READINGS IN THE PHILIPPINE HISTORY (SSC001) REVIEWER

The process of how history is written and created can be an

LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION: DEFINITION, SUBJECT MATTER, interesting subject matter.
QUESTIONS AND ISSUES  The way historians outline their ideas and interpret a
particular historical occurrence can be impressive and
WHY STUDY HISTORY?
fascinating as it makes us think and analyze a particular
 It is important for us learners to have knowledge of who
event.
we are as a country as a people as a culture and until we
 This process can arouse our interest and question the
have not known this, we will not know what shaped us of
validity of the story.
who we are today.
 Historians will have to interpret the evidence that is left of
 We have to understand the fun side of studying history
us, interpret such evidence with skills and capability
because this involves real people, great leaders, heroes of
rendering a valid and effective historical past.
our country and how they struggled and fought for our
 However, prejudices on certain historical contexts can take
country.
place and other historians can debate on it. It makes
 It recounts real love stories, betrayal, conquest and loyalty
people question and investigate.
to one’s own country. These are true stories that give us an
 Historians would say, that an “absence of evidence is not
idea, an insight and a perspective of our present times. It
evidence of absence” which entirely means that because
inspires us to know where we are headed in the future.
there is no evidence it doesn’t mean that the story did not
 Without studying history, we will never know what
occur (Jenner, 2015).
direction we will want to take and move forward. What
changes we would like to use in our present lives as a
The historians are not simply limited to the pieces of
people.
evidence they gathered but the interpretation of such
 By studying our history, we encounter issues that we have
experience is a must. These pieces of historical evidences are
to handle in our society, our government and many of our
facts that must be interpreted.
social institutions.
 As the historians gather and collate all these facts of
 By studying our history, we encounter issues that we have
history, he interprets them by giving meaning to them,
to handle in our society, our government and many of our
organizes them according to dates of occurrences,
social institutions.
establishes the causes then writes it.
 The scientific process is now in motion. It is through the
HISTORY AND HISTORIANS
scientific process of research that the story of the past
HISTORY - as a study, travels back in time.
takes its form.
 It has originated from the Greek word “historia” which
 The historian’s circumstances and orientation, his
means “knowledge acquired through inquiry or
perceptions, beliefs system, education, environment, his
investigation”
 It has existed for 2,400 years. family neighborhood and childhood can all influence his
interpretation of the historical facts.
 It became known as an account of the past of a person
 This subjectivity of the historian poses a big problem in his
or a group of people through written documents and
undertaking as a historical researcher.
historical evidence.
 The facts that he selects and his methodology, his manner
 It is noted that the focus of history before is writing
of writing and most especially his interpretation might
about what happened in the past, like “break-through,
cloud his judgments.
wars and revolutions”.
 This implies that written documents can attest to a
It is at this point historical research will need a scientific
particular occurrence in history. Old historians believed
approach.
that if there are “no documents there is no history”
 Employing a scientific method can lessen the subjectivity
(Candelaria and Alphora 2018).
of the historian instead.
 But it is an important fact to consider how history
 HISTORICAL METHODOLOGY - which compromises certain
always changes, what happened in the past may show
techniques and rules that historians follow in order to
interesting truths about it.
properly utilize sources and pieces of historical evidence in
 Truths that occurred in the past may find relevance to
writing history.
our present system of ideas, beliefs and way of life.
 Certain rules apply in cases of conflicting accounts in
 As history changes and as it takes different forms
different sources, and on how to properly treat
throughout life it can be interesting to know how these
eyewitness accounts and oral sources as valid historical
truths are recorded, written and interpreted.
evidence.
 READINGS IN THE PHILIPPINE HISTORY (SSC001) REVIEWER
Annales School of History We have to be aware that history and historiography are
 This is a school of history born in France that challenged disciplines that are independent of each other but are totally
the canons of history. A school of thought that did not use connected.
the common historical subjects that are associated with  History is the substance of what historians create.
the behavior of the state and the monarchs.  History is a narrative analyzing and explaining events
 Here are some of the Annales scholars: that happened in the past, based on records from the
a. Lucien Febvre pertinent era or later, or based upon the recollections of
b. Marc Bloch people still living at the time they were interviewed to
c. Fernand Braduel preserve those recollections (“oral history”).
d. Jacques Le Goff  It is the “what” of history, the work product put out by
 They were concerned with social history and studied historians.
longer historical periods.  Historiography is the method used by historians to do
 They advocated that the people and classes who were what they do.
not reflected in the history of the society in a grand  It is a step-by-step, rational and evidence-based
manner be provided with space in the records of empirical process, closely akin to “the scientific
mankind. method,” teaching the appropriate ways to collect, sort,
 Annales thinkers combined history with other analyze, compare, understand, and write about
disciplines like geography. historical materials.
 It is the “how” of writing history.
The study of history and its historian require a thorough  Through this method, we are allowed to understand
investigation of the events of the past. different historical contexts.
 The historian’s way of verifying the facts lies in his  It helps us see the historical material in the eyes of the
meticulous analysis, the authenticity of records is author, what were his points of view, what made him
substantiated by a continuous search for references and used a particular theory which was his lens through the
appropriate methodologies. creation of a particular material.
 All of these questions will be included in the analysis of
One fact may be validated from another historical account. the historical event.
 Oral or Written documents must be constantly studied
verified and subjected to comparative analysis and
interpretation.
 It is through this process that we can capture authentic
accounts of history.
 It may not be perfected as we cannot bring back the past
but it can lead us to a better if not the best narrative that
is produced of an experience.

