READHIS | MODULE 3 | QUIZ NO.

The Laguna Copperplate Inscription and the Process of Its Authentication

Jose Miguel I. Rocha FBAMA1

1. The Laguna Copperplate Inscription (henceforth LCI) is one of the few local items to
undergo very rigid external criticism.Explain the reasons why there is no reason to doubt
that the material copperplate was really an ancient document from the 900’s (10 th
century) and not a hoax.

The Laguna Copperplate Inscription was discovered by coincidence in 1989 by a man

digging for sand near the mouth of the Lumbang River, which empties into Lake de Ba'y.
Most Filipinos were unaware of our pre-colonial past at the time, owing to colonization.
It didn't even resemble Baybayin or other scripts that were used long into the early
colonial era and are being used now. According to the report, the Postma and the
Philippine Nation Museum were aware of the bogus historical papers, which is why they
had to take preventative steps and level severe criticism at LCI in order to prevent
another deception from making its way into textbooks.

2. When the LCI was first “internally-critiqued”, experts like Antoon Postma believed that
the document was from ancient Java (Indonesia)—especially since it was written in a
Javanese script (Kawi). However, these experts changed their minds and eventually
declared that the LCI text was written by an ancient “Filipino”. What are the findings that
convinced these experts that this is indeed a Filipino document—and not a trade item
from ancient Indonesia.

The writing was written in Kavi, a cryptic and now-extinct Javanese script, according to
the report. It was also noted that artifacts prior to the Spaniards colonizing the Philippines
are extremely rare, which is why most Filipinos at the time were unfamiliar with the
alphabet employed in the LCI. Furthermore, the manner in which the script was created
suggested that it was an old Tagalog script other than the Baybayin. The Indonesian
method of inscribing on copperplates is prepared by heating them until pliable before
writing with a stylus, providing a smooth and continuous stroke. The Philippines' method,
on the other hand, involved hammering the writing into place. This was found because
close inspection of the letters revealed connect..

3. The text of the LCI is incomplete. Some people argue that since it is incomplete, it is
possibly a hoax. Some people believe however, that the very fact that the text is
incomplete proves that it is an authentic document. What is your opinion regarding this
debate? Kindly explain your answer.
 For me. As I previously stated, the possibility of it being a hoax is statistically minimal.
The fact that there is an unfinished text adds to the proof of its validity, implying that
there are more uncovered pages that will complete the document. The only questions that
sprang to mind were how the translator knew enough about the employed script and other
comparable antique languages.

4. How did the LCI change your own understanding of ancient Filipino culture prior to the
arrival of the Spaniards? Kindly explain your answer

It's sort of overwhelming to realize that a piece of metal retrieved from the sand can
change an entire viewpoint of wanting to know more about my own land before the
Spanish colonialism. In a way, it is also saddening to think about how most Filipinos of
today, like me, don't know much about the Philippines' past before the Spaniards,
therefore losing our own authenticity over time. Aside from the old languages we are
unfamiliar with, there are many things I wish to know about the pre-Hispanic era, such as
the culture, the welfare of the people, the government if one existed at the time, and so
on. The LCI opened a box full of questions about the Philippines' past, and I'm more
eager than ever to learn more.