges of the workers and native
army members of the arsenal and the
exclusion of the creation of school of arts
and trades for Filipinos, which the
general believed to be a cover-up for the
organization of a political club.
 On January 20, 1872, headed by
Sergeant La Madrid, about 200 men
comprised of soldiers, laborers of the
arsenal, the residents of Cavite, rose in
arms and killed the commanding officer
and Spanish officers in sight. The rebels
were expecting support from the
majority of the army but, unfortunately,
it did not happen. This report of mutiny
reached the authorities in Manila and
Gov. Gen. Izquierdo instantly ordered
the reinforcement of Spanish troops in
Cavite. After two days, the mutiny was
officially declared restrained.
 Tavera at the time believed that the
Spanish friars and Gov. Izquierdo
used the Cavite Mutiny as a powerful
control by amplifying it as full- blown
conspiracy concerning not only the
native army but also involved residents
of Cavite and Manila, and essentially the
native clergy to take over the Spanish
government in Philippines.
 It is important to note that during that
time, the Central Government in Madrid
announced its intention to remove the
friars of all the powers of involvement in
matters of civil government and the
course and organization of educational
institutions. This gathering of events
was, believed by Tavera, urged friars to
do something severe in their awful
aspiration to maintain power in the
Philippines.
Some Conflicting Views in
Philippine History
Retraction of Rizal (1935)
 Some historians believed that Jose Rizal
retracted his Anti-Catholic ideas through
a document before he was executed.
Did Jose Rizal Die a Catholic? Revisiting
Rizal’s Last 24 Hours Using Spy Reports
Reasons why historians had different narratives
about Rizal’s life:
1. His biographers could not focus their
narratives on just one aspect of his life
since he was a versatile person and his
engagements were numerous
2. Researchers were viewing Rizal from
different perspectives
3. Differences may be due to the primary
sources on which historians based their
narratives.
All the variations are tolerable and sometimes
encouraged by the academic community
because they give students various perspectives
from which to understand Rizal
The Jesuit Version
 A number of them reported that he had
denounced his Masonic beliefs and re-
professed his Catholic faith. Some even
reprinted the retraction letter that he
wrote, in order to prove that he did
indeed die a Catholic.
They mentioned the Jesuit priests and other
colonial officials who witnessed this
controversial act by Rizal. The local newspaper
that reported the retraction were La Voz
Espanola, El Espanol, El Comercio, and La
Oceania Espanola.
The Spain-based newspaper and magazine that
covered the retraction were El Imparcial
Heraldo De Madrid, and El Siglo Futuro.
 The Jesuits figured prominently during
the last 24 hours of Rizal’s life because
Manila Archbishop Bernardino Nozaleda
asked them to take care of Rizal’s
spiritual needs the latter awaited the hour
of his deathwhile. In an affidavit that he
issued in 1917, Fr. Pio Pi (the Superior
of the Jesuits) declared that he had
accepted the task because he considered
Rizal to be Ateneo Municipal High
School’s “very distinguished and dear
pupil” (Cavanna 1956, 15).
 The Jesuits he sent to Rizal’s detention
cell were Frs. Vicente Balaguer, Jose
Vilaclara, Estanislao March, Luis
Visa, Federico Faura, and Miguel
Saderra (Cavanna 1956, 11). Fr. Pi
instructed them to persuade Rizal to
retract his anti- Catholic teachings as
well as his affiliation with the Masons.
The Jesuits were supposed to demand
these two things before ministering the
necessary sacraments. Fr. Pi also ordered
that the retraction should be in writing
using either of the two sample retraction
templates approved by the archbishop
 Of all the Jesuits whom Fr. Pi
commissioned to deal with Rizal, it was
Fr. Vicente Balaguer who wrote
extensively about what happened in
Rizal’s detention cell that day before he
was executed. His version of the story
was narrated in a letter sent to Fr. Pi in
1908 and an affidavit he executed in
Murcia, Spain, on August 8, 1917. In
both documents, Fr. Balaguer used the
first person pronoun, which suggests that
he was personally present and involved
un the negotiation.
 According to Balaguer, they discussed
some articles of Catholic faith. They
debated on such issues like supremacy of
faith over reason, and dogmatic
differences that divided Catholics and
protestants.
 They advised Rizal not to spend much
time discussing faith-related issues and
focus instead on how to die in state of
grace so he could enter heaven.
 They explained that they could not
administer the sacraments he needed
without him signing a retraction letter
and making a profession of faith.
 He warned Rizal that he will go to hell if
he did not return to the Catholic fold
 It was in their return at 10pm that they
showed Rizal the two retraction
templates Fr. Pi had given them.
 Rizal found the first template
unacceptable because it was too long and
its language and style were nor reflective
of his personality.
 Balaguer withdrew it and offered the
shorter one but Rizal did not sign it right
away because he was uncomfortable
with the statement “I abominate
masonry as a society reprobated by the
church.” since Masonry in Philippines
was not hostile to Catholicism and same
with the Masonry in London.
  After making some changes to the draft,
Rizal signed the retraction before
midnight. Balaguer handed it to Fr. Pi,
who in turn submitted it to Archbishop
Bernardino Nozaleda. The text of the
retraction states:
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 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.
Challenges to the Jesuit version
 Friedrich Stahl wrote to Ferdinand
Blumentritt in January 1897, informing
him that people did not take the
retraction account seriously because
“nobody has ever seen this written
declaration in spite of the fact that quite a
number of people would want to see it”
 In a letter that Jose Alejandrino sent to
Filipino expatriates in Hong Kong dated
March 6, 1897, he expressed the same
point. He wrote, “the Spaniards want to
persecute him even in the tomb, since
they slander him by imputing to him
confessions and retractions which he
himself could not have done”
 Trinidad, Rizal’s sister, also attested that
after her brother’s death the Jesuits
invited their family to attend a Mass
offered for the eternal repose of his soul.
The Jesuits promised that after the Mass
they would show them the original
retraction. Until they parted ways, the
promise did not materialize.
 In 1935 the archdiocesan archivist Fr.