HISTORIOGRAPHY, QUESTIONS AND ISSUES IN HISTORY

HISTORIOGRAPHY - is the history of history.
 Investigating the truth behind every historical fact,
searches deeper for its validity, inquiries that will
enlighten the circumstance of such historical occurrence.
 History as a discipline becomes persistent to discover
reliable truths.
 Its dynamism has manifested diversified points of view,
raising questions as to
a. its nature: what is history?
b. its purpose: why study history?
c. and its audience: For whom do we study it for?
 READINGS IN THE PHILIPPINE HISTORY (SSC001) REVIEWER
(other than autobiographies and memoirs),
LESSON 2: HISTORICAL SOURCES, REPOSITORIES, EXTERNAL commentaries, and criticisms.
AND INTERNAL CRITICISMS  Examples of Secondary Source: A journal article on Rizal’s
diaries, history book, documentary, biography.
HISTORICAL RESORCES  However secondary sources may have some overlap with
HISTORICAL RESOURCES - are important research tools of other types of materials.
historians.
 They are categorized as: primary sources, secondary TERTIARY SOURCES - compile, index, or organize information
sources, and tertiary sources. from primary and secondary sources.
 Their classification is basically dependent on the date they  These sources rarely contain original material and instead
were created or produced, the purpose and the scope of typically offer a broad perspective of a topic without any
the materials and sometimes the discipline that uses it. critique or analysis.
 Tertiary sources sometimes include a bibliography, works
PRIMARY SOURCES - are documents or physical objects cited, or reference list that can act as a directory to
which were written or created at the same time as the event important primary and secondary sources.
or experience being studied.  Because tertiary sources often aim to provide a broad
 Primary Sources do not speak for themselves, they have to overview, they generally rely on groups of authors for
be interpreted. content.
 Can be written and non-written:  Some common examples of tertiary sources are
a. Written: Published materials, Manuscript encyclopedias, dictionaries, textbooks, bibliographies, and
b. Non-Written: Oral history, artifacts, fossils, ruins, directories. Wikipedia is an example of an online tertiary
artworks, audio and video recording source.
 Examples of Primary Sources: Archives And Manuscript
Material, Photographs, Audio Recordings, Video REPOSITORIES OF PRIMARY SOURCES
Recordings, Films, Blogs, Speeches, Scrapbooks, Published REPOSITORY - is defined as a place, building, or receptacle
Books, Newspapers and Magazine Clippings published at where things are or may be stored.
the time an event happened, Government Publications ,  These repositories are the National Archives of the
Oral Histories, Records Of Organizations, Autobiographies Philippines, National Museum of the Philippines, National
And Memoirs, Royal Decrees, Official Reports, Chronicles, Library of the Philippines, and the National Historical
Friar accounts, Maps, Printed Ephemera, Artifacts, (e.g. Commission of the Philippines.
Clothing, Costumes, Furniture), Research Data, (e.g., Public
Opinion Polls). NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE PHILIPPINES
 To examine primary sources:  The National Archives of the Philippines - is the home of
a. Name of the author about 60 million documents from the centuries of Spanish
b. Background of the author rule in the Philippines, the American and Japanese
c. Date written occupations, as well as the years of the Republic.
d. Scope of the content.  It is also the final repository for the voluminous notarized
documents of the country.
SECONDARY SOURCES - are interpretations and analysis of  The task of guaranteeing that documents and records are
primary sources and may have pictures, quotes, or graphics preserved and accessible to the public lies with the
of primary sources in them. National Archives of the Philippines.
 Secondary sources provide information about a primary  Its main responsibility is to preserve the primary sources
source or a set of primary sources. of information on Philippine history, the basic components
 These sources restate, rearrange, or interpret the original of cultural heritage and collective memory.
information provided in a primary source.  These documentary sources are the embodiment of
 Secondary sources are often created by experts in the field community identities as well as testaments to shared
and address the given subject from a historical or critical national experiences.
perspective providing discussion or analysis of specific
aspects.
 It includes biographies, research articles (for physical
and social sciences, this refers to articles that don't
include the authors' original research), monographs
 READINGS IN THE PHILIPPINE HISTORY (SSC001) REVIEWER

