Readings in

Philippine History

MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY

 Hello
Hi Jerry!
Ma’am Bella!
What are you I have to write an obituary
doing?
for a dear friend of mine who
died.
Who died?
Oh no! I love History. He was such an
interesting fellow, though many
people didn’t truly understand what
he was all about. People were always
mistaking him for his brother who
they call Past but History, he was so
much more than past. He was all
about connecting big ideas and when
you spent time with History you felt
like you were a better person because
of what you learned from him.
You want to hear what other people say
about him? He had many critics. And
some often refer to him as boring but
his true friends, those who knew him
well say he is very interesting,
enjoyable and helpful.
History knew he was not perfect. Just like any
hero, he had his flaws, which is that, he did not
learn from his mistakes and often repeated
them. However, he acknowledged this flaw and
encouraged his friends to learn from both his
successes and his failures. Doctors could not
determine History’s cause of death but his
friends’ suspect he died of a broken heart
because he felt unappreciated. In lieu of flowers,
History’s family is asking you to honor him by
learning or remembering the skills and lessons
from his life.
 One thing is for sure. There
Oh Jerry, I think I am going to would never be another quite
cry. That was beautiful! like History.
The End
Outline:

 Meaning of History
 Sources of History
 General Kinds of Historical Sources
 Historical Criticism
 Colonial Historiography
 Philippine Historiography After World War II
 Characteristics of Contemporary Philippine
Historiography
 “In
order to know the destiny of the
people, it is necessary to open the
book of its past.”
- Jose Rizal (The Philippines A
Century Hence)
 MEANING OF HISTORY

 study of past events presented in chronological

order and with explanation

 sanaysay na may saysay

 kwento na may kwenta
 Historians - Individuals who write about history

 Historiography - the practice of historical writing

Sources of History

Lesson
Navigator
 SOURCES OF HISTORY

a. Documents
 SOURCES OF HISTORY

b. Archaeological Records
Fossils

artifacts
 SOURCES OF HISTORY

c. Oral and Video Accounts

 GENERAL KINDS OF HISTORICAL SOURCES

 Primary Sources

 Secondary Sources
How History is made?

 Historians attempt to understand the past

 Historians attempt to understand the past
based on evidence
 Historical evidence that comes directly from
society is called primary source.
 Historians interpret the primary source to
decide what they actually tell us about the past
How History is made?

 Interpretation: The process of deciding on the

meaning of a historical source
 Based on these interpretations, historians
attempt to create a narrative (a story)about
what happened in the past
 Historical narratives and interpretations are
known as secondary sources.
 Colonial
Historiography

Lesson
Navigator
 COLONIAL HISTORIOGRAPHY

 period of darkness or backwardness

 period of advancement or enlightenment

 Spaniards - “barbaric” lifeways

 Americans - “civilized lifestyle”

 Jose Rizal - annotated Antonio de Morga’s

Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas
 COLONIAL HISTORIOGRAPHY

 Filipinos perception about their colonial past:

maltreated by the “wicked Spain”

and
rescued by the “benevolent America”
 Philippine
Historiography After
World War II

Lesson
Navigator
PHILIPPINE HISTORIOGRAPHY AFTER WORLD WAR II

 Teodoro Agoncillo
 pioneered nationalist historiography
in the country by highlighting the role
of the Filipino reformists and
revolutionaries from 1872
 “lost history”
PHILIPPINE HISTORIOGRAPHY AFTER WORLD WAR II

 Renato Constantino

 “people’s history”
PHILIPPINE HISTORIOGRAPHY AFTER WORLD WAR II

 Zeus Salazar

 “Pantayong Pananaw”
PHILIPPINE HISTORIOGRAPHY AFTER WORLD WAR II

 Reynaldo Ileto

 “history from below”

PHILIPPINE HISTORIOGRAPHY AFTER WORLD WAR II

 Samuel Tan

 mainstreamed the role and relevance of

Filipino Muslims in the country’s national
history
 Characterictis of
Contemporary Philippine
Historiography

Lesson
Navigator
 Characteristics of Contemporary Philippine
Historiography

 Colonial Histories
 Emphasis on Lowland Christianized
Filipinos
 Political Narratives
 Patriarchal Orientation
 Elite-centric Perspectives
 Link it!

Search the internet for online archives and libraries on Philippine

history and culture. Explore ways of getting historical information
from varied digital sources. Present your findings in a powerpoint
presentation with profiles of web sites detailing their collection of
sources and providing important information on how to access
their files.
 Bring it on!

1. What are the benefits of using primary sources?

2. Why do you think most history textbooks are secondary
sources?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of accessing
online primary sources?
4. What are the challenges of understanding our country’s past
mindful of the problems that characterize the writing of our
national history?
 Level up!

1. You work as part of a research team at the National Historical

Commission of the Philippines. The team is composed of four to five
researchers who will take part in an annual conference of Filipino
historians aimed to analyze the country’s national symbols utilizing
primary sources. Your group should be able to explain the meaning of the
different symbols and colors of the Philippine flag by showing excerpts of
the English translation of the country’s declarations of independence
originally written in Spanish. Then you are to compare and contrast the
past and present meanings that we attach to the symbols and colors of
the Philippine flag. Your presentation will be graded based on accuracy of
information and flow of presentation.
 Level up!

2. You work at a broadcasting company. Your station manager has

selected you to annotate for a video highlighting the recollection of
veterans during the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos.
You have to conduct an interview or a series of interviews with an
individual or group of individuals who were witnesses to the
changes in Philippine society between 1965 and 1986. Write your
script for a three-minute video presentation. Your presentation will
be graded based on its content, creativity, and impact.
 Level up!

3. You have been assigned to write a brief history about your family,
organization, school, or village. The objective of the project is to
examine the available primary documents such as letters, minutes
of the meeting, pictures, and other memorabilia that you can use
in making a historical account. It is important to identify and
explain the turning points or highlights of your historical narrative.
Your paper will be graded based on extensiveness of the primary
documents to be utilized and organization of the historical
account.
Thank you!