Manuel Gracia, C.M. was sorting
through folders of documents that he
would later transfer to a newly acquired
fireproof vault. While doing this, he
found the “original” retraction document
about Rizal in a bundle titled Masoneria
(Garcia 1964, 31– 43). Right away he
called Manila Archbishop Michael
O’Doherty, who at that time was in
Baguio. The next day Fr. Gracia gave the
document to the archbishop, who in turn
showed it to President Manuel L.
Quezon.
 That same day they asked Teodoro M.
Kalaw, a Mason and the director of the
National Library at the time, to examine
the document. Kalaw declared that it was
“authentic, definite and final”
 Then they summoned Carlos P. Romulo,
who was then the editor of the
newspaper Philippines Herald, to
evaluate the veracity of the document.
Romulo agreed with Kalaw’s findings,
and on June 15, 1935 he published the
news in the Philippines Herald under the
banner headline “Rizal’s Retraction
Found.” To give more credibility to the
newly found document, Doherty
requested H. Otley Beyer, a professor of
anthropology at U.P. Diliman and a
known handwriting expert, to examine
whether the document was genuine or
not. Beyer concluded, “there is not the
slightest doubt that every word on that
sheet of paper was written by Jose Rizal”

 The masons regarded the retraction that
came out in 1935 as a fact, but whether it
was indeed written and signed by Rizal
was for them a big question. The
discourse this time was no longer over
whether Rizal had retracted or not. The
debate was whether the newly found
document was genuine or not.
Rafael Palma, former president of the
University of the Philippines and a prominent
Mason, disputed the veracity of the document
because it did not reflect Rizal’s true character
and beliefs. He regarded the resurrected
retraction story as a “pious fraud”
Dr. Ricardo R. Pascual, one of the persons who
was given permission by the archbishop to
examine the document, wrote: “it is better that
such document should not have been discovered
at all” (Pascual 1959, 4). Pascual scrutinized the
document thoroughly and came up with a book
that questioned its authenticity.
1. First, he scrutinized the handwriting and
compared it with other documents that
Rizal had written days before he was
executed. These included Mi Ultimo
Adios. The Defensa, and the dedicatory
note found on the title page of the book
Imitacio de Cristo, which Rizal gave to
Josephine Bracken. Pascual identified
inconsistencies in the slants of the
handwriting, Rizal’s signature, the inks
used, the font of some words, the margin,
and the way individual letters were
formed. All these observations led him to
conclude that the newly found retraction
document was a forgery
 Another objection raised against the
authenticity of Rizal’s retraction was the
differences between the text of the 1935
document cualidad is spelled with a u
while in Fr. Balaguer’s version, the
spelling is calidad (without the u”)
 Second, Fr. Balaguer’s version does
not have the word Catolica after the
word Iglesia. In the 1935 and the
newspaper versions, the word Catolica
is present.
 Third, in the Jesuits’ copy the third
Iglesias is preceded by the word
misma. This word cannot be found in
the 1935 document.
 Fourth, with regard to paragraphing, Fr.
Balaguer’s version does not begin the
second paragraph until the fifth
sentence while the 1935 version starts
the second paragraph immediately
after the second sentence.
 Finally, the text of the 1935 retraction
has 4 commas, while the text of Fr.
Balaguer’s has 11
 Pascual concluded that the 1935
retraction document was a forgery, but
he was not able to identify the forgers. It
was Ildefonso Runes who would do so in
a book that he published in 1962. Runes
wrote that on August 13, 1901, Antonio
Abad celebrated his 15th birthday in San
Isidro, Nueva Ecija. Roman Roque, a
close neighbor of the Abads, was among
the celebrants’ well-wishers. On this
occasion, Roque disclosed that he had
been fetched by Lazaro Segovia in San
Isidro, and later taken to Manila. He had
stayed in the Hotel Quatro Naciones in
Intramuros and been employed by the
friars for 10 days. He was given the
equivalent of his salary for two months
in the government. For several days, he
studied Rizal’s handwriting. According
 to him, he made about five copies of
retraction letter based on a draft prepared
by the friars. He thought of keeping one
for himself. But when he was searched
upon departure, his copy was taken from
him.
Cuerpo de Vigilancia Collection
 Cuerpo de Vigilancia de Manila
(Security Corps of Manila) was the
intelligence service that the Spanish
Colonial government created in 1895. It
was organized primarily to gather
information on the activities of
Katipunan members and supporters.
 In a span of three years, they were able
to collect almost 3, 000 documents
containing eyewitness accounts of the
activities of individuals fighting for
Philippine Independence.
 NCCA officuals labeled the Cuerpo
Collections as “Katipunan and Rizal
documents.” However, the documents
about Rizal and Katipunan is only 30%
of the collection.
 Of the more than 1000 reports found in
the collection, around 30 are about Rizal.
The bulk of the documents about Rizal
focused on his trial and what transpired
in his prison cell the day before he was
executed.
Cuerpo de Vigilancia Version
 This account may be considered more
objective earlier since Inspector Jefe
Federico Moreno was neither a
member of the Catholic hierarchy nor
a Mason.
 Take note that Moreno’s report did not
mention Fr. Balaguer. Only two
Jesuits were present, Fr. Jose Vilaclara
and Fr. Estanislao March
 Moreno confirmed that Rizal had
visitors in after dinner, before the day
of his execution. The visitors are
Senor Andrade, Senor Maure, Frs
March and Vilaclara.
 Moreno’s report was a big blow to
Balaguer’s credibility but it did not
refute the claim that Rizal retracted. It
mentions that when Fr. March
returned at 3pm, Rizal handed him a
document.
 Moreno reported that after Rizal
signed the alleged retraction letter, he
read the Acts of Faith, Hope and
Charity as well as the prayer for the
Departing Soul. While kneeling in
front of the altar, he read his prayer
book
 Early morning the following day,
Rizal and Josephine Bracken got
married. The ceremony was done in
articulo mortis (point of death) and
there were no sponsors and witnesses.
No signing of marriage certificate was
mentioned.
 Moreno also reported that minutes
before Rizal was brought to Luneta, he
heard mass, confessed to Fr. March,
received the Holy Communion, and
kissed the image of the Blessed
Mother.
Cry of Balintawak or Pugadlawin?