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE PHILIPPINES EXTERNAL CRITICISM - is practiced to see or verify the
 The National Museum of the Philippines (Filipino: authenticity or originality of the evidence by examining its:
Pambansang Museo ng Pilipinas) - is an umbrella a. Physical characteristics
government organization that oversees a number of b. Consistency with the historical characteristics of the
national museums in the Philippines including time when it was produced C. Materials used for
ethnographic, anthropological, archaeological and visual evidence
arts collections.  An example used when undergoing an external criticism of
 Since 1998, the National Museum has been the regulatory a document, will include the quality of paper, the type of
and enforcement agency of the Government of the ink, and the language and words used in the material,
Philippines in the restoring and safeguarding of important among others.
cultural properties, sites, and reservations throughout the  Authentic?
Philippines.  When it was written?
 Where it was written?
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF THE PHILIPPINES  Why did it survive?
 The National Library of the Philippines (Filipino:  Who is the real authors?
Pambansang Aklatan ng Pilipinas or Aklatang Pambansa
ng Pilipinas, abbreviated NLP) - is the official national
library of the Philippines.
 The library is notable for being the home of the original
copies of the defining works of José Rizal: Noli Me
Tangere, El Filibusterismo and Mi último adiós.

NATIONALHISTORICAL COMMISION OF THE PHILIPPINES

 The National Historical Commission of the Philippines
(NHCP) - by virtue of Republic Act 10086, is responsible for
the conservation and preservation of the country's
historical legacies.

HISTORICAL CRITICISM
HISTORICAL CRITICISM - it is a must to thoroughly examine,
dissect and analyze historical sources to uncover historical
truth and to avoid fraud.
 In writing and learning history, we have to recognize the
importance of using primary and secondary sources.

INTERNAL CRITICISM - examines the truthfulness of the

evidence through looking into the:
a. Content of the source and the circumstance of its
production.
b. Truthfulness and factuality – the author’s source, its
context, agenda behind its creation, the knowledge
which informed it among others.
 Eye witness or secondary account?
 Why it was written?
 Literal meaning
 Internal consistency
 Connotations
 Meaning in text
 READINGS IN THE PHILIPPINE HISTORY (SSC001) REVIEWER

LESSON 3: THE FIRST VOYAGE AROUND THE WORLD BY RAJAH CALAMBU OF SAMAR - as Pigafetta narrated has an
ANTONIO PIGAFETTA abundance of gold. With a golden dagger, the rajah is
adorned with silk and gold accessories. The exchange of gifts
A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE FIRST VOYAGE AROUND THE expressed the desire of Magellan and the Rajah to become
WORLD BY MAGELLAN AND PIGAFETTA brothers.
FERDINAND MAGELLAN, a Portuguese - left the Spain along
with 270 men.  March 31st fell on an Easter Sunday.
 Purpose of travel : to go westward sea route to the Spice  A mass was made by the chaplain as Magellan ordered.
Island. In this mass, the two rajah brothers attended the
 Events marked from Pigafetta’s travel from Magellan’s prepared celebration.
arrival in the Philippines:  Pigafetta described, the natives knelt and adored the
 Magellan’s meeting with the local leaders, and death in Lord.
the hands of the chieftain of Mactan,  The two brothers kissed the cross.
 Lapu-lapu and his men who outnumbered Magellan’s  Magellan told the natives that he was ordered by the
men. king of Spain to plant the cross in the places that he
reached.
ANTONIO PIGAFETTA - wrote his experience in full detail as  He also assured the natives that if there will be
he was assigned by Magellan himself to document the Spaniards who will hold them captive, the cross, when
voyage. they see it, would free them from such captivity.
 Written in his chronicle where his general impression of  Magellan, according to the record of Pigafetta, spoke to
the Far East. the natives about God. They found pleasure in his speech.
 He wrote his observation of the natives they met as they  The chronicler further described the peoples’ point of view
landed in the Visayas. of old age.
 The island they first reached was Zamal (Samar).  The natives believed that they considered their parents
 In his chronicle, he wrote the customs and traditions of the in old age coz it is their children who are the new
people. leaders.
 Their character and superstitions. He recounted the  Magellan countered that faith teaches that children have
familiarity, joy and friendliness of the people upon to honor and obey their parents.
seeing them.  He further taught them about faith which showed that
 They were met by nine men whom Magellan perceived they are convinced.
as reasonable men.  It must be noted that Magellan and his men came from
 They were given food, rice, fish and wine (a palm wine). a land that has a strong Christian faith.
 Pigafetta noted their way of clothing as very light and  They have almost baptized the natives in the islands
some were almost naked. they came across.
 Their amazement at the gifts they gave got his interest.  He asked them to burn their idols and instead convert
 At the onset of their arrival, Magellan sought an their beliefs to Christ. Some of them burned the villages
uninhabited island where they could rest for the night. of those who did not obey their native king or Magellan.
 One may ask how was Magellan able to communicate with  Every day, according to Pigafetta, there would be
the natives? celebrated masses on the shore.
 His slave Enrique was the one who facilitated the  Magellan further moved to other islands to have more
communication, he came as a Malay interpreter, though supplies.
his roots were doubted to be a Filipino from Cebu.  Raja Calambu offered to assist them as they would like
 The Philippines, as he viewed it, has too many islands and to go to Zzubu(Cebu), the largest and richest of the
in each island are rulers whom Pigafetta referred to as islands.
kings  The king of Cebu told Magellan that they should pay
 The first king to greet them was Rajah Siagu brother to respect.
Rajah Calambu, king of Zuluan and Calagan (Butuan  But Magellan replied to them through his interpreter
and Caragua) whom Pigafetta noted that the latter is a that he is an emissary of a king of a greater empire and
handsome man. thus it is better that they don’t have animosity but
 “Pigafetta described the second king as most handsome instead friendship.
of all the men that he saw in this place”.  The native king’s belief in Magellan gave way to a lot of
Christian converts.
 READINGS IN THE PHILIPPINE HISTORY (SSC001) REVIEWER
 It can preserve food and take away the taste of meat
 However, there came to Magellan a man of importance by that has gone bad.
the name of Zula and asked for him to give him a boat full  The repetitive mention of their search for spices and the
of men, he intended to fight a chieftain named Silapulapu Spice Island is quite strange for a Filipino since spices grow
(Lapulapu). naturally in the Philippines
 He explained that Lapulapu rejected obedience to the  Although reading it from the context of Pigafetta, one
king and Magellan. can see the rarity of this commodity in Europe.
 But instead, it was Magellan who expressed to go to  The obsession with the spices might be unusual for
Mactan and fight. Filipinos because of its ordinariness in the Philippines but
 But the story of Pigafetta as narrated during the battle; understanding the context would reveal that spices are
 Magellan’s man is only 49, including Pigafetta himself. rare in Europe hence, were seen as prestige good.
They were outnumbered by the men of Lapulapu which  In that era, Spain and Portugal coveted the control of the
were composed of 1,500 natives. Spice Islands because it would have led to a certain
 Pigafetta recounted the said ending on how the men increase in wealth influence and power.
were hit by poisoned arrows.
 The men fought hard especially when Magellan ordered Europeans had reached the Spice Islands by sailing east, but
to burn the entire village just to scare the natives but none had yet to sail west from Europe to reach the other
such acts of Magellan angered the natives more as they side of the globe. Magellan was determined to be the first to
rush to them from all sides. do so.
 The natives rushed to Magellan when they saw him  In Pigafetta’s account, we see the motive or the purpose of
wounded. their voyage.
 Through it all Magellan kept looking back at his men as  Aside from Magellan’s determination to be the first
giving them the chance to retreat. circumnavigator of the world.
 Pigafetta narrated how Magellan fell face down in the  Although in the account, we can see that the chronicler
battle of Mactan. has viewed the events not from the standpoint of the
 The king of Cebu offered the Chief of Mactan gifts in natives that they found but interpreted it from his own
exchange for Magellan’s body but it was not released to viewpoint, that of a European.
him for the reason that it is a reminder of their winning.
 Pigafetta narrated that they were betrayed by Magellan’s In his account, we have seen how he interpreted the local
interpreter and the king of Cebu. indigenous way of life.
 As the latter was convinced by the interpreter that he  He thinks that it is below their own belief as civilized and
can have the ships and other valuables. Christian Europeans.
 They were invited to a gathering; 24 men went except  He recounted the way people would have idols instead of
Pigafetta since they were wounded but later on, they Christ. Magellan asked the natives to do away with them
heard cries. by burning these idols.
 All of the men were killed except for the interpreter and
Juan Serrano who pleaded them across the shore to In the 15th century, the Roman Catholic Church is in great
pay a ransom. dominion. Kings and queens would seek the advice of the
 But Pigafetta and his companions decided to back away Pope in state or business matters.
and nobody was instructed to go offshore.  Thence, other beliefs that were not congruent to
 The fleet departed leaving behind Serrano. Christianity were considered pagan, “blasphemous,
demonic and barbaric”.
ANALYSIS OF PIGAFETTA’S CHRONICLE (AS A PRIMARY  It is only the Christian faith that was recognized.
SOURCE)  It must be noted that all contentions were viewed from
 It can be understood that the narrative of Pigafetta about Pigafetta’s personal standpoint.
Magellan’s travel to the Far East was not for the purpose  It is always in comparison to what he knew and
of coming to the Philippines, instead, it was in the search understood in his culture.
of the Spice Islands.
 The Spice Island or Mollucas - is very important to
western people since spices were used to give taste to
their food.
 The flavors of spices were highly valued in Europe.
 READINGS IN THE PHILIPPINE HISTORY (SSC001) REVIEWER
 Their trust in their civilization and advance artillery failed
On the other hand, it is also noted how Pigafetta would them to recognize that the natives moved with ease in
observe the natives’ way of dressing, their manners and their unclothed manner.
culture.  Their heavy body armor failed to protect them in fighting
 He would describe the women’s clothes as well as that of the battle that they faced in Mactan.
the men.
 Observing that the native’s attire was almost naked. This has been constantly repeated in his account
 With this point of view as a well-dressed European- fully  But likewise, from the author’s travelogue one can see
covered in a sense defines the climate they have. how Pigafetta is also astounded by the native’s ginger and
 Of course, a man who comes from a cold country whose gold.
temperature drops to zero can’t be expected to dress as  It is exactly one of the things they came looking for, spices
scantily as the natives. and wealth of metals like gold.
 With 15th century Europe and having Spain as one of the
It must be a delimiting observation for the local natives. leading empires of that time, it will not be a wonder how
Pigafetta has to be aware that they discovered an island in they can be a leading empire upon discovering an island
the east, a place of tropical climate, a climate which can be like the Philippines.
really hot and humid. This observation also goes to the kind
of houses the native settlers have.
 He wrote down that the houses were made of palm and
bamboo, constructed as it is to allow the cool air to enter
their houses.
 Magnifying a cool shade for the extreme heat of the
climate.
 From here one can analyze that the writer is coming from
the context of a prosperous European culture.

The chronicler was amazed at how gold was abundant on the

island
 Noting down that the island is a gold mine.
 It can be seen the repeated mention of the wealth found
on the island in terms of this precious metal.
 The king possesses “a golden dagger, adorned with silk and
gold accessories and a rich goldmine” which displays how
gold can be so valuable in Europe.
 It can be a valuable commodity in his time. ‘

The 15th century is also noted as the age of mercantilism.

 In Europe way back then the wealth of kingdoms is
commensurate to precious metals amassed, like silver and
gold.
 The mercantilist economy where the chronicler came from
must have been fascinated by the abundance of this
precious metal, there is no doubt why he always made
mention of this in his document.

One other thing that Pigafetta’s document show is his

incredulity in the local native’s illiteracy.
 They were astonished by the Spanish artillery, the gifts and
the goods that the Spaniards gave them.
 On the other hand, the Spaniards believed that they could
defeat the natives because of their strong artillery, as
Pigafetta had recounted and their fascination with their
gifts.