 Based on the article of Milagros
Guerrero, Emmanuel
Encarnacion, and Ramon
Villegas on NCCA website
  In August 1896, northeast of
Manila, Filipinos similarly
declared their rebellion against the
Spanish colonial government. It
was Manuel Sastron, the Spanish
historian, who institutionalized the
phrase for the Philippines in his
1897 book, La Insurreccion en
Filipinas. All these “Cries” were
milestones in the several colonial-
to-nationalist histories of the
world.
Raging Controversy
 The historian Teodoro Agoncillo chose to
emphasize Bonifacio’s tearing of the
cedula (tax receipt) before a crowd of
Katipuneros who then broke out in cheers.
However, Guardia Civil Manuel Sityar
never mentioned in his memoirs (1896-
1898) the tearing or inspection of the
cedula, but did note the pacto de sangre
(blood pact) mark on every single Filipino
he met in August 1896 on his
reconnaissance missions around
Balintawak.
Conflicting Accounts
 Was there a meeting at Pugad Lawin on
23 August 1896, after the meeting at
Apolonio Samson’s residence in Hong
Kong? Where were the cedulas torn, at
Kangkong or Pugad Lawin?
 In September 1896, Valenzuela stated
before the Olive Court, which was
charged with investigating persons
involved in the rebellion, only that
Katipunan meetings took place from
Sunday to Tuesday or 23 to 25 August at
Balintawak.
 In 1911, Valenzuela averred that the
Katipunan began meeting on 22 August
while the Cry took place on 23 August at
Apolonio Samson’s house in Balintawak.
 From 1928 to 1940, Valenzuela
maintained that the Cry happened on 24
August at the house of Tandang Sora
(Melchora Aquino) in Pugad Lawin,
which he now situated near Pasong Tamo
Road. A photograph of Bonifacio’s
widow Gregoria de Jesus and Katipunan
members Valenzuela, Briccio Brigido
Pantas, Alfonso and Cipriano Pacheco,
published in La Opinion in 1928 and
1930, was captioned both times as having
been taken at the site of the Cry on 24
August 1896 at the house of Tandang
Sora at Pasong Tamo Road.
 In 1935 Valenzuela, Pantas and Pacheco
proclaimed “na hindi sa Balintawak
nangyari ang unang sigaw ng
paghihimagsik na kinalalagian ngayon ng
bantayog, kung di sa pook na kilala sa
tawag na Pugad Lawin.” (The first Cry of
the revolution did not happen in
Balintawak where the monument is, but in
a place called Pugad Lawin.)
 In 1940, a research team of the
Philippines Historical Committee (a
forerunner of the National Historical
Institute or NHI), which included Pio
Valenzuela, identified the precise spot of
Pugad Lawin as part of sitio Gulod,
Banlat, Kalookan City. In 1964, the
NHI’s Minutes of the Katipunan referred
to the place of the Cry as Tandang Sora’s
and not as Juan Ramos’ house, and the
date as 23 August.
  Valenzuela memoirs (1964, 1978)
averred that the Cry took place on 23
August at the house of Juan Ramos at
Pugad Lawin. The NHI was obviously
influenced by Valenzuela’s memoirs. In
1963, upon the NHI endorsement,
President Diosdado Macapagal ordered
that the Cry be celebrated on 23 August
and that Pugad Lawin be recognized as its
site.
 John N. Schrumacher, S.J, of the Ateneo
de Manila University was to comment on
Pio Valenzuela’s credibility:
“I would certainly give much less credence to all
accounts coming from Pio Valezuela, and to the
interpretations Agoncillo got from him verbally,
since Valenzuela gave so many versions from the
time he surrendered to the Spanish authorities
and made various statements not always
compatible with one another up to the time when
as an old man he was interviewed by Agoncillo.”
 Pio Valenzuela backtracked on yet
another point. In 1896, Valenzuela
testified that when the Katipunan
consulted Jose Rizal on whether the time
had come to revolt, Rizal was vehemently
against the revolution. Later, in
Agoncillo’s Revolt of the masses,
Valenzuela retracted and claimed that
Rizal was actually for the uprising, if
certain prerequisites were met. Agoncillo
reasoned that Valenzuela had lied to save
Rizal.
 Agoncillo used his considerable influence
and campaigned for a change in the
recognized site to Pugad Lawin and the
date 23 August 1896.
 Consequently, Macapagal ordered that
the Cry of Balintawak be called the “Cry
of Pugad Lawin,” and that it be celebrated
on 23 August instead of 26 August. The
1911 monument in Balintawak was later
removed to a highway. Student groups
moved to save the discarded monument,
and it was installed in front of Vinzons
Hall in the Diliman campus of the
University of the Philippines on 29
November 1968.
 In 1962, Teodoro Agoncillo, together
with the UP Student Council, placed a
marker at the Pugad Lawin site.
According to Agoncillo, the house of Juan
Ramos stood there in 1896, while the
house of Tandang Sora was located at
Pasong Tamo.
 On 30 June 1983, Quezon City Mayor
Adelina S. Rodriguez created the Pugad
Lawin Historical Committee to determine
the location of Juan Ramos’s 1896
residence at Pugad Lawin
Ang Sigaw ng Pugad Lawin
Sa paligid ng pook na ito, si Andres Bonifacio at
mga isang libong Katipunero at nagpulong
noong umaga ng ika-23 Agosto 1896, at
ipinasyang maghimagsik laban sa Kastila sa
Pilipinas. Bilang patunay ay pinag-pupunit ang
kanilang mga sedula na naging tanda ng
pagkaalipin ng mga Pilpino. Ito ang
kaunaunahang sigaw ng Bayang Api laban sa
bansang Espanya na pinatibayan sa
pamamagitan ng paggamit ng sandata.
The place name “Pugad Lawin “, however, is
problematic. In History of the Katipunan
(1939), Zaide records Valenzuela’s mention of
the site in a footnote and not in the body of text,
suggesting that the Historian regarded the matter
as unresolved.
 In 1943 map of Manila marks Balintawak
separately from Kalookan and Diliman.
The sites where revolutionary events took
place are within the ambit of Balintawak.
 Government maps issued in 1956, 1987,
and 1990, confirm the existence of
barangays Bahay Toro, but do not define
their boundaries. Pugad Lawin is not on
any of these maps.
Was Andres Bonifacio the first Philippine
president?
Written by: Carmen N. Pedrosa, The
Philippine Star, December 1, 2018
This is a debated question resting on the theory
that at the time of his election, there was no
government, only a revolution.
It is good that the matter is discussed so we
know the early beginnings of the Philippine
Government. Unfortunately, at least in my case I
never knew that this debate existed. So I am
writing this column for my readers to celebrate
Bonifacio Day yesterday.
This article is sourced from Carmela G. Lapena
and was published on Aug. 25, 2013. According
to her Andres Bonifacio should be considered the
first Philippine president.
“As children we are taught in school that Andres
Bonifacio is the father of the Philippine
revolution. Still, there are those who believe he
had another role in Philippine history – as the
country’s first president.
Bonifacio, often portrayed with a bolo in hand, is
most known for leading the Katipuneros‟ revolt
against the Spanish colonizers. However, he died
not in battle but under orders from another
Katipunero, Emilio Aguinaldo, who is currently
recognized as the first Philippine president.
Aguinaldo won in a snap election during the
Tejeros Convention between the Magdiwang and
Magdalo – two rival factions of the Katipunan.
The belief that Bonifacio should be recognized
as the first president of the Philippines is based
on his position as Supremo of the Katipunan
revolutionary government from 1896 to 1897.
“From that point on, the Katipunan ceased to be
a mere revolutionary organization into a
revolutionary government. Ang unang
pambansang pamahalaan sa Pilipinas,”
historian Xiao Chua said. The first Philippine
government? On Aug. 24, 1896, Andres
Bonifacio convened the Kataastaasang
Kapulungan (Supreme Council), declaring an
armed revolution against Spain. It was in the
same meeting that they established the
Katipunan as a national government, and held an
election of officials to lead the army and the
nation.
“The Katipunan was more than a secret
revolutionary society; it was, withal, a
Government. It was the intention of Bonifacio
to have the Katipunan govern the whole
Philippines after the overthrow of Spanish
rule.”
Gregorio F. Zaide, who wrote a history of the
Katipunan, was quoted in an article by historians
Milagros C. Guerrero, Emmanuel N.
Encarnacion, and Ramon N. Villegas.
Bonifacio referred to the country as Haring
Bayang Katagalugan (“Sovereign Tagalog
Nation”), Guerrero wrote in “Reform and
Revolution, Kasaysayan: The History of the
Filipino People 5.” In letters addressed to Emilio
Jacinto in 1897, Bonifacio‟s titles and
designations included Ang Kataastaasang
Pangulo and Pangulo ng Haring Bayang
Katagalugan – his concept of the Philippine
nation.
Should the Katipunan revolutionary government
be recognized, this would predate the Tejeros
Convention on March 22, 1897.
Bonifacio arrived at the meeting, which was
intended to resolve the issues between the two
groups. However, Aguinaldo wanted to dissolve
the Katipunan and establish a revolutionary
government.
“Iyon ay isang masasabi mong maneobra para
matanggal na si Bonifacio sa puwesto. Habang
andoon ang Katipunan hindi siya matatanggal.
So pinalitan nila ang agenda,” UP Manila
professor Danilo Aragon said in “Case
Unclosed: Ang Lihim ng 1897.” Snap elections
were held, and Aguinaldo was voted president
Meanwhile, Bonifacio was voted as director of
interior. Daniel Tirona, a Magdalo, protested
Bonifacio’s election, claiming he was not
qualified for the job. Insulted, Bonifacio, who
presided over the election, declared the assembly
dissolved. The next day, Bonifacio and other
Magdiwang members created the Acta de
Tejeros, a document stating they did not adopt
the election results of the convention. “Yung
klase ng trapo politics na mayroon tayo ngayon,
ay nagsimula pa noong panahon pa nila
Aguinaldo sa Tejeros Convention. Nandoon na
yung lokohan, panlalait sa mga kandidato na
walang pera,” Aragon said.
Aguinaldo ordered the commutation of the death
sentence, but was convinced otherwise. The
brothers were killed in the mountain of
Maragondon, Cavite”Kung binuhay mo din si
Bonifacio, manggugulo naman siya. Kung na sa
sitwasyon ka nung kampo ni Aguinaldo, hindi mo
rin siya puwedeng hayaan na buhay,” Villegas
said.
The descendants Unsurprisingly, the
descendants of the two men hold different
opinions on the matter. “Kaya yan ang kinikilala
naming hero ng pamilya sapagkat siya ay
nakipaglaban sa Kastila at naproklama niya ang
ating kasarinlan,” said former Prime Minister
Cesar Virata, Aguinaldo‟ s descendant.
“Yung pagpatay sa kanya, state-sponsored
killing yan eh. Kasi para maging legitimate yung
pagpatay sa tao kailangan idaan sa isang due
process,” said attorney Gregorio Bonifacio,
Procopio’s great-great-grandson. According to
the late former Supreme Court Justice Abraham
Sarmiento, Bonifacio and his brother were not
given due process.
The boy from Tondo The eldest child of a tailor
and a factory worker, Bonifacio was able to
reach the equivalent of second year high school
and took care of his five siblings after their
parents died. In 1892, he joined La Liga Filipina,
which was founded by Jose Rizal. In the same
year, he established the KKK (Kataastaasan
Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng
Bayan). With Rizal’s exile to Dapitan, La Liga
Filipina collapsed. Meanwhile, the Katipunan
grew over the next few years, and the revolution
was launched in August 1896.
Meanwhile, Bonifacio‟ s descendant Gregorio
said they want to correct what is wrong. “Bilang
apo ni Bonifacio, natural gusto naming itama
kung ano ang mali. Not for anything else,
because para yung susunod na henerasyon at
nabasa nila na ito ang tama, alam nila kung ano
ang gagawin nila,” he said. But while the
National Historical Council of the Philippines is
open to such petitions, they maintain that
Bonifacio was not the first president. “We do not
think of him as the first president, but rather we
think of him as the leader of the Katipunan.
Because for one reason, we do not yet have a
government to call our own at that time,” said
commission member Bryan Anthony Paraiso. “It
does not diminish his contribution to Philippine
history,” Paraiso also said.
Before the Conquest
Introduction
 Philippine history writing started during
Spanish time when Ferdinand Magellan
landed in the Philippine archipelago in the
year 1521, followed by Filipinos like Dr. Jose
Rizal who annotated Antonio Morga’s Book
“Sucessos de Las Islas Filipinas” (Events of
The Early Philippine Society
the Philippine Islands) and Americans. But
before the Spaniards, there were
archaeological records of early Chinese and
some Muslim scholars narrating the existence
of civilization in the archipelago.
Early Dwellers in the Philippine Archipelago
1. Tabon Man – the Tabon Man skull cap was
discovered by Dr. Robert Fox, an American
Anthropologist, in the Tabon cave in Palawan
in 1962. According to research this man lived
on the early days called Stone Age and inside
the cave. He also found evidence that these
early human already knew how to make and
use tools. Experts said skeletal remains found
in Tabon were not a Negrito.
2. Negrito - Henry Otley Beyer, a known
anthropologist, introduced the “Theory of
Migration” that the first Human who came to
the Philippine Archipelago through through
the Land Bridges were Negritos, the
Ancestors of the Aetas, has many
anthropologists and experts opposed and
disproved this belief.
 Laguna Copperplate Inscription (LCI) -
The oldest written documents in Philippine
history was found in Lumbang River in the
province of Laguna by a sand worker and he
sold it to National Museum. According to the
story, a Dutch anthropologist named Anton
Postma translated the inscription. The
translation shows the Chief of Tondo
pardoned the debt of Namwaran. The LCI
names several places in the Philippines and
Indonesia
 The copperplate discloses the influence of
Hindu culture in the Philippines before 900
AD (Anno Domini). Some believe that
cultural contact was more likely through
Hindu Empire in Indonesia or India. It proves
that Manila was already populated and
civilized before the arrival of Muslims in the
year 1100’s to 1200’s. It also indicates the
interaction of the early Filipinos to its
neighboring Asian countries before
Ferdinand Magellan.
 The early Filipinos started building their
communities along the mouth of the river or
coastal areas. They chose the place because
of economic opportunities wherein they
access the land and the water for their
everyday routine life. Their community was
a Barangay setup with 50 or 2000 people as
residents.
 The Barangay originated from the story of the
Ten Bornean Datus who were believed to
have sailed in the direction of the Philippines
using their boat called Balangay to escape the
cruelty of Sultan Makatunaw of Borneo, with
their family and other people onboard.
However, this story according to recent
studies revealed some irregularities because
the story does not have any written
 evidences, but only verbal or spoken
historical account which became part of
Filipino culture.
Traditional Filipino Communities
 The Raja or Datu ruled the Barangay –
their duty is to look over to the people and
maintain peace within the community and
lead them if there are intruders who would
like to conquer them.
 After the historic Sandugo of Miguel Lopez
de Legazpi and Datu Sikatuna of Bohol,
some tribal leaders adopted the symbolic
ceremony and preservation of friendship
between the two tribes
Another way to solve the disputes of the two
tribes or Barangay during the early days was the
arrange marriage of their children. This will give
way to the merging of the two former rival
kingdoms and becomes a larger, strong and a
more powerful tribe.
How does the Early Barangay choose their leader
as Raja or Datu?
Early Barangay also sets qualification for their
leader:
1. Age – their leader must be at around 30 years
old and above.
2. Physically Fit – leader is expected to be
physically strong to lead the Barangay in
maintaining peace and order and a protector
from outside aggressors.
3. Inheritance – based on bloodline relations to
the former Raja or Datu (first born son,
daughter, or an immediate relative).
4. Extent of knowledge – had enough
knowledge about the customs and the
traditions of Barangay.
Social Classes in the Barangay
1. Raja or Datu – was the title of the leader in
the barangay during pre-Hispanic time.
2. Maharlika (The Noble People) – This class
of people does not pay taxes in the
community; they are relatives of the Datu or
Raja.
3. Timawa (The Free Man) – these classes of
people are free commoner.
4. Alipin - Aliping Namamahay - who had
received a piece of land from his master.
5. Aliping Sa Gigilid – single men and women
who worked to their master’s home.
Pre-Colonial Dwellings
 The early Filipinos used caves for their
housing until they leaned to build houses
outside using woods or bamboo and nipa
leaves or cogon grass.
Clothings as Ornaments
 According to Pigafetta’s chronicles, native
men and women were barefoot, without
upper clothing, only Bahag for men while
women wear a piece of cloth wrapped around
the waist. They always wear necklaces and
armlets.
Early Religion
 Early natives did not have religion, but they
have their god as Bathala or Maycapal in
Mountain Province. Islam is already present
in the archipelago by 1380, way before the
Spaniard’s arrival.
Superstitious Beliefs
 Early Filipinos believed in the existence of
aswang, kapre, dwende, tiyanak, at tikbalang
Early Philippine Writing
 Baybayin – pre-Hispanic writing system in
the archipelago ; from Kawi (Javanese in
Indonesia) or Sanskrit in India.
Economy
 Archeological artifacts suggest that early
Filipinos already are engaged in trading, rice
planting, hunting, and fishing. Barter Trading
is already practiced; Chinese traders were in
the archipelago.
Music and Dance
 Kudyapi - 2-stringed boat-shaped guitar
 Kalaleng (Tongali) - flute blown by the
nose.
 Gangsa – a flat gong.
  Batikok-kok – a bamboo drum.
 Kundiman – known as love song.
 Kumintang – known as sinaunang awit at
sayaw pandigma.
 Ang Dalit/ Imno/Oyayi/Hele - ang himno o
dalit ay isang awit ng papuri, luwalhati,
kaligayahan o pasasalamat, karaniwang para
sa Diyos.
 Dugso - dance from Bukidnon (danced
during harvest, prayer for thanksgiving and
invocation for protection)
 Salip - from Kalinga (Courtship Dance)
Colonization of the Philippines
Readings in Philippine History
Introduction
 It all started when the two powerful countries
– Portugal and Spain – had a cold rivalry in
conquering lands to expand their empire and
to look for spices as one of the most valuable
goods which is equivalent to gold.
 To pacify the situation Pope Alexander VI
mediated between the two to avoid further
conflict although they are both Catholic
countries. The Pope issued a Papal Bull in
May 4, 1493 to imaginarily divide the world
into two. A line of 556 kilometers westward
of the Azores belonged to Spain and eastward
it was for Portugal.
Who is Ferdinand Magellan?
 Ferdinand Magellan was born in Portugal in
1480. In 1505, he joined the Portuguese fleet
that sailed to East Africa. In Lisbon, he
studied cartography, astronomy, and celestial
navigation.
 In 1513, while in war with the moors in
Morocco, he was wounded on his leg that
caused him to limp for the rest of his life.
After the incident, Magellan was accused of
illegal trading with the moors that caused him
to be rejected of employment in Portugal as
per order of the King.
In 1517, convinced by Magellan’s voyage plan, King
Charles V of Spain commissioned Magellan to lead
a fleet of five (5) ships and was made a Commander.
After the successful voyage of Magellan, the King
rewarded him the following:
1. Monopoly of the discovered route for ten (10)
years
2. Appointment as Governors of discovered
territories
3. A share of fifth to any gains during the
voyage.
4. The right to levy 1000 ducats (gold coins) on
upcoming trips.
5. Granting an island, fifteenth, he would
discover.
Magellan’s Fleet
1. Trinidad (Flagship) – 55 crews (110 tons)
2. San Antonio – 60 crews (120 tons)
3. Concepcion – 45 crews (90 tons)
4. Victoria – 43 crews (85 tons)
5. Santiago - 32 crews (75 tons)
Notable Men Who Joined Magellan
 Antonio Pigafetta – Magellan’s biographer
 Albo – the captain of Trinidad
 Juan De Cartagena – Inspector General of
the expedition
Notable Events During Magellan’s Voyage
 Easter of 1520 – some of Magellan’s crews
mutinied
 Santiago Ship was wrecked
 October 1520 – Magellan discovered the
Pacific Ocean
 San Antonio Ship – sailed back to Spain,
abandoning Magellan
 March 16, 1521 – Magellan landed at
Homonhon, Samar
 Rajah Kulambo (chieftain of Limasawa)
became friends with Magellan and guided
him to reach Sugbu (Cebu). Magellan met
with Rajah Humabon (Sugbo chieftain).
 Rajah Humabon – the Supreme Ruler of
Sugbo (Cebu), under him were eight (8)
Barangay chieftains.
3 Gs of Magellan’s Expedition
1. God – Christianity (Catholicism)
2. Glory – territories (lands, Islands)
 3. Gold – spices, gold, copper, silver, etc.
 Rajah Humabon (and his wife) was
converted to Christianity and was given the
name Carlos (wife was named Juana).
 Lapu –Lapu – chief of Mactan
 Cali Pulaco – Lapu-Lapu’s original name
according to a 17th century poet
 Cilapulapu – Lapu-Lapu’s name according
to Pigafetta
Battle of Mactan – led by LapuLapu ( first Filipino
to resist foreign invaders?
Battle of Mactan
After the death of Magellan at the hands of Lapu-
Lapu, Rajah Humabon treacherously killed 2
Spanish fleet commanders;
1. Juan Serrano
2. Duarte Barbosa
Almost all (except 59 survivors) of the Spaniards in
the island were killed. 18 survived – out of the 59
after encountering Portuguese sailors.
The three ships (Trinidad, Concepcion, and
Victoria) had a problem because they were lacking
crew for their remaining ships so they decided to
abandon and burn the smaller ship which was
Concepcion and divide the crew for the Trinidad
under Gonzalo Gomez de Espinosa as the captain and
Victoria under the command of Juan Sebastian El
Cano.
The Trinidad went back to their previous
route crossing the Pacific but unfortunately they
were apprehended and fell in the hands of their rival
Portuguese while the Victoria under the leadership of
El Cano continued the route of sailing westward but
along the way they encountered Portuguese ships and
they engaged into battle. Luckily they defeated the
Portuguese but from 59 crews, it went down to 18
after the incident. They went around the Cape of
Good Hope and entered the Port of San Lucar de
Barrameda.
September 7, 1522 – Victoria reached its port of
origin (Seville, Spain). It was the first ship who
circumnavigated the world, while the captain Juan
Sebastian Elcano was awarded a coat of arms by
Charles I of Spain, featuring a globe with the motto:
Primus Circumdidesti (in Latin, “You went around
me first”), and a lifetime annual pension.
SPANISH ERA OF THE PHILIPPINES
Introduction
 The history of the Philippines from 1565 to
1898, also known as the Spanish Philippines
or the Spanish colonial period, was the period
during which the Philippines were part of the
Spanish Empire as the Spanish East Indies
within the Captaincy General of the
Philippines.
 After the Magellan voyage through the
chronicle of Antonio Pigafetta, the King of
Spain sent a series of expedition to relocate
the Philippine Archipelago.
The Five Expeditions
 Fray Garcia Jofre Loaisa (1525)
 Sebastian Cabot (1526)
 Alvaro De Saavedra (1527)
 Ruy Lopez de Villalobos (1542)
 Miguel Lopez de Legazpi (1564)
 Among the expeditions sent, the Legazpi
voyage was the most successful as it resulted
in the discovery of the Tornaviaje or return
trip to Mexico across the Pacific by Andres
de Urdaneta. The discovery started the
Manila Galleon Trade which lasted two and a
half centuries. But it was Villalobos who
named the islands of Leyte and Samar Las
Islas Filipinas after King Philip II of Spain.
What is Galleon Trade?
 It was the trade monopolized by the Spanish
government from 1565 to 1815 using a
Galleon Ship with a route of Acapulco
Mexico to Manila, Philippines. All traders
specially the Chinese who would like to
engage business to any Spanish colony
needed to use the Galleon ship for
transportation of their goods. Most of the
cargoes were from China to Manila. They
would not allow traders to go in if they would
not use their Galleons.
  The Spanish took taxes from the goods at the
same time the transport fee for the Galleon
ship. These trading lasted for almost 250
years
Introduction
 The history of the Philippines from 1565 to
1898, also known as the Spanish Philippines
or the Spanish colonial period, was the period
during which the Philippines were part of the
Spanish Empire as the Spanish East Indies
within the Captaincy General of the
Philippines.
 After the Magellan voyage through the
chronicle of Antonio Pigafetta, the King of
Spain sent a series of expedition to relocate
the Philippine Archipelago.
The Five Expeditions
 Fray Garcia Jofre Loaisa (1525)
 Sebastian Cabot (1526)
 Alvaro De Saavedra (1527)
 Ruy Lopez de Villalobos (1542)
 Miguel Lopez de Legazpi (1564)
 Among the expeditions sent, the Legazpi
voyage was the most successful as it resulted
in the discovery of the Tornaviaje or return
trip to Mexico across the Pacific by Andres
de Urdaneta. The discovery started the
Manila Galleon Trade which lasted two and a
half centuries. But it was Villalobos who
named the islands of Leyte and Samar Las
Islas Filipinas after King Philip II of Spain.
What is Galleon Trade?
 It was the trade monopolized by the Spanish
government from 1565 to 1815 using a
Galleon Ship with a route of Acapulco
Mexico to Manila, Philippines. All traders
specially the Chinese who would like to
engage business to any Spanish colony
needed to use the Galleon ship for
transportation of their goods. Most of the
cargoes were from China to Manila. They
would not allow traders to go in if they would
not use their Galleons.
 The Spanish took taxes from the goods at the
same time the transport fee for the Galleon
ship. These trading lasted for almost 250
years
Establishment of the Spanish Government in the
Philippines
 For 333 years – from 1521 – 1898, the
Philippines was under Spain. Manila became
their center of government where the Spanish
governor general was residing. It was called
Intramuros (the Walled City) as the seat of
their government. Spanish built the said wall
in the late16th century as the protection of the
city from other invasion.
 The form of Government they introduced to
the early Filipinos was called Encomienda.
The word “encomienda” came from the word
“encomendar” means “to entrust”. This
system of government was formulated by
Spain to control the natives’ behavior of their
colony. The persons who implemented the
encomienda were called encomienderos.
 The title of Adelanto was for the Spanish
noble men that served their King during 15th,
16th, and 17th century. This gave them right
to rule in regions as Governors and Justices
 Encomienderos were given rights by the
King to rule and manage their respective
areas of responsibilities like in the
Philippines.
The Encomienderos were required by law to
perform the following duties:
1. To give protection to natives;
2. To help the missionaries convert the natives
to Christianity;
3. To promote education
But this system of Spain in governing the colony
gave negative impressions and results to the King
because most of the encomienderos abused the
natives in the colony not only by imposing high
taxes, but they also confiscate personal things like
jewelries, animals, crops if these natives could not
pay their taxes.
Spain’s Policies in the Colony
1. Reduccion
 The policy was formulated in the
Caribbean Island in 1503. They built a
pueblo or town and forcibly obliged
everyone and families to move in the
town they created. Once they were
confined inside the pueblo or town,
Spanish authorities built their outpost
encircling the town for them to monitor
all movements because their numbers
were just around 700 to 1000 during their
early years in the Philippines and they
were sending an additional of 100-150
reinforcement every year.
 The typical physical structure of an early
pueblo was a public park or they called it
plaza at the center and around it were
church, municipal hall or municipyo,
pamilihang bayan and paradahan
(parking for Caromata – a carriage pulled
by horse).
2. Repartamiento
 It was a system of a force labor to the
natives of the colony; similar to a Polo y
servicio or Tributo (tribute). The natives
were obliged to provide the basic needs
of Spaniards (the Conquistadores).
a. Polo Y Servicio – it was required forced
labor to all Filipino men aging 18 to 60
years old and must complete a 40 days’
work. They were assigned in various
locations of work like the shipyard for the
Galleon Ships, constructions of churches,
roads, and bridges or to the forest to cut
trees for logs. They called the workers as
“Polistas”. If they were absent within the
duration of their Polo, they will be
obliged to pay the corresponding amount
of the daily rates of a worker to the
government for being absent. They call it
“Falla”.
b. Tribute (tribute) – early Filipinos were
compelled to pay taxes for the King of
Spain. The system was based in
Recopilacion del Treyes de los Reynos de
las Indias which means the King of Spain
funded the Expeditions for the
Philippines and in return for his effort and
gratitude the Filipinos will pay it through
Tributo.
3. Instruccion
 friars convinced Filipinos to embrace
Catholicism as their religion and after
they were immediately baptized, they
would be given a Spanish name. The
early education of Filipinos during
Spanish period was through religion. It
was primarily exclusive for elite Filipinos
to go to formal schools operated by friars
from different congregations in the first
year of their operation. The “Doctrina
Christiana” was the first book that has
been published in the Philippines and
used in schools.
Six Catholic Congregations Who Came to the
Philippines
1. Augustinians – They entered the Philippines
together with Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in the
year 1565. They were Fray Andres de
Urdaneta, Martin de Rada, Fray Diego de
Herrera, Fray Andres de Aguirre, Fray
Lorenzo Jimenez, and Fray Pedro de
Gamboa.
2. Franciscans – The second religious order to
come in the Philippines. They were 15
Franciscans who arrived in the archipelago in
1578.
3. Jesuits – The first Jesuits in the Philippines
were from the province of Mexico. They
were headed by Fr. Antonio Sedeno, and his
companions were Fr. Alonso Sanchez,
Nicolas Gallardo, and Gaspar Suarez de
Toledo, but died during their voyage.
4. Dominicans – The first Dominican friar who
arrived in the Philippines was in the year
1587.
5. The Recollects – In the year 1606, 13
recollects arrived in Cebu, but one of them
died at sea. They went to Manila and
established their church in the Bagumbayan
area (now known as Rizal Park) but it was
demolished twice – first was in 1642 when
the Governor General perceived that it was a
threat to Intramuros where the Palacio del
 Governador is located, second was during the
British Invasion in 1762.
6. Benedictines – On September 12, 1895, the
Order of Benedictine arrived in the
Philippines. They started their missionary
work in Surigao in 1896. Rev. Jose Deas y
Villar, OSB, founded the Benedictine
community in Mindanao
Spanish Government Structure in the Philippines
 When Spain invaded the Philippine
archipelago and controlled it for 333 years,
many changes took place in the life of our
early Filipinos. The semi-Monarchial type of
living and society were abolished and they
introduced their own government structure.
That was the time when the Filipinos lost
their freedom and independence. To rein the
country they established a centralized
government.
 Spain established a central government that
was located in Intramuros, Manila. The King
of Spain was the central ruler. The King
designated his alter ego – the Viceroy to
Mexico which was also under Spain. Its
function is to supervise all the colony of
Spain with his council of Indies.
 In 1821, Mexico regained its independence
over Spain. All remaining colonies went
directly under Spain. The King immediately
sent its Governor General to govern every
colony.
 Governor – The highest ranking official in
the colony assigned by the King of Spain, he
also served as the King’s alter ego. From
1565 to 1898, there were 115 Spanish
Governor Generals assigned in the
Philippines. Miguel Lopez de Legazpi was
the first and Diego de los Reyes was the last.
 Residencia – A special judicial court whose
mandate was to investigate the performance
of the Governor General during the term and
before he would be replaced in the position.
The report of the investigation would be
directly submitted to the King of Spain.
 The Visita – Headed by a Visitador General
from the Council of Indies in Spain. He
would conduct a surprise visit to any from
among the colonies of Spain to personally
observe the conditions in the colony under
the leadership of the Governor General. The
report will also be submitted directly to the
King of Spain.
 The Royal Audiencia – The highest court of
justice in the colony. It was an institution that
helped the Governor General in governing
the colony by securing the people from
abusive Spanish officials.
 Alacadias (provincial government) – It was
headed by the Alcalde Mayor. The position
was exclusive only for Spanish and Mestizos.
They were receiving salary and privilege in
controlling the flow of business in his area of
responsibility called as Indulto de Comercio.
They implemented laws and supervised tax
collection in their province.
 Corregimentos (uncontrolled provinces) –
Headed by designated Army officers by the
Governor General. The province they held
was not yet totally under their governance,
there were resistance from some Filipinos.
 Ayuntamiento (the city government) –
Headed by an Alcalde. It was a former town
but when it became the center of trade and
commerce, it turned into a city. It has a city
council; composed of the following headed
by the Alcalde – councilors (Regidores), the
Aguacil Mayor (chief of police), and
Escribando (secretary).
Municipal or Pueblo de Indios – The leader was
called Gobernadorcillo. The highest political
position that Filipinos can have during those
times. To become a candidate, they must be a
Cabeza de Barangay and among the Cabezas,
they will elect the top three that will be submitted
to the Governor General or to the Alcalde Mayor.
And from there, they will choose one. Every
Alcadias were divided into a Pueblos or Towns.
They’re not receiving salary but they are exempt
from paying taxes and excused from rendering
Polo with their immediate family member plus
their social status as member of Principalia. They
focus on tax collection and the peace and order
within their Pueblo
 Spain promulgated an educational decree for
reforming the educational systems in the
Philippines. During the early Spanish
occupation, education for the Filipino people
centered on religion and primarily for the
elite, especially in the first years of Spanish
colonization. Prior to that, early Filipinos
taught their children at home, focusing more
on vocational skills than academics. There
were also tribal tutors, but there was no
structured educational system.
 The enactment of the Educational Decree of
1863, liberalized access to education, which
provided for the establishment of at least one
primary school for boys and girls in each
town under the responsibility of the
municipal government. There were three
grades: “entrada”, “acenso”, and “termino”.
The curriculum required the study of
Christian doctrine, values, and history as well
as reading and writing in Spanish,
mathematics, agriculture, etiquette, singing,
world geography, and Spanish history. Girls
were also taught sewing.
 The Educational Decree also provided for a
normal school run by the Jesuits to educate
male teachers in Manila. Normal schools for
women teachers were not established until
1875, in Nueva Caceres.
Invasion Attempts During Spanish Time in the
Philippines
 Chinese Invasion through Limahong (The
Chinese Pirate) – On November 25, 1574,
Limahong attacked Manila where he killed
Martin De Goiti – founder of the City of
Manila. Goiti also joined Miguel Lopez de
Legazpi and Juan de Salcedo in their
conquest in the Philippines 1565. Limahong
also tried to attack Paranaque but he was
stopped by Don Galo and with the help of
Juan de Salcedo, Limahong was defeated and
he retreated to Pangasinan.
 Dutch Invasion – In 1646, a series of Naval
Battles happened in the Philippine waters
between the Spanish fleet and the Dutch
Naval Squadron that attacked and tried to
invade the Philippines. Spanish and some
Filipinos attributed the victory over the
Dutch to the Our Lady of La Naval de Manila
on April 9, 1652. The event was called The
Battle of La Naval de Manila (The Our Lady
of La Naval is now the patron saint of our
Philippine Navy).
 British Invasion – In history, there was what
they called “The Seven Year War” between
England and France. The King of Spain, King
Charles II felt threatened when France nearly
lost the said war against England. On January
4, 1762, England (Britain) declared war
against Spain. Immediately after, Spain also
made their declaration of war against Britain
on January 18 of the same year. The King of
Spain and France made a truce in fighting
their rival Britain; they called it the Family
Compact which was signed on August 15,
1761. On September 24, 1762, a British
sailed into Manila Bay from Madras. The
expedition was led by Brigadier-General
William Draper and RearAdmiral Samuel
Cornish and they captured Manila. The
Philippines was under British for 20 months
(1762 to 1764). On February 10, 1763, a
peace talk occurred between three Spain,
France, and Britain and signed a peace
 agreement ending the war. After Manila was
properly turned over again to Spain, the
British forces embarked from Manila and
Cavite area on the first week of April 1764.

 Portuguese Invasion – Portugal tried to

invade the Philippines because of Spain’s
violation of the treaty; when Spain colonized
the Philippines, because it was supposedly a
Portuguese territory according to the Papal
Bull (Spain will sail westward and Portugal
will go eastward). Philippine location is in
the Southeast of Asia. According to the Papal
Bull, all discoveries in the east must be turned
over to Portugal. All discoveries in the west
must be turned over to Spain. Spain didn’t
turn over the Philippines to Portugal, but
instead they colonized